TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2008 - Controversial Parenting Practices for the Happiest Baby Ever!!

There is no shortage of controversy over parenting practices, even in infancy. To circumcise or not, to breastfeed or formula feed, to Ferberize or … uh, … not. In toddlerhood and beyond it gets even harder. I have lots of opinions about all of these things. If you want to know, ask. In the meantime, let’s talk about swaddling. Evidently there is controversy about swaddling. I didn’t know that; probably because I don’t know many masochists. Apparently most parents stop swaddling after a couple of months. Well, I missed that memo and we've been gleefully swaddling for exactly 5 months now. (Can you believe Daniel is already 5 months old??!!?). I will have to read more about when/why people stop swaddling. I grew up in a Nez Perce cradle board, so that was normal for me. But I need to find out what concerns I might not yet know about.


Further, there is great range in swaddling methods, which my husband and mother don’t think I should tell you about. There’s the traditional swaddling method.  Yeah, right. That swaddler never met my kid. Then there are commercial swaddlers.  These are great! But at 15 bucks a pop, and a kid growing so fast I think he’s been sprayed with fertilizer, there are only so many of these around. Oh yeah, and said rapidly-growing-baby pee-soaks the swaddler every night.


And then there’s the tape method. We’re not the only ones who’ve thought of this. Okay, fine. I thought of it, but in the wee hours of the morning, Rhett was converted.


Admit it; you’ve considered it too. But no one wants to admit to actually doing it. Well, there's a drought on, dammit, and we're trying not to wash our three swaddlers every night, so what to do? We do wrap the tape around the blanket part of the fabric being used to swaddle him. Cute? Not really. Classy? Certainly not. But oh, the righteous, righteous, righteousness of these sleepless souls. They may be better parents than I am, but I get better sleep.

See my sweet and happy swaddled baby? 


2 COMMENTS:


DC Deafie said...
awww! there's my sweet little daniel! i miss him...
and hey, you do what you gotta do... 
*hugs*


JULY 9, 2008 10:33 AM  
Aerin said...
The first rule of parenting is to trust yourself. Our 2yr old still uses a bottle sometimes; our 4 yr old we swaddled til he was rolling over and out of it - what, 7 months or so? Do what you have to do to stay sane! Only you know your baby!
BTW, that child - the last picture - if that is yours and not a model - OH my goodness - he's adorable!! Best wishes!
JULY 21, 2008 9:06 PM