You know when you are on the phone with your cable service provider, and you start getting really steamed that you have been endlessly waiting on hold; so you look at the call time on your phone, and it reads 1 minute 32 seconds. Okay, maybe I am the only lady with the patience of an infant once she sees her bottle, but I doubt it.
I know I am much more likely to stay on hold if that nice silky voice lets me know that my wait time is five minutes. I don’t get nearly as throw-phone-across-room angry when I know what to anticipate; additionally, the customer service rep doesn’t catch the brunt of my thin patience turned wrath. (Yes, I am praying for a greater abundance of this fruit of the spirit.)
I’ve got news: Our babies are the same way! There will be more patience and less screaming if they are prepared for what comes next and how long the process will take. Now, I’m not talking about getting out your kitchen timer for all your baby tasks, because babies really have no concept of time. What they do understand is a routine. If you have read my “All About Month…” posts, you know I am a huge fan of sleep/feeding schedules (which I believe are a huge contributor to a thriving baby), but here I am speaking more to little games and songs you can do while preparing your baby for the day, getting baby ready for bed, or even strapping baby in a car seat. Following are a few examples from baby and my day.
Diaper Change
(Each spoken out loud)
Lay down, lay down, lay down ( I run my hand over her face and body on the last two, which sometimes gets a giggle as a lay her on the changing table)
Scooch, scooch, scooch your pants down (Or Un-zzzzzzip)
Right leg out! (removing right leg from pants)
Left leg out! (removing left leg from pants)
Let’s see what we’ve got. (Here I am undoing her diaper. If there is a smelly in her britches, I add a ssshhhhhoooooeeeyyyy! while waving around my hand or holding my nose.)
At this point I start singing, “clean up, clean up, momma’s gonna wipe you there,” while wiping up the mess. I think this song is a Barney song (modified), but I can’t be certain where this happy little tune nugget came from.
Bottoms up (I am placing the diaper under her bum. Sometimes this turns into the Trey Songz Bottoms Up Song as a bounce around her little tush.)
3-2-1 snap (strapping down one side of diaper)
3-2-1 snap (strapping down other side of diaper)
Yay!! You’re so fresh and so clean, clean. (Dancing and celebrating a clean diaper)
Car Seat
Just speaking this routine out-loud has eliminated fussing getting in and out of Jelly Bean’s car seat. She has even started helping with the steps by putting her arms in the right position.
(Each spoken out loud while performing the step)
Getting in infant seat
Left arm back, and through
Right arm back, and through
1-2-3 buckle (fasten one side into bottom buckle)
1-2-3 buckle (fasten other side into bottom buckle)
And a snap! (close clasp over chest)
At this point I sing a little diddy… “Ready to go in a 1-2-3, but first we buckled up for safety!)
Getting out of infant seat
Unbuckle
Unsnap
Right arm out!
Left arm out!
Baby out!
Jelly Bean really likes the getting out routine and celebrates with the “baby out!”
Getting Dressed
This is assuming your baby is already undressed, ready for fresh clothing. Jelly Bean now knows which part of her body comes next in the getting dressed routine, and she cries waaayyy less (really only cries because she had to get out of the bath).
(Each spoken out loud while performing the step)
Scrunching up the shirt annnddd peek-a-boo! (I like to do a little peek through the neck hole at Jelly Bean lying on the changing table. It usually gets a laugh.)
Oooovvver the head.
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch (gathering up right arm) and right arm through. Push, push, push, and streeeetccchhhh. (Put right arm through, get the hand out of the hole, and straighten the right arm above baby’s head. Ellie has started reaching up after putting her arm through on her own.) Repeat for left.
Now for the pants!
Scrunching up a leg aaannnnddd peek-a-boo! (poke one eye through a leg hole)
Right foot in and streeetttccchhh (straighten out the leg)
Left foot in and streeetttccchhh (straighten out the leg)
Now wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle (singing while shimmying the pants up her legs to her waist)
Taking a Bath
I let Jelly Bean play around in the bath for a while before soaping her up. I use a shampoo-soap combo for ease of bathing.
We just slowly sing the head-shoulders-knees- and-toes songs while alternating body parts until she is all cleaned up. (May take some repetition)
Hair, shoulders, arms, and nose. Arms and nose.
Hair, shoulders, arms, and nose. Arms and nose.
Hands and pits and chest and toes.
Hair, shoulders, arms, and nose. Arms and nose.
Cheeks, chin, chest, forehead. Chest, forehead.
Cheeks, chin, chest, forehead. Chest, forehead.
Back and belly, bottom and leg
Cheeks, chin, chest, forehead. Chest, forehead.
Belly, thighs, knees, and toes. Knees and toes.
Belly, thighs, knees, and toes. Knees and toes.
Right leg, left leg, feet and toes.
Belly, thighs, knees, and toes. Knees and toes.
Making a Bottle
Jelly Bean likes to watch me make her formula. She usually drinks about 6 ounces.
While filling up the bottle with water from the fridge, I chant, “Fill, Fill, Fill it up. Fill that little bottle up!” Like a mommy cheerleader.
Then we scoop out, “1 scoop, 2 scoops, 3 scoops!”
Now, “shake, shake, shake… shake, shake, shake… shake that bottle!” Singing like we are KC and the Sunshine band while shaking it all over the kitchen. Ellie used to scream while I made her bottle. Now, she shakes her hand up and down smiling while we mix up the formula.
These are a few of our little routines. They have helped tremendously with keeping Ellie calm while we accomplish a task. You can do this with pretty much anything by speaking the steps that you are performing and sticking to the same pattern each time. At first, baby won’t understand, but with more repetition, she will catch on. What routines do you and your little one have?
Molly's Corner 