Raising a Second Child: My Experience Putting Down the Smartphone This Time

Raising a second child

---This time, I am intentionally keeping my parenting diary "analog".

With my first child, I used an app called "PiyoLog".
It is a very convenient app for easily recording feedings, diaper changes, sleep, and more, helping me grasp the flow of childcare.

It can be shared between spouses, making handovers smooth when my partner takes over night feedings and records them.

For me, as a first-time parent with no breathing room, it was an essential presence.

On the other hand, because I used my smartphone every time I recorded something,
I often ended up watching YouTube or checking social media right after.

Especially during night feedings.
I would watch videos to wake myself up, and
before I knew it, I was mindlessly scrolling...

Even though I kept telling myself, "I should stop," I would end up looking anyway.

I sometimes felt a little bit of guilt about that.

But this time, it is a little different.

For some reason, I don't feel the urge to distract myself with my phone or social media.

There are probably a few reasons for this,

・I have a little more peace of mind than I did with my first child
・I have a general understanding of the flow of childcare

And one more thing,

"This time might be the last time in my life."

Perhaps it is because I have started to think that way.

I don't know yet if there will be a third child.

But if this is my last baby—

I feel that even night feedings are not a "painful time," but rather
"a time that only exists now".

Of course, I don't know if this feeling
will continue once the baby is 3 or 4 months old.

I am sure there will be days when I lose my composure again,
and I might end up relying on my smartphone just like last time.

With my first child, I really had no breathing room,
and I was helped quite a lot by my smartphone.

Watching parenting videos or scrolling through social media during late-night feedings was
an important way for me to take a break back then.

So, I don't think that having time to look at your phone
is a bad thing at all.

It's just that right now, I happen to

feel that "time without looking at my phone is comfortable."

That's all it is.

So, this time I'm following my own feelings and
choosing to go analog.

To avoid having to open my phone,
I'm keeping my parenting records by hand in a notebook.

Thanks to not looking at a screen in the middle of the night,
I feel like I'm falling back asleep more smoothly after feedings.

For now, I'm quite happy with this method.

Convenience is important, but
there are times when I want to choose a quiet moment.

I might switch back to PiyoLog because it's convenient after all in a few months, but...

That's fine too (laughs).

I hope to continue choosing the methods
that suit me at the time.