Doctor's Orders

Pin It
So I have a question....My sister-in-law has a 6 month old baby boy.  At his last doctor's appointment, the doctor said that they should only give him 3 meals a day of table food and nursing right after and no snacks throughout the day.  His reasoning was because of obesity in America.  What are your thoughts?  Does this seem crazy or like good advice?  How often to you feed your babies?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mommapproved: Diaper Genie

Pin It

Today's product is a do NOT buy.  Sure a Diaper Genie sounds like a good idea, but it just ends up being a big waste of money.

Diaper Genies don't actually store many diapers especially considering how many diapers your newborn will go through in a day.  Refills are about $5 each which really adds up.  While you may think it keeps the stink out, honestly as soon as you open it to put in a diaper, you are flooded with an overpowering stench that's 10 times worse than a normal garbage.  That's just my opinion, maybe some people love them, but the only reason ours is ever used is when my daughter plays the launch game.  I'll do a post on that game another time :)

Wish I'd Known: Remember What's Important

Pin It

Todays tip is from Nikki:

Remember what's important

Is it memories and laughter and fun adventures or a spotless house?  I'm learning you can't have both - at least not at this stage of life. :)

Nikki, thanks for this reminder.  It really is so easy to get caught up in all the stuff you need to get done and miss out on those simple moments with your children.  Lately I've been really busy with photography and have been editing a lot.  Recently in the morning after I get my daughter her cereal, she's been asking for me to sit by her at the table rather than getting on the computer.  It made me realize just how much she wants to be with me.  Kids really do just want the love and attention of their parents.  They don't have to have huge elaborate activities, but simply some one on one time.  My dirty house can wait for a little bit while I enjoy my children :)

Wish I'd Known: Nursing

Pin It

Today's top comes from Whitney at sewmuch2create.blogspot.com

Give breastfeeding at least SIX weeks!

It is really hard and easy to give up!  But it is REALLY worth it for your baby!

Thanks so much Whitney.  This is a great post for new moms or soon to be moms.  My experience with nursing definitely wasn't what I was expecting.  My daughter came 3 weeks early and had a bit of a difficulty with latching on.  I thought she would just latch on right away and we'd be set.  I knew nursing would be a bit painful at first because I had heard people talk about it, but I wasn't expecting the emotional roller coaster ride I went through.  I had to give my daughter her feeds using a syringe and tube that was placed into a nipple guard so she would still getting the sensation of nursing this was called S&S.  I worked with a lactation specialist at the hospital who gave me the nipple guard to use.  However, my daughter would suck once or twice and then fall asleep, so we stuck with the S&S so it would be easier for her.  The plan was to stop doing S&S soon and then just use the nipple guard and then get rid of the guard and just nurse.  The nurse had also told me that I could use the nipple guard for a short time, but really needed to get off of it soon (like a couple of weeks) or my milk supply would be hurt.

After a few days, my daughter started latching on to the nipple guard, but still not on to me.  This made me happy since I didn't have to do the S&S anymore, but also frustrated since I knew I was supposed to get rid of the nipple guard as soon as possible.  I worked with the lactation specialist at my daughter's doctors office and after an hour of trying, she had only latched once without the guard and it lasted about 3-5 seconds.  

I went home disappointed, but continued to try the new techniques.  I met with the lactation specialist again when she was 2 weeks old.  Still we only got her to latch on a couple of times, but she just didn't stick with it.  By this point I was frustrated and honestly felt like I wasn't a good mother because I wasn't able to nurse my baby normally.  

I was so ready for her to start nursing without the guard, because she was actually sucking my nipple through the holes at the end of the nipple guard and it HURT!  The day after I met with the lactation specialist I had a bit of a break down.  I cried and cried out of frustration, exhaustion and probably because my hormones were crazy.  I went and tried nursing again and guess what.....she got it!  It took 2 weeks and a day, but she did it!  

I was so close to wanting to throw in the towel and am so glad I didn't.  I continued to nurse my daughter for 13 months.  It was definitely cheaper than doing the whole formula thing, but it was also so great for her.  She never had an ear infection and maybe got one cold the whole time I was nursing.  I know nursing isn't for everyone, but if you're debating between the two, I would definitely suggest nursing.  

What I learned through this whole experience is that sometimes nursing doesn't come as easily as you expect, but it's so worth it to stick it out.  I've known plenty of people who have also had challenges with nursing so don't think that you're the only one.  It was also easier to nurse my son because I had learned a few tricks along the way.  Good luck everyone!  If you have any questions feel free to ask.  Or if you have more tips send them in!

Wish I'd Known: Newborn Nights

Pin It

Today's tip is from Annie:

Don't rush in at night and "rescue" your newborn the second they make a noise.

I totally agree Annie.  This simple tip can make your life so much easier!  The first instinct for a new mother is when they hear the slightest sound from their beautiful baby, they think he/she needs instant attention.  However, often times your baby will wake up and move around a bit and then put themselves back to sleep, but if you don't give them the opportunity to go back to sleep on their own, they will become dependent on you for this.

Of course newborns will cry and need some help at times, but not EVERY time.  When you hear your baby whimpering or rustling around, give them a couple of minutes to see if they go back to sleep before jumping in to "save the day" :)  Trust me, it will help you get a little more much needed sleep.

Wish I'd Known: Candy-less Potty Training

Pin It

Today's tip is about potty training.

Don't give candy as a reward for potty training - Nia

Nia, I totally 100% agree with you!  When I potty trained my daughter, I was trying to figure out what I would do as a reward.  I knew several people who gave candy, but I didn't really want my daughter eating a ton of candy.  I decided to use stickers.  I put a piece of paper on the wall that said "I Went Potty".  Then each time she went to the bathroom she got to put stickers on the paper.  She would get one sticker for pee-pee and two stickers for poo-poo.  She loved getting to pick out her stickers.

The first day couple of days of potty training consisted of several trips to the bathroom with a ton of little successes.  IfI had been giving her candy as a reward, my daughter would have been in a sugar coma!

Unfortunately, we went on a trip to Georgia and through wearing pull-ups in the car rides, her potty training regressed a bit so I had to re-potty train her.  I wasn't totally starting from scratch, but you get the idea.  I wanted to do a different reward this time, but still avoid the candy.  What I ended up doing was hanging a paper on the fridge and each time she went to the bathroom she could come and draw a smiley face.  No, they didn't really look like faces, but she LOVED it!  Then every day my husband would get back from work she could show him all of her faces.

I started thinking that the whole drawing faces thing could be used as a learning opportunity.  Instead of drawing faces, your child could trace a letter of the alphabet or draw a certain shape.  They are learning while getting their reward!

Potty training can be hard.  Let us know if you have any other tips for moms out there!

Wish I'd Known: I Hate You

Pin It

Today's tip comes from Clarissa:

Be prepared for the, "I hate you" and wait to respond until you can do so calmly......After a long time out (until we're both calm), I tell her that I love her and that it makes me very sad when she says that. She always apologizes and feels terrible about saying it. She has said it and many other terrible things to both my husband and I on numerous occasions. The best thing we've found for dealing with it is just to wait a few minutes. - Clarissa

I am so not looking forward to that stage. As much as we think that our child would never say, "I hate you", every child will. I think it's good to have a plan with how you're going to handle it before hand so you don't have to try to figure out how to discipline when emotions are high. Thanks so much for the advice Clarissa!

Wish I'd Known: Choices

Pin It

Today's tip is from Heidi:

"Give your child lots of choices."

This has helped Heidi significantly with the "terrible twos" because her daughter feels like she is in charge while making all the choices, but really Heidi is in charge since both options she gives, she's perfectly ok with.

So rather then saying "It's time to leave", you'd say, "Would you like to leave now or in 5 minutes?" Or when disciplining you'd say, "Would you like to go to time out or your room?".

Heidi got this idea from a book called Parenting with Love and Logic. I've heard really fantastic things about this book.

Wish I'd Known: Teething

Pin It

Our first "Wish I'd Known" tip is from Carlin:

"I wish I'd known to give my baby Ibuprofen while he's teething."

Her son is currently teething.  She has been giving him tylenol and it just didn't seem to be doing the trick.  She had heard from several different people to try giving him Ibuprofen.  Well she finally tried it out, and she said he's a totally different baby!

Here's a dosage chart I found at Parents.com. 
Make sure to consult a doctor if your child is under 6 months of age.

I've also heard good things about the teething tablets.  My daughter didn't get her first tooth until she was 15 months old and was a pretty good sport about it.  So I never had to deal with a really fussy teething baby.  I may end up using this tip with my son when he starts teething.

If you have a tip you'd like to share please send it to me using my contact form!