[blparent] Resources to learn hands-on about baby care?

[Jody Ianuzzi]

I agree I feel the same way when my kids were babies. 

When my kids were babies I would keep them in their little infant seat on the floor in the bathroom while I took a shower and I would talk to them. 


JODY 🐺
thunderwalker321 at gmail.com

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."  DOCTOR WHO (Tom Baker)

> On May 23, 2015, at 9:53 AM, Star Gazer via blparent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> When my kids were babies, I didn't want anybody giving them baths or
> changing them or carrying them, and it didn't matter how much I liked that
> person. I just wasn't comfortable with it and I can't quite give you a good
> reason as to why. What I did want was someone to hold them so I could eat or
> shower and someone I could talk to. 
> All this is to say that while you may want to help with taking care of these
> babies, your friends may not want you to do that. 
> A doll won't give you practical experience because dolls don't move, and
> they don't pee or poop midchange. 
> Many women don't have hands on experience with babies until they have their
> own. 
> I'd just focus on helping your friends in the way they want help. If they
> want you to change a baby, they'll tell you. If you do need to change a
> baby, I guarantee you, you'll figure it out. Ditto for a bath, though with a
> newborn, you can just wipe them down with a warm cloth. All this is a long
> way of saying that I didn't want help with the hands on care and feeding of
> my girls.  
> I've said it before on this list and I'll say it again, if you have a good
> head on your shoulders, you'll keep that good head when a baby is involved. 
> I never took the Hadley courses and I don't think they'd be helpful as it's
> all book learning and babies haven't read those books. 
> If you do want practical experience with kids, offer to help in a church
> nursery or find a grandma who has her grandkids. Realize that these kids
> will be older then newborns so will be different from your friends babies,
> at least for a little while. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
> Silverman via blparent
> Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2015 1:38 AM
> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Arielle Silverman
> Subject: [blparent] Resources to learn hands-on about baby care?
> 
> Hi all,
> As you may know, I'm not a parent, but I've been on this list for a while in
> order to learn about nonvisual techniques for childcare since that's an area
> where I am very inexperienced. So recently, a few close friends and
> relatives of mine have told me they're pregnant and expecting to give birth
> by the end of the year. I really want to get some practical skills and
> confidence with baby care before their babies are born. I've never changed a
> diaper, bathed or dressed a baby, or even carried a baby any distance (I've
> just held them in my arms or on my lap). I'm also totally clueless about how
> visual games with young infants, like Peekaboo, work. I didn't grow up
> around babies and wasn't particularly drawn to childcare so I never learned
> these skills. But the moms-to-be in my life are women I really care about
> and I want to be there to help them out when they need it and I want to
> connect with their babies without constantly worrying I'm going to do
> something wrong and accidentally hurt them. So, I was just curious what you
> would suggest so I can get some hands-on practice.
> Would the Hadley preparation course be helpful for someone who's not
> actually expecting her own child but just wants to learn these basic skills?
> I have also considered practicing with a diaper and a doll (though I'm not
> sure I want to buy a whole pack of diapers!) What else would you suggest? I
> know the biggest way I can learn and gain confidence is just by jumping in
> and spending time with babies, but I feel like I need to get a little more
> basic knowledge first, and I also know that my exhausted friends probably
> won't have the patience to teach me from the beginning when their babies are
> born. Thanks for any help!
> Arielle
> 
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blparent:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/pickrellrebecca%40gmai
> l.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blparent:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/thunderwalker321%40gmail.com