I’ve grown up around kids my entire life due to my mom having an in-home daycare. Imagine 12 little ones ranging from infant to five years of age in your home from the time you wake up to the time you come home from school and eat dinner. I was always drawn to them. Of course the different ages all have fun, unique qualities that attracted me to them; be it sweet cuddly babies, to rambunctious waddlers, to talkative toddlers, and know-it-all preschool aged kiddos. Regardless, I always thought I was born into the perfect scenario to be super-mom later in life. From tricks to help soothe the little one, to methods for teaching letters and colors, and songs and games of every sort to keep them entertained…I know you can feel a ‘but’ coming on…
BUT, the world of parenthood is drastically different than “babysitting” for the brief hour or two I would sit and play. My mom is by far way more than a “babysitter” and it isn’t until you become a parent or the parents have been a part of her daycare for a while that they realize what that means. She’s a true baby whisperer and it is due to her that hundreds of kiddos have entered kindergarten knowing how to soothe themselves, take two hour naps, eat all their veggies, write their name, sing their alphabet, write their letters, and consistently maintain their manners. Though I am only in the early stages of this parenting thing, I have surely learned one technique on my own. This one technique in which my mom knew all along, but never thought of it as a technique at all…just common sense: The Art of Distraction.
So let me lay it out for you. This mechanism doesn’t really come into effect until after about three months. Prior to this time frame it is all about soothing and comforting the baby when they are looking for their fundamental needs (aka clean diaper, to be fed, to be cuddled, or to sleep). Once three months hits and they are more alert and aware, ready to play and explore the world, it is all about distraction. There are many ways to divert their attention to get the desired end result of happiness. Case in Point: baby cried = new toy, new laying position, new sound, new bottle, new song, new food/milk, new diaper, new activity, new environment. Whatever it is, if you can manage to help them forget their woe by giving them something new, they become satisfied. As time progresses and our little ones are able to develop a bit of a longer attention span, though we know this span still isn’t what we’d hope, these distractions may become a bit larger than a toy or a song, however, the key concept is still the same.
As parents, we go through every day with the hope and effort of giving our kids true and abundant happiness. The less tears, the easier the day, the “happier” the baby. Now, a key element to all of this, is bonding. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments when I HAVE to clean or I HAVE to bathe myself, where he has to occupy his time, and a new toy or new show is exactly what will give me that 5-10 minutes of freedom, but don’t let me fool you that my go to art of distraction tool is always a hug, kiss and cuddle. Of course, I know the importance of self-soothing too, but I’m not referring to him taking a little tumble and crying, I’m talking about the times when they become irritable, uninterested and needy. But really at the end of the day, my goal is to put a satisfied and loved baby to sleep, knowing he gets to wake up the next day, and I get to start all over making him happy.
I am not, and by no means will I ever achieve “super-mom” status. I’m not even really sure what that is. But I want to applaud each and every mom for their day-to-day routine. It’s tiring as much as it is rewarding, but know you have at least accomplished two things: the ability to make your baby happy and the art of distraction. And to me, with that, you have succeeded.
A few of Cooper’s favorite distractions include:
- Playing in Mommy and Daddy’s cars.
- Apples and watermelon keep him occupied for a good 30 minutes.
- Anything having to do with water!
- He loves playing with his Babiator sunglasses from the store! They have a year warranty if they break, so to me, he can play with them all he wants!
- The Pellos we have in the store are great from infancy up to five and six years old. Shoot my eight year old niece loves laying in it and watching a movie!
What is your go to distraction tool when your little one isn’t satisfied? New exciting tips always welcome!
My Lil Deuce "Coop" 