With a baby comes happiness, excitement and then some chaos. The baby has its own schedule, and parents have to be flexible and adapt to the baby’s sleep, feed and burp, nap and play schedule. During the initial 0 - 6 months, time gaps between feeds can range from 2 - 4 hours. After every feed is burp, diaper change, some play and nap and then the cycle repeats. However, it's not always that easy and smooth because a baby might have some mood swings, may or may not eat, may or may not burp, may or may not sleep. In this chaos, to bring in some calm, the parents need a routine or some organisation.
When we interviewed couples and asked them about their initial year experience, while they all said they remembered the good times they spent with the baby, they also remembered the communication issues and frustration the couple had with each other. Both the parents felt frustrated, both felt unappreciated, both felt more overburdened than the other and so on. And, it's these couples who told us - planning and organisation is underrated and much needed with a baby. With most couples since both parents are working, it's even more important to divide the baby’s responsibilities. After all - both are 50% parents and while both cannot contribute 50% at each time, some division of labour and activities can help the other parent a lot
Our JJ Planner, part of the New Dad Gift Box, has been designed keeping in mind this feedback we received from parents. If all the logs are in the phone, then only one parent - probably just the mother - will be aware of what is happening. JJ Planner can be pasted on any wall which is convenient for both parents and used to maintain a log of baby’s feed and nap time, along with who is taking which shift. Just take a picture at the end of the day to ensure it's available for the future if needed. When babies might be weak in the initial months, this baby scheduler can help keep a tab on his or her feeds. If the baby is exclusively breastfed, the dad can take up burp and nap duties to share the load. And not just that, dads can use the JJ Planner to leave little notes of appreciation and gratitude for the mom and her efforts to feed and take care of their little one while going through a lot internally. We all know, a mother experiences a huge change in her body and hormones post delivery, so a dad can and must support her through it all. New parents, you can also use the JJ Planner to maintain details of the next vaccine, paediatrician contact information and other to do lists for the baby. Use it freely and creatively in whichever way you might like to keep an open line of communication, support and some sense of organisation in your new journey.