Babies grow quickly. If you have one, you already know this, if you don't have one yet, you will find this out soon. As parents, we don't always notice the small changes that happen or realize just how big they really are getting. We rely on others that don't see the baby as often to remind us of this with comments like "wow, she is getting so big" or "I can't believe how much she has grown in just a week." We simply don't "see" it because we are with them every day. So my pointer of the day is to...
take monthly pictures!
My cousin started this tradition with her little boy. Each month she would put a poster with the phrase "I'm _____ month's old today!" printed on it. I just HAD to borrow her idea. So each month on the date my baby girl was born I prop her up next to the poster and take a picture.
You can make the poster as big or as small as you like but I suggest using the same size poster every month. I bought sticky note letters so that I could easily change out the month words and I have it on a thick poster board that stands easily when leaning up against something. It's such a wonderful keepsake and marks each month with a wonderful memory that show just how big she is getting.
Happy photographing :)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Let it Be
When your baby is crying and you know she isn't hungry or wet or tired all you want to do is hold her and rock her and soothe her. But you know when sometimes you just want to be left alone, babies get like that too. I discovered not too long into our weeks at home, that sometimes she just wanted to be...
left alone.
It sounds crazy, I know. I thought so to. But moments after putting her down next to me, she kicked her legs, found the fan and completely relaxed. Babies can get over stimulated and just like grown ups, they sometimes just need some quiet alone time. So don't be afraid to just put them down and certainly don't feel guilty about not being able to soothe your baby, because in actuality, you are soothing them!
Here is to a relaxing evening...
left alone.
It sounds crazy, I know. I thought so to. But moments after putting her down next to me, she kicked her legs, found the fan and completely relaxed. Babies can get over stimulated and just like grown ups, they sometimes just need some quiet alone time. So don't be afraid to just put them down and certainly don't feel guilty about not being able to soothe your baby, because in actuality, you are soothing them!
Here is to a relaxing evening...
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Heat it Up
Nothing as sad as a hungry baby and a cold bottle when you are out. It's happened to me way too many times. I feed the baby a warm bottle before we leave, take out a bottle from the refrigerator when we leave the house and put it in the diaper bag for the day out. Inevitably, she is hungry again 20 minutes into the trip, and the bottle is still ice cold! Running it under hot water in the bathroom, hold it between my hands, even blast the heat in the car and hold it in front of the vent...I've done it all and the poor baby still had to drink a cold bottle :( So I was so happy when I found...
a portable Bottle Warmer!
Jackpot!!! It's super easy to use and it warms up the bottle in minutes. When you get home simply boil the warmer and it is ready to use the next time. There were a few different options in Buy Buy Baby, including one that you can plug into your car. I however chose one that doesn't need to be plugged in, because I'm not always in or near the car when she is hungry. Below is a link to Buy Buy Baby and their bottle warmer options. The portable ones are the last four that they show.
Happy bottle warming...
http://www.buybuybaby.com/searchSKU.asp?SSTR=bottle+warmer&go=1&
a portable Bottle Warmer!
Jackpot!!! It's super easy to use and it warms up the bottle in minutes. When you get home simply boil the warmer and it is ready to use the next time. There were a few different options in Buy Buy Baby, including one that you can plug into your car. I however chose one that doesn't need to be plugged in, because I'm not always in or near the car when she is hungry. Below is a link to Buy Buy Baby and their bottle warmer options. The portable ones are the last four that they show.
Happy bottle warming...
http://www.buybuybaby.com/searchSKU.asp?SSTR=bottle+warmer&go=1&
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
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!
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
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.
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.
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