What do you do with a baby all day long? « Back to Group Discussions

[kimberlyayoung]

This may seem like a stupid question, but I am a FTM & wondering what you do with a baby all day long?  Other than the obvious feeding, changing, washing, napping etc.  I work from home and go to language school a couple of times a week, but there just seems to be so many hours in the day when the baby will be awake.  How do you fill your time?  Maybe this will be answered once the baby comes or we get into a routine?  Any suggestions, helpful hints, words of wisdom?

[zebrachick83]

Originally Posted by kimberlyayoung 

This may seem like a stupid question, but I am a FTM & wondering what you do with a baby all day long?  Other than the obvious feeding, changing, washing, napping etc.  I work from home and go to language school a couple of times a week, but there just seems to be so many hours in the day when the baby will be awake.  How do you fill your time?  Maybe this will be answered once the baby comes or we get into a routine?  Any suggestions, helpful hints, words of wisdom?

Not a stupid question at all! I was in the same spot after I had our first...lol. Actually, during the first month or so, the baby won't be awake for many hours during the day at all. Newborns really do spend a lot of their time sleeping - it's just broken up into 1 1/2 to 2 hour increments, so you can't get anything else done.  Since you work from home, you can spend your time at first just holding new baby while you're working or my personal favorite: snuggling while reading a good book. Once baby starts spending more time awake during the day, you can just bring him/her along during whatever you'd normally do. The good thing about itty bitty babies is that it doesn't take much to keep them entertained. They're usually fine with ordinary stuff like walking around the neighborhood or going to the store. It's when they get to the toddler age that keeping them entertained becomes a challenge. 

[mamatwo8]

wear them! LOL... yeah not a whole lot to do but cuddle and enjoy, besides the necessary feeding etc.... Gheesh I remember when we had just one... compared to know... Umm yeah, enjoy!

[mamaharrison]

Nursing takes up a GREAT majority of time for many babes and moms. Like zebrachic said there really isn't a lot of time to be bored or get much done since you will be doing everything in increments of 1- hours. Not all NBs sleep tons either--mine didn't--and wouldn't let me put her down ever. So, yes, to babywearing! You just cuddle and spend time together.

[kel]

I'm a mostly "stay at home" mom, too - and yes, nursing takes up a lot of time!  I know that I've always used the time baby is asleep to clean the house or exercise a bit.  Other than that, it seems like I am either wearing and/or nursing baby, cooking food for the other kids, homeschooling, etc etc.  I just do what I would always do, except with baby in tow.  You definitely accomplish a lot less for a while there.  And definitely have some good books or letter writing material around, a comfy spot at the computer, or what have you, because there is going to be *a lot* of down time where you're just sitting and nursing. 

[segolilymama]

The library was my best friend when DS1 was born :) After those first few weeks of nursing, napping, recovering, etc, I started taking him on little outings - mostly to the store, the library, walk in the park, etc. Obviously these were all for my benefit more than his! I found if I had something planned every day (even if it was grocery shopping) it kept me from feeling stir-crazy. But as the other have said, the time spent nursing, changing baby, preparing food for yourself and your partner etc, take up a day pretty easily!

It can be really useful to have a mama's group to meet with once a week, too - you can find may types, through LaLeche League, internet groups, etc. As baby gets older, it's fun for them to interact with each other, and you get the benefit of being out of the house, in adult conversation.

[cieloazul]

I work from home too, so this has been on my mind as well. I don't think it's going to be a question of how to fill my time so much as what to let go of because priorities shift and time can sometimes feel scarce.

With my first, I took 5 months off from work and 8 months off from school. Even in that scenario feeding, changing, washing, and napping took up pretty much all of the day...and night. I'll echo the others on babywearing. That was the best both for getting out and doing what I needed/wanted to do away from home, as well as getting things done at home in small chunks. I literally remember breaking down the task of "unload the dishwasher" into 1) unload top shelf, 2) unload bottom shelf, 3) put away silverware; and those three steps might take me all day, lol. The first few weeks were an absolute blur. But within a month or two we had a new "normal" (which was NOT the old normal in terms of productivity, that's for sure!). Actually I found it easier to do things with a little baby vs one that was crawling/walking. For a few months there, they'll chill in a sling or lay at your feet on a blanket. I have some really fond memories from my maternity leave of strapping DS on and heading out to do things that I loved but never had a chance to do while I was working/studying; things like going to museums, volunteering, and visiting friends. I got a lot of sewing and crafting done too.

Now, expecting my second and working from home, my vision is to take 6-8 weeks off of work to heal and find our rhythm. Then I plan to get back to work with baby on my back. I work 10-20 flexible hours a week and even with that schedule, I expect that it may be interesting to find a lot of usable work hours in a day given that, as others have said, the day is broken up with baby care every 1-2 hours. But I think I'll manage. Once baby is crawling, we'll probably need childcare of some sort in order for me to work from home. That might be a co-op situation with another mom or a nanny share or something else.

You'll figure it out ;)

[Lilac11]

Originally Posted by segolilymama 

It can be really useful to have a mama's group to meet with once a week, too - you can find may types, through LaLeche League, internet groups, etc. As baby gets older, it's fun for them to interact with each other, and you get the benefit of being out of the house, in adult conversation.

Ditto!! This is what I did - I highly recommend seeking out like-minded moms / LLL meetings / playgroups in your area!

[sweetestday]

Don't be afraid to just do stuff and go places with your little one. It's so much easier with one little baby than with a baby and a toddler, or a bunch of little ones in tow. One baby is so flexible, and they don't mind hanging around on your tummy or back while you walk the mall or browse the library or just go for a walk. It can get pretty cabin feverish if you stay inside with the baby all the time. I was surprised how hard it was to cook supper at night. It seems like when you are ready to begin a good meal, baby decides it is the best time to be crabby, clingy and irritable. I would get so frustrated. Take advantage of your slowcooker during the time of day when the baby is happy or sleepy. I think every baby so far has chosen supper prep time to be his crabby time for me. :) Oh, and I know you'll hear it from everyone, but rest when you can. It feels so good just to lay down and read or write or nap when the baby is sleeping.

[travelmumma]

:) cute question!  And as another FTM im subbing he he