I have friends and family who swear that a swing is the only way to calm a cranky baby. It even became a joke over Thanksgiving because one of my sisters in law kept mentioning over and over that I might want to consider getting a side to side swing. I got a REALLY old front and back swing as a hand-me-down, and I wanted to try it out before giving in and buying something ELSE new (or letting someone get one for a gift -- I'm all for recycling, after all). I kept assuring Rebecca that I was taken care of in the swing department, at least until I tried the hand-me-down.Well, I've tried the hand-me-down, and I'm a baby swing convert. So far, Emelia doesn't seem to mind that it only goes back and forth. It calms her in a way that I -- much to my regret -- cannot (unless she's hungry). As a result, she's spending a fair amount of time in the swing instead of in my arms. I'm glad there's a way to calm her (and rest assured that I do try to calm her myself before resorting to the swing), but I feel a little inadequate that the sheer presence of my body and my soothing voice and movements can't compete with an ugly, battery-operated contraption. *sigh*
2 comments:
Kathy: This is so great! We get to watch Emelia grow. She is just beautiful! I say use that swing whenver your can. I remember that when Jamie was 2 weeks old, he was screaming, and jordy (then 2 years old) was also screaming. Putting Jamie in the swing allowed me to think and then I could handle Jordy! Have fun!
Our baby swing was probably the only reason we HAD two children!
(Wait--that did not come out quite right!)
What I mean is, N was an UPSET child. Cranky, colic, whatever you call it--she was a screamer. But if I put her and the swing and ran the vacuum--she was content. I don't know why but she was happy and my carpets were clean!
So we were relatively sane enough to contemplate a second child--who spent quite a bit of time in that swing, too! (He was a happy baby but his older sister was still a demanding toddler!)
Post a Comment