Habits of Convenience

Dear Friends and Family,

I think there's a reason why parents habits can change so much during the first year of new parenthood. It's inherent in the process.

There's a bunch of things we need to buy that we didn't need to buy before. Some are consumable like diapers. Some are one-time purchases like car seats.

There's a bunch of places we start to go - like the doctor's office and the park.

There's a bunch of things we need to learn - like feeding a baby, diapering a baby, and bathing a baby.

There's a bunch of things we have to change - like fitting in childcare either at home or at work.

And, there's the fact that right after you figure it out, baby resets all of the above... there's figuring out solids, there's figuring out baby gates, the list never ends.

And, after the first year, there's figuring out getting rid of the pacifier and bottle and adding the cup. And, transitioning from two naps to one. And, and, and...

And, in the midst of all this, the parents are rewriting their own habit loops willy-nilly without thought and/or purpose, going with what's top of mind or convenient. That's why things seem so impossible, because we adopt all of these habits without thinking about them and then don't have time to work through them once they're there - especially parents who then hit reset and have a second child.

Pity the poor parents.

Now that P is almost three, it's time to think through all of the habits from the past three years and figure out how to re-adjust and optimize.

Cheers!

mouse