My six-week-old boy Henry looks just like my two-year-old son Oliver did as a newborn. Close relatives have even confused Oliver’s baby pictures for Henry’s.

They are both easy-going babies – although Oliver has grown into a spirited and often challenging toddler – and they are both great eaters.

And although Henry hasn’t slept through the night yet, he is proving to be a good sleeper like his brother, already napping in five-to-six hour stretches.

Despite the similarities, there are things I am doing differently the second time around. I won’t say I made mistakes when Oliver was a baby, but I certainly learned a few lessons:

- Put the baby down: For the first few weeks of Oliver’s life, I carried him in my arms. I rarely put him down. During the day, he would doze off on my lap after nursing and I would let him sleep there, content to cradle him until he woke up for the next feeding. Hours would pass and I would be in the same position on the couch, Oliver in my arms. For the first couple of nights after we brought him home from the hospital, I even let him sleep on my chest. I not sure if either of us really slept.

With Henry, I rarely allow him to snooze in my arms. I’ll hold him until he falls asleep, then I’ll transfer him to his bassinet. My transfers aren’t always successful and Henry will often wake up. But when he does go into his bed, he sleeps longer than he would in my arms and more soundly.

As much as I would like to cuddle with Henry, I also have to put him down out of necessity. It’s difficult to chase down a busy toddler or play an engaging game of cars with a snoozing baby in your arms.

- Sleep when the baby sleeps: It was the advice I heard most often when I was pregnant with Oliver, but I rarely followed it. When Oliver fell asleep, he was often in my arms and I was afraid to doze off for fear of dropping him. I was also perched upright on the couch – not a good position for sleeping. On those rare afternoons when Oliver did sleep in his bed, I felt compelled to do the laundry or clean the kitchen or take a shower. Anything but sleep.

Now, on those even rarer afternoons when Oliver and Henry are asleep at the same time, I nearly sprint for my own bed. Do not pass go, do not do a load of laundry. Go straight to sleep. Even if it’s just a 45-minute nap, I feel as though my batteries are recharged and I can take on the rest of the day – and night.

- Get outside: It was a beautiful, hot July when we brought Oliver home from the hospital. Or at least, that’s what I heard. I spent much of Oliver’s first few weeks hibernating with my new baby. Gearing up for an outing seemed so daunting. There was wrestling with the new stroller, packing up the diaper bag, timing his feedings so I wouldn’t have to breastfeed in public, worrying about the baby being too hot, too cold or too exposed to the sun. It seemed so much easier to stay home.

Now, I don’t have that desire – or that luxury. I have toddler who needs to go to the park and I have a dog that needs to be walked. I also know how much better I feel after an outing with my boys. The fresh air does me a world of good as does seeing a world beyond the four walls of my house. I don’t feel as isolated or consumed by baby. And I quickly learned it’s not that difficult to walk a toddler, a baby and a dog while carrying a latte and bag of groceries. It just takes a bit of juggling.

-- Sarah Green

   sarahg@babyontheway.ca