[blparent] How to handle a baby while you multitask

Thu Nov 15 19:03:44 UTC 2012

If Hena is working days, playgroups and the like are not options for her.  That's the point I was trying to make with my earlier post.
Hena's baby will be fine with a hardwood floor. He won't be fine with an overtired and stressed Mama with no means of aquiring a social network.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brandy Wojcik
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 10:06 AM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] How to handle a baby while you multitask

I run an in home daycare, and my house is all hard wood and tile. I do have
a large area rug in the living room, and a smaller one in the play room with
a map on it with ocean desert, roads and such for them to play on and make
the room more comfortable, but the rest of the room is hard. My general
theory is once they can get off the living room carpet than they are old
enough to deal with the hard wood. Remember when they bump their head it
always sounds worse than it really is.

I agree that a second hand store, or craigs list would be a good place to
start for some used baby gear The other thing is if you go to a church or
play group ask around. Many people are happy to lone things between
children.
Bran

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer
Jackson
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 7:24 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] How to handle a baby while you multitask

This is a really good point Bridgit is making here about hard floors. My
kids never seemed to mind following me right into the kitchen tile instead
of staying on the cushioned carpet. Rug burns can happen in any small tumble
too, so I would not worry to much about the hardness of the floor. The hard
surfaces are pretty much guaranteed to be cleaner than any carpet anyway.
You can find something to worry yourself about either way, I know because I
have. :)

Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:11 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] How to handle a baby while you multitask

Hina,

I completely commiserate with you, smile. I'm a stay-at-home mommy right
now, so I am alone with Declan all day. He's only two-and-a-half-months-old,
but he prefers to be held all day long. This makes getting chores and work
done difficult. When I try to put him down, he usually cries until picked up
again. I'm also a type 1 diabetic, so there are times when I must put him
down in order to take care of myself. Declan is getting a little better
about this, but I still struggle with getting things done during the day
while tending to him and his needs.

Our baby swing has been a God-send. It was a gift, and I don't know what we
would do without it. Declan' acid reflux is so bad he needs to be upright
most of the day and night. He also loves it, and will usually fall asleep or
at least relax while in it. It has several seat positions including a cradle
position, and has several swing motions and speeds.
To boot, it can play songs or nature sounds (Declan prefers the nature
sounds) and it has a canopy where you can opt to turn on a projection of
clouds and lambs.

When Penny started rolling and crawling, we did have carpet at the time,
though our new house has hard wood floors. We do have a large area rug in
the living room, but once Declan is more mobile, he will have both rug and
wood to navigate.

My sister always had wood floors, and her kids did just okay crawling around
on the wood floor. She also let them crawl around on the cement patio, so
there you go, grin. I question this, but her kids never seemed to mind even
though their little knees were a little scratched.

We placed a thicker blanket down on the floor for Penny, and plan to do this
with Declan.

As for keeping tabs on them, using little bells or something else that makes
sound works great. We pinned tiny bells on the back of Penny, but I recently
discovered wrist and ankle rattles that I will use for Declan. This helps
you know nonvisually where baby is. Of course they often make quite a bit of
noise, which helps too.

We also try to make sure anything unsafe is picked up and out of reach
especially when busy doing other things. And baby gates are nice too. We
didn't have to be concerned with stairs at our last apartment, but we did
gate the kitchen so Penny couldn't crawl in and potentially get hurt.

Pack and plays are great too when you have a lot to do or need to leave a
room. Just place baby in the play pen and they are not able to roam the
house unattended.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 23
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:12:58 -0600
From: hina altaf <hinaaltaf1983 at gmail.com>
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] how to handle a baby while you multi task
Message-ID:

<CAODq+AemuZnf2fwJg2LijSZa8iF-xCC+5v7VGxz2s9VxXu66Fw at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi,
I am a working mom and when I come home, my husband leaves for work and I
and the baby are all alone. He is in the stage where he wants to crawl and
roll over but we do not have a carpet and it is hard wood floor.
when I am cooking, my husband asked me to put him in the car seat but he
likes to move around and I am afraid he may fall. Do you have any
suggestions? what techniques do you all use to watch the baby so you can do
other house work? Hina.

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