Five Steps To A Happy Baby!

 



Yes, I am one of those annoying moms. I have one of the happiest, smiliest babies ever. She greets everyone she meets with a gigantic smile and it's simply a joy to be out and about with her. Now there really is no secret to having an easy baby. There are so many different factors that are at play here. But there are definitely a couple of things that really helped us ease into our new lives. I wanted to share these and I really hope other moms can benefit from them as well. Enjoy!

1. The three R's
Rest, Regularity and Ritme. Let's not forget that life outside the womb is an incredible adjustment for your baby. They come from this quiet peaceful place where they have their own constant ritme of naps and play, regularity and all the rest they will ever need. All of a sudden they get thrown into this busy, loud moshpit we call life which they have absolutly no control over. So say goodbye to living live in the fast line. When it comes to your baby, you are really going to have to take your time. And if that means having no time to change and having to leave for work with a smudge of poo on your sleeve, than so be it. That’s what being a new parent is all about. Just throw a jacket over it and nobody will ever notice. You are really going to need to help your baby ease into this new fase. Make sure there is enough rest en structure in your life. Be the womb! They don't call it the forth trimester for nothing.

2. Crying

There are different theories on wheter or not you should let your baby cry once in a while.  Some say you can spoil your child by coming for their every need, others say letting a baby cry can be devastating for the trust between a baby and it's caregiver. But they never speak of the effect crying can have on a mom. I found it absolutely excruciating! I can not stand a crying baby. So letting her cry was something that simply didn't work for me. Besides, on the rare occasion I couldn't get to her in time, I found that the longer she was crying the more upset she got. So crying was and is a big no-no in our house. Coming in to soothe her as soon as possible is making things so much easier for the both of us.

3. Sleeping
Sleeping problems never existed in our household. My daughter never slept in the same room as us, and immediately got used to sleeping on her own. Even when we were still in the hospital, she never slept in the same room as me. This means we never went through that awful transition fase of getting her used to sleeping in her own room or crib. Now I know having your baby close to you in bed is absolutely amazing, and you can still do that. Taking afternoon naps together or taking her into your bed after her morning feeding is absolutely fine. As long as your baby goes to bed on her own. Set bedtimes are also very important for a good sleeper. Like I mentioned before, babies really benefit from regularity. When they enter the absolute unknown, it's really nice to have some consistency in their life to hold on to.

 

4. Going out

Get out of the house as soon as you can, seriously. Having a new-born can be exhausting and it’s tempting to colapse on the couch and stay there until your maternity leave is over. Getting out of the house alone with your baby van be quite the challenge. You have to make sure you have all your things in place, fold and unfold a babystroller, get your baby (very important!), plan things between feedings and so on. But like everything in life, the more practice you get, the easier it becomes. Before you know it, you’re dragging your little pooing machine everywhere you go in the blink of an eye! Make the most of your free time and go meet your friends for lunch, go shopping and threat yourself to some nice beauty supplies. Your baby will get used to different surroundings and different people as well. The earlier you start this, the easier it will be for you and your baby. And who doesn't want a baby that you can literally take everywhere?

Now something that is just as challenging as leaving the house with your baby, is leaving it without your baby. How often do you hear about moms (and babies) having huge difficulties when it's time for the mom to go back to work? So leave your baby with your partner and just go run errends and go to the movies with your friends. This will make leaving your child at daycare or a babysitter so much easier and result in a happy laid back mommy and baby! It will also teach your baby that mommy might not always be at arms-length, but that she can always count on your return.

5. Quality time

When you're also spending time away from your baby, the time you do spend with your baby should be extra special! When it comes to parenting I really believe in quality over quantity. When you’re not used to being around children communicating and playing with your little one can be a source of insecurity. But hey, your baby doesn’t know any better! To your baby you are simply the most fun and entertaining mommy they know. Your face alone can be all the entertainment they need, especially in the beginning. Smile, make funny faces and noises, play peek-a-boo and talk to your baby. You don’t have to fabricate these amazing wonderful stories. Just take them through everything you're doing is more than enough. Talk them through changing a diaper and tell them which emotions they are expressing. Babies really like to make that kind of connection with you and love to be spoken to. Not to mention speaking to your baby is also really good for their speech development.

 

So, there you have it! Five steps to a happy baby! What are the things that helped you ease into your new lives?