Mothering Forum banner

Which is easier on baby?

1K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  elliha 
#1 ·
I'm due to return to school after a mat leave and was hoping for some help deciding which class schedule would be easier for an EBF, co-sleeping, used-to-mama-doing-the-whole-bedtime/nighttime-routine baby to adapt to (baby will be in daddy's care while I'm at school). I can take a fall/winter course 1 night a week for 8 months, starting when baby is 9 months old. Or, I can take the same course 2 nights a week for 4 months, starting when baby is 14 months old. I think life will be a lot more hectic doing the faster paced version of the course (less time to learn the material before being tested on it) but it would be worth it to me if a 14 month old baby is more capable of understanding / tolerating my absence. TIA for your input; I'm really struggling with this decision!
 
#2 ·
I'm currently getting my PhD and during the school year I work roughly 60 hours a week (and have an almost 3 year old, started school a year ago when dd was 20 months). The amazing thing about kids is that they are resilient and get used to a new routine pretty quickly. I think either option is doable - it's just really about what is important to you and which you think you would be happier in. I think the most important thing is that if you find yourself with less time with your baby make sure the time you do spend with your little one is high quality.
 
#3 ·
ITA that kids are resilient. Do what you think will work for you, because either way, you will set things up to work out for your baby.

If it were me (and if all university schedules worked exactly the way I wanted them to), I'd try to do the class two nights a week when the baby was 2-3 months old, finishing when s/he was 6-7 months old.

I found it far easier to take classes when my children weren't mobile yet. Class when my kid was 3 months old was a comparative breeze. When DS was a baby I read him my tax class homework to get him to sleep. And then he was suddenly walking (at 11 months), and the cherub who used to gurgle at me while I talked about section 1231 was putting sticky handprints on my textbooks, and waiting until I was distracted by homework to eat crayons or climb the safety gate on the stairs, or start dismantling the hinges on the screen door.

I think 7 month-olds and 14 month-olds are equally uncomprehending about parental obligations besides themselves. They just haven't grown into that big a worldview yet. Children at both ages will be upset when you leave, and children at both ages will usually adapt well to other caregivers once the transition from one person to another is over.
 
#4 ·
I guess partly it depends on dad's adeptness in handling baby when you are not around. If he is pretty good with handling baby, dealing with expressed (?) milk, rocking, soothing, etc. then either one should work out fine. If he is feeling less confident or gets overwhelmed by crying baby, then a 14 mos old is someone you can play with a lot more and perhaps read books into sleepiness. Just some initial thoughts!!.......
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top