The Crib: A Blog for New Parents

It’s true, having a baby will change your whole life. However, with each new addition to your family, those changes will change as well. Below are just a few of the changes that will be more easily noticed, and may cause you to do just a bit of pondering of your life.

Your clothing:

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as the stick turns blue.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible, and then your wear your husband’s shirts and sweat pants as maternity clothes.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.

Baby clothing:

1st baby: You purchase every item brand new, prewash it in infant detergent, and keep it folded neatly in the dresser.

2nd baby: You bring all the first child’s hand me downs up from the basement.

3rd baby: You bleach every item of clothing until it’s completely white, but stain free.

Naming:

1st baby: You browse through baby-name books and websites for hours every day.

2nd baby: You visit one baby name site, and then give the baby the name you wanted to use for the first baby, but your husband vetoed.

3rd baby: You let the two older kids pick the name, since they will be calling the baby names anyway.

Getting ready:

1st baby: You have the entire nursery complete and ready 7 months before your due date.

2nd baby: A week before your due date, you put a bassinette next to your bed, and a bag of diapers under it.

3rd baby: You wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart, and then drag the crib down from the attic.

Concern:

1st baby: At the first sign of unhappiness, the first tear, or whimper, you pick the baby up before she can cry.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up as soon as you finish whatever tasks you were performing for the first-born.

3rd baby: You pick up the baby before his screams can wake up the other two.

Social:

1st baby: You take your infant to Mommy & Me, Infant Massage, and Baby Yoga.

2nd baby: You take your kids to the grocery store and Laundromat.

3rd baby: You take your kids to the baby sitter.

Leaving:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter; you call home every hour, and come home early.

2nd baby: An hour after leaving, you call home to give the sitter a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave your cell phone number for the sitter, and then you leave the cell phone in the garage.

Daily:

1st baby: You spend most of everyday just looking at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend pretty much all day watching the older child so that he doesn’t pinch, poke, or drop the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a good part of everyday hiding from the children and watching out the window for your husband to come home.