It is the time that I now think about baby.
So I need to know....
What do I absolutely need???
What bottles should I get???
What paci's???
ANYTHING.
I promise I will return the favor and tell you what lipstick you should buy or what cardigan to wear.
Or what music to listen to.......
So PLEASE comment. I know there are a TON of mom's who read....including sisters...
PLEASE HELP!
18 comments:
oh my... where to start?
one thing i absolutely loved were really thin receiving blankets. i like the gerber brand ones. they're perfect for swaddling. we used tons of those.
nuk pacifiers. and start her on it right away. don't pay attention to the "nipple confusion" crap. you want them to like a pacifier.
we always used avent bottles.
you must get a baby swing.
and i cannot say this enough, but GET A NOISE MAKER! you know, a white noise machine? oh my gosh, i don't know how parents live without them. we have one in every room and they make all the difference! you must have one!
i also really liked the gerber brand (from target or babies r us) little one-piece jammies. my babies lived in those for the first couple months. i like the gerber ones because they're a good thickness.
you'll want a bassinet by your bed for the first little while. but you probably already knew that...
nursing hurts. really bad. have fun with that...
but on that subject, cold green cabbage leaves on engorged boobs feels great...
you don't need a fancy stroller at first. we always used one of those frames that you just put the baby carseat on. they're so lightweight and compact.
britax carseats are the best.
i'm sure i have more, but i've probably overstayed my welcome in your comments...
make your child invisible on the internet.
and get an angel care monitor.
but i'm not a mom. what do i know?
Maybe if you had more showers you wouldn't have to worry about what to get. ;) Then other mom's could give you advice.
Just give her lots of love. They grow up so fast. There are actually lots of things they have now I wish I had. Look hooter hiders and the car seat covers. Make sure you keep tylenol on hand and diaper rash creme. That's about all the advice I have :)
Get the book "healthy sleep habits, happy baby." You can start at 6 weeks to sleep train your baby. That's all you need-- sleep. That made a huge difference. I wish I would've had that with my #1.
My favorite book was Baby Wise . I didn't know about it until Parker, but it made a huge difference. After applying the strategies found within its pages, my babies were sleeping 6-7 hours a night by 10 weeks old (Parker by six weeks). Giving your baby and yourself the gift of sleep is the best thing you can do for your baby, your sanity, and your marriage. Somebody else mentioned another book about sleep. That one might be good too, though I'm not familiar with it.
The second most important item after that book is a swing. Get your baby to love a swing and you will be free to make dinner and have several minutes to yourself.
Boudreaux's Butt Paste is awesome for diaper rash. At the first sign of any redness spread it on, and your babie's bottom will be back to perfect in no time.
I never used bottles. My babies nursed, and at 1 year went straight to sippy cups. I also didn't buy very much baby food. Instead, I had a hand blender that I used to puree what the rest of the family was eating for dinner, or fruit, or steamed vegies. It saved a lot of money and made my kids love a variety of foods.
A lot of toys are unecessary. When my babies started to crawl around, they always went for my kitchen cabinets of tupperwares and pots and pans. That always provided endless enjoyment and entertainment.
Start investing in good story books (by award-winning authors and illustrators for example). Read books that are worth reading and you'll enjoy your reading time too.
Do you have a rocking or gliding chair? Some of my most tender memories are rocking my babies late at night when the house was dark and quiet while singing primary songs I could remember (Navy is so lucky to have a mom with such a pretty singing voice).
All this talk of babies is making me baby hungry so I have to stop now. I'm so excited for your journey into motherhood Jen.
i wrote a huge long comment last night and it didn't post, so here's my condensed version:
-nightgowns. they are life savers for middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes. no buttons or zippers to fumble with.
-lots of binkies.
-one of those infant care kits. they come with a thermometer, nail clippers, comb, etc. i'm pretty sure they sell them at walmart.
-i like avent bottles as well.
-swaddling blankets. i like thin cotton ones so you can wrap tighter and layer them in the winter. ask her nurses at the hospital to show you how they swaddle. they're amazing at it. you won't regret it.
-i agree with robin too about the white noise machine. if you don't want to buy one though, just put a radio in her room and set it to a staticky station. seriously...another life saver and sometimes the only way we could get jonah to sleep.
-and yes to the others who commented about sleep training. some people think it's evil, but if you want to live two years in utter chaos and insanity, then go ahead and don't sleep train. i liked 'healthy sleep habits, happy child' too. it's by mark weissbluth.
yes yes yes and yes. sleep training! i had to have josh do it cause i couldn't take the crying, but after 2 or 3 nights, we could just lay them down and they'd go to sleep without tears. heaven.
and also, i wholeheartedly recommend a lovey. just a soft piece of something about the size of a burp cloth. start using it as soon as possible, before she even knows what it is or can hold on to it. lay it next to her when she's sleeping, and before you know it, she'll associate it with sleeping. sawyer sees his lovey over my shoulder and he knows it's time for bedtime. he just puts his little head down on my shoulder and then snuggles with it when i lay him down. it's truly great.
i think i'll get you one.
ok, now i'm really done...
what do i know?!
buuuut.... my sibblings would SWEAR by baby wise... no idea what it is, other than it was life changing for them.
that's all.
congrats again!
BABY WISE! That is my baby bible. I swear your baby will be sleeping through the night by 6-8 weeks. I didn't even need to make my girls cry themselves to sleep very much. Just get on the schedule and they will form to the routine.
And I'm a swaddler. The Aden & Anais blankets are the absolute best! www.adenandanais.com
Give the child a bink if they want it. It will make your life easier. Baby girl will tell you which one she wants. Most of mine got stuck on the ones they give you in the hospital.
If she starts having blow out diapers try going up a size. That helped me recently. YUCK!
Enjoy her because it goes by so fast. And take lots and lots of photos!
She is a luck girl to have you as her mama!
I'm going to start off by agreeing with a few things:
* Avent bottles are great.
* Boudreaux's Butt Paste is amazing and while it doesn't smell amazing at least it doesn't smell as medicinal as Desitin.
* Aden & Anais blankets really are the best for swaddling. Someone already left the website, but they're available at Target, too.
If you're planning to breastfeed, make sure you have a tube of Lansinoh lanolin and use it a lot in the first couple weeks.
Also, if you're planning to breastfeed, you might also plan to drop all dairy from your diet. It will give baby lots of gas, which is never a good thing.
I stopped eating dairy a few days after baby was born and almost immediately saw a difference: fewer (and easier) burps, significantly less spitup, sounder sleep, and overall happier baby because her tummy was more comfortable. And the few times since then that I've thought I could get away with a bowl of ice cream or some cheese on my sandwich she has let me know that she doesn't appreciate my cheating. A happy, non-gassy baby is worth all the dairy in the world.
It's totally cliche, but they really do grow up very, very fast. Enjoy her being little!!
Ok I have very little add mostly since we kinda talked about it last week. You have great friends and fam who have given you great advice :) I loved having a glider (not neccessary) but it is so nice for those night time feedings. I have never done the baby wise thing but have heard its great. I guess I am a big whimp when it comes to my babies crying. Pacifiers are the best my girls all liked mams, its really which ever she starts on usually. So excited for baby girl to make her apperance!
My baby is 6 months old so i'm not a huge expert but these are the things that I wish someone would have told me before I had my baby.(I'm aubry's sis in law btw)
Giving birth will exhaust you to the max. You will be so stinkin tired but you won't have any time to sleep because your baby will want to nurse every 2-3 hours. on top of that, they nurse for about 45 mins at a time, so you'll only get about a 1-2 hour rest between nursing. It's like the for the first month, so you can imagine that you will be incredibly sleep deprived!! It gets better as your baby gets older and will go a little longer between eating.
Don't stress if your baby doesn't reach the milestones right when the books say they are supposed to. Babies can feel your scrutinity and it can hurt their self esteem. She'll reach the milestones so don't even worry about that.
establish a bedtime routing that is consistant as early as 6 weeks. They get used to it and know it's time for bed.
Don't buy tons of toys. You are the best stimulation your baby could have.
hold that sweet baby as much as possible! I look back at pictures of my baby sleeping in her crib and think "why was I not holding her???" They literally grow sooo fast and you'll miss the tiny little newborn by the time she is 1 month old.
Remember when your baby is crying, it's her only way of communicating so don't get frustrated. Also, it helps me tremendously to say a prayer of graditude every time my baby has a hard day or cries like "i'm grateful that I not have more patience than I did before this trial" becuase it keeps everything positive instead of negative. Don't stop reading your scriptures and saying your prayers, especially as a couple.
Most importantly: only bring a FEW things to the hospital. you don't need a ton of clothes because seriously, you don't even wear clothes! You wear those nightgown things they provide. Your baby has clothes and blankets provided so really the only things you need are hygene items, camera and going home outfits for you and the baby. We brought everything under the sun that the websites said we "needed" and it was just embarrassing.
Good luck!!! Being a mother is the absolute best thing you will ever do!
SO.....I survived 4 kids with no noise maker. No babies slept in my room and I never made baby food. I ate dairy all the time, read no baby books, and refused to use the freaky hospital pacifiers. All the brands and gear are just personal choice.
I do recommend swaddling at night or when fussy, give them a bottle of formula as their last feeding of the day - it last longer in their stomach, wake up less.
You do need a thermometer - yes a rectal thermometer. It makes a big difference if your child had a fever vs just feels warm.
You need a couple of good friends to call when you don't know what to do - you have that covered.
You need to keep grubby little kids out of your babies bubble space.
You need to take several weeks off of church with no guilt.
The rest of the stuff you don't need. Except a swing.....and a babyGap account
LIFESAVING TIP TO FOLLOW: ***Start using lansinoh (or your preferred product) on your... ahem...nipples right now. Get them all moisturized and pliable before you have your sweet baby. I know mine change during pregnancy and needed a little rejuvinating. Haha! I actually had a relatively painless breastfeeding experience, except for a few minor flareups. I suspect it is partly because I conditioned those suckers (punny?) ahead of time. And stick to it. My breastfed baby was so much easier and happier than my bottle fed baby. The idea of ME breastfeeding wierded me out at first, but now I am a TOTAL advocate. You can do it! I know you don't know me. Just know that I care. <3
...aaaaand if you are having milk supply issues, which I did after going back to work and having to pump, Mother Love More Milk Plus drops from Whole Foods are amazing. They are the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted, but amazing.
wow, i didn't read all your comments but it took me a while to scroll to the bottom so you may be sorry you asked for advice BUT, here's my two cents:
-aden and anais for target swaddling blankets=lightweight, oversized and a little stretch you'll thank me, there is no other way to go.
-avent bottles
-avent pacifiers and don't listen to the nipple confusion thing, it's bunk
-if you're going to nurse get yourself a good electric double pump, it will give you so much freedom, exclusive nursing can be a little claustrophobic.
-baby gap onesies and sleepers are the cutest and have the best fit
-chicco infant carseat
-stroller base, i love my maclaren, don't bother with the others until she's older.
-pack-n-play with a bassinet insert, great for when she's little and perfect for travelling later on, saves you from having to buy both.
-changing tables are dumb and usually ugly, just get a topper for your dresser.
okay that was more like 10 cents, but there you go.
yeah for girl babies!!!
Watch the DVD The Happiest Baby on the Block--it explains in detail many of the things being recommended by others here. For example, don't use white noise just because others recommend it, use it because of the reasons outlined in this dvd.
Also, I had an Angel Care Monitor but later found that the Snuza was cheaper and better. It's a fairly new product so not a lot of people have heard of it. A literal lifesaver.
Wow...I'm so late in this. Everyone has given you such great advice. My only advice is "breast is best" haha....No, but seriously, you know i'm a big breastfeeding advocate. It's the greatest bonding experience...don't give up and if you need help...I'm right across the way :)
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