Mommy FTW

I have a few friends who are about to have their first babies, and they asked me for some advice on what to get.  So, I compiled a list of items I got for Cameron when he was a newborn most of which I still use today – so I would say they are definitely worth the money.

Cameron approved!

Infant bath seat – Although Cam has been sitting on his own in the bath for months now, I still use this bath seat at the beginning of bath time to clean his ‘boy parts’ – it’s just easier.  So considering he is 18+ months old now, I’d say it was worth its minimal cost.

Cotton Jersey Sheets – These sheets are basically made of T shirt material.  They are nice and soft and Cameron loves them.  Another mom recommended them to me and I am still to this day happy with the purchase.  I bought 2 extra sets to keep and grandma’s house so it feels more like home there.  I got mine at Buy Buy Baby – they were the store brand (BB Basics).

Baby 411 – Not really a read-through and more of a reference book, Baby 411 was opened countless times in the first year of my baby’s life.  Their no-nonsense tested information was sound advice I could count on.

Boppy pillow – This is a great pillow for nursing, and feeding bottles to your little one.  It is quite useful to have, so if you can’t get your hands on one I would say buy it – but check around and see if you can get a hand me down first.

Bottle warmer – At first I thought I would just warm bottles in hot water – but I realized at 3am it’s not fun to wait for hot water to do it’s job while there is a screaming baby at hand.  So I recommend this bottle warmer.  It’s pretty fast and has held up well.  You can also use it to defrost frozen baby food.

Wipe Warmer – I remember saying before Cam was born that he would use cold wipes and like them!  And then… I realized warm wipes solicited less screaming.  So I got a wipe warmer.  Not only is it great because it warms the wipes, but it also makes for easy distribution, which is worth a lot when you have a messy poop to clean up.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child – if you are considering sleep training at all, which I think you should, check out this book.

Born Free bottles – these are BPA free bottles that Cam really liked.  They are easy to clean, and don’t break.  I recommend buying them separately (not in a combo pack).  That way you can get the sizes you need at the time.

Bath towel – I love this one from giggle that Cam has.  We still use it every night.

Baby Cameron stares at his mobile. Also pictured - Cam's favorite sheets from Buy Buy Baby

A good mobile – Cam still loves to stare at his today.  Once a mom gave me the advice that you need to think of how a mobile looks from below, not just the side.  Obvious, but still so true.  So I chose the twitterling mobile by Haba.

The ergo carrier – I think this carrier is much more comfortable than the Baby Bjorn.  It’s a great option to have in case you’re going somewhere that you can’t (or don’t want to) take a stroller.

A diaper pail – I went with the Diaper Dekor, which we still use.  It contains the smell as much as I think poop smell could possibly be contained.  The smell only escapes for a second when a new diaper is put in.

A Changing Pad – You are going to be changing a LOT of diapers.  I found a changing pad was really helpful for keeping Cameron in place while I got down to business.  Buy a few covers (I got mine at Buy Buy Baby) so that if one gets soiled you have a back up.

If you plan to pump at all, you will need a “hospital grade” pump. The Medela seems to be the gold standard.   I wouldn’t bother with one of those hand pumps… I found mine to be completely worthless.  I borrowed a Medela pump from a friend.  You can also rent them from Babies R Us.

And… some general advice:

Don’t forget to check out Ikea for baby related stuff.  Their cribs are good quality, and are super cheap (my parents got one for $79 that is a beautiful natural wood color).  They have great toys, bowls, cups, plates, and utensils, and all kinds of fun things at very affordable prices.  I also got Cameron’s dresser there which doubles as his changing table.  FYI – when selecting a dresser/changing table, find one that is comfortable for your height.

As far as clothing goes, zippers are easier to deal with than snaps, and things that close down the front are easier to deal with than clothes that go over the head.  When Cam was born he was so little and fragile looking to me I had an over-the-head phobia for a few months.  Keep this in mind when you are shopping for clothes.

Blik wall stickers make great room decorations. They are easily (re)moveable and won't damage walls!

When getting baby’s room ready – think outside of the box.  You don’t have to buy only “baby” products.  All of the furniture in Cameron’s room (except the crib and rocker) are not “Childrens” items.  Also, I decorated with Blik stickers, which are super cute – but again, not “baby” products.  The dresser and toy bench came from Ikea, and his rug came from Room and Board.

A few baby products I think are unnecessary: crib bumpers (Cameron just mashed his down and they didn’t do anything,) the bumbo seat (we used this for maybe 2 weeks,) and a baby food maker (I have a food mill which I used, also a Cuisinart works fine – don’t bother buying a special baby product).

I hope that’s helpful… and not too overwhelming!  If anyone else has any advice to add, please leave a comment!

Back in early October when Cameron had his first bad cold it left him with some diarrhea.  At first I thought it was just loose poops because he wasn’t eating much solid food during his sickness.  But it went on and on, even after he got his appetite back.  His poor little butt was suffering with some terrible diaper rash, he was having trouble sleeping, and I was getting worried.

Other than the issues “down below” Cameron was fine.  His cold was gone, he was eating, and drinking plenty – so I wasn’t too concerned about dehydration, but I had to solve the problem so I referenced my fail safe, baby 411, and hit up google to see if I could find some advice from the internets.

I read that sometimes babies that are not normally lactose intolerant can become so once they already have diarrhea.  This sounded kind of crazy to me – Cameron has been having milk based formula pretty much since birth – but I was desperate, and willing to give anything a try.  I called up my pediatrician and asked her opinion.  She agreed with the info I had read on line, so I switched Cameron to Soy formula.  I thought he wouldn’t drink it because it might taste different, but he seemed fine with it.  And in 2 days his poops were back to normal.  Yay!  I saw her this past Friday for Cameron’s flu shot, and we talked about the diarrhea.  She said keep him on the Soy formula for a few more weeks, and then transition him back to dairy.

the Soy Solution!

So if any of you out there have babies with diarrhea that won’t seem to go away, try taking them off dairy…. it might be the thing that does the trick!

Hi all!  I know some of you are new to Mommy For the Win so I wanted to highlight some of the most popular and asked about posts that I’ve done in the past.  Check them out!

Diaper Rash?  My Doctor Said Mylanta

Picnic in the Park Made Easy with the best picnic blanket ever!

Free Infant CPR Classes at the Brooklyn Hospital

FREE – Clinton Hill Library – Reading for Babies

The Books I Found Most Helpful

The What’s Cameron Eating series: Ricotta Cheese and Squash, Avocado and Banana, Baby Yogurt and Banana, Baby Mum Mums, Cream of Wheat, Peaches, Waffles, Organic Puffs, Roasted Butternut Squash, Oatmeal with bananas and cinnamon, 67 Burger, String Cheese, Grilled Cheese and Peas

I hope you find them useful!

I have put off doing a post on Sleep Training in part because I think it is a sensitive and personal topic, but I saw a thread on PATH recently about sleep training / “crying it out” and it inspired me to post about the book and method I used to help Cameron become an excellent sleeper.

Before I had Cameron, a friend of mine used a the methods in the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to train her son to be an great sleeper.  He went down easily at bed time, slept through the night by 9 months, and two lengthy (1 hour + naps) every day.  Her success inspired me to use the same book with Cameron.  And while the sleep training was not easy, I would certainly say it was successful – and worth the effort.  Cameron also goes down easily at night, sleeps through from about 6pm to 7am, and takes two naps in the day (although I think we might be transitioning to one soon).

Here’s a few things I learned from Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child:

1)When children are over tired it is harder for them to sleep.  Have you ever forced yourself to stay up to study for a test, or because you were driving somewhere, only to find that when you finally allowed yourself to try and sleep, you couldn’t?  The same thing happens to babies.

2)Babies need to learn to sooth themselves to sleep on their own.  This is a skill that will help them be good sleepers through their lives.

3)Letting your baby “cry it out” does not make you a bad parent.  If your child wanted to ride their bike without a helmet, eat ice cream all day, and stick their fingers in the electrical socket, you wouldn’t let them.  And if they cried about it, you still wouldn’t let them.  Helping your child learn to fall asleep on their own and develop healthy sleep habits is good for them, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it.

4)Your baby will exhibit signs of being tired.  Signs include: Decreased activity, slower motions, being less vocal, appearing disinterested in the surroundings, eyes become less focused, yawning, and eye rubbing.  Watch your baby for these signs and help them sleep when they exhibit them.

5)Develop a soothing routine before naps and bed time, and be consistent with it.  This helps your baby know that it’s time to relax.  I don’t use the same routine for naps as I do with bed time, but I do use the same routine for every nap, every day, and for every bed time.

Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child

The book is separated into two major sections.  The first 200 or so pages are mainly focused on Sleep Theory.  While they are insightful, when I talk to moms about the book I recommend they skip ahead to the second major section which is divided into chapters by age group and focuses on the specific sleep challenges that you and your baby will be facing at that specific time.

Finally, I wanted to end by emphasizing that this book is not all about letting your baby “cry it out.”  It’s about healthy sleep, and how to achieve it.  Crying it out is one method that you may or may not have to use to get there.  Even if you don’t feel comfortable with having your baby cry it out, I think reading this book will give you some useful tips, and help your family get more sleep.  Good Luck!!!

Check out the other post I did on the Books I Found Most Helpful

This past weekend Cameron came down with his first really bad cold – cough, runny nose, fever, and all around cabbyness.  And to make matters worse, my husband had to work all weekend so we were stuck fending for ourselves.  Two things helped us through it – 1) Baby 411, and 2)my fellow mommies and daddies.

Here’s what I learned:

1) A fever is a good thing.  It means Cameron’s body was busy fighting the intruder.  Also, fevers are naturally higher in the evening than the morning – so don’t be surprised if your baby is 100 in the AM and 102 at night.  Once the fever was gone, I knew Cameron was going to be out of the woods and recovery was on the way.

2) Baby Ibuprofen lasts longer than Baby Acetaminophen (6-8 hours vs 4 hours) so if your baby is over 6 months, give it a try – especially for overnight.  It will give your baby (and you) longer relief.

3) Get yourself a cool mist humidifier.  I don’t recommend the one they sell at Walgreens – it is kind of noisy.

4) Before bath time, run the shower to really steam up the bathroom.  This is good for helping the baby breathe.  Don’t give your baby a cool bath if they have a fever – this is only something you do if the baby is SUPER hot – like 107.  Would you like taking a cold bath when you were sick?

5) Use a Saline Mist to help loosen up all the snot that your poor sick baby is producing.  Then, if you feel comfortable with the idea, use a booger sucker (nasal aspirator) to suck out the snot.  Both of these things will make your baby hate you for a minute, so be prepared for tears and protest.  Also keep a kleenex at the ready to wipe up the snot, and tears.

6) Give your baby extra opportunities to sleep – try putting them to bed 30 minutes early for bed times and nap times.  When you’re sick, doesn’t extra sleep make you feel better too?

Baby 411 - my savior

Check out Baby 411 for more info on colds and other viruses, and don’t forget to ask your fellow parents for help.  I used facebook, and got some really great info as well as support!  Good luck mommies!

A friend of mine who is about to have her first baby just asked me what books I found most helpful when planning for Cameron to arrive.  These three were recommended to me by a friend who had already had a baby (my baby guru), and I found them all to be very useful.

Baby Bargains

Baby Bargains: I’m one of those people who reads reviews obsessively to find the perfect product.  This book had great no nonsense reviews for all kinds baby related paraphernalia.  This info, combined with the reviews people post on Amazon, made me feel like I was making educated decisions.

Baby 411

Baby 411: Why is my baby’s poop black?  What developmental milestones are coming up? What is Mastitis?  How much should my baby be eating?  Do I really need to boil everything to sterilize it?  The answers to these and many more questions you never thought of but soon will are in this book.  For a first time parent, this book is extremely useful.  It’s not something you read cover to cover, but use more as a reference text, looking up questions as you come up with them.  A serious must-have!

Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: My friend who was my baby guru (she has a 2.5 year old) recommended this sleep book, and used this method with her son.  It’s a bit dense to read (you might feel like you are back in college!) but I think it’s really informative when it comes to sleep and babies.   We’ve been using Dr. Weissbleuth’s methods with Cameron and people always comment that he is one of the happiest babies they know.  When he is awake, is is very observant as well as calm.  It is certainly an effort to do sleep training with your baby, but in the end both you and your baby will get more rest, and be happier for it!