Thursday, May 9, 2013

Baby Bits - The First Year


I guess it is about time for me to share some bits of knowledge that so many people kindly shared with me as a first time mom.  If I could remember who told me what, I would gladly give you acknowledgment, but we all know that you give your baby your brain when you give birth, so "thanks to everyone" will have to suffice. Some things are just tips I discovered as well.  So, here we go, just a few things that helped me out in the first year.   If I had time I would include cute pictures by each number, but then you would never get the list. My friend Katie has several blog posts with tips as well, so check out God's Little Grace    after you scroll through this list. There are other things for sure, maybe I will add some tips for the second year once Olen Ray turns two? We shall see :-)

  1. Vaseline - cover that newborns soft bottom in the stuff before the first diaper gets put on. It make wiping off meconium so much easier.  Having to "scrub" your newborns bottom to get that tar-like goupe off is no fun.  So get a big tub of it and cake it on! We still use it now on Olen Ray's bottom to keep him dry if going on a long car ride or if his poop is getting kinda sticky again.  
  2. Sheets and mattress protectors - get as many as you can from yard sales and friends so you can layer on the crib mattress.  I have one mattress protector that is fitted and always stays on the mattress (well I do wash it every now and then).  Then I just put mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet, and on and on until I run out of sheets. When your little one leaves a drool puddle, spit-up stains, or diaper leakage on the sheet in the middle of the night, just pull the top one off and wall-a; baby goes back to bed. You can almost do it with one hand if you have to :-)
  3. Alcohol - no I am not talking about the kind you drink, although some of that is helpful to get you and baby to sleep, just kidding!  When your cute squishy soft newborn comes home with that icky looking umbilical cord still dangling (and they all will), keep some rubbing alcohol handy. The best method for us was to put some in the bottom of a small jelly jar and fill the jar with q-tips.  Then just grab a q-tip and dab it on the site.  Make sure you do this with every diaper change.  We all want our babies to have cute belly buttons so you need to make sure the umbilical cord stays nice and dry and dirt free during the shedding process.  It is super easy this way and you don’t get alcohol all over your hands 10 times a day.
  4. Vaseline - it’s for the boys.  Yes, I know I mentioned this already, but this tip was so helpful for our little guy’s circumcision.  Have you ever tried to get vaseline to stay on top of something slippery?  Well it doesn’t work! Have no fear, you don’t have to put the vaseline on the actual circumcision site, just get a huge dollop of it and stick it on the diaper where it will touch your little man’s goods when you close the diaper.  We used a ton of the stuff each time we changed his diaper.  When you close the diaper cross the tabs over each other to make an “X”.  It puts some extra pressure as well and decreases the comfort as your little man’s body is healing. 
  5. Wipe warmer -  just buy one, need I say more?  
  6. Sound machine - I will be honest, I went back and forth on this one a lot. I didn’t want to get one at first because I thought “my baby is going to sleep anywhere with or without noise” and then I didn’t sleep for like 3 full days and I was willing to try anything.  Just get something with water sounds or something soothing. The brand doesn’t really matter. It has been a life saver for us when traveling.  It makes it so much easier for Olen Ray to sleep in other places because  of his sound machine. The one we have is pretty small so it just goes in his overnight bag, just make sure you get one that you can put batteries in.  There was this one night when the power went out....you can figure out the rest of the story. 
  7. Babywearing - it is a verb, so look it up if you need to and DO IT ALL THE TIME. The more I “wore” Olen Ray in those first few months, the less he cried, the more he slept in the day, so the more he slept at night, which means (and this is the best part) the more I slept at night.  We started with a Moby wrap and I think it is perfect and easy to use with newborns and infants.  We also have an Ergo and a few others now.  If you aren’t going to really do much Babywearing outside the house, I would just invest in a used Moby and Ergo.  They are so versatile and the Ergo lasts forever and can be used with toddlers too.  If you want to know more about carriers, just ask me.  It is one of the things I like to collect!
  8. Pen and Notebook - keep a small one beside your bed where you hope to sleep at night.  Even if you are so tired you can hardly walk, just take 2 minutes and write down a few things from the day. This is so important in the first few weeks. I looked back over those notes a lot to see sleeping and eating patterns which helped me develop a schedule when Olen Ray was ready for one.  You will cherish those notes forever. I even had some crazy moments when I thought something was “wrong” with Olen Ray (Google - you can be so bad!!) and I wrote those things down. It has helped me share things with other moms and know that all those thoughts and feelings are very normal and part of being a new mom. 
  9. Pacifiers - notice that is plural?? Go ahead and get some, and then go ahead and get some more.  We waited until Olen Ray started to suck his thumb to introduce the paci. It has been really nice for him to be able to self-soothe with it.  It was such a great tool when he was little and made it easier for other people to watch him while I was at work as well.  Olen Ray also has a blankie that works great for naps and night time.  Just pick something that can help them be comfortable and start letting them hold it and snuggle with it early on. 
  10. Crib bumpers - don’t get them. They are cute, but you don’t need them. If you aren’t going to co-sleep because of all the blankets and pillows, why put a whole bunch of pillows in the crib with your baby?  Yes, that is totally my personal opinion and feel free to disregard.
  11. Neglectomatic - this term was created and probably copyrighted by my friend Chrissy.  You need one though. It can be a bouncy seat or swing for the infant.  Some type of jumper or excersaucer for the crawler.  You need something at each stage that you can put the baby in why you get something done (specifically like going to the bathroom).  We are not huge fans of contraptions, but it was helpful to just have something else to put Olen Ray in other than laying him on the floor when he was an infant. He enjoyed being more upright and was able to see us better during dinner and chill time.  
  12. Blankets - yes, you really do need a lot of them.  I used blankets for everything when Olen Ray was first born. I changed them out daily!  I wrapped him up in them, laid him on them on the floor, put them on the changing table, put them on my shoulder to catch spit up, used them to wipe up the floor when he did spit up, rolled them up prop him on his tummy, used them to prop toys so he could see them, and of course covered him up when he was cold.  
  13. Burp clothes - see description for blankets.
  14. Bathtime - ever try to give your newborn a bath in the bath hammock thing that comes on baby bathtubs? Well I couldn’t figure it out.  So, I just folded up a large bath towel and placed in on the counter beside the sink.  I got the bathroom really warm and just put Olen Ray there and squeezed a washcloth full of water over him to get him wet, soaped him up, then repeated to rinse. It worked so well! When it was time to wash his hair, I would just hold him under the sink a bit to get it rinsed well.  This was so much easier for me than the baby bathtub.  We only used this method for a few weeks though until he was big enough to sit in the baby bathtub (yes, we do have one), then that things was a lifesaver for like 6 months. 
  15. Nursery rhymes - sing, sing, sing away!  I started to sing to Olen Ray a lot when he went through his fussy time.  He still loves it.  I am so glad I started it when he was little. He can be crying in the car, wiggling on his changing table, whining at dinner, I start singing, and he calms right down, no supplies needed.  No, I don’t have a great voice, but he doesn’t care :-)
  16. Smart phone - No comment. 
  17. Laundry - Now this is something you can save for other people to do when they come over. Everyone always asked “what can I do to help” when they would stop by for the afternoon when Olen Ray was little, they still ask :-) Yes, we do have awesome friends and family. Anyway, always keep the baby’s clothes in separate hamper (I recommend one in the nursery) and have them wash them.  Who doesn’t love to fold baby clothes?  I would also recommend washing the baby’s clothes separate from other clothes. We use a natural soap product, plus it’s easier to find the clothes when you need to find something. I ALWAYS get Olen Ray’s clothes put away. We still have laundry sitting on the floor in our room from two weeks ago.  
  18. The chair - Just make sure you have a comfy place to sit to feed the baby (bottle or breast). You are going to spend A LOT of time there and you want to be comfortable, right? Well, maybe you are a first time mom, but yes, you want to be comfortable. Something with a foot stool is nice and keep a pillow and blanket close by. I just added some that match the nursery, so they stay add for decoration and are quite functional as well. When baby just fell asleep and your arm starts to fall asleep, you can use them to prop up your arm while baby snoozes.  Also, try to throw a colorful quilt or black/white blanket on the back of the chair. When I put Olen Ray on my shoulder to burp (he cried a lot during this process) before he could continue nursing, he helped distract him because he looked at the colors and shapes.  If you have a window in the baby’s room, but the chair by the window to give you something to look at.  Might even be nice to hang a humming bird feeder outside the window or some plants. Olen Ray still loves to look out the window while rocking. 
  19. Books - start reading when they are little!  We started to read to Olen Ray consistently before naps and bedtime when he was about 3 months old. He LOVES books and it is a great for so many reasons, other then the obvious reason of learning. It gives him a chance to snuggle with others, unwind after a busy day or before bed, attend to pictures when he needs to be quiet, and it is just so fun!  I love watching him pick out books.  He has his favorites for sure and we probably spend over an hour a day reading. I mean really reading as in he is sitting quiet and still in my (or dada’s) lap as we read.  
  20. Baby Washcloths - these things are so cheap and so functional. I keep them in his diaper bag, obviously in the bathroom for baths, and in the kitchen. I just keep a drawer in the kitchen with clothes and bibs so I don’t have to run to his room to find them at every meal.  I love having the washcloths for his face and hands after meals. We just use one for the whole day and then throw it into the dirty basket for washing.  It is easier than going through a whole roll of paper towels a week just on your kid.  AND who wants to use the dirty dishrag on your baby?
  21. Hairdryer - just hang one on a hook by the changing station. It is perfect for getting that bottom nice and dry during a diaper change to prevent rashes. If you have a little on that hates diaper changes, sometimes the noise helps too. We have ours hanging so I can turn it on and let the noise calm Olen Ray down if he is having a "no you will not change my diaper" kinda day.  Of course, the hot air should be blowing away from baby in this situation :-)
  22. Sunshine - a daily dose for you and baby is highly recommended. It really brightens up the day even if you can only get out for a few minutes. 
So that is all I can think of for now. Enjoy that baby!  They grow up WAY TO FAST.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Those are great tips! Thanks for mentioning me too! I feel very special and honored!
Katie