My darling daughter had her first sleepover at her nana’s house last night.
She was picked up by her nana early in the morning on Saturday as usual, because I do my volunteering for two wonderful charities on that day of the week, and hubby spends time on his hobbies such as mountain biking. I think it is essential for Eloise to know that it’s okay to be away from mummy and daddy for brief periods of time. Touch wood, we have successfully avoided her having separation anxiety this way. As you might have read in my other post, I suffered from that more than I care to admit. LOL! She, on the other hand, has always been an independent baby like we planned her to be. After adding formula to her diet at around 8 months old, it gave us all the flexibility to move around more easily. Also, my milk bank started running low. Thanks, thyroid issues! I’m getting sidetracked here as always. Back to the main reason for the post!
So my darling daughter was picked up as usual and instead of coming home for dinner, stayed with her nana and nandad (grandad – nandad sounds cooler hahah). I have to add in here that when I suggested Eloise has a sleepover, it was as if nana’s prayers were finally answered. She’s been wanting to have her over for months, we just thought she took young before this. Now though, that cheeky monkey is a pretty independent little bubba. Within reason, obviously! Throughout the day, we got wonderful updates about how she was getting on. It’s heartwarming to see your baby having fun and growing. Most importantly, nana and baby get to spend some quality time together, making wonderful memories. I cherish all the memories I made with my Avo (maternal grandmother), so I think it’s only fair that she has the same opportunities.
As parents, we both missed her and thought about her often. However, we knew she was having a fantastic time being spoiled rotten! It also gave us the opportunity to get tipsy together for the first time in years! It was a great evening. Although, my liver thinks anything more than 2 drinks is poison…
My biggest worry was her waking up at night and disrupting everyone’s sleep – especially as she still breastfeeds at night depending on my supply. But… this cheeky monkey apparently slept through the night and only woke up for cuddles once! I am glad she had a great time with her grandparents and cannot wait to give her infinite number of hugs and kisses when I see her in about an hour. All in all, the day and evening went as planned. We knew she was looked after well and had a super time. That’s all that matters. 🙂 A happy baby is a good baby ❤
For any parents worrying about your baby’s first sleepover, here’s a list of things to bear in mind.
- List out all your worries and address them. This will give you peace of mind and also prepare the relatives that are having her over to deal with whatever your worries are.
- Toys – Make sure baby has all her favourite toys with her. Luckily, Eloise has a bunch of permanent toys at nana’s. So she doesn’t need to take any with her.
- Travel cot – with extra mattress and protector. Think of comfort for the little one.
- Food, drinks, changing items.
- Time – Take time to do things at your and baby’s pace. Wait till you are confident that he/she is ready. And so are you, as parents.
- Trust – Do you trust the people who will look after your precious joy with all your heart and might? If you answered yes, then you are all set.
You know your baby better than anyone else. So make sure he/she has everything they need before leaving the house. Most importantly, request regular updates 🙂
Credit: Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
Bonita Bennett 