Trial and Error

Do you ever feel like you have no idea what to do? Join the club. I feel this way especially when my newborn is crying and I have no idea why. At least my toddler is learning to express himself using words. With my newborn I live by trial and error. As a mom of two I have learned to take deep breaths and keep moving forward. As Dori in Finding Nemo would say, I “just keep swimming.”

For me, being a parent is all about the quote “if at first you don’t succeed try try again.” I am the proud and very tired mother of a two year old boy and a three week old baby boy. They offer me new challenges to work through each day. Every day I survive and my children survive is a success. I succeed by running the gamut of possible problems and solutions. I have found that if the first thing I try doesn’t work I quickly move on to something else until I figure it out.

In order to make my system of trial and error work I have little stations set up all around my house. At least one station is set up on each level of my house so I don’t have to run up and down the stairs every time I need something. At each station I have a place to change diapers. This includes a changing pad, changing pad cover, diapers, wet wipes, rash cream, a place to put the dirty diaper (I use the Diaper Champ because it uses regular garbage bags as the liner), and extra garbage bag liners. At each station I also have a change of clothes in case of mishap. Each station also includes a mini first aid kit (band-aids, alcohol wipes, nail clipper, thermometer, gas drops, nasal aspirator, and gauze). Toys are kept at each station that are appropriate for each child. For example I have trains for the toddler and soft books for the newborn. Each group of items is organized into their own bin in order to keep items easily accessible. I breastfeed my newborn so I do not keep bottle and formula items in each station.

Trial and error begins. The first thing I try is to feed my children; this is usually why they are upset. If they are not hungry I check out the diaper. If they have a clean diaper I start thinking it might be a gas problem; the newborn then gets a gas drop, the toddler gets to participate in some physical activity that gets them moving. If it is not gas we look at temperature. If there is no temperature and no cut or boo-boo, then I assume they simply want some one-on-one interaction and outcome the toys. If it is not one thing it is another and the only way to find the right answer is to keep trying.

Having stations set up on each level of my home means I don’t have to race up and down stairs all day long. I also don’t have to stop whatever one child is doing and lug them to different levels of the house either. Having a couple stations set up around my house makes my life easy breezy or at least as easy breezy as it can possibly get with a toddler and a newborn.

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