CaptChaos86 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Ok so since I am a new parent and some others are expecting or are new parents also, thought it would be a good idea to have a thread to discuss parenting and if anyone has any parenting tips or tricks feel free to share them here. I'm not really sure what I initially thought being a parent would be like but it is tough but man is it rewarding when you see the little guy smile or laugh. Our baby boy turned 3 weeks old on Saturday and already melts my heart everytime I see him. Anyways, tried to search for a similar topic but didnt find anything. Hope this thread can be beneficial for all parents on the board, and all you saavy vets at parenting feel free to share any info for us newbies. Here is our little guy Topper in his Redskins gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Enjoy the early years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantarace17 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I have a 9 month old daughter who has quite the demanding personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Enjoy the early years. LOL Always remember duct tape works in a pinch enjoy them while ya can,I certainly miss mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I give this same piece of advice to all of my friends. And no one takes it. (I didnt either til my 3rd kid). And I may have posted this here before. - Get rid of the baby monitor. I promise you will hear the baby cry, even in a large house. But with a baby monitor, you will hear EVERYTHING. Every toss and turn and coo and ah and sneeze and small cry. (the ones they are able to fall back asleep from). And even if you dont, your wife will. And then everyone will be up. Our 3rd, no monitor, and an incredible difference in the amount of sleep everyone (baby included) got. That and the obvious- Cowboy jerseys are tainted with lead. Stay away. Even if your father in law gives it to the kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptChaos86 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 I give this same piece of advice to all of my friends. And no one takes it. (I didnt either til my 3rd kid). And I may have posted this here before.- Get rid of the baby monitor. I promise you will hear the baby cry, even in a large house. But with a baby monitor, you will hear EVERYTHING. Every toss and turn and coo and ah and sneeze and small cry. (the ones they are able to fall back asleep from). And even if you dont, your wife will. And then everyone will be up. Our 3rd, no monitor, and an incredible difference in the amount of sleep everyone (baby included) got. That and the obvious- Cowboy jerseys are tainted with lead. Stay away. Even if your father in law gives it to the kid. How long before your started developing a good sleep pattern? Our 3 week old is getting better every night. He now only wakes up once a night to feed and then is right back out. Which is a welcome change from up every two hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantarace17 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My daughter started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. A rarity apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptChaos86 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Nice. Our has slept through the night only once so far, which was awesome, but he was a holy terror the next day. Wouldnt nap and was very fussy all day. So we are trying to keep him awake some during the day now and that has helped him with sleeping through the night. Like i said he only wakes up once during the night now, which is not bad at all for a 3 week old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grhqofb5 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I have two children, 23 months and 9 months, so I've been throught the newborn stage twice now in 2 years. Best advice- if the child eats well, keep him on a strict schedule. If your wife/girlfriend is breastfeeding, make sure you give her encouragement. If she can't or is having issues, going to formula is the right (and safe) move. Forcing breastfeeding is harmful to the child and psychologically harmful to the mother, who will feel inadequate if she cannot do it. Sleeping- keep a consistent nap schedule, consistent bedtime, even if the child doesn't always want to sleep. Swaddling is a lifesaver. Learn to do it. Change diapers, even if you don' t think they need to be changed. When you feed him, and its time to burp, keep his pacificer in his mouth. If you do this, the child will not spit up as much, and if he does he'll learn to swallow it (remember, its not vomit, its simply the formula/milk that just went down). If he's collicky, try an antacid, but check with pediatrician first. Carseat- Make sure its secure (duh), get a "baby-bundle me" which is like a fleece insert that you can zip up to keep him warm when you take him out. You won't need to deal with a winter jacket with the bundle me, so adjusting the straps shouldn't be an issue. A baby swing (horizontal plane, or up and down plane) can be a life savor if it sooths him. You should get one, its worth the price. When he's 5 months or so, get him a baby jump that attached to a door frame. Diapers- Don't worry about the brand, just make sure that they're on right. Diaper rash, use aquafor, or whatever pediatrician recommends, but stay on it. Skins issues, use aquafor or lotion. Questions or concerns, PM me. I'm still new, and don't have all the answers, but this should help. Also keep grandma's number on speed dial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptChaos86 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Great advice there!! And yes Grandma is on speed dial and also grandma and grandpa on momma's side are about 5 minutes away, which is nice. I love going over there cause her step mom loves to just take over. I get out of so many dirty diapers and usually get an awesome meal out of it as well. So that is very much welcomed for the both of us right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 ***Disclaimer*** not a health official: 2 kids and a neice: Rice cereal when old enough using a corncob holder ot open the nipple more for before bed: Add 3 hours to the sleep. Also used honey on the pacifier at bedtime to last long enough for sleep. DONT shut the door and keep it quiet at all times!!!! make noise, it pays off later. formula - we had to switch it up a bit. Diaper Genie - starts out great when diapers are small, gets ugly when the diapers get bigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I don't know that anyone has all the answers, but I've made a point to try and enjoy it as much as possible. Mine are 2-1/2 and 1 now. You should count yourself lucky, mine didn't start sleeping through the night until they were 10 months old, and when I say "start sleeping through the night" I mean "occasionally." The one year old still has a few bad nights here and there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Another gem we used right away- Have a stack of 3x5 cards with chores listed on them- IE- Fold clothes, sweep kitchen, empty dishwasher, etc. Then when the inevitable visitor comes over and says "Is there anything I can do", you can say "Yeah, grab a card". It was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I have a 6 and a 7 year old along with a blind 2 year old. Best advice I have ever been given is "Try hard not to get upset with a child for acting their age." The advice I would pass on is whenever you feel yourself starting to get upset, take a time out and ask yourself the following question, "This may suck now, but how good of a story will this be tomorrow or next week or even next year?" Heck, I still tell the story of my son shoving the poo from his diaper under the door for 3 straight nights and how we needed to remember to clean the bottom of the door to prevent the secondary poo arch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I don't know that anyone has all the answers, but I've made a point to try and enjoy it as much as possible. Mine are 2-1/2 and 1 now. You should count yourself lucky, mine didn't start sleeping through the night until they were 10 months old, and when I say "start sleeping through the night" I mean "occasionally." The one year old still has a few bad nights here and there. My daughter was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. She would wake up when we got up at 5:45-6:00am. Sounds great right? Now that she's 4, she still does...even on Saturdays and Sundays...then walks into our room and asks to watch cartoons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptChaos86 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 My son has been going to bed at about 10:30 or 11 at night then wakes up at about 3 and we feed him, rock him in the rocking chair, or whatever works for him that night, then goes back to sleep and then wakes up again around 6:30 which is when i need to get up for work anyway. So its working out pretty well at the moment. Momma gets frustrated having to be with him by herself all throughout the day, but luckily everyone at my job is super nice and told me if i need to leave to tend to the baby or to relieve mom for awhile, that i can leave whenever i need to. But she is really trying hard and i do my best to support her and be there for here. I know it has to be hard, i have a hard time sometimes even with her help so i know its gotta be super stressful all on your own for hours at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghornleghorn Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Good luck. I had four. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon the Black Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Congratulations! Welcome to one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs in the universe. I remember being bewildered with tons of conflicting advice from smart, well-meaning folks. It's tough to navigate, but you'll find what works for you and your kid. I'll echo Kilmer17's advice. Say YES to any offer of help. Now is not the time for politeness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptChaos86 Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 So kind of a doozy last night. Pretty much any pattern we had established the past few days went out the window. He was up every couple hours and took forever to fall asleep. I had to rock him for about 2 1/2 hours before he got settled down enough to sleep. Made sure he was clean, full and all the normal checks. The most he slept in one stretch last night was about 2.5 hours. So this had been a non-productive morning at work to say the least. I am exhausted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.T.real,lights,out Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I am terrible at this....great idea....will have to try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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