by Liz | All Things Kids, Life Snapshot
…that is truly the question. There are so many schools of thought in regard to this debate. The “cry-it-out” philosophy, “on-demand” philosophy and various mixes of the two.
From the beginning, I truly thought I’d follow one particular book and just make it work. I chose “The Conteded Little Baby Book” on the advice of my sister-in-law and liked its no nonsense approach and clear reasoning. I read some excerpts of other books but just couldn’t identify with them. My first piece of advice is to choose a method or book that makes sense for you and your goals as a parent.
Many people are frightened away from this book because it seems very rigid and tends to support the “cry-it-out” way of thinking. I can assure you that I did not employ those methods (I’m a total wimp who can’t let my baby cry for more than a few minutes!) and I used a flexible approach when “enforcing” the schedule.
The best thing the book did was provide a structure that was developmentally appropriate for my baby and gave me ideas on how to help her acclimate to the schedule. The philosophy was to create an environment in which you and your child know the routine and are comfortable with the balance of sleep, feeding and activity. That way, if your baby is upset…it’s fairly easy to determine the cause. Once the baby is on a rough schedule, you can typically anticipate a problem and deal with it before your baby becomes frantic. Obviously, babies change a lot during the early stages so this process needs quite a bit of flexibility. I found that as long as I used my schedule as a guideline and not a rule, generally I’d do ok.
Growth spurts throw everything for a loop! I eventually learned to just let my baby tell me what she wanted for a few days. If she had just woken up and been changed but started to get fussy, I’d move up her feeding time to keep her content. Then adjust the next stages as well and just follow her lead. As long as she was happy, I could cope with a few days of sleep deprivation. Once the spurt was over, she’d naturally return to our old routine and off we’d go until the next spurt.
It took a while before I learned how to interpret her signals but we do fairly well now. Don’t give up and don’t be discouraged if it feels like you aren’t making progress, you are! Every day is a learning process and I always try to remember that as long as she’s content, nothing else matters.
by Liz | All Things Kids
You’ve all seen those moms who are always calm, collected and have the perfect solution in any situation that arises. Without hesitation they pull out band-aids, spare children’s clothing, snacks…you name it and adeptly handle whatever is thrown their way.
Well, I am not one of these moms. The only feasible way I can see to be this type of mom is to load myself down with an overstuffed, suitcase sized diaper bag that is more likely to spew its contents in an awkward puddle than contain anything useful for the task at hand.
I’ve spent the first three months of Adelena’s life approximately 30 minutes from my home town. This means a 30 minute car ride for every doctor’s visit an visit to my family. Each trip turned into a whole day affair to accommodate naps and ensure I didn’t have a screaming baby in the car. Thirty minutes driving can feel like an eternity! I’d pack my diaper bag chock full of everything I thought if need and was constantly forgetting certain items.
That said, there are a few things I’ve learned in the past two months that have helped immensely!
As soon as something in your bag runs low, replace it! Just use the remainder at home and you won’t risk running out of something at the worst possible moment.
A family friend kindly have us a monogrammed bag that holds all the small items I might need like diaper creams, vaseline, extra wipes, pacifiers, etc. As long as I keep this well stocked, I’ll never be without those crucial items.
You can begin to estimate the number of diapers you’ll use per day fairly quickly. I try to keep my diaper bag stocked with approximately one day’s supply so I know I’m covered.
Extra onesies and an extra pair of pants can never go wrong. There are days I’ve gone through three or four shirts in a morning and you never know when a spectacular diaper blow-out will strike!
Bibs are your friend! Protect those cute outfits with a much easier to replace bib.
Burp cloths are gold. Find a brand or type you like and always have a few extra on hand. I even keep a few in the car for those really crazy days.
by Liz | Chaos Hacks
From the early days of my pregnancy I’ve had friends recommend various ways to carry the baby for a variety of purposes. Baby wearing had been a tradition for hundreds of years and definitely has its practical and emotional advantages.
There is a lot to be said about having one or both hands free while keeping baby close to you throughout the day. There is no doubt that for some babes, they feel comfort in the proximity and are more at ease. After all, they just spent nine months being carried around, it only stands to reason. The freedom it grants parents is great, especially in those early days when the baby won’t settle easily…or you just can’t stand to put baby down. Slings and carriers also give you the freedom to go places strollers might be unwieldy and keep from exposing your newborn to too much unwanted physical contact. Here are a few I’ve used so far:
Peanut Shell sling: I got this on the recommendation of a friend and loved the simplicity of it. It’s essentially a wide length of fabric sewn into a circle. You double it over upon itself and nestle baby inside as it rests across your back and shoulders. While my baby was very small this worked perfectly. A few weeks in, my baby decided she was a bit claustrophobic inside and due to my height and wider than average shoulders, the space inside was minimal at best. Sadly, I don’t think this is a great option for us any longer but I’ll continue to try the other wearing positions as she get older.
Balboa baby sling: I bought this sling for my husband as he is also tall and has broad shoulders. There was no hope of the peanut shell fitting him! The balboa sling is adjustable but much thinner and less sturdy than the pea it shell. It is much easier to slip the baby in and out of as it doesn’t fit very snuggly But rather handmade from a well padded strap across the shoulders. This definitely not a practical solution for us beyond household use but it’s been a lifesaver in getting the baby to sleep during her fussy periods. The high sides allow you to block out light while keeping baby close at hand.
Baby bjorn: I borrowed this from a friend and can definitely see the appeal. It is very simple to use, adjusts easily for comfort and the baby is securely held but still able to look around. After a long hike however, my back and shoulders were aching. The weight is definitely distributed to those two areas and takes its toll after a while. The baby is also supported by a strap through their legs and don’t “sit” in this carrier. This made me a little nervous about long hikes.
ERGObaby: I finally managed to try this out recently. Having tried the bjorn, I was drawn to this because of the way it supports the baby in a seated position and distributes the weight to your hips. The shoulder straps are well padded and are very comfortable once fastened. The one negative I’ve found so far is clasping the back straps together myself. With an infant, I hesitate to do it while supporting the baby’s head. This carrier also appeals because of the various ways it can be worn in front, back and side positions. I look forward to trying these out as Adelena gets bigger! Since she’s still rather small we’ve been enjoying the front position and I just position her legs to one side rather than separating them so she’s nice and comfy.
by Liz | Life Snapshot
It’s amazing how quickly time flies by. You’d think the monotony of being home most days with a newborn would begin to wear on you. But before you know it, she’s six weeks old and you’re wondering where the time went.
Six weeks is a big milestone. It’s all about first smiles, the post-partum checkup, the beginnings of a schedule, growing confidence with trips out of the house and the beginnings of an emerging personality.
We have learned to take each day as it comes:
Try not to drive yourself crazy locking in a schedule. Between growth spurts and just getting through the day, things are bound to get off track. Eventually I learned to focus in the baby and learn what she could and couldn’t tolerate. Lucky for us, a pattern emerged that we are still cobbling together as a workable schedule.
Every minute of sleep gained at night is a major victory. Those precious few hours are often all that stand between you and chaos. Better yet, treat yourself to a daily shower!
The prospect of having to return to work is terrifying. Of course the baby is always an angel when out in public but it’s a precarious balance that could just as easily tip the other way. It’s easy to accomplish day trips when there’s no one to answer to. Soon it will be time to focus on reducing the time it takes to get out of the house, three hours might be a bit hard to manage in the wee hours of the morning.
No matter what comes, remember that for these few precious weeks your only job is to care for this adorable little bundle. Relax and enjoy it!!
by Liz | All Things Kids, Chaos Hacks
Leaving the hospital after the baby was born was both incredibly exciting and incredibly nerve-wracking. Having a team of medical professionals around for any tiny question that might come up is a rather comforting experience. However, I knew I wouldn’t miss the noise and frequent interruptions and couldn’t wait to be in my own space again. Once home, we quickly realized how valuable all that help was though there were a few products we were extremely fortunate to have and helped make our lives much easier and a bit less stressful.
- Angelcare Monitor – This is an amazing device. We have the audio version, which is more than sufficient in our tiny house. It’s a monitor that also has a panel that fits under the crib (or cradle/bassinet) mattress which alerts you if the baby stops moving for more than 15 seconds. As I’m sure many new parents can attest, one of our biggest fears was that something might happen during the night while we’re sleeping and we would have no idea. The peace of mind this monitor affords is fantastic. We tested it ourselves before the baby arrived and it’s amazingly responsive even under a thick crib mattress. Like many new parents, the first few nights home we had the baby sleeping in a cradle in our room. The baby did fine…but we barely slept a wink. A few days and a hurricane later, we moved the baby into her crib. Having the monitor made this transition much easier and we’ve been sleeping much sounder ever since! One minor problem we had was that the monitor creates some white noise/static when activated by the baby’s noises. As a result, I was waking up for every minor grunt and groan if the monitor picked it up. Eventually I realized you could turn the volume down slightly which eliminated the static and now I only wake when the baby is fussing or crying to the point where I’d want to check on her.
- SwaddleMe Sleep Sacks – During the first week or two, we used the hospital blankets and receiving blankets to swaddle our daughter at night. She definitely loved the swaddle and slept much better having it. We perfected the folding and tucking but this turned night feedings and changings into quite a production and the baby quickly learned how to free her arms. Once she was free, she’d wake more frequently and not sleep as well as she might have. My cousin had given us some of the SwaddleMe sacks and once we pulled them out, this changed everything. The velcro tabs make changing a breeze and you can cinch the sack quite snugly to avoid little hands and arms from wriggling free.
- Cloth Diapers/Burp Cloths – There are a whole slew of burp cloths out there but nothing stands up like these do. They’re large and very absorbent. Once the baby started spitting up quite frequently, these were invaluable. We still go through about 8-10 per day but I can’t imagine what my laundry pile would be like without them! There are a few varieties with varying weights of material. I prefer the thicker, padded variety as they’re softer to the touch and seem to be the most absorbent.
- Boppy Pillow – This is great for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. At the beginning, I’d settle the baby right on top while feeding which worked great. Now that she’s a bit bigger, I can prop it under my arm and elbow on whichever side she’s nursing from. Our baby was also a bit gassy so after feeding, she’d get uncomfortable if we put her down flat right away. We quickly learned that the Boppy kept her at enough of an incline when we placed her inside the U shape with her head well supported on the cushion. This is also a great position for awake time as she can look around easily. I would definitely not leave her unattended as the baby can wriggle around and eventually slide down into the center of pillow. However, it’s great for those times when you need your hands free but can keep a constant eye on the baby!
- Medela breast pump – Being able to nurse is an amazing bonding experience and has been very rewarding for me. There are times though when you need the freedom of giving a bottle. This bump has been very easy to use and has made life much easier. We decided early on that we wanted to give our baby a bottle a day so that she’d get used to it and this has worked very well for us. My husband has a chance to bond with her every night and I manage to get a few consecutive hours of sleep. It has also made it possible for us to visit family or run errands without worrying about finding a place to feed the baby. It has a battery pack for pumping on the go and a cooler bag for storing and transporting milk. There’s even enough room in the bag for a few extra items like a nursing cover, extra bottles etc. They have some other handy products as well, such as microwaveable sterilizing bags, lanolin, milk storage bags and more.
Those are our main finds so far, more to come as Adelena keeps growing!
