The Game Plan. 1-1-12

The morning started with a trip to the stores to try to catch new reductions on Christmas stuff. Along with some general odds-and-ends I needed for the house, I had a few things to get for the baby. I needed a couple of bins for diapers: one to leave outside for the diaper service to pick up and drop off, the other one for dirty diapers in the house. They had plastic trash cans that Winnie could tip over. I’ll probably wind up with a stainless steel one. I also needed a baby memories book. I bought one, but I’m not happy with it, as it asks a lot of information about the father. I think I’ll get a scrapbook instead.

Otherwise, I’ve been doing a bit of research on how to introduce a baby to a dog and how to interpret baby sounds.  As to Winnie, it sounds like I should just give up! Basically, I should have been doing a million things with Winnie all through the pregnancy. To further complicate matters, most of the websites were inconsistent. And then the introduction will be challenging as Mom is too much of a softy and the weather will probably not cooperate. A couple of things seem consistent and maybe doable though: (1) maintain as much of a routine as possible, (2) never allow baby and dog alone together, (3) get dog used to baby sounds and smells, and (4) have safe zones for dog and baby. I played some YouTube videos of babies crying, which didn’t seem to phase Winnie. Although Winnie doesn’t understand images on TV or the computer, she does respond to sounds that come from them (especially door knocks and dog barks). Introducing smells and limiting contact, as some websites advise, will be more tricky.

Finally, I was trying to look up something I saw on the Oprah show a few years ago. There was an Australian woman who was able to understand a rudimentary baby language that could potentially prevent babies’ cries. It’s called the Dunstan method. There were sounds for hungry, sleepy—5 altogether. I tracked down the DVD/book and will hopefully get it before the baby arrives. The reviews were mixed: the information was helpful, but it was a bit thin on content.