Adventures in Babysitting

I got to test-drive my baby-care idea this weekend, as I looked after a 2 month old child for a few hours on Saturday night.

Yes, I have the touch. Yes, I can make kids really comfy and happy in no time at all. But I also need to learn how to hand them back to their parents without worrying too much.

Little Mouse slept the entire time he was with me, other than gulping down a half-bottle of milk at one stage. It was only when I gave him back to his mom that I found out it was the ONLY bottle he'd had since Friday! I mentioned that the nappies I'd changed looked like he wasn't digesting his feed properly either. Then I started to worry... kids that little dehydrate very fast, and his sleeping solidly suddenly looked like illness more than a need for rest. I would have forced a whole lot more liquid into him if I'd known. I urged his mom to get some liquids into him as quickly as possible, even if it was just water with a bit of glucose in to keep him going. Better if it was his usual feed.

I carried on worrying all night - disturbed by half-dreams until I woke up.

Well, by early Sunday the kid was not well at all, and ended up being taken to hospital. They stuck him on a drip to rehydrate him and he's there for the next day or so to make sure. Testing him for a variety of infections is part of the process. Little Mouse ended up seriously ill!

Fortunately, it wasn't as a result of my caring for him. Nor did I make it worse.. :)

My son was totally against the day-care idea last week - but this episode made him realize that babies are not all that bad, that he also has a "touch" with kids (like his cousins), that it could actually work. (And my active mind has been mulling plans, equipment, options all weekend)

So we'll see. In the meantime though, we're holding thumbs that Mouse gets better really really soon.