What No New Parent Wants to Hear

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Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

 

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.

 

Breastfeeding Support

If you are like me, this is your first baby and you are overwhelmed with all of the choices and decisions that you need to make. I think for me, breastfeeding is a rather scary concept. I keep reading all of these horror stories about women who chose to breastfeed, but either couldn’t or ended up quitting because it was too painful or not enough milk.

Today, I took some positive steps in educating myself. I signed up to be a regular member of La Leche League International. For $40, you get an a one-year membership to New Beginnings and a discount at their store. Since I am already planning on buying their books, I can get their Womanly Art of Breasfeeding for $11.50 instead of $14.95, etc. There are also meetings in my area that I can attend to learn more.

I’ve also checked out breast pumps and bottles just in case. It is great to have a backup plan. Hope for the best and plan for the worst is my motto. DH is supports me and we have talked about what to do when/if I become frustrated and want to quit. He is to try and calm me down or kick me in the butt as needed. We both know that this is what we want to and it is what is best for our child.

 

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.

 

European Kitchen Play Toys

I’m a bit obsessed with food right now. Mostly because I either have morning sickness or am starving. Whoever said that morning sickness is only in the morning and only lasts the first trimester, LIED.

I also love to cook and I am hoping to impart that love to my DS. With that in mind, I have been scouring the web for play kitchens and play food. I love the European versions better than the US versions. They are usually made with cloth or wood instead of plastic.  Check out this cute wooden tea set from HABA:

Seriously, how cute is that? DH doesn’t really like tea or coffee, but I hope to remedy that in our son. HABA now also carries soft foods, including the Biofina Store Sandwich. It consists of 2 slices of bread, 1 tomato slice, and 4 slices each of lunchmeat and cheese.

 Yummy!

 

HappyBaby

For the parents that want to feed their baby the best, but do not have the time or energy, there is a company that sells premium organic baby meals.  HappyBaby is supported by reputable author, Dr. Sears. The food is made with organic ingredients that are allergen friendly with probiotics to help baby  develop a healthy digestive system. They have 15 meals so far, including cereals.

The best part, every time you buy from them, they give a portion of their proceeds to fight malnutrition in children in Malawi.