I am in the process of writing a mental list, which will soon turn into a for real list of things that my MIL needs to know about watching Alex. Am I crazy? Perhaps. Overprotective? A smidge. But I've spent everyday for the last 10 weeks with this little man, and I know the ins and outs of his cries, his naps (or lack thereof), his needs and his wants. I think I'd do the same thing if I was leaving him in the hands of a complete stranger at a day care or with a nanny. But since it's family, it feels a little weird.
So in no particular order, here is a rough draft of what I've come up with in my head of what MIL (and the hubs, since he'll be there too) needs to know about a day in the life with lil man.
1. He sometimes takes 2-3 naps a day. Sometimes he doesn't. If he doesn't have a morning nap (around 9 or 10) then he will usually take a long nap mid afternoon, around noon, sometimes lasting until 3:00, sometimes much shorter. I try to put him down for these naps, either beside me on the couch or in his pack-n-play, rather than holding him, although sometimes he wakes up when moved.
2. He typically eats about 3 ounces at each feeding. I learned this from lactation group. He will usually eat every 2 hours or so, unless he takes a long nap. Sometimes he only eats a little, falls asleep and then eats more an hour later. Please don't feel like he needs to eat all 3oz at every feeding. When we feed him from the bottle we usually take it away from him every oz or so to see how he's doing. When he licks his lips it usually means he's full. If he cries, he may need to be burped, rather than needing more food. Sometimes it takes a long time to get a burp, so don't give up after a few minutes, especially since he's eating from a bottle. If he makes the hunger sign (moving his head back and forth with his mouth open) feel free to give him a little more.
3. Cures for fussiness: putting him over your shoulder and patting his back while lightly shushing him directly in his ear. Laying him down, sometimes he just wants to kick his legs, especially if he's been held for a long time. Laying him down and bringing his legs to his belly. Sometimes this helps with the gas. Trying to burp him. Lightly massaging his belly. I typically try all of these things before giving him his binky or feeding him.
4. A has really sensitive skin, so I've sent the hubs with a blanket to lay him on the couch or the floor. I think you have a blanket too, we can wash this if you want because we use free & clear detergent for everything. If he soils/messes anything, send it home with the hubs so we can wash it. Scented detergent makes him rashy.
5. Speaking of rashy, if his bottom looks a little red, you can use the Buttpaste. (I love this stuff)
6. He spends a lot of time sucking on his hands. This usually doesn't mean that he's hungry, he just does it to soothe.
7. His gas cry is different than his hunger cry. His gas cry is more of a grunting type cry, where as his hunger cry sometimes has a "mwah" sound to it. Sometimes. Other times it's a full on wail. But this could also be his over-tired cry.
So. what do you think? Too much? In no way, by the way, does this make it easier for me to go back to work. But at least with this list I can pretend.
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