How much is too much?

When I found out that Quinn would be joining our family I was thrilled that he would join a family with 5 siblings, a mommy, daddy, grandma and grandpa all under the same roof to take care of him. I knew he would be well loved - and I was definitely right. In fact, if anything, I was curious how Quinn would ever get any alone time. And he doesn't get much, and just as I am wondering if this is going to be a problem later in life for him, I happened upon an article on colic (which Quinn definitely does NOT have) in the July issue of American Baby Magazine. There is a point made in the article which I found very eye-opening...

For some babies, crying may be curbed simply by holding them as much as possible in a front pack or sling. (May I insert here that Quinn loves his sling - it really is the closest thing to being in the womb that a baby can have and it keeps your hands fairly free - I love it!) "Holding and rocking won't spoil the baby," Dr. Karp assures. "In the uterus, babies were held and rocked 24/7, so even if you hold your baby 18 hours a day, which seems like forever to you, it's a significant cutback for your baby." Indeed, a study in the journal Pediatrics found that babies held by their parents for about 16 1/2 hours a day cried half as much as those whose parents held them for about 8 hours a daily.

Isn't that amazing - I held and rocked Quinn in the womb for 9 months (10 months really) and now we expect them to spend much of their day solo. I'm pleased to say that Quinn is held much closer to 16 hours a day than 8 and as the article suggests his demeanor reflects that - he is simply one of the happiest, most peaceful babies I've ever seen - and none of our babies have been fussy or colicky at all. God has definitely blessed us abundantly!