neglectomatic

Babies are impatient and get bored easily. You must find any way possible to keep them calm and happy. The most useful of tools is the classic pacifier. Often times, Jalen just needs a little soothing when he's tired. Sucking is a baby's greatest skill, so it's great when you can get babies to use their powers against themselves. Here's when I feel a little guilty--sometimes when Jalen gets hungry and we're in a situation not suitable for feeding yet, we'll hold down that pacifier in his mouth. Jalen gets pissed when we do that. He cries, yells (Jalen has a special yell for when he's hungry, hard to describe, but it's sort of a monotone yodel), kicks, and/or twists his head from side to side. With every minute that passes, he'll get meaner and meaner until he's fed. I hate trying to double-cross him like that mainly because he knows it.
The swing makes me feel like a criminal. The one we have rocks back and forth. Little birds chirp and leaves rustle to the sound of a soft breeze, while rotating above his head. Then, to top it all off, there's a bird's-eye mirror facing him at all times and music playing to make sure that all bases are covered. It really does soothe him to sleep though, but ever since I read somewhere that refers to a swing as a neglect-o-matic, I hated these things. How would you feel if someone put you on a rollercoaster (assuming you like rollercoasters) on repeat until you fall asleep (with a rubber candy in your mouth)? If he doesn't fall asleep within 20 minutes or he wakes from slumber, we'll take him out. By the way, this one in the photo is a borrowed swing, so if you see a good deal, let me know.