Reply to 13 month long maternity leave

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to "13 month long maternity leave"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]OP I had a similar break when my first was born and it is the BEST. If you have more kids it will never be like this again because you'll have an older child and that changes the dynamic. Spending a year with your first baby is a gift and I'm so happy for you.

Here are things I did that made this time extra wonderful:

- Echoing a PP, getting my baby used to being worn in a sling or carrier was great and made be extremely mobile for much of the year. Baby slept easily in the carrier and I could do things like go to to coffee shops and read, relax in the park, take long walks, visit museums, etc. Even as my baby got older, this was a nice way to do things together. We went to so many museums (I'm really into art) that as she outgrew the carrier this continued to be something we love doing together -- standing in front of a piece of art and talking about it together. I love that this is something we've done since she was an infant.

- When the weather is nice, spend as much time as possible outside. Make sure you have a great blanket for parks -- something spacious so your baby can roll and crawl around and you can stretch out. I'd bring toys and books and snacks and we could pass a pleasant couple hours this way. I read so many books this way.

- Start working toward a nap schedule once it starts to seem feasible. It sounds constraining but I found it helped give my days shape and made it easier for me to plan outings. I also cheated and allow the last nap of the day to be in a stroller or the carrier often so that I could do things out of the house. Eventually you have to give this up so your kid will take a solid afternoon nap, but I got away with it until 8 or 9mo old? Anyway, I really hit my stride once my kid was taking regular naps because it also gave me alone time at home to relax, get some cleaning done, eventually to start job hunting.

- I enjoyed regular story times and mommy and me classes. Pick one or two and go to the same ones every week -- you will meet other moms this way. When you can, go to stuff that is geared specifically at infants or at new moms. It's not that your baby won't enjoy stuff with older kids (they will love it, actually) it's that those classes/groups tend to be a lot of kids with nannies so you don't meet as many moms. Going to things geared toward babies who are not yet crawling will help you find other women on maternity leave (I met several other moms taking year long leaves this way).

- Take advantage of your flexibility to grab extra time with your DH. Meet him for lunch near his office with the baby, or find a restaurant with a patio and a good happy hour that is easy for him to get to post-work, and meet him right after he's done. This is a tradition we started every Wednesday early on, and it was a nice way to ensure our family spent a little time out and about together during the week. Otherwise it's easy to get stuck in a very home-centric routine, which can be isolating for you, specifically. Babies are pretty portable before they walk, so the more you can take advantage, the better. It get's harder with toddlers.

I'll add other ideas if I think of them. I wouldn't trade my long maternity leave for anything. I totally respect anyone who doesn't want to do it, but for me it was perfect. Enjoy![/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics