On Poopie Labs and parenting joys
I don't think most people believe me when I say that Anna said her first phrase-“love you”-to me about ten days ago (at the mature age of 8½ weeks), or that she said “hello” a day or two before that. What I think is really telling is that she said both of them while I was changing her diaper.
I think parents-fathers especially-should learn to take advantage of diaper-changing “opportunities.” Like feeding and rocking a baby to sleep, changing diapers is an obligation that can't be avoided. There are two approaches a parent can take (besides shirking the job by foisting it off as much as possible on the other parent). One is to minimize the time spent on the chore; the other is to maximize the enjoyment of it. I was preparing very well to pursue the first strategy. There's a station set up in our house called the “Poopie Lab”-dedicated to finding the design and process that will help Daddy do his diaper-changing job as quickly and conveniently as possible. Kristine was surprised and impressed at how easy it made the work for both of us and how comfortable it made the experience for the baby. (For one thing, I've noticed that she is much calmer if she always gets changed in the exact same place. Public restrooms are not appreciated.)
But I was pleasantly surprised to learn how much Anna and I enjoy the time together. She does a larger amount of her laughing, playing and even talking right after a diaper change than at most any other time of day. I soon stopped looking at the stopwatch I'd hung up to track and reduce our changing times
Kristine's aunt (and namesake) says that changing time is a well-kept secret of parenting joy. I think it's an opportunity for us fathers to “compete” for bonding time with our children's mothers (also known as “the food supply”).
I think parents-fathers especially-should learn to take advantage of diaper-changing “opportunities.” Like feeding and rocking a baby to sleep, changing diapers is an obligation that can't be avoided. There are two approaches a parent can take (besides shirking the job by foisting it off as much as possible on the other parent). One is to minimize the time spent on the chore; the other is to maximize the enjoyment of it. I was preparing very well to pursue the first strategy. There's a station set up in our house called the “Poopie Lab”-dedicated to finding the design and process that will help Daddy do his diaper-changing job as quickly and conveniently as possible. Kristine was surprised and impressed at how easy it made the work for both of us and how comfortable it made the experience for the baby. (For one thing, I've noticed that she is much calmer if she always gets changed in the exact same place. Public restrooms are not appreciated.)
But I was pleasantly surprised to learn how much Anna and I enjoy the time together. She does a larger amount of her laughing, playing and even talking right after a diaper change than at most any other time of day. I soon stopped looking at the stopwatch I'd hung up to track and reduce our changing times
Kristine's aunt (and namesake) says that changing time is a well-kept secret of parenting joy. I think it's an opportunity for us fathers to “compete” for bonding time with our children's mothers (also known as “the food supply”).