For all you future parents out there, here are some myths I would like to debunk.
-Nap while the baby's napping. False. Babies don't nap after the first week. They drift in and out of consciousness in a 5-minute cycle, always ready to wake up the minute you try to take a nap.
(Okay, so they eventually sleep for longer periods and I've gotten a nap most days that I've wanted one, but it sure wasn't the sleepfest I'd been expecting.)
-Babies sleep about 16 hours a day. False. There have been some days where Joseph didn't sleep more than 10 hours.
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| I'm guessing this was one of his sleepier days. |
-Babies love to stare at things with a lot of contrast, especially black and white things (since they can't see color yet). False. Joseph loves to look at things like the couch, or a wall, or a closet door. All monochromatic.
-Tummy time is when a baby learns to lift his head. False. Tummy time is the time to for your baby to eat his hand and the blanket and to try and crawl. It's going to be a long 6-8 months for this little guy if he keeps on getting frustrated every time he can't crawl.
-Newborn babies have ugly squishy faces. False. Here is clear, objective, indisputable proof.
(Disclaimer: These "myths" are not patently false, but they're certainly not true for every baby.)
Way to dash new moms' hopes, Kyra. Good observations!
ReplyDeleteFYI: Babies do see color from the get-go; it's not something that blooms later. Color preference for high contrast v. neutrals is something that does vary like you've found. However, lack of color differentiation in a baby's environment does lead to blindness, as seen in 3rd world orphanages' typically static-white nurseries (obviously not a problem in your apartment). What is lacking in the beginning of life for vision is fast-tracking and complete definition.
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