While The Baby Is Sleeping…
Hello everyone! Today, I wanted to talk about things to do while you have a sleeping baby. Whether you’re a parent, a babysitter, or someone who is in charge of a young baby for whatever reason, it’s hard to figure out how to use the time that Baby is sleeping to your advantage. I’m relatively new to the Baby Game, so I’ve still been trying to figure out how to manage my time. I’ve been doing certain things every day since Olivia’s birth, so I thought I’d share! Hopefully this helps you figure out exactly how to manage your time before the baby wakes up!
Chores, Of Course
Obviously, you’ve got to attempt to keep your living space clean. It’s hard with a new baby, and while sometimes people come over so that I can clean (or so they can clean for me!), I still have to do chores everyday. It’s hard to get everything done that needs done! So far, I’ve found that making a goal to get one thing done a day is something achievable for me. I am notoriously bad at housekeeping, so most people can probably get more than one task done a day with a baby in the house! If you’re not one of the lucky ones, however, know that I’m out here desperately trying to get laundry done every day. We’re in this together, y’all.
I look at the “one thing” I need to get done as something that takes longer than five minutes. Something like folding baskets of laundry, doing the dishes, or cleaning up the bathroom. If Olivia is asleep and stays asleep, I can get more done! It’s important to keep your place clean and organized, especially when you’re trying to get used to a new baby in the house.
Me Time
I’m going to preface this with saying that Olivia does not like to nap for long. She takes a lot of short naps throughout the day and sleeps longer at night, so to me it feels like I don’t get a lot of Me Time because I’m with her for most of the time I have in my day…which is totally fine, of course! Sometimes, though, I need time to take care of me so that I can properly take care of her.
That being said, anytime a baby is sleeping, the time becomes You Time. If you’ve done your chores and don’t have anything productive to do, take time to take care of you! Take a shower! Watch a show! And of course, you could always nap with the baby. I try my best to transfer Olivia to her bassinet or the swing when she falls asleep on me so that I can not only get things done that I need to get done, but do things I want to do.
Run Errands…Curbside
Olivia is a deep sleeper once she gets to sleep. She’s the perfect baby to get in the car and run errands with because she rarely wakes up until it’s time to go home. If you have a baby like this, go ahead and throw them in the car! If they’re not asleep when you put them in their carseat, they will be soon. Babies love car rides! At least, every baby I’ve ever met does.
If your baby doesn’t sleep as deeply as Olivia, however, running errands could be impossible. I have been taking advantage of curbside pickup and drive thrus ever since having Olivia! I figure why poke a sleeping lion? If I don’t have to take her out of the car, I won’t. If you haven’t thought about doing curbside and drive thru where you can while the baby is in the car with you, think about doing it! It’s convenient and honestly I don’t like getting out of the car myself if I can help it.
These are the things I do while Olivia is asleep. Having a baby is a huge change, and it’s important to acknowledge that the majority of your time is not your own anymore. When that baby is awake, you’re on Baby Time. But there’s no reason you have to be on Full Parent Mode at all times! It’s okay to do stuff that doesn’t involve the baby while they are sleeping. After all, time doesn’t stop when you bring a baby home!
Thanks for reading everyone! As you can expect, the next couple of posts will most likely be baby-focused. After all, having a baby is kind of taking over my day-to-day life right now. I am always open to writing about whatever topics people are interested in, so if you’d like me to write something specific you can always shoot me a message on Twitter! Feel free to follow me for daily Mary tweets as well.
I have been having fun coming up with baby-related ideas, though. It’s only been six weeks, so I’m no expert. That being said, I like writing about my own experience with motherhood. So, thanks for reading this week! I’ll see you next week with something new!
