Our 9.5 month old twins go to a sitter 2 days per week. She's an amazing, wonderful woman who i met through my mom! I trust her completely and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!
Ever since the twins were newborn i keep a log in a spiral book where i write down what they eat, how much and how many wet/poopy diapers they have. More recently i've also been writing their naps. Nothing completely specific to the minute or anything, just approximate so i have an idea of what's going on. We have days where we don't really keep up with it, especially if we're out and about, so i'm getting more relaxed about it, but with 2 babies i always forget who pooped when, who ate well that day, and if one of them, for example, didn't poop for a few days i'd need the log to see that trend! With one baby i'm sure i could remember those things, but with 2 all those dirty diapers are a blur! :)
When they are with the sitter i have her fill it out too - which has never been a problem. I like knowing what they do during the days i'm not with them, and i know a lot of daycares do logs like that (at least the ones we visited) But when does it become obsessive and crazy? should i stop the log once they hit a year old? She's never even hinted that she doesn't want to do it, i just want to make sure i don't keep her doing something that others might see as overboard.
What do your nannies/daycares/sitters do to let you know how the day went?
Thanks so much for any insight!
Laura U I'm sure you're nothing even close to a bad mom. I honestly think if i had a singleton i wouldn't be doing this (except at the sitters - i like to know what goes on when there away from me for basically 2 days in a row every week!). And what works for one family definitely doesn't always work for another.
Thank you all for your opinions either way. For the most part they made me feel better about it and gave me an idea of what others are doing! The log we use isn't complicated or time consuming at all. Its a small plain spiral notebook. At the end of the day (when the babies are in bed) I just draw 2 columns (one for each baby) for the next day and divide them into 3 boxes - one for food, one for diapers and one for naps... then its basically just filling in the approx. times that each thing happens and what/how much they eat. Definitely doesn't take away from my time with them and is not a pain for me. My sitter definitely doesn't mind because she suggested we do it when we met for the very first time. She has commented how it helps her keep things straight. And the one day they had a low-grade fever she was able to write it down for me (since my husband picks up and talks to her about the day) just so i could see what happened with that during the day. I think we'll keep it up for a while longer! Thanks moms :)
It is worth doing, becuase if ever there is a question or concern of allergies, diet etc they are good to have ... around 1 or 2 I would lighten up and just log woke up at ____ at all, most, some of breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack took nap y/n bed at ____. For diapers/ potty put it down if they pooped more than once or if it was concerning for any reason but yes these are good things to have.
I tried that and it was too overwhelming considering I was 100% caretaker. If you are doing it for medical reasons, yes, but just because...no.
I did the same for my singleton kids, and can't imagine how you would keep track of 2 otherwise. No you are not crazy of\r obesessive. At some point I stopped, Probably about age 1 when everything seemed to be going OK. Then with potty training I started again for a while, just to make sure they were not withholding on purpose. Now they are 10 and 13 and the only thing I "track" now is that they drink enough during the day. My 13 year old will eat lunch but often the juice pouches or water bottles are not touched in her lunch box. Dehydration can also cause constipation so we may have to go back to charting poops, lol!
It seems a little overboard to me. I kept a log on my first child for the first couple of weeks and anytime he had even a sniffle. When my second was born (18 months later), I just kind of let it go. I don't think that you are crazy, just a little obsessive. And that's ok. Is there a reason why you feel you need this level of control? I can see the log for a 9 months old if they are sick or unhealthy.
I am feeling like a bad mom reading your responses. I NEVER kept a log of when my kids pooped, how much they ate, where we went...ect.
That has got to take up a lot of time.
My kids nursed, so I never would have known how much they got. When I went to the dr. with them I just said they "ate on demand". They seemed to have some sort of "wire" so that any time they nursed they pooped (ha), so I knew they were going to the bathroom plenty.
Even when they were newborns and the nurse wanted us to do a little graph I thought she was a nut.
Both of my boys have survived my poor parenting skills (lol) and my daughter (soon to be born) should thrive as well.
If it works for you, your babysitter doesn't care, and you are not obsessing over it then I guess it's fine!
L.
I don't think it is crazy. My son goes to a daycare center where I get a report everyday on this exact information. He is potty trained at 2 1/2 so they really don't give me that anymore but I still get how long he sleeps and how much he eats. It's nice to know so you know if they don't want to eat at dinner, maybe they ate a big lunch. I also get cute comments on things they do or say during the day that I love to read!
I only have one and did it for the first couple of weeks. If it works for you then continue doing it as long as it makes you feel confident in your ability to address your children's needs. I wouldn't worry about it being obsessive because if it makes you feel you parent better why stop? However, if your children eat regularly and have regular bathroom routine it may not be necessary.
My sister watches my son (she also has twins) and she only tells me if there was a problem such as he didn't eat or he was hitting or whatever. I think with her kids she did it for the first couple of months and then let things happen as they did.
It sounds like you are a great mom!
Our daycare kept logs with infants too. They didn't keep the logs when the child moves up to the toddler room. Usually it's around 18 months. My daughter moved up at 15 months.
I think I'd plan on 18 months.
I think that's awesome, I've actually recently started doing something similar with my son, even though he's almost 2. I've been reading Jenny McCarthy's book, Healing and Preventing Autism. (my son isn't on the spectrum, but I have some concerns and it's also just a topic that interests me) and she recommends this type of thing to help understand triggers in our children and study their patterns.
Granted, it's a lot of work, I'm sure and some people probably think you're crazy. But in my opinion, parents are not always very cognizant of their children's behavior or eating habits. Most people I know just do whatever....and that doesn't work for me. I want to be aware of what's going on with my child, his body, his digestion. There can't be a better way to look for allergies, abnormalities, patterns, whatever...as long as you don't obsess too much in the process.
Good for you!
I don't think it is crazy as long as it is not taking time away from your babies. I might have a hard time taking care of two infants and recording everything so I like the idea of a checklist system with room for some details. Also, I hope you pay well if asking her to do this extra paperwork.
LOL... I come from a family where multiples are common, and this is also common practice (logging). For my singleton, I just set my jaw and smiled when I got the "poop report" each and every single time my mum watched my son. I would RATHER know more than less, I just wished it wouldn't be the *first* and most detailed part of the conversation.
They center I worked in for a few yrs, logged diapers and naps (and fever/illness when necessary) on a board for all to see from birth to potty training. If your two are her only kids, then anything else (food, teething, general demeanor) she can discuss/pass on to you at the end of the day. Then you could choose to write it down if you needed for your records.
i was doing that with my twins but i get tired of write everything i just let it go .
We kept a log for both of our boys. We had my parents and babysitters keep it as well. Our friends made fun of us, but when I went to the doctors, I could tell her how much they ate a day and how many diapers. I don't remember when we stopped, maybe around 18 months? It was probably when we didn't have to go to the peds office as often and we were more comfortable with the baby. We also had a section called 'notes' so that we could write down a new milestone or medicine times. It was so very helpful!
It makes sense to me that you'd keep it up, especially since you have twins and they spend their day with someone else regularly.
And don't you worry if the babysitter thinks you're going overboard. One of our friends that really made fun of us, is keeping a log w/ her brand new baby. She's realized how much easier it is to write it down than to expect to remember it with baby brain : )
I hope this helps!
T.
I would do the same myself, except i was so tired i would forget or have such bad handwriting i couldn't read it. I don't see a problem having the sitter do that, you might even type her up a check list to make it easier. Most daycares have some sort of log to keep track of wet/poopy diapers and how much food the child ate. nothing strange in that.
I do a simplistic daycare log for all my parents till their child is 2, or they (we) decide its not needed anymore...if its too repetitious, etc. But often they do use it till birthday #2 (as long as I offer it). Mine is super simple, like a time card.
I do know of other daycare providers who do it in a notebook, so parents write stuff overnight too. (all ages of children). She even ended up with it written into a parents divorce decree..that this had to be filled in and go back and forth, so the parents were all "on the same page" with what was going on...basically so the parents didn't have to talk to each other.
With twins, I don't think its unusual..to know who ate when and how much..when they had dirty/wet diapers and when they slept. With a singleton, much easier...but even with my daycare..and 2 similar age, unrelated infants...its ALOT harder without it written down!
