Things you might need if and when your infant comes aka Amy, this one's for you - oh and some other thoughts too.
A couple of thoughts. I was asked by someone why I considered myself infertile (yes, I'm typing this one-handed as my son is sleeping in my arms) as my infertile history isn't as "lengthy" or as "dramatic" as that of others in my link list. Well, aside from debating whether or not that's a rather rude or immaterial question, I realized that I wrote a lot on another journal I used to keep and never transferred it here. I'm gonna try. Bear with me please.
Amy who asked for grrl's list - I have it but have no way of contacting you. Your profile is inaccessible. Let me know how to contact you assuming you're still interested. I can tell you a couple of things that saved me, however.
A bouncy seat w/vibrating mode. OH YEAH, baby. I have the FP aquarium one, he loves it.
PNP with vibrating mode (are you sensing a theme here?)
The swing? Not so much early on but better now. FP Aquarium one as well.
Washable changing table pads. Lots of em.
A good nursing bra. Seriously. I've just ordered a hands-free one for pumping. I hate the one I got at Targez.
Kolcraft infant carrier(infant car seat hooks on).
Washclothes!
Sleep sacks.
Laundry hamper - I bought a big white garbage can with a foot pedal because the laundry hampers at the accursed Wall of Marts had tiny openings, no foot pedals and clearly were NOT designed by a mom with a baby hanging off of her and poopy clothes in her hands. Plus they were more expensive than the garbage cans. Mine looks just like a laundry hamper anyway.
Nursing PJs!!- Can I emphasize this enough (if you plan on breastfeeding)? I had maybe one nightgown with a button-down front. Needless to say, that has changed.
Snugli -drives me bonkers just getting it on. It's a great concept and maybe the one I have is just wretched in design because when I do get it on, Imri loves it.
Boppy - not bad but it's soft and sort of "caves in" which isn't really conducive to great latch if breastfeeding.
My Brest Friend- atrocious name (who the hell is their marketing person???) but I found it useful during the first few weeks. Not so much now because I have fast let-down. But solid and it clips around you which frees your hands a bit.
Infant bath seat - ix-nay. First Safety, I think? Imri hates it and the suction cups just don't stay down. So I get in the bath with him and hold him - he tolerates it that way. I think it will get better when he's able to sit up on his own.
Diapers - we used P@mpers Sw@ddlers when he was newborn but once he started to grow, they leaked no matter how much we went up a size. So now we use Huggie$ $upreme and they rock. YMMV, of course.
Oh and Diaper bag - I ordered the Land's End do-it-all bag and while I love it, it's also quite large. A little too large, actually.
So there you have it. Oh and don't buy too many of those cute clothes - you'll get tons from friends and family.
While I'm talking baby - is there such a thing as an ongoing growth spurt? Imri wants to eat ALL the time. I know there's one at 3 and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, etc ... but he is 9 weeks now. Believe it. My son is 2 months old.
Since I seem to be addressing comments, one for David who seems to be perturbed that I am "knocking the US". Well, yes I am. And I shall continue to do so, as long as I feel it necessary. Just FYI, I am an equal opportunity knocker. I knock Canada when it screws up. I knock Israel as well. But on the issue of maternity leave (and healthcare but that's a whole nuther ball o wax), the United States of America is downright PATHETIC and I will say so loudly and clearly and shall continue to say so until someone hears me - and others - and things change. Which will be never because it's against business interests. Which seem to rule in this country above all else, even the welfare of children.
It behooves one to wonder (and I say this without any scientific evidence, I admit it freely)why the US has the highest rate of violent crime of any other Westernized nation - perhaps because moms have to go back to work far too fucking early??
So yeah, I prefer Canada and its social safety net because I believe that not only do citizens have a responsibility to their country, but vice versa as well. I realize that I sound like a flaming liberal (not that it offends me to be called that,I think being a social liberal is a good thing) but you'd be surprised how conservative I am fiscally. Just so you know.
Oh and don't get me started on the assholes who are upset at the Shrub's "holiday" card. Screw you and the horse you rode in on.
'Nuff said.
Oh shoot. Day tagged me. Wench. Next post.
Amy who asked for grrl's list - I have it but have no way of contacting you. Your profile is inaccessible. Let me know how to contact you assuming you're still interested. I can tell you a couple of things that saved me, however.
A bouncy seat w/vibrating mode. OH YEAH, baby. I have the FP aquarium one, he loves it.
PNP with vibrating mode (are you sensing a theme here?)
The swing? Not so much early on but better now. FP Aquarium one as well.
Washable changing table pads. Lots of em.
A good nursing bra. Seriously. I've just ordered a hands-free one for pumping. I hate the one I got at Targez.
Kolcraft infant carrier(infant car seat hooks on).
Washclothes!
Sleep sacks.
Laundry hamper - I bought a big white garbage can with a foot pedal because the laundry hampers at the accursed Wall of Marts had tiny openings, no foot pedals and clearly were NOT designed by a mom with a baby hanging off of her and poopy clothes in her hands. Plus they were more expensive than the garbage cans. Mine looks just like a laundry hamper anyway.
Nursing PJs!!- Can I emphasize this enough (if you plan on breastfeeding)? I had maybe one nightgown with a button-down front. Needless to say, that has changed.
Snugli -drives me bonkers just getting it on. It's a great concept and maybe the one I have is just wretched in design because when I do get it on, Imri loves it.
Boppy - not bad but it's soft and sort of "caves in" which isn't really conducive to great latch if breastfeeding.
My Brest Friend- atrocious name (who the hell is their marketing person???) but I found it useful during the first few weeks. Not so much now because I have fast let-down. But solid and it clips around you which frees your hands a bit.
Infant bath seat - ix-nay. First Safety, I think? Imri hates it and the suction cups just don't stay down. So I get in the bath with him and hold him - he tolerates it that way. I think it will get better when he's able to sit up on his own.
Diapers - we used P@mpers Sw@ddlers when he was newborn but once he started to grow, they leaked no matter how much we went up a size. So now we use Huggie$ $upreme and they rock. YMMV, of course.
Oh and Diaper bag - I ordered the Land's End do-it-all bag and while I love it, it's also quite large. A little too large, actually.
So there you have it. Oh and don't buy too many of those cute clothes - you'll get tons from friends and family.
While I'm talking baby - is there such a thing as an ongoing growth spurt? Imri wants to eat ALL the time. I know there's one at 3 and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, etc ... but he is 9 weeks now. Believe it. My son is 2 months old.
Since I seem to be addressing comments, one for David who seems to be perturbed that I am "knocking the US". Well, yes I am. And I shall continue to do so, as long as I feel it necessary. Just FYI, I am an equal opportunity knocker. I knock Canada when it screws up. I knock Israel as well. But on the issue of maternity leave (and healthcare but that's a whole nuther ball o wax), the United States of America is downright PATHETIC and I will say so loudly and clearly and shall continue to say so until someone hears me - and others - and things change. Which will be never because it's against business interests. Which seem to rule in this country above all else, even the welfare of children.
It behooves one to wonder (and I say this without any scientific evidence, I admit it freely)why the US has the highest rate of violent crime of any other Westernized nation - perhaps because moms have to go back to work far too fucking early??
So yeah, I prefer Canada and its social safety net because I believe that not only do citizens have a responsibility to their country, but vice versa as well. I realize that I sound like a flaming liberal (not that it offends me to be called that,I think being a social liberal is a good thing) but you'd be surprised how conservative I am fiscally. Just so you know.
Oh and don't get me started on the assholes who are upset at the Shrub's "holiday" card. Screw you and the horse you rode in on.
'Nuff said.
Oh shoot. Day tagged me. Wench. Next post.
posted by K|nneret at 8:15 AM
6 Comments:
beaver girl says...
i agree with you on the Brest Friend - couldn't live without it. dumb name. much better than the floppy boppy.
is a snugli like a bjorn? i haven't used mine yet.
swings good - bouncy seats bad - at least for my son. i wish i didn't have two bouncies.
disposable changing pad covers are great for big disgusting poops.
white noise machines rock.
Loved MBF! I used it for a long time until she finally got too big for it. I have a baby Bjorn but ended up using a sling more often because it was easier to get the baby in and out of it. I didn't have this one, but the moms in my mom's group raved about the Peanut Shell.
I couldn't agree with you more about the maternity leave in the U.S. (where I live). I ended up not going back to work and I was lucky to be able to make that choice. I have many friends who desperately wanted to stay home but simply couldn't afford it.
Amen to all you said in your post, both material and political.
Except, you may want to try a different kind of tub. Muffin Man loved his (brand name forgotten, sorry)
Yup and yup.
Amen sista! US healthcare sucks, we pay $425 a month for our family alone. I think Canadians get like a year paid maternity leave? Is that right? We could only dream for that. Canada really does have their shit together.
On the list, at about 4 mths old, I'd suggest a BUMBO. Mine's been a nice lifesaver for us.
Although MBF is good, check out the My Baby's Nest nursing pillow, it has some extra features that have made breastfeeding much easier for my best (no R! :) ) friend...
http://www.mybabysnest.com
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