Buying for a Micro-Preemie

At 1-3 pounds, Eric is considered a micro-preemie. Which makes it a bit difficult to find clothes for him. Not only do the clothes need to fit his itty bitty size, they also need to accommodate all of the tubes and wires connected to him.

Local stores have sizes that are way too huge for him. So back to Google and online shopping. One such place that I have found is Preemies R Us. Lots of cute clothes made for the NICU. Along with clothes, they have pacifiers (that will not interfere with CPAP), snuggle toys and blankets. They only thing they didn’t have, and I wish they did, is a swaddle blanket made for micros in the NICU. Micro-preemies love to be swaddled and it is difficult to find one small enough.

 

Lansinoh

One of the reasons some women discontinue breastfeeding, is the pain associated with it. Problems such as sore and cracked nipples are a great discouragement. A good product to help counteract that is Lansinoh HPA® Brand Lanolin. Lanolin is created when shearing sheep for their wool and is many skin care products.

Lansinoh HPA® Brand Lanolin is 100% pure medical grade lanolin and is safe for baby. It doesn’t have to be removed before nursing. As a personal testament, this stuff is heaven.

 

Medela Lactina Breast Pumps

If somehow you are unable to breastfeed directly, but still want your child to have the benefits of breast milk, renting a breast pump may be an option. I am currently renting the Medela Lactina from the hospital for $35 a month. It is meant for long term pumping, unlike many of the pumps on the market. Many are meant only for occasional use. Spare parts for the Medela Lactina are sold at  online stores such as Amazon.

I may eventually get a different one, perhaps the hand’s free, also from Medela. For right now, the Lactina is working for me until I am able to breast feed my preemie directly.

 

Bebe Au Lait/Hooter Hiders

Finally! A cute and private way to breastfeed. I know there are woman out there who are not at all shy about lifting their shirt and whipping out a boob, but alas, I am not one of them. There is also the fact that I am a silly dork and just love the name Hooter Hiders. Hee.

I also love the many different fabrics that Bebe Au Lait/Hooter Hiders come in. I hope Baby E, a boy, isn’t too traumatized if I pick the pink one.

The one shown here is the eyelet cover in white that retails for $38.

 

Car Safety Seat Guide

The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with the 2008 guide on Car Safety Seats. It is very comprehensive and explains everything that you need to know.

 

Cloth Diapers

Oddly enough, the one thing that everyone seems to criticize, is that DH and I will be using cloth diapers when Baby E is born. Just about everyone believes that we will want to have disposables around, cloth diapers will be too hard to use, they will make us miserable, etc.

 I really don’t understand the whole, “omigawd, what are you thinking? You neeeeed disposables!” Um, no, we really don’t, and how is this your business again? Thanks for your support. The best part, is that these people are either childless, or have children and remember the cloth diapers from twenty years ago. DH and I have both seen the new cloth diapers in use. They are just as easy as disposables to use. The only hardship is the cleaning since you don’t throw them out. There are ways around it and good ways to store the used diapers until you get a chance to clean them.

So if you are like me and are being besieged by naysayers, just remember plenty of people use cloth diapers and are very happy with them. A great site to figure out which ones are for you is the Diaper Pin. Many parents recommend getting a couple different types. Each child is different and you will find that some diapers will work best in different situations. Personally, I am going to get the BumGenius 3.0s and some prefolds with covers. We will also be getting a diaper service for the first month to help ease the workload of caring for a newborn.

 

Diaper Free Baby

So what do countries that don’t have immediate access to cloth and disposable diapers do? The parents attune themselves to when the baby needs to eliminate. The baby learns to tell the parent when they need to go and the parent takes them to an appropriate toliet area. You can read the rest of the article here.

 

Nature’s Purest

DH and I found the most adorable organic cotton baby set at Babies “R” Us. It is called Nature’s Purest. Even DH loved the design and raved about soft it felt. It is much better than the Graco that we were originally looking at. It is made free of dyes and is gender-neutral for future babies.

The particular play yard model comes in the Hug Me collection. It is full set that also includes decor items, as well as a high chair, baby swing, bouncer etc.

 

Old is New Again

With the latest scare in BPA plastics, several companies are going back to glass bottles. These particular bottles from Dr. Brown, are sold out. While I am planning on breastfeeding, it is nice to other options exist for when DH wants to spend some bonding time with Baby E.

Other options for people who still want to go the plastic baby, are bottles from Thinkbaby. These cute recycled bottles are BPA free with a very cute spill-free cap.

 

Amby Bed

Amby Baby Hammock Motion Bed.

The bassinet that grows with your baby for up to a year. It is supposed to help with colic and reflux. Also, because of it’s cocoon-like design, it is also good for comforting preemies. DH and I plan on getting the natural one since it is free of dyes and chemicals. Plus, it will be good to have a gender-neutral choice for the next child.