My Favorite Baby Things & Tips

I am writing this because I have had so many newly pregnant friends and have found myself sending the same email over and over when talking about different tips. So I figured it might be beneficial for a lot of mommy's out there.

I tried to generalize an email I sent responding to a dear friend's registry I looked over.  I know for me, registering for things really stressed me out! I was planning to nurse...did I really need bottles? And what the heck is a nipple flow??  Oh my...I wigged out!  So here are some of the tips I wish I knew ahead of time.

MOM's!!  You may disagree or have other tips or recommendations, PLEASE post them in a comment (nicely) and give additional tips so this can be a great resouce point for new and expectant mommys!

BOTTLES/WASHERS/WARMER, etc:
I went through about 6 of every brand, loved Dr Brown’s bottle cleaners (didn’t use any of that brand) but the wire part of the cleaner kept rusting and breaking. I finally got the B-R-US brand and LOVE them. They last FOREVER!

Bottle warmer is really a waste of time…we used an insulated mug and put water in it in the microwave for a minute (almost boiling) then set it in it (plan for water displacement) and within 30 seconds we had a bottle for her. Trust me, waiting 15 minutes when you have a screaming baby, will make you NUTS!! (what I would do though, is keep it on the list, it’s a good price range for people to buy, then take it back and put the credit towards bigger items people typically don’t buy….we did that A LOT!)

I didn’t like the Playtex bottles. I know some who use them some who don’t. I like the Advent bottles best. The CLEAR bottles not the ones with the goldish tent for “colic” those were AWEFUL, you would inevitably spill it all over you. But these are just so practical and BPA free and came in 2 sizes and I just liked them! But I am sure Playtex is fine too.
The bright pretty colored (10 pack) of bibs are cute, but AB is 1 now, and they STILL are too big in the neck, so stuff still gets on her. Just a heads up.
STROLLERS/TRAVEL SYSTEMS:
You may want to wait on the cheap umbrella stroller. Trouble w/ that one, it’s cute, but it’s really only good (in my mind) for big toddlers. It doesn’t lay back at all, and it isn’t very secure. I still won’t put AB in that one. I got the Chicco one, about $75 and it is much better, it zips out to lay back a bit and it has a crotch harness and shoulder harness so she is secure in it. It will mean more to you when you have her in your arms and think, “I don’t want her wobbling around in that!!” Or, you may find the Mcclarens at TJMaxx now for about $75 or $100, and those are great! I personally am IN LOVE with the Joovy Kooper stroller that you can order through Babies R Us online b/c it folds up small and light like an umbrella stoller, but has ALL the perks of a big travel system stroller, with a place for your phone, keys, diaper bag, a place for their cup or snack, and then it lays back all the way for a nap with a large canopy. AWESOME!! Did I MENTION it folds up like an umbrella stroller!

Good stroller w/ your travel system if you are a runner and plan to use it for such, not great for shopping though (which is more my speed). I personally would just register for a Jeep jogging stroller and get a big travel system that is great for getting out and having her in all day to nap, shop, whatever. I found indoor malls to be my special place after she was born, I could stroll, walk at a nice pace, shop, pull in somewhere and nurse in a dressing room, and let her nap in it, and store my big diaper bag and bags from shopping in there. It was wonderful! Worth every penny. You can always get jogging strollers and nicer umbrella strollers on Craigslist and at consignment sales for GREAT prices!! Also, look at safety ratings on your car seat and weight limit. Ours is great and actually goes up to 35lbs, which is important b/c a lot of times, the ones that are 22lbs weight limit, they don’t exceed the lbs limit, but the length. Their little legs dangle out like crazy. What we love is that ours we can just turn around now and she can still sit in it in our 2nd vehicle. The upright we went with is the Graco Nautilist, and it is INCREDIBLE!! I LOVE IT!!! I took a poll of mommies and it far outweighed the others. It is just more functional and they can use it from 1 until they need a booster seat, and it TURNS INTO a booster seat! SOO functional! You might consider going ahead and registering for an upright. But it’s fun to go back and let her try them all on and see what fits HER best. And built in cup holders….the BEST!
DIAPERS/WIPES, etc:
Register for LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of size 3 diapers. You will be in them FOREVER!! Size 1’s we were in for about 3 months, same with 2’s and 2/3’s (at SAMS only- LOVE THEM). Size 3’s though, for 6 months now and prob for another few. When you do get to buying on your own, we started using the TARGET brand (polka dots) they are only $14 for a box, and they are AWESOME!! You will find VERY quickly, that around 4-5 months, she will start peeing right through those swaddlers and pampers cruisers like crazy! Target brand has to be my best suggestion for alllll mommies! Their diapers are great, soft, comfy, and hold! ( I hated huggies and luvs, etc, they are just so cheap feeling) It’s either pampers or target brand for us!
Pampers sensitive wipes are the BEST, hands down. It’s all we use.
DON’T do a diaper genie! They are by far, THE nastiest things ever! And you can only use their brand of bags! Register for a Diaper CHAMP! No twisting or smoushing a nasty diaper in to a nasty thing, but just slide it back, pop it in the air tight hole that opens, slide it back and it pops into the trash part. Uses standard kitchen bags, and it is much easier to use! I don’t know any mommy friends that liked their genie! P.S. I still make Stephen take out the pale. It’s soo sooo gross when you open them up. No way to run from it! Change it every 3rd day! NOW though, we keep a bundle of Kroger sacks by her changing table and put poopy diapers in it and take it out immediately.
NURSING/FEEDING/PUMPING/BOTTLE FEEDING:
TRUST ME, you will only need 1 lansinoh nipple cream, that crap goes a LONG way!! I only went through 1 sample tube I got at the hospital for free. And you only need it for like, 2 weeks. Also thos clear gel pads are the BOMB when you put them in the fridge and use them that first week or 2.
Lansinoh boobie pads were ok, I think… My recommendations, the Madella reusable cotton pads. They are wonderful and don’t smush up like the others. If not those, then I used the Madella paper ones, I HATED the Advent pads, they made you look like you hade big maxi pads on your boobs through your shirt.

ALSO and this is SOOOOOO important. I don’t care what brand pump you use, but ONLY Madela storage bags. They are more pricey, but they are worth it! They are double sealed and every other brand I used, the milk was freezer burned. They sit up better, are easier to pour and thaw out. And when you store your milk. After pumping, keep it in the pumped out bottle with the lid on, put it in some water on the stove and don’t boil it, but warm it, almost to a boil, and then freeze it. Put it in the bag, and then, when I had about 8 bags of milk frozen, I put them in a LARGE Freezer bag and if you have one… put them in the deep freeze, you can keep it up to a year that way. The reason you almost boil is b/c it prevents your milk from having a metallic taste to it, which no one told me ahead of time, so mine did. Yes, I tried it, it’s no big deal, it’s like sweet skim. And if not frozen right, they will not take it well. I lost about 2 months worth of milk b/c of stupid cheaper storage bags and freezer burn.

I started tapering off breast feeding after I went back to work and when I was at work, she drank my frozen milk from when I was on leave (the first couple of months your supply will be HUGE-well mine was- so I stored it up like crazy!) or the milk I pumped off the day before. I can tell you more about this whenever. Breast feeding was the most challenging thing, just because based on frequency of nursing and pumping your supply can vary. It was cool! But I stayed in regular communication with the lactation consultants and my friends who nursed. But honey, it is a bond that you cannot understand. I loved it. Even now, when AB wakes up for the day, I just want to sit down and nurse her! I miss it so!! Just remember the 1st week is tough, b/c it’s confusing and different, but it is so so so awesome! And easy and convenient when you get going with it! No bottle to tote, no bottle to warm, just boob. Back of the truck, in the fitting room, whatever, It was never a prob!
Again I say, that first week can be so challenging and if it’s painful, you’re not doing it right. Best tip I ever had, was “make a sandwich” with it and make her take a bite, and make sure the bottom lip is out, and you will have an excellent latch! I will say, there were several times when I first started that I thought, wow…this is why people quit. But I had a strong commitment to it and was so glad I stuck it out, but
****REMEMBER**** if you are more stressed and upset and overwhelmed by it then it’s not worth your sanity. Everyone handles new mommyhood differently and for me it was stressful, but I also found relief at the end of the day with nursing, it has a calming effect on both you and the baby.
A lot of mom’s choose not to continue with nursing and that was best for them. It was frustrating, time consuming, stressful, and it’s not worth not enjoying being a new mom over! But READ UP ON IT ahead of time. At your 3rd trimester, start squeezing to get colostrum ready, just little drops, to help get flow and toughen up a little bit. Delivery, epidural, no problem, coming home and figuring out this nursing thing, stressed me out! But it has been the best thing and bond that only she and I have. I did start incorporating the bottle at about 2 weeks so she did both without any problem (which I also recommend b/c a boobie only baby is just no for babysitters!)

Registry:
Don’t register for a lot of clothes, they are hard to find in the store, and no one ever gets just what you want, and you will get TONS and TONS of clothes that you don’t want b/c people love buying little girl clothes, regardless of your registry. Have a few items, but not a lot, they will not be there or in season in 3 months. And for you, get a couple of cheap premie onsies for the hospital, newborn doesn’t fit for the first few weeks **Usually**. Find the gowns, those are the BEST things ever!! No buttons or snaps to change a diaper in the middle of the night!
RANDOM, but hangers, make sure they have the dip in area in the top to catch the stuff that slides off the shoulder of the hanger, those are priceless. And for little girls, register for lots and lots of the hangers with the dips and the built in clips on the bottom piece for the bloomers and to keep outfits together. I can’t get enough of that kind of hanger.
SLEEPING:http://www.babywisemom.com/

That’s all I’ve got to say! This blog SAVED MY SANITY as a new mom! I was so stressed trying to get AB to sleep through the night and get on a schedule. We were able to get her to sleep through the night, 10 hours at 10 weeks and 12 hours at 12 weeks. She took 2, 2 hour naps until we dropped her to 1 (which is still happening). Read On Becoming Babywise and The Baby Whisperer.BOTH were excellent for the sleep training process for us. The blog though really really gave us some good tips from all the mommy’s who follow the blog! I also have some blogs with the Babywise subject line that you can jump to. Email me if you have any questions! Sleep training was such a challenge that I felt soooo proud to finally conquer! And just a side note….they hit a NASTY growth spurt at 6 months where you almost have to do it all over again!