N-400: Children/Babies at Oath, Interview, and Biometrics...

[antda 13]

Hi Nayalamb,

Thanks for your reply. Likewise, I hope that my ceremony will go well too, whenever that may be. Let's just hope that my baby doesn't make a fuss that day and that my husband can handle such if that happens.

Lucky, that you are able to have your one friend help you there on that special day, so don't have to worry about such. Im sure that your children will be well behaved there, and if not, it can be handled pretty quickly, with that extra help.

I agree, likewise, I need to network around for babysitting purposes later on. Lol...maybe we can start a "Anyone need a babysitter for oath/immigration appointments?", thread here on VJ (just kidding). I wouldn't mind networking and/or swaping babysitting with you or anyone else, as I like children and have a child anyways. Problem: I live in NYS (and you live in Philly, from your profile), which is too far away from each other.

Hmmm....I wonder if you can network with some other closer to your area as well? Who knows who you can find for that much-needed help!

By the way, since you are bringing children to the ceremony, do you also have any recommendations as to how to keep children occupied and well-behaved during such? I agree, standing/sitting near a door helps, as someone else suggested. Anything else?

Anyways, good luck with your future oath ceremony. May you and your family enjoy such a special day (with those flag cakes/cupcakes too...yum!)...

Ant

hey ant,

whatever you decide, i'm sure the day will go well. i have ONE friend, just one, that i can beg to watch the babies! my other close friends are spread out around the globe and i have no family here. i need to start cultivating more pals for potential babysitting purposes! LOL.

if it was just one baby, i probably wouldn't mind hubby going and as someone mentioned, stand near an exit in case of an outburst or something. but i have TWO and that makes it a bit more challenging.

i'll bake a flag cake (or cupcakes) and we'll gorge on them after.

[NickD 202]

Hi Tnh9479,

Thanks for your reply. Aww...cute photo of your twin babies in your vj signature.

I agree, it's a personal decision as to whether or not one brings their children to the oath ceremony or not. I agree too, that in your case, your husband would definitely feel that it helps that the children are there with him to celebrate such a joyous family occasion. Lucky, that you are able to have your mom or someone else help you there on that special day, so that you and your husband don't have to worry about such. Im sure that your twins will be well behaved there, and if not, it can be handled pretty quickly, with all that extra help.

By the way, since you are bringing babies to the ceremony, do you also have any recommendations as to how to keep babies occupied and well-behaved during such?

Lol...I wish I had a "Plan B" too....Nobody else (other than my husband) is able to help on that day....So it's a lot of reponsibility on his part for such, and I hope he can handle it....

My wishful-thinking version of "plan b"...."Give me the certificate, skip the group ceremony, have a private ceremony instead, be on my merry way as a US Citizen..." (yeah right....don't think this will come true)...

Anyways, good luck with your husband's future oath ceremony. May you and your family enjoy such a special day!

Ant

I think it is a personal decision. I know our two will be at their dad's naturalization ceremony. It is a HUGE deal for him and he would feel cheated if his USC children were not there. I will bring help, though. My mom lives about 2 hours away and I most definitely will ask for her to come that day to help out with the twins. That way if one or both need to step out, she could assist me with it. If she couldn't come, I would ask my neighbor who is a good friend and knows the babies. I guess having a "Plan B" is probably a good idea.

When I am asked to handle my granddaughter where she has to be quiet, request her mouth plug, but I think they call that a pacifier. Also a bottle of formula with a small holed nipple. See as the kid grows they make different sized hole nipples now with larger and larger holes. Let her work for awhile, keeps her entertained. Also sing to her by whispering songs into her ear, very quiet, she smiles or just saying stupid things, then gentle bouncing. Would help to keep your baby awake beforehand, with luck, he will fall asleep, by imitating yawns, my granddaughter smiles and falls asleep. LOL, sure everybody else at the oath ceremony would like to do the same.

[nayalamb 0]

my daughter only needs to be full and dry to be happy at her age (2 mos). i make sure she eats right before we go anywhere to ensure a good start. she doesn't like pacifiers. she is more content to suck on her little fists.

my son is 1 1/2 so letting him walk around and investigate makes him happy. he likes snacks... cheerios, bananas, go-gurt, string cheese, whole grain fruit bars... things he can sit and eat without much help.

i won't make a final decision until the day of the oath. i have to make sure they are well-rested the night before because when they are tired is when the fireworks start. and of course, if its really cold and snowy/icy outside, then they will stay home.

a VJ babysitting network... hmmm...

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for your helpful child care advice replies! This will definitely help me and a lot of VJers out there with children too.

NickD-Thanks for sharing about your experiences about your granddaughter (lol..NickD a grandfather..no way...thought you were younger...). It's good though, that you can see her grow up so quickly and enjoy spending time with her as a grandfather. Lol...yes, babies do like their "mouth plugs" (otherwise known as pacifiers, binkies...or what my husband likes to call it a 'bimpy'...lol...) and seems quite soothed by it (my son likes his). So yes, I'll definitely bring the mouth plug for the ceremony, as my son brings it with him wherever he goes anyways. As for the bottle thing..hmm...well one problem with that: My son doesn't use a bottle. He nurses (oh heck, I'm feeding him as I type...not an easy task...hence the typos..) instead. Good idea about singing (though I can't sing...will have to make it up as I go along...), whispering, talking, bounching, doing whatever else, to calm and to make my baby smile. Actually, he's just learning how to smile now...should be interesting to see what he smiles and/or reacts to when I have to do such to keep him entertained then. Another good idea as well, about waking the baby beforehand and hoping he will fall asleep during the ceremony. I'm sure nobody else would mind if he sleeps in his carseat (he likes sleeping in that) during the ceremony (lol...though I hope I can stay awake..).

To Everyone- Lol..Now that brings me to another interesting question (tmi, I know): If need be, can I nurse (discretely, of course) while I'm there? Lol..yet another reason as to why I have to bring my son to the appointments with me...He'll starve if they take too long and I don't feed him! Oh and what about diaper changes? Is it ok if I bring a diaper bag (lol..I wonder if that will set of the metal detectors at the door) with me too? How can I get diaper changes done while there? Any thoughts/ideas about these topics too?

When I am asked to handle my granddaughter where she has to be quiet, request her mouth plug, but I think they call that a pacifier. Also a bottle of formula with a small holed nipple. See as the kid grows they make different sized hole nipples now with larger and larger holes. Let her work for awhile, keeps her entertained. Also sing to her by whispering songs into her ear, very quiet, she smiles or just saying stupid things, then gentle bouncing. Would help to keep your baby awake beforehand, with luck, he will fall asleep, by imitating yawns, my granddaughter smiles and falls asleep. LOL, sure everybody else at the oath ceremony would like to do the same.

Nayalamb- Thanks too for sharing your experiences about your children. Wow, what a co-incidence that we both have babies that are 2 months old or so and that we are both thinking of taking our children of that age to the oath ceremony. Definitely we should chat more (private message, maybe) about that! By the way, if you don't mind me asking, when was your daughter born? I agree, that babies at that young of a age only need to be full and dry and comfortable in order to be happy. Simple really...But not so simple when they are not happy...lol...Likewise, I make sure that my son eats and gets a diaper change before we go out too, so that's a good start, I agree. Short trips are ok in doing that, but long-distance ones...oh boy...we'll have to make stops along the way to get that accomplished....And going to my 'local office'....not so local...not good...Cute that your daughter likes her fists instead of pacifiers. My son likes both....though one of these days I'll have to wean him off of the pacifier....That's good too, that your son is older and is more independent and can easily settle down with less to worry about. So at least that's some worry out of the way, that he doesn't need much help with stuff. Lol..Just make sure he doesn't run away while you are there though (if you are taking him with you, that is). Regardless of if you take your children there or not, I hope that your oath day goes well for you and your family. Yes, getting plenty of rest certainly helps before the "fireworks begin" (lol..wish they had actual fireworks during the ceremony though...in the meantime...imagine that there are...). And yes, if it is cold/snowy/icy, it might be easier to leave them at home (lol..though were I am...it's mostly like this...doesn't make a difference to me....just bundle everyone up in warm clothes...and hope that the USCIS doesn't cancel because of a snowstorm...). Yeah, a VJ babysitting network...not a bad idea....

To Everyone- Anyone else interested in setting up a VJ babysitting network? Seriously....Maybe we should start a message thread about that (though post it in an off-topic forum or somewhere else more appropriate..). I'm sure many of us would appreciate that extra babysitting help, especially when we have to deal with the USCIS for appointments...Any thoughts or ideas on this too?

my daughter only needs to be full and dry to be happy at her age (2 mos). i make sure she eats right before we go anywhere to ensure a good start. she doesn't like pacifiers. she is more content to suck on her little fists.

my son is 1 1/2 so letting him walk around and investigate makes him happy. he likes snacks... cheerios, bananas, go-gurt, string cheese, whole grain fruit bars... things he can sit and eat without much help.

i won't make a final decision until the day of the oath. i have to make sure they are well-rested the night before because when they are tired is when the fireworks start. and of course, if its really cold and snowy/icy outside, then they will stay home.

a VJ babysitting network... hmmm...

Ant

[NickD 202]

Glad to hear you are nursing, best thing for your son, but could make one very minor exception to have a bottle ready each and every time you have a USC oath ceremony. Did some calculations, that works out to be just once in his lifetime. Can't speak for the rest of the guys, but I feel completely worthless without that bottle handy when holding a baby where you have to be quiet, we have no other means like you women have. And believe me, he will have no problems going back to his mom.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

NickD-I agree, nursing is a good thing, with lots of benefits and rewards for the baby and for the mother too. And hence, I am doing such with my son (lol..and typing on the computer at the same time too....ahh...multitasking...). As for the bottle, I might be able to make an exception to the rule for the oath ceremony, by possibly pumping it out and storing it ahead of time (lol..tmi..I know...). Will have to think more about it and ask more and research about this (not on vj though..not an immigration issue..lol...), to see if this can actually be done with my son and how others have done with such successfully. Lol...I feel pretty worthless too, being somewhere and not being able to feed my son, even though I have the means and the ability to do such, and nobody else can do such (lol..too bad my husband can't nurse). It's one thing, to go out somewhere, pull over the car, and nurse discretely. It's another thing to plan and plack ahead of time for a long-distance trip in the middle of winter to the ceremony, have a baby cry in the middle of the ceremony, run out of the ceremony with the baby, try to find the car that's parked far away in the city to feed the baby or change the baby's diaper there, go back to the ceremony later for a certificate, and think that this doesn't cause a disruption (yeah right)....lol....Oh boy..Help!

Glad to hear you are nursing, best thing for your son, but could make one very minor exception to have a bottle ready each and every time you have a USC oath ceremony. Did some calculations, that works out to be just once in his lifetime. Can't speak for the rest of the guys, but I feel completely worthless without that bottle handy when holding a baby where you have to be quiet, we have no other means like you women have. And believe me, he will have no problems going back to his mom.

Ant

[Collie 122]

Hey Ant,

My Interview is next week and my husband and our 3 month old daughter will be there with me. She won't have any recollection of it but we are a family and this is very much a family event in my eyes, so they will both be there.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Collie-Great to hear that you're bringing your husband and 3 month old daughter to the interview too. I agree, she might not have any recollection because of her hage, but you will, and yes, these moments as a family will be memorable for all indeed. I feel the same way too..understandable here about it being a "family event"...As long as the family remembers it...That's good...And who knows, maybe your daughter will ask about it later on too, and you can tell her that she was there and part of the moment too!

Ant

Hey Ant,

My Interview is next week and my husband and our 3 month old daughter will be there with me. She won't have any recollection of it but we are a family and this is very much a family event in my eyes, so they will both be there.