Chronicles of a Babywise Mom Log eBook

I have something exciting! I have created a book of logs. I have spent many, many hours over several months making these logs. 

In this book I have:

• Daily log sheets broken down by age. On each page, it provides places to record feedings, naps, diapers, stats, events, playtime (when appropriate), and milestones. It also includes information for that age, such as suggested number of feedings, feeding intervals, and independent play lengths.
• Sleep training log
• Dreamfeed log
• Optimal waketime log for tracking waketime day by day and help you figure out what is optimal.
• Optimal waketime weekly log for tracking waketime for the whole week on one sheet.
• Independent Playtime daily log for tracking indpendent play on a day by day basis.
• Solids log for helping you while you introduce new foods to your baby.
• Language log for helping you with teaching signs to your baby.
• The Babywise Timeline. Two pages that summarize your baby's first year.
• Infographics for quick references for sleep milestones.

Here is a sample of a log by age:

These are only $3.00 each. You will get it in PDF form and can print it as you desire. You could print out pages and keep them in a binder, print out pages and have them bound, print and laminate and use wet erase markers to re-use pages...whatever you like.

To purchase, click the Add To Cart button below. You will then have an instant download. It is that simple.
   

Index: Logs

• BW Tips and Tricks: Keep a Log: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/12/tips-and-tricks-keep-log.html
• Keep a Log in the Good Times

Keep a Log in the Good Times

I have talked about keeping a log while problem solving (see log ). I wanted to point out the value of keeping a log during the "good times" too.



Your baby is sleeping 1.5-2 hours and eating every 2.5-3 hours. She goes down for her nap on her own without so much as a fuss. Life is good! There are no worries! And therefore, no need to keep a log, right? Not so fast!



I find it very valuable to keep a log during the good times as well as the problem solving times, especially during the newborn period. There will be disruptions during your baby's life--even if it is only in the form of a growth spurt. When that disruption comes, you will likely start to keep a log in order to find out the problem. This will be much more difficult for you if you don't know the particulars during the "good time."



For example, your baby is waking early. You wonder if perhaps her waketime was too long, so you start to track the waketime length to see what happens. If you have been keeping a log all along, you will be able to see what waketime lengths have been good for her in the past and it will remove much of the guesswork.



Another example is that your memory is not going to be that great. For example, one day I started to question if McKenna's waking at night was habitual. She was waking at 1:15 every night--or so I thought. I decided to watch it for the next few nights, but looked at my tracking. Well, last night was 1:15, the night before was 1:15, but the night before was 12:15 (with no dreamfeed, though) and the night before was 3:00...hardly habitual. Having a log to look at helped bring be back to reality.



Keeping a log can be tedious, and you might be wondering how long this needs to go on for. I would say it is good sense to keep a log for the first three months at least. Since many moms find problems arise at four months old, I would extend that advice to four months. If you are feeling really good, you might want to take it to six months old. After that, you might only need to keep a log when you feel a big change coming on, like dropping a nap or introducing solids, etc.



Yes, it takes some effort now, but the effort you put in will pay off in the future as you are able to problem solve much faster. You can track whatever seems pertinent to your baby. I track feeding times, feeding summary (how long she ate, which sides, etc.), diaper summary, time down for nap, any nap notes, and other notes as well. You can track whatever is of importance to your baby.


Below is a screenshot of the log I use right now. If you click on it, you will see a larger image of it. For downloadable files of this log, you can join the Chronicles of a Babywise Mom Yahoo! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chroniclesofababywisemom/

Related Posts/Blog Labels:

• log (blog label)
• problem solving (blog label)

In Action: Dropping the Morning Nap

Kaitlyn has dropped her morning nap! I really love it when the child goes down to one nap a day. I know it sounds crazy, but those who have experienced it might understand where I am coming from. It is easier to get out and do things. You have one long chunk of time in the afternoon. For me, both kids are pretty much on the same schedule. It is lovely.

I wanted to share how we got here. I decided one day to take my own advice and start taking notes on her naps so I could visually analyze the situation. See Problem Solving Tip: Detailed Log : http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/03/problem-solving-tip-detailed-log.html and BW Tips and Tricks: Keep a Log: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/12/tips-and-tricks-keep-log.html.

Here is what my log looked like and how I analyzed the situation.

DAY 1:
Nap 1:

• In bed by 10:10
• Quiet by 11:00-11:10
• I woke her at 11:50 (I let her sleep longer since she took so long to fall asleep).
• MY THOUGHTS: I thought this was a great sign that perhaps she was ready to drop the nap.

Nap 2:

• Down by 2:00
• Quiet by 2:45
• Noisy again at 3:15
• Quiet by 3:30
• Woke herself at 4:20
• MY THOUGHTS: I was confused. This seemed very off for her. I assumed she would have one good nap a day, not two terrible naps. I did some investigating of her mouth and discovered two molars had started to break through. She was teething. This was bad news to me because I knew it would make determining if she was ready to go to one nap a day more difficult.

DAY 2:
Nap 1:

• Gave her Tylenol before her nap
• In bed by 10:05
• Quiet immediately
• Woke herself at 11:30
• MY THOUGHTS: This was a clockwork nap. Teething was definitely a disrupter the day before.

Nap 2:

• Gave her painkiller before her nap
• In bed by 2:05
• Quiet immediately
• I woke her at 4:45
• MY THOUGHTS: This was sad for me. Another clockwork nap. This day made me think that perhaps she wasn't ready to drop that morning nap after all.

DAY 3:
Kaitlyn got her 18 month shots this morning as well as her second half of her flu shot. I knew it was another disruptor to my factors.

Nap 1:

• Gave her Tylenol before her nap
• Down by 10:05
• Quiet immediately
• Woke on own at 11:40
• MY THOUGHTS: Another clockwork nap.

Nap 2:

• Gave her Tylenol before her nap
• Down by 2:00
• 2:20--yelled to me about a poopy diaper. I changed it. Then quiet immediately
• Small noises at 3:10, then quiet. Unsure if she was awake or not.
• I woke her at 5:00
• MY THOUGHTS: Another good napping day, but vaccinations can cause that for her.

DAY 4:

Nap 1:

• Gave her Tylenol before her nap
• Down by 10:05
• Quiet immediately
• Woke at 10:45
• Quiet at 11:10
• I woke at 12:00
• MY THOUGHTS: This was not a clockwork nap. It gave me hope.

Nap 2:

• Forgot to give her painkiller
• Down by 1:55
• Quiet immediately
• Made small noise around 3:00, but unsure if she woke up or was just transitioning.
• I woke at 4:30
• MY THOUGHTS: A good nap, especially for no painkiller. I stopped giving painkiller after this.

DAY 5:

Nap 1:

• Very fussy before her nap
• Down by 10:05
• Quiet immediately
• Woke on own at 11:40
• MY THOUGHTS: Another good nap.

Nap 2:

• Down by 2:10
• Noise at 3:00--then quiet. Not sure if she was awake or transitioning.
• Noise at 3:30--then quiet.
• I woke at 4:45
• MY THOUGHTS: This nap seemed disrupted enough that perhaps she might be ready to drop the morning nap?

DAY 6:

Nap 1:

• Down by 10:15 (Daddy was home and working on something loud so I kept her up for a bit)
• Quiet immediately
• Woke on own at 11:50
• MY THOUGHTS: Another good morning nap

Nap 2:

• Down by 2:40 (again, Daddy was home and working on something loud so she was up late)
• I forgot to listen on the monitor until 3:45. She was talking at that time.
• I woke her at 4:40
• MY THOUGHTS: Another disrupted afternoon nap, but she went down late so that could explain it.

DAY 7:

Nap 1:

• Skipped because of church

Nap 2:

• Down by 1:00
• Woke on own at 3:30
• MY THOUGHTS: I was happy she could stay up until 1:00. That has been a road block to us dropping the morning nap.

As you view this log, you can see that there were many hindrances to an overall evaluation. Teething and vaccinations added factors to consider. There really isn't any consistency from day to day with the napping.

In the end, I decided to just give it a try and see how it went. One reason for this is toward the end of the week, afternoon naps seemed disrupted while morning naps were great. Another reason was that she made it to 1:00 the day she skipped her morning nap for church. A final reason was that she was 19.5 months old and was in the age range for dropping the nap. I guess the ultimate reason was that I wanted it dropped and wanted to see if she could do it.

I decided Monday was a great day to skip the nap and see what happened. It would be her second day skipping the nap. Worst case scenario would be that she wasn't ready to drop it and I would add it back in on Tuesday. No problem.

We dropped it and she did great. She has had it dropped for nearly two weeks now. Things have gone really well with it and I am glad I gave it a shot.

Related Posts:

• dropping naps
• in action
• Dropping a Nap: A Weaning Process: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/dropping-nap-weaning-process.html
• Dropping Naps: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/dropping-naps.html
• Dropping the Morning Nap (from 2 to 1 naps): Transition Time : http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/10/dropping-morning-nap-from-2-to-1-naps.html
• Dropping Naps: A Quick Reference
• log

Problem Solving Tip: Detailed Log

How to solve baby nap problems by keeping notes

I have created a book of logs you can buy here. See more products in my Shop.

I always recommend to keep a log while you are problem solving, and even while you are simply starting something new. It is much easier to analyze the situation when you have the data to look at and compare.

When I say keep a log, I mean a detailed log. Details. I like to make a spreadsheet and print it out, but the same can be done just by writing it out on a piece of paper. Do what works for you.

So what kind of details are we talking about? Let’s say you are working on sleep training.

• I would start by writing down the time baby woke up and ate.
• I would keep track of playtime activities and total waketime length (including time it took to eat).
• I would track the sleep cues you went by. Was it yawning? Was it eye rubbing? Fussiness? This can help you see which cue to go by.
• I would then write down the time baby was put down for a nap. Perhaps include what the naptime routine was if it varies.
• Next, I would describe the crying before the nap. How long was it? How intense was it? Describe it honestly.
• You will then start over when baby next wakes up, and this time, write down how long the previous nap was.

After several days of this, you can look at a sheet of paper and analyze what is going on. Are there times of day baby seems to need to be put down sooner? Are there certain waketime activities that are over-stimulating the baby? What is working? What isn’t working?

This idea can be applied to any change or difficulty going on in baby’s life. Does your breastfed baby get really gassy sometimes? Keeping track of what you eat and when he has gas problems can help you pin down the problem foods for baby. Tracking the introduction of solids on paper can help you more easily watch for food allergies. It is good to keep a log for those early months when you are establishing routine and milk supply. How many wet and dirty diapers are normal (this is a question my pediatrician always asks me)? How many feedings a day? Some people can remember these things in their heads, others benefit from keeping track of things somewhere, somehow.

Don’t underestimate the benefit of the log while you are problem solving. I look at the situation in the light of a study. I need to collect my data and analyze it. I need to be able to see all of the details so I don’t miss something important. I need to think it through. As your baby gets older and you become more accustomed to problem solving (something you will do throughout your life as a parent-every age group has their things they do that require some thought and action by parents), you might not need to keep such details. There are sites online that help you track for a fee if you want/need the help.

One note, while I recommend this, I also caution to not let yourself get obsessed over it. Some people can drive themselves crazy with the log. Be as detailed as you can, but know yourself and your own limitations. We all want to be happy and calm! Happy problem solving!

If you need help solving nap problems, get my eBook, The Babywise Mom Nap Guide. This book helps you establish successful naps from birth through the preschool years. Right now it is on sale for an introductory price of $9.99. You can buy it here and get an instant download.

  

Babywise Tips and Tricks: Keep a Log

my logs

I wanted to throw out an idea for something to make life a little easier for you and your subsequent children. I would keep some sort of log of what your child was doing at what age. How they were sleeping, how they were crying, how they were eating, etc. Then when you have your next children (and assuming you still do BW), you will have reference to it in actual ages, not just "I think she started a 3.5 hour schedule around 3.5 months..."

Right now you might think you will remember, but you won't know specifics. Be brutally honest, track your feelings, and hopefully you will be able to help yourself in the future.

This is my main reason for creating this blog. I want to be able to keep track of my thoughts and feelings on topics at the time, not in retrospect. We seem to always remember things better than they were.

There are benefits for your current baby, too. You can look for patterns when you are troubleshooting napping problems or eating problems, etc.

11/2013 update: You can buy my logs (pictured above) through this link: http://www.babywisemom.com/2012/09/chronicles-of-babywise-mom-log-ebook.html

Other Posts on Logs:

• Problem Solving Tip: Detailed Log
• Tips and Tricks: Take Notes