Baby Products

After reading an article on the Top 25 Baby Gadgets, I got inspired to make a list of my own.  Some of my favorites are also on the Top 25 list.

Cloth Diaper
Flip Diapers - Not going to elaborate because I already wrote a dissertation on cloth diaps which you can read here.

Baby Monitor
AngelCare - Not going to get into a ton of details on this one either because I wrote a lot about it here.  Highlights: audio, video, and breathing monitor.

Bath tub
Fisher Price 4-in-1 - This tub really grows with your baby.  We used the sling when Sarah was tiny and couldn't support her head.  Then we removed the sling and added in the green seat to support her while sitting, and now she sits in it all on her own.  It also came with two little bath toys which is always nice.

Swaddle
Angel swaddle sacks - Sarah could bust out of receiving blankets and velcro swaddles, but this one zips as a sleep sack and has wings that fold over and velcro behind the baby.  No getting out!  It comes in lighter weight cotton and heavier fleece for the winter.  Lots of different sizes and cute prints.  They zip from the chin down so you can't pinch your baby's double chin.  When your baby is ready to transition away from a swaddle you can wrap the wings around her tummy so she can have out her arms.

Also love the Zipadee Zip. It's a good swaddle transition that Memaw told us about and gave us. Lots of cute prints and different fabric weights.

Car seat and stroller
Graco SnugRide Click Connect and Graco FastAction Fold Click Connect Jogger Stroller - When looking for our car seat and stroller we wanted something safe, economical, and easy to work with.  I love that the car seat snaps into the stroller without needing any additional parts to secure it.  I love that the stroller has three large, rubber tires and that the front tire can be fixed or rotating.  Even if you aren't a runner, you'll want a stroller that can take on hills, grass, and gravel with ease.

Baby Carrier
Becco Gemini - Honestly, I don't have anything to compare this one to.  I would just say do your research and find something affordable that also allows baby to remain in an ergonomical "frog" position, and then go from there.  This one allows us to wear Sarah on our chest facing in or facing out, on our back, or on our hip.

Unusual Toy
O-Ball - You'll get tons of rattles from people, but I really like that this one offers lots of holes for Sarah to grab on, and it's light weight and flexible so it doesn't hurt when she hits herself or me.

Activity mat
Skip Hop Activity Gym - Sarah adored the red fox!  This mat made floor time a lot more fun and offered Sarah a lot of things to hit and pull.  Any activity mat will do, but Sarah really did like this one.

Hand Sanitizer
Babyganics - You're going to be changing a ton of diapers!  You want a hand sanitzer pump on the changing table so you don't have to wash your hands at 3:00am.

Nasal Aspirator
NoseFrida - This really gets out Sarah's snot very well and is more sanitary than a traditional nose bulb.  Also, there's just something extremely satisfy about sucking out a ton of snot.  Yeah, we're weird.

Pacifier
Soothie - This is the only pacifier Sarah has ever liked.  You'll find one that your baby loves!  We were fortunate that it was the first one we tried.

Bottle
Dr. Brown's Natural Flow - Whether you're formula feeding or breastfeeding, you're going to need some bottles.  Again, we were fortunate that Sarah loved the first bottle we tried.  This one is good for preventing acid reflux and spit up.  Also, Babies R Us does a lot of seasonal specials where you can get a free bottle if you spend $15.  Worth it since the 8oz bottles are about $8.

Sound machine
Munchkin Nursery Projector and Sound System - Sarah sleeps like a champ, but we really like having the sound machine going to block out the noise we make when she's sleeping.  This sound machine offers three lullabies, three classical songs, ocean, heart beat, white noise, and rain.  It also has a projector with three different scenes if you ever want to use it.

Unusual clothing
Wrap around shirts - I remembered seeing these at a friend's baby shower, and knew I wanted some for Sarah, too.  When you have a newborn you want to protect the umbilical cord and also allow it to get some air.  These shirts are perfect for that!  I don't know about you, but when Sarah was first born she felt fragile even though she was a big baby.  I felt very uncomfortable manhandling her and putting onesies over her head.  This shirts allow you to avoid that and go on and off very easily.

Least Favorite Products
We've loved or at least liked most of the things Sarah has had, but we've had two things that she absolutely hated.  The first was the Mamaroo.  I was so disappointed because it's supposed to be awesome, and you're baby is supposed to love it.  I had used coupons and gift cards to get it for about $15, and was pumped to use it, but every time Sarah would go in it she would cry and would never sleep.  Now, I know babies who loved it, so here's what I would say regarding baby items, especially high dollar items.  Keep the tags, box, and receipts.  We were able to return the rocker for a full refund because we'd kept everything.

The one other things Sarah hated was the Tommee Tippee bottle.  Before Sarah was born I had planned to breastfeed, so I hadn't gotten a ton of bottles.  I'd gotten one Dr. Brown's and one Tommee Tippee.  We tried the Dr. Brown's first and she loved it, but one day I couldn't find it so I went with the TT.  She HATED it!  She just wouldn't even use it.  Since then I've talked to another mom whose daughter hated it.  The nipple was super flimsy and folded in on itself.  My advice here would be to buy one bottle of a couple of different types, and then wait to see which one your baby likes before buying a million of them.

Sensory Activities for Infant

Everybody knows someone with sensory issues.  I know for me personally, as a little girl I just couldn't stand the sound and feel of a big gust of wind.  I would cover my ears and shiver in terror.  I've grown out of that, but as an adult I get pretty anxious in incredibly loud situations.  I'm no occupational therapist, but I do believe that exposing Sarah to activities that engage all of her senses is very important.  You know I'm also all about free and cheap activities, so I bring you sensory activities on the cheap to engage sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

• Hairbrush - Sarah obviously doesn't have much hair, and it definitely never gets tangled, but she still likes the feel of her soft hairbrush or comb brushing through her hair.  She also likes it if I take the comb or hairbrush and stroke her skin with it.  The brush may or may not be one of her favorite toys as well.

• Gum brush - When your baby gets teeth you need to start caring for them.  Thinking about using a toothbrush and toothpaste with Sarah right now is laughable, but she LOVES the little finger brush on her gums and teeth.  It tickles and massages them
• Bath - Baths aren't just for getting clean.  It really engages all the senses - splashing, temperatures of warm or cold water, textured wash cloth, smelling soap, tasting water, chewing on toys, hearing herself hit the water.  
• Splashing in sink - Similar to a bath but a little less work
• Crinkle paper bag - I don't know about your baby, but Sarah loves anything that crinkles - bags, crinkle books, plastic 
• Look at shadows or look in the mirror - Your baby might not know what or who she's looking at, but it's still very entertaining
• Watch fireplace - Sarah is mesmerized by our fireplace. 
• Sound machine - We use the ocean sound for sleep, but ours also three lullabies and three classic songs that it plays.  I'm also a big supported of turning on Spotify and pumping up the jams.  Bonus points for dancing with your baby!  
• Scratch at different textures - Carpet, your couch, satin pillowcase, a scarf, scratchy sweater, fluffy blanket, canvas tote back
• Naked play with pad underneath - Babies spend nearly all of their waking (and sleeping) hours all covered up in clothes and huge diapers.  Let your baby enjoy some naked time and feel things with her whole body.  Put a waterproof pad underneath to prevent messes.  My mom and Aunt Pam made us some reusable ones that are awesome to wash and keep, but we've also used some disposable ones.  They're like medical pads that are absorbent and can be thrown away after one use.

• Tummy time looking out a window - It's fun to make ordinary things like tummy time more interesting.  Your baby will enjoy watching people and dogs walk by on the sidewalk, watching trees and sticks blow in the wind, seeing and listening to birds, and hearing and seeing cars go by.  And who couldn't use some sunshine streaming into your house?
• A wide variety of foods - I read once that babies need about 20 experiences with a food to really determine whether or not that like or dislike a food.  Sure, Sarah devoured butternut squash immediately and literally gagged and threw up on green beans the first time, but 5 tries later and she eats all of her green beans.  Don't give up after one or two tries.  Of course your baby will have a personal preference just like you do, but give her a chance to figure it out!

Feeding Sarah

When Robert was reading one of my blog posts a few weeks ago and I was writing about formula feeding Sarah he asked if I had ever explained to my readers why we formula feed.  I thought surely I had, but then I looked back and realized I hadn't, and then I kind of remembered why I hadn't - it's been such a personal thing and it has felt like one of my biggest failures.  I know I don't have hundreds of readers, but maybe someone will stumble upon this post one day and be encouraged or at least find solidarity and comfort in knowing that someone else has walked this road before them.

Before Sarah was born I knew I wanted to breastfeed.  That's what good moms do, right?  Why would I want to waste money buying formula and bottles?  People who use formula are selfish and don't want to go through the physical pain and extreme time and dedication that it takes.  It's the natural thing to do, so it'll come naturally.  We took the baby classes.  I read the books.  My OBGYN said to stick with it for a month, and then things should be going steady.  I was all set!

And then I actually gave birth.  Due to the hemorrhaging, my body had gone into survival mode and was focused on keeping me alive, not on feeding a newborn.  Sarah had been given formula immediately and during her whole stay at the hospital so she was used to the taste and the ease of getting food as it was cup-fed to her.  Then she had a lip tie which made it impossible for her upper lip to lift up and flange out.  The lactation consultants said to just keep on pumping and feeding her with a cup with breast milk supplemented with formula.  If you ever want to make a new mom and dad reach the breaking point make the mom pump EIGHT TIMES A DAY FOR 30 MINUTES EACH TIME and make the dad feed a FLAILING INFANT WITH A MEDICINE CUP!  And then after a week of that have the dad go back to work and make the mom pump for 4 hours a day and feed her baby for 4 hours a day for a total of 8 hours of day focused on feeding your child.  Wow.  This wasn't going to last.  It was only tolerable when Robert was home because at least he could feed Sarah while I pumped, but when he was at home and I had to pump for 30 minutes while Sarah just laid helplessly wiggling around and screaming her head off it was just too much to handle.  I had to decide between continuing to pump and try to soothe Sarah by just talking to her (never worked) or just put off pumping while becoming extremely uncomfortable physically and getting even further behind on creating enough breast milk to satisfy Sarah's hunger.  I will say that the one turning point was when our friend Rachel told us to just use a bottle.  It was like a light bulb moment.  The lactation consultants wanted us to avoid a bottle so that there wasn't nipple confusion, but feeding Sarah with a medicine cup was a total mess and wasted so much.  Sarah took to the bottle like a champ and liked the first one we ever tried (Dr. Brown's).  I should also add that every time I pumped I was supposed to try to breast feed Sarah.  This resulted in her screaming, sweating, and farting from rage.  No sucking.  No eating.  The best case scenario is that she would just fall asleep, but of course we didn't want that to happen so the LC had us blowing on her, taking off her clothes, and wiping her with a a cold wash cloth.  That's super fun at 2:00am.

Then there was the extreme inconvenience.  I know that breastfeeding can be inconvenient.  I'm sure it can get hot feeling the need to cover up when it's 90 degrees outside.  You can't always find a chair so you have to do it standing up.  Other people can't feed your baby for you.  I know you breastfeeding moms could list a million other stinky parts about it, so I won't even pretend to know your pain, and I know that this list is not exhaustive.  For me, the inconvenience was choosing to either come home every two and a half hours to pump or  bringing my pump with me.  I remember saying no to a family who asked us out to lunch after church because I had to go home and pump.  Ugh.  We traveled to Mississippi while I was pumping.  We had to buy a converter for our car so I could pump in the car while Robert drove.  Super glamorous.

On my 25th birthday I reached my breaking point.  I had to leave my family to go sit in the bedroom and pump for 30 minutes at my own party.  That was enough.  The next day I called my LC to say I wanted to quit. I had given it more than a month like my OBGYN had said to do, and things hadn't gotten any easier at all.  The LC tried to get me to come in for yet another appointment, but I explained what I had been doing and that I had decided that this was the best decision for me.  I started crying when I asked how to quit.  Of course, her first response was, "Do you think you're struggling with postpartum depression?" I understand that she's probably trained to ask that any time a new mom cries, but I responded genuinely when I said, "No, I'm just very frustrated and tired of doing this."  She told me to reduce my number of pumping sessions by one every three days.  I was pumping eight times a day so that meant it would take me about one month to finally be finished.

Making that phone call to quit was very difficult for me.  I felt like I was giving up, like maybe I could have tried harder.  I knew that I would feel embarrassed and ashamed any time someone asked if Sarah was breastfed.  After all, don't most stay at home moms breastfeed?  I felt like I was admitting defeat and failing as a mom and woman, but honestly, the day I started pumping just seven times I felt relief.  Even just having 30 minutes more each day to do anything but pump was relieving, and every time I got to reduce my session by one I got more and more excited.  When I got down to two sessions a day it was a cake walk.  I pumped right when I woke up and right before bed.  It was at that point that I actually sort of started to enjoy being a mom!  I had felt like such a creep for not enjoying every second of pumping, doing laundry, changing diapers, and feeling like my body may never be the same.  I'll save it for another post, but nobody actually likes that stuff!  Nobody will ever say they'd rather recover from a traumatic birth than go on a beach vacation.  Duh.  But I feel like when you're a new mom you sometimes feel like you're supposed to like everything that comes with it.  Obviously you want to be grateful for your new baby, but you don't have to enjoy hooking yourself up to a machine for four hours a day while listening to your baby scream her lungs out.  Anyway, when I stopped pumping I could focus on Sarah more.  I could feed her when she was hungry and not have to try to distract her while I pumped.  I could leave our house for longer periods of time, knowing I could just make Sarah a bottle.  I didn't have to wash the pump parts.  I was human again!

I'll admit, it still stung a little when people would ask if I breastfeed Sarah.  I felt the need to explain the whole story that I just typed up for you, but now I just say no.  If someone is my real friend she already knows the story.  If someone is my real friend she knows that Sarah is fed, happy, healthy, and developing well so she doesn't fear for Sarah's well-being.

When I went to my six week follow up appointment with my OBGYN I was sad to admit that I had decided to stop pumping.  She said, "Amy, how could anyone expect you to breastfeed after what you went through?  I can't believe you stuck with it for as long as you did.  I would have quit after three days.  I fed my son formula, and he's a lawyer now.  My mom fed me evaporated milk, and I like to think that I turned out okay."  Those were exactly the words I needed to hear.  I started to tear up.  I had put more pressure on myself than my OBGYN who knows all the medical benefits of breastfeeding for the baby and mom.  Wow.

For all you moms who have toughed it out and breastfed your babies as long as you had hoped, way to go!  You have provided your baby with great nutrition, you have a special bond, and you'll have memories to last a lifetime.  But to you moms who have formula fed - whether it was after a long battle with pumping, or due to a previous surgery or health condition, or because you just didn't want to do it - you've also provided your baby with great nutrition, you have a special bond, and you'll have memories to last a lifetime.

I wanted to end this post with a special song that Robert and I wrote for Sarah:
Drinking bottles, it's my favorite.
It's a special time for me.
Drinking bottles, it's my favorite.
It gives me all the food I need.
I like to drink my bottles, morning, noon, and night.
I like to drink my bottles, to help me grow up right.