The Basics: Diapers

How many times when you were pregnant has a friend or relative asked with a knowing smile if you want to diaper their baby for practice?  It is as if it were rocket science.  You figure it out quickly and somehow, some of the most disgusting surprises aren't too terribly nauseating.

When I was pregnant, there was a huge controversy over Pampers Swaddlers.  They had just switched their diapers to Dry Max technology.  Though arguably more absorbent and thinner, some moms claimed they caused their kids awful rashes.  Pampers disputed claims.  Well it was enough to scare me.

In the hospital they used Newborn sized Pampers Swaddlers without the Dry Max Technology. However, they weren't available in stores.  I bought the Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive, because sizes Newborn, 1 and 2 didn't have Dry Max and it did have the Wetness Indicator.  The wetness indicator is fabulous little strip on the front center of the diaper that turns blue when wet. They are a little more expensive than regular Swaddlers.  My son is on the cusp of growing out of Size 2s. I will be switching over to regular Pamper Swaddlers at that time.  Incidentally, last week I was given a pack of regular Pamper Swaddlers for a market research study.  Evan didn't have any negative reaction and he also had no leaks.  I feel very confident about using them now, where I would have been a bit hesitant before.

Tips for Diapering and Setting up Changing Table:

1. Diaper Pail: I have the Diaper Genie II Eliteand love it.  You need to buy the bags. People complain they are expensive and you can't use your own bags.  I think it is totally worth it and it takes me about 3 weeks to have to replace the bag cartridge.  Essentially the bag doesn't have closures on the top or bottom. Each time you start a new bag (about every 5 days for me) you tie a knot at one end and feed it throw the opening in the Genie.  You then step on a pedal to open the lid and drop the diaper in.  When it gets full, you open it, cut the plastic bag with the built in cutter, and tie a knot on the other end.  Pull it out and take it outside to the trash. It holds a ton of diapers.  If it starts to smell, spray with Lysol.  I think it is great and since I infrequently have to change the bag canister, I don't get bent out of shape about the cost.  You can also buy the bag canisters in a pack of 3 for a cost savings.
2. Changing Station: I bought a dresser and a matching wooden changing station, which is essentially a wooden rectangle that is bolted on to the dresser but can easily be removed.  I bought a changing pad and two soft covers.  I think you only need two.  The big tip I have on the changing table is to always have a multi-use pad on top of your nice changing table cover.  Pee and poop happen a lot. Sometimes blowouts get on their clothes and legs so it is nice to have the cheap multi-use pad to wash instead of changing the cover which buckles in and is much more expensive.

3. Changing Table Items: I also keep massage oil (I love the California Baby Massage Oil, it is made with edible oils so if he puts his hands in his mouth it is fine and it smells so good), moisturizing cream (California Baby Moisturizing Calming Cream), Vaseline (I put under chin which gets raw from drooling and in neck folds when he sometimes gets a red mark).  I also keep on hand a baby saline spray to clear out a stuffed up nose.  I have a huge pump of anti-bacterial gel and a stack of burp clothes. I also keep an emery board here to file nails.
4. Baby OxiClean: I use this much more than I wish I needed to.  OxiClean Baby Stain Remover Spray is a miracle worker.  The most horribly pooped on clothes come clean with this.  Here is what I do.  After a true diaper disaster, I get the baby cleaned up, and typically leave him in a clean diaper in his crib so I can do my hazmat clean up.  I spray the stains with OxiClean and run it under water.  Spray again and rub the two ends of the fabric together.  I fill the sink with hot water and spray some Oxi Clean in until it bubbles and soak for a couple hours.  Then I dry it on the side of the tub and just throw it in the wash the next time I do laundry. It has gotten every single stain out, even on whites.  I didn't notice it said don't use on khaki and did.  It left a light blue mark.  But it completely came out in the wash.

5. Wipes: As I mentioned in another post I am a huge fan of the Pampers Sensitive Thick Wipes. I bought one regular pack with the plastic box.  I then exclusively get the refill packs in bulk.  Here is a picture of the original one I got.  Once you use up the wipes, you drop in a refill pack.  No need to keep buying the holder. Also, I use the refill packs to restock the wipes container in my diaper bag.
6. Diaper Creme: I personally don't use any.  My Pediatrician said only use it if he needs it. I have Desitin and Butt Paste on hand.  Other friends use it each and every time.  If he had a stomach bug, I would use it as a preventive measure.
7. Diaper Caddy: I have the JJ Cole Collections Diaper Caddy  and love it.  On one side I have diapers (holds about a day and a half's worth).  On the other side, I have some of the toiletries I use often.  It has a drawer where I keep cotton balls and baby Q-tips.
8. Eye Candy: After the first couple of weeks you might find the baby enjoys being on the changing table.  I put up a bulletin board with pictures of our family on it.  Evan loves looking at it.  It keeps him entertained while I am fussing over him.
9. Diapering on the Go:  When you are changing the baby in public, it isn't easy because you really don't want you or your baby to touch anything.  The best trick I have learned is take large Ziploc and put in it your changing pad, travel wipes, 2 diapers, 2 of those individual diaper disposal bags (they come in a roll), and diaper cream if you need it.  That way if you are with someone else, you can leave your diaper bag with them and have one less thing to worry about. When possible, I change in him the trunk of my SUV by just laying out his changing pad. I figure it is much cleaner and I have more room. 
10. Leaks: When you consistently are getting leaks it is probably time to move up a size in diapers.
    
    

The Basics: After Childbirth and First Home Must Haves

My whole pregnancy, I was completely at peace with delivery until about 34 weeks.  My husband and I had gone out to dinner and I said "I can't believe he will for sure be here in 8 weeks".  And then he said, "or 2". 

It was as if the air was sucked out of the room.  It was my A-ha moment.  I had a good idea what to expect.  My best friend and sister-in-law both went into very graphic detail.  And the both added, "but at that point you won't care". My husband's friend warned him, "It looks like a crime scene-seriously, CSI".  Somehow I felt I would care. My doctor told me I would get to a point when I was so uncomfortable I wouldn't care about how he got out, I just wanted him out. I never got that uncomfortable.

My better half promised to stay above the belt, but I didn't trust that he would.  He also vowed to be supportive and offer back rubs and other encouragement during labor when in reality, he fell asleep on the couch in the delivery room and I had to yell for him to wake up when I thought I would die without an epidural.  Ah, the best laid plans.

In the end, I would end up needing a c-section.  Even though he had agreed to the above the belt rule, he had the unfortunate experience of seeing my water broken (I was induced 9 days after my due date) and I am fairly sure he say my innards while they were sewing me up when he went to meet the baby.

Here are some tips for your first post-partum days.

1. Dermoplast: Since I ended up needing a c-section, I didn't benefit from this advice but have been told by two friends Dermoplast is a lifesaver.  I bought 2 bottles in prep for labor.  Basically, after a normal delivery it really burns (because of stitches) to pee.  So spray the Dermoplast, then squirt warm water with a water bottle, and then spray again with the Dermoplast.  The product numbs you.   I bought it at Target and I included a link to get it at Amazon. I couldn't find at CVS or Walgreens.
2. Ab binder:  If you have a c-section and are in a lot of pain when coughing, sneezing, laughing, ask the nurse for an ab binder.  It looks like an athlete's version of a girdle.  It holds you in tight.  They gave me one on my last day in the hospital, it felt good, but for no reason, I never wore it again.  If you aren't given one, hold a pillow into your stomach when you have to cough/sneeze to help brace muscles. It takes about 6 weeks until that discomfort completely goes away when making those jarring movements but isn't so bad after a week.
3. Boppy Pillow: My friend told me to take a Boppy Nursing Pillow . I did, but didn't use it.  So I should say, bring it to the hospital and use it.  It is really hard to figure out how to position the baby that is flailing desperately to find your boob.  Also, realize they are supposed to latch on with a wide latch.  I didn't know this and got so bruised the first two days, I wanted to cry the following 5 days while feeding.  The Boppy Pillow supports the baby so you can easily position him.  For me, it was always a two person job (without the pillow), me and my husband, or me and a nurse.  I started using the pillow at home and it was a huge help. Tip: Ask the nurse for gel pads, they are very soothing.
4. Bottles: Sanitize all bottles before your due date.  They sell bottles in 4oz and 8oz. You technically only need 8, but for the first month I used the 4 oz bottles.  If you are short on cash, just get the 8 oz bottles.  Assume you need about 6-8 feedings for a newborn.  If you are strictly bottle feeding, you might want to buy 8 bottles so you can do cleanings just once or twice a day.  As they get older, they eat more fewer times a day.  At most I use 5 bottles a day now, most days 4.
5. Swaddle Designs receiving blankets:  I love these. They are very cute and nice material.  They are much more expensive than Carter receiving blankets but the quality difference explains the price discrepancy.  At the beginning we always swaddled him in these blankets.  Within a week or two, he would kick out of a swaddle but we use these still for putting him on the ground, when he is laying on my bed while I am getting ready, to keep him warm in a stroller.  They have a normal blanket material and muslin one.  I use the muslin one when it is hot outside and I want him covered from sun and germs but want the material to be breathable.  I have about 4 of each material, which seems like a lot, but spit up and pee happens, more than you'd like.
6. Multi-use pads: I got a pack of multi-use pads at Buy Buy Baby.  It is a water proof sheet.  I have on the changing table and one in the Pack n Play.  This has saved us many, many times, especially having a boy. Also, I have two kinds, one are fabric on both sides and the other has fabric on one side and plastic on the other.  I don't like the plastic sided one and don't use them anymore.
7. Bouncy Seat:  This was the most used piece of baby gear his first three months. I have the Fisher Price Zen seat.  I don't use the music or vibration modes (per advice in the sleep book I refer to as my bible), but it does have these features.  I also use this when he is being calm and I need to get things done, because I can strap him in.  He used to nap in the bouncy seat all the time.  As he got older and could focus on toys, I would hang toys from the mobile  attachment that comes with it.  Now that he is 4 months, I feed him in the bouncy seat since my high chair doesn't have a reclining feature and he can't hold him self upright yet.  By biggest tip is get a bouncy seat you think is attractive. 80% of the pictures taken of Evan his first couple months were in the seat because you can see his face as it normally looks, not distorted in a recumbent position.  Mine has wood accents that match my house.
8. Strollers: We have a nice, expensive stroller (the Uppa Baby) which is fantastic because it handles so well and corners tightly.  It also has good shocks which is great because the sidewalks here are really uneven.  It has a bassinet for newborns.  It also has a sun shade to protect his face and most of his body. When he was about 3 months, he got too long for the bassinet.  I put in the "toddler seat".  The best part of this is that I can fit even more in the basket.  I live in a city, so I often walk to a grocery store and I can get two shopping bags full of groceries in the stroller basket.   If you don't live in a city or drive most places, I don't see the need for a high end stroller.  I also have a snap n' go that my Graco Snug Ride car seat snaps into.  I keep it in the trunk and it is good if I drive somewhere and don't want to deal with taking the big stroller.  It doesn't however maneuver nearly as well as the Uppa Baby. I have since bought a third umbrella stroller.  I am trying it out for the first time when I travel for Thanksgiving. 
9. Cloth diapers: I had bought a ton of cute ones from Swaddle Designs, but I used the cheap generic ones that I got in a ten pack from Buy Buy Baby frequently when he was first home for all sorts of things. Now that he eats less often and I have learned he has sensitive skin, I stopped using these.
10. Baby detergent:  I started off using Dreft for everything, but it is a waste of money.  I bought a huge thing of the Costco free and clear detergent.   Any fragrance and dye free detergent will work. Wash blankets, clothes, linens and anything you and your husband will wear in the hospital and the first couple of days home.  I found out while in the hospital, they wash the baby clothes and blankets with the same harsh detergent used on regular patient laundry.  Newborn baby's skin is blotchy anyway, but I had a reaction to the pillows so I can only imagine what it would do to him.  Once I learned this, I used my own blanket from home when holding him.  Another tip: Bring a cute blanket from home for use in the professional photos some hospitals offer.
11. Formula: Speaking of Costco, the pediatrician told me to use the Kirkland (Costco brand) formula.  It is made by Similiac and significantly cheaper.  We have had no issues.  He isn't too gassy, sleeps well, and has put on weight. 
12. Video Monitor: We got the Summer Infant Best View Handheld Video Monitor .  I am so glad I didn't get just a sound monitor.  It really comes in handy before you learn your baby's cues because sometimes in the middle of the night when I would put him down, he seemed fine.  Then I would get back in bed and hear a little fussing.  If I didn't have the monitor I would have gotten up to check him, which honestly is so hard when you are very tired.  And this dance can go on and on for hours.  Instead, I watched the monitor to determine if I needed to go to his crib.  Plus sometimes I would see him flailing when he hadn't starting crying.  I knew to get a bottle ready before he blew.  Now I check the monitor when I wake up in the night. It also has lights on it that go from green to red.  Red means crying.  I use this feature when I am in the shower. I put the monitor on the counter and I watch the lights and determine if I need to cut the shower short.
13. Big Sponge: For the first week or two, you can't submerge the baby in a bath because of the belly button or circumcision.  You have to give a sponge bath to a slippery baby.  They sell at Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby this oversized sponge that you can lay the baby on.  They have one that looks like a frog and one that is tan.  I got the tan one because it was bigger.  Just makes the process easier.  Now I use it after a bath.  I have his hooded towel laid out on it and then put him in it to wrap him up.Since he can't stand, I can't just wrap him straight in the bath.
14. Books: I have a lot of books for a kid starting to read, with one or two words on a page. But I found when Evan was very young and got fussy,  he liked to hear the sound of my voice, so I read to him longer books.   Here are some of my favorites:
    
15. Bottle Drying Rack: Bottles don't dry in my dishwasher and also I don't want to wash bottles with soiled plates.  So I hand wash everything and then put it on the drying rack.  I bought a Dr. Brown's one, but I don't know if it matters what you use.
16. Soothie Pacifiers: These are the only ones he seemed to like and kept in his mouth.  I have heard this from other friends too.  We make a conscious effort not to give him the pacifier when putting him in his crib to sleep for the night.  I have heard from friends this kills you for 2 years because they cry every time it falls out and won't sleep well.  I use it a lot when changing him and it is true, every time it falls out (happens several times a diaper change) he screams. Tip: strategically place the pacifiers around the house.  1 on the changing table, 1 in the crib, 1 in the pack n play or bassinet, 1 in stroller, 2 in diaper bag, 1 in car seat, 1 in family room and 2 clean ones ready to go.
17. Footed PJs:  I should have bought more of these.  I have a ton of sleep sacks and sleep gowns.  The sleep gowns make it easy to change him at night (I am awful at all the snaps on the footed outfits) but Evan is a squirmer and within two seconds his legs are out and I don't want him getting too cold. Since we stopped swaddling him, we put him in a footed pajama and then a Halo sleep sack on top.
18. Gauze:  If your son is being circumcised the doctor will tell you to dress the penis with Vaseline and gauze.  The Vaseline should be in the tube not the jar and the gauze should be 3x3 squares.  I bought all the supplies pre-baby so had no idea how much to buy.  First off, gauze is kind of pricey.  It is between $7.50 and $9.00 a box of 25.  I started off with 2 boxes of 25.  Well it wasn't nearly enough because he went through at least 10 diapers a day and you  need to change the dressing with each diaper change.  I think I ended up buying 5 boxes of 25 and 2 boxes of 10, so a total of 145.  I did have to continue using it for 5 extra days because he had some extra bleeding.  So assume you need 100.  I also used 2.5 tubes of Vaseline.
19. Pampers Thick and Sensitive Wipes: I thought wipes were wipes until we ran out.  My husband went  to CVS to get some more.  I told him I wanted Pampers Thick and Sensitive, if they didn't have it, get Huggies thick and sensitive.  He couldn't find these two words on either Pampers or Huggies, so he bought CVS wipes,neither thick nor sensitive.  They were horrible.  I would need 4 to clean up after a diaper, versus typically one with the Pampers.  Plus I had to work hard to clean him with the CVS wipes.  

The Basics: The Crib

When I pictured my nursery, it had the cutest bumper in the crib with chocolate brown stars on cloud blue background.  There were striped sheets in the same colors.  And then I met with the pediatrician before Evan was born.  She said she is absolutely opposed to bumpers because of the SIDS risk.

I consulted my friends.  Two people told me they bought bumpers but were too afraid to put them on the crib.  Others put them on when the babies were so itty bitty and couldn't move but took them off when they could get up against the bumper.  Some said they put them on once the baby was hitting her head when others told me that is the exact time to take them off, because the baby can try and stand on them. I had one friend sew three sides on, leaving one side open for ventalition. Too much to think about.

I went back and forth about 10 times putting the bumper on my registry and taking it off. In the end, I personally didn't want to take the risk for a cuter room.

I thought the room wouldn't be cute without a bumper.  But that isn't the case. Here is what works for us.

1. Sheets: Purchase a sheet that you think is cute on its own.  I bought the blue and brown striped sheet I had originally liked.  I bought 4 sheets, two of the striped, a plain blue, and a plain brown one.  Looking back, I needed just the two cute ones.  Perhaps if I were dealing with a stomach bug, it would be different, but in 5 months, I have never had a need for more than 2 sheets in a laundry cycle.
2. Sheet Saver:. In the picture below of my little guy, you will see it is the brown fleece pad under his bottom.  When he was a newborn, I put him lengthwise on it, to cover diaper leaks and the occasional spit up.  Once he grew, I put his butt on it. I have bought a bunch of different sheets savers/multi-purpose pads, but by far, my favorite is Nojo Sheet Saver.  Because of the sheet saver, I have never had to change the sheets because of a leak.  You just remove the sheet saver.  It has four ties that wrap around the slots of the crib.
3. Crib Toy:  My baby loves his Fisher-Price Precious Planet Melodies & Motion Soother. He watches it like it is a telanovella. It plays natural sounds, lullabyes, and classical music.  He truly is mesmerized by it.  
4. Security Toy: The sleep book I read recommended that you give your baby a SIDS approved toy for the crib. I asked a bunch of people and no one had ideas for what a SIDS-friendly toy would be.  It seriously took me until 4 months to realize I could give him the famous Sophie the Giraffe (see photo below). It is the teething toy extraordinaire, but  he usually cuddles Sophie for a minute they slams her against the crib wall.  He is starting to outgrew his pacifier, so now he can grab Sophie and shove a giraffe leg in his mouth.  I also keep a Manhattan Toy Winkel. It is a plastic toy that he can easily grab, chew on, or as my son enjoys, scrape it along the crib railing like a prisoner with a tin cup in a jail cell.
5. Crib Sheets are notoriously hard to change. Sometimes it is truly easier to take the mattress out put the sheets on.

Here is a picture of Evan in his crib.  Note the sheet saver, crib soother, Manhattan toy and Sophie the Giraffe.

Some people think a crib should be very unstimulating, it is just a place to sleep.  My son gets up about 7am, but I don't get him until 8am.  He never cries for me to get him earlier.  I prefer that he can entertain himself when placed in the crib.  When he wants to sleep, he will.

The Basics: Newborn Feeding

In the hospital it was quite clear that I would need to supplement breastfeeding with formula. Luckily, I had prepared for this.

Bottles: Several people told me to buy two brands of bottles in case you baby doesn't take to one. I ignored this advice and luckily it worked out for me.  I choose the Dr. Brown's Wide Neck Bottles for two reasons.  My friend recommended them because there is an insert in them that helps reduce gas and colic. I was a colicky baby and didn't want history to repeat itself. The second reason is when I went to Buy Buy Baby to register, the person helping me said it is good if you are going to be breastfeeding and using bottles to supplement because the shape of the bottle's nipple reduces nipple confusion.  I recommend getting the Dr. Brown's Wideneck Starter Kit.  

The bottles work great for us.  There is a two piece insert that you need to use for the bottle to work. I don't think it is a big deal but some people complain about "all the parts".  Personally, I am more apt  to complain about having spit up all over me than taking an additional second to snap the piece together, so for me this was an easy trade off. I also bought the Dr. Brown's drying rack and bottle brush (use both daily) and the microwave sterilizer (sterilized everything before he was born and now do it periodically).

One the baby is three months you can get the level 2 nipples which helps the formula come out faster. Our 40 minute feedings were cut to about 15 and it was glorious.

Breast Pump:  I am not the best person to ask on this subject.  I personally hated pumping.  I think in large part it was because mine wasn't hands free.  To do it again, I would have rented one to see if it was going to work for me (which it didn't).  I spent about $300 for about 2 oz of milk.  If it had been successful, and especially if I were going to pump at work, I would get the hands free one from Medela that has a battery pack.  Plugging it into the wall was inconvenient.

Formula: Best tip ever- get the Costco Kirkland Baby Formula. When I interviewed the pediatrician before the baby was born, she suggested it.  Apparently it is made by Similac and is half the cost.  One huge container cost just a bit over $19.  With 4- 8 oz bottles a day, one can lasts me a week and a day.  This is a huge savings off of name brand formula.  It has all the same essential ingredients.  Luckily, my son never need special formula, so this worked out great for us.

Formula holder:  Another great invention is the travel formula holder. It is a cylander with 4 compartments. You pre-measure out your scoops of formula (we now use 4).  You pack a bottle filled with the right amount of water and when you need to feed on the go, you just open the pack and dump in the formula powder. I recommend Munchkin Formula Dispensers.

Washing Bottles: I had a night nurse the first couple nights at home.  She recommended that once the bottles were initially sterilized, wash by hand (versus sterilizing daily).  Here is what she recommended and I followed her advice. Throughout the day, once a bottle is used, rinse it and put it in a big plastic bowl. When about three or four are in the bowl add hot soapy water (I use Mrs. Meyers), clean with the bottle brush, and place on the drying rack.  Ideally, you should sterilize weekly. I don't. I do feel guilty about that.

Burp Cloths: All burp cloths are not created equal. My favorite ones are from Swaddle Designs. In addition to being cute, they are soft and hold up well in the wash.  Other "premium" ones I own come out a wrinkled mess after the first wash.  Generic cloth diapers, used as burp clothes are harsh on a sensitive face.  Here is a picture of the Swaddle Designs ones I like.  I think you need at least 12.

Water: Some people use the bottled baby water.  I have a built in water filter in my sink.  My pediatrician said this is perfectly fine.  I get it to room temperature or slightly warmer.  I tried a bottle warmer and was not a fan.  It caused the bottles to leak, which seldom happens otherwise, and the bottle was hot to the touch but the milk wasn't warm. After that, I heated refrigerated bottles by running it under hot tap water.

Emergency Ready to Eat Formula: In the hospital they have these one time use bottle. Luckily, I was given a bunch to take home.  I use these a lot.  My son eats every 4 hours and once in a while he is in hysterics because he is starving before his next meal.  I always keep two of these 2 once single serve bottles in my diaper bag.  I also intend to use them on the plane for take off and landing. It is great in a pinch because if you have your formula and bottles pre-measured for a meal, you don't want to have to figure out how to size it down for a snack.  Here is a link to buy a set since I have had trouble finding these in stores.

Tips for Traveling with a Baby

Thanksgiving is next week. It is undeniably my favorite holiday.  I have a huge family with lots of cousins and aside from weddings, this is the one time of year we all get together.  If you marry into our family, you quickly learn Thanksgiving in Miami is none negotiable. 

This is the baby's big coming out and I couldn't be more excited.  I am however, dreading flying with an antsy 5 month old.  Here are some tips I have been told by my jetsetting friends.

1. Many airlines have infant fares. In my case it was still $400 so he will be a lap baby. If you do buy the baby a seat, you need to bring a car seat.
2. Once you book a ticket and plan to have the baby sit on your lap, you need to call the airline and have the baby added to the flight manifest.
3. When you get the airport, bring either a birth certificate or vaccination record to get a boarding pass
4. Ziploc Bags: Separate out contents of your diaper bag into separate Ziploc bags that you can easily pull out.  a) diaper zip:changing pad, wipes, a bunch of diapers, and bags to throw out the dirty diapers. b) food bag with bottles, formula, burp cloth  c) toy bag
5. Tote bag: for under your seat, put all your Ziploc bags in a tote bag, also put a blanket in there.  It might be too tight to go digging through your zipped diaper bag wedged under your seat.
6. Feed the baby on take off and landing to help soothe ears due to pressure
7. Once you meet the unfortunate soul stuck next to you, make a light hearted remark, like "looks like you are the big seat assignment winner" and try to get on his good side. 
8. Bring at least one change of clothes for the baby and an extra shirt for you because 2 people have told me that their baby leaked on them and went through the airport a stained mess
9. Get Gate check bagsto cover your stroller or car seat when you check it just before walking on the plane. 
10. Some companies rent out baby equipment like exersaucers, baths,etc.  Contact your hotel.
11. Have food delivered to the hotel. Many hotels have arrangements with local grocery stores and can delivery milk, fruit, baby food. Ask the hotel prior to getting there.
12. Send yourself a delivery of essentials.  Before you get there, ship diapers, wipes, formula, food from a retailer like diapers.com and ask the front desk to hold it for you. If you can't do this, you can head straight to a Target or Babies R Us once you leave the airport.

Let me know any other tips you have and I will add them to the list.

This Will Have You Sleeping Like a Baby

When people erroneously use the phrase, "sleeping like a baby", they must mean the baby you meet the day he is born and the one who goes to the nursery at night for the nurses to look after while you sleep for the first time in months without running the bathroom every two hours.  It seems once that baby is at home, no one is "sleeping like a baby".

The day after we announced our pregnancy publicly, we attended my husband's company holiday party.  After the quick congratulations, two people told me you have to sleep train your kid.  And both people said the preferred way to go was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child By Dr. Weissbluth.  Luckily my sister-in-law had already handed down her copy to me. 

I have to be honest, I didn't like the book.  I found it somewhat confusing and more scientific then it needed to be.  I had an internal fit where a screamed, "just tell me what to do!". The real reason I didn't like the book was you had to wait until 12 weeks to start, it involved more crying than I personally would feel comfortable with, and despite the sometimes convoluted advice, it seemed his answer for a fussy baby was to put him to bed 15 minutes earlier.

Luckily my friend, a doctor no less, said she was working with her 7 week old on a sleep book called,  Baby Sleep Solutions.  I really should build an idol in my friend's likeness and the author's, Susie Giordano.  This was the right book for me.

I truly believe Ms. Giordano should be sending me royalty checks because I have been acting as her undercover publicist since my little guy started sleeping through the night and I mean 8:40pm to 8:00am at 10 weeks.  

Her premise is simple. A baby needs to be 6 weeks old,  eating 24 ounces a day, and 10 pounds to sleep train.  First you need to get your baby to eat 24 ounces during waking hours, every 4 hours.  I just logged every time I feed him and how much he took. By 6 weeks I had abandoned breastfeeding so it was easy to figure out but she has a way to figure out breastfeeding based on minutes.  Once they meet this criteria they are physically able to sleep through the night and you use your "tool box" to stretch them until the next feeding.  She thinks a baby should only cry for 3-5 minutes before you go in.  I didn't wait that long.

The best move I made was reading this before the baby arrived because I didn't create bad habits I would later try to break such as relying on a swing, the vibration mode of the bouncy seat, rocking him to sleep, putting him down once he was asleep, or picking him up from his crib when he cried.

She also gives advice on how to set up a napping schedule. 

Final Thought: Buy this book and finishing reading it before the baby comes. Refer to it often.  The hardest part of being a new mom is the lack of sleep.  If you thought your third trimester was bad, you have no idea how much harder it is to be that tired AND getting up to take care of someone else.  My son hasn't woken up once during the night since 10 weeks. 

The Fraternal Order of Moms

We all know that it takes a village to raise a child, but unless you have a kid, you likely don't know about the the secret society of Moms.  It starts of subtly when you are pregnant when strangers tell you why they are sure you are carrying a girl (which means you are huge) or friends preparing you for the inevitable symptoms.  And of course, there is no lack of information or advice regarding the main event - childbirth. 

Once pregnant, you feel like you are wrapped in a big hug from all the other moms that want you to make the most of your experience and learn from their mistakes.

But nothing compares to the changes that occur once baby arrives. You might notice it the first time you take your baby for a walk on the street and pass another mom pushing her stroller.  She will nod and smile at you.  And the first time you see someone with the same stroller in the same color, well you are pretty much bonded for life.  Somehow the kids throwing food in the restaurant and the child in hysterics at the grocery checkout line are endearing and you feel just awful for their mom, because not everyone in the joint knows what it is like when your kid gets a mind of his own.

Being a mom is like being a crash test dummy.  You don't want to be the first one.  Luckily, in my very long quest to become a mom, I have had a bunch of friends and a sister-in-law pave the way for me, offering sage advice and tips on what this little guy really needed.

Every kid is different and every parent parents differently, but I wanted to share with others what I have picked up from my friends, learned on the job,and information I acquire each and every day.