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Browsing Tag: Infant
Deformational Plagiocephaly. That is the technical term for my infant son Leroy’s flat spot. It is also the reason that he is now going to wear a helmet 23 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 3 months. When I found out he would be needing a helmet for a flat spot, I sat down and did what I always do when faced with the unknown: I researched as much as I possibly could. While I found a lot of medical information, I wanted more personal stories. So now that my baby is comfortably in his helmet, I wanted to share our story, the information we have learned so far, and answer some of the questions I had before we got the helmet.
As a mother, I definitely get stuck in a rut sometimes. There I am, trying to get something done and then it happens. My kid is bored. And even though we have toys and other things around, she just can’t find something to keep her occupied. Of course all of the things I’m suggesting are not things she wants to do. None of the old standbys like coloring will work. Then I realize that I need to come up with some new activities. It can be a little overwhelming, but here are the places where I look for new activities for kids.
Pros: Lets be honest, Pinterest is definitely a place I look for new ideas. I can find some really good activities there and most of them are easily put together. It is also great because I can search for something specific I’d like.
Cons: But sometimes the projects are not things I can do at home or without buying a ton of supplies. And sometimes I click on it and it doesn’t bring me to the right page.
Library
Pros: The library is a great place to look for activities. I can find books my child will like along with books I’d like to check out that have activities. Sometimes libraries even have a lending program for small toys or activities.
Cons: You have to leave home. And really, sometimes that just doesn’t cut it. Also, you may be limited by the size of your library. My local library is tiny. I can order things from the other libraries in the system, but again I have to wait.
Thrift Stores/Garage Sales
Pros: You can find nice, quality things for cheap at thrift stores and garage sales. I’ve found great toys, puzzles, and books there that have given me great ideas. You know you’ll be able to find at least one of those great 90’s books that have a ton of activities listed.
Cons: Once again, you have to leave home. You also aren’t guaranteed that the toy is in good shape or that the puzzle has all of the pieces.
So where else do you look for new activities?
When I started out on my first breastfeeding journey after my daughter was born, I thought it would be so easy. It’s natural, right? So that means baby and I should be able to just automatically get the hang of it and we would have a beautiful breastfeeding journey together. Right?
Wrong. The first 6(!?!) months of breastfeeding were terrible. Mac was tongue-tied and by the time it was snipped 5 days later, she had done so much damage to my nipples that it took me months to heal. I’m talking super painful breastfeeding, cracked and bleeding, scabs being ripped off, not even being able to wear a shirt sometimes because it hurt when it rubbed and pumping part-time because it didn’t hurt as much as nursing.
Now, there is a happy ending to this story. I ended up nursing Mac until just past her second birthday. By then, it was only part of the bedtime routine, but it was a nice way to end something that started so painfully for me.
As I write this, I gave birth just two weeks ago to my son and our breastfeeding journey so far has been totally different. Of course there was some discomfort at the beginning and it took some time to get the hang of it. But we asked them to check Leroy right away to see if he was tongue-tied also. He was and we had it snipped while we were still in the hospital. And we are already totally in the swing of things.
Looking at my two stories, I was curious what the differences were. The one thing was flawed breastfeeding advice. Before I had my first baby, I read all I could about breastfeeding and there were two pieces of advice (one biggie!) that kept popping up. And the advice wasn’t wrong, but it was definitely flawed. So I’m hoping I can help some other first time mom and her poor nipples by correcting that advice.
Just over a week ago, I had my second baby. Coming up to the time of delivery, I am going to be completely honest in saying that I was scared. You would think that having gone through the process once would put me at ease, but instead the second labor and delivery scared me to death. See, my first labor and delivery were rough. It was long and hard and it scared me to think that I would have to do it again. But here is why I really didn’t need to be afraid.
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RegisteringForBaby #CollectiveBias
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I needed everything. So the baby registry I created had everything on it: diapers (cloth in my case), wipes, clothes, pajamas, even baby furniture. But what about when you are pregnant with your second baby? In my case, I had relatives ask me to put together a registry of things I needed. Can I tell you how excited I was to learn that I could make a baby registry with my beloved Target without even having to leave home? Because being pregnant with a toddler means I don’t have time to traipse around registering, even if it is at my favorite store.
So instead, one day I took a few minutes to register online. It was short, sweet, and super simple.
All I had to do was go to the Target website, click on the registry page, and fill in a few details. (P.S. They even have a Target registry app that makes it even more simple to register!) I would definitely recommend every expecting parent make their registry with Target. Here is the link to Target baby registries. They offer things like group gifting if some of your bigger items are in bad shape from the first baby and people want to go in on them together. You also get a 15% off discount for anything left on your registry that you’ll receive two months after your due date. Score!
I went ahead and ordered a few things while I was there!
The registry welcomed me with this cute page:
Adorable! I started adding things to my registry right away. Some of the things I recommend adding for second babies:
- diapers
- wipes
- bottles if you are bottle feeding
- nursing pads/cream if you are nursing
- baby socks (how do they always go missing?)
- a few cute outfits so poor baby doesn’t only get hand-me-downs
- bathroom supplies
One of the nice things is that the Target baby registry pre-populated some items that everyone will need for babies. In fact, I already have some of these items to help me prepare! (In fact you can purchase them just by hovering over the picture below!)
I’ve already started to prepare the bathroom for the new baby. The Johnson’s® Bath Discovery Set is full of amazing products every parent needs. Instead of putting all of these items separately on the registry, I was able to just put this kit. It contains:
- Johnson’s® head-to-toe baby lotion
- Johnson’s® head-to-toe baby wash
- Johnson’s® baby shampoo
- Johnson’s® baby bubble bath
- Johnson’s® baby powder
- Desitin diaper rash cream
- Johnson’s® safety swabs
I also put Infant TYLENOL® on the registry because it is always useful to have around the house! I tuck it and all of the other products up in a high cabinet that Andrew and I can reach but where we don’t have to worry about little ones getting into it.
The great thing is that the Johnson’s® Bath Discovery Set comes in a super handy plastic tote that I keep all of the bathtime stuff in and pull out just for bathtime. Simple!
What else would you add to a registry for a second baby?
When it comes to kids and sleeping, I mostly see “black or white” posts about either never allowing your child to sleep in your bed or how the family bed is the only way to go. Well, what if I told you there is a gray area where your toddler can have her own bed, but also sleep in yours. The situation I have going on right now at home is kind of the best of both worlds. Let me tell you all about Mac’s sleep habits, our unique sleeping situations (including how we part-time bed share), and the benefits of both.
Andrew and I recorded a podcast all about our experience with cloth diapering and how cloth diapering has changed over time. It is just as convenient as disposibles, in our view. Give it a listen.
Previous Cloth Diapering Posts:
5 Reasons I Recommend Cloth Diapers
A Minimalist’s Guide to Cloth Diaper Accessories
Cloth Diaper Store:
What We Used (and Recommend):
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
Diapers
Accessories:
Only weirdos use Montessori for their kids, right? At least, that is what I thought initially. Several years ago, I was a nanny for two children who attended a Montessori school. I totally internally judged them, because the only things I had heard was that they didn’t have any rules so the kids ran wild and that the kids were unprepared for the “real world” of the conventional classroom.
Long story short, I was offered a position in the toddler room at the Montessori school they attended and four years later I have found my fit. I love what I do, I love the school, and I love Montessori. And I have determined that the world is sorely lacking in knowledge about Montessori. When I was an education major in school, I believe we read exactly one paragraph about the Montessori philosophy. But the world needs to know, so I am shouting it from the rooftops!
If you’re looking for ideas for your home, check out this ebook I wrote with 30 Ways to Make Your Home More Montessori. The ebook is available on Amazon and it is also available as a pdf on Gumroad.
Now before I go on, let me just say that I am not a trained Montessori teacher. Everything I have learned is from experience working in a Montessori school and books and articles I have read. I am in no way an expert. I am also not going to delve into everything because we could have a conversation that lasted for hours about Montessori.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
With the holiday season on the horizon, now is the time to start brainstorming gift ideas. Gift guides for kids of all ages are easy to find. But what if you don’t want to just buy the latest popular toy for a child? Or what if you are a parent who is highly critical of the toys your child plays with? That is where a non-toy gift guide comes in.
(Make sure you read about why I don’t put toys on my kid’s Christmas list.)
This guide is for babies ages one and under. At this age, children don’t yet understand the holiday season. The presents they “open” will not be met with as much enthusiasm as other ages. So this gift guide may not have as much fun stuff as other ages.
(P.S. If you are looking for gifts for older children, make sure you check out The Non-Toy Gift Guide for Toddlers, The Non-Toy Gift Guide for Preschoolers, The Non-Toy Gift Guide for Elementary Aged Kids, and The Non-Toy Gift Guide for Families)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
Pacifiers can be a life-saver for new parents, but they can also become a crutch for children. I know a lot of parents (myself included) who worried about whether to give their baby a pacifier and then when and how to eventually take it away. So how do you give your child a pacifier without having them become attached? Mac loved her pacifier and I was afraid she would become attached to it, but we managed to get it away from her with no problem. I also picked up a few more tips from my co-worker in the toddler room which have worked for others. In all, there are four tips to get rid of a pacifier.
