for me thus far i would say that my parenting style is "whatever works".
because seriously, all kids and their personalities are different. and often it seems that once i find something that really seems to be working, my munchkin changes on me!
so our trip to india is definitely changing up a few things for me on the parenting front as well...and probably pushing me more towards attachment parenting at the moment.
at home in the US, jia sleeps in a pack-n-play bassinet by our bed. so we actually packed it up and brought it over with us with the intention of keeping things the same here.
well, we turns out that we don't have space for anything of the sort here. so that was a big waste of luggage space! co-sleeping it is!
co-sleeping gets a super bad rap in the US due to SIDS. which is definitely scary. but some people say that if you're not a super hard sleeper or going to bed drunk or something, then sleeping with your baby is actually the safest option, since you can monitor them more closely, so i can totally see their point. i think a lot of the hard and fast rules are just made because of careless people...who are generally the exception.
so jia's been bunking with us here, and it seems to be working out! we're used to having our pups in bed with us, and jia's becoming much more mobile and interactive, so i'm not too worried about her at this point..plus she seems to enjoy it! hopefully it won't be a habit that's too hard to break later though! haha.
also, i've been baby wearing...a LOT!
i already enjoyed baby wearing quite a bit in the US, but here there isn't really a place for strollers at all, so baby wearing is much more full time!
before we left i bought a baby k'tan breeze off my friend, and it's been the best thing ever!!
we had a moby wrap and a more structured carrier, but both of those just seemed way too hot to use in india. jia doesn't like being strapped on if she's too warm.
not only is the k'tan much cooler and breezier, but it also is so much easier for travel, and so much more versatile! i can just wear it around my neck like a scarf when she's not in it, and i regularly carry her in about 3 different holds in it! she loves it!
at home i do cloth diapering, but with out our regular laundry system here, that just wasn't an option. so we're in disposables for this trip. and i gotta say, wow, i really miss cloth! the cloth diapers have already proven to be so much better at poo containment, if you know what i mean.
people say that with your first child you're much more paranoid about germs. and i'll admit it. even at home my radar goes off if i hear someone nearby coughing or something. but being with a baby in india has turned me a little bit germ-a-phobe i'm afraid...which is quite a challenge here! haha. i feel like mr. monk with a wipe on hand after every interaction...and it's funny to see my indian husband almost more paranoid than i am! haha.
i'm just thankful to be able to exclusively nurse her on this trip. it gives a lot of peace of mind to me, and comfort to her.
anyways, i'm hoping over all that this time will be good for teaching both us and jia some flexibility. it's definitely our first big adventure together!
because seriously, all kids and their personalities are different. and often it seems that once i find something that really seems to be working, my munchkin changes on me!
so our trip to india is definitely changing up a few things for me on the parenting front as well...and probably pushing me more towards attachment parenting at the moment.
at home in the US, jia sleeps in a pack-n-play bassinet by our bed. so we actually packed it up and brought it over with us with the intention of keeping things the same here.
well, we turns out that we don't have space for anything of the sort here. so that was a big waste of luggage space! co-sleeping it is!
co-sleeping gets a super bad rap in the US due to SIDS. which is definitely scary. but some people say that if you're not a super hard sleeper or going to bed drunk or something, then sleeping with your baby is actually the safest option, since you can monitor them more closely, so i can totally see their point. i think a lot of the hard and fast rules are just made because of careless people...who are generally the exception.
so jia's been bunking with us here, and it seems to be working out! we're used to having our pups in bed with us, and jia's becoming much more mobile and interactive, so i'm not too worried about her at this point..plus she seems to enjoy it! hopefully it won't be a habit that's too hard to break later though! haha.
also, i've been baby wearing...a LOT!
i already enjoyed baby wearing quite a bit in the US, but here there isn't really a place for strollers at all, so baby wearing is much more full time!
before we left i bought a baby k'tan breeze off my friend, and it's been the best thing ever!!
we had a moby wrap and a more structured carrier, but both of those just seemed way too hot to use in india. jia doesn't like being strapped on if she's too warm.
not only is the k'tan much cooler and breezier, but it also is so much easier for travel, and so much more versatile! i can just wear it around my neck like a scarf when she's not in it, and i regularly carry her in about 3 different holds in it! she loves it!
at home i do cloth diapering, but with out our regular laundry system here, that just wasn't an option. so we're in disposables for this trip. and i gotta say, wow, i really miss cloth! the cloth diapers have already proven to be so much better at poo containment, if you know what i mean.
people say that with your first child you're much more paranoid about germs. and i'll admit it. even at home my radar goes off if i hear someone nearby coughing or something. but being with a baby in india has turned me a little bit germ-a-phobe i'm afraid...which is quite a challenge here! haha. i feel like mr. monk with a wipe on hand after every interaction...and it's funny to see my indian husband almost more paranoid than i am! haha.
i'm just thankful to be able to exclusively nurse her on this trip. it gives a lot of peace of mind to me, and comfort to her.
anyways, i'm hoping over all that this time will be good for teaching both us and jia some flexibility. it's definitely our first big adventure together!
