When Little was a baby, I'm pretty sure that few people heard her cry. If she looked as thoughbshe was about to cry, I carried her...if she started to make a pre-cry noise (you know, that snuffly noise), I fed her... I didn't put her into any kind of routine and she found her own rhythm by 3 months, but it was still pretty fluid. In fact, it was only at age 18 months when she began daycare 4 days a week that I can say we had 'a routine'. I didn't have any books like the baby whisperer etc, I just did what I felt was right at the time... I trusted my maternal instincts:
So, when I came across this article, I couldn't help but wonder if it was the 'African' attitude to parenting in me that led me to approach parenting in this way...? At the time, I was led by strangers and non-family members to believe that 'this is a fluke', 'you're so 'lucky'' and also that 'the second one will seem like a nightmare because to get 2 babies who are so chilled won't happen!'
Well, so far, baby no.2, Mini Miss O is just as chilled as her sister. She rarely cries. I read her, as I did with her sister. I can tell when she's hungry or tired or wants stimulating or is being over-stimulated by her excited sister. Tears just hardly come out of her little peepers. I guess I try to respond as soon as I can. I did the same with Little (in fact, my younger sister would laugh at how quickly I'd jump up and pick Little Miss O up) and she's no more impatient than other 5 year olds we know. Basically, I don't think it hurt my girls to respond to their needs when I can. That said, many people swear by the 'crying it out' method too. I don't have the balls for that. I physically can't handle hearing my babies cry without trying to fix it with my mammaries!
If you haven't come across incultureparent.com before- check it out. Sometimes looking at what others do, helps us reevaluate what we do ourselves. I'm all about being reflective and learning from those who've gone before me xxx
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