When I was expecting my first baby, I asked anyone and everyone for whatever insights they were willing to share. Here is a summary of the other baby tips I was given that made being home with Baby easier, along with other information I learned along the way and wished someone had shared. The reality is … nothing can truly prepare you for birth, because the experience is uniquely yours. But I am certain you will recognize certain bits of your story here. And I am forever grateful to all of the moms who imparted their lessons learned.
Part 1 . Preparing for Birth
Part 2 . Birth
Part 3 . Post Birth and Breastfeeding
Part 4. Other Baby Tips
Part 4 Other Baby Tips
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I am not paid for these reviews and am simply sharing these products because I love them.
- Babies grow FAST. They’ll change sizes before you know it. Pay attention to the season if you’re buying clothes for the future. Big and Little are both summer babies born two months apart, yet often the hand me downs are not the right size for the season.
- I’m picky about what products I use on my babies (I know, we all survived successfully on products with various chemicals … but you can never be too safe). I LOVE Gimme The Good Stuff for their science-based product assessments.
- Freezing baby food is a huge yes! It saves you time and energy. Make a large batch, and it’s ready when you need it. When Big and Little were younger, these ice cube trays were the perfect portion size.
- 4Moms Mamaroo is an awesome contraption that soothes the baby through motion. Both the pattern of the swing and the speed can be customized.
- 4Moms High Chair. The best. Super easy to clean. Super easy to remove the top. You can do it with one hand (and let me tell you, that comes in handy)! Securely and comfortably holds baby + nearly impossible to tip.
- Make sure you buy a carrier that provides proper positioning for Baby. We used ErgoBaby, but there are a ton of others.
- Pinterest is awesome for ideas on how to engage with your baby from birth onward. Look up activites based on Baby’s age.
- Use cuticle nippers to cut the baby’s nails. WAAAAAAY easier than nail nippers or filing, and you can see exactly what you’re doing. It’s terrifying because those little nail beds are teeny.
- The Dohm Noise Machine is a life saver. (Perhaps sleep saver or sanity saver are more apropos terms!) We like this one because of the soft noise that doesn’t sound mechanical.
- Cortisone cream (we like Aveeno) seems to heal any baby rash (and they get a ton). You might also ask your pediatrician for a prescription for diaper rash (it’s basically yeast infection topical cream such as clotrimazole and betamethasone dipropriate). If the cortisone doesn’t get rid of the diaper rash, the YI cream will.
- When diaper changing a boy, be sure to tuck the penis down. 🙂 You don’t want him peeing up onto his stomach or out the side.
- If the baby starts blowing out regularly, go up a diaper size. And by the way … these diapers and these wipes (both complete with the Gimme the Good Stuff stamp of approval! Note, I use the wipes for everything – cleaning hands, cleaning faces, wiping noses.
- As your kids get older, this book, How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, provides incredibly helpful advice on how to best communicate to your kids. It literally made me a better parent.
Like all of my posts tied to the birthing process, I’ll close with what I believe to be the most important advice. Trust your intuition. Every baby is different. People will constantly give you unsolicited advice. Take what works for you … and to hell with the rest. (Big smile … I do see the humor in this statement.)
