Does anyone record everything their baby does?

[elmo1980]

Ever since ds was 4 days old I've kept a note book listing how much milk he's had and when, what type of nappies (poo or wet) and when, how many naps and length of them etc then totted up the total each day.

It started off as a way of feeling in control and I still find it useful to do 10 months later.

However, my friends and family are worried it's too obsessive and say it's time I stopped this 'nonsense'.

I'm expecting baby no2 and I suspect I will start a new notebook for him/her when they arrive and who knows when I'll stop with ds.

I really don't see it as a problem but interested to know if other people keep the same kind of log about their babies or is it a bit weird?

I have a 12 week old and do the same OP except I have an App on my phone as opposed to notebooks and I love it!!' I did it for DS1 until he was about 10/11 months old. DS2 is currently 12 weeks old so I'm in my prime of recording data on my
App

Interesting mix of responses.

One part of me worries that I'm going to regret putting so much emphasis on recording every little thing and not going with the natural flow of things.

The other part simply takes pleasure and reassurance on getting down the data! I've gone so far as designing a spreadsheet where, when I've got the time, I can input all the info and see all the graphs of his milk intake etc. I realise this is probably a step too far and I will never get round to doing it.

I think maybe I'll aim for a cut off point, perhaps when he's a year old, and see how I get on. The thought of that makes me a bit jittery tbh!

I know someone else who did this. I never recorded a single feed/nap/nappy change! I fed them when they were hungry, put them to sleep when tired and changed them when wet or dirty. I can’t possibly imagine what you would do with the info.
I do think it’s a bit worrying that you feel panicky about stopping.

Abkut a month with dd1 til she got herself in a "routine", and again when she changed her routine- more for pattern spotting.
Dd2 the same just after birth as she lost a lot of weight but once recovered I didn't feel the need.
Dd3 I vaguely typed up a note when I fed her... firvabout a day then it got forgotten in the chaos of being a single parent to 3.

I recorded which boob DD1 fed from as was so sleep deprived I'd forget.

What I wish I HAD done is write down the milestones eg rolling over, sitting, smiling, first words - if your baby is little - please please take a minute to jot these priceless details down.

Yes I am recording all his developmental milestones too - honestly these note books are choc full of my scribbles on every little thing!

grin I know when you’ll stop with DS!

Yep so do I!

It’s fine if it keeps you happy. However, when the baby comes and If you find it overwhelming then it might be time to address that anxiety in other ways.

I use an app to record naps and night time sleep. Ds used to scream and be inconsolable when he got overtired, so I found it helpful to log awake time and amount of sleep over the 24 hours period.

I also record any medicine ds has and the times in the same app. You can record lots of other things like nappy changes, feeds, baths, activities. I don't use these features.