Dear Friends,
Being a new mom is the most rewarding, terrifying, and challenging thing I have ever done. I think all parents can agree that no one is ever prepared for the journey of parenthood. Silly me, I thought I had an advantage working as an Educator at the Children’s Museum with a degree in education and coming from an incredibly large family. Boy, was I wrong! Thankfully, my husband and I were blessed with an incredibly happy, healthy, and easy going baby. My family, friends, and work family were also eager to welcome my son Logan into their lives and it’s been amazing to see all the love that Logan receives! Thankfully, because I work at the Children’s Museum of the East End, I often bring Logan with me, which is fun for both of us, and the whole staff enjoy seeing the new “office baby.”
Everyone warns you but until you’re in it, you never truly understand this experience called parenting. But the sleepless nights and countless times I ask myself “am I doing this right?” and “is this normal?” are nothing compared with Logan’s smiles, giggles, and – my new favorite – hugs and drool filled kisses. Right now Logan is working really hard on pushing out teeth so we have lots of extra drool in those kisses. He’s not crawling yet but he will when he’s ready and I am in no rush to have a mobile baby!
When he came to the Museum with me last week, I was very excited to play with Logan in the recently updated crawler space for infants and crawlers. This expanded area is an intimate space for newborns to 18 months old babies to socialize with each other and with their parents and caregivers. In addition to sharing a quiet moment with Logan in the brand new “soothing chair,” I appreciated the sign posted at the exhibit entrance that prompts visitors to remove their shoes because Logan is at that age when he puts his mouth on everything. I also liked how we had privacy in the soothing chair, but it wasn’t completely blocked off from the rest of the Museum. It’s especially comforting for nursing or bottle feeding your baby. Lastly, I love how all the toys and even the entire floor are soft. Logan is at that age when he’s sitting up and also falling back so it’s reassuring to know that he can roll around and stay injury free.
The new activities and toys placed in the crawler space are designed to create new neural connections, awaken gross motor skills, and help babies reach their developmental milestones. If you have a baby like Logan, I hope you’ll come see all the exciting and great things packed into a small space. You’ll definitely see Logan who will be hitting all those pivotal milestones soon!
Sincerely,
Brittany Naumann
Programs Liaison/Visitor Experience Assistant