20Jul 2015

Things I Should have Done Before Baby Arrived

by Nicole ⋅ 1 Comment

Whether it is the first, second or third (maybe fourth?!) addition to your family, a pregnant woman is never lacking in things she must do to prepare for that little bundle of joy. There’s all the doctor’s appointments, eating right, drinking enough water, registering, buying endless # of baby clothes and gear, remembering to order the nursery furniture far enough in advance so it arrives before the baby, and I’m fairly certain the list goes on and on and well, on.

It’s funny when looking back on experiences I see things through a totally different set of lenses than I did while actually living it. For example, that crib I paid to have expedited, because I couldn’t decided until 8 weeks out what I wanted. I admit I was a rookie and 1st time mom-to-be. Well, baby girl didn’t sleep in said crib until she was 10 weeks old. Didn’t REALLY need that ahead of time hehehe. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

5 things I wish I had done before baby arrived:

Freezer Meals – This was something I read on almost every blog. Make LOTS of freezer meals. I did manage to get some stuff into the freezer, which was a total lifesaver … however there just wasn’t enough meals to sustain us for very long. We were fortunate that friends and family brought/cooked us meals, but if we choose to have a second kid I will learn from our experience with Jellybean and pack the freezer with ready-to-go meals!!
Hired a Newborn Photographer – This was an EPIC fail on my part. I started fairly early on researching newborn photographers. I reached out to a handful of them and then never pulled the trigger. Recovering from the labor & delivery coupled with the exhaustion of a newborn scheduling photos was low on my to do list and I just never got around to it. Once I was out of the haze of becoming a mother it was past that ‘sleepy newborn’ stage which is ideal for newborn photos. If I had hired someone ahead of time I know I would have followed through. Not doing professional newborn photos is a big regret of mine, but I have so many pictures of Jellybean when she was a newborn I have no choice by to give myself a pass on this one. :)
Postpartum Wardrobe – I wrote a whole post about postpartum essentials for mama. I bought so many things, but didn’t make any real preparations for my postpartum a priority. Nursing bras, tank tops, loose clothing and ‘in-between’ items could have been purchased prior to Jellybean’s arrival and would have made me a whole lot more comfortable. I am SO lucky to have family who ran back and forth from the store to get me everything I needed.
Take More Maternity Photos – I’m will admit I didn’t find pregnant Nicole to be the most attractive version of myself. At about 5-6 months I felt like the belly was cute, but once month 7 rolled around I just felt huge. And to be totally honest, people had no problem telling me how BIG I was, which made me a bit more self conscious. I took a few photos of the belly for the blog, but I shy-ed away from being in photos and taking them of myself. I wish I had a few more picture (especially of the hubby and me), because … heck … I was growing a little human inside me!!!
Date Nights – The hubby and I should have done a few more dinners out, maybe caught an extra movie or two and definitely taken an extra vacation before the baby arrived. After my daughter was a newborn I found it hard to be away from her, even if it was just a few hours (if I’m being honest it’s still hard and she’s 18 months old!!!). Also, finding someone I trusted to watch her was extremely difficult.

So there are my lessons learned on things I wish I had done prior to baby’s arrival!! I hope they help you as you are preparing for baby!

What did I miss?

24Jun 2014

Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

by Nicole ⋅ 6 Comments

Being part of a ‘New Mamas’ group on Facebook has been such a blessing. It has allowed me to get answers to questions I didn’t even know I had, share some of my own experiences as well as hear a variety of opinions on caring for a baby. I only actually know (like talk to in person or hang out with) a couple of the women and yet I value everyone’s take on being a mom.

One of the topics discussed when I was anxiously awaiting JB’s arrival was when to introduce solids. I followed along with the conversation. Some were introducing food at 4 months while others waited until 6 months. At the time I made a mental note and thought to myself we would wait until 6 months.

Ha. So AMATEUR of me to make ‘decisions’ such as these when I had NO idea what caring for a baby would be like. At Jellybean’s 4 month checkup we got the go ahead from our pediatrician to being solids. She recommended starting with oatmeal cereal (skipping rice cereal).

Jellybean has always been a good eater and it seemed as though she was always hungry! I often said to my husband “Should couldn’t possibly be hungry again” and then baby girl would demolish her bottle in record time. We really couldn’t make it very long during the day between feedings. As a result the husband and I decided we would go ahead and start solids at 4 months old since the doctor gave the A-OK.

I was so excited as we strapped JB into the highchair and mixed some formula with the oatmeal cereal. She looked kind of confused as we moved the spoon to her mouth. The oatmeal dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin. Throughout the entire first solid food feeding Jellybean was breaking out some seriously hilarious facial expressions. They were absolutely priceless!

Fortunately the husband and I were pretty well prepared and broke out the camera prior to giving her the food. She went from looking pissed off to completely clam {see pictures below} in the amount of time it took to snap two photos!

Guess she was adjusting to the spoon, new tastes, and the expressions on her parent’s faces. See Sophi in the lower left hand corner of the picture? She wasn’t going to miss out on all the attention Jellybean was getting. :)

It took about two weeks for Jellybean to get the whole eating thing down. I was a little concerned after a week that we introduced solids for the first time too early. So we took a little break. When we re-introduced the oatmeal with applesauce, per a friend’s recommendation, a few days later we were in business!

We made such a big deal of saying “yum yum” and praising her that she developed an amusing association to being placed in the high chair. As soon as we put her in the high chair the legs start going a million miles an hour, a huge smile emerges on her face, which is followed by shrieks and babbling. I get the biggest kick of out it!

For the most part I am homemaking the food – I mean – purees. Jellybean is a fan of apples, pears, sweet potatoes and prunes. I decided to purchase pre-made prunes, because I just wasn’t interested in figuring out how to make them into baby food. :)

We attempted to introduce peas – it was a total fail. Jellybean gagged in disgust and then acted like she was chocking … which she wasn’t (thank goodness!), but it got my adrenaline going nonetheless. We thought it was a texture issue so we offered her the pre-made kind and she still refused to swallow it. Kid already has sweet tooth … not shocking considering how many sweets I ate during my pregnancy.

Next up on the list is cauliflower, butternut squash and maybe carrots. Though, I’m kind of afraid of carrots. Our friends told us the WORST diaper they ever changed was after introducing carrots. Oh my, the joys of parenthood. =)

Once baby girl is a little bit older I plan to have her try broccoli, zucchini and mango. I’m really excited for her to acquire a taste for a variety of foods!! How to keep up with the cooking and storage of all this baby puree is a little bit daunting. Recommendations??

My favorite and must have items for baby girl eating ‘solids’ … I really think we should call it introducing purees. The kiddo won’t be having a ‘real’ solids for a few more months, but I digress. Favorite items for eating solids (so far) includes …

OXO Tot Feeding Spoon / OXO Tot Roll Up Bib / Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair / OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers / Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System / Earth’s Best Oatmeal Cereal

And all of these, with the exception of the oatmeal, would be perfect items to put on the baby registry!

What was giving your baby solids for the first time like? Any suggestions for keeping up with homemade baby food?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

27May 2014

Favorite Baby Gear – Months 3, 4 and 5

by Nicole ⋅ 7 Comments

I found navigating the baby registry waters a bit difficult. There are SO many products out there and everyone has a different take on what one should buy. Since all babies are different it is nice to have options, but at the same time it’s so EASY to feel overwhelmed with choices.

My newborn necessity list was quite robust (you can find that here). For purposes of these favorite/must have lists I guess I am qualifying newborn as 0-2 months old. We still consistently use all items on the list with the exception of the wubbanub. Jellybean decided at some point she was over pacifiers, which is both good and bad…I think!

As Jellybean grows so does my list of must have baby items. Some stuff we didn’t know to put on the registry and I wish we had known how handy they would be!

So for months 3, 4 and 5 here are my favorites …

Puj – I really love this tub. It’s small/compact and easily fits into the bathroom sink, which means NO bending over to wash baby! The no bending over was key while I was still recovering from the cesarean. I must admit I still prefer it to the bigger tub because it’s easier. My only complaint would be baby girl falls down during her baths since she can’t sit up on her own yet. I wish there was something to help keep her upright.

Skip Hop Moby Waterfall Bath Rinser – This item came in SUPER handy when I finally worked up the courage to bathe JB without a second set of hands. I found it difficult to hold her in place, put a hand over her face and pour water over her head all at the same time. The way this thing is shaped it helps ensure the water cascades down the baby’s back instead of letting the soapy water get in their eyes.

Snugli – There are many baby carriers out there and honestly I felt overwhelmed trying to choose one. We registered for (and received) the ErgoBaby. I do love our ErgoBaby … the snugli is just SO much easier to snap baby in and go. The other positive is your don’t have to deal with an infant insert. As soon as the baby is 7 lbs you are good to go. And if like me, your baby is born over 7 lbs to start with you can just it day one! Our snugli was gifted from a friend (thanks Jessica!) and is getting a TON of good use especially when we walk the dog.

Playmat – First ‘toy’ Jellybean was really able to play with. So far it has really grown with her and whether she was 6 weeks or 5 months it’s a hit. The playmat is super colorful, plays music and the toys included each provide a different type of stimulus.

Honest Hand Sanitizer – Total impulse buy, but I love it! Smells good and we got the under 3oz size so it’s FAA friendly too.

Video Monitor – The transition from our room in the cradle to Jellybean’s own room in the crib was fairly easy. Actually it was really easy for her and super difficult for me. I missed rolling over at night and seeing her little chest rise and fall with each breath. Though her ‘noises’ would sometimes keep me awake I was comforted by them at the same time! The video monitor was the only thing that kept me from demanding my husband ‘let’ me move the baby back into our bedroom. Though JB has been in her own room for over 2 months there are still nights I check the monitor in the middle of the night just to see her little face :)

Sleep Sacks – When Jellybean started rolling over it quickly became apparent the swaddling days were, sadly, over. We have warm and light weight sleep sacks. If I had realized how soon we would need them I would have put a few small sized sleep sacks on the baby registry.

White Noise (SimplyNoise) App – At first we were really into the Sheep, however it turns off after 45 minutes. A friend turned us onto the SimplyNoise app. The only problem with using the app is our iPad has turned into an EXTREMELY expensive sound machine hahahaha. I’ve started researching sound machines, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy one (suggestions?!?).

Baby Bullet – We just started introducing solids and I’m having fun making the baby food! The baby bullet makes the process simple and is very to clean. I could certainly use my Cuisinart, however the bullet is easier.

So mamas what am I missing? Any recommendations for month 6??

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

13May 2014

Favorite Bottle Feeding Products

by Nicole ⋅ 3 Comments

At some point, unless someone is a stay at home mom, bottle feeding becomes a necessary way to feeding a baby. We started introducing bottles at two months, however when I went back to work it became the only way we fed Jellybean. Bottle feeding was such an adjustment for our schedules. Bottles require a lot more planning, dishes and effort than nursing! I absolutely took for granted the convenience of having milk ‘on tap’ for my daughter while on maternity leave. It took a few weeks, but the we got a routine down with the bottles. We also made some additional purchases, which made our lives easier. With the exception of one of these items, it doesn’t matter if you are using exclusively pumped milk or formula – I believe – these items are must haves. Great things to put on a baby registry even if they won’t be needed for a couple of months (or weeks, day, hours or whatever your time frame is).

1 &2 – Stem & Drying Rack
The grass drying rack came up on SO many of the must have baby registries I looked at. Before Jellybean arrived I purchased the drying rack, however the stem was an impulse buy when we were at Buy Buy Baby. The stem adds extra space to dry the nipples and such, PLUS it doesn’t take up additional counter space.

3 – Formula Mixing Pitcher
When we transitioned away from using only breast milk I quickly started dreading making formula. It took an annoying amount of time to shake each bottle and ensure all the formula dissolved. My husband was doing one of our many Amazon purchases and impulse bought the mixing pitcher. He figured it was worth a try and a the price point was low enough even if it didn’t work it wouldn’t have been a huge deal. While I still don’t love making formula it certainly makes the process faster and easier!!

4 – Munchkin Bottle and Nipple Brush
A bottle brush is kind of a given. I did a lot of research for our baby registry and the munchkin bush was very highly recommended … I’m a big fan!

5 – Bottles and Nipples (any brand your baby likes)
Duh! This is kind of key to bottle feeding. If I was to purchase bottles again I would buy only three 4 ounce bottles and the rest I would get the 8 ounce bottles. You can always put less in an 8 oz bottle, but clearly more doesn’t fit in the 4 oz ones. Read about our decision to use Dr. Brown bottles with preemie nipples here.

6 – Bibs
I really didn’t find the need for bibs while I was exclusively breastfeeding (EBF). Once we started using bottles more often it quickly became apparent if I didn’t want to change my daughter’ clothes after each feeding we were going to have to start putting a bib on her. I’m not entirely sure what the difference is, but baby girl was a much neater eater when nursing.

7 – Dishwasher Basket
Bottle parts (especially when you use bottles like Dr. Brown’s, which have like a gazillion parts) take time to wash. It is SO much easier to throw all the parts into the basket and run the dishwasher at the end of the day. We discussed washing the bottles in the dishwasher with our doctor and she said it was totally kosher — in fact it’s how she washer’s her baby boy’s bottles. The basket keeps all the parts together and we have yet to loose or melt a bottle part. In fact, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a second basket.

While I don’t need a bottle warmer, I do believe this would be a must have item for most moms. My little one really doesn’t care if the bottle is warm or cold and since she is one of those babies who wants to eat IMMEDIATELY (like within seconds of deciding she’s hungry) we’ve decided to forgo warming the bottle.

Though I think we have the bottle feeding products down I still haven’t conquered the storage of said bottles and accessories! What are your favorite item(s) for bottle feeding? Anything good I’m missing?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

27Feb 2014

Newborn Necessity Items

by Nicole ⋅ 9 Comments

I’m not sure where the time goes, but Jellybean is already two months old! When parents say “kids grow up so far”, they seriously weren’t kidding. Not only is my maternity leave flying by, but JB is getting bigger, stronger and (of course) cuter by the day. Before Jellybean arrived I spent a good amount of time preparing for her birth. Decorating her nursery was just as important to me as purchasing the necessities. All in all we were very well prepared for Jellybean – as far as “stuff” goes … the whole sleep deprivation thing … NOT so much! Over the past two months the husband and I quickly identified our must have and necessary items for a newborn. While it is similar to my pre-baby/pregnancy registry must have list this one is bigger and more accurate.

Sleeping – Warm Onsies with Feet / Swaddle Blankets / 2-4 Bassinet Sheets

1 – Since JB is a winter baby warm onesies with feet on them (as recommended by my mother) are essential. I would highly recommend purchasing at least 5 and get the button ones over the zip-up onesies. While I know many folks swear by the zip-ups as they are easier the buttons come in handy during those 3am diaper changes. Unzipping the whole onesie makes our baby colder (and often more cranky) than quickly unbuttoning just the legs and tush areas.

2 – I had originally planned on using swaddle pods, however my baby HATES them. We are talking blood curdling screams as we zipped her into them. We quickly learned that while she absolutely wants to be swaddled she wants the old school method. The aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets are perfect. They are big and enable even the worst of swaddlers (read me … my husband is the swaddle pro!) to wrap the blanket around and get a tight swaddle.

3 – I figured 1 bassinet sheet would be plenty… HA! Amateur I tell you – AMATEUR. Between spit up, regular linen changes and oh yes a couple of diaper blow outs having extra bassinet sheets was extremely helpful (thanks mom!).

Diapering – Pampers Swaddlers / Sensitive Wipes / Changing Pad Liners

4/5 – We tried Huggies and Pampers Swaddles with Jellybean was first born. I must say we had less blow outs/leaks with the Pampers Swaddlers. Like a mentioned before I’m shocked at the shier volume of diapers and wipes we go through. STOCK UP before the baby comes or consider Amazon Mom, it saved us on more than one occasion.

6 – I would recommend getting a bunch of these. They come in more handy than I thought they would and save me from having to wash the changing pad cover as often. It’s almost as though Jellybean knows when I’ve removed the old diaper and I’m starting to put the new one on and BAM in the 30 second switch she pees hahaha. Instead of taking the whole cover off I just quickly switch out the liner and I’m back in business.

Feeding – Boppy / Burp Cloths (thick ones) / Glider / Baby Connect App

7 – The Boppy has come in handy both for nursing as well as propping the baby up as I get situated. Sometimes two hand is just necessary. ;)

8 – Although pretty burp cloths are definitely nice to have it is best to have a lot. I’ve also found thicker burp clothes are better to help absorb any of those bigger spit ups which leak through the thin cloths. My mom suggested we buy these, which are both affordable and thick.

9 – I spent the first few days at home attempting to find the best location for nursing. I sat on the couch, the big chair in the living room, the glider and even tried breastfeeding in bed (worst place of all!). I found the glider to be the easiest and most comfortable place to breastfeed. There is a learning curve with breastfeeding (at least there was for me) and being able to sit comfortably and have good support for both my back and arms made the process a little bit easier.

10 – After leaving labor/delivery and getting somewhat settled into our recovery room the nurse handed us a sheet of paper. She explained that all feedings as well as pee/poppy diapers should be tracked. Given how exhausted we both were the idea of writing all the down seemed like a lot of work. I quickly remembered my neighbor had recommended an app, which made tracking everything easier. I downloaded the trial version and got to tracking. The app is user friendly and my favorite part is you can pause and resume feedings as necessary. I rarely pay for apps for my phone, but this one was well worth the money!

Other – Cradle Swing / 2 Stroller “Cuddle” Blankets / Wubbanub Pacifier / Dawn Dish Soap

11 – Originally I was against spending this kind of money on a swing not to mention it is pretty big and we live in a condo and have limited space! When I figured out Jellybean like to swing side to side and not front to back I started toying with the idea of buying this swing. The hubby’s work friends gave us a gift certificate to Babies R’ Us which just about covered the cost of the swing. After a little push from my parents off to the store we went. Jellybean takes a ton of naps in the swing…it’s definitely a MUST HAVE!

12 – These blankets are great for cuddling on the couch or keeping baby warm while traveling from one destination to another. And let’s not forget how incredibly soft these blankets are as well!!

13 – This pacifier is not only cute, but practical. The toy part lays on the baby’s chest or you can prop it up in the swing so the pacifier doesn’t pop out of his/her mouth as easily. Makes for less getting up and down to pop the pacifier back in…winning!

14 – So has your baby had a blow out yet? Well let me tell you when it happens it is GROSS. What’s worse is trying to get the poop color out of the clothes (and/or whatever the poop got on). Oddly enough the thing we’ve found that works the BEST is dish soap. I have no idea what the difference is between the dish soap and baby oxiclean and/or dreft, but a little dish soap and warm water and we say goodbye to the stain! Obviously after we get the stain our we run it through the wash using dreft so the clothes don’t irritate Jellybean’s skin.

So there you have it – my pretty robust must have list for a newborn. What items couldn’t you live without having a newborn/infant in the house?

If you enjoyed this post, please add your tidbit by commenting below. Don’t forget you can follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Tag Archives: Baby Registry

Things I Should have Done Before Baby Arrived

5 things I wish I had done before baby arrived:

Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

Favorite Baby Gear – Months 3, 4 and 5

Favorite Bottle Feeding Products

Newborn Necessity Items