05/13/2022
By Kate Stone Lombardi
Yesterday, my husband and I had our first all-day babysitting job for our 6 month old granddaughter. And tomorrow she spends the night at our house. Although we all lived together as we got through Covid, these are our first solo ventures in babysitting for any length of time.
I had to smile when my daughter sent an email with detailed instructions on how to and when to feed the baby, change her diaper, put her down for her nap, etc. I mean, I did raise two children. Still, I’m rusty, so it was helpful to have it spelled out. Not to mention the fact that baby safety protocol has changed considerably since I was a young Mom. Other things that have changed:
The ease with which I can sit on the floor, play on the floor, and get up from the floor. Then there is getting up from the floor while holding a baby. I pride myself on being in pretty good shape, but yikes!
Soothing a teething baby. No more frozen bagels, baby numbing gel, or Zwieback biscuits. Non-toxic, frozen teething rings are the way to go.
Babies are put down on their backs in the crib. (In my day, it was the stomach.) The said, little Annie kept flipping over, and for extra fun, would get her feet caught between the slats.
Which brings me to the video baby monitor. I could clearly see what Annie was doing with a blue tooth device no bigger than an iPhone. Back in the day, I had a kind of squawk box from Fisher Price. Large, plastic and beige, it crackled loudly, but if the baby was really howling, you could hear it.
What absolutely has not changed is that heart-melting gummy smile that a baby gets when she recognizes you. The important stuff transcends the generations.