The flu is never fun to begin with, but the flu at 36 weeks pregnant is truly miserable. I have been couch bound for two days. Today I am feeling better enough to sit up and eat some saltines, but still pretty stuck to the couch or bed. Thankfully the hubs has been taking care of Little Miss all weekend and took her to the aquarium today so I could rest and relax.
But of course, there is only so much Parenthood I can watch on netflix before I start to feel stir crazy. Bed rest would not do me well! Which got me thinking.
Since I had Little Miss I have always found it interesting how much "stuff" is marketed towards new parents. When hubs and I registered before she was born we left Babies R Us exhausted and with a registry full of stuff that I had no idea how to use or what it was for. With baby #2 coming along we have been getting out the stuff we need and there is remarkably less stuff this time around. Which I am quite thankful about. That got me thinking about what new moms really need for their babies? I decided to make a list of my favorite baby products that we couldn't live without and actually NEEDED.
So here are my top baby items:
1. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets-Receiving blankets are for the birds. These blankets are amazing. They're made of soft muslin that is breathable and cozy. Great for summer or winter and are made for swaddling the correct way. You can throw one over your car seat so your baby isn't exposed to the elements or the germs at the supermarket (no you don't need a car seat cover, just use a blanket!) They make good nursing covers too, and are big enough to spread out on the ground for some tummy time or a quick diaper change. These blankets got the most use in our house and will again for the next baby. I highly recommend these over any other blanket. They come in lots of fun patterns too!
2. Arm's Reach Mini Co-Sleeper-Every time I mention co-sleeping people start squawking about how unsafe it is and how could I ever sleep with my baby and don't I worry about the safety, etc. etc. Co-sleeping does not necessarily mean that my baby is sleeping in my bed. That's bed-sharing (or family bed). Bed sharing is done all over the world and CAN be done safely. Co-sleeping can be a form of bed-sharing but can also involve the baby sleeping in the parents bedroom, either in a bassinet, co-sleeper, pack and play, etc. Research shows this is the safest place for baby during the first 6 months at least to decrease SIDS risks. Among other things, mom and dad are able to attend to baby's needs immediately, and it is best for the mother baby nursing relationship. Co-sleeping worked out for us for 18 months of my daughter's life. She started in the rock and play sleeper next to our bed (more on that later!) but I still felt like she was too far away from me to feel comfortable with knowing she was ok and breathing. We tried a pack and play and she didn't like how big, empty, and open it was. She has always been small and the transition from the womb, to rock and play to pack and play was a huge open space and she didn't like it at all. She's always been a snuggler. So I quickly found myself a co-sleeper and all of our sleep problems drifted away. It sidecars to the bed so that baby is in their own safe sleep space, but close enough to snuggle, and pull right into bed for nighttime feedings. As Little Miss got older and slept longer stretches it was still nice having her close, and when she woke up and wanted to nurse neither of us had to fully wake up. I loved having this and am so glad I can use it from the beginning this time!
3. Snuza Halo-This is my most favorite baby item of all time. Seriously. it saved my sanity and my sleep and gave me so much peace of mind. It's a little device that runs on a battery that attaches to the front of baby's diaper so the soft rubber part touches the baby's tummy. It works over a onesie too if you'd rather clip to pants. It monitors the baby's breathing and movement. Here's how it works:
"Superior Sensor: Placed next to baby's abdomen, detects even the slightest irregularity in breathing
Snuza Halo detects even the slightest movement and will alert you if your baby's movements are very weak or fall to less than 8 movements per minute. If no movement at all is detected for a period of 15 seconds, Halo will vibrate gently. Often this vibration is enough to rouse the baby, and Halo will revert to monitoring mode. After three vibration/rouse incidents, the Rouse Warning will alert you to the fact that your baby's movements have stopped for 15 seconds on three occasions.
If no further movement is detected for another 5 seconds, an alarm will sound to alert you."
The alarm is LOUD. Even if baby was in another room you could hear it. We had it go off about 4 or 5 times. All of the times except one it was because I hadn't clipped it correctly and it had slipped off. There was at least one time though that the alarm sounded and it was on correctly. I picked my little one up and thankfully she was breathing. I will never ever know whether or not she actually stopped moving or breathing to have made it go off, but I am forever thankful that I had the alarm on her regardless. The best part about the snuza is that you can take it anywhere. We purchased the Angel Care Video Sound and Movement Monitor for the nursery, but since our nursery was downstairs Little Miss never slept there at night. There was no way I was having her on another floor from me, monitor or not! The angel care is great, and we use it now that she is in her own room. I can see and hear her at all times and it monitors that she is moving, the temperature in the room, etc. BUT it was set up in the crib. I couldn't sleep when she was sleeping at night because I was so worried she would stop breathing. I read somewhere that newborns forget to breathe in those first few weeks. Whether or not that's true I couldn't rest unless I had some peace of mind. So if she wasn't in her crib or my arms I was a wreck. When I discovered the snuza, I was up nursing one night and immediately ordered it from amazon. I couldn't wait for it to arrive! When I finally got to use it the first night I was super nervous because I was afraid to let my guard down. By the second night I was sleeping soundly. From then on, I slept like a tired mom (not like a baby...I don't know who came up with that!) each and every night. I highly recommend this for any new parents!
4. Rock 'n Play Sleeper-This thing is great. It's small enough to put by your bed or the couch, or really any room you are in, but lightweight and portable enough to move easily from room to room. We used this in the first few weeks for Little Miss to sleep in because I was unable to use the stairs after my c-section. What a life saver! I put it right next to the couch and she was an arm's length away from me. Once we moved upstairs and she was in the co-sleeper, it stayed downstairs. I could easily take it with me from room to room when I needed to put the baby down. It was small enough to fit in my tiny cubicle of a bathroom so I could put her in it while I showered. What a lifesaver! Little Miss never really cared for the swing so this was a great alternative. I also would put her in it when I was cooking (rare!) in the kitchen, folding laundry, or for naps during the day when she wasn't in my arms. This thing rocks and we have it ready and waiting for the new baby. Such a simple product that made our lives so much easier. And although we didn't deal with reflux, I hear that it is great for babies that have to sleep upright due to stomach issues. not to mention it's cozy and cocoon like as the womb is, so babies have an easier transition to being out in the world! We loved it especially when Little Miss got older too because when she had a stuffy nose or was congested sleeping upright really helped her get some sleep. A must for every baby registry!
5. Calma-For a nursing mom going back to work....or ever leaving the house this was essential! The Medela Calma nipple "allows them to suck, swallow and breathe, as learned on the breast. Whether you breastfeed or use Calma, the baby has to create a vacuum for breastmilk to flow. As soon as the baby pauses, the flow is stopped, this is also the way with breastfeeding." I was very concerned that once a bottle was introduced that Little Miss wouldn't want to nurse anymore (the wrong type of bottle can hinder a breastfeeding relationship) or if the bottle wasn't the right kind it would turn the baby off from the bottle and then she would ONLY want to nurse. I was very nervous about all of this because I was determined to be successful at breastfeeding even and especially once I went back to work! Cheri from The Care Connection was a great help and recommended the Calma. Everything I read and learned from breastfeeding class said to introduce a bottle between 3-5 weeks and dad should give the first bottle when mom isn't home. So at 4 weeks I went to visit my friend and her new baby in the hospital and left hubs alone with the baby and the bottle. She took to it beautifully, and still nursed just fine the same night. It very well could be that we have an easy going kid who goes with the flow (ha! no pun intended!) but I honestly believe the Calma was a huge help. I was able to successfully give Little Miss pumped breast milk for the duration of our nursing relationship when I couldn't be with her. Not to mention, I truly believe the Calma had a hand in helping her transition from a regular sippy cup to a straw sippy a lot quicker (9 months) because it has a similar feel to a straw. She actually preferred straw sippy cups pretty early on and I really think the fact that she didn't have a typical bottle nipple helped.
6. BOOKS-If there is one thing I want to stress to you as a teacher mom it's that there is one thing you can never ever have too many of in your house and it's books! This is the one thing I am ok with spoiling my kids with. Books are SO important.
6. A good soft structured ergonomically correct baby carrier! Baby wearing in and of itself is so important and amazing for bonding and helping parents get things done around the house! It also helps alleviate "flat head" syndrome because the baby is not always on its back in say a swing or sleeper. But I will stress the importance of getting a carrier that will not cause baby to be "crotch dangling."
Baby B'jorns are classic examples. This puts stress on baby's hip joints and can lead to hip dysplasia over time. Here's a good quick set of tips for successful and safe baby wearing.
I have three favorites. And trust me I tried out a few. I like different carriers for different reasons.
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| Shh, don't tell daddy I posted a pic of him! ;) |
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| Using the Moby around the house! |
The Moby Wrap-My
cousin got me the Moby for my shower. At that point I was obviously not
well-versed in baby wearing at ALL and was like "What the heck do I do
with this looooong piece of fabric?! Well fast forward a few months
later and I was wrapping like a BOSS. Hubs and I both LOVE the Moby
wrap! It takes some practice, as does any carrier, to figure out proper
adjustment, holds, and wrapping techniques, but it's perfect for quick
trips or long ones, chores around the house, or even taking a nap with
baby on your chest! (Making sure baby is safely and properly positioned
of course!) It's very comfortable to wear, and is a great wrap for
beginner baby wearers. And it can hold up to 35 pounds! I highly
recommend the Moby, as it is one of the more affordable carriers out
there and is great for anyone just starting out with baby wearing. I
found it was easy to use for errands. I would wrap it and put it on
myself before I got in the car, then when I arrived wherever I was going
I would just pop Little Miss out of the car seat and into the wrap.
Then I wouldn't have to re-wrap every time I got in and out of the car.
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| Rocking the K'Tan at the Farmer's Market! |
The Baby K'Tan-This was a whim purchase! I loved my Moby wrap, but as I became more of an avid babywearer I did some more research and read about the K'Tan. It's essentially the same as a Moby except it's prewrapped for you. You just slide the two hoops around your shoulders, pop baby in, and tie the waist piece around you. SO easy peasy. Plus, there is a lot less fabric, so it keeps you cooler. I love love love my K'Tan and used it most of the time before Little Miss could walk or stand.
Now that Little Miss is bigger she is heavier so I tend to use the Ergo more for the support, but the K'Tan is still my favorite! The main thing to know is that you get more holds with the Ergo...you cannot use a soft structured carrier for a back carry, just front and side holds. If you want to use a wrap for a back carry then you need to get a strong linen wrap. You can check out this website for lots more useful info about baby wearing!
Now that Little Miss is bigger she is heavier so I tend to use the Ergo more for the support, but the K'Tan is still my favorite! The main thing to know is that you get more holds with the Ergo...you cannot use a soft structured carrier for a back carry, just front and side holds. If you want to use a wrap for a back carry then you need to get a strong linen wrap. You can check out this website for lots more useful info about baby wearing!
A word on clothing: Baby clothing is my vice. I can tell you that once I had Little Miss I pretty much never bought anything for myself ever again. (Ok that is a slight exaggeration, but I really couldn't tell you the last time I bought myself clothes!) Baby clothes are SO much fun to buy and receive because they are so damn cute! You will get tons of cute things before the baby is born (more so if you find out what you are having) and after too, people were SOOOOO generous to us! Who doesn't love buying cute little clothes for baby?! But I always tell new moms to keep in mind one important thing: Keep the tags on everything! You are going to want to wash and organize and put away all the cute little outfits immediately, (Yes, I did this! Learn from the error of my ways!) but DON'T! You don't know how big your baby is going to be...or in our case how small! Even without the receipts most stores will let you exchange sizes or outfits months or even years later! PJs and onesies are an exception, because you'll get use out of them no matter what, but definitely keep the tags on the other clothes until baby is here!
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And honestly, that's it! You don't need lots of stuff for your baby! My child has a whole playroom full of toys which she does play with a lot! But she is also happy with boxes or baskets or pots and pans! We live in a society where everyone thinks they need to give their baby all sorts of STUFF. And don't get me wrong, we are very appreciative of everything that we have received as gifts and make good use of it all. But for those new moms out there who are stressing out about everything you think you need-don't! Just enjoy the time getting ready for baby. Before you know it he or she will be here and you will be perfectly content worrying about your little one. And baby will be ok with just your love. That's all the "stuff" that our littles need.
Love and Laughs,
Danielle
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