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Post by ladybug on Sept 11, 2014 20:22:43 GMT
Just interested to know how everyone spent their first day at home with LO?
I know we are still a way off of bringing any LO home as yet but have been thinking about bringing them home and how we would spend our first day as a family, what we should do or what we shouldn't do.
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Post by amberle on Sept 11, 2014 21:12:13 GMT
To be honest, we got home and just went with LO..played with her toys, and just let her investigate the house as she wanted and was comfortable..I think we just went for walks locally so she got used to the area in the first weeks..
It was all completely led by LO as the last thing we wanted was her stressing anymore than she was..and I think it worked. Well it did for us anyway.
Sorry probably does not help much, but that's what we did xx
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Post by mudlark on Sept 11, 2014 21:15:27 GMT
that takes me back....
they woke up at 6 am shouting and like jumping beans
I remember putting their wellies on...it was winter and raining and just taking them to the park,( next door) and trying to hard to get them to eat properly, shouldn't have bothered...!
suddenly realising I had no idea if they wore pull ups and night or if they could brush their own teeth or even if they needed help too wipe their bottoms!
My advice is stay at home.. go in the garden or local park...potter around the house. one thing we did which was very successful was to pretend the house needed cleaning. We took everything out of the cupboards and the children cleaned and explored it was a great way for them to get to know the house safely.. they loved getting soapy and began to relax as they cleaned. low key and safe. We didn't introduce them to anyone at all for 5 weeks.
Don't have any expectations....also we gave them 30 minutes of dvd or cbeebies every few hours as respite from the intensity of it all....we needed it to. how exciting.... if only I had known then what I know now!
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Post by lovelybee on Sept 11, 2014 21:24:07 GMT
Both times we just kept our first days very low key and quiet and tried to stick to the routines they had been following in FC. During intros LO will have spent time with you at your house probably for a few days before moving in.
Littlebee was almost 11 months and we collected her in the morning and brought her home. I think we were in shock and pinching ourselves! We did lots of bonding activities, eye contact, singing, dancing and bubbles. I think we just gazed at her amazed most of the time! Then we had to deal with the most explosive dirty nappy! I do remember being amazed how she fell asleep in my arms before 7pm while I fed her a bottle of milk and tiptoeing round in case we woke her. Then panicking the next morning when we woke after 8 and being so relieved she was fine and just still asleep!
With babybee we only had 4 days of intros and had our intros review meeting on the proposed placement day. We picked up FC and babybee and brought them to meeting then took her home from the meeting. She had cuddles a nap and a bottle then big sis Littlebee came home and babybee was so excited and Littlebee was so happy to have her babybee home. Then bath, bottle and bed!
Happy memories!
LB x
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Post by moo on Sept 12, 2014 6:02:39 GMT
Some great posts..... I echo the low key... baa & skweek were so excited & full on.... We stayed home ( felt like forever ) & just explored.... Very few visitors .... First major one was my friend ( male ) coming in to assemble the giant trampoline.. Boys helped & loved it ( esp us all playing on it when finished ) amazingly they still remember it today!! Friend left quickly....
Happy planning....
Still got everything crossed for you.... Sending positive & supportive vibes your way xxx
xx. moo. Xx
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Post by ladybug on Sept 12, 2014 6:48:03 GMT
Thank you ladies, helpful as always!
I was thinking low key and let them explore the house (not that it is very big) and maybe a bit of watching a DVD or TV but not too much and possibly a visit to the park. Don't want to do too much but equally don't want them to be bored.
X x x Ladybug x x X
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Post by serrakunda on Sept 12, 2014 6:57:57 GMT
We played board games endlessly, but Simba was 7. We did go out everyday, but one thing a day, we went to find all the important places, the park, pool, library , he loved getting his library card and gym membership card. It was a late Easter and we had super weather so we could spend time in the garden, and just wandering about.
One thing we did do which us fun if they're a bit older. I hadn't decorated his bedroom so we went to the DIY store and bought loads of matchpots which he painted on the walls so he could choose his own colour, then we painted it together. Then we had a day looking through ikea, Argos catalogues so he could choose his bits and pieces for his room
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Post by nomoretears on Sept 12, 2014 21:19:17 GMT
Great idea about letting an older child choose their own room - will help them "claim" it.
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Post by mudlark on Sept 12, 2014 21:29:59 GMT
just to echo serrakundas post..we took Lapwing and Pewwit to the library in week one...they have LOVED the library, they feel real ownership and confidence there...I think a library is a brilliant place for a child to start to feel part of a community and also good for self esteem as they get a card of their own and its another space they can claim. we have been to the library so many times in the last year. if you can walk there or bus it all the better!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 4:42:28 GMT
Staying close to home is best at
the start with short repetative trips to the park and or local, shops etc. Doing the same routine everyday helps the child to know what's happening next. Short TV/DVD breaks also help to give the child a break from you staring at them in wonder (imagine how you would feel to have two nice strangers staring at you smiling all the time, it's a bit much, so the odd break from that will be welcome so they can relax and zone out for a bit).
Also spending lots of time at home and in the garde , weather permitting, gives you time to get used to them and being a parent before you have to perform in public with the rest of the world. It is a lovely intense experience getting to know your children and having privacy and few visitors really helps everyone, especially in the first few weeks as you all get to know each other.
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Post by gilreth on Sept 13, 2014 22:17:07 GMT
DH & I were trying to remember what we did only today (and yes I know it is less than a year but we both have appalling memories at times). We kept it all low-key for a while - started introducing family late on in first week home (but that is in part because mine is local). But gently and in phases outside our house. Sqk is not the first adopted grandchild on my side so my family knew what to expect (plus one of his cousins only came home a few months earlier). He is first grandchild full-stop on other side so they have let us lead the way. Mainly stayed local in that first week and got used to being a family. Then DH started a gradual return to work (other reason for early intros to my family as needed Mum & sister as support when DH went back to work).
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Post by chotimonkey on Oct 1, 2014 21:47:33 GMT
Mostly pinched ourselves to make us believe that this had really happened and this amazing little person was ours... Times three  |
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Post by scaredycats on Oct 2, 2014 18:12:40 GMT
I remember DH and I standing at the top of the stairs with baby asleep in my arms and just looking at each other and crying.
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Post by pingu on Oct 3, 2014 9:17:57 GMT
My two were older,than yours are likely to be so very different situation. But you might enjoy hearing it. 7 and 10 at placement(,10 yr old just sat playing his ds then went out to explore, (he had been on previous visits so knew the house and garden. He is very sociable , knows how to make freinds and keep safe, and was used to "street life" in a big city and our small town was a dawdle for him to adjust to. The hard bit for him was the month he had to wait before starting school, for too long for a child like him, but it was holiday time so no chance to fix that. Visited a lot of local tourist traps in an effort to keep him occupied !
The first day that his 7 yr old new brother arrived was manic however. We had an accelerated move in, as his fc was going to Australia, so we had to finish the bedroom that ds1was transferring to, hastily, so ds2 could have his old room next to our room. When ds2 and his fc arrived i can remember this little boy standing unperturbed with a remote controlled car, as carpet fitters and furniture were moving around him in the hall ! The first night his room was still full of ds1's belongings !!!
With littlies the advice about low key makes sense and to some extent still the case iwth older kids, though some do need to routine of school clubs etc. We did an oiuting most days to show local things, get library card and register at school. Do what feels right for you and go with the flow, i remember having great plans for catch up on stuff at home while they were at school, but actually i was in shock for several weeks each time, found it hard to relax or concentrate on anything that was not related to the kids.
Best wishes, you will be fine when the time comes
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