You can ignore this post if you want. It is the instructions we left for our babysitters when we went to Cedar Point. We are including it so that we remember to print it with our yearbook for 2010- it really does a good job outlining a typical day for us.
7:00- Kids wake up.
9:15-11:00 Jack and Addy’s nap time. Jack is in the crib and Adalie is in the pack-and-play. Give each of them a pacifier and blanket (both in crib). If Adalie wakes up early, go in and lay her down and give her a pacifier again.
11:00 bottles- Addy 6 oz and Jack 8 oz. If Addy is fussy, give more.
12:00 Lunch for all- Addy and jack have 2-3 jars of baby food (all together split between them) and some finger foods. Evelyn can have macaroni and cheese (already made and in the fridge), or pb&j (PB is above toaster oven, bread in the drawer under it along with a little toddler meal. Evelyn can also have a yogurt poured in a bowl (less mess for you to clean ).
1:30- Naptime for all. Jack and Addy go down with a blanket and pacifier (if Adalie wakes up before three thirty, give her a pacifier and lay her down again. She will go to sleep again, but may fuss a little bit. Put Evelyn down on our bed. She likes having blankets stacked on her (pink blanket from her room, quilt, our blanket). Turn the fan on as well.
Adalie and Jackson should sleep until at least four and Evelyn might sleep until five.
4:00- Medicine for Jack and Addy (.5 on the dropper) this medicine is on the counter it is for baby spit (yes this is a warning), then bottles (same amount listed above). They will also have solids again. 2 baby food jars (split between them) and half of a bowl of baby cereal for each. Also, some finger foods.
Dinner for you and for Evelyn is frozen pizza (there is a pizza stone in the cupboard to the left of the dishwasher if you so desire). There are also leftovers in the fridge of a really good tortilla soup. We also have vanilla ice cream (sugar free and kind of weird) and root beer, or just the regular ice cream variety. You can have whatever you can find.
7:15- Bottles for Jack and Addy. 8oz for each of them. They sometimes need a little encouragement to drink these. If they absolutely refuse, heat the bottles up in the microwave for about 8 seconds and shake ‘em. Make sure they each get at least 6oz or bedtime will be hellish.
Bed time is 8:00- Before bed we generally put them in pajamas and read stories to everyone. Then, we put Jack and Addy in fifteen minutes before Evelyn (we did this for the first time last night and it worked really well. It isn’t a time tested technique yet). Remind Evelyn to stay in bed, not get in the pack and play, and not give toys to Jack and Addy. Sometimes she insists on having a drink before falling asleep. Sometimes it gets crazy. If Evelyn is sitting on Adalie’s head, her screams will let you know. If you check and Evelyn is innocent then it probably means that they need to drink a little more. We just give them bottles in the crib and then go and take them out after they fall asleep. After they are asleep you can use the baby monitor and let Amy and Paul know.
Random Notes (For what it’s worth…)
At the risk of seeming like totally obsessive parents we have made this list. We are actually pretty easy going but these are just some ideas that may help (things I would probably want to know if I was babysitting someone else’s kids). Take it for what it is worth. We are pretty laid back about things, so don’t worry- in fact, you could just ignore this entire list-a-ma-jigger that we wrote for you and we would be perfectly ok with that. Do what works for you! Good luck.
Finger food ideas
-corn (freezer)
-peas (freezer)
-avocado (if it is still good Jack and Addy eat it strait from a spoon)
-raisins
-dry cereal
-pretzel goldfish (for Addy and Eva)
-banana (Addy and Jack love this diced up on their tray)
Ok. Let’s be honest. I use the same spoon when I feed Jack and Addy.
Whoever invented wipeable bibs that can snap up and catch dropped food is one of my favorite people.
There is a triple (a cumbersome beast that works better if you lock the front tires), double and single stroller on the porch that you can use. All of the kids are very good on walks.
If Jack or Addy have a hard time, there are pacifiers on the counter that you can give them. It doesn’t matter who’s is who’s- we all share the same germs anyway.
There are crayons and paper in the middle drawer under the computer.
On the mantle there is a Sesame Street ABC movie and 101 Dalmatians (The ‘doggy movie’). The television is well hidden in the right cabinet of the mantle. Warning- there are child safety locks at the bottom of the cupboard. There are also spare burp rags down there.
If Adalie or Jack get really fussy you can give them Tylenol (1 dropper for Jack and 1.5 for Adalie). I think they are teething and this may help.
Evelyn is getting her third year molars. Ouch! Have you ever seen these come in? They look like miniature mountain ranges. Needless to say… This can make her pretty grumpy. If she is unreasonably grumpy (and it isn’t a fit), then it is probably teeth. I gave her children’s Tylenol at 8:00 and she can have it every 4 hours as needed. If you give it to her, please put it down on here. Thanks!
Diapers and wipes are in the living room in the drawers below the stereo. If for some reason you need more then we have a stash in the kid’s closet. Evelyn’s diapers are the blue wal-mart ones. Jack and Addy have the colorful Luvs. We have Ziplocs on the counter for poopy diapers.
It may be helpful to give Jack something to hold with each hand while you are feeding him.
If Evelyn is crying have her go sit on her bed until she is finished. Let her know she can come out when she is ready to be happy.
Evelyn’s new favorite thing is pushing Jack and Addy when they are standing up or sitting. Immediately remove her from the situation and put her in the corner by the front door and couch. Explain to her why she is there and have her stay there for about a minute.
Jack is allergic to milk and soy. He can have everything I have set out for them unless otherwise noted.
The babies are sometimes picky eaters and won’t take the bottle unless it is made with pretty warm water. Also, if they stop drinking, then 8 seconds in the microwave and a good shake will sometimes do the trick.
The car seats are all in our room if you want/need to go anywhere.
Jack and Addy have different formula. This can be crazy, but the trick we use is that Jack always has the frog bottle.
If you have any questions during the day then give us a call. It’s ok. Really. Even if you just need an interpreter for Evelyn…
No comments:
Post a Comment