The Baby Standard

Finding a daycare, the basics

2012-01-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Part One: Considerations

Finding the "perfect" daycare for your child(ren)can seem to be an impossible task, but there are a lot of resources provided bythe counties and states to help you get started.

Daycare resources:
http://www.daycare.com/listing.html

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/facility/search/cc.cgi

http://www.msde.maryland.gov/MSDE/divisions/child_care/child_care.htm

http://educationcenter.dc.gov/ec/cwp/view,a,1306,q,581185.asp

Things to ask when visiting a child care site:

Basics, like hours of operation, fees, late fees
What’s the discipline policy?
What’s the sick kid policy (also, do you pay if your childis sick and doesnt come that day)?
What’s your staff tenure and staff turnover rate?
What’s your staff-to-child ratio in each class? And does itchange throughout the day?
Will my child be in a mixed age class at any part of the day?
What’s your security and safety policies?
Is the facility licensed or accredited?
Is there a discount for siblings?
Is there a part-time option/rate?

Things to consider prior to selecting your type ofchild care (in-home, nanny, au pair, center):

Does my child need full-time or part-time care?
Does my child have special needs?
What’s our monthly budget for child care?

What things did you take into consideration before you started the daycarehunt? What other questions did you ask when doing site visits?

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Part Two: My Story

I knew how difficult it could be to find infant carein the NoVa area and had heard that most centers had waitlists for infant carethat ranged from one to two years. Before we told anyone we were expecting ourfirst, we started the almighty daycare hunt. And that's when we realized weshould have budgeted a good chunk of money (a few hundred dollars) to spend onregistration fees. Non-refundable registration fees. ::sigh::

We toured a few places, paid the registration fees ($75 here, $65 there, etc.),and got our names on the waitlist. I used to work in a daycare center beforecoming to Booz Allen, so I was aware of the things to look for and thequestions to ask and was comfortable touring the centers and thought that wouldbe the perfect place for our new baby. But as my pregnancy progressed I gotless comfortable with the idea of leaving my baby with a group of strangers.And then a colleague's wife started her own in-home care and offered to watchour baby.

We had our oldest daughter at this in-home daycare for her first two years andthen transitioned her and placed our youngest daughter in a daycare center backin July of 2011. There are, obviously, pros and cons to both types of care.Here's my short list:

In-home care:
Pros:

Cost - Usually the cost of in-home care is significantly less than the cost ofa center (in my search I discovered that church preschools are also relativelycheap, but they usually only take potty-trained children, no infants).
More 1-on-1 care - The ratios are just so much smaller when you go in-home andat one point our oldest was the only kid there besides the provider's own youngdaughter. It was like she was part of their family.
Provider/teacher trust - I was so much more comfortable leaving my oldestdaughter as an infant because I knew the woman that would be caring for her andknew she would be loved and in very good hands. That doesn't mean I didn't cryfor two weeks every time I dropped her off, because I did, hormones will dothat to you, but once I got over that, it was nice knowing she was with someoneI knew and trusted.

Cons:

Interaction with others - There are usually fewer children than you would findin a center. Our daughter got used to be the only kid and wasn't quite used tosharing things with others.
Food - We had to provide all of the food, which takes a lot of extra time toput together in the morning.
Hours of operation - For some this may be a pro because some in-home placeshave extended hours at no charge, but ours had set times due to schoolattendance, so there were times when we had to leave work earlier than wewanted to so we could pick up on time.

Daycare center (specifically Kindercare):
Pros:

Structure, structure, structure - There is a set routine for each day and theyalways follow it, which helps tremendously when it comes to keeping a routineat home on the weekends.
Discipline - No, not beatings. But there are definite consequences to notlistening or following the rules.
Food - They provide all of the food AND a set monthly menu.
Hours of operation - Our center is open from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm at no extracost.

Cons:

Cost - Infant care in NoVa can range anywhere from $1100/month to$1700/month and in-home care can sometimes be half of that cost.
1-on-1 care - The staff-to-child ratio is higher in centers (though they haveto follow state laws/limits), so your child doesn't get as much 1-on-1 timewith the teacher. However, this is kind of a pro because they learn they haveto wait their turn and to entertain themselves (always a plus for the workingparent, IMO).
Provider/teacher trust - Unless you really know the providers at the center,you're not going to be 100% comfortable with all of them and in most cases youwon't even know them all until after a month or so of your child being there. Alot of centers have set staff for each room, but they also have"floaters" who help fill in when regular teachers are out. The goodpart is that your child gets used to others caring for them. And you'll get to knowall of the staff eventually, it just isn't the same as with a single in-homeprovider.

All in all, I was happy with our choice to put our oldest in an in-home placeas an infant and I'm currently happy with the center our now 3 year old andalmost 10 month old attend. When I was touring centers, I knew I wantedsomething that was on the way to work, but not too far from home, since we bothwork from home occassionally. The majority of the important things most centershave: planned activities, routine, menus, etc. What I was really looking forwas "the feeling". it's hard to describe, but I knew I would feel itwhen I found the right place. I kind of just went with my gut. And that wouldbe my advice to new parents, research your options, read reviews, interview theteachers and parents (if you can), but mostly go on a site visit and hang outin the room for a bit and just go with what your gut tells you.

So you've decided to embrace your little one's independence.

2011-08-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I said to myself in reference to the battles I was fighting with my 2 1/2 year old each day: "Self, if you're really going to let her have choices, you have to be okay with what she chooses. Let go."

And so I gave her some control. Over her wardrobe. Folks, here's what you have to look forward to if you have a strong-willed fashionista-in-the-making - just a few of her outfits she's put together. Girl's got great personal style.

Yes, some of these outfits seem a little crazy, but you know what? It makes her so happy to choose what she's going to wear and I love how uninhibited she is with "fashion" - she just wants to wear what makes her happy and doesn't care what people think. I really hope that kind of thinking stays with her as she grows older.

What kinds of crazy fun outfits have your kids put together?

My favorite baby app (so far)

2011-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I got my iPad, a friend suggested I purchase the Baby Connect app - she swore it would make my life much easier and she was 100% right. It made tracking all of my newborn's diapers and feedings a breeze and there was no confusion as to which side she had eaten from last or when her last diaper change was (you know how it is with all the diaper counting and the worrying of "did they poop enough today? why aren't they pooping?! oh my god make the pooping stop!").

You can enter how long and from which side they nursed, how many oz of a bottle was eaten, exactly what kind of diaper change there was (including the color and texture, which sounds kinda gross, but is helpful when the pediatrician asks you to explain just what you mean by green and mucousy).

All of that information is then charted so you can see their sleeping and eating (and pooping) patterns, which helps when getting them on a routine. Side note: our daycare gives us a daily communication sheet at the end of each day that includes when our daughter ate (and how much), her sleep schedule for the day, and all of the times that she was changed. I've been entering the feeding and sleeping info into the app and it helped me keep the same routine for her on the weekends.

I also use this app to track anything and everything medical and milestone related for both girls. It's super helpful when either of the girls have been ill. I just track all of the temps and medicine doses so I can easily relay the info to the doctor.

Oh? And you know how frustrating it can be to go for a well visit, have the nurse rattle off all of your kid's growth, and not have anything to write it down on? Now I bring my iPad and enter in their height, weight, and head size and the app tracks all of the percentiles for me on a nice neat graph.

Same with all of the vaccinations. I was terrible about remembering which shots my oldest had gotten and when. It's helped a ton to have them entered in the app (especially when completing paperwork for daycare). And you can email yourself (or anyone else) any of the records that you've entered in the app.

(You can see we don't delay any of our kids' vaccinations.)

There's really nothing I don't love about this app. I definitely don't use all of the functions, like the Mood and Activity ones. I mostly stick to the Medical and Milestone functions to track items for both kids and use the Feed and Sleep ones for my youngest. Most of the doctors we've seen have been pretty impressed when they see everything the app tracks and have appreciated the accuracy of the information I'm able to share when the kids are sick.

For example, our youngest had her 4 month well visit and received 5 vaccines: 2 shots in her legs and 1 oral. The next 2 days she had a low-grade fever, which we tracked and monitored and then 3 days after the vaccinations she ended up with a pretty impressive rash all over her chest and back. Since our pediatrician's office was closed for the day (and the rash had spread), we took her to Urgent Care. It was great being able to quickly pull up which vaccinations she had received (and when) and exactly what her temp had been and when the rash had started. It makes those kinds of hectic visits easier for me because I don't have to worry that I've forgotten any information and I can completely focus on my sick kid.

A+ in my book.

Without a schedule, I'd be lost.

2011-07-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

We're finally getting into a good routine with both girls now that I'm back at work. There are definitely days when I feel like all I've done is get ready for the day, work, and then get ready for the next day. Now, I do spend quite a bit of time doing all of that, but I've also managed to get into a routine that allows us plenty of quality time with the girls and each other.

Let's start at the end of the day...

I leave work and pick the girls up from daycare since the center is a few miles from my office. We get home, I unpack our bags, check the daily communications sheet from daycare, date and store the breastmilk I pumped that day, take out frozen milk for the next day, and label next day's bottles.

Once my husband is home, he makes dinner while I entertain the girls. After we eat, I clean up dinner and do the dishes, while he plays with the girls. After that we both get a little play time in together, then it's time to get the girls bathed and ready for bed. Once we have both girls down for the night (which is usually around 8:30 pm), we finish whatever dishes are left, set up coffee machine for the morning, and relax on the couch in front of the TV. We try to be in bed before 11:00 pm, but most of the time I'm ready to hit the sack around 10:00 pm.

And here's why: I'm up by 5:00 am to get ready for the day. I usually get up between 4:00 and 5:00 to nurse my daughter, but sometimes she sleeps in and I can get ready before waking her up. So I wake up, shower, iron our clothes for the day (which I could do the night before, but I don't because I feel like I already do enough LOL), and put on my makeup. Once upon a time when I only had 1 kid I did actually do my hair, but now it's almost always pulled back in a ponytail or a bun. I figure I'll have time to do it again once my youngest sleeps longer.

After I'm mostly ready, I wake up the girls, get them dressed, and nurse my youngest, if she didn't wake up earlier. Then I finally get dressed (I used to get dressed first, but then learned my lesson when my youngest spit up all over my neatly ironed work clothes). While I'm getting the girls ready, my husband is busy packing our lunches, putting coffee in my thermos, and putting together the daycare bags. My husband packs the cars and heads to work and I drop the girls off at daycare and then head to my office.

Then we work all day and rinse and repeat.

What's your daily routine like?

What we’ve been reading

2011-06-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

We're always on the hunt for new books - it helps break up the monotony of reading the same book over. And over. And over again. So I thought I'd share a few of our current favorites in case you're in the same position.

Hippos Go Berserk and Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton
Really I love most of her books because they have a great rhythm that makes them fun to read. And they're short enough that our daughter has actually memorized most of them and gets excited to turn the page because she knows what's coming next.

What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Schwartz
This is such a great book for little kids and fun way to learn colors. Our daughter loves the different colored ribbons and especially loves the line "what makes a rainbow?" on each page. For some reason it makes her giggle. She's silly like that. The illustrations throughout the book are charming - I really adore the little legs on all of the animals (especially Mr. Fox).

I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge
We've had this book since our oldest daughter was born - her godmother (who happens to love rhinos) gave it to her and it was an instant favorite. We've read it so often that she knows all of the animals/friends on each page and likes to point out everything they're doing. It's so fanciful and imaginative with it's tea drinking rhino, bubble bathing giraffe, and ice skating hippo.

What are your favorite children's books?

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-06-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

My first week back at work came and went so quickly and I'm surprised at how well I managed the transition, both emotionally and physically. By the time I went back to work with my first daughter, she was sleeping through the night pretty consistently, something I was eternally grateful for since I really needed that sleep. This kid isn't even close to sleeping through the night. At this point I would take her just waking up once each night, just to have some sort of consistency or schedule, but she seems to like to keep me on my toes.

Which brings me to the handling the transition back to work thing. Physically I'm exhausted. Like the I-could-fall-asleep-this-instant kind of tired. But I'm learning to operate on less sleep (and am now taking my caffeine intraveneously) and make the most of my time both at work and at home in the evenings.

I was fully prepared to melt down after dropping the kids off at daycare that first day, but I ended up shedding just a few tears and then pulled myself together before I was even out of the parking lot. Now, some of that may have to do with this being my second time around or it could be that I was just tired and sweaty from the battle that was drop-off. All I know is that each day gets easier and easier. I still miss the hell out of my kids while I'm at work, but I know they're going to be okay in someone else's hands and it really is nice to feel productive and interact with other adults on a regular basis. Even if I spend a lot of that time talking about my kids. : )

My 3 month old has been doing really well at daycare. The first couple of days she struggled with taking a bottle and napping, but has since gotten into a routine and happily takes the bottle (and occasionally a pacifier!). She's also mellowed out a bit, by which I mean she doesn't seem to need to be held by only me 24/7 anymore. She still has her moments, but for the most part she's happy to just relax in her bouncer while I help make dinner or play with our toddler.

Speaking of, that toddler of ours hasn't handled the new "school" transition as well. She had been going to the same in-home provider for two years, so we knew this would be difficult for her. I left every morning with her either balled up on the floor or pressed against the glass door, crying her eyes out. It wasn't until this morning, day 1 of week 2 that I left with her happily chatting with the morning teacher. I couldn't believe it, but I am thrilled that she's getting used to our new routine.

We try to talk to her about "school" every night to prepare her for the next day and get her excited about all of the fun things she gets to do. This was our conversation on the way there this morning.

Me: What do you do at school?
Toddler: Sleep all night and wake up.
Me: All you do is sleep?
Toddler: And pick boogies.

LOL She's definitely got a skewed perception of what she does at school. How did you handle the transition back to work?

Potty "training"

2011-06-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

We haven't been pushing the potty training as much anymore, although we do encourage Stasa to go potty throughout the day and almost always change her "panties" (aka Pull Ups) in the bathroom to help her make the association.

Well, Monday afternoon she announced that she needed to go, walked into the bathroom, dropped trou and went. And as she was going she was applauding herself and asking for a "nummy num," otherwise known as a potty treat. Fast forward to this morning when she woke up dry so I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty. She walked into the bathroom, climbed up on the potty and asked for a book to read. LOL As I was walking down the hall to get her book she yells, "MOMMY I PEE PEE! I GO! I POTTY!" Now, she announces this all.the.time and usually there's nothing in the pot, but this time she actually went. And as soon as she pointed it out to me, she said, "I flush it down? NUMMY NUM!"

Part of me wonders if the new daycare has anything to do with this since she watches other kids go on the potty all day. Who knows. All I know is, she's so proud of herself and she's going to get it. On her own terms, natch.

Daycare Update

2011-06-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

I survived day one and more importantly, so did the girls. I'll blog more about our first week's experience at the end of this week.

For now, how did you cope with the transition to a new daycare?

Daycare fears

2011-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our toddler has been going to the same in-home daycare provider since she was 3 months old. She's almost 2 1/2 now. We decided to move her to a preschool daycare center upon my return from this maternity leave and our infant would then go to the in-home provider. Unfortunately our in-home provider is going back to school and is now unable to watch our infant so both girls are going to the same daycare center.

Now, once upon a time I worked in a daycare center for nearly 5 years. I'm aware of how things work and what can go on. I know how much the teachers love the kids, how much fun the kids have, how much they learn, and how well things are organized.

Knowing all of that, you'd think I'd be totally comfortable sending my toddler to a daycare center. But I'm not. I have so many fears about sending her there.

I worry that she'll get picked on or that her feelings will be hurt. I worry that she'll be too high energy for the teachers. I worry that the teachers won't like her (and that she'll pick up on that). I worry that she'll feel abandoned. I worry that she just won't fit in.

When I told my husband my fears, he told me I was crazy because I'm worrying about things that probably won't even be a problem. True, our daughter is one of the happiest, easy-going kids I know and the teachers and kids at her new school seem so friendly and loving. But you just never know.

Of course I have an entire set of worries and fears for our 3 month old daughter. With our oldest we were leaving her at an in-home daycare with someone I knew well and trusted and I still cried for a week and worried about her. I'm definitely worried about sending our youngest to a center. She barely takes a bottle, refuses a pacifier 98% of the time, and prefers to only be held by me. I've been reassured by my mom friends that both girls will do great and will adjust in no time. Only time will tell.

I survived a 12+ hour car ride alone with my kids. Where's my medal?

2011-06-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a 12+ hour road trip from Northern Virginia to Chicago with my almost 2 1/2 year old and my 3 month old. Alone. And I lived to tell the tale, although to be honest, my friends are definitely questioning my sanity.

I wanted to take advantage of the rest of my maternity leave and chose to drive since I was stretching out my trip over a week to visit both friends and family. Originally I was going to make the trip in 2 days, with an overnight in the middle of Ohio, but decided to leave after dinner on a Sunday night and drive straight through the night in the hopes that both girls would sleep the majority of the way. Boy was I wrong. My 3 month old is in that *wonderful* stage where she screams bloody murder when she's in her car seat. I talked to her pediatrician about it and asked, somewhat jokingly, how long could she possibly cry, thinking it would only last an hour or so. SEVEN hours later she finally stopped crying. Okay, honestly it was 7 hours of on and off crying/whining with many many stops in between to feed her, change her, and cuddle her.

My toddler was terrific in the car. I brought along a portable DVD player and the SpongeBob Squarepants movie, some of her favorite books and small toys and she was in heaven. Granted she didn't actually fall asleep until 1:30 AM, but that was partly my fault for not turning off the DVD player earlier. However, once she fell asleep, she stayed asleep until we arrived in Chicago.

Since I didn't get a solid night's sleep the night before our drive home, I chose to take it slow and do it in 2 days. We left at dinner time for the drive home and ended up stopping just outside of Toledo, OH in the middle of the night. Looking back I probably should have just kept driving since both girls fell asleep early, but I was so tired and needed a few hours of sleep. Luckily both girls stayed asleep through the car to hotel bed transition.

We spent the majority of the next day driving home with many, many stops for bathroom and food breaks. My 3 month old slept most of the way that day, but my toddler was a bit more antsy and tired of being in the car. The last 2 hours (and really the last half hour) were the worst. The baby was crying, my toddler was whining and even with stopping to console them both, it didn't help. I was so happy to pull into our driveway and see my husband.

I'm no expert on traveling with kids, but here are a few things that helped me:

Since I was driving alone I always texted or called my husband whenever I stopped to let him know where I was and did the same right before I got back on the road.
For bathroom breaks, I wore my 3 month old in my BabyHawk and let my toddler walk with me.
I was nervous about stopping in the middle of the night and sitting in my car alone to nurse my daughter, so I always parked right next to the gas station attendant's booth. They were always well lit and it was nice knowing there was someone else there that could see me.
Having a portable DVD player for my toddler was a god-send. Now, I know some parents don't agree with using TV as a babysitter (and believe me, before I had a toddler I was one of those parents), but man, it was so nice to have her fully entertained and quiet while I drove, especially since I couldn't really give her 100% of my attention in the car. Of course, there was no need to pack multiple kid movies because she insisted on the SpongeBob Squarepants movie over and over and over again. I could probably quote the entire movie now.
Bringing my iPod. Yeah, yeah, this is a given for any car ride, but seriously, having good music to sing to when the kids were crying or sleeping helped me keep most of my sanity. And go ahead and judge me, but Yeah by Usher makes my baby stop crying every.single.time. She likes the bass.

And some mistakes I made along the way:

Speeding. ::sigh:: I should have used cruise control because without it, it was hard to not speed and getting pulled over in the middle of the night with 2 screaming kids wasn't the most fun. Thankfully the cop took pity on me and only gave me a warning.
Stopping for lunch at exactly noon when the lines were the longest and my kids were the hungriest.
Keeping the portable DVD player on until my toddler fell asleep. I should have turned it off at her normal bedtime, but she was quiet and I was already dealing with a crying baby in the car and didn't want to add to the madness.
Forgetting my E Z Pass. I thought I wouldn't be able to use it in the midwest, but apparently the I Zoom now accepts both the E Z Pass and the I Pass. It was such a pain waiting in the toll lines to pay in cash (and once with a check when I couldn't find the rest of my cash).
Not packing enough caffeinated beverages or water. I tried not to drink too much because I didn't want to have to stop all of the time for bathroom breaks, but I must have forgotten the fact that I would have to stop frequently for the kids, so in retrospect I should have hydrated more.
At one stop I tried carrying my baby in her car seat since she was asleep and letting my toddler walk, but that was a big fat fail. My infant woke up as soon as we walked into the building and my toddler played the limp noodle game - you know, you're walking along, holding your kid's hand and all of a sudden they drop to their knees and refuse to move because they don't *want* to cooperate anymore. Fun stuff.

All of that said, if given the chance to do it again, I would.

The evolution of potty training

2011-05-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

The time had come to tackle potty training. We had decided to use the 3-day potty training method that everyone had raved about, but *gasp* modified it a bit to fit our needs. I really wanted to be done and not have a long drawn out process, so we committed to spending our weekend plus on potty training.

To start we had our daughter gather all of her diapers and we gave them to the baby's room and said bye bye to them. The 3-day method says you should throw them all away, but the miser in me couldn't do it and I knew I wouldn't use them as a crutch. No looking back, right?

After saying goodbye to the diapers, I replenished her diaper basket with 35 pairs of new underwear and I put her in her first pair of big girl undies. Since the first day was really half a day she only had 5 accidents, which didn't seem like a lot to me.

The second day she went through 10 pairs of underwear, but was doing better towards the end of the day. The third was even better and she went through about 6 or 7 pairs. I kept her home from daycare on day four because she wasn't fully trained and I didn't want to lose momentum (nor did I want to throw away all of the time we invested in potty training so far).

Day four went even better and she only had 1 accident in the morning, went on the potty a couple of times and had just 1 accident after her nap. So we kept her home another day to keep at it. I like to call this the day my child realized she's got the power in this situation. While she didn't have many accidents at all, she held her bladder and refused to go on the potty, although she would sit on it. We even attempted a trip to Target, had lunch and she remained dry the whole time. That evening we went to the mall play place and she had a small accident, didn't like it at all and happily ran to the bathroom with her daddy to sit on the potty and change clothes.

We kept her home another day. It was more of the same and we weren't making any progress so we sent her to daycare the following day armed with multiple changes of underwear and clothes and a portable potty. She had 4 or 5 accidents by 11:00 am. She hadn't done that since the first day we started.

Power. She has it.

So she was put back in Pull Ups (yes, I'm aware they're glorified over-priced diapers, but she associated Pull Ups with underwear and they're the cool touch ones so she feels when she goes). We still encourage her to go on the potty and she tells us when she's going and occasionally sits on the potty, but it's much more relaxed.

I finally realized she'll do it when SHE'S ready. Or rather, when she wants to.

Alright, so after allllllllllllll of that, here's a few things I learned along the way that may be helpful when you tackle the potty training beast.

Have a bucket filled with a mixture of water and Oxiclean - you need a place to put all of the soiled underwear
Have ready-made meals (or prepare meals ahead of time) - you won't be able to make real meals if you're the main one doing the potty training (especially if you chose the 3 day method)
Take a bath or shower during naps or at night
Borrow/rent/buy a steam cleaner for your floors - there will be accidents and if you have carpet you'll want to clean it
In the beginning, our daughter would pee multiple times throughout the day, even though we were only changing her diaper roughly 4-5 times a day
If you're used to having a moment alone in the bathroom, you definitely won't have that during the 3 (or more) days that you're potty training your child (although I haven't had a moment alone in the bathroom since our daughter figured out how to open doors)

Finally, get help. If your significant other or mother or friend or family member can help, let them. Good luck!

Surviving pregnancy with a toddler in tow

2011-05-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

To say being pregnant is exhausting is an understatement. And being a mom to a toddler is definitely challenging at times (okay, a lot of the time). Being pregnant while also raising a toddler is the most exhausting thing I've ever done. And so far it's even more tiring than raising both a toddler and an infant.

Have I scared you yet? No? Good. Here are some things I've learned along the way to survive pregnancy while raising your toddler.

Sleep now or forever hold your peace. No, seriously, take advantage of your sleep-through-the-night child now because who knows what will happen once the new baby's here. For us the new baby means our once great sleeping toddler wakes up regularly between 2:00 and 3:00 AM most nights. And believe me, trying to put a 2 year old back to sleep is much harder than getting an infant to sleep.

Spend as much time with your toddler now. Friends told us that once the baby was born our oldest daughter would become increasingly more demanding and good Lord they were right. But it's much more difficult giving her all of the attention and time she's asking for when we have to care for an infant, too. So while I was pregnant I spent a lot of one-on-one time with her and tried to remind myself to enjoy every moment...even when she was being difficult and challenging.

Get everything ready now. And I mean everything. We didn't find out the sex of either of our babies so our nursery was set up in a gender neutral scheme/theme that we could reuse for baby #2, but if you plan on changing up your nursery, do it now. It's a miracle if you can get both kids to nap at the same time and when you can, you'll want to do nothing more than nap or veg on the couch (and this is coming from the person that can't sit still and has a need to clean/organize all of the time).

Get thee to a spa. Pregnancy is rough on your body no matter what, but being pregnant while also needing to care for a toddler takes an even bigger toll on your ragged broken down body. I had sciatic pain from early on in my second pregnancy, which was only made worse by needing to be down on the floor to play with my 2 year old. A prenatal massage can do wonders to take that pain away. Plus it's a nice block of "me" time. And while you're at it, get a manicure and pedicure. You'd be disgusted if you saw the condition my toenails were in right now, but there's just no time anymore to get a pedicure, especially since I'm nursing baby #2 and all of our free time is spent getting things done around the house.

I'm sure there are other things you can do now to help you later on, but this is all my sleep deprived brain can think of right now. Feel free to share your tips!

Our Four Strollers

2011-04-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

We now own four strollers, which may seem a bit much, but each have their purpose. Let's take a tour - we'll start with our mall/indoor strollers.

For the baby we have the Baby Trend Snap 'n Go Single Snap stroller. We debated on whether or not to get the single snap 'n go or the sit and stand and ultimately went with the single because our 2 year old was starting to walk on her own at the mall and other stores. Well, as they say hindsight is 20/20. If I had it to do all over again I'd go with the sit and stand because our toddler often gets tired of walking (or decides she's going to walk in the opposite direction we are) and we end up carrying her or having to break out her umbrella stroller and it's kind of a pain to carry two strollers AND a bunch of shopping bags.

Back to the Snap 'n Go.

I love how compact and light it is and how easy it is to collapse and open. It's got a good sized basket underneath which can hold our overstuffed diaper bag, baby wrap, my purse, all of our coats, and all the extra toys and stuffed animals our toddler decides to bring with her.

For our toddler we use the Chicco Capri umbrella stroller.

It's lightweight, compact, and perfect for what we need. It's got a carrying strap so you can throw it over your shoulder like a purse, which we often do when our toddler insists on walking. We mostly use this indoors, so the small canopy isn't a problem for us, but I do wish the basket was a bit larger and easier to access. We didn't get the sit and stand snap 'n go, but we still want the convenience of pushing a double stroller so we're going to buy some stroller links, like these, to attach the snap 'n go to the umbrella stroller.

Now, on to our outdoor strollers. We try to take walks throughout the week, something we've been doing before I was pregnant with our oldest daughter. Honestly, one of the biggest things that swayed me when purchasing a single and double jogger was price, but I still read all of the online reviews and went to Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby to "test drive" every jogger I could.

I finally decided on the Baby Trend Expedition single jogger and we've been so incredibly happy with it.

This thing is great for walking, strolling, meandering, whatever you want to call it. It's got a locking swivel front wheel, but we've kept it locked since we got it and would only ever use it as a swivel wheel indoors. Before we got this stroller we were using our umbrella stroller for walks and the day we took the jogger out I couldn't believe how little I had to work to push this thing and that was with a 20+ pound kid in it. It has a good sized basket, a large canopy, and a parent AND snack tray. The seat fully reclines so your kid can take a nap if you're out and about. Unfortunately the model we have is only compatible with Baby Trend car seats so we can't take our infant out in it, which brings me to our last stroller.

I was on the fence about getting a double stroller for our walks because I figured we'd just use the single jogger for our oldest and then carry the baby in one of our wraps, but after walking a few miles with the baby wrapped to me, I realized it would be much easier on my body to have her in a stroller, too. I started scouring Craigslist because there are tons of great deals on double strollers, but I didn't find one that was compatible with our Graco car seat. So I started doing online research and reading review after review. I finally found a double jogger that would work with our car seat and was happy to see that it was also a Baby Trend stroller: Baby Trend Navigator Double stroller.

This thing is huge. No, really, it's huge. And it's heavy. But I knew that going in - every review mentioned the weight and size of this stroller. But I wasn't looking for something compact to put in the trunk of my car or something to use while walking the mall. I needed something durable for long neighborhood walks and something that would take our car seat. This jogger also has locking swivel wheels in front and like our single jogger, we've kept the wheels in the locked position since we only use the stroller outdoors. Many of the online reviews complained about the front wheels falling off, but we have yet to experience that. You have to assemble the stroller yourself and when I put it together I double and triple checked that the front wheels were secure and then had my husband test them. This beast actually fits (just barely) through a regular sized-door, but I don't think we'll ever use it while shopping since most mall stores have tight spaces that the umbrella stroller barely fits through.

I was definitely surprised by how easy this stroller was to push with a 30+ pound toddler and an infant in a car seat. Don't get me wrong - it's heavy on it's own and definitely heavy with 2 kids in it, but I was expecting to really have to work to get it moving and really it kind of glides on its own. It's got two decent sized baskets, but they're divided as if it was two strollers instead of one. And like it's single counterpart, it's got a great parent console (complete with an mp3 hookup and speakers) and 2 snack trays for the kids.

All in all, we've been really happy with all four of our strollers. Do we really need all four? Probably not. We could probably replace all of them with a more expensive stroller like the Phil and Teds or the City Select, but we're cheap and every one of our strollers was bought on sale, with a coupon/discount, or as a floor sample.

When stroller shopping I strongly recommend that you do the following.
1. Start your research online. See what your options are at different stores and read all of the reviews that you can.
2. Take your kid(s) to the store with you. You'll never really know how you like the stroller if you don't "test drive" it with your kid(s) in it.
3. Check for sales. Babies R Us often has trade in days so you can bring in your old car seat, stroller, pack-n-play, etc. and get a discount on a new one. They also often send 20% off coupons in the mail and you can use that on certain brands. If all else fails, see if you can purchase the floor model or check to see if the same model is being sold for less on Craigslist.

Happy strolling!

The Holy Grail

2011-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: God bless the vacuum and the swing and the swaddle. It's the holy grail for getting my babies to sleep. If my baby is dry and full, it always works like a charm.

First I change her, then swaddle, then feed, and if she's still awake and fussy I pop her into the swing (still swaddled) and plug in the vacuum. And it's like a magic wand was waved - she passes out immediately. And the plus? My floors are always clean.

Our new baby

2011-04-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Things I've been thankful for this week

2011-04-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for so many things this week, some more than others as I've been recovering from the "wimpy" Influenza B.

Thank you baby swing for being my arms when they just can't rock a baby anymore.

Thank you vacuum cleaner for simultaneously providing enough white noise to knock my baby out while also cleaning the goldfish crumbs off of my floor.

Thank you baby wrap for holding my baby snug against me so I can have two hands to eat my ice cream (and type blog posts).

Thank you Spongebob Squarepants for entertaining my toddler so I could get 22 minutes of uninterrupted sleep.

Thank you daycare for watching my overly energetic toddler so I can give the baby the same quality time the first one got (and for helping me keep my sanity).

And thank you cable TV for giving me hours of mindless television to watch when my mind just can't focus on anything serious.

Transitioning to the big girl bed, Part Deux

2011-01-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

My husband and I originally tried standing outside of our daughter's room at nap and bedtime to catch her before she got out of her bed. It quickly became tiring, frustrating, and worst of all - our daughter thought it was a big game.

NEW TACTIC! Now we get her in bed, read books, turn on her music, and then leave her be for about 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes have passed, we check in on her and almost every time she's in bed. And even though we can hear her running around in her room and getting into her closet, we still leave her be until the time is up. So far it's working much better than our original plan and we usually only have to go up twice now to check on her before she's asleep. Of course we did have to remove her diaper basket from her room since she tried sleeping with all of her diapers and wipes one day.

Good luck to everyone out there making the transition!

Transitioning to the big girl bed

2010-12-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I've been MIA, but with good reason - I'm expecting and due in early April and have been working on transitioning our daughter to her new big girl room. We've also been half-heartedly attempting potty training, but that'll have to be its own post.

The big girl room. I knew I wanted to move her out of the nursery a few months before I was due to give her time to "bond" with her new room. We started slow, had the new room painted and then set it up with all of the furniture and then slowly started bringing in her stuff to personalize the room - clothes (we installed a new closet system, too), pictures, her piggy bank...

Over the next couple of weeks we spent a lot of time playing in the room, reading books in bed, showing her where her clothes were, and just getting her used to the idea of her new room.

Then a couple of weekends ago we made the final move - we transfered all of her blankies and stuffed animals and she took her first nap in her big girl bed. We were warned it would be a trying experience, but to have patience with her. So, we laid her down, read a book to her, tucked her in, turned on her music, and left the room. She was up and out of the bed before we could head down the stairs. We took turns putting her back in bed and it only took 6 times before she gave up and fell asleep.

Bedtime went much smoother, probably because it was near pitch black in her room at that point. We did the same routine: brush teeth, pjs, book, and then we left the room. She didn't get up once. And the same the night after that. It wasn't until the third night that she started to gain more confidence and somehow managed to get out of bed without us hearing her.

My husband finally came up with a game plan that's been working for us. After we put her in bed and leave the room, one of us stands outside of her door for about 10 minutes to catch her before she gets all of the way out of bed. She's been averaging about 3 times each night before giving in.

And surprisingly she hasn't once tried to go into her old nursery and runs straight for her new room whenever she can. I think playing up the aspect of being a Big Girl helped a lot and really, who doesn't like getting all new things?

Some tips:
Be prepared to spend up to an hour putting your child back in their bed
Be proactive and put everything soft (that isn't nailed down) in their bed with them - if you don't, they will
Remove any items from the room that your child will play with, like diaper wipes, books, etc.

Here's how we set up our daughter's new room:

Items and where you can get them:
Paint color: Behr Green Shimmer, 420A-1
Bed: IKEA, similar to this
Bed rail: Target, Dex Safe Sleeper Bed Rail
Bureau: Target, Circo 4-drawer Chest in white
Closet system: Lowe's, ClosetMaid
Armchair: IKEA, Ektorp in white
Bedding: Target, Circo Eclectic Quilt Set
Lamps: IKEA

Homemade projects:
-Curtains: I bought a simple set of cream curtains from Target and then edged them with purple seam binding to match the bedding.
-Collage: Our daughter loves looking at family pictures and we were originally going to make her a photo album, but opted for the family photo collage in her room instead. We hung the frame at her height and she loves pointing out everyone in the pictures.
-ABC artwork: I bought a huge blank canvas from the craft store, plotted out my grid in pencil, and then carefully painted on the alphabet.
-Handprint artwork: This was so simple - all you need is a frame, mat, scrapbook paper, felt, and glue.
-Chair pillow: I just used some old purple quilting fabric I had and whipped up a quick pillow cover to coordinate with the bedding.

Pictures of the room:

The mother of all stroller posts

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Strollers. ::sigh::

Quite possibly the one baby item you’ll use most often (apart from the crib), which is why you’ll either rave about yours or be stuck cursing every time you drag it out. Our travel system was a shower gift, which we thought would be awesome, until we started using it every day and realized how awkward it was to get in and out of a decent-sized car trunk. Then we saw another mom using a snap-n-go many months later and literally did the smack-the-forehead-wish-I-thought-of-that-first dance. When it came time to shop for our umbrella and jogging strollers, I knew I wanted to personally test each and every stroller in the store with my daughter in them. I’m glad I did because the umbrella stroller I originally wanted I ended up hating in the store.

Keep these in mind when browsing for strollers:
Ease of collapse – you may want to veer away from strollers with too many removable parts for complete collapse
Size when collapsed – check your trunk size, some larger strollers (like the travel system strollers) actually slide in easier when put in upside down
Height of stroller handles – make sure it’s comfortable for the person(s) who will be the main pushers

Once you find the stroller you love, wait for a sale if it’s a pricier one or scour Craigslist or eBay for deals – you can always find an abundance of lightly-used single strollers on Craigslist. Most parents selling them are only doing so because they now need a double or triple stroller. Moms of Multiples sales or consignment sales are another great place to look for deals.

Stroller recommendations from first-time mommies
Travel System/Infant:great for newborns and infants, who still need the support of their infant seat
$ Snap-n-go: collapses to umbrella stroller size, lightweight, has a large-sized basket, usually has parent cup holders
Note: check to be sure your infant seat is compatible with the snap-n-go prior to purchase
$$$ Graco Quatro (or other similar travel system): matches your infant seat, 1-handed collapse and unfold, has a parent tray with 2 cup holders and a child snack tray and has a large-sized basket
$$$ Uppa Baby Vista: collapses without seat removal, seat can sit either facing the parent, or facing out, has a height-adjustable handlebar (GREAT for taller moms and dads) and has a large-sized basket

Umbrella: lightweight, easy to fold, very compact when folded up, great for quick shopping trips and long-distance travel
$ Especially for Kids: under 8 lbs, has a removable canopy, very compact, no basket
$$ Chico Capri: 11 lbs, 2-handed collapse, zipper recline seat and has a medium-sized basket
$$$ Maclaren Volo: under 9 lbs, collapses with one hand and has a large-sized basket

Jogging + 3-Wheeled: great for parents that regularly walk or jog on trails or in the neighborhood
$$ Baby Trend Expedition: 2-handed collapse (and can fit in a compact car’s trunk), seat fully reclines, large canopy with peek-a-boo window, has a medium-sized basket, has a swivel/locking front wheel, has a child tray with 2 cup holders and a parent tray with 2 cup holders
$$$ Baby Jogger City Mini (is NOT a jogging stroller): 1-handed collapse is excellent, seat fully reclines, canopy is huge, it steers well and has a lockable front wheel (does not come with a child tray or belly bar)
$$$ Burley Bike Trailer + converter kit: seats up to 2 children, can be used as a bike trailer or jogging stroller, has an all-weather cover and adjustable sun-shade and has a height-adjustable handlebar

Happy shopping!

My favorite children's book series

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Olivia.

The best description of her: "Olivia would be Eloise, if Eloise were a pig." She has the most fantastic imagination and is full of Drama, with a capital D. I actually bought these books for myself long before my daughter was even a little zygote because I rarely laugh out loud while reading and this little pig made me snort with every turn of the page. And I must say I do love the books 100 times more than the television show. The show almost ruins them for me because I love imagining Olivia's voice and inflection for myself.

Here are the 4 I currently have on my bookshelf:

Oliva

Olivia Saves the Circus

Olivia...and the Missing Toy

Olivia Forms a Band

Teeth: those pearly whites

2010-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

The following are some questions that as a dental student, I get asked very often about baby or toddler teeth. Disclaimer: I am not a dentist yet, but I will be in May! If you have any concerns you should direct them to your friendly neighborhood pediatric dentist-- please don’t use this blog post for medical advice. Now that that’s out of the way…

When should I take my baby for his first dental visit?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that every child have their first dental visit by 12 months. It’s an opportunity for your child to start getting used to visiting the dentist, and for you to learn about how to properly care for your child’s teeth.

How should I be taking care of my baby’s teeth?

You should start brushing once your baby’s first tooth pops through. The official recommendation is to brush twice a day (morning and evening, after the last meal), and to start flossing once your child has two teeth next to each other that are in contact. To brush your baby’s teeth, lay your child down with his head in your lap, and try to convince him to open (good luck!). It’s typically a battle to get your child to cooperate… I know this all too well. Just keep at it and don’t give up. I find that it helps to let her hold her own toothbrush while I get in there with a different one. I’ve heard that the battery-powered spin brushes can help to get your child more interested in brushing too.

When should I use toothpaste? Do we need the baby/toddler toothpaste?

The AAPD recommends that if you’d like to use fluoridated toothpaste under the age of two, only use a smear the size of a grain of rice. A pea-sized amount can be used after the age of two.

The baby/toddler “training” toothpaste contains no fluoride and is safe to use on young babies, but is not necessary unless it makes your baby more receptive to toothbrushing!

What should I be doing about fluoride? I’ve heard mixed things about it.

Having fluoride in drinking water can be a controversial topic because of the risk of fluorosis (mottled teeth due to excess fluoride). The key is to give fluoride at an optimal level: high enough to help prevent tooth decay, but low enough to prevent fluorosis.

If you have city water, you should be able to check online or get information in the mail about the fluoride content of your water. If you have well water, you can have it tested for fluoride content and then your dentist or pediatrician can prescribe a supplement for your baby if the fluoride level in your water is too low.

Help! My baby grinds her teeth. Is this bad? What can I do about it?

It’s normal for your baby to grind her teeth, especially when new ones first come in and she is trying to get used to the new feeling. There is really nothing you can do to prevent it, even though the noise can be very unnerving. It is common for baby teeth to have all kinds of wear and tear on them. Try not to worry about it!

A few more suggestions-- try to limit the frequency of juice drinking, limit sugar intake, and never put your baby to bed with a bottle or sippy cup. These suggestions, in addition to teaching good dental hygiene, will help prevent tooth decay now and later in your baby's life. Good luck!

--Guest blogger Julia, from Unexpectedly Expecting

Our favorite Seuss

2010-07-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it's hard to just pick a few Dr. Seuss books as favorites, but here are the ones we really really love. Oh, and the other thing about Seuss books: there are soooo many and all of them are great books, but they're also a little costly, especially when you're just beginning your collection, like we are. We definitely want to have a complete collection, but can't drop $50 every week on books, so we've started buying one a month, which is perfect since our daughter is still under 2 and not yet reading the books to herself.

My all-time favorite Seuss:
The Lorax

I love this book for so many reasons, but mostly because the message is timeless and important and delivered in the most colorful of ways.

My husband's all-time favorite:
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

And our top 5:
The Butter Battle Book

Fox in Socks + Oh Say Can You Say (because we love tongue twisters)

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Happy Birthday to You!

Some of our favorite books

2010-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Once our daughter was born, we started buying all sorts of children's books, the funnier, the better. Here are a few of our current favorites.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
by Mo Willems

Chicken Cheeks
by Michael Ian Black

Pee-Ew! Is That You, Bertie?
by David Roberts

Testing the Potty Training Waters

2010-06-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our daughter is almost a year and a half, so we thought we'd begin introducing her to the potty. We figured it was worth a shot, especially since our daughter has begun to show interest when we use the toilet and will answer us when we ask if she needs to be changed.

We ventured out to Target in search of a no-frills unisex toilet (we're always planning ahead for our next children) and decided to buy the First Years 4-in-1 Potty Training System for $15.99. We based our decision on a few simple criteria: price, simplicity of use, easy to clean and resemblance of a real toilet.

It required no assembly and was ready to use straight out of the box. Surprisingly, our daughter knew exactly what to do when I put the potty on the floor. However, she wouldn't sit for very long and kept getting up to put toilet paper in her potty.

After speaking with a colleague, I decided to implement her advice and put a stack of books next to her potty. Now when I ask "do you have to go potty?" she sprints to the bathroom and happily sits on her potty for at least 10 minutes. Our next hurdle will be getting her to actually use the potty for its intended purpose.

What tricks or techniques did you use to potty train your child?

PSA: public transportation + child restraints

2010-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Do you know your state's public transportation child restraint laws?

Until recently I didn't know that most public transportation, including taxi cabs, buses and some limousines, were exempt from child restraint laws. Check your state's laws before using public transportation with your child.

Update: Check out this blog post on using public transportation in New York with a child.

A fun and easy Father's Day gift

2010-05-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for an easy homemade Father's Day gift? Look no further!

Supplies you'll need:
Wooden letters D and A (you can find them at any craft store, like Michael's or A.C. Moore)
Camera
Horizontal 3-window picture frame

Take 3 separate pictures of your child/children with the letters D, A and then another D. Print and frame 1 picture each to spell DAD. Here's an example I recently did for a 1-year old photo shoot.

Products to avoid...and some splurges we recommend

2010-05-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Being first time parents, we bought (or were given) several items that we initially thought would be great. After our daughter was born, we quickly realized that we were woefully wrong. Since that time, I’ve become that annoying shopper in BabiesRUs. You’ve run in to that shopper before: the one that just can’t keep her opinions to herself? Yeah, that’s me. I feel compelled to steer new moms and dads away from items I felt were useless and a waste of money. It helps that my daughter is usually with me during these encounters, so they mostly forgive me after seeing her cute face.

I polled my mommy group to get their thoughts on useless baby items and we unanimously agreed on the following items.

Products to avoid:
1. Travel system:

It seems like a great concept: matching seat bases, car seat and stroller, but you’ll soon regret the purchase while you struggle to stuff the bulky stroller into your car’s trunk. The first time I saw someone with the snap-n-go stroller and saw how easy it was to collapse (and how small and light it was) I immediately wished I had gotten that instead.

Recommended alternative: snap-n-go, car seat + base, umbrella or jogging stroller

2. Baby towels:

Besides the fact that they’re thin as paper, they become useless after 4-5 months when your baby is too big to be wrapped in the towel.

Recommended alternative: regular sized towels or craft fair towels, like these

3. Dreft:

More than likely, you will learn from your pediatrician, baby book or baby care class that it is best to use a laundry detergent that is both free of any dyes and perfumes. I’ve never understood the desire to use Dreft as it’s much pricier and more pungent than a regular detergent.

Recommended alternative: regular free and clear detergent

4. Crib bumper:

They seem pretty and help pull the room together, especially if you buy a crib set, but aren’t safe and many groups recommend against using them since they increase the risk of SIDs.

Recommended alternative: mesh bumper

Splurges we love that were totally unnecessary:
1. Baby wipe warmer:

When my daughter was an infant, having warm wipes was nice and didn’t “shock” her as much as a cold one did. Having warm wipes was especially helpful during middle of the night diaper changes when we didn’t want her to wake up all of the way. If I were a groggy infant getting my diaper changed in the middle of the night, I would prefer a warm wipe, too.

2. Diaper Genie/Diaper Champ:

You could definitely use a regular trash can, but I like having something to contain the mess and the ease of tying off the bag without releasing the harsh ammonia smell into the room. I also used the Diaper Genie to dispose all of my post-partum feminine products.

3. Video monitor or Angelcare monitor:

Most first time parents are paranoid after laying their baby down in the crib and will check on them repeatedly through the night. With a video monitor, you can just glance at the screen to see if your baby is okay and sleeping well. The Angelcare monitor takes it one step further and will alert you if your baby stops moving/breathing at all. An under-the-mattress Sensor Pad detects every movement your baby makes and an alarm will sound after 20 seconds if no movement is detected. I have heard about many false alarms from other parents due to improper Sensor Pad installation, so be sure to follow the instructions when installing your Angelcare monitor.

Alternative uses for baby wipes

2010-05-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Clearly baby wipes are great for the obvious, wiping our little one's bottoms during diaper changes, but I've found myself plucking a wipe here and there for other messes, too.

Did you know diaper wipes are also great for...

...cleaning spaghetti sauce stains off of your child's hands and face?

...wiping up spills on microfiber furniture and car seats?

...removing makeup?

...cleaning your hands after applying the thick children's sunblock to your little one?

...wiping down a table in a restaurant?

...cleaning dirty little (or big) feet after running around barefoot in the yard?

What other uses have you found for diaper wipes?

Summer is coming, what do I need?

2010-04-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the winter is behind us, we can start planning for some fun in the sun. There are a few things you’ll want to stock up on before summertime for your babe.

Sunscreen/Sunblock
It’s important to know the risks associated with using either of these products on an infant. Please check out these articles for more detailed information and speak to your medical professional before applying these products to your infant.

There are many options available to you for baby/child sunscreen or sunblock. This site has a great guide and interactive chart with ratings for over 65 baby sunscreen products.

Good Guide’s Top 10:

Product	Made by	Overall Rating (1-10)	Approx. Cost
Badger SPF 30 For Face & Body	W.S. Badger Company Inc.	8.4	$16.00
L'Oreal Sublime Glow For Face Daily Moisturizer - Fair Skin Tones	L'Oreal Canada Montreal Cosmair > L'Oreal Consumer Products Division	7.6	$9.00
L'Oreal SUBLIME GLOW For Face Daily Moisturizer Medium Skin Tones	L'Oreal Canada Montreal Cosmair > L'Oreal Consumer Products Division	7.6	$9.00
California Baby SPF 30+ Citronella Sunscreen	California Baby	7.3	$20.00
California Baby SPF 30+ Sunblock Stick No Fragrance	California Baby	7.3	$15.00
California Baby SPF 18 Moisturizing Sunscreen Everyday Year-Round	California Baby	7.3	$20.00
Nature's Gate Mineral Kid's Block SPF 20	Levlad, LLC	7.2	$20.00
Nature's Gate Kid's Block SPF 30 Fragrance-free	Levlad, LLC	7.2	$6.00
Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion, Continuous Protection, SPF 55	Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc.	7.2	$13.00
Coppertone Kids Lotion Sunscreen, SPF 50	Schering-Plough Corporation	6.7	$13.00

Swim Diapers
Last year we used a combination of disposable and reusable swim diapers and I was most impressed with the reusable diaper. Swim diapers are meant to only hold/trap solid waste and will not hold urine, so it’s important that the diaper fits snugly around the legs and waist. The disposables are nice because you can simply tear the sides (from waist to leg) to remove the diaper instead of shimmying it over your wet baby’s bottom.

Reusable swim diaper

Disposable swim diaper

Bug Repellent
Spending time outdoors during the summer usually goes hand in hand with bugs and bug bites. I usually coat myself in an armor of bug repellent since mosquitoes seem to have special radar just for me, but last year I didn’t want to risk rubbing any of the repellent on my daughter so we opted for something a little safer: OFF! Clip-On™ Mosquito Repellent.

Check out these articles before applying bug repellent to your child.

Finally, here are some basic sun safety tips from healthychildren.org.

Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, umbrella, or the stroller canopy.
When possible, dress yourself and your kids in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body, like lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats.
Select clothes made with a tight weave - they protect better than clothes with a looser weave. If you’re not sure how tight a fabric’s weave is, hold it up to see how much light shines through. The less light, the better.
Wear a hat or cap with a brim that faces forward to shield the face.
Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when UV rays are strongest.
Wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection (look for child-sized sunglasses with UV protection for your child).
Use sunscreen.
Set a good example. You can be the best teacher by practicing sun protection yourself. Teach all members of your family how to protect their skin and eyes.

Car Travel and Hotel Living

2010-04-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

My husband and I now have a couple of long car trips with our daughter under our belt and we’re starting to feel like we know what to expect and what to pack. Here’s what we did to “survive” the trip.

Trip #1
Length: 10 hours
Age of child: 4 months old

I was still exclusively breastfeeding my daughter, so I knew we would have to add in extra stops for diaper changes and nursing sessions. We stopped every 3 hours to stretch our legs and change her diaper. I brought my pump and nursing cover with me so I could pump in the car while she slept. We left our house around 4:00 AM thinking that our daughter would quickly go back to sleep. Unfortunately she had other plans so my husband fed her half a bottle to “nurse” her back to sleep. Once she was out, we wanted to keep her asleep for as long as we could. We draped a loosely crocheted blanket over her infant seat canopy to block as much light as we could. This definitely helped keep her asleep for at least a couple of hours at a time.

Items to pack for the car:

Breast pump + nursing cover or formula
Clean bottles
Small cooler or lunchbox with ice packs to keep milk/formula cold
Burp cloths and bibs
Open weave blanket
Travel changing pad (rest stops aren’t the most sanitary of places)
Hand sanitizer
Sunshades for the car windows
Soft smaller toys

Sleeping in a hotel with a 4 month old in the room was relatively easy. Our daughter was just starting to roll over, so we had quit swaddling her at night. We set up the pack-n-play in the corner of the room, but near our bed. We hung blankets over the sides of the pack-n-play (on the outside) to keep her from seeing us walking around while she was trying to fall asleep. My husband and I had just begun “Ferberizing” our daughter before we left for the trip, but decided that crying-it-out in a hotel room wasn’t the best idea with guests on both sides of our room. So I nursed her to sleep each night and got up with her in the middle of the night when she woke up to keep her somewhat quiet. We didn’t want to bring our entire house with us, as a result I ended up showering with Stasa in my arms instead of bathing her in the tub.

Must-haves for the hotel:

Pack-n-play
Blankets with your home’s scent
Noise machine (if you use one)
Bath towel (if your child has sensitive skin)
Baby body wash

Trip #2
Length: 4 hours
Age of child: 15 months old

Our most recent car trip was only about 4 hours long, but a little trickier now that our daughter is very mobile and aware of her surroundings. I purposely let her skip her morning nap (10:30-12:30) so she would sleep in the car. We left around noon and after a sippy of milk, Stasa passed out in her car seat. She slept for a good hour and a half and then was up for the rest of the trip. I normally sit in the front now that she’s older, but for longer trips I sit next to her seat in the back so I can help entertain her and feed her. Since it was a shorter trip, we chose not to stop at all. I made sure she had a fresh diaper when we left and changed her as soon as we arrived at the hotel. There were quite a few things that I had to pack now that she’s older. We definitely brought lots of toys with us, but she mostly enjoyed being tickled or playing peek-a-boo.

Items to pack for the car:

Gallon of whole milk in a cooler
Clean sippy cups with covers
Snacks: we brought lots of goldfish, Cheerios, granola bars, apples, cheese sticks and bagels
Blankets for napping in the car (our daughter likes to chew on them to soothe herself)
Hand sanitizer
Dish towel or burp cloth for spills
Small Tupperware or bowl for your child to hold with their snack
Toys – lots and lots of toys and books
Trash bags

This time staying in a non-suite hotel room was challenging; especially with a mobile and FAST toddler. My husband and I both did a once over of the room and moved a few “hazards” that we knew Stasa would be drawn to.

Put the room phone in the nightstand drawer
Closed the bathroom and closet doors
Moved everything off of the nightstands except the lamps
Emptied all of the lower bureau drawers
Moved all of the trashcans to the bathroom

This time we set up her pack-n-play in the corner of the room away from the bed. In hindsight we should have set up her pack-n-play in the “hall” or the vanity room so she couldn’t see us. We also brought a lot of toys and books and put her toy bag on the floor so she could have easy access to them. We lucked out and had a mini fridge in the bottom of our TV cabinet, so we could store our milk and refreeze our ice packs. I suggest checking with your hotel prior to booking the room on this and the room layout. Sleeping was a bit difficult since she could see over the pack-n-play and was off her normal nap and bedtime schedule due to the wedding functions. I made sure she had her favorite blankets and lovey, put her down in the pack-n-play, turned out all of the lights and then literally hid under the covers of my bed until I heard her heavy breathing. At home, she usually wakes up around 7:30 AM on her own, but was wiiiiiiiide awake around 6:00 AM while we were in the hotel. I dragged her into our bed, gave her a sippy of milk and put on Sesame Street so I could start to wake up. Again, we didn’t want to bring more than we had to for the trip, but now that Stasa’s older, bathing in the tub wasn’t a problem. I do wish that I had thought to bring a cheap baby gate to keep her out of the vanity area while I ironed our clothes for the wedding. It would have also come in handy when we were in my family’s suite-like room when we needed to keep the room door open for guests to come in and out.

Must-haves for the hotel:

Pack-n-play
Blankets with your home’s scent
Noise machine (if you use one)
Bath towel (if your child has sensitive skin)
Baby body wash
Toys and books
Lovey or favorite stuffed animal

And that’s pretty much all we did to survive our trips in the car and hotel. Up next for us: air travel.

Edit: This post has been featured on another blog. Check out Baby To Go to see more!

The Importance of Rear-Facing

2010-04-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

After watching the video above of the crash test dummies in the car seats, I was convinced that my decision to keep my daughter rear-facing for as long as possible was for the best. I hear a lot of people choose to switch their child forward-facing on their first birthday. They say it’s “more convenient”, that their child “is happier looking out the front window” or “their legs are too cramped when they rear-face”. Honestly, the child doesn’t know any different. Think about it this way, if you’ve always only had regular milk and never even knew chocolate milk existed, would you think you were “missing out”?

My daughter is rear-facing in the middle of the back seat and is still able to look out of the windows and is perfectly happy. Her legs have gotten a bit longer so now instead of kicking the back seat, she sits with them crossed at the ankle. I believe the biggest reason people flip the car seat to forward-facing is to gain more interior space, something I can understand especially since we drive medium- and compact-sized cars, but I don’t believe that my comfort and convenience outweigh my child’s safety.

From car-safety.org:

Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash.

Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

Rear-facing carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.

Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a child's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.

Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor Vehicle Crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.

Check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s site. They have great information and videos about rear-facing and forward-facing car seats as well as information about the LATCH system and how to properly install your car seat.

Click the image above to access the current child restraint laws (updated April 2010).

Take a moment to read the car seat safety and prevention info from healthychildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics). They list information on types of car seats, common questions, installation information and important reminders.

Listed below are some of the top rated convertible car seats for extended rear facing. Click here for a complete car seat product list.

Car Seat	Rear-Facing Limits		Forward-Facing Limits		All Seats
Brand & Model Name	Weight	Seated Shoulder Height	Weight	Seated Shoulder Height	Height Limit
Britax Marathon	5-35 lbs	10.5”-16”	20-65 lbs	12”-16”	49”
Graco My Ride 65	5-40 lbs	N/A*	20-65 lbs	N/A*	50”
Britax Boulevard	5-35 lbs	10.5”-16”	20-65 lbs	12”16”	49”
The First Years True Fit	5-35 lbs**	N/A*	23-65 lbs	N/A*	50”
Sunshine Kids Radian 65SL	5-40 lbs	N/A*	20-65 lbs	N/A*	53”
Britax Decathlon	5-33 lbs	10.5”-16”	20-65 lbs	12”16”	49”
Evenflo Triumph Advance	5-35 lbs	N/A*	20-50 lbs	N/A*	50”
Cosco Scenera	5-35 lbs	N/A*	22-40 lbs	N/A*	N/A
Evenflo Titan Elite	5-35 lbs	N/A*	20-50 lbs	N/A*	47”
Britax Advocate	5-35 lbs	10.5”-16”	20-65 lbs	12”-16”	49”
Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL	5-45 lbs	N/A*	20-80 lbs	N/A*	53”

*Not available
**Without headrest: 5-22 lbs

Why other parents choose extended rear facing for their child:

“We do it because the research is too overwhelming not to. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for us to turn her forward-facing. It's that simple for us.” –Lauren from Maryland, Cosco Scenera car seat

”There is an abundance of evidence that says rear-facing is safer that forward-facing.
It is like the old seat belt debate...you are more likely to survive a crash with one on v. not having one on. It doesn't change getting from point A to point B, but it sure does make it safer.” --Lesli from Maryland, Britax Marathon car seat

"We chose to keep our daughter rear-facing in her car seat for as long as possible based on current research that rear-facing is always best, for everyone. A big factor in our decision was Joel's Journey (joelsjourney.org)." --Anonymous

"joelsjourney.org is all I needed to see. It's clearly the safest way for children to travel so why wouldn't you do it?" --Anonymous

"My 22 month old is still rear-facing for all the reasons you mentioned. She will remain that way until she surpasses the height and weight cut off." --Jessi from Texas

"We've chosen to keep E rear-facing as well. All I needed to hear was that it was a safer choice. I know she'd probably love to face forward, but like you said, she doesn't know the difference, and her safety is my number one priority." --Meg from Kansas

"I simply can't fathom turning my son around yet. He's 15 months, and almost 21 pounds. There is no reason to turn him around yet. Like you said, he doesn't know the difference. It's obviously the safest thing to do. I don't plan on turning him for quite awhile." --Anonymous

"Anna is 18 months and is still rear-facing and will be until she's 2 (and maybe older). After reading the research on how this is a much safer way to transport your child, it was a no brainer or me. I also think this will quickly catch on in the medical world, and pediatricians will start recommending that all parents rear-face until at least 2 (vs. the age of one like it is now)." --Natalie from Louisiana

If none of this convinces you to keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible, read these fatality statistics before changing your child’s safety restraints.

Please tell us why you choose to extend rear-facing for your child.

Affordable Toddler Shoes

2010-04-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

My daughter has been walking for quite some time and is now entering the running phase of toddlerhood. We waited until she was able to walk with confidence before buying her a pair of real shoes. When it came time to buy her first pair of shoes, we naturally thought we’d get her a pair from Stride Rite…until we got a look at the price tag. I just couldn’t justify spending more than $30 on a pair of shoes for my toddler when she would be growing out of them in a few months.

I remembered that Target sold baby and toddler shoes and headed there to check out their shoe options. For less than $12, I was able to get a pair of soft, flexible sneakers for my daughter.

Toddler Girls' Genuine Kids from OshKosh® Josiephine Mary Janes
These shoes are a perfect option for toddlers with a wider and thicker foot. They have a soft velcroed strap that doesn’t dig into the top of the foot and are easy to get on and off. My daughter has worn these for months, on all different surfaces and they still haven’t worn out or fallen apart.

We recently replaced them with a new pair of sneakers because her foot is now a size larger. This time we went with an even lighter shoe and a pair of sandals for the spring and summer.

Toddler Girls' Circo® Janai Athleisure Shoes

Toddler Girls' Circo® Jaela Strappy Flower Sandals

I highly recommend checking out your local Target store’s shoe selection when buying shoes for your toddler. They have a lot of style and color choices and also carry the ever-popular Converse sneakers for toddlers, too.

Sofia Bean Baby Boutique

2010-04-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger, Amy Fox (doula posts I, II and III), is also the proud owner of Sofia Bean Baby Boutique and she kindly sent me one of their signature boxes filled with clothes to test out on my daughter.

Besides being a great gift package, the Sofia Bean box can also be used as a fun photo prop or toy storage box.

I have only a few criteria when buying clothes for my daughter: material, comfort and size. In my Sofia Bean box I found 2 long-sleeved onesies and 2 easy pull-on pants in different sizes for my daughter. All of the clothes are 100% soft lightweight cotton.

I immediately tore the tags off and threw them in the wash (like I do all new clothes). This is usually a good barometer of quality clothes. Cheap or poorly made clothes usually come out of the wash mangled or resembling something my cat would wear. The Sofia Bean onesies and pants came out just as they went in - no shrinking, staining or loose threads.

I put the 12-18 month onesie and pants on my daughter today and she seemed comfortable. The fabric was lightweight enough to be worn on an 80 degree day and is cut well for an active, walking toddler. The sizing is similar to Old Navy toddler clothing.

Featured in pictures above: 12-18 month onesie and pants on a 14.5 month old, 26 lb (75th percentile) toddler

Onesies and pants are just the tip of the iceberg. Sofia Bean also sells hats, bibs, blankets, shoes and even SkipHop diaper kits. Check out Sofia Bean and build your own box!

Featured!

2010-04-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Check out the blog, Baby To Go, where yours truly is featured.

40 years of Sesame Street

2010-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days (2 Discs)

There aren't many children's DVDs that both my daughter and I enjoy watching, but this Sesame Street compilation is our current favorite. It's 5 hours of segments over 40 years, from 1969-2009. I particularly love the diversity of the show's cast and muppets and the acceptance that's taught throughout the segments.

This video in particular teaches a great message about diversity and understanding.

And the learning segments about counting, the ABCs and socialization are silly and fun for both children and adults. Here are some of my favorites.

If you're in need of a new video for your children, this is a great buy!

What's in your medicine cabinet?

2010-03-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some general things to keep in your medicine cabinet.

Infant Tylenol
Infant Motrin
Bulb syringe
Oral medicine syringe
Little Noses
Rectal thermometer
KY Jelly (for the thermometer)
Band-aids
Mylicon drops
Hyland's teething tablets
Cold pack
1% hydrocortisone cream for itches
Bacitracin ointment or Neosporin
Vicks BabyRub
Gripe Water
Little Tummies (for constipation)
Baby Q-tips
Multi vitamins
Boogie Wipes

After a recent trip to the Urgent Care for what turned out to be a UTI, we found out that we were grossly underdosing our daughter with Tylenol. We had been going by the information on the package, which included a large weight range, causing our 26 pound child to be underdosed. Here's a great dosage calculator for infant medicine.

We also have Malox and liquid Benedryl in our cabinet, but these should not be used unless prescribed by your medical professional. We used them together when our daughter had hand, foot and mouth disease, to help soothe her sore throat and spots.

Another thing to keep in mind is adding flavor to prescription oral medications. Most pharmacies have a list of flavors to choose for prescription liquids and the flavors definitely help the medicine go down.

**Please speak to your medical professional before using any of the products and medications listed above.**

What is a doula? Part III of III

2010-03-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

“Questions to Ask a Doula”

From Doulas of North America (DONA) Website www.dona.org

The following questions will help you decide if a particular doula is right for you.
For any doula

What training have you had? (If a doula is certified, you might consider checking with the organization.)
Do you have one or more backup doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet her/them?
What is your fee, what does it include and what are your refund policies?
When interviewing a birth doula
Tell me about your experience as a birth doula.
What is your philosophy about birth and supporting women and their partners through labor?
May we meet to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play in supporting me through birth?
May we call you with questions or concerns before and after the birth?
When do you try to join women in labor? Do you come to our home or meet us at the place of birth?
Do you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?

If you do not think you can afford a doula, you can contact the certifying organizations to see if they have a list of doulas that are going through the certification process, which may be looking to attend births to get certified. They may charge a reduced fee or they may not charge at all, depending on their experience. You can also ask your childbirth educator. Many childbirth educators are also doulas. Ask friends, local midwives, and your doctor.

Doulas do not have to be certified to attend births. The certification process for many of the certifying organizations includes a 2-3 day birth doula training workshop, reading required materials, attendance at a childbirth education class (not as an expectant mom), attendance at a few births where doctors, midwives, nurses, and the mom review the doula’s role, and a written essay.

Some good books with more information on doulas are:
The Birth Partner, by Penny Simkin, PT
The Doula Book "How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth" by Marshall Klaus MD, Phyllis Klaus, and John Kennell MD.
Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth by Marshall H. Klaus

Written by Amy E. Fox, CD (DONA)

Check out her baby boutique, Sofia Bean!

What is a doula? Part II of III

2010-03-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

In terms of comfort measures, the doula can help the mom with breathing techniques or with repeating mantras. The doula provides encouragement by talking to the mom and her support persons during contractions and in between. She provides a calming presence because she has been through this with other moms, because she is committed to being there through shift changes, and because she typically has met with the mom a few times in advance of labor, so she is not a stranger.

She can perform massage, use techniques like effleurage, or just use touch. Getting the mom to change position seems simple, but it is often difficult for the support persons to get the moms to change positions because they are in a stressful situation and are worried about making the mom more uncomfortable with a new position. The doula can also remember a lot of positions and often positions that work better depending on how things are going with labor. For example, if a baby is not well engaged in the pelvis, a doula might encourage a mom to get on her hands and knees or she might use a rebozo (a long scarf ) to support the moms’ abdomen while she is in the hands and knees position. Sometimes if a labor is taking a long time and the cervix seems to be dilating slowly, it is necessary to get the mom to try a position that may be undesirable, one that causes her more discomfort. It is easier for the doula to encourage the mom and support her through a few contractions in this situation than her loved ones who may be having a hard time seeing her in pain. It is often easier for the doula to think of the right things to try based on her experience and training, and also because she is typically calmer than the family supporting the mom.

In terms of finding and selecting a doula, the most important thing is to trust your instincts when you meet the doula. Typically, a doula will come to your home or meet you at a coffee shop or other location to meet with you. They do not charge for this meeting and most doulas will encourage you to meet other doulas to make sure you find the best fit for you. I think the first question to ask is “why did you become a doula?” This will generate a discussion that will probably answer many questions up front and you can get a better feel for what it would be like to have this doula support you.

I became a doula because of the nurse who came on duty during the 8th hour of my long first labor. I was induced and the first nurse was grumpy and made me stay in the bed because of my high blood pressure. I did not know enough to challenge her at the time. I did not know midwives still existed and delivered babies in hospitals and I had never heard of a doula before. This nurse, Stephanie, who came on duty right after I got an epidural made a huge difference in my birth experience just by being nice, being sympathetic and by talking to my husband and me as if we were a team in this event. She really listened to us. When my daughter Maggie was born, she was excited for us and that was so nice after such a long and scary day. I think we missed out by not having another family member or friend with us to help out and she made up for that.

Written by Amy E. Fox, CD (DONA)

Check out her baby boutique, Sofia Bean!

What is a doula? Part I of III

2010-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

A birth doula is a professional birthing assistant or coach. The word doula means slave or woman who serves in ancient Greek. In general, a doula is someone who stays with the expectant mom and her support person(s) through the entire labor and delivery process, providing information, ideas for dealing with contractions, and emotional support to help the mom have as nice of a birth experience as possible.

From the Doulas of North America (DONA) website:

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth...

Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
Reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
Reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

Feel more secure and cared for
Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
Have greater success with breastfeeding
Have greater self-confidence
Have less postpartum depression
Have lower incidence of abuse

Here are some typical things a doula does:

Educate the mom and her spouse or other support persons with regard to pregnancy issues, labor and birth, and the immediate postpartum period, to include breastfeeding.

Answer questions as needed from the point a mom hires her until a few months after the birth, sometimes this will go on for a long time if the mom and the doula become friends, which happens a lot.

Attend the birth from early labor up until a few hours after delivery, depending on the needs of the mom immediately after birth. Some doulas will come to your home in early labor.

Offer comfort measures, encouragement, ideas about position changes, soothing words, sympathy, and advice to a mom and her partner or support persons throughout labor.

Assist with getting breastfeeding established shortly after birth and help the mom with breastfeeding in the first few weeks after the birth as needed. Some doulas are also certified lactation consultants or certified postpartum doulas, so they can provide extra assistance with breastfeeding. If they are not lactation consultants, they can help the mom find one or find support groups.

Offer information about postpartum support groups or counselors, whether the mom’s need is related to general parenting, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, or other issues.

Write a birth story. Not all doulas do this, but I’m a writer, so I love to do this. Even if a doula does not write up a story, just having another person who was present at the birth to talk to about your birth afterward is really special.

A doula does not:

The doula does not replace the mom’s partner or other support persons. The doula works to help them to support the mom based on how the mom wants them to help and how they want to help. If the mom is alone, the doula will act as the primary support person.

The doula does not speak for the mom or her support persons during the birth. The doula can remind the doctor or midwife and nurses of the mom’s desires at appropriate times, but she cannot speak for them. Many people think the doula will tell the medical staff what the mom wants during birth, but this is not the role of the doula. The doula can remind the mom’s family or friends attending the birth what the mom wants and they can speak for her.

The doula does not perform medical procedures, such as cervical checks, inserting IVs, taking blood pressure, reading monitors, or attaching the monitoring devices. The doula can help the nurse in terms of getting the mom supplies or telling the nurse information that might be helpful in order to include the nurse as part of the team helping the mom to have the best birth experience possible.

The doula does not seek to help the mother have the kind of birth the doula would want. She helps the mom to have a better experience, not matter what the mother wants.

Check back later for more information about doulas.

Written by Amy E. Fox, CD (DONA)

Check out her Sofia Bean Baby Boutique!

The end of breastfeeding

2010-01-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm officially done with breastfeeding and pumping, I decided to look back on the year. Those first 6 weeks were hell and there were definitely times I wanted to quit, especially after being stuck using a nipple shield and having a baby with "peanut butter tongue." In those days my breastfeeding goal was just to make it to the next feeding.

After my daughter and I got the hang of things (and weaned from the shield), I stretched my goal to 3 months with my "wouldn't it be great" goal of 1 year far in the future. I was lucky and only ended up with 1 mild case of mastitis, a handful of clogged ducts and 1 milk blister.

At first I was uncomfortable with nursing in public; I wouldn't even nurse in my own family's home unless I could be in a private room. I would duck into fitting rooms while shopping at the mall like a refugee. I finally lightened up and bought a Hooter Hider and ventured out for some public nursing sessions. The first time I sat in the mall with my daughter nursing under the cover, I thought how weird it was and worried that people were looking. I quickly got over that and became oblivious to the people around me. So what if they were looking? Looking at what? Becoming comfortable with nursing in public was so freeing. It meant being able to go wherever I wanted without having to pump first and pack a bunch of bottles.

I reached my 3 month goal upon my return to work and set my next goal for 6 months, still with my eye on that 1 year mark. Getting into the rhythm of pumping at work took some time; it was like starting all over again. I stiffened every time another mother walked into the Mother's Room while I was pumping. I bought another Hooter Hider to keep at the office so I could relax in the shared Mother's Room. I learned to schedule calendar appointments for my pumping sessions so people wouldn't try to meet with me when I needed to pump. After about a month of pumping in the Mother's Room, I became completely comfortable and stopped using the nursing cover.

Six months came and went and I set my eyes on my final goal: 1 year. I had a great schedule down; nurse in the morning, pump 3-4 times a day and then nurse 1-2 times in the evening. I even made it through continual growth spurts of her eating 40-42 oz of milk a day.

And then when my daughter was 11 months old, I woke up one morning and nursed her and then went about my day. I came back from running errands to nurse her after her nap and she flat out refused. I started researching what would make her stop nursing so suddenly. Was she sick? In pain? Or was she simply on a nursing strike? She kept refusing every couple of hours for a week, until I finally gave in to exclusively pumping.

The abrupt end to our nursing relationship was probably the most heartbreaking thing I've dealt with while being a parent. I felt rejected each time she pushed away from me and thought "she doesn't need me as much anymore." I knew I should be happy that my little girl was becoming more and more independent, but I still wanted to feel needed.

About a week later I realized what I missed most about not nursing was the one-on-one cuddle time I had with my daughter. I quickly remedied that by spending 10 minutes each night rocking with and singing to her.

I am more than happy to not be tied to my pump and rigid schedule anymore. I like the freedom that whole milk has given me. And I love my quiet time with my daughter each night.

And in case you were curious, in the past year I produced just about 80-100 GALLONS of breastmilk. Talk about being a cow.

Winter Coats and Car Seat Safety

2009-12-30T06:14:00.001-08:00

Now that we're in the midst of winter, we're all bundling up before we leave the house. But before you bundle up your baby and strap them in the car, read these articles.

Winter Coats and Car Seats - Check for Safety!

Winter Coats and Car Seats

Winter Coats and Car Seat Safety: What Every Caregiver Should Know

Some highlights:

Check All Winter Coats for Car Seat Safety
It's easy to check and see whether a baby's winter coat or infant snowsuit is too thick to be safe in a car seat. This test will show you how thick the coat is and how much the coat will compress during a crash.

Take the car seat into the house.
Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel.
Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
Take the coat off your child.
Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat.

Keep Baby Warm and Safe

Even if you can't safely use your child's winter coat in the car seat, there are ways to keep baby warm when temperatures drop. Here are Ellis's ideas for ensuring your baby is warm and safe in a car seat.
For babies in an infant seat, dress them warmly in normal clothes, like a shirt, sweatshirt, long pants and a hat. Buckle the child into the infant seat, then cover the baby with a light blanket tucked around the sides. Make sure nothing is behind baby's back! Finally, add another heavier blanket over the top of the infant seat.
Also for infant seats, there are car seat covers available that fit over the whole infant seat once the baby is buckled in. These covers have a peep-hole so that baby's face remains uncovered. Ellis advises parents to be sure the child is buckled up under the cover, though, as it's easy to forget when the buckle is out of sight.
For older babies and toddlers, take the child's coat off before buckling them into the car seat. Once the harnesses are secure, put the child's coat on backwards over their arms to keep them warm without compromising safety.
Whenever possible, warm up your car before putting the baby in the vehicle.
When buying winter coats, keep thickness and car seat safety in mind. Polar fleece jackets and snowsuits are warm but thin, making them a smart choice for winter baby wear.

Generic vs Name Brand

2009-11-28T20:29:00.001-08:00

I like to think that my husband and I are pretty frugal shoppers; in fact, my husband won't even let me put an item in our cart if it's not on sale. Choosing generic name products for our baby stuff was an obvious choice. We always try the generic brand first and a lot of times it's the same if not better than the name brand product. That said, there are some things we will never buy generic again and there are some generic products we will always select.

Name brand products: what's worth the $$$, in our opinion:

diapers: We have tried virtually every brand of diaper out there and have always come back to Pampers. They absorb more urine than any other brand and we almost never have a blow out with them.

diaper cream: We were given a couple of tubes of Desitin Creamy at our baby shower and finished them up after 9 months. We loved the Desitin, but opted for the cheaper Target brand diaper cream that alleged to be the same as Desitin Creamy. It is not worth the money we saved. It's runny and doesn't stick to her butt unless we rub it firmly, which doesn't help a rash. It was so terrible we threw it out without finishing it (which is unheard of in our house) and replaced it with the Desitin Creamy.

onesies: In the beginning, I bought all different brands of onesies for our daughter, but now I always come back to the same brand, Carter's. They're well worth their weight in gold. They are well made, are a thicker cotten and don't shrink in the wash. And if you wait for their end of season sale, you can pick up a cart full for 1/2 the cost. The cheaper brands feel cheap, dramatically shrink in the wash and just don't feel well made.

Generics we trust:

puffs: I originally bought the Gerber brand puffs, but had to break them in half when we first started giving them to our daughter. I found the Target brand puffs while browsing the baby aisles and decided to give them a try. They have a larger variety of flavors, are smaller than the Gerber puffs and come in a larger container. Our daughter ate them like candy; definitely worth the money saved.

wipes: Like the diapers, we have bought every brand of wipes out there and found that we liked all but one brand. The Parent's Choice wipes from WalMart feel like wet looseleaf paper, break apart as you wipe and dry out fast. We especially like the Kirkland wipes from Costco. You get a large quantity (par for the course at Costco), they stay moist for a long time (even in a wipes warmer) and are soft and stretchy.

body wash: We were gifted a couple of bottles of Johnson and Johnson head-to-toe body wash, but we have also used a few other brands of body wash, including California Baby, Target (up & up) and Safeway (mom to mom) brand body wash. The California Baby products are great, but are not worth the extra money, especially since they only come in smaller containers in the stores. I found the Safeway and Target brands to be comparable to the Johnson & Johnson body wash.

medicine: We keep 3 medicines in our medicine cabinet for our daughter: Tylenol, Motrin and Mylicon. We have bought both the brand name and generic medicines and will definitely always choose generic in the future.

Toy Recommendations

2009-11-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some great toys for babies of all ages; our 9 1/2 month old daughter has been playing with these for months and will probably keep playing with them for months to come.

Little Tikes Piano: ages 6-36 months
This is a great way to introduce music to your little one!

Infantino Activity Shapes, Rattle Pal and Tag Along Chimes: ages 0+ months
These are great soft teethers and rattles. We attach them with links to the stroller while we're out and about.

Fisher Price Roll-a-Rounds: ages 6 months - 3 years
Our daughter hasn't figured out how to roll these yet, but loves banging two of them together.

Infantino Ring-A-Links: ages 0+ months
These are great for just about everything! We use them as teethers and to attach toys to the car seat, stroller, highchair, playmat and jumperoo.

Playskool Poppin' Pals: ages 9+ months
I bought ours at a consignment sale, so it's an older version, but our daughter LOVES closing the characters. She's still working on figuring out how to open them.

Haba wooden rattle: ages 0+ months
I love all of the Haba wooden toys and wish we could get all of them for our daughter.

Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack: ages 6+ months
This is a great first sequence toy. Our daughter is slowly learning how to put the rings back after she's pulled them all off.

Fisher Price Shape Sorter and Tupperware Shape O: ages 6+ months

The box with the removable lid is great for smaller babies to explore removing the shapes. The Tupperware ball stays together so the baby/child has to figure out how to match up the shapes without just dumping them all in at the same time.

Discovery Toys Measure Up! Cups: ages 12+ months

These have been a favorite of our daughter's for quite some time. She LOVES knocking them down when we stack them up. She hasn't learned how to stack them yet, but does use two to bang together.

Another use for frozen purees

2009-11-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Our daughter transitioned to table foods before we could use up all of the fruit and veggie purees residing in our freezer. I was just going to use the puree ice cubes as a veggie soup base, but came up with another use this weekend: SMOOTHIES!

Here's a quick and easy recipe:
-Vanilla yogurt
-Puree ice cubes
-Water
-Spices (optional)

Blend equal parts yogurt and puree ice cubes together. Add water and spices for desired consistency and taste. Pour the smoothie into a sippy cup and you have a serving of dairy and veggies/fruits ready to go!

Here are the smoothies we've made:
Pumpkin: canned pumpkin, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar
Plum: 3 frozen plum puree ice cubes, vanilla yogurt, pinch of sugar
Zucchini: 3-4 frozen zucchini puree ice cubes, vanilla yogurt
Yellow squash: 3-4 frozen zucchini puree ice cubes, vanilla yogurt
Fruit medley: 3 nectarine puree ice cubes, apricot & mango yogurt

And here is the straw sippy cup that we are using - they're cheap and as long as you hand wash them, they're reusable!

Take and Toss Straw Sipper

An affordable (and fun) playroom

2009-10-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

There comes a time when you can't walk a foot in your living room without tripping over toys. My husband and I realized this recently and decided to create a fun space for our daughter.

Here's a quick video tour of the room:

We spent roughly $200 on the room; here's the breakdown.

New Items:
-Paint (base coat, colors for stripes, chalkboard paint) & supplies (rollers, tray, paintbrush): $85
We used Behr Flat Enamel in Swiss Coffee for the majority of the room, Behr Paint & Primer in one for the stripes in Pink Eraser, Coral Gold, Lemon Drops, Carolina Parakeet, Costa Rica Blue and Violet Fields and Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint.

-Tent from IKEA: $10

-Tunnel from IKEA: $20

-Mirrors from IKEA: $20/each

-Table & chairs from IKEA: $40

-Easel: $15

-Playmat from ToysRUs: $25

Repurposed Items:
-TV stand, TV and DVD player from a guest room
-Curtains made from leftover material

Personal Touches:
-Artwork display: We hung a ribbon clothesline on one wall for our children to hang artwork from clothespins. We glued fun buttons on the nailheads. Since our daughter is too young to color, I made a simple banner out of scrapbook paper to hang from the clothesline.
-Toy storage: My husband saved his childhood toy box for our children and it’s perfect for stowing away all of our daughter’s toys.
-Growth chart: We will be painting a growth line on one of the walls to track our children’s growth every 6 months.

Green Parenting

2009-10-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Parenting is a hectic and messy job, and it's easy to generate a lot of waste without realizing it. Here are a few easy, cost-effective ways to help preserve the planet for your little one’s future. Luckily, going green also usually means saving some cash— just in case you needed a little extra motivation!

Buy used clothing and toys from consignment shops.

Make your own baby food. Wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource.

Buy organic, locally-grown produce when possible.

Think about what disposable products you use and try to replace them with reusable items. For example, use cloth wipes on baby’s face and hands and to wipe up spills, switch to reusable shopping bags, and store baby food in storage containers instead of zip-top bags. (Side note: if you search etsy.com for sandwich bags, you can find tons of sellers who make reusable Velcro-top snack and sandwich bags that are super cute and very inexpensive.)

Cloth diaper, if possible. The amount of diapers used for one child between birth and potty training takes up the amount of space in a landfill equivalent to a blue whale!

Use green and baby-safe cleaners, soaps, and detergents. I like the BabyGanics line available at Babies R Us.

Making a few simple changes like these can go a long way towards helping the environment... and the more people who get on board, the better off we all will be! If you have any of your own "green" tips, feel free to share in the comments below. Good luck!

Guest blogger Julia, from Unexpectedly Expecting

Post-Partum: The Real Story

2009-10-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

I never understood why so many moms glossed over the ugly truth of their post-partum experience. I wanted to know everything I should expect so I could be as prepared as possible. Here are a few things I learned along the way.

1. "Down there" care
The hospital gave me a lot of supplies when I was in the hospital and before I was discharged. The nurse instructed me to first put the diaper-sized pad in the mesh panties and then stick the ice pack on top of that. The witch hazel pads topped off the ice pack and a good spraying with the numbing spray finished off the package.

Uses for each item:
Mesh underwear: I wore these exclusively for about a week post-partum. They were oddly comfortable and stretchy enough to accommodate the large pads I needed to wear. Plus it was nice not to worry about ruining my own underwear.

Disposable ice pack: At first I thought it would be too painful to have an ice pack in my underwear, but it helped a great deal with the swelling. I only had to use the ice packs for 24 hours after my daughter was born.

Witch hazel pads: These help with the hemorrhoids, if you get them after birth. I used the pads without asking if I even had hemorrhoids. Turns out I didn't, but it's better to be safe than in pain, in my opinion.

Diaper-sized pads: I naively bought regular overnight maxi pads and packed those in my hospital bag. I laughed when the nurse brought out what looked like an adult diaper, but quickly realized these things were a life (and clothing) saver. I took lots of these home with me.

Numbing spray: I stopped using this spray after the first day because I wasn't in a lot of pain and didn't think it was necessary.

Peri water bottle: This was probably the most used item we got from the hospital (with the exception of the bulb syringe). I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to wipe myself after giving birth. I would fill this bottle with lukewarm water and use the spray to clean myself after using the bathroom. I used this bottle for a good 6 weeks post-partum, pretty much until my 6 week check-up with my OB.

"Puppy pad": The nurse also gave me a pad to put underr me on the bed in case of accidents. In the first 2 days this was a necessity and saved a lot of hospital sheets. I brought some extras home with me, but we ended up using them for diaper changes instead.

2. Hormones
I was aware that my hormones would be a little out of whack after giving birth, but was pleased when I felt like my normal self while we stayed in the hospital. Then a few hours before we were scheduled to be discharged, our daughter started choking on mucous and was having trouble breathing. The nurse whisked her away without saying a word and I broke down, sobbing as I watched my baby leave. I couldn't even control the sadness that washed over me, even after we saw her and the doctor assured us that she was and would be fine. After that, I just tried to let the emotions out when I felt the need and communicated my feelings to my husband so he wouldn't be taken by surprise.

3. Breasts, meet milk
For some reason I had this notion that I wouldn't really see a difference in my breast size after my milk came in. I was aware that the size would change because I had read that you should wait to get fitted for a nursing bra until your milk was in, but I was shocked when I woke up one morning with what looked like implants. My milk came in about 3 days post-partum and it was painful. It took about a week or so for my milk production to regulate and for things to get "normal." In the meantime, I took advantage of the over supply and pumped a lot of milk to build up my freezer stash.

4. Night sweats
Around 3 weeks post-partum, I started waking up, drenched in sweat. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time - I was constantly checking the thermostat, positive that my husband had turned the heat up. Finally it dawned on me that the night sweats were just a way for my body to release all of the extra hormones. I told you, those hormones make your body do crazy things. And speaking of hormones...

5. Hair loss
Those annoying hormones also cause you to start losing your hair. I heard a lot of other moms complain about post-partum hair loss and smugly thought to myself "thank goodness it's not me." Then around 6 weeks post-partum, more hair than usual came out while I was sleeping, washing or brushing my hair. Luckily I have thick hair and the loss tapered off around 3 months post-partum.

6. Activity
I was instructed to restrict unnecessary physical activity for 2 weeks, which included no driving and only walking up the stairs twice a day. My doctor also told me to refrain from sex until after my 6 week post-partum check up because there's basically an open wound from where the placenta was and it needs time to heal otherwise you'll risk an infection. Also, if you're planning to have an epidural, please wait until your nurse clears you to walk on your own. I made the mistake of trying to get around on my own too early and watched as my legs gave way immediately.

7. Dehydration
If you are breastfeeding you will need to increase your water intake. Make sure you always keep a large bottle or glass of water next to you when you're nursing. My goal each day was drinking 100 oz of water, but a good rule of thumb is just drinking to thirst.

8. When to call your doctor
Check your discharge paperwork carefully since everyone's instructions will be slightly different. You should definitely call your doctor for the following:
-Fever of 101 degrees F or higher
-Painful urination
-Passing large clots vaginally (note: some doctors say clots larger than a lime while others say look for clots larger than an orange)

9. The Baby Blues: information from the Mayo Clinic
Signs and symptoms of the baby blues — which last only a few days or weeks — may include:
-Mood swings
-Anxiety
-Sadness
-Irritability
-Crying
-Decreased concentration
-Trouble sleeping

10. Post-Partum Depression (PPD): information from the Mayo Clinic
Postpartum depression may appear to be the baby blues at first — but the signs and symptoms are more intense and longer lasting, eventually interfering with your ability to care for your baby and handle other daily tasks. Signs and symptoms of postpartum depression may include:
-Loss of appetite
-Insomnia
-Intense irritability and anger
-Overwhelming fatigue
-Loss of interest in sex
-Lack of joy in life
-Feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy
-Severe mood swings
-Difficulty bonding with the baby
-Withdrawal from family and friends
-Thoughts of harming yourself or the baby

To read more about the baby blues or post-partum depression (PPD), please check out the Mayo Clinic.

Best Buys for 6-9 month olds

2009-10-09T20:19:00.001-07:00

Finger and Toes Teether: This is hands down (pun intended) the best teether we have. The Fingers and Toes teether is made from a soft and chewy plastic and is easy for little hands to grab. Our daughter loves them so much we'll find her crawling with one of them in her mouth. Be warned that once your baby starts chewing on these, drool output will increase dramatically.

Nuby Sippy Cups: There are so many great things about these sippy cups. 1. They have a soft silicone top, similar to a bottle nipple. 2. The handles make it easy for small hands to grab. 3. They fit a LOT of fluid. We've only been putting about 4 oz of water in them so far, but they'll be great for milk when we're ready to wean from the bottle. Finally, they're cheap and they're sold in pairs!

The First Year's True Fit Convertible Carseat: Most infant seats become a pain to get in and out of the car around the 3-4 month mark. I know that's when we started leaving our infant seat in the car, but I wasn't ready to transition to a convertible seat right away since we still hadn't exceeded the height or weight limits of our infant seat. My husband found this convertible seat on kids.woot.com for a steal - $99! So of course we bought 2. I had been doing some research on convertible seats, but hadn't made a final decision.

This seat is rated highly in Baby Bargains and usually sells for around $180. It was easy to install - my husband had it installed in my 1999 Corolla in about 15 minutes and I couldn't move it an inch. Getting our daughter in and out of it is a little easier than the infant seat, especially since it sits a bit higher. It has a detachable head support, but we haven't had to install that yet. Our daughter seems to love the seat, too, especially since she can see out of the windows now. All in all, it's a great seat!

Superyard XT Gate: Once our daughter was an expert crawler I knew we needed some sort of baby jail or gates. I looked at WalMart, Target, Babies R Us and online at all of the baby gate options, but then decided to check out PetSmart, too, in case the pet gates were cheaper; turns out they're not. So I opted for the Superyard XT Gate with extension kit from Babies R Us. We originally started using it as a true baby jail, like in the picture above, but that didn't last long since our daughter needed more space to move around. Now, I use it as a blockade along an entire wall of our living room. It prevents her from getting up the stairs and banging on our DVD player and entertainment center glass doors.

Winter Baby Tips

2009-10-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us which means winter is around the corner. Here are some things you can do to prepare for your winter baby.

Heating pad: I hate getting into bed in the winter when the sheets are ice cold and I can't imagine a baby enjoys that either. We would put a heating pad on low/medium in our daughter's crib while I nursed her to make a seamless transition from my body to her bed without waking her up.

HALO Sleep Sack or swaddling blankets: We used swaddling blankets to keep her warm and cozy for the first couple of months. Once she was able to easily break the swaddle, we moved to the HALO Sleep Sack Swaddle. The Sleep Sack allowed us to continue swaddling our daughter and she was unable to break the swaddle because of the heavy duty velcro closures. We had 2 Sleep Sacks and 1 Swaddle attachment in Microfleece that we rotated each week.

Cool mist humidifier: Since it gets so dry in the winter, you may want to invest in a humidifier for your nursery. Most homes have a humidifer built into their heating system, but you won't want your whole house that moist all of the time. We got the cool mist humidifier simply because it's cool to the touch (the warm ones can burn you if you touch the mist too close). This is also great to use at night if you or your baby is congested from a cold.

Clothing: You should dress your baby with the same amount of layers (and weight of clothing) that you do yourself. My husband and I wear undershirts in the winter, so we always dressed our daughter in a white onesie underneath everything in the colder months. We usually kept the layers light in case she got overheated and always put on socks and a hat.

Car seats: DO NOT PUT ANYTHING BETWEEN YOUR BABY AND THE CAR SEAT. Once your baby is properly buckeled, cover their body with a blanket for warmth. Please read more from Suite101.com about why you shouldn't add aftermarket items to a car seat.

Car Seat Buntings, Infant Head Supports, and Harness Strap Covers Interfere With Harness Straps

There are three particular products which are intended to increase the child's comfort during the car ride which can have poor affect on the performance of the car seat harness. Car Seat Buntings. Buntings are intended to provide a soft lining for the baby to sit on and serve to blanket the car seat. The goal of buntings is to keep the baby warm during bitter weather.

When any of these items are sold with the car seat, they have been designed for that specific restraint. In this case, the items have undergone crash testing and have been approved by the manufacturer and government standards. However, buntings, head supports, and strap covers sold by unapproved manufacturers can interfere with how the harness performs in a crash. The padding in these accessories may cause the harness to become too slack in the event of an accident, causing it to perform poorly. In severe cases, children may slip from the harness completely.

House temperature: Our doctor and hospital discharge information suggested we keep our house temperature set between 72 and 74 degrees at all times. I found 74 to be a bit too warm for me, especially at night when I was still going through the night sweats. But I figured I would rather be uncomfortable than have my baby be cold.

Pumping at work

2009-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Going back to work does not have to be the end of breastfeeding. You'll definitely need to be committed to your breastfeeding goal because it's easy to just skip a pumping at work, especially without a crying baby there to remind you. Before your maternity leave ends, research your rights and ask your HR department where your office's mother's or family or medical room is located. Breastfeeding laws vary by state, but most states have laws specifically allowing women a private space and break time to pump at work.

Items you'll need

double electric pump: This will allow you to pump both breasts simultaneously. If you plan to use a single electric pump or manual pump, you will need to double your pumping time.
lanolin: Use this as a lubricant inside of the flanges to reduce the friction between your nipple and the flange.
Medela wipes: A lot of Mother's Rooms don't have a sink and the last thing you want to do is traipse the halls with your used pump parts. These wipes allow you to quickly clean your pump parts between pumpings until you can thoroughly wash them at home.
milk storage bags: These are the easiest way to store your expressed milk
pump supply bag: Some pumps, like the Ameda and Lansinoh, don't come with a bag, so you'll need to get one that will fit your pump and all of your supplies. I use a Similac diaper bag the hospital gave us.
lunch box or storage cooler for expressed milk: Make sure your bag is labeled so it doesn't get mixed up with anyone else's while in the refridgerator. I use the cooler bag that came with my Similac diaper bag.

Tips

Block time and set reminders on your calendar to pump to deter people from scheduling meetings during those times
Always pump in the mornings when you get your highest yield
Pump for every feeding that you miss + 1 to help build your freezer stash or every 2 hours
Pump for at least 15 minutes or 2-3 minutes after the last drop of milk has been expressed. This will trigger your breasts to produce more milk.
Bring a picture of your baby with you to induce a quicker letdown
Pack a nursing cover in your pump bag for privacy while pumping in your mother's/family/medical room
Pack your pump bag the night before to make sure you have everything you'll need

Solids: The Beginning

2009-09-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by reminding you that I am in no way an authority on solid foods and am most certainly not a pediatrician. Most pediatricians will suggest that you begin introducing rice cereal to your baby at the 4 month mark as their first solid food. Our daughter is breastfed and we opted to delay solids until she was 6 months old since she was thriving on breastmilk. We also chose to skip cereal and begin with avocado. We consulted our family care physician before making these changes to her diet. That said here are some tips, tricks and information on beginning solids with your little one.

Homemade Solids

Equipment You’ll Need
Microwave steamer bags

Stovetop pot

Immersion blender or food processor: I prefer the immersion blender because the purees come out smoother.

Beaba Babycook (optional): It is small and you can steam and puree the foods all in the same bowl. It takes up minimal cabinet space and produces minimal dishes.

Ice cube trays

Freezer storage bags

Small Tupperware containers for traveling

Baby spoons

Baby bowls (optional)

Plastic bibs (optional) or feed your baby in a diaper

Highchair or other baby chair

Mesh feeder (optional): Allows your child to self feed chunky foods.

Making homemade solids
Steam the foods separately under tender and then blend until smooth. I use water to blend my purees, but you can use formula, breastmilk or juice (if your baby has already had the juice before). Remember to wait 4-7 days before introducing a new food to your baby. I started out making small quantities of purees until I knew that my daughter liked the food then I made large batches and to store in the freezer.

Freezing solids
Fill a plastic ice cube tray with the solid food and freeze until hard. Pop the food cubes in a freezer bag and mark with the food and date. Each cube will be about 1 oz of solid food. My daughter started out eating 2 cubes for each meal and is now slurping down 3 cubes and wanting more. Check out wholesomebabyfood.com for more information around what foods are freezer friendly.

Store-bought Solids

Gerber: They label their foods by development stages: supported sitter, sitter, crawler, etc. Stage 1 foods are for supported sitters, stage 2 for sitters and stage 3 for crawlers. We have found that most Stage 1 and Stage 2 foods are too soupy, so you can add oatmeal or rice cereal to the meals. You can also save the runnier Stage 1 & 2 foods to make mixes with thicker Stage 3 foods or chunkier purees. Gerber Organic can be better cost-wise but the lips are not very secure when re-closed and often will open up in the diaper bag and make a mess.

Earth’s Best: They label their food by age: 1st Beginner Foods for 4 mos & up, 2nd Vegetables, Fruits, Meats & Grains for 6 mos & up and 3rd Chunky Blends for 9 mos & up. It’s all organic and claims to be “the first brand of baby food to be produced with NO Genetically Engineered Ingredients.”

Beechnut: These tend to taste faker, saltier and grosser than Gerber, Earth's Best or Giant's Nature's Promise. They do come in small glass jars, which are microwaveable and can be repurposed for small item storage after they’re clean.

Favorite First Foods

• Avocado: it’s high in “good” fat and smooth when pureed
• Sweet potato: semi-sweet and purees easily with water
• Banana: sweet, easy to mash and is great mixed with oatmeal

Good to Keep on Hand

• Oatmeal
• Rice cereal
• Juice

First Finger Foods

• Puffs: The Gerber puffs are a little big, so break them in half until your baby is ready to chew a whole one. The Target brand puffs are smaller, just as tasty and cheaper.
• Mum Mums: These rice husk treats are a great way for your baby to learn to self-feed. WalMart carries both the plain and vegetable flavors.
• Banana chunks: Roll them in cereal to make them easier to pick up.

Solid Food Poop

Don’t be alarmed when your baby starts dropping loads that make your eyes water. I’ve found that most solid foods come out looking the same way they did going in. The one exception I can think of is bananas – they tend to cause black stringy worm-like poops in some babies.

The First Feeding

Plan to start your baby’s first solid food in the morning about 30-60 minutes after their first feeding. Don’t expect them to eat more than 1-2 tablespoons the first few times. Your baby’s first solids should run off of the spoon easily. Don’t force the spoon into your baby’s mouth; let them lean forward, mouth open. If they start turning their head or pursing their lips, they are probably finished with the food.

Tips and Tricks

-If your baby gags at the sight of the spoon or solids, try dipping their pacifier in the puree so they can try the food and associate it with something they are used to.
-Try feeding weightier purees with the spoon upside down – it prevents the baby from scraping the roof of their mouth.

The NICU: What to Expect

2009-09-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Nobody wants to think about what it might be like to not take your baby straight home from the hospital, but if you are interested in what to expect in case you are thrown into this situation, read on! I do not pretend to be a NICU expert—I am just a NICU mom of a late preterm baby—but I hope this post can be of some help to expectant moms who know or suspect that their baby may be staying there for awhile after birth.

There are several main issues that premature babies generally face:
• Breathing
• Feeding/weight gain
• Jaundice
• Maintaining body temperature

Not all babies have difficulties in all of these areas, and the extent of the problem will probably depend on the gestational age of the baby. The NICU staff will set goals for your baby in each of these areas that they must meet in order to go home: for example, they may have to weigh five pounds, and/or breathe without supplemental oxygen. If your baby has apnea/bradycardia spells, you will probably have to wait until your baby has gone one full week without a spell in order to go home.

Here are some examples of the equipment that may be used to help your baby:
NG (feeding) tube
This tube goes through the nose into the baby’s stomach. A syringe is used to feed the baby through the tube. Its purpose is to feed preemies who cannot yet coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing, or those who are too sleepy to feed adequately, etc.

Ventilator
Some younger babies will need to be intubated and have a mechanical ventilator help them breathe and supply additional oxygen.

CPAP
Generally, babies will progress from the ventilator to the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which pushes oxygen into the baby’s lungs to keep the air sacs open and reduce the work necessary for them to breathe. This baby is wearing a chin strap, because he liked to sleep with his mouth open and that defeats the purpose of the CPAP!

Cannula
Once the baby no longer needs CPAP, this soft tube delivers oxygen and can also deliver room air once the baby has weaned off oxygen.

Monitors, pulse oximeter, IV lines
These wires monitor the baby’s heart rate, respiration rate, and oxygenation of the blood. IV lines deliver fluids and sometimes nutrition as well.

Other equipment includes the isolette, if baby cannot maintain his or her body temperature, and the bili lights or blanket, shown in the jaundice post below.
If your baby was born before 37 weeks, he or she will need to pass a carseat test before going home. Monitors are placed on the baby while in the carseat to make sure he or she can do well for the duration of the drive.

Some tips on coping:

• There will be lots of nurses and doctors to take care of your baby, but there may be no one to take care of you-- make sure you take some time for yourself. Having a baby in the hospital is very stressful and it is crucial that you take care of yourself. I cannot emphasize this enough!
• NICU parents are at higher risk for postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Familiarize yourself with the signs and seek help as soon as possible if you suspect that this may be a problem for you or your partner.
• The NICU can be a roller coaster ride. There will most likely be ups and downs with your baby's progress. Try to stay as optimistic as you can, even though it's upsetting when your baby has a setback. One of Caroline's nurses liked to remind me that "there are no one-year-olds in the NICU" and she was right. Each day of hospitalization might seem like a year, but you will get through it and the majority of parents take home a healthy baby.
• Take pictures! I was too overwhelmed and upset by the equipment to do so, and I wish with all my heart that I had more pictures of her first few weeks of life.
• Do "kangaroo care" (skin-to-skin contact with baby) as much as you can, if your baby is able. It's good for your baby and for you too. The tubes and wires will hardly matter to you when you have your baby in your arms.

Good luck! It can be a difficult time, but your baby's coming-home day will arrive and you will treasure every moment of those first few weeks at home all the more.

Guest blogger Julia, from Unexpectedly Expecting

Jaundice: the yellow baby

2009-09-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

What is jaundice?
Jaundice is usually described as the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. Basically a baby has jaundice when the bilirubin builds up faster than the baby's liver can break it down. An increase in bilirubin is the cause of the yellowing of the skin and eyes; it appears on the face first, then moves to the chest, stomach and finally the legs. Jaundice is a very common condition in newborns and in most cases, it goes away on its own.

What is bilirubin?
Bilirubin is basically a cleaning agent in our bodies - it takes away the old red blood cells and then passes through the liver. Newborns generally have more bilirubin than their system can process which causes them to have jaundice. Breastfed babies and babies of Mediterranean descent usually have a higher bilirubin level.

How do I know if my baby has jaundice?
Look at your baby under natural light or a room with fluorescent lights to check your baby's coloring. A quick test if to press gently with your fingertip on the tip of your baby's nose or forehead. If the skin looks white, there is no jaundice. If you see a yellowish color, call your doctor for further testing. Your doctor will perform a quick blood test to check your baby's bilirubin level (this test is true for all races).

How is jaundice treated?
There are a couple of ways to treat jaundice. If the bilirubin levels are higher than the doctor would like, but not too concerning, the doctor may suggest that you expose the baby to as much sunlight as possible with the baby in just a diaper. This method was used frequently when I was growing up in the early 1980's.

Another home remedy is more frequent feedings of breastmilk or formula. I said before that breastfed babies are more likely to have jaundice, so you may be thinking it doesn't make since to continue to breastfeed them while they're being treated. You should absolutely keep nursing (if that's your preference). The more your baby eats, the more frequently your baby will poop and bilirubin is passed in the poop.

Our daughter's bilirubin levels were 16.5 when they were tested 3 days after she was born, which was higher than normal, but not terrible. By the time we were admitted to the hospital they were up to 20. The most common treatment for bili levels this high is phototherapy. The on-call pediatrician wanted her levels down to 15.5 before she would be discharged. After 2 nights and 3 days under the lights, her levels dropped well below the discharge requirements.

How does phototherapy work?
The special bili lights break down the bilirubin in the skin, making it easier for the liver to get rid of it. During treatment, the baby's eyes are covered for protection with a biliband mask and the baby typically wears only a diaper so most of the skin is exposed to the lights.

How long will my baby need phototherapy?
the phototherapy treatment usually lasts a few days, but may last as long as a week. Our hospital asked us to limit the number of times we took our daughter out of the isolette. We only removed her from the lights for diaper changes and feedings. Some doctors will allow you to do the phototherapy at home, using a biliblanket. Consult your pediatrician or family doctor to see if this is an option for your baby.

A baby being treated with phototherapy via lights in a hospital isolette.

The biliband mask protects the baby's eyes from the intense lights.

A baby being treated with phototherapy via a biliblanket.

Diapers, diapers, diapers

2009-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

What do I need to stock my diapering station?
Basics:

diapers
wipes & wipe container (Huggies makes the best portable wipes container)
diaper cream (We prefer Desitin Creamy; 2 small tubes have lasted us almost 8 months and we use it liberally.)
waterproof pad for changing and air drying
diaper pail (We love our Diaper Genie, but any pail will work as long as you change the bag frequently.)

Nice to haves:

wipe warmer
Diaper Dust or baking soda
basket/container to make a portable station

How many diapers will I need a day?
It seemed like we were constantly changing our daughter's diaper in the beginning. In reality you will probably go through about 10 diapers a day.

What tips & tricks do you use?
-Secure a maxi-pad across the top of the diaper if your baby is a tummy sleeper
-Put duct tape across the front of the diaper (tab to tab) to prevent your baby from removing the diaper
-Fold the diaper down under the umbilical cord in the front until the stump falls off
-"Fluff" out the gussets (there are 2) around the legs after securing the diaper

Where can I find deals or order diapers in bulk?
diapers.com

What are the brands really like?
Pampers:
-Swaddlers & Swaddlers Sensitive: very soft, great for new parents, the poop is absorbed into the diaper rather than sitting on the baby's tush, very stretchy sides, wetness indicator (Swaddlers Sensitive only), umbilical cord notch in newborn size
-Cruisers: soft, extra stretchy sides give a better fit for your mobile baby
-Baby Dry: soft, extra absorbant for overnight

Huggies:
-Snug & Dry: slimmer crotch coverage, stretchy sides for a snug fit around the waist, pretty absorbant especially in the front
-Overnights: super absorbant, great for babies that are sleeping through the night or heavy bedtime soakers

Costco/Kirkland: comparable to Huggies Snug & Dry, slimmer crotch coverage, only comes in 3 sizes - no newborn sizes

Target (the polka dot brand): a little longer than Pampers, holds a surprising amount of fluid, doesn't hug the waist as well as the Pampers or Huggies

WalMart/Parent's Choice: run a little short in length, much rougher than the Pampers - my husband and I would rub the diaper to soften it up before putting it on our daughter, not very absorbant - only use during the day when changes are more frequent

SWIM DIAPERS: These are only designed to contain the poop, so make sure the fit is correct around the legs and waist.
Huggies Little Swimmers: pull on like underpants, high leg holes, doesn't swell up like a regular diaper, smallest size starts at 16lbs
iPlay: resuseable swim diaper, smallest size starts at 13lbs, comes in a ton of cute colors and patterns, very snug around the legs and waist

Nursery on a dime

2009-08-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

In the typical house the nursery is relegated to the smallest bedroom. Why? Because the baby is generally the smallest person living in the house. Smaller person = smaller room. Smaller person /= less "stuff".

My husband and I chose the smallest room for our daughter's nursery because 1. we plan to keep it as a nursery until we are finished having babies and 2. it is located directly across from our room. We also chose to decorate the room in a gender neutral theme since we weren't finding out the sex of the baby and planned to use the room for all of our babies.

Here are some easy ways to decorate and organize a nursery on a budget.

1. Choose a theme or a color palette. We chose a zoo theme because I love the zoo and it offered a variety of colors from which to choose. We painted the walls a very pale blue, Behr Bay Breeze. Behr is a pricier paint, but lasts for many years, so in the long run is a cheaper option.

2. Choose a furniture color or finish. Lighter colors tend to make a small room feel larger. You can usually save money by buying pieces from different stores, but wood finishes can be hard to match. That's why we went with a white finish. Keep the lines of the furniture simple so the room won't feel too busy or crowded. We bought our crib from Buy Buy Baby and got one of the more affordable ones. The bureau came from IKEA and was repurposed as a changing table. The 2 side cabinets were bought at Target in the bath section.

3. Search Craigslist. We found our glider on Craigslist for a steal - $25 for the glider and the ottoman. Don't stress too much about the cushion colors because those can be easily replaced. Our glider cushions were an oatmeal color that just made the glider look washed out. A trip to the local fabric store fixed that - they are now lime green. I also sewed a zipper in both covers for easy cleaning.

4. Make your own wall art. My husband and I took a trip to the zoo and snapped a few pictures of our favorite animals. I bought cheap wooden frames from Walmart and spray painted them white. We framed the zoo photos with coordinating mats. We also bought 2 white floating shelves from Target and propped some pictures and stuffed animals on them.

5. Be a bedding minimalist. I know those bedding sets with the sheets, blanket, curtain and bumper are adorable, but they're also quite expensive. Plus you can't use half of it until your baby is a little older. Stick to the basics. You need a mattress pad, waterproof cover and sheet. We left the plastic on the mattress, too as an added precaution. We also use the Ultimate Crib Sheet to make those middle of the night changes easier.

6. Get organized. I can't stand clutter and knew I wouldn't have time to be constantly picking up the nursery once the baby was here so I put a system in place for easy organization.

Start with the closet. What do you want to store in there? I hang all of my daughters dresses, shirts (not onesies), jackets, sweater and footed pajamas. I store her blankets, diapers, burp cloths, wipes, Diaper Genie bags and shoes in there, too. Your local hardware store (Lowe's or Home Depot) will have many different closet organizers that you can self-install. We chose the cheapest ClosetMaid system for our nursery. It took all of 30 minutes to install and made the biggest difference in space. I also bought a few plastic bins to store the diapers, wipes, receiving blankets and shoes.

Round up the toys. We don't keep a lot of toys in the nursery since our daughter spends most of her playtime in the living room. The toys that are kept in there are stored in fabric drawers and cubes we purchased at Target. I also bought a large plastic basket for all of her stuffed animals. It makes cleanup a breeze.

Make the most of the drawers. You can buy cheap drawer dividers from Target or Walmart. They're located in the laundry section (ironing boards, hangers, etc.). I keep all of the socks, hats and diaper covers in the top drawer, onesies in the middle drawer and pants and bibs in the bottom drawer. Putting laundry away is easy now and we can easily find the clothes we want. I'm a little OCD, so I sort her onesies by color.

So you need to babyproof

2009-08-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

My husband and I didn't begin the babyproofing process until our daughter started crawling. We should have done it sooner. Babyproofing can be an overwhelming task, but if you take it one room at a time, it's quite easy.

Where to begin? When going through each room in your home, get down on your hands and knees to see the things your baby can access.

The Nursery
-As soon as your baby is able to sit up unassisted, lower the crib. I repeat, LOWER THE CRIB. Otherwise you'll put your baby down for a nap and walk into their room to find this:

-If your baby is tall or is an expert climber, you may also want to invest in a crib tent. This will also help keep certain pets (cats, cats, cats) out of the crib.

-Check that the changing pad is attached to the changing table. For a little extra traction, add a piece of non-skid carpet padding between the table and the pad.

The Living Room/Family Room/Den
-Bundle all of your entertainment system cords together in a cord management tube.
-Secure your television to a wall or table unit.
-Apply edge guards around your coffee table and fireplace hearth.
-Attach covers to your DVD and/or VCR players.

The Kitchen
-Install cabinet locks on all of your cabinets and drawers, especially those containing sharp objects or cleaning products.
-Attach covers to the stove knobs and a guard to the stovetop. If you hang dishtowels from your oven door, remove them. Your baby can reach up and pull the door open with the towel. If you have a double oven, like we do, you can get a door lock for the lower oven.

The Bathroom
-Insert non-stick pads to the bottom of the shower or tub. Once your baby is crawling or pulling up, they're going to do it everywhere, including in the bath.
-Install a toilet lock to prevent drowning. (note: We haven't installed these because we keep the downstairs bathroom door shut at all times and are always with our daughter when we're upstairs.)

All Rooms
-Make sure all outlets are covered if they are not in use.
-Remove everything breakable from all surfaces - you may think something's well out of a baby's reach, but they are stubborn and quick and will almost always find a way to get what they're after.
-Secure all bookcases or large furniture to the wall.
-Install gates at the top and bottom of all staircases. I prefer the ones that are screwed into the wall and swing open like a door.

Some other things to watch out for:
Curtains: We have floor length curtains throughout our home and our daughter loves to pull on and chew them. I don't mind her chewing on them (well, I mind, but I try to think of the big picture), but if she starts pulling on them, I firmly tell her "no" and move her to a new area.
Tabletops: Nothing is safe once your little one starts pulling up. Those little arms are fast and seem to reach everything. Our coffee table has lots of cubby holes on the sides and we've started storing some of her toys there.

Best Buys for 4-7 month olds

2009-08-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my favorite products for babies aged 4-7 months old.

Jumperoo or doorway jumper: We bought both for our daughter and she loved bouncing around in them. We got the Fisher Price Precious Planet jumperoo because it is colorful, has fun toys around the perimeter and has 3 adjustable settings for the height. We put the doorway jumper in the kitchen so she has a safe place to play while we cook or do dishes.

Shopping cart cover: I used to wear my daughter whenever we went into a shop with carts because navigating through a busy WalMart or grocery store with a stroller and a cart was not something I wanted to experience. Now we just put her in the cart with the cart cover and she has a blast.

Umbrella stroller: We have a travel system and the stroller part of that is rather large when collapsed. It takes up 3/4 of our trunk and we have a Volkswagon Passat. We decided to retire our Graco Quattro in favor of a lightweight umbrella stroller. We opted for the Chicco Capri after "test driving" all of the strollers in Babies R Us. I love that the Capri is only 11 pounds, takes up maybe 1/8 of our trunk (if that) and unfolds and collapses with ease. Plus with the 15% off coupon, it was quite affordable at Babies R Us.

Highchair: There are tons of highchair options out there and you can easily spend over $200 on one. We wanted something easy to clean, with simple lines. We found exactly what we were looking for at IKEA. This highchair was incredibly easy to put together and cleans up with just a quick wipe. It's also very easy to get our daughter in and out of the chair - another plus!

Baby Einstein, CDs and DVDs: We started playing the Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics and Baby Mozart CDs right away during bedtime. It's much better than listening to white noise over the baby monitor. Our daughter didn't become interested in the Baby Einstein DVD until around 6 months old. She loves the monkey segment of the World Animals video. Plus it gives me 27 minutes of uniterrupted time so I can eat breakfast, do the dishes or shower.

Bath sponge/cushion: As soon as our daughter was able to sit up unassisted, we replaced our bath seat with a bath sponge, similar to this. She loves sitting up in the bath like a big girl and the sponge provides her with enough traction so she doesn't slide around. And if she happens to slip, it cushions her fall. It's really easy to wring out and dries quickly.

Teething is the devil

2009-08-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

The drool. The whining. The swollen gums. The night wakings. Teething truly is the devil.

It was around 4 months when I noticed my daughter's drool output dramatically increase. She started chewing on EVERYTHING and then we said goodbye to her sleeping through the night. It can take months before a tooth actually cuts through the gums, but there are some things you can do to ease the pain until those pearly whites arrive.

Here are some of the tricks and methods we used to help our daughter.

Hyland's Teething Tablets: These helped give immediate relief and I don't think we ever had to use more than 2 at a time. You just place them under the tongue. I found that I had to kind of hold them in place until they disolved otherwise she would try to swallow them whole.
Infant Tylenol: I know a lot of doctors won't say it, but teething and fevers generally go hand in hand. My daughter usually runs a low fever when she's about to cut a new tooth. We've found that a smidge of Infant Tylenol will not only help the fever, but the pain of the new tooth as well.
Soft and hard chew toys: We have a variety of chew toys for our daughter. Her favorites are links, Soothie pacifiers and soft books
Mesh feeder: We put an ice cube in these and she goes to town!

Some items other moms have sworn by:

Baby Orajel
Sophie the Giraffe or other Vulli teethers
RaZberry or other similar teethers

Cloth diapering: not just for crunchy mamas anymore!

2009-08-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Cloth diapers are a great option for parents concerned about the cost and environmental impact of disposable diapers. I was nervous about using them because of the time and ick factors, but for my family, cloth diapering has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made so far! Here are some common questions and concerns about cloth diapering:

Why use cloth?
It saves money, is better for your baby’s skin (we have only had one diaper rash since switching over), is better for the environment, and the diapers are really cute! Many daycares will allow you to use cloth if you provide an all-in-one or pocket diaper, because these styles are just as easy to use as a disposable.

But isn’t it gross?
Well, kind of, but if you are already a parent, you know that you get up close and personal with poop on a regular basis no matter what kind of diapers you use. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you can just toss the poop diapers in the pail and they will come clean in the wash. If you use formula or once you start solids, you can either shake the poop into the toilet or use a diaper sprayer to transfer it hands-free. The diapers are sanitized by washing them in hot water-- your washing machine won’t be contaminated by poop.

Does it really save money?
It absolutely can, but it does depend on what kind of diapers you buy, and how often you are willing to do diaper laundry. I think the best ways to save money are to buy only one-size diapers so that you only have to buy one stash, and to buy diapers with snap closures rather than Velcro so that you don’t have to replace or repair your diapers once the Velcro starts curling or unsticking. The savings are especially huge if you plan to use your stash for more than one baby. Another cost factor to consider is resale value for when you are finished, which is 50% or more for many diapers, depending on their condition.

What kinds of diapers are out there?
In order from most convenient and expensive, to least convenient and expensive:

All-in-ones (AIOs): absorbent diaper attached to waterproof outer shell: all one piece.

Pocket diapers: these must be stuffed with an absorbent insert before using.

Fitted diapers with covers: the fitted diaper is fastened onto baby, and then a separate cover goes over that.

Prefold diapers with covers: the prefold is pinned onto baby, and then covered with a separate cover, like fitteds. This prefold is shown fastened with a Snappi rather than a metal pin. You would use a cover over this like the blue one shown above.

(There are other options too, but these are the most common.)

How do I know which diapers to buy?
If you are just starting out, you can try different brands and styles of cloth diapers for just $10 here. I’d highly recommend doing this so that you can figure out which diapers work best for your baby and for you. This way you can avoid investing in a bunch of diapers that leak on your baby or are inconvenient for your lifestyle, only to have to resell them and buy a different kind.

What do I need to buy to get started?
You will need a stash of diapers (see below), about one cloth wipe per diaper, some doublers or extra inserts to increase absorbency for nighttime, a diaper pail (a step-lid garbage can works great), a pail liner, diaper detergent, and a wet bag for travel. Optional: diaper sprayer, and wipe solution.

How many diapers will I need?
Use this website to select your diapering style and it will give you a chart for how many diapers you should buy based on how often you plan to do diaper laundry.

I have 20 onesize diapers and 24 wipes, and that stash allows me to wash every 2-3 days.

How do I wash the diapers?
Laundry instructions differ by brand, but generally you will do a cold rinse, hot wash, extra cold rinse. It’s important to rinse all of the detergent out of your diapers to prevent detergent buildup and ammonia stink issues. You’ll need a special diaper detergent (only use about a tablespoon per load), and you cannot use any laundry additives (e.g. fabric softener) or rash cream.

What products do you recommend?

Diapers: my favorites are BumGenius organic onesize with snaps (AIOs) and Smartipants (pockets). These are both very well-made, onesize diapers that have durable snap closures and are convenient styles. I add one insert for nighttime and have never had any leaks. Onesize diapers generally do not work well until the baby weighs about 10 pounds, so if you are planning on diapering a newborn you will need some prefolds or fitteds (I've heard great things about Kissaluvs size 0, pictured above in "fitteds").
Diaper sprayer: I love my BumGenius sprayer/mini-shower.
Cloth wipes: I just use cheap Gerber baby washcloths and they work great. I make my own wipe solution with water and a drop or two of baby shampoo.
Diaper detergent: I use Crunchy Clean and my favorite scent is Baby Bee Clean.

Where can I find more information?
Here are my favorite links:

http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm (awesome overview of cloth diapering, diaper laundering, etc.)
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp (good for reviews of different diaper brands)
http://www.diaperswappers.com/ (for buying used diapers, if you care to do that)

Good luck, and have fun!

--Guest blogger Julia, from Unexpectedly Expecting

Help me increase my supply!

2009-08-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

Once you start breastfeeding, you'll want to do a few things to maintain your milk supply. Here are a couple of tricks you can use:

1. Drink at least 100 oz of water a day
2. Get plenty of rest
3. Eat regular meals (spinach and whole grains are excellent for nursing mothers)
4. Nurse regularly and pump if you miss a feeding

There have been many times when I've needed to increase my milk supply and I've found a few tricks to do it fast. Remember that what you pump doesn't necessarily equal the true amount of milk your breasts are holding. A nursing baby is more efficient at transferring milk than any pump. That being said, here are some easy ways to increase your supply.

1. Nurse frequently and skip all bottle feedings
2. Take a nursing "vacation", do nothing but nurse and rest for 2 days
3. Drink 100+ oz of water a day
4. Each a good amount of spinach
5. Fenugreek: take 2 610mg capsules 3 x day
6. Add pumping sessions after you nurse to help fully empty the breast
7. Make sure your baby is nursing efficiently and is latched properly

Remember breastfeeding is a supply and demand "business". If there's no demand, your supply is going to dry up. I know it's frustrating at times because you can't see the actual amount your baby is eating, but as long as your baby is having enough wet and poopy diapers and is gaining on target, you're producing enough. If your baby is going through a growth spurt it might seem like you don't have enough milk to meet the demand, but you do. Just keep putting the baby to the breast and your body will adjust in a day or two. Amazing, right?

Formula Feeding for Dummies...or just regular Mommies

2009-08-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

I think it’s awesome that women have the option to feed their babies something wholesome and nutritious, should they choose not to or aren’t able to breastfeed. Every mother’s priority is to make sure their child is fed well and thriving.

Formula comes with a very different set of rules than breastfeeding. Cost, preparation, storage and feeding logistics need to be considered and below are some points to keep in mind when starting your baby on formula.

1. Not all formulas are created equal.

There are multiple brands of formula and multiple different types of formula sold by each brand. You have pre-made, concentrate and powder varieties of each brand and type of formula. The average baby will do just fine on the basic Enfamil Lipil (Premium) or Similac Advance with Early Shield (these two are virtually identical). Talk with your pediatrician about which would be a suitable choice for your little one. You may have to switch if your baby has any sort of reaction or sensitivity, but there are so many options you will certainly be able to find one that works for baby.

2. Bottles-a-million.

You will find no less than 349 different types of bottles at your local baby superstore. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration but it might as well be 349. You have plastic, BPA-free plastic, glass, drop-in, wide neck and regular nipples, slow, medium and fast nipple flows, vents, tubing, and some with all of the above (almost).

I suggest starting out with the most basic and going up from there. I spent God knows how much money on bottles, only to find out the best fit for us was a $2.99 Evenflo 3 pack with Dr. Brown’s nipples. Go figure. Important to note – if you will be breastfeeding and bottle feeding, you may want to start off with a wideneck bottle. These ones tend to mimic the breast better as the nipple base is larger. Glass may be a more eco-friendly choice for you but don’t forget that it can break! We stick with BPA-free plastic since it’s durable and cost effective for what you get.

Some of the typical favorites are Avent, Playtex Drop-Ins or Ventaire, and Dr. Brown’s bottles.

3. Time to eat!

There are a few ways you can do this, and in reality, no one way is better than another – It’s a matter of preference and convenience. I like to portion out the powder formula into one of these and keep bottles with the water already measured, so that I can just dump and shake when it’s time for baby to eat. My daughter doesn’t have an issue with the bubbles it forms, but if your baby does, here’s a quick trick: Drop in a dose of Mylicon drops and watch the bubbles skidaddle! Works like a charm. Other moms like to make a big batch of formula ahead of time. Keep in mind that this will need to be refrigerated (lasts up to 24 hours) and then warmed when ready to serve. I found very quickly that baby would scream for what seemed like an eternity while waiting on her bottle to warm, but it works out great for other moms!

A couple of notes…

-Use nursery, filtered or boiled water for your bottles. Some moms use tap, but if you are on a well system, I suggest one of the other options.
-Prepared, un-refrigerated formula is good for up to two hours.
-Once you have started a feeding, that bottle is only good for an hour. Toss any remaining formula after that.
-When using powder formula, each scoop of powder accounts for about 0.2 oz of additional volume. This means that in a bottle with 4 oz of water, you will add 2 scoops (1 scoop per 2 oz of water) thus making the total amount your baby is eating, 4.4 oz. If you are monitoring your baby’s intake closely, these minute differences can be important to you.
-If you’d like to do odd numbers of ounces, you can eyeball a half scoop. Most pediatricians will not recommend trying to do an estimate less than that. Don’t forget the volume conversion above because you might find you don’t need to do half scoops of powder.
-Always make sure the formula is completely mixed! There is nothing grosser than the clump of undissolved formula that turns into a sort of glue inside of the bottle. Yuck. So shake, shake, shake!

--Guest blogger, Lauren

Clogged ducts, milk blisters and other mishaps

2009-08-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

A breastfeeding mom has many enemies, clogged ducts, milk blisters and mastitis are just a few of the offenders. Milk blisters can lead to clogged ducts which can lead to mastitis. These afflictions have caused many women to throw in the towel, but you don't have to. Here are a few tried and true remedies you can use.

Milk blisters:
1. Sterilize a needle (soak in alcohol or leave under a flame until white hot) and use it to gently lift the edges of the blister
2. Apply moist heat to the blister to soften it before nursing several times a day

Clogged ducts:
1. Nurse as frequently as possible and always start on the clogged side
2. Point your baby's chin towards the clog while nursing
3. Apply a warm, moist compress and massage from the clogged duct to the nipple
4. Vary your nursing position - cradle, cross cradle, football, side-lying, baby sitting up...
5. Take an anti-inflamitory
6. REST REST REST
7. Massage the clogged duct while nursing
8. Apply a heating pad and then massage some more
9. PUMP PUMP PUMP
10. Lay your baby down on their back, kneel over them on all fours (yes, like a cow) and then let your baby nurse in that position

Mastitis:
1. Get to the doctor as soon as you can to get an antibiotic and probiotic
2. REST REST REST
3. Take a Tylenol to help with the fever and chills
4. Nurse frequently
5. Drink at least 100 oz of water each day

Check kellymom.com or the Mayo Clinic for more information.

The Breast Stuff

2009-08-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

I knew I wanted to breastfeed long before I got pregnant. Unfortunately my only experience with breastfeeding was what I had watched on TV and in the movies. Hollywood makes breastfeeding look so easy and natural. For some moms it is easy and natural, but for a lot of moms it's an uphill battle.

Before I delivered, I told all of the nurses and doctors that I wanted to put my baby to the breast right away. After my daughter was cleaned, weighed and measured, they brought her over and put her to the breast. She was not having any of it. After several tries, I gave up, thinking she would latch right on the next time.

After consulting 4 lactation consultants and multiple nurses, I had only gotten her to successfully latch once. I finally gave in to pumping and finger feeding her colostrum until my milk came in. Once my milk came in, I was so engorged it was even harder to get my daughter to latch. I started using a nipple shield that one of the consultants gave me. It was magic - she was able to latch on easily. After 6 weeks of using the nipple shield, I started trying latching her on without it and she started getting the hang of latching on to the bare breast. Then one day we didn't need the shield at all. She's been able to latch with ease ever since.

Unfortunately, nursing hasn't always been a smooth ride. I've dealt with many clogged ducts, a dip in supply, a lazy eater and many other obstacles. If I hadn't been so committed to breastfeeding (and didn't have my husband's support), I might have given up after the first couple of problems. I kept repeating my mantra "just get through this feeding" and now it's a breeze to nurse her.

I love so many things about breastfeeding - the convenience of always having food with you, it's free, "breast is best for baby", did I mention it's free? and lastly, I love the one-on-one time I get to have with my daughter.

Here are the things that have helped me make breastfeeding work:

1. Set goals; I had 4 breastfeeding goals:

-Beginning goal: to get to the next feeding
-Mini goal: 3 months
-Real goal: 6 months
-"Wouldn't it be awesome" goal: 1 year

2. Get support; There are many people you can turn to for support, here are just a few. My husband was a huge help, especially in the beginning. He would change the baby's diaper and then bring me the boppy pillow, a glass of water and the baby.
-Your significant other
-Your family
-Lactation consultants/centers
-La Leche League

3. Wait to buy a pump; You can usually rent a pump from the hospital on a weekly basis. Use that pump until you decide if breastfeeding is going to work for you. Here are the things I found useful for pumping:

-Closed system pump, like the Ameda Purely Yours or Lansinoh
-Lanolin to lube the flanges
-Milk storage bags
-Cleaning wipes, like these by Medela

4. Nursing cover, like the Bebe Au Lait or Hooter Hider; I love my nursing cover because it allows me to nurse everywhere comfortably.

5. Nipple shield; A lot of people are against using the nipple shield, but I agree with kellymom.com,

Although nipple shields should be used only after other options have been tried, it is better to have a baby on the breast with a shield than not on the breast at all!

6. Boppy pillow or Breast Friend; We're almost 7 months in and we still use the boppy for breastfeeding.

Hospital List

2009-08-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

We took to the hospital:
Me: thin robe, nursing tanks, yoga/sweat pants, toiletries, camera, phone, laptop and chargers, camera cord to upload pics, going home outfit, Boppy
My husband: 2 changes of clothes, toiletries, entertainment (crossword puzzles, sudoku, etc.), snacks, comfy pillow
Baby: going home outfit, car seat, blanket

Hospital provided (unlimited amounts) – check with yours to see what they provide and once you’re there ask for extras to take home for the first few days:
Me: Slipper socks, mesh undies, diaper-sized pads (gross, but so useful), tucks pads, hospital gowns (don’t ruin your own), peri bottle, large water cup (take it home!)
Baby: t-shirts, diapers, wipes, bulb syringes (ask for a couple to take home), hats

First week at home: we spent the first week sleeping on the couch since I could only go up and down the stairs twice a day (so they said):
Me: Comfy pillow, nursing tanks, yoga/sweat pants (I lived in these and a tank), robe, disposable nursing pads, lanolin, unscented lotion (you wash your hands a lot, so much that mine started cracking)
Baby: newborn diapers (we used these for about a month), wipes, desitin, cloth diapers (we use them as burp cloths), receiving blankets to swaddle, white onesies (she lived in these when we’re home), hats, pack-n-play (she slept in this during the day for her naps – we kept it in the living room)
For both me and my husband: lots and lots of DVDs, snacks, easy to make food

Best Buys for 0-4 month olds

2009-08-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Looking back, there were so many things that made those early days a little easier. Here are a few of our favorite baby products that we used exclusively from 0-4 months.

Boppy pillow: We have 2 and still use them all of the time. I use them for nursing sessions (obviously), but we have also used them to prop her up while she was napping, to help her learn to sit and for her to recline while watching Baby Einstein.

Rectal thermometer: What a lifesaver for 2 reasons. This is without a doubt the most accurate way to take a baby's temperature. Plus, it makes a great laxative. If our daughter goes a whole day without pooping, we can just stick the thermometer up there and bam! out comes the #2. Like magic.

Infant swing: God bless the swing. She napped exclusively in the swing twice a day for almost 3 months straight. I think I would have lost my mind had I not been able to put her to sleep in the swing.

Cloth prefold diapers: We use these for burp cloths and one comes with us everywhere. They are super absorbent and last for years (my aunt still has some from when her kids were babies).

The Diaper Dude: I love love love this diaper bag, mostly because I'm not a fan of traditional looking diaper bags. This bag fits everything we need for a day outing: Hooter Hider, burp cloth, bibs, nasal aspirator, diaper cream, plastic bags (for dirty diapers), infant tylenol, teething tablets, saline drops, 2 changes of clothes, 10 diapers, wipes, receiving blanket and a few toys.

The Ultimate Crib Sheet: What a time saver this has been. It's basically a waterproof mattress protector, mattress pad and sheet all in one. We have 2 of these sheets and that's all we've needed so far. We kept the plastic on the mattress and put the waterproof pad over that and then a pretty zoo themed sheet on over that. Then, we jut snap the ultimate crib sheet over the pretty sheet. Makes linen changes much easier.

Flannel receiving blankets: We use these for just about everything - as swaddling blankets when she was a newborn, diaper changing pads for downstairs, clean play area while we're out and about, make shift burp cloths, sun cover...you name it, we've probably used them for it.

Bath seat: As soon as her cord stump fell off, we started giving her real baths in the big bathtub. We used this seat in the tub until she was able to sit up on her own. Before that we used it for sponge baths in the living room. And we still use it today to rest her in after bathtime while we empty the tub and wring out her bath mat.

The Ultimate Baby Wrap: I love how comfortable this baby carrier is. It distributes the weight evenly across my shoulders, back and hips, plus it made my daughter feel snuggly and helped her pass out when she was little. And I love that this wrap has 2 rings to help tighten it instead of knotting it like the Moby.

Ferber Method

2009-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

We decided to "Ferberize" our daughter when she was about 4 months old. Here's our first week's experience.

Night 1
This weekend marks a first for us. We're Ferberizing our daughter. We should have started last night, but I was too exhausted to even get off of the couch. So, we started with today's morning nap. She woke up this morning around 8:00, played with Daddy while I showered, then played some more on her playmat and jumperoo. I fed her and changed her and then brought her upstairs for her nap. She usually naps in the swing downstairs, so napping in her crib is a first, too.

I put her down unswaddled at first, but she was screaming bloody murder, so I picked her up and calmed her down. Then, I swaddled her tight in my makeshift muslin miracle blanket. I walked her around for a bit and then put her down in her crib. Of course she immediately started crying before I even left the room. I went and sat in our room to wait 5 minutes. She cried the whole time. And then stopped at the five minute mark, just when we were getting ready to go in and comfort her. As soon as we breathed a sigh of relief, she started whimpering and fussing. We went in quietly and peeked at her and she wasn't crying, just whining "eh, eh, eh." Before we left her room, she was passed out cold.

So, Ferber attempt #1 was a SUCCESS.

Night 2
Our daughter didn't nap at all today, so she was wasted by 6:00PM and ready for bed. I swaddled her up and fed her and she passed out. She hasn't made a peep since I put her down and it's been about 3 hours. I fully expect her to wake up at some point tonight since she went down so early. And I'm not looking forward to letting her cry it out in the middle of the night when I need to be sleeping for work tomorrow. sigh.

Nights 3 & 4
So night 3 was pretty much the same as night 2. Out while nursing for the initial sleep time. Then up around 2:00AM for another feeding and she passed out while nursing then, too.

Last night was night 4 of Ferberizing and I was pretty pleased with the progress. She didn't fall asleep nursing at bedtime, so we put her down swaddled, dry, full and AWAKE. She didn't even cry the full 5 minutes and then she passed out. She woke up at 1:30AM still swaddled and hungry. She fell asleep nursing (thank God) and I crawled back in bed still half asleep. She was up AGAIN at 3:30AM completely unswaddled and on her tummy, face in the mattress. This is quickly becoming her new trick. Since she already ate, I scooped her up, reswaddled her and put her back down - as fast as I could. She squawked maybe twice. I had braced myself for the worst and was prepared to wake Tom to take care of her, but mercifully she passed out.

Even though last night was a success, I'm still exhausted. She's got to stop waking up for the middle of the night feedings. They are killing me.

Night 5
I am a total believer in the Ferber Method. Our daughter has responded to it so well. Tonight I put her down awake and left her. She cried for 5 minutes and then I went in and comforted her for just a couple of minutes and put her back down. She cried for maybe 2 minutes and then passed out.

Once we have her putting herself to sleep regularly, we're going to start swaddling her with one arm out. I'll post an update in the morning about how the rest of the night goes.

UPDATE: She slept through the night! NOW I remember what real sleep is like. Pleasepleaseplease let her do it again tonight.

Night 6
Last night we increased the first cry time to 10 minutes. She cried the whole time. Daddy went up and comforted her and put her back down. Then we waited 12 minutes and she stopped crying, but then started up again. Daddy went back up and comforted her. Then we hit the longest wait. 15 minutes. She only needed 2. Passed out and slept through the night.

Before introducting the Ferber method, please read Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber, M.D. There are also other sleep training resources and anti-cry-it-out methods. Crying-it-out doesn't work for all families, so please do your research to determine the best method for your family. Good luck!

Babywearing 101

2009-08-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't have made it through my maternity leave had it not been for babywearing. My daughter loved being held and loved sleeping on me, but I had things I wanted to get done...like eating lunch.

I started wearing her around the house and found that I was able to get so much more done. It also helped calm her down when she needed to feel secure. I even started wearing her out to stores instead of lugging the stroller with me.

I only have 2 carriers shown here, but there are many many more options. Check out The BabyWearer site for more information.

This is the Ultimate Baby Wrap, which is similar to the Moby. This wrap has 2 rings to tighten it while the Moby uses a good old fashioned knot. I love this wrap; it's made of stretch cotton jersey and displaces the weight over your shoulders, back and hips. A very comfortable carrier for both the wearer and the baby.

This is a more traditional carrier you can find in almost any store. The Snugli is useful in a pinch, but is not comfortable for long stretches. Plus I've found that you need 2 people to to get the contraption on and get the baby in safely.

Tricks to calm a fussy baby

2009-08-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

From ages 6-10 weeks it seemed like all our daughter did was cry. The only thing that would slightly pacify her was bouncing her while we walked around, but our arms and legs couldn't keep up with her demand. So we started thinking outside of the box and came up with a few tricks.

Trick 1: Get in the tub!

She loathed bathtime and would scream the whole time, but if I got in the tub with her, she would calm down immediately. I made the water a little warmer than the elbow test and that combined with my body heat seemed to help soothe her to sleep. If she still fussed, I nursed her while immersed in the water.

Trick 2: Shower time

Getting in the shower together was my go-to "magic trick". She would instantly quiet down. Instantly. I made the water a little warmer than the elbow test (same as the bath trick) and held her against my chest while swaying back and forth under the spray. A lot of times this calmed her down enough so that she would take an immediate nap afterward.

Trick 3: Swaddle in the swing

This is the trick that kept me sane for 3 solid months. She would only stay sleep if she was being held tight and rocked. I was spending hours walking her around the house, swaying back and forth like a metronome. There was no way my body could keep doing this multiple times a day. I wanted to put her in the swing, but knew she would flail around and cry even more.

Instead, I swaddled her tight and then walked her around the house until she was drowsy or just asleep. Then, I would quickly put her in the swing, still swaddled, and rig the harness around her blanket. Once she was securely in, I set the swing and white noise to high. It was like flipping a switch. She would sleep for HOURS this way in the swing.

Sweet bliss!