I am expecting my first grandbaby, a girl. Her due date is April 2nd which also happens to be my daughter’s birthday. My daughter will get all sorts of tips and attention as a new mother. The baby will bask in the glow of gushing and cooing – heaven knows I’m providing my share already! But I stand at the brink of this new role with trembling knees. (Of course that could just be my arthritis.) I haven’t been around babies much for 25 years now, and I fear all my expertise is out-dated. I hereby recruit your aid. Hit me with your tips and pointers!Here are some of my questions.
1. What name should I go by?
My mother, being of Swedish descent, was Mormor (mother’s mother) to my children. If we went that route I would be this baby’s Mormor, but we’ve nixed that. The moniker “Mormor” is too closely associated with my specific mother. I’m also half German, and the nod to that culture would be Oma. That sounds very round. There’s always Grandma/Gramma which is what I called my grandmother. But I can’t quite deal with how old that makes me feel. My sister suggested I go by Nana. Nana reminds me of the big dog in Peter Pan. I like big dogs. Maybe I should go that route. Any fresh suggestions or your own stories on selecting a title for this lofty post?
2. Whuzzup with baby gear?
Electronics. Given how techie the world has become, I imagine there are technological “must haves.” Talk to me about baby apps, ipods, Skype, helpful websites or blogs, the latest baby monitors, recordable storybooks, downloadable wisdom, etc. What do the latest gadgets do and are they worth it? Any grand innovations to aid bonding from a distance?
Strollers. I got along quite nicely in the 1980’s with an umbrella stroller for everyday use and a somewhat larger, comfier but still collapsible stroller for longer jaunts. The vehicles for today’s baby-on-the-go look more like limousines. Where do you park these things? How do you navigate sidewalks with them? Persuade me of their virtues.
Bare cribs. I attended a young friend’s baby shower recently and learned that this generation’s babies sleep in bare cribs. No stuffed animals, no blankets, not even bumpers to keep their wee heads from knocking on the bars. Given all the current cautions, I’m amazed and grateful that my bumpered, animaled and blanketed children survived to adulthood. The term “sleep sack” was new to me, too. I’m skeptical. Isn’t that a lot of disruption in the middle of the night when you have to change a diaper?
3. Speaking of diapers…
Has all of America switched to landfill-loading disposable diapers? My first two kids were cloth diapered and my third was disposabled. (Being somewhat eco-conscious, I made sure to flush away the “debris” before tossing the used diaper.) I’ve heard cloth diapers are making a comeback, but which method is in fact better for the planet? Babies do still wear diapers of some kind, right?
4. Must nots. Now’s the time to tell me which grandmotherly pitfalls to avoid. How do you find the balance between involvement and intrusion? What do you do if your grandchild doesn’t like you much, or you don’t like him or her that much? (Does that happen?)
5. Traditions. What grandparently traditions do you love? (Or hate?) If you don’t live close to your grandkids (or your parents don’t live close to you and your own kids), how do you keep connections between the generations? How have you managed holidays? If you have an interfaith relationship in your family, how do you negotiate that?
Any other things I should know that I don’t know I don’t know?
Lay it on me! This baby could come any minute!
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