Baby Tips

Making a taggie stuffed animal for baby is a fast, simple, and inexpensive project that baby will be sure to love!  I made a taggie dinosaur for my 7 month old son, and he loves chewing on the ribbons, head, and tail.  I’m sure your baby will love it too.  The core idea of this project is the same as the post I wrote on How to Make a Stuffed Animal Dog for Baby with a few minor adjustments.  In this post, I will tell you how I made a stuffed taggie dinosaur, but the pattern could easily be adjusted to make any type of animal you’d like.

Here are the steps to make your own taggie stuffed animal (dinosaur): [continue reading…]

If there is one thing you splurge on for baby, make it the camera.  A high-quality digital camera will make sure you capture the best photos of baby, which will give you priceless memories to look back on.  I’m not talking about spending a couple hundred dollars on an okay camera.  I’m talking about spending over a thousand for the best camera for baby pictures.  Yes, it is a big investment, but one that I can assure you will be completely worth all of the perfectly clear and beautiful baby photos it will capture. 

The best camera for baby pictures is the Nikon D90.  It is a 12.3 megapixel digital SLR camera that won’t disappoint.  This camera is for both the amatuer and advanced photographer, with options of automatic or manual camera settings.  Not only will the camera take awesome pictures, but it also can take HD video as well, which is great for capturing video clips of baby.  The picture quality makes cheaper cameras look like garbage.  The Nikon D90 retails for about $1200, but I can assure you it will be worth it to have beautiful baby photos.

My husband convinced me before our son was born that we should invest in a nicer digital camera.  I thought the one we already had was really nice.  It cost over $400.  After doing a lot of research, he decided that the D90 would be the best camera for taking baby pictures.  Since I too wanted to have the best baby pictures possible, I agreed to making the purchase, and we have not regretted it one bit!  The D90 has put our other “nice” digital camera out of business.  When I first posted baby photos on Facebook, my friends were all asking what type of camera I used because the pictures were so awesome. I won’t take baby pictures with anything other than the D90 because there is no comparison to it’s quality.  Although I was very skeptical of the price at first, I now see that it was totally worth such a big investment.  We will have beautiful photos of our baby as he grows, and we’ll have it for any future children as well.  

A high-quality camera is a long-term investment.  You only have one chance to capture each moment with baby.  We love our Nikon D90 and I’m sure it will give you the best baby photos possible as well.

What cameras do you find to be great for baby photos?

Finally, a diaper bag that Daddy won’t be embarrassed to carry!  The Skip Hop Via Messenger Diaper Bag is the perfect design for the dad that would otherwise feel a little weird carrying Winnie the Pooh or something worse over his shoulder.  Everything about this diaper bag makes it manly enough for Dad to proudly wear over his shoulder, from the simple messenger bag style to the colors. 

In our quest to find the perfect diaper bag, we were a little frustrated in finding one that didn’t scream “baby” all over it.  Most diaper bags have colors and patterns that make it obvious that it’s a diaper bag.  For the sake of my husband, I went on the search to find a diaper bag that he wouldn’t be embarrassed slinging over his shoulder.  I found the Skip Hop Messenger Diaper Bag, and it was exactly what I was looking for.  The diaper bag could easily pass as a lap top bag, so I knew my husband would carry it without having to surrender his manly image.  Before purchasing we decided on a color together.  The diaper bag comes in five colors: green, black, grey, brown, and red, all of which would be suitable for dad to carry.  We decided on green and are very happy with the color.

This diaper bag is very sleek looking, and not bulky at all.  Because of this, it may not be able to hold as much as more traditional diaper bags, but it’s space is still sufficient for the essentials.  The diaper bag has 18 pockets total, some with elastic and some with zippers.  The flap on top of the bag has magnets to hold the bag closed for quick and easy access.  The bag is also able to clip onto the handles of a stroller for easy carrying and access when you’re out and about.

Both Daddy and I are definitely into the Skip Hop Via Messenger Diaper Bag.  It retails for $79 and is a great buy that Dad will be sure to carry with pride.

Buy all the expensive stretch marks creams and lotion as much as you want, but unfortunately there is no way to prevent those annoying stretch marks from showing up during pregnancy if you’re pre-destined to have them.  Unfortunately, stretch marks, or the lack of, stems strictly from genetics as opposed to whether your skin is moisturized enough during pregnancy. 

No one ever welcomes the sight of a stretch mark beginning to form, even if it is caused from pregnancy.  When I was pregnant with our first, light stretch marks first appeared on my breasts.  After months went by, they got bigger and darker.  And then I noticed they started forming on my hips.  Lastly, my husband pointed them out on my stomach, light ones that I didn’t even notice until he noticed them.  Needless to say, I was definitely not thrilled with my new marks.  In fact, they really bothered me for quite some time.

When I first noticed them, I asked my doctor immediately what I could do to prevent them.  The answer I was hoping for was not the answer I got.  Her answer left me hopeless in fact.  She said there is nothing that can be done because stretch marks are a stretching of the deeper connective tissue, not the surface skin which moisturizers treat.  But in looking at the bright side, at least she didn’t waste my time or money by telling me there was a magic lotion that worked. 

So are you worried about or are you experiencing stretch marks while being pregnant?  First off, you’re going to have to make an attitude adjustment about your body.  There is nothing you can do to prevent them, so it simply isn’t worth losing sleep over.  It is simply part of life and you either accept it for what it is, or allow your life and body image be affecting in a negative way forever.  Although I still am not thrilled with my slowly fading stretch marks, I don’t let them ruin my image of myself.  Now that I have my son, I can tell myself when I see them what a great reminder they are of how I got to carry him for about 9 months. 

Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones who won’t get any stretch marks.  But if you do find some forming, don’t despair.  Although they aren’t preventable, they are worth the end result!

What is your experience with stretch marks and products that claim to prevent them?

Choosing the perfect baby name is one of the most important tasks for new parents to undertake.  One should take a lot of things into consideration when choosing a baby name in order to make sure the best decision is made. Afterall, a name is something that you and baby will have to live with for the rest of your lives!  Choosing a name is not something to take lightly if you want to have no regrets about your decision.  To make the best decision possible, consider the following five factors when choosing a name for baby:

1.  Popularity

You may really like the names Jacob and Emma, but do you want there to be five other kids in their class with the same names?  Whether you want a popular name or not, it may be a good idea to search for the current most popular names to help you make your decision. 

2.  Originality

Maybe you are wanting to pick a nontraditional name for baby.  Nontraditional names can be done is very good taste, but they can also go very wrong.  You may love “Star Wars”, but naming your baby “Jedi”, although very original, might not be the wisest choice.  And just because your favorite insect is a bee doesn’t mean you should name your baby girl “Bumble Bea”.  (And yes, these are real names of kids I’ve met!)  By all means, be inspired by movies and nature for original names, but remember to consider your baby when they become an older child and adult.  You don’t want to pick a name that they are embarrassed by or invokes teasing.

3.  Family history

Many families have names that have been passed down for generations.  Even if you don’t want baby to be “the fourth”, you might consider using great-grandpa’s name as a middle name.  Sometimes a past relative’s middle name would make a great first name for baby as well.  Using a name in such a way can be very meaningful way to honor someone in the family whether they have past on or are still alive, and it will also be meaningful to your child when they are old enough to understand.

4.  Gender specificity

Be careful about choosing a name for baby that is typical of the opposite sex (i.e. a boy named Mackenzie or girl named Danny).  Yes, both names are perfectly acceptable, but just know that if you’re choosing a name that is typically for the opposite sex that it will probably cause some confusion to other people at some point in baby’s life.  Just be prepared to possibly get some confused looks when going in for a doctor’s appointment or when introducing your new baby. 

5.  Spelling

A lot of parents decide to put a new twist to a traditional name by changing the spelling.  If you are considering this, know that you may be setting your child up for a life of having his or her name mispronounced and misspelled.  Changing “Sarah” to “Cereh” and “Aaron” to “Arron” may seem straightforward to you as the parent, but to other people it may not be so easy. 

Choosing a name for baby should be taken very seriously.  Take your time and consider everything about it before making the final decision.  Most importantly, once you’ve made the decision, don’t apologize to other people for the name you’ve chosen.  It is solely your responsibility to choose a suitable name, and what others think in the end isn’t as important.  Just keep baby’s best interest in mind and you will be sure to make the best decision when choosing the perfect name for baby.

How do you choose a name for baby?  What factors did you consider to be important or not important?

Once a baby is old enough, usually around 5 months of age, they are considered old enough to be able to sleep through the night.  At this point, some pediatricians may recommend letting baby “cry it out” in order to help them learn to sleep all night without waking.  This, in fact, was the advice my pediatrician gave my husband and I when our son turned 4 months old and was still waking often at night.  However, I was unsure of many things before trying this method.  Will it really work?  Will it be bad for my baby? 

Will it really work?  To answer the first question, yes, the cry it out method really does work for some people.  But by no means does it work for everyone.  I’ve heard both sides: some parents swear by it, while others say they tried it and it simply would not work for their baby.  So how do you know if the cry it out method is for you?  Letting baby cry when everything inside tells you to soothe them is extremely difficult and heartbreaking.  And on top of that it can be very frustrating and tiring as it will cause more loss of sleep for the first few days of teaching baby.  If you know you can’t handle it emotionally or physically, this method is probably not for you.  I fall into this category.  We thought about letting our son cry it out, but I found it simply wasn’t worth the emotional and physical exhaustion.  But for parents that can deal with a few rough nights, it just might be a great option for you.  There are a lot of books and methods out there that help support the cry it out theory, and for many people it has been a viable option in getting baby to sleep well through the night.  One book that I’ve personally read and applied some of their methods is the Sleepeasy Solution.  This book is a variation of the cry it out method that encourages a parent to do “check-ins” on your child every 5-10 minutes until they settle to sleep.  I liked this idea more than just leaving my child on their own until they cry themselves to sleep.  We used this book to teach baby how to fall asleep on his own, and it worked great.  However, the method did not help our son learn to sleep through the night, although it has worked for many people and gotten excellent reviews. 

Will it be bad for baby to let him cry it out?  There has been no scientific evidence that allowing a tired baby to cry until falling asleep is harmful to them.  My pediatrician recommended it, and many others do.  Leading sleep experts recommend it as well.  However, a parent still needs to be sensitive to their own particular situation.  Just because a majority of experts say it is fine to allow a baby to cry it out doesn’t mean that it is the best for you and your baby.  Some babies will scream and cry for hours and will have great difficulty learning to fall asleep.  I’ve heard of some babies screaming until they throw up or pass out.  And some babies will wimper a few minutes and fall fast asleep.  Never trust a book, or even a doctor, over your own instincts.  If you think your baby can’t handle crying it out, by all means don’t do it.  But if you feel that some crying is tolerable and baby is learning quickly, a little crying definitely won’t harm baby in the long run. 

After considering our options, I decided it was easiest and best in our case not to adopt the cry it out method completely.  Our 7 month old still wakes at night, but it settles back down quickly after feeding and sleeps well.  He is happy and well rested because of it.  To us, it isn’t worth having a few terrible nights of crying and no sleep.  He will sleep through the night when he is ready.  Although I am certainly not against parents who adopt the cry it out method, I found an interesting article warning against such methods called Just Let Her Cry.

When making the decision whether to let baby cry it out or not, just make sure you consider all the factors first and do what is right for you and your baby.  Best of luck to those who try cry it out, and also to those who don’t.  Here it to a happy, healthy, and well-rested baby no matter what!

Are you for or against letting baby cry it out?  Has a particular method worked well for you in teaching baby to sleep through the night?

Exersaucers and jumpers serve in similar functions for older babies.  Both activities hold baby in an upright playing position, which is usually suitable for babies from around 4-5 months of age until they are able to walk.  Are you trying to decide which of these two activities will get the most use from baby?  In my opinion, the exersaucer is the clear winner, and here are the reasons why:

1.  Variety

Exersaucers typically have many more built-in toys and activities versus jumpers.  Baby is able to spin a 360 in the exersaucer to access the variety of toys to keep busy, which cuts back on boredom and will keep them occupied for a longer amount of time.  Jumpers usually have less built-in toys, if any at all.  Their main function is to allow babies to jump, which is fun for a while, but many times baby will get bored quickly.  Another great function of the exersaucer is the ability to change from a stationary activity to one that can rock back and forth.  It’s great having the option as to whether you want baby to be able to have more movement while playing or not.

2.  Safety

The safety of jumpers is questionable.  Jumpers allow babies to engage in movements that may be a little hard on the joints in their hips, legs, and even necks.  Use of jumpers may even be linked to ear problems in children which result in needing tubes.  The more stationary exersaucer is definitely the safer of the two options.  Some exersaucers have built-in springs to give baby a bouncing effect without being as hard on their little bodies.

3.  Cost

Most of the more extravagant jumpers start around $80 and up.  You can get an exersaucer with a variety of toys for less than $60.  Exersaucers are more cost effective for what you get. 

4.  Sanity

This might not be a big deal for some parents, but the constant thumping sound of a baby in a jumper just might be enough to drive others mad.  Jumpers are probably going to be a noisier choice as opposed to an exersaucer.

Both the exersaucer and jumper are okay choices for baby, but I definitely think the exersaucer has the edge if you must choose one or the other.  Before making the decision on which activity to buy for baby, consider the above factors to decide what is most important to you.

Do you find the exersaucer or jumper to be a better activity for baby?

Many people who choose to bottle feed their babies say they made the decision because it is more convenient than breastfeeding.  If you’re on the fence about whether you will be breastfeeding or bottle feeding baby, don’t necessarily buy into the idea that bottle feeding is more convenient.  Here are a few reasons why breastfeeding is much more convenient than using a bottle for baby.

1.  It’s always ready.

Breastmilk doesn’t have to be prepared like formula.  There is no need to carry around formula wherever you go.  There is no need to wait for water to warm up.  For those middle-of-the-night feedings, you can forget about stumbling into the kitchen to prepare bottles.  Breastmilk is always the perfect temperature, and readily available for baby wherever you go, and whenever baby is hungry.

2.  No clean up.

Forget about cleaning all of those little baby bottle parts!  Breastfeeding will save you precious time by cutting back on the amount of cleaning you’ll have to do. 

3.  It’s free!

Formula can get expensive, and as much as a baby needs to eat, it will definitely add up fast no matter how many coupons you get in the mail!  You’ll save a lot of money by breastfeeding instead.

There is nothing wrong if a parent chooses to bottle feed baby exclusively, but don’t simply buy into the idea that it is the more convenient way to feed baby.

Do you find breastfeeding or bottle feeding to be more convenient?  Why?

By five months of age, most babies are supposedly old enough to be able to sleep through the night.  My husband and I clung to this hope as soon as our son turned 5 months, and then 6, and were still counting as he neared 7 months of age.  Surely his sleeping habits would get better as he got older, right?  As a matter of fact, they were getting worse.  And to our dismay there seemed to be no reason for his constant waking at night.  Sounding familiar to your situation at all?  Luckily, we found a simple solution.

Here is a little bit about our baby’s sleep history.  We swaddled him up until 4 months of age.  Up until this point he was only waking once in the middle of the night to feed.  Once he reached 4 months, however, we decided to break him of his swaddle.  We also started him on cereal at the same time, which turned out to be a big mistake.  We went through a few rough nights after starting cereal since his body was having trouble digesting it, but once we took him off the cereal he started sleeping better, so we thought.  He never went back to his normal pattern of waking up once per night.  In just a few short months he went from waking once per night to waking up every 2 hours, and sometimes more often.  We simply couldn’t figure out the reason other than he moved so much while sleeping that it would wake him up.  I was at my wits end with a near 7 month old that was waking as often as a newborn!

So now to the solution.  We discussed the cry-it-out method, but I simply didn’t have the motivation or the heart to attempt it at that point in time.  My husband spoke to a coworker one day about our problem, and he gave us our golden solution: bring back the swaddle!  His daughter had the same problem, and swaddling took care of it immediately.  I was pretty skeptical that it was actually going to work for us, but I was desperate.  I figured our son would just break out of the swaddle all night long and continue his waking pattern or that he would hate it and scream every time we swaddled him.  So here is how it went:

Night 1:  Woke up once after sleeping 7 and 1/2 hours straight.  Fed and slept till morning.  My thoughts- “Great!  But it was probably a fluke thing.”

Night 2:  Woke up once after sleeping 6 hours straight.  Reswaddled and fed, and slept till morning.  My thoughts- “Maybe it’s actually working?!”

Night 3:  Woke up once after sleeping 7 hours straight.  Fed and slept till morning.  My thoughts- “Why didn’t I think of it sooner?!  It does work!  I’m a believer!”

So now baby, my husband, and I are all feeling very well rested and relieved (and somewhat frustrated) that a simple swaddle was all it took.  Yes, most baby experts say that older babies don’t need to be swaddled, but when you are exhausted from sleep and your baby is not sleeping well either, it just might be the right solution for you.  Some babies love the comforting feeling of being held snugly, and that is what swaddling does.  Just be careful not to use a heavy blanket that will overheat baby since swaddling will keep them nice and warm. 

I wish I had known sooner that all our baby wanted was the security of a swaddle to fix his recurrent waking at night.  But it immediately changed our son’s sleeping behavior, and if you’re having the same problems with waking, it’s worth a shot.  Happy sleeping!