Being a developmental psychologist by training, I have read about different types of parenting styles. You would think I would know exactly how I want to parent and what to do. But wow, there are just so many choices and ways to approach things. I don't considered myself as prescribing to a single type of parenting. Instead I am a bit of a sampler and I take from all the philosophies and books that I have read what works best for our family lifestyle and situation. I guess I have an eclectic parenting style. I like to look at the empirical research behind many theories and ideas but in the end I know that what works for one family doesn't always work for another. There is quite a bit of factors that need to be considered that account for the variance.
***I know for the most part I say "I," but really this should be "we." Papa Bear and I are pretty much together on parenting.***
So far what has worked for us has related to what seems to be a popular trend lately, attachment parenting popularized by Dr. Sears. I wouldn't call myself an attachment parent by any means but I do like the 8 principles and I have practiced some strategies encouraged by attachment parenting: I did and still wear my baby, I am practicing "extended" breastfeeding, and I co-sleep/bedshare. I did not do these things because I decided I wanted to follow the attachment parenting philosophy; we practice these strategies because it seemed to work with our family and felt right to us. But I also practice other strategies which makes me more of an eclectic parent. In the end it is all about what works.
I enjoyed wearing Baby Bear and it really helped a lot early on to wear her in my Moby wrap and now in the Ergo carrier. I still wear her from time to time. There are a lot of benefits to wearing your baby and it is great for their development. It is really convenient when Baby Bear wants to be held and carried around, it keep my hand free and it so much more comfortable for my arms especially since Baby Bear is getting heavier. But on the other hand, I do use a stroller and let her play on her own and walk on her own which may be associated with other types of parenting styles.
I did not really plan to practice extended breastfeeding. I only knew that I set a goal to breastfeed for 1 year and I was fortunate to be successful at it and I am still doing so. It just happened. I am not sure when I plan to fully wean Baby Bear but so far it works for us. Right now I am only pumping once a day at work and nursing her in the morning, nights, and weekends. It feels right and I will continue until she decides to self-wean or I decide to wean her. Unlike what is encouraged by attachment parenting, I did try to put Baby Bear on a feeding schedule and it just never seemed to work, so we always worked off of her cues. I wish she would have been on more of a schedule when she was younger. Now as she is older she is somewhat on a general schedule and that has worked really well for us. We have a little bit of structure to our day, which is something we all need as a family.
We definitely did not want to co-sleep for as long as we have been. It just happened and it is how Baby Bear sleeps best at night. With all the struggles that we had with sleep, we do it because it is the best way for us all to get some sleep. I will admit that before having Baby Bear I was really adamant that I did not want to bedshare at all. I guess things change when you are operating on so little sleep. Now it just seems to work and I am not interested in sleep training; we tried it and it worked temporarily. We are not interested in trying it again, it was not for us and our parenting philosophy. I would love not to bedshare, but for now it is what works.
One thing I did want to do that is often associated with attachment parenting was cloth diaper (although I do use cloth swim diapers!). Cloth diapering just did not fit into our lifestyles (and Papa Bear was not totally convinced to do it). I find that being a working mother I have to make some choices about how I really want to spend my free time. I can barely keep up with our regular laundry as it is and I knew we would not be able to keep up with cloth diapering if that was the case. I have learned to let that go.
So far, I feel fairly good about the parenting choices we have made so far (of course, we have only been doing this parenting thing for a year and we have a lifetime more of parenting to do). I am a researcher and that tendency to do research extends into many parts of my life; parenting be one of them. Sometimes, I know it is a wonderful thing because I can feel confident that I am fully informed in the decisions I make. On the other hand, it can drive me crazy and lead me to so much indecision and causes me to over think certain situations. I am working on that one. I just hope as we continue to strive to be the best parents we can be for Baby Bear that Papa Bear and I make the best decisions we can for our family. What we need to remember is that there is no right or wrong (as long as Baby Bear is safe, healthy, and happy); it is all about what is right for you and your family!
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Shhh...sleeping like a baby...finally!
Baby Bear is finally sleeping like a baby!!!! We took a break from the sleep training that we attempted to start last month since Baby Bear was teething and congested. It was not the right time for her. So Papa Bear and I took turns at night getting up with Baby Bear. The last few weeks were getting progressively more difficult and both Papa Bear and I were very sleep deprived and not very happy (or effective) parents. Baby Bear was waking every 1-2 hours. We knew she did not need to eat each time she woke, she just needed help getting back to sleep by being picked up. Papa Bear took the first shift getting up with her and I slept on the couch until about 2am. At that time I would nurse her and Papa Bear went to sleep on the couch. We did this for a couple of weeks.
Last week, we decided that it was time to re-start sleep training. In our previous attempts of sleep training, using the Ferber method, we were focusing on decreasing the night wakings by reducing the number of feedings. Well, we were successful in that she was only being nursed 2 times at night, but the reduced number of feedings did not decrease the number of times she woke up. She would wake up often and once we picked her up, she immediately fell back asleep. She just didn't know how to get herself back to sleep without our help. We had to teach her. It was time to go all out sleep training.
So we started last Thursday night since that was the beginning of my weekend. We went through our normal bedtime routine with bath, lotion, bedtime stories, lullabies, and nursing. However instead of nursing her to sleep, I removed her from the breast before she fell asleep. I gave her a kiss and put her in her crib. Well, Baby Bear hates being put down in her crib and was not happy, she was crying and upset. We started with 3 minutes, then I went in and followed the rest of the schedule set by Ferber. It was so hard to hear her cry, she was definitely angry. Baby Bear went to sleep in under 30 minutes. It was a long 30 minutes. Papa Bear and I slept on the couch. I woke up at about 4am and Baby Bear was still asleep! I went to check in on her to make sure she was still breathing and she was sleeping just like a baby! Baby Bear did not wake up until 6:45am. She had slept for 11 hours!!! It was amazing. I felt so rested.
We did it again the next night and she was asleep after about 10 minutes and again slept until 6:45am. She has finally learned to fall sleep on her own. She still fusses when I first put her into her crib but goes to sleep after a few minutes; tonight she was down after less than a minute of fussing. I hope that she will eventually not cry or fuss when I put her down in her crib. The last couple of nights she has gotten up once in the night and I have nursed her, but put her back in her crib before she falls asleep on the breast. My goal was to reduce the number of night wakings so I have no problem with getting up once a night to nurse her if that is what she needs. I am also noticing that she is eating more during the day, so I know she is getting enough food. I hope this all sticks!
After months of sleep deprivation, this mama bear had the most restful weekend. It feels wonderful to actually get some sleep. I feel like a different mama, a better mama for my baby.
Last week, we decided that it was time to re-start sleep training. In our previous attempts of sleep training, using the Ferber method, we were focusing on decreasing the night wakings by reducing the number of feedings. Well, we were successful in that she was only being nursed 2 times at night, but the reduced number of feedings did not decrease the number of times she woke up. She would wake up often and once we picked her up, she immediately fell back asleep. She just didn't know how to get herself back to sleep without our help. We had to teach her. It was time to go all out sleep training.
So we started last Thursday night since that was the beginning of my weekend. We went through our normal bedtime routine with bath, lotion, bedtime stories, lullabies, and nursing. However instead of nursing her to sleep, I removed her from the breast before she fell asleep. I gave her a kiss and put her in her crib. Well, Baby Bear hates being put down in her crib and was not happy, she was crying and upset. We started with 3 minutes, then I went in and followed the rest of the schedule set by Ferber. It was so hard to hear her cry, she was definitely angry. Baby Bear went to sleep in under 30 minutes. It was a long 30 minutes. Papa Bear and I slept on the couch. I woke up at about 4am and Baby Bear was still asleep! I went to check in on her to make sure she was still breathing and she was sleeping just like a baby! Baby Bear did not wake up until 6:45am. She had slept for 11 hours!!! It was amazing. I felt so rested.
We did it again the next night and she was asleep after about 10 minutes and again slept until 6:45am. She has finally learned to fall sleep on her own. She still fusses when I first put her into her crib but goes to sleep after a few minutes; tonight she was down after less than a minute of fussing. I hope that she will eventually not cry or fuss when I put her down in her crib. The last couple of nights she has gotten up once in the night and I have nursed her, but put her back in her crib before she falls asleep on the breast. My goal was to reduce the number of night wakings so I have no problem with getting up once a night to nurse her if that is what she needs. I am also noticing that she is eating more during the day, so I know she is getting enough food. I hope this all sticks!
After months of sleep deprivation, this mama bear had the most restful weekend. It feels wonderful to actually get some sleep. I feel like a different mama, a better mama for my baby.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Baby Bear fell off the bed
This morning Baby Bear fell off the bed. She appears to be fine. She is smiling and playing and I don't see any bumps or odd behavior.
I so freaked out this morning. Baby Bear was playing on the bed with me laying next to her. I was so tired because she decided to wake up every hour last night (not an excuse, just an explanation), so I must have fallen asleep while she was playing. Papa Bear was asleep on the couch. I heard a thud and immediately got up and found her on the ground. I picked her up. I think I must have screamed because Papa Bear was running into the room. She was soothed after a minute or so of being held. She was actually smiling at Papa Bear and me. My heart was racing and I felt absolutely awful for not paying more attention. What an awful Mama Bear I am.
I know these things happen but that doesn't keep me from feeling like the most awful momma ever! Thank God that she is okay. I just keep thinking of all the bad things that could have happened. She is fine and that is all that matters. I have never felt so awful and scared in my life. I guess that is what is like to be a parent.
I so freaked out this morning. Baby Bear was playing on the bed with me laying next to her. I was so tired because she decided to wake up every hour last night (not an excuse, just an explanation), so I must have fallen asleep while she was playing. Papa Bear was asleep on the couch. I heard a thud and immediately got up and found her on the ground. I picked her up. I think I must have screamed because Papa Bear was running into the room. She was soothed after a minute or so of being held. She was actually smiling at Papa Bear and me. My heart was racing and I felt absolutely awful for not paying more attention. What an awful Mama Bear I am.
I know these things happen but that doesn't keep me from feeling like the most awful momma ever! Thank God that she is okay. I just keep thinking of all the bad things that could have happened. She is fine and that is all that matters. I have never felt so awful and scared in my life. I guess that is what is like to be a parent.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sleeping like a baby?
Whoever coined the term "sleeping like a baby" probably didn't have a baby.
Baby Bear's night time sleep has widely improved from last week. Hallelujah! We started to sleep train using what I knew about the Ferber method 3 nights ago. We assessed that there are several of things that we would like to work on with regards to Baby Bear's sleep.
I had been nursing her every time that she woke up thinking that she was hungry. But I realize now that Baby Bear does not need to eat every hour or every two hours. I know that she can go at least 4 hours between meals and I know she can actually go longer. So with that as my gauge, I would nurse her at times that were reasonable and not at the other times. So with those goals in mind, we went on our way to sleep training.
Night one
Baby Bear went down to sleep as usual at 7pm and after about an hour she began to cry. We used Ferber's method. She cried before going in to soothe her at the following intervals: 3 mins, 5 mins, 10 min, and 10 mins. After close to 30 minutes of crying, we finally caved in. Since I know she didn't need to be fed, Papa Bear went in to pick her up and soothe her. He said that she immediately buried her head in his chest and fell asleep. He tried to put her down in the crib but then she would cry, he put her down on our bed and laid next to her until she fell asleep. She slept in the bed the rest of the night.
That night, I actually went to sleep on the couch since I was exhausted and sick. Papa Bear slept with her. She woke up at midnight and he soothed her to sleep. I must have been exhausted since I didn't hear her that first time. I actually got to sleep for a 3-4 hour span before she woke up again at about 2:30am. I heard her on the monitor and nursed her and then slept again until about 5am. Nursed again. Woke at 6am and she slept in until 8am.
It was tough to hear her cry and every time I went in to soothe her, her cries were worse. I think it make it worse when I go in to tell her she is okay. But she slept considerable better than last week, even though we caved in. She was only up 5 times, which was an improvement. I also learned that she could go 4 hours without nursing, actually she was able to go almost 7 hours. So that reinforced that 4 hours was a reasonable goal.
Night two
Baby Bear went down to sleep as usual in her crib at 7pm and again after an hour she began to cry. I went into soothe her at 5 mins. After another 10 min., Papa Bear didn't want to go any further and went in to pick her up and again he put her down on our bed and laid down with her until she fell asleep. She slept with us the rest of the night. She woke at 12:30am and I rocked her but did not nurse her since I knew from the night before that she did not need to nurse. She woke up at about 3am to nurse, then she was up at 5am and I rocked her back to sleep. She was up at 6:30am and I nursed her and she was up for the day.
She was up 4 times. It was getting better.
Night three
I put Baby Bear down to sleep as usual at 7pm and put her in her crib. This time she did not wake up an hour after she was put down. She slept until 10pm. We let her cry for 10 minutes and then Papa Bear went in to soothe her and put her down in our bed. (Papa Bear is not so good with letting her cry). She was up at 12:30am, 3am, and 6:30am.
We are still at the 4 times in a night. But she is learning that she does not need to nurse all those times. We will see how it goes tonight. I feel things are going much better and maybe because I am recovering from my cold I am feeling a little more rested. Although, I still long for the night where I can sleep for longer than 4 hours. We will keep at it and I know that time will come. For now, sleep training is going pretty well. I have been told that consistency is the key. I will keep on, it isn't always easy, but then again nothing about parenting is really that easy anyways.
By the book
I was just able to read parts of Ferber's book yesterday and although I started before reading the book I was very happy to learn that what we were doing by reducing the number of feedings at night is along with what he discusses in the book. He suggests to gradually replace feedings with another type of parental intervention, like rocking to sleep. After the association with feeding is gone, you can start teaching the child to fall asleep on her own. That was what I had been doing when she would wake up and it was not time to nurse. I am glad to have some reassurance that we are working in the right direction.
Baby Bear's night time sleep has widely improved from last week. Hallelujah! We started to sleep train using what I knew about the Ferber method 3 nights ago. We assessed that there are several of things that we would like to work on with regards to Baby Bear's sleep.
- She wakes up excessively at night (6-8 times or more). This just began in the last month.
- She often needs help getting to sleep. She is either rocked or nursed.
- She does not like to sleep in her crib, she prefers to sleep in our bed. I can get her down in the crib if she is almost asleep, but after she wakes up the first time at night she will not go back down in her crib.
- She takes very short naps and has a hard time going down for a nap without being nursed (at least that is the case when she is home with me, not when she is in daycare).
I had been nursing her every time that she woke up thinking that she was hungry. But I realize now that Baby Bear does not need to eat every hour or every two hours. I know that she can go at least 4 hours between meals and I know she can actually go longer. So with that as my gauge, I would nurse her at times that were reasonable and not at the other times. So with those goals in mind, we went on our way to sleep training.
Night one
Baby Bear went down to sleep as usual at 7pm and after about an hour she began to cry. We used Ferber's method. She cried before going in to soothe her at the following intervals: 3 mins, 5 mins, 10 min, and 10 mins. After close to 30 minutes of crying, we finally caved in. Since I know she didn't need to be fed, Papa Bear went in to pick her up and soothe her. He said that she immediately buried her head in his chest and fell asleep. He tried to put her down in the crib but then she would cry, he put her down on our bed and laid next to her until she fell asleep. She slept in the bed the rest of the night.
That night, I actually went to sleep on the couch since I was exhausted and sick. Papa Bear slept with her. She woke up at midnight and he soothed her to sleep. I must have been exhausted since I didn't hear her that first time. I actually got to sleep for a 3-4 hour span before she woke up again at about 2:30am. I heard her on the monitor and nursed her and then slept again until about 5am. Nursed again. Woke at 6am and she slept in until 8am.
It was tough to hear her cry and every time I went in to soothe her, her cries were worse. I think it make it worse when I go in to tell her she is okay. But she slept considerable better than last week, even though we caved in. She was only up 5 times, which was an improvement. I also learned that she could go 4 hours without nursing, actually she was able to go almost 7 hours. So that reinforced that 4 hours was a reasonable goal.
Night two
Baby Bear went down to sleep as usual in her crib at 7pm and again after an hour she began to cry. I went into soothe her at 5 mins. After another 10 min., Papa Bear didn't want to go any further and went in to pick her up and again he put her down on our bed and laid down with her until she fell asleep. She slept with us the rest of the night. She woke at 12:30am and I rocked her but did not nurse her since I knew from the night before that she did not need to nurse. She woke up at about 3am to nurse, then she was up at 5am and I rocked her back to sleep. She was up at 6:30am and I nursed her and she was up for the day.
She was up 4 times. It was getting better.
Night three
I put Baby Bear down to sleep as usual at 7pm and put her in her crib. This time she did not wake up an hour after she was put down. She slept until 10pm. We let her cry for 10 minutes and then Papa Bear went in to soothe her and put her down in our bed. (Papa Bear is not so good with letting her cry). She was up at 12:30am, 3am, and 6:30am.
We are still at the 4 times in a night. But she is learning that she does not need to nurse all those times. We will see how it goes tonight. I feel things are going much better and maybe because I am recovering from my cold I am feeling a little more rested. Although, I still long for the night where I can sleep for longer than 4 hours. We will keep at it and I know that time will come. For now, sleep training is going pretty well. I have been told that consistency is the key. I will keep on, it isn't always easy, but then again nothing about parenting is really that easy anyways.
By the book
I was just able to read parts of Ferber's book yesterday and although I started before reading the book I was very happy to learn that what we were doing by reducing the number of feedings at night is along with what he discusses in the book. He suggests to gradually replace feedings with another type of parental intervention, like rocking to sleep. After the association with feeding is gone, you can start teaching the child to fall asleep on her own. That was what I had been doing when she would wake up and it was not time to nurse. I am glad to have some reassurance that we are working in the right direction.
I feel like what we are doing is working for us. It may be going slowly, but we have seen improvement. And since consistency is key, we just need to give it more time. If I can reduce night waking to 2 times, then maybe we can eventually get it down to only 1 time and then none. After we get this down, then maybe we can work on the other sleep issues. One thing at a time. This parenting thing is no easy task and it helps me to break things down into more manageable pieces.
Maybe in time, I will be sleeping like a baby!!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The best Papa Bear
My husband is the best. He has been so wonderful through our new adventure into parenthood together. He was there with me every step of the way through labor and delivery. He has taken wonderful care of me and Baby Bear. Making sure that we are both doing well and helping me. He has done so much around the house as I recover and has taken an active part in being a parent. He is a wonderful father and husband. I am so blessed to have him to support me. I can't imagine doing any of this alone and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than him.
He is so enamored with Baby Bear and she already has him wrapped around her little, tiny fingers. They have bonded so well together; she loves to sleep on her daddy's chest and he loves the time he spends with her. You can immediately see how much he loves his little girl and how much he adores her. It is really sweet and beautiful thing. There is something so special about the bond a father creates with his baby. I see it more and more everyday and fall in love with him all over again. I love the fact that he is so happy to be a daddy.
I love Papa Bear, he is the best husband and daddy in the world.
He is so enamored with Baby Bear and she already has him wrapped around her little, tiny fingers. They have bonded so well together; she loves to sleep on her daddy's chest and he loves the time he spends with her. You can immediately see how much he loves his little girl and how much he adores her. It is really sweet and beautiful thing. There is something so special about the bond a father creates with his baby. I see it more and more everyday and fall in love with him all over again. I love the fact that he is so happy to be a daddy.
I love Papa Bear, he is the best husband and daddy in the world.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Our child care search
Yes, I will return to work after Baby Bear is born. I am fortunate to have maternity leave that is quite generous. I am still working out my maternity plan (I will share it with you later) but I realize that I still need to think about child care now. I am sure that finding a child care provider will not be an easy task.
The thought of child care when Baby Bear isn't even here yet, it an absolutely daunting task. You would think that a developmental psychologist would have some idea of where to start, but I was essentially clueless. I do have an idea of what I am looking for and what I want and what is important to me.
Unfortunately, many of mommy friends do not live close enough to give me any recommendations, but they have been great at giving me some advice. Fortunately, I did receive a recommendation from a co-worker. So that was a great place for me to start. Today, I met with a child care provider and took at look at her home child care. She was really great and she gave me a lot of great information. She told me what to look for and shared with me her own philosophy. I had a really good feeling about her and her place. The children who were there looked comfortable and happy for the most part. The baby there was soooo sooo cute.
Sadly, she doesn't anticipate having any infant openings until May 2010. But she did give me some great advice and a website to look for other home child care providers in my area who provide licensed care. She also recommended a couple of people she knew. That in of itself was very useful and at least gave me an idea of what to expect. I will probably contact her again later to see if she has any changes because I just really felt comfortable with her and her child care home.
So back to the drawing board. I knew that we would have to visit a few places before we found the right one. Her advice was extremely valuable and definitely worth the visit. I was very thankful that she took the time to meet with me and share that information.
The thought of child care when Baby Bear isn't even here yet, it an absolutely daunting task. You would think that a developmental psychologist would have some idea of where to start, but I was essentially clueless. I do have an idea of what I am looking for and what I want and what is important to me.
Unfortunately, many of mommy friends do not live close enough to give me any recommendations, but they have been great at giving me some advice. Fortunately, I did receive a recommendation from a co-worker. So that was a great place for me to start. Today, I met with a child care provider and took at look at her home child care. She was really great and she gave me a lot of great information. She told me what to look for and shared with me her own philosophy. I had a really good feeling about her and her place. The children who were there looked comfortable and happy for the most part. The baby there was soooo sooo cute.
Sadly, she doesn't anticipate having any infant openings until May 2010. But she did give me some great advice and a website to look for other home child care providers in my area who provide licensed care. She also recommended a couple of people she knew. That in of itself was very useful and at least gave me an idea of what to expect. I will probably contact her again later to see if she has any changes because I just really felt comfortable with her and her child care home.
So back to the drawing board. I knew that we would have to visit a few places before we found the right one. Her advice was extremely valuable and definitely worth the visit. I was very thankful that she took the time to meet with me and share that information.
Tips when considering child care providers
There are different types of child care provides, home child care and center-based child care. What one family decides to use really ultimately depends on the individual family. Here are a few tips that were shared with me as I began my child care search. I think a lot of these tips can apply to both a home-based and center-based child care provider.
Licensing
Licensing ensure the safety and developmental well-being of children while in out-of-home care. It provides a baseline of quality below which it is illegal to operate. While a non-licensed child care provider may provide quality child care, it is important to take this into licensing into consideration. Are they licensed and how long have they been been providing care? Licensing also places regulations on how many children care may be provided to with respect to the number of adults. This is important that you know how many children your child will be in child care with and how many adults are responsible.
Caregivers
Be sure to find out how much experience the child care provider has with infants and what kind of training they have. Get an understanding of what the caregiver knows about infant development. The primary caregiver should be educated in early childhood development. This is important because the child care provider must be able to provide age and interest level appropriate activities and expert, loving care. You will also want to make sure that they have training in in infant CPR and first aid. If there are an assistants or helpers should also have a certain level or training and knowledge as well.
You will also want to learn about their philosophies on key childrearing issues such as discipline, sleep, and feeding.
Environment: Health and Safety
The environment should be clean and sanitary and observes the basic rules of safety. You will want to see that the indoor and outdoor areas are child-proofed and escape-proof.
Parent Interaction
Consider how the child care provider communicates with parents as well as what their expectations are of parents. Do they encourage visits from parents? A child care provider should allow parents to visit so that they can observe the environment that their child experiences.
Activities
Consider the activities and program that the child care provider has. What is a typical day like for the children? How much time do they spend outside? There should be plenty of books and opportunity to learn new skills. Television and videos should have little or no part in the daily schedule. Are the activities age-appropriate? Do they have a safe play area both indoor and outdoors?
There are many other things that you might want to ask and there are several resource online. Babycenter.com has a nice interview sheet you can print out, as does RealWorkingMom.com. It is a scary task but you need to be informed and you need to do your research. In the end, you want to trust your gut. You need to feel comfortable. These are the people who will care for your child while you are away, you want to trust that your child will be cared for.
Licensing
Licensing ensure the safety and developmental well-being of children while in out-of-home care. It provides a baseline of quality below which it is illegal to operate. While a non-licensed child care provider may provide quality child care, it is important to take this into licensing into consideration. Are they licensed and how long have they been been providing care? Licensing also places regulations on how many children care may be provided to with respect to the number of adults. This is important that you know how many children your child will be in child care with and how many adults are responsible.
Caregivers
Be sure to find out how much experience the child care provider has with infants and what kind of training they have. Get an understanding of what the caregiver knows about infant development. The primary caregiver should be educated in early childhood development. This is important because the child care provider must be able to provide age and interest level appropriate activities and expert, loving care. You will also want to make sure that they have training in in infant CPR and first aid. If there are an assistants or helpers should also have a certain level or training and knowledge as well.
You will also want to learn about their philosophies on key childrearing issues such as discipline, sleep, and feeding.
Environment: Health and Safety
The environment should be clean and sanitary and observes the basic rules of safety. You will want to see that the indoor and outdoor areas are child-proofed and escape-proof.
Parent Interaction
Consider how the child care provider communicates with parents as well as what their expectations are of parents. Do they encourage visits from parents? A child care provider should allow parents to visit so that they can observe the environment that their child experiences.
Activities
Consider the activities and program that the child care provider has. What is a typical day like for the children? How much time do they spend outside? There should be plenty of books and opportunity to learn new skills. Television and videos should have little or no part in the daily schedule. Are the activities age-appropriate? Do they have a safe play area both indoor and outdoors?
There are many other things that you might want to ask and there are several resource online. Babycenter.com has a nice interview sheet you can print out, as does RealWorkingMom.com. It is a scary task but you need to be informed and you need to do your research. In the end, you want to trust your gut. You need to feel comfortable. These are the people who will care for your child while you are away, you want to trust that your child will be cared for.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
A few great books
Santa got Papa Bear a book for dads this Christmas. He got Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden. Papa Bear started reading it right away and really enjoyed it. I looked through it as well. This book had a lot of great practical information on being a dad and what to expect when Baby Bear comes. A great easy read for expectant dads.
We got all the grandparents books on grandparents as part of their Christmas gifts. We got a call from Lolo Bear and he has really been enjoying his book: Grandpa Rules: Notes on Grandfatherhood, The World's Best Job by Michael Milligan and Bill Cosby. My daddy is pretty excited to be a grandpa and was eager to read this book. My mom told me that he never ever reads a book and since he got this book he has been reading it and laughing. He said it is really funny and my mom was really pleased to see my daddy enjoying a book. Another great book.
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