Monday, March 28, 2011

Boogie Woogie

No baby likes to see that nasty blue aspirator coming their way.  There is really no way around it though.  They are too little to blow their nose and since babies breathe ONLY through their nose, you certainly don't want them to be stuffy.  So in you go, saline in one hand, aspirator in another, ready to wrestle the boogies out.  Mom and baby come out of the experience in tears or close to it.  So what to do???  Get an...

Automatic Boogie Getter. 

Now that is not the official name of it, I have the Graco brand (see the link below).  With the push of a button music plays and it gently sucks the boogies from your little ones tiny nose.  No moving their head from side to side, fewer tears (if any at all) and most importantly, NO MORE BOOGIES :)

Here's to happy boogie getting...

http://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1750335

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Touch of a Hand

My baby wasn't so into breastfeeding when she was first born, but I was determined!  We spent the first week trying at every feeding and then supplementing with a bottle because she would get so frustrated and not ever really latch on.  So at one week we went to a lactation consultant.  I figured it couldn't hurt and I learned some really useful tips.  The best one being to...

Rub the baby's hand...

Who knew! So here's what you do.  When the baby latches on, rub their hand and it starts them sucking.  It reminds them of when they were in utero.  That was how they got your amniotic fluid, by sucking on their hands.  So when you massage their hands, they are tricked into thinking they are sucking in the amniotic fluid.

I did this to help my little one get used to the suckling motion.  Once she figured it out, I stopped having to massage her hand, but what a great tip that helped get my daughter breastfeeding.

Here's to full baby bellies!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Ahhh...Massage!

Who doesn't love a good massage?  After a long day a simple neck massage.  After a crazy week and nice day at the spa.  After a 60 mile walk a good foot massage.  They are all fantastic!  So why wait until you are an adult?  What about...

Infant Massage!

During my pregnancy I took a class on how to do infant massage at my doctors office.  We practiced on baby dolls and I took a bunch of notes.  But when the baby finally arrived, I realized it was a whole other ball game.  Suddenly, what was so easy on a plastic, non moving doll, was now a little trickier on a living, kicking baby.  So I went back in for part two of the class with the baby.  It was great!  I really got to see how to massage my baby girl so that she could relax and enjoy the massage. 

Infant massage is great.  My baby loves it at night before we go to sleep or right after a nice bath.  I would highly recommend taking a class and learning more about infant massage! 

Contact Meghan at Amomi spa for more info on Infant Massage classes or to schedule a massage for yourself
480-970-1998
www.amomispa.com

Wrapped

No one will ever master the swaddle as good as the nurses in the hospital.  It will never be as tight and it will never stay put, especially as the baby gets a little older and begins to wiggle more.  This is why you need to get...

Swaddle Wraps.

With velcro to hold it in place, it is the best thing to wrap up your little one with.  My baby girl had mastered the escape from regular blanket swaddling, and we would see her arms and legs flailing and find the blanket sprawled out under her when we would go to get her out of her bassinet.  Not good since it's not good to have loose bedding in the bassinet with them.  The swaddle wrap is super easy to use.  Put her legs in, wrap one side then the other and velcro it closed.  Now, she can't get out, although Houdina, as we call her, does sometimes manage to get her little hands out. 

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Special Delivery

I'm not going to lie, I love attention.  I wanted the world to know when I got engaged, married, bought a house, was pregnant and of course when Sofia was born.  What better way to do that then a...


Giant Stork!

Well that's what we saw when we pulled up to the house coming home from the hospital. It was great!  It was an 8 foot wooden stork holding a bundle in it's beak that had all of Sofia's information on it.  We got to have it there for an entire week, and when it was picked up, I was sad to see it go.  We did get to keep the bundle though, which is a great keepsake.  I would definitely recommend doing this for a friend or family member that is expecting.  Simply do a search for "baby stork rental" and you will find a bunch of sites with information for stork rentals in your area.  

Trust me...nothing says "Welcome Home" like a giant stork! 

Friday, March 11, 2011

Captured in Photos

Everyone tells you to take pictures of every moment both before and after the baby arrives.  I thought for sure that I would be "that woman."  The one that took a picture of my belly at the same time every week, but I wasn't.  I started when I started to show, but I quickly forgot to take out the camera as Sundays came and went.  So in my 8th month I had a friend take some...

Maternity Photo's.

They are some of my favorite pictures I've ever had taken!  Some by myself, some with my hubby and all with my fabulous growing belly!  Because it was a friend of mine that took the photo's I was super comfortable.  We took some of my bare belly and them some very decent nude photo's to show off my pregnant body in all it's beautiful glory.  However you choose to be dressed (or not) in your photo's I highly recommend taking some! 

Also, take one yourself of you and your belly in the hospital as you hop into the bed to give birth.  Take that one last picture of your pregnant belly.  You'll treasure it...I do!

Reusable All the Way

I stocked up on disposable nursing pads when I was pregnant.  I didn't know any better.  I registered for dubious amounts, happily took friends leftovers and thanked people profusely when they gave them to me as gifts.  Then when I got home, I put them in my bra, excited (crazy, I know!) to try out what I had so many of, and in a few short minutes realized...

Use reusable nursing pads!

The disposable ones felt like I had a diaper in my bra!  They are big and bulky and when they start soaking up milk, they become soggy.  Just like a diaper!  EWWW!  Not to mention that you can see them through your clothes.

The reusable ones are great.  You can buy them in packages of 6 (3 pair).  I have bought multiple brands and they are all great.  They are comfortable to the point I don't even know they are there.  I wash them in the lingere bag with my daughters socks, mittens, and wash cloths so that they don't get lost in the washer and dryer.  Take my word for it...reusable all the way!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

It's not easy to get a crying infant in and out of a car seat.  The straps can get twisted, you have to make your poor baby contort in funny ways just to get their arm through and they never seem to be seated in the right way to be even remotely comfortable.  But did you know that you can make it a little easier??

The straps are adjustable!

Who knew?  Not I, until I became a mom.  My poor cousins, nieces and nephews that I tried to squeeze into the car seat.  But that button at the foot of the car seat releases the straps so that you can easily get them on/off and around their arms.  The fabric pull that is there is to tighten the straps once you get it buckled.  It makes for the perfect fit EVERY time!  Be sure that the chest buckle is across their nipples and that you can't pinch the fabric that is down their belly.  I can't promise that your baby won't be crying as you put them in, but maybe this pointer will help make the process a little easier!

Strolling Around

Our Chicco travel system came with a car seat, base and stroller.  A very large and bulky stroller.  Now granted she can use this stroller for years to come.  It works now, you can snap the car seat into it.  And it will work later, she can sit in it and use until she is completely out of a stroller.  However, it is heavy and large and inconvenient while she is still in the car seat.  So my pointer of the day...

Buy a Snap 'n' Go!

You will love it.  It is just the frame of a stroller and it is lightweight.  The car seat "snaps" into the frame and off you go.  There is a basket underneath for storage, 2 cup holders and a closed container between the cup holders for change or binkies, etc.  I keep it in the car and use this when I am out running errands.  Because of it's sleek physique it is also easier to use in restaurants and crowded places. 

Here is happy travels!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Bountiful Bows

I love bows.  Big bows, small bows, colored bows, all bows really.  This love of bows has grown exponentially since having a baby girl.  A little girl must match hair bows to her outfits.  Most of the headbands with bows that I have for my little one were gifts, the coolest ones of all being interchangable.  The bows are simply clips that attach to the headband.  You can mix and match headband colors with bow colors.  Glorious!  So, where can you get bows...

Basically Bows

The main crossroads are Scottsdale and Shea.  I'm not getting paid to say this, I just hear it's fantastic!

So go and buy some pretty bows...you know you want to!

One Missing Sock

It has happened to us all, we lose a sock in the laundry, just one from each pair.  Why can't an entire pair go missing?  Where does that one sock go?  I have NO idea!  Well with baby socks and mittens it's exactly the same, if not worse.  Baby socks are so tiny that even if it's right there in the pile of clean clothes, you can't see it.  So my pointer of the day...

Use a lingerie bag.  

Brilliant right??  It works.  I keep the bag hanging on the corner of her little hamper so that I don't have to sort through her laundry as I'm putting it in the wash.  I use the bag for her socks, mittens, tights and reusable nursing pads. 

One missing sock...not anymore!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Write It Down

It's hard, I know.  Who really has time to journal when your a new parent?  Certainly not me! But I do have time to write down a few sentences at the end of the day.

Get a calendar. 

One of those planners that are arranged weekly and that has plenty of space for each date to write a few sentences down.  Write at the end of each day something special that happened.  You will be happy you did!


When we first brought my little girl home, I thought for sure I would remember when everything happened!  First bath, first visitor, day her umbilical cord fell off, etc.  But I didn't and you won't.  Of course you will remember that it happened, but you are going to be so busy and so tired that in a few weeks, you'll be saying "when did that happen?"  I have already looked back at the planner and it's only been 6 weeks.  Trust me, you will be happy you wrote it all down!

(I got this pointer from a nurse at my doctors office...thanks!)

Welcome to Parent Pointers!

Welcome to Parent Pointers! 

First off, I am by no means an expert.  In fact, I have only been a mom for 6 short weeks, but I have grown up around kids and I LOVE everything about being a mom.  I have lots of younger cousins, nieces and nephews.  I have also worked at daycare centers, been a nanny and I am a teacher.  

Everything you read here is just my opinion.  Things I've learned through my experience.  I'll post a pointer or two each time I post.  I may even post links to some websites that I like or find helpful.  I hope you find at least one thing I post here helpful...happy reading :)