The mother has to be away for two days: the first time alone!

Sooner or later it happens or will happen: due to work commitments, contingent causes or some other exceptional matter, the mother has to be absent for a couple of days. So after our usual working day there will be an evening, a night and an awakening all managed by us. And it will be our… baptism of the sea!

At first I was a little worried: will I be able to look after my little one all by myself? What if he wakes up ten times during the night? What do I do? What if he's sick? And then in the morning how do I face the usual tiring day at work? Do I get the mother-in-law to come? My mother? The babysitter?

Dispassionate advice: do not miss such an opportunity. Throw everyone out of the house and enjoy an evening dedicated to your son or daughter. Tell the office that you will be leaving at the right time today and not the usual two hours later of unpaid overtime ;-). Have two things to eat for you and everything you need for the little one (for example baby food or baby bottles, chamomile tea, change for the night, etc.). So once you're back, leave all worries outside the door and just stay with your child. A little game, then you can watch a bit of canvas, then have dinner with things ready (perhaps while he is taking his eight o'clock nap) and in a moment it's time for food. The face that little Leonardo made when he heard his mother's voice on the phone was really exciting ...

Finally, bedtime arrives: very calmly you put him to bed exactly as his mother does or as you usually do. Same procedure, same pace, same bear, hoping for a quiet night. Of course there was the rugby match on Sky or the deferred Superbike show on Eurosport or friends in the brewery but frankly, seeing the smile your son gives you because you have been with him for six hours is priceless for me.

At night: usually when the mother is around I hardly hear the rare times that little Leonardo starts crying. Maybe dads automatically delegate the responsibility for the night to mom. But this time it happened to me too what I often hear my wife say: I was awake a second before the baby started crying. If there is no particular problem, babies wake up at night because they are thirsty, wet or in an uncomfortable position, on their stomachs or perhaps with their little legs stuck between the bars of the bed. To have at hand: a small chamomile bottle and a pacifier. If it is wet, you have already prepared the changing table with the things you need. If you're lucky, you're back in bed in twenty minutes.

And in the morning it will be a joy to see a special smile dedicated to you born on the lips of the little one who has just woken up.

Small messages to your partner

The period with a small child is usually stressful due to the mutual love of the parents. In the evening in particular: when both are dead tired from the hardships of the day, the child requires more attention and maybe whimpers about any nonsense. This is precisely the moment when stupid irritations suddenly evolve into stark contrasts. Let's not forget that it is time. We dads (usually the most impulsive) should count to ten before leaving with a sharp sentence or a reprimand. It is useless: it just creates a bad climate for the little one and does not move your partner one iota.

It is best to sleep on it and address the issue again in the morning. Or writing a short letter left on the breakfast table or a post-it note on the refrigerator door solves matters better than any discussion.

Next month

The deadly day of baptism!

Read the previous episodes:

Documents and holiday test with the baby

At the start with the vaccinations and the choice of the babysitter

Mum is always mum

finally home

The first documents of the newborn

The first time I saw my son

TAG:

• paternity
• housewife tricks
• sleep
• work