Leaping Babies
Happy Leap Year Day!
I’m a sucker for theme days and this is just a subject I’ve been wanting to write about for awhile - Leaping Babies! No, not babies born on leap year day, I’m just capitalizing on the day. I’m also not even talking about, you know, babies with the odd ability to jump, because as far as I know, that’s not a thing. I’m actually talking about the developmental milestones that babies go through according to The Wonder Weeks, known as “Leaps”.
What are Leaps?
Leaps are, like I mentioned, developmental milestones that a baby goes through that are marked by clinginess, crankiness, cluster feeding, etc, because a baby is experiencing new discoveries about their own capabilities, the world around them and those they rely on for sustenance and security (that’s you, parent!). Good news is that leaps don’t last forever - although it might feel like it. They last anywhere between a week to 6 weeks. It starts out as a general fussiness and the fussiness peaks midway during the leap and then your baby’s sunny self will slowly start to peek out again as they figure out their new capabilities.
Why do babies go through Leaps?
Well, have you ever travelled to another country or been to the opposite side of your own country? You are in a society and world completely unfamiliar. You might need to adjust to new foods, the sounds are different from home, the smells are new, you’re acclimating to the weather change, there are just SO MANY new things to see! All of your senses are at full capacity. You may hit overload and need some time to just CHILL OUT in an air conditioned room and watch Friends for like, an hour. Maybe eat an American cheeseburger? I mean, people do those things to decompress, right?
Now imagine you’re a baby without the abilities to quickly adapt to your surroundings. Or eat cheeseburgers. Babies are a fresh start, the world is new to them. Everything is bright, everything smells strange, everything is loud, everything feels rough compared to being suspended in amniotic fluid and even their own bodily functions are new to them! Overwhelm, stress and panic are understandable. The smell of mom is what they know and what brings comfort.
But beyond that, babies’ brains are growing so rapidly and they are learning basic skills that you can’t necessarily see unless you look for them. For example, during one of the leaps, your baby is starting to realize that when you walk away, you don’t cease to exist. You are just elsewhere. Like, not RightHereRightNowOmg! That can take some time to get used to and process.
When do leaps happen?
So here’s the interesting thing! Studies have shown that these specific developmental milestones happen at anticipated times in the first year of life. It’s based on your baby’s estimated due date and happens at various, mostly-predictable intervals. You can read more about The Wonder Weeks calendar here.
So how does this make the newborn stage easier?
I will say that knowing why my babies were fussy and clingier than usual definitely helped to ease my new mom anxieties! Knowing that they were hitting a milestone and what new ability to watch for made the fussy periods easier to navigate and manage on my end as mom. I could rest in the knowledge that there would be a time soon when I would be able to take a shower in peace again.
Here are some of my tips for surviving a leap:
Relax. Enjoy the snuggles, know that your baby is okay and that this too shall pass.
Double every recipe you make for dinner and freeze half. Making food with a clingy baby on you is stressful! Use the sunny times to get ahead of the game.
Don’t be afraid of asking for help or taking help offered. Make a list of things that always need doing (laundry, dishes, food prep, hold baby so you can shower, etc) and ask every person that walks through your door to take a look at the list and to not leave without doing something on it.
Download the app and watch for the new skill your little one is learning! It’s so exciting to see them grow and learn, isn’t it? It makes it all worth it. I promise.
Hire a postpartum doula for the especially long and difficult leaps, and, you know, the times in between too!