Little Mister & Volunteering with Baby
Everyone loves a happy baby. Every mom loves to watch others adore her child (at least I do). Yesterday I finally put put these two truths to work doing a little good for myself and for my new friends at a nearby nursing home.
This has been on my to-do list for a long time. Last May the girls and I crafted Mother’s Day cards and delivered them to local seniors. Last fall I scoped out a few senior care organizations, struggling to find the right fit. I talked a bit about that search here.
Following the advice of Doing Good Together’s project page, I contacted the volunteer coordinator of a local nursing home and let her know what I was thinking: personal visits with the baby, cards and baked goods from the girls, and occasional whole family visits when possible.
My hope is to build a few relationships here, to alleviate loneliness wherever I find it. Some days, since I am a 100 percent at-home parent, this includes me.
My volunteer coordinator partnered my son and I up with the memory care unit. Little Mister spent his Valentine’s Day morning in the arms of two old women who could scarcely remember their hometown, but sang him songs they had once sung to their own babies.
Several of the folks we met had no noticeable memory loss at all, and they were fun for me to get to know. One lady in particular was brimming with stories of her own son and her years as a young mother.
To be honest, I’m something of an introvert. Volunteer efforts out in the community like this make me terribly nervous. Now, I’m eager to go back. Little Mister was such a charmer, the residents were so eager to snuggle him, and I made a friend or two.
Here are a few tips for making a nursing home visit with your baby go smoothly:
1) Know your little one: Some temperaments (and some developmental ages) don’t respond well to being passed around among even the most adoring strangers. My oldest would have screamed her head off all morning. Little Mister just smiled and cooed at them all.
2) Be prepared: The usual diaper bag fare will do the trick: snacks, distracting toys, a picture of the rest of your family to share with the group. Make sure baby is fed, diapered, and napped thoroughly. Little Mister skipped his nap, and we had to end the morning a littler earlier than I planned when he started to get tired and crabby.
3) Bring something to share: baked goods, magazines (National Geographic was popular… maybe bring a magnifying glass though), or drawings and cards from the older children are all fun to share. I made the mistake of bringing a caribou coffee for myself (I hadn’t had coffee all morning, and my judgement was impaired). I’m tempted to bring a couple of six packs of them next time, as they all seemed to envy my fancy coffee.
4) Ice breakers: Like I said, I’m an introvert. This project made me so nervous, even though it was fun. I felt as socially awkward as ever. Here is an interesting list of conversation starters, not all of which I would use. Some are helpful, and they at least get you thinking about how to get folks talking.
Good luck, and let us know if you try this one!
