Advice, Products & Tips

I've been meaning to type up this post for awhile. For weeks now, I've been mentally writing it in my head (usually during Gabe's 3 am feeding), but I just haven't gotten around to actually putting it down in writing. Anywhoo, this is a list of items and advice that I was either given or have discovered to be useful in these first six weeks. It is by no means a "Must Haves" list - just things that I have found to be helpful and I hope will help other new mommies-to-be. I've tried to include links where I can, assuming I can figure out how the stupid link feature works on blogger.

#1 Footed Sleepers
This tip was given to me by my good friend Jenn. I will admit, I wasn't sure how much I would use these, given that it's pretty stinkin' hot here in Texas in the summer. But the footed sleepers have come in pretty handy. First off, they were very helpful when we had just started breastfeeding. The lactation consultants at the hospital recommended that we strip Gabe down to his diaper and do skin to skin every time I fed him and he HATED having clothing going over his head. Since the sleepers snap down the front, I was able to quickly get him out of it, without making an already cranky, hungry baby even crankier. Now, we use them every night as pajamas, again for their easy access. It makes changing diapers while half awake a lot easier. I'm partial to the Carter's brand, but that's because I'm semi-addicted to anything Carter's.

#2 Happiest Baby on the Block
This book is awesome, and has been great for us. We've swaddled Gabe and followed the other instructions in this book since his first night home, and I firmly believe this is one of the reasons he sleeps so well at night. Since about 2 weeks old, he even puts himself back to sleep at night. We have a routine - he eats, gets a fresh diaper, gets swaddled and gets his paci, I put him in his pack-n-play and turn out the light. He'll move around and grunt for a minute or two and then goes back to sleep. Granted, Gabe is a pretty easy going baby, so I don't think it is wholly due to this book, but this book has certainly helped us tremendously.

#3 Swaddle Blankets
This goes hand in hand with #2 above. We quickly discovered after our first night home that the regular square receiving blankets weren't going to cut it for our 9 lb, 2 oz chunkster. He wiggled right out of them. These blankets are big enough to wrap all the way around him so I can tuck the end underneath him and he can't wiggle out. Now that he has gotten longer, I leave his feet out, but wrap his arms tightly, and he sleeps like a charm.

#4 Recovery
This one is advice from me - don't underestimate the time it will take your body to recover! I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and an episiotomy, but it still took a good 2-3 weeks before I felt normal again. You will have bouts where you think you feel normal, but if you don't take it easy, it will sneak up and bite you in the ass. For me there was an overwhelming urge to try to clean or take care of things while Gabe was sleeping, but I almost always ended up regretting it. Sleep when your baby does, whether you are tired or not. The dishes and the laundry will wait until later. I promise, you will feel much better for it.

#5 Breastpump
Read the reviews on breastpumps and make the decision on what you think would be best for you. I did a lot of research on pumps and noticed that most of the people on thenest use the Medela, Ameda or Lansinoh pumps, I suspect because they are easy to buy at BRU or other stores. I decided to go with the Avent pump after doing a good amount of research. I love that it is 100% variable - you can adjust the speed and amount of suction just like you would a manual pump. It also comes with the components of the manual pump, so it's really like 2 pumps in one. It is nearly silent - much more quiet than the Medela pumps. Finally, it is an entirely closed system. The suction portion is completely separate from the collection portion. No milk ever goes into the tubing so you don't have to worry about cleaning the tubing, etc. The only parts you have to clean are the portions that come in contact with the milk (bottles, horns, etc) and they can be thrown into a microwave sterilizer easily.

#6 Stroller
Again, this is another item that was not available at BRU or other stores. We ended up ordering it online. We love it because it is lightweight and compact. It folds up like an umbrella stroller, but operates like a full size stroller in that we can still attach a carseat to it to make it a travel system. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles like some of the full size strollers (cupholders, organizers, etc), but I've found that I could buy a lot of those afterwards if I really wanted them (I haven't). It does come with one cupholder and that has worked fine for me. Even better, it only cost $100 - much less than a Graco full size stroller! Again, do your research to see what is out there and what you think will work best with your lifestyle.

#7 Enjoy the Moment
More advice from me. Enjoy those last moments of pregnancy and those early moments with your baby. I didn't realize it until after Gabe was born, but this is something I'm not ever going to experience again. Even though we plan to have more children, I won't have the luxury of sitting on the couch and watching him move in me, or watching him sleep, or even taking him out with us and staying out late. There will be new adventures with a second child, and I'm sure I will enjoy them just as much, but there are things that I won't be able to do or enjoy with a second child because I will already be busy chasing the first one around.

#8 Strap To It
This is one of those "off the beaten path" items. I found it at my local grocery store of all places and I have used the heck out of it. I never realized how teetery the carseats are when you try to attach them to a shopping cart or high chair at a restaurant. On some of them, the carseat is so unstable that if someone bumped into the cart or highchair, I worried the carseat would fall. This strap is simple, but it holds Gabe's carseat super tight on there. You just hook it on either side and then pull it tight like you would a seatbelt in a car. When I'm not using it, it rolls up small and fits in the side pocket of his diaper bag. Best of all, it was only $12 at my local grocery store!

#9 Don't buy clothing basics at BRU!
The prices for basic clothing (onesies, sleepers, etc) at BRU is redonkulous! As I stated before, I am a Carter's addict. Their stuff is incredibly cute and BRU carries a bunch of it. But don't pay full price at BRU for it! You can find the same thing at Kohl's on sale or at TJ Maxx or Costco for much cheaper. For example, I found a 5 pack of onesies I had been eyeing at Kohl's on sale for $14. BRU wanted $24 for it. I bought a 2 pack of pants at TJ Maxx today for $5.99. The same exact set of pants was $17 at BRU. Babies grow too fast to pay full price for that stuff! True, BRU is convenient and all, but sometimes things are way overpriced.

I hope this post has been helpful. I wish I could come up with one more item or piece of advice to make it a nice round number of 10 (OCD much?), but I can't and they boy is about to wake up. Anyway, I hope this comes in handy to some of you out there.