[BlessedbySnuggs]

Originally Posted by Fran27

I can't emphasize this enough!!! Honestly I can say that reading online forums has made me feel awful at times! You don't have to be the 'perfect' mom for your children to be happy and trust you.

In my case we adopted twins that were preemes so they had to spend 2 weeks in the hospital at birth, and it was 2 hours away so we were only able to visit 1-2 hours a day also... then I was alone with them at home most days, so obviously there was no way for me to do baby wearing alone (we did swaddling and used pacifiers the first four months and they rarely fussed). We didn't do co-sleeping (don't think it's safe, but that's my opinion), we've done CIO and I don't play with my kids all the time yet they are very bonded to me.

IMO babies just naturally bond to the person who cares for them. Some fuss more than others, but it doesn't have much to do with bonding and happens with bio children just as much... If you read 'the happiest baby on the block' they will tell you that it's because they miss the womb, that's why swaddling (or baby wearing), pacifiers, movement and white noise often works to calm them down.

Yes, I agree with this as well. We tend to put so much pressure on ourselves as parents, that we sometimes just forget to enjoy our children and enjoy being parents...love them and care for them, and everything seems to just work out.

Spend lots of quality time with your children when they are AWAKE, that to me, is key. Co-sleeping is dangerous, some people will argue with me on that and that is fine, but the professionals, meaning people smarter than me (haha) (doctors, physicans, etc...) will agree that cribs are where children are safest. Children can die (and have) from suffocation from co-sleeping. I am sure there are safer ways to do it, but just make sure you read all the research and do whats best for you and your child.

Dangers of Co-Sleeping: Why Parents Should Not Bring Their Babies Into Their Bed | Suite101.com


Good luck to you!