Running Around with Baby: How Much is too Much?
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This weekend was an unusually busy one for Mr. Lincoln. He had a party to go to on Saturday and a photoshoot on Sunday. This jetsetter hung in there pretty good, but he wasn't his usual smiley self on Sunday. D-I-V-A!
Seriously, though, I attributed this right away to the amount of stuff we were asking him to do and his change in schedule because of it. While it doesn't sound like a lot, in my opinion, it's a lot for a baby. Being a baby, you don't just go somewhere and hang out in the background trying to avoid the crowd. You're front and center to be held, played with, ooo and awed at...tough work! On Sunday, the photoshoot required a couple wardrobe changes, trying to be made to laugh (he wasn't havin' it), weird posing attempts, a couple falls (I caught him!), strange places, and FLASH, FLASH, FLASH! The supermodel was working almost five hours (he got a nap in, though).For us, we have more fun together and better weekends when we have little to nothing to do outside of the house. I try to limit what we do to only one thing a weekend (Kennywood, the zoo, big shopping trips, something like that). Running errands gets spread out, and I try to do them on my lunch break or on my way home from work. Even our visitors are limited. I look at it as our time to be together as a family. If I'm selfish or keeping people away, I don't mean to, but a few hours each day of the week and two full days where we can all be together just isn't enough for me so I try to make it all about us.
I HATE getting him off schedule, too. I try to follow the schedule the daycare has instilled. I mean, he's there eight to nine hours, five days a week. Why not follow it? With that, I can anticipate when he's ready to nap, eat, play, everything. This schedule was set following what he typically does (no one makes him go to sleep or feeds him when he's not hungry), so it's what works for him and his body. If it changes, he'll be the one to tell us all and we'll all adjust. He's telling us (me, his dad, the teachers) what he needs.
My husband and I aren't big on going out so maybe that's why we think it's hard on Linc when we take him all over the place. I would just think it's exhausting...it's exhausting for us grown-ups! Am I weird? Thinking too much? Worried too much? I know some people who take their kids all over the place on the weekends and during the week. I'm not judging, they know what works for them. For us, I just can't do it.
There are times when we will need to do more than I'd like. I'm learning that I need to keep in mind of his schedule and it can still be followed when we're out usually. But, for now, I'm sticking to my one thing a weekend rule so 1. We can have our family time and 2. He can get his rest. That's what works for us. Linc is no party animal...just like his mommy and daddy.
Seriously, though, I attributed this right away to the amount of stuff we were asking him to do and his change in schedule because of it. While it doesn't sound like a lot, in my opinion, it's a lot for a baby. Being a baby, you don't just go somewhere and hang out in the background trying to avoid the crowd. You're front and center to be held, played with, ooo and awed at...tough work! On Sunday, the photoshoot required a couple wardrobe changes, trying to be made to laugh (he wasn't havin' it), weird posing attempts, a couple falls (I caught him!), strange places, and FLASH, FLASH, FLASH! The supermodel was working almost five hours (he got a nap in, though).For us, we have more fun together and better weekends when we have little to nothing to do outside of the house. I try to limit what we do to only one thing a weekend (Kennywood, the zoo, big shopping trips, something like that). Running errands gets spread out, and I try to do them on my lunch break or on my way home from work. Even our visitors are limited. I look at it as our time to be together as a family. If I'm selfish or keeping people away, I don't mean to, but a few hours each day of the week and two full days where we can all be together just isn't enough for me so I try to make it all about us.
I HATE getting him off schedule, too. I try to follow the schedule the daycare has instilled. I mean, he's there eight to nine hours, five days a week. Why not follow it? With that, I can anticipate when he's ready to nap, eat, play, everything. This schedule was set following what he typically does (no one makes him go to sleep or feeds him when he's not hungry), so it's what works for him and his body. If it changes, he'll be the one to tell us all and we'll all adjust. He's telling us (me, his dad, the teachers) what he needs.
My husband and I aren't big on going out so maybe that's why we think it's hard on Linc when we take him all over the place. I would just think it's exhausting...it's exhausting for us grown-ups! Am I weird? Thinking too much? Worried too much? I know some people who take their kids all over the place on the weekends and during the week. I'm not judging, they know what works for them. For us, I just can't do it.
There are times when we will need to do more than I'd like. I'm learning that I need to keep in mind of his schedule and it can still be followed when we're out usually. But, for now, I'm sticking to my one thing a weekend rule so 1. We can have our family time and 2. He can get his rest. That's what works for us. Linc is no party animal...just like his mommy and daddy.