wee ones

You’ve got THE book…your wee one developing code of conduct. You pour over the pages. He should be doing this at that time, followed by that and so on. And life rolls along as you check off each milestone, but wait! He went A, B, D? No C! Uh oh… you aint gotta crawl before you walk They roll over, then sit-up, then crawl, and then walk. In that order, right? Well, not always. Today’s parents are seeing many wee ones skip crawling and go right to walking. One reason may be tied to the fact that wee ones spend a lot more time on their backs. The campaign to prevent sudden infant death syndrome by putting wee ones to sleep on their backs has been very successful and has also resulted in less tummy time. Tummy time strengthens neck muscles and prompts wee ones to eventually get on all fours and crawl. So should you be worried? No. If everything else is developing normally, don’t worry about him skipping crawling or feel like you should try to delay his walking so he crawls first. Let him develop naturally and do not fear his crawl-lessness is going to hinder any physical or intellectual development. But you better be ready to baby proof: sleep…because i said so Sleep is important for growth and development. On average tots sleep about 12-14 hours a day. This usually includes one daytime nap. So, he should take a nap. You’d like him to take a nap. But he despises nap time. Sound familiar? Trying to reason with a defiant tot can be beyond frustrating. So what do you do? First, you can put your best effort forward to get him to nap:

• drop it real low Make sure you drop the crib mattress to the lowest level. A walker can turn into a climber and you don’t want him taking a header out of his crib.

• window danger Don’t forget about your windows when you are baby proofing. You can buy window guards that allow windows to open no more than four inches and visit www.windowcoverings.org for advice and free retrofit safety kits for your window coverings.

• plug, block, raise, lock it Your wee one’s universe has just expanded and oh, is he curious. Plug all electrical sockets, install gates on all stairs, get everything out of reach that could be hazardous to baby such as plants, fridge magnets, medication and breakables. And don’t forget to lock doors and fasten down tippy furniture such as TVs and dressers.

You watch the clock. So much to do and soon it will be your time, right? It will be naptime and that’s when you turn into Wonder Woman. Competing tasks in a single bound. Activities that take the mere mortal hours you can do in minutes. That is if your tot actually takes his nap…please!

• again & again R-o-u-t-i-n-e! Being on a schedule is so important for our tots. Being consistent with naptime whether at home or daycare, offers the greatest opportunity for successful z-catching.

• set the stage Make the environment conducive to sleeping. Draw the blinds, make it quiet or provide some quiet music or white noise. And don’t forget his favorite blankie or stuffed animal.

• stay strong A battle of wills is no fun, but stay firm and calm.

It is important to remember that every kiddo is different and your tot’s sleep patterns will change as he goes through growth spurts. Are naps important? Sure. If he absolutely refuses to take a nap [not just a couple days, but weeks], will he be harmed in some way? No. Don’t get too worked up that naptime is controlling