What works, what doesn't...

Almost every mom I ask for advice about when their children were younger says they cannot really remember what they did when their kids were 3,6,9 months.  I totally get it, it all blends together and things change so quickly it's hard to pinpoint what happened when.  So, lets see how much I can remember up to this point! Here's to hoping this is helpful to someone out there, or to ME later on when I have baby #2.

SLEEP:

This is an elusive and frustrating thing.  Initially, in the first 6 weeks, they sleep anywhere.  In your arms, in the pack and play, in their vibrating chair, but not really in the crib.  They like to feel cuddled.  Skin to skin time is great. Eventually, transition toward sleeping in the crib at night. During the day we did a little vibrating chair, but I think a swing (side to side) would work even better.  For naps we are still doing the chair at 6 months, because she tends to take longer naps that way, but we would like to be exclusively sleeping in the crib soon.  The sleep training method that worked best for us was PU/PD.  We would have a routine (dark room, swaddle, pacifier, hold and rock for a few minutes until calm, then put down) and then give her 5 minutes to work it out. We would go back in and calm her down with a hand on her chest ('heavy hand') or if she wasn't calmed with that, we would pick her up until she was calm again, then put her down again. And repeat. We never had to do it more than 3 times at the very worst.  Now, she goes down SO easily.  She sometimes doesn't need a paci because she has found her thumb and starts sucking it while we are still wrapping her up.

CRYING:

This will probably peak around 6 weeks. After that, they start adjusting to life on dry land.  But after 3 months it usually gets even better.  To calm crying, swinging in your arms (sometimes quickly), bouncing, walking around, and always the Ergo or other baby carrier. I liked the moby for the first few months, but after that and now I like the Ergo better. 

BREASTFEEDING: 

First of all: It's worth it.  Also, it's natural, but it does not come naturally. Do whatever you can to get it going, and it will get better!  First, skin to skin time is key.  For latching on, get their mouth to open wide and then GO for it. Move their head forward as quick as possible to get as much boob in as you can.  Sometimes catching the lower jaw as you bring their head forward.  Also to help with latching on, may use a nipple shield or a breast pump to help the nipple stand up so they can latch on better.  Breast compressions are great, helps get things rolling.  Each baby has a different preferred position, and when you can figure out lying down while nursing that is usually a fabulous way to go.  Willow had to be about 3 months old before she could do it, but other babies can nurse while lying down much sooner. Leaking happens in the early months and tapers off around 3-4 months. Boobs are biggest around 5-6 weeks post partum, and then they go back to pretty much what they were before, even while nursing.  So don't do what I did and buy nursing bras at 6 weeks post partum! Being a 34D was fun, but I'm not anymore.  thankfully.

I might add to this later as I think of things, but this is about what I can remember from the first 6 months. It is all kind of a blur, and hard to remember when she did what. I'm sure that will get even more difficult with #2!  Thankfully we do forget about the early days (and birth), or else everyone would be an only child...