The List I Would Have Liked as a New Mother - Part II

Trial and error baby;
at least I only have to do this for the first time once!
Three months of learning later,
I will augment my post on items for new parents.



















8. Change Pad - I should have had this from the start, but I was bound and determined to minimize the stuff we accumulated. Unfortunately, a stack of blankets on a hard wood surface is not enough; I finally got this when Maggie started to slam her heels into the table. One of these big fat change pads is the way to go. I haven't bothered with the covers - just throw a receiving blanket down so she doesn't lay on cold vinyl. And I recommend cutting off the useless strap so you aren't tempted to trust it with your baby's safety.

















9. Diaper Wipes - Save hundreds of dollars and baby's sensitive bottom; skip the store-bought wipes. Use baby wash cloths or serge the edges of 6"x 6" squares of flannel/cotton/terry to make your own. If (like me) you aren't crafty and you don't know someone who is, check out Hankettes (pictured above) or do a search on Etsy and you'll find a variety of cloth wipes to choose from. Some people use a homemade solution with the wipes, but I just use warm water. I'm sure this is the reason Maggie hasn't suffered from diaper rash.

Aside: For convenience I use bought wipes while on the road. I've found the most gentle product to be Seventh Generation Wipes (as compared to Huggies Natural Care and TenderCare Flushable Wipes).




















10. Baby Monitor - Though we live in an 800 sqft apartment, this thing keeps me sane. I can go about my business without feeling compelled to check her breathing every 10 minutes. We bought the First Years Ultra Range Monitor because it was affordable, compact and 2.4 GHz (less interference with our phone and wireless network). It did disable the wireless while we were visiting a friend, but luckily ours remains unharmed. The constant static is a minor irritant, but I assume all monitors produce some amount of white noise. I love that both units run on batteries and I love more that the batteries charge whenever the units are plugged in (why don't more electronics operate this way??). Most importantly, I can hear Maggie fart - it's a very trustworthy monitoring device.



















11. Born Free Glass Bottle - Plastic + warmed liquid + babies = sketchy, so we're happy to go with glass. We found that Maggie latches to this nipple almost like she would to a real breast - potentially minimizing the dreaded nipple confusion.























12. Soothers - I was adamant that Maggie would not need a soother and now I'm so grateful that she takes them (it was a lifesaver when we flew home to Manitoba last month - no ear difficulties at all). I've prevented at least a few clogged milk ducts by sticking a soother in Maggie's mouth instead of letting her suck on my nipple until the break of dawn.

Caveat: Our soothers have BPA in the handles, so I'm going to try Natursutten's natural rubber soothers. Will post Maggie's verdict.



















13. Formula - Our ideals came shattering down around us the morning Chris ran to the all-night pharmacy to buy a pack of Similac for our raging and hungry baby girl. She's been happily on the boob for months now; the formula was just a temporary (but incredibly necessary) supplement. I wish we'd had at least one "just in case" can in the house, and I wish we'd trusted the doctor who said, "formula isn't poison." I've truly learned my lesson: always, always, always have a back-up.