First Day with Baby

[tenderhearts]

So today is the babies first day. She hasn't been fussy and seems pretty content other than when she needs to eat/sleep. Problem is her mom said she takes 2 -2 1/2 hour naps but they have been, 1st 40 min. 2nd 20 min now she's on her 3rd and I'm really hoping she sleeps a little longer. I know it's the first day and it will take some adjustment for both of us but I feel anxious and nervous about the other baby starting next month. I sure hope all goes well. Today I'm feeling like I'm not paying attention to the older kids, they haven't complained but I feel bad, do any of you ever feel that way?
Also do you have your babies adjust to the "noise" of the other kids while feeding and then putting them down?
I found out today which she really didn't say this before when I asked but they hold her until she is asleep, but said they are working on putting her down before she is asleep so she can learn to soothe herself, she isn't quite 4months yet but at what point do you kind of let them fuss so they don't get use to you putting them down too?

[MarinaVanessa]

I have two infants (under age 1) and when they both started they both didn't hold their own bottles and needed to be swaddled and rocked to sleep then put down ... not in my care. It took them each about a week to 1-2 weeks to get the hang of it but they are both fine now. Even my 7mo DCB who has only been here for 1 month (who is leaving me week after next) has gotten the hang of it and hold his own bottle. I give the older one (will be 1 year at the end of the month) his bottle first and when he's finished I put him in his pack n play. For the 7mo I give him his bottle in the pack n play after propping him up a little. When he's finished I just pull the small pillow out of his crib and lay him down and he'll talk softly to himself until he falls asleep. At first this one cried the whole time, but I let him have a CIO (cry it out) session and he eventually learned to fall asleep on his own.

[tenderhearts]

Thanks, this one is only 3 1/2 months though, almost 4 mo, 1 & 1/2 more weeks, is she too little to let her "cry it out"? I dont' want to pave the path I did before when I first started daycare, rocking and holding them until they fell asleep, it really ****ed and I payed for it, the last 2 babies I had now 4 1/2 and still with me, they both slept so good, feed them, lay them down they went to sleep, but they started with me when they were 6 1/2 mo and 7 mo so a little older.
thanks

[MarinaVanessa]

Hmm ... maybe get a swing? You can bottle feed in your arms until finished and if she's asleep you can lay her down? If not you can lay her in a swing until she's asleep. I'm trying to remember how I did it with my daughter. I also didn't want to have a hip baby and because I have two HORRIBLE neices I wanted my daughter to be taught differently. I think with her I held her sometimes only and other times I propped her bottle up after laying her down in her crib but I don't know if that's allowed in your area (it isn't in mine) for daycare.

I always put her in her swing afterwards if she was still awake and then just laid her down in her crib. I'm against pacifiers for my own kids but what about this baby's mom? Can she have a paci? If she still cries in the crib and the mom has a pacifier for her maybe you can give it to her in the crib?

[tenderhearts]

Yes can't do propping in bed, now if she's holding the bottle I can leave her on the floor then move her. She doesn't use a pacifier, but they swaddle her, don't know how long that will last though because she's rolling over now, not while sleeping yet but she seems like she would be getting too old for swaddling, but I dont' know much about it, she has a special swaddle blanket, my daughter liked to be swaddled the hospital showed me with just a blanket but she was only like 2 mo when she stopped, she wanted her arms out. so we'll see. I just don't know about laying her down and letting her "fuss" for too long, when she woke up and started fussing (from her 20 min nap), I didn't rush in there, I let her kind cry for like 2 or 3 min before going in there, I didn't pick her up right away, I talked with her while I folded her blanket and turned of the baby thingy.
Also, do you just let them get used to the noise? or do you go feed them in a quiet room? it seemed with the kids around she had a harder time eating, but I don't want to go into the other room while the other kids are out here.
How much holding do you all do with babies too? Like I said I'm one that is instantly wanting to hold for every cry and I've caused myself alot of issues with that in the past so I don't want to do that again but i also don't want to feel like I'm "neglecting" the baby either.
I'm feeling so bad, like Im ignoring the other kids or not doing as much with them. Whenever I tell them I'm going to lay the baby down within a minute someone is yelling my name grrrr.

[momofsix]

my babies are used to the noise, and can eat/sleep through anything! She will get there too.
i have one baby that is rocked to sleep at home, mom CAN'T get her to go to sleep at night, but I put her down in her pack-n-play, turn on the music, and she's asleep almost right away. it took a while for her to get to that point, but I can't rock everyone to sleep here! i wouldn't worry about it yet, as it is her first day-when she wakes up in her normal sleep cycles she's in an unfamiliar place--different noises,smells...i would think once she feels familiar with your home she will fall back asleep, it will get better.
In MI we must hold babies for their bottles, no propping and nothing in the bed with them as fas as blankets,pillows...so no swaddling either.

[Francine]

I have a almost 4 month old little boy, just last week I finally got him to two good naps per day instead of 4 -5 cat naps. He does take a binky but the minute I put it into his mouth his hands fly up and knock it out.

When I think he is ready to go down I lay him down, give him his binky and walk away. I usually go back in once to give it back to him but that's it, and yes I do let him fuss. Not scream his head off but he will fuss and I have also found that when he wakes up after 1/2 hour or so if I let him fuss he will almost always go back to sleep and give me that good nap. He sleeps in my playroom by himself with a fan and music on, he has slept there since he started coming here June 1st. The doors slam, the dogs bark etc. and he is fine but he also has dogs at home.

As far as feeding goes just this week actually he has gotten really curious about the other kids so he wants to watch them. I just switch his postion so that he can't or I just put the bottle down until he really wants it. I don't really want him to fall asleep while eating though, I want him to be awake when I lay him down so that he learns to get himself to sleep. So far so good but he is a REALLY good baby, it hasn't always gone this smoothly for me. KNOCK ON WOOD!

[tenderhearts]

Thanks, they swaddle her, I didn't know that could be against the law, I have never heard that before but I should check. I didn't do it tight enough though, I was afraid too, I actually have never used a swaddling thing before so I really thought she meant they just used a blanket. So I did it how I thought, I was right but just not tight enough, her mom showed me when she got here.
I'm just worried because in 6 weeks I'm going to have another one, he'll be 8 mo. i'm really nervous, like you said I can't hold them all the time when you have other kids. She was good today, wasn't fussy or anything, I guess it will just take time to get adjusted, both of us. thanks again

[momofsix]

I have used a "swaddler" before, i considered that to be more of a "sleeper" type thing than a blanket b/c if it's put on correctly the baby can not get out of it. Not sure if that is what licensing would think though-and I didn't call to find out b/c i really didn't want to know (easier to ask forgiveness than permission!)

[Unregistered]

With my own 3 kids I NEVER rocked them to sleep I did let them cuddle on my chest when they where newborns but when it was time for bed or nap times I would lay them in their bassinett or crib and let them fussy till they fall asleep same thing with 6 weeks or older in my daycare when its nap time they get laid down in there playpen and covered up and fuss till they go to sleep I dont and never will hold a baby in my daycare all day and when my parents tell me there child likes to be held alot or there child is clingy I tell them not in my daycare

[tenderhearts]

The baby has been doing really well. The nice thing is mom wants to be able to put her down awake and have her be able to learn to fall asleep on her own, which is awesome. Problem is baby falls asleep usually when she's being fed, the other problem I'm having is today she didn't fall asleep when I fed her, she started to but I layed her down, she woke up and immediatley started fussing, well she is swaddled and she works her way out of it, do I just leave it? yesterday she worked out of it and the only part that was still attached was worked around up around her neck, I kept checking on her and she only worked her arms out and fell asleep in about 5 min. however she only slept about 40 min which usually she sleeps for at least an 1 1/2 hrs. I let her fuss about 10min when she woke up to see if she'd go back to sleep and she didn't, so I don't know if it's her gassiness or if it's because she came out of the swaddle.
I've never had a baby swaddled before so it's new to me.

[momma2girls]

I don't ever swaddle babies with blankets!!!

[tenderhearts]

Well this isn't a blanket, it's like a swaddling suit, I'd never seen one before. I don't really want to do it either, especially since it seems that if I'm going to let her "learn" to fall asleep with a little fussing (hopefully not) but she's just going to work her way out of it. If she's use to it I'm afraid I'll never get her to adjust, or she'll have difficulties at home.

[Janet]

swaddling

There are these amazing swaddle blankets on the market that are great for keeping the baby nice and snuggled but never make it difficult for a baby to breath. The swaddles are designed to make sure of it. my 5month old dcg doesn't use it here because of my states licensingn policies, but she used to use them at home and she's an awesome sleeper. For the last month at my house, she's been rolling onto her tummy! Little turd!!! She will start on her back, and every time that I check on her, she's on the tummy! Now that she can roll everywhere, it's nice to not have to flip her back over.

[momma2girls]

I just had a Mom email me, starting in about 3 weeks, all kinds of questions- do you make the babies just fall asleep on their own, do you rock, etc.? I always have to rub his back to get him to sleep!!!(He is 2 1/2 months old!!)
What would he do when you make lunch for the other children, and so on and so on>>> I felt like telling her- what do you do when you make lunch? Does she not think I have tons of other stuff to do here, than to make lunch!! Some new Mom's are so--------- Hopefully once started she will calm down, I hope so anyways!!!