What Do You Do With Infants Anyway?

[legomom922]

On a side note, are you keeping the baby then? Did mom agree to set days/hours?

No havent heard from her since yesterday when she stomped out of here...This was just another problem with this family, and tomorrow she is suppose to bring him here, (unless she texts me tonight and changes her schedule again!) and he will be here for the 1st time with the 2.5 DCG, whom I really enjoy a ton and I've had her since she was only 4months, and so I don't know how the day will go with him screaming the whole time and bothering DCG. She takes great naps, at least 2-3hrs (she is here for 12 hrs tues/wed) and I dont want him waking her up, as he is coming from 12-4 and she goes down for her nap at from 1-4.

Just another reason to get rid of them! LOL

[laundrymom]

Could you post a pic or email me one? Invert interested in details of this

I do it a bit different, I guess. I do not do swings, bouncers, or any restraint type of device...except for when they are newborn (6-12 weeks) and the parents bring me their swing for a few weeks (only if they are already habituated to it). I wean them off quick, though, since I feel strongly that is why so many infants scream whenever their feet hit the floor.

I only use exersaucers on the outdoor playground so the bigger kids can play without littles underfoot and littles are able to see everything but not eat the mulch . I do not use high chairs until they are able to sit up unassisted; I feed them in bean bag chairs when they are still spoon fed (easier/safer for me with more than one infant).

Each child gets their own "half wall" divided playroom 36 ft with play mat flooring. Infants each have their own toys, "gym mats" with mobiles and the divider walls are decorated with hanging toys and tactile cloths/boards. They learn to roll, crawl and walk in their own little safe house free from toddler domination:: , but are still able to see everyone. Each infant I accept is a large investment and since I only enroll infants I am very selective .

There is also one large central area for group activities and a huge indoor climber with tunnels and slides. It is a very "physical" setup but allows each child their own individualized quiet space as well. I initially set this playroom up for my own three children and it has served me very well over the years.

[Francine]

Could you post a pic or email me one? Invert interested in details of this

I was going to ask the same thing.

[Cat Herder]

Sure...will send private messages.

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[Michael]

Sure...will send private messages.

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[Cat Herder]

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Thank you, problem solved... With room distractions talking about things you know in short blurbs is easy...learning new things, not so much ::::

[legomom922]

Well I won't have to worry about what to do with him tomorrow anyway...DCM pulled the plug on me...Doesn't suprise me at all really...

[ammama]

Doesnt that kinda enforce the behavior that you dont want though? I want to break him of the habit of being held all the time.

With babies that young, I figure, if they are crying to be held, then for whatever reason, they need to be held. They don't spend all their time on my back, and it tends to go down as they get older. I have never had a child who wanted to be carried all the time, forever. Again, I only take one baby at a time, so I don't have the problem of trying to spread myself around to multiple babies at once. My other dck's know that the babies needs have to met immediately, and that for the most part, they can wait for a minute until I can help them. I enjoyed babywearing with my kids though - you always know where they are, and that they are ok - so it was natural for me to do it with other people's babies too.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I'm bumping this up, because I'd like to see what other people have to say about this!

[marniewon]

I'm bumping this up, because I'd like to see what other people have to say about this!

I didn't go back through to read all of the responses (I did when it was first posted, but don't remember all of them) but I'll put in my 2 cents .

I have an almost 4mo old dcb who, up until this week, didn't really sleep in the afternoon (he's only here from 1-5 3days a week). Here's what we do here: When he first gets here, and after naps, I'll hold him for a little while. I have two "seats" that he likes to play with. One is a rocking chair type thing and the seat vibrates. He likes that for a little bit because he can see everything going on. I have another seat that the seat part vibrates, and it has something over top of it that lights up and plays music. It's the type where when baby pulls on the hanging toys it lights up and plays different music, so it's interactive to a small point. I have a blanket type toy that has mobile type toys over and baby can use hands and/or feet to play.

Then there's feeding and diapering time. If he's fussy I will rock him for a little while. I don't want him to get used to me rocking him every time he's fussy, but I don't want him to have to "fend for himself either".

I'm not exactly sure what I would do all day if he was here all day though. Being that young he doesn't like to be in one spot more than a few minutes. I think it would be kind of like an obstacle course, me moving him from one activity to the next every few minutes, all day long

[jen]

I tie 'em up!

Ha! I start really loving my infants once they can sit up! They are just so much for fun then. In the mean time I just keep moving them around...tummy time, different toys, I cart them around with me....It's sort of a waiting game until they are just slightly more functional!

If I were going to be really, really honest, I don't think that daycare for 10+ hours a day, 5 days a week is AT ALL good for babies that young. JMHO.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I have one here now that's almost 4mo. I do a bouncer (w/o a toy bar, so they just sit and look around, or I'll give them a toy to hold/chew), a baby gym to lie under, tummy time (5 or so minutes is the max they'll tolerate), and I just introduced the saucer. I've been rotating from one to the other, along with some holding and lots of face to face interaction/talking.

I'm just wondering if constantly moving from one to the other of the same things, each and every day isn't stimulating enough for a 4 mo?

[SandeeAR]

I've had two that were held at home a lot. Parents don't realize, they are starved for time with the little one and the two of them pass baby back and forth for the few hours they have them. Even if they have other children, there are "still two of them" vs. one of us! Then the next day, we get them for 6-10 hours, along with several other kids and can't/won't do that.

One I broke of the crying here all the time and now dck only cries when dck needs something. The other one, is learning. I don't hold all the time, even if I have the time. I do hold and play with all the kids in a rotation basis.

dck spends a little time in the saucer, the floor, the swing, the bumbo, my lap etc. When dck is full and dry and not sleepy, I let dck cry while in the saucer while I fix lunch, give out dck a bottle etc. I also try, very hard, to NOT pick up dck when crying. I try to catch that moment that they stop and pick them up them.

Stick with it, and they will learn.

[gatorgirl]

Do you have a sling or mei tei? Wearing the fussy baby on your back will allow him to be soothed and you to go about your work with other kids. Best of both worlds.

I do not agree that 'children cry; it's what they do'. Children cry because they need something and sometimes that's closeness.