Best advice for moms - please add to list!!!!

[sharishu]

Just a small tip which may sound strange:
If your babe keeps knocking the paci out of his mouth, put him/her in a stiff bunting/coat to sleep so hands can't get near mouth. Then, the paci stays firmly in the mouth! This is how my baby slept all winter long, and before we discovered this trick, sleep time was a nightmare!

[rachellove]

Sorry if I repeat anything that's already been said...

My daughter slept in our room for 6 months. The Fisher-Price Rock and Play Sleeper is the greatest invention ever. Sturdy, light, keeps baby strapped in, upper-body elevated, and on her back. Can easily be moved from room to room and awesome for travel. Once baby starts sitting up and wanting to turn over, it can no longer be used. I know many moms who've had it and loved it!


The moby wrap is great. Looks tricky but once you've mastered it it's perfect to keep a little one close by as you do things around the house and super for walks. My daughter was born in December. I took walks with her and was able to keep her snug and warm using the Moby.

We were paranoid about SIDS so kept our baby on her back most of the time. Then we were paranoid because her head seemed to be getting flat in the back. Doc ordered more "tummy time" but we also purchased a noggin nest to use in her stroller, bouncy seat, etc. They may have come out with something better in the past year but we used the noggin nest and it seemed to work well.

Pampers Swaddlers are great. The Pampers with "dry max", though, caused terrible diaper rash. That's really the only time my daughter ever had diaper rash and it looked like the skin was scorched. Heard similar stories from some other people...just an FYI.


Cotton onsies, comfy pj's...that's pretty much what my daughter lived in. No frilly, lacey, scratchy material at all. You'll find that's the last thing you'll want to put on your baby!


If you don't breastfeed (I did for about a week...) you may have a trying time finding a formula that works for your baby. We went through a number of formulas which caused major spitting up, horrible constipation, etc. before finding out about Nestle Good Start. It was the best for our baby. Just worked well with her system. We had no idea finding a formula would be SO tough.

I would absolutely recommend a white noise machine for the nursery. When our baby was sleeping in our room we used it in there as well. The one we have makes white noise, nighttime noise, rain, sounds of the womb, etc. We still use it now in our daughter's room and she's 16 months old. We bring it everywhere with us. Hotels, grandparent's house, etc.

Another great invention is the breathable bumper for cribs. The Pottery Barn bumper I bought was beautiful. Too bad I never used it! Again, SIDS paranoia! Breathable bumpers are not as pretty as other bumpers, but they give peace of mind since baby can't bump her head or get her limbs stuck, and if her face presses into it she can still breathe.

Hope this helps!

[riogirl71]

BUMP!!!

[deftonesmo]

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition) by William Sears

The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition by Richard Ferber

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau

***all are available at the libary . . . but I recommend buying cheap on amazon or requesting on your baby registry because they are nice to keep handy when a question or concern pops up . . . especially the Dr. Sears book . . .

Bottom Line: Do what works for you. Sometimes the books contradict themselves, so do what works for you. After reading these books, I felt more confident and felt like I was doing most of the time (ok~25% of the time)

[riogirl71]

I want to also add the Karma baby sling, available at Target or online at their store!

[riogirl71]

Sd - google aymee nursing gowns or pjs best ever, hold pads in place, some support and sooooo comfy!

http://www.nursinggowns.com/pajamas.htm

[katieb1231]

Any suggestions for a great double stroller? Looking for one for a newborn & toddler...I am thinking the baby jogger city select...I travel a bit about once a month so it has to be easy to use this one looks good but I haven't seen it in person. I have a bob and a peg perego for traveling but the doubles of those are both side by sides and I want a front & back stadium seating one. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated since I am pretty sure I will be spending a good chunk of money on it I want time to save!!!! Thanks girls!!!



Also a good breast pump guess I will try to breast feed again last time it was miserable but I did it for 3 months painfully so but I do understand the benefits of it......

[deftonesmo]

Katie--I'm going with the Bob Duallie SE . . . so easy to push . . . so easy to manuever . . . you can read reviews at amazon =)

[deftonesmo]

SD-- I lived in nursing tank tops from Target for months . . .

[riogirl71]

We got a used baby trend sit and stand for our toddler and baby to come.

Medela makes the best pumps and the best price I found was at http://www.addalittlelove.com/ did you go to a lactation consultant? Maybe the latch was not good? When I breastfed it really hurt until I saw someone and she corrected the latch and voila- no pain! I bfed our son to 15 months with no pain!

glamourmom has some great nursing tops too!

[katieb1231]

Thanks Deftonesmo I have the Bob for a single and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! However I thought for traveling it would be easier to have a front to back stroller maneuvering through airports & going through security.....I will check it out at local store though because I do love my bob single.

Hi Rio I like those too but wondering if she will like standing? Or can they sit too? I guess I need to check that one out too....as far as nursing is concerned nursing an adopted baby is pretty easy to do but for me for some reason it felt like razor's coming out and I was not super comfortable & I did call a few people but I didn't pursue it enough maybe so this time around I am actually going to nurse right at birth and use the consultants there (birth mom already consented to this). But need a good pump so I can get the girls ready before hand need a few weeks for the milk to start dropping down. I will check out the madela at the site you suggested, thank you.

Thanks Ladies I do love this thread....can't think of anything new to add at the moment but I am sure I will think of something!

[riogirl71]

SD - those gowns rock too and the PJs I even wear them out! The medela is definitely the best, and the hands free bustie a must for pumping!

As for double stroller I think the same the sit and stand has a plae for sitting or standing and my toddler will not sit still in a stroller anymore!

katie - I am sure that bfeeding an adopted baby has many challenges but I remember biting my lip so hard from the pain of bfeeding, the people in the hospital told me to do it a certain way. I could not even have shower water touch my nipples it was so bad. Finally I paid a real lactation consultant and she watched and commented on the latch, the baby needs to get more of your bottom part of areola than top, not in the middle! As soon as I started doing that, bfeeding actually became a pleasurable experience for us and not a painful experience that I dreaded. Really, my milk supply leveled and we did it for 15 mos and I was sad to stop but we wanted another baby. I hope this helps!

Also want to suggest one of those livestrong bracelet types, the rubber band ones for keeping track of boobs, put it on the wrist on the side of the boob you fed last to remind you to start on that side next time! They don't snag baby and are soft! Perfect for late night feedings when you are tired!

[Happy Bunny]

Just saw a smart tip-- good friend of mine with 3 kiddos cuts up old rags about the size of a small burp cloth and uses them under babies bum on the diaper changer. If you are anything like me, I find that keeping the diaper changer cover clean is almost impossible and changing it all the time is a pain. She just would keep a stack of rags next to the changer and put under babies bum. Any excess "stuff" goes on the rag and the rag goes into the laundry. the rags are also good if you have a particularly nasty diaper change that requires a soap and rag change rather than 1 million wipes!

I agree! Instead, I bought a pack of those old time cloth diapers - they are thick and we've been using them to absorb all kinds of fluids. They are also easy to clean and tolerate bleach well... Definitely a wise investment.

Also, for those yet going to the hospital, I highly recommend taking one or two velco swaddle wraps. It was so much easier for me to swaddle her using the velcro wrap rather than the blanket.

[Happy Bunny]

Diaper Genie vs. Diaper Champ

Diaper Genie requires the purchase of special bags while Diaper Champ takes regular kitchen bags... Big savings for the Diaper Champ - we have it and it works well.

[gina55]

We have the Chicco Cortina double stroller which is front /back and its working great so far. I also have a snap n go for when we travel, takes up alot less space.
We love our swaddle blankets, the boys sleep a minimum of 6 hours when they're swaddled, our other favorite item is the Boppy Newborn Lounger great to just plop them down in if you have something to do.
I have the Medela Freestyle, so easy to take with you.