1. Onsies- Put away all those frilly dresses and mini suits. For the first few weeks at least your baby will be living in onsies. It's easy to change a diaper and comfy for the hours and hours of sleep (at first :-)). Ailee wore a long sleeved shirt with the fold over hands in the NICU, and that's what she wore to bed in the early weeks to make sure she had warm arms and hands. Their legs and feet are almost always bundled up anyway!!
2. MAM Pacifiers- I swore against pacifiers before I had a baby. I didn't want to have to wean her off one, and with a dentist for a husband he was not thrilled with a piece of plastic in her mouth 24/7. Now there is one in every room of the house. Check with your pediatrician or lactation consultant before starting to introduce a paci, but once the nipple confusion phase passes and your baby is above his/her birth weight, it's a great soothing tool. We used the Soothies brand from the NICU to begin with, but found the shape of the MAM is more pleasing and she is able to suck the paci back in when it droops and hangs out of her mouth.
3. Gas Drops- I hate giving my baby any kind of medication, but to see their discomfort in those first few weeks from gas, a drop before bedtime is worth it. We used these drops at 4 weeks or so when we were struggling with what foods in my diet were giving her gas and an upset tummy.
4. Your Insurance Plan- A not so fun part of coming home from a hospital stay is the eventual influx of mail from doctors and the hospital itself. Study a little before baby is born so you aren't giving up a single minute of time with him or her to dwell on your insurance plan! Hopefully most of the out of pocket costs were settled before the birth, but just in case know your plan backwards and forwards, and audit any statements coming in, to make sure you aren't exceeding your max out of pocket.
5. Yoga Ball- One fine day my aunt started bouncing my baby on her yoga ball. I've never looked back since. A gentle bounce and rock on my yoga ball silences my baby like non other. This has given my back and legs a much needed break from pacing and bouncing down the halls for hours on end during fussy times. I swaddle her up, have her paci in hand, sing, and gently bounce the fussies right out of her and into sweet baby slumber! I think this idea dates back to my grandmother's advice to "bounce the baby at the end of the bed," well beds don't have the springiness they used to, so this is the tip modernized!!
6. Butt Paste- I had a beautiful basket of organic Burt's Bees diaper cream, which worked just to keep baby's bottom soothed from a tiny bit of wetness. But on one occasion I opened my sweet baby's diaper after she had been held for hours by family members, and low and behold an awful, chaffed, sore bottom. I cried hyterically and told myself what a bad mom I was. Diaper rash happens I have quickly found, and Butt Paste goes on with every diaper change from that point forward. A VERY dry bottom, patted dry with a soft clean towel and a dab of Butt Paste has kept her rash free for as long as we have used it. Sorry Burt's Bees, I love o'natural and you smell great, but a beautiful rash free bottom wins.
7. Aden and Anais Blankets- Get these, lots of them. I want one in adult size. Enough said.
8. "The Vaccine Book," by Dr. Sears- You don't have to be an earthy crunchy, vaccine free, rebel to buy this book. I always knew that I wanted to do the "alternative" vaccine scheule and this book gives you safe ways to vaccinate, without giving up vaccines all-together. No matter your position on vaccines, you took the time to read up on what to eat/avoid during pregnancy, why stop there? A smart parent is educated on what their child is exposed to, and you can never be too safe when it comes to your child and medical options!
9. A Sink- This may seem like the most bazaar tip of all but I guess it could also be looked at as common sense. My pediatrician recommended this when he saw my baby's tender bottom. He validated that rashes happen and instructed me to lay off the chemically wipes and constant rubbing, and run her bottom under the sink instead. My husband and I have found ourselves doing this almost all the time when we are at home. We have a little fluffy folded blanket by our bathroom sink, we lay her down, bottom gently hanging over the edge and into the sink (with support from your hand), and rinse her with warm water. This is great for getting a super clean bottom from those big 'ol poopy blowouts and saves you from the gilt of "wiping" that poor rashy bottom!!! Keep a soft old receiving blanket by the sink for dabbing dry, followed by diaper cream. :-)
*Hope these are helpful and any mommies out there, don't hesitate to comment your own great constructive tips for surviving with a newborn!
No comments:
Post a Comment