New mom check list

My friend created this for her friend. Is it nice for her to do for a friend?

I hope she doesn't mind that I am pasting it here as I think she has a lot of good advice. (and not just because she references my blog about breastfeeding expectations. ;)

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I compiled this list for my 27 weeks pregnant next door neighbor - thanks to all who helped me the other day. It strikes me that some folks here might also find it helpful.
Here ya go - it's long - and the crunchy mama musings within are my opinion only, of course feel free to ignore. Some of the info is Pittsburgh based too.
Here is a list of some of my favorite things (or others’ favorite things that they’ve told me about.)

Swaddle Blankets – you need ‘em. And not those small flannel receiving blankets (although those are great to use as burp rags or light blankets to cover baby.) Aden and Anais make GREAT swaddling blankets, Kiddopatomus does too (and theirs are available at BRU – theirs are called “Swaddle Me”.)
www.adenandanais.com
Here are some other really nice ones with good info about swaddling too:
http://www.swaddledesigns.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=all&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/CategorySwaddling.html

Halo Sleep Sacks – once you are done swaddling – these are AWESOME. We just stopped using them about 3 months ago.
www.halosleep.com

Best DVD to watch (TWICE!!) BEFORE you have the baby:
Happiest Baby on the Block – you want the DVD not the book – and you and Matt need to watch it together.
www.happiestbaby.com

Best places to get help with breastfeeding:
www.kellymom.com – awesome website that answers every question you could think of and I think there’s a chat board too where you can ask questions..
Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh – you can get an appointment there right after you have baby – it’s covered by insurance – and they will help you and baby get on/stay on the right track..
www.breastfeedingcenterofpittsburgh.com
Allegheny County Breastfeeding Helpline
412-247-1000 – answers weekends and holidays too! 8am – 10pm every day – provides counseling over the phone.
Local La Leche League – great to attend a meeting while still pregnant and reach out for help ASAP if you are having trouble once baby is born:
http://www.llli.org/
Also – THIS is an excellent, VERY realistic description of breastfeeding a newborn. It is 100 percent accurate – from how often you feed, to how long it takes some newborns to feed (anyone who tells you “15 minutes only” or any other BS like that is WRONG.)
http://grapemama.blogspot.com/2010/10/breastfeeding-realistic-expectations.html


A final thought – if breastfeeding does NOT work out – do not beat yourself up. Jack got mostly breastmilk but because he could not latch and I had to exclusively pump, I was not able to make enough milk. So he got some formula every day. I liked Earth's Best organic formula. Before we switched to Earth’s Best I gave him Similac ready to feed – the ready to feed is sometimes easier on newborn’s tummies than the powder mixes at first. When we switched to powder, I always used FILTERED tap water and we did warm up bottles with a bottle warmer – the First Years bottle warmer. Also – water goes in the bottle first, then you add the powder. This is so you have the correct ratio of water to powder. Use dairy based formula unless baby is allergic and you have to go to soy based or something else.

Other things we loved:

Swing (couldn’t have lived without it – it was the only place Jack would sleep sometimes)

Bouncy Seat – a place to put baby down sometimes – and they usually like them a lot.

Arm’s Reach co-sleeper – Jack slept in one in our room for 6 months – first in a mini that my sister gave me, then the regular size one. LOVE this product. He also slept in our bed quite a bit – it is safe to cosleep/bedshare IF you take the proper precautions. Here are some links that describes those precautions:
http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/safe-cosleeping.html
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/familybed.html#linkssafety
Sometimes, it’s the only way to get ANY sleep. We also always ran a fan in our room to keep air circulating (this is smart to do wherever baby sleeps) – you also don’t want baby’s sleeping area to be too warm – don’t overdress your baby at night, regardless of where baby sleeps. A cool sleeping area is best.
Here is a link for arm’s reach cosleeper too: www.armsreach.com
Moby Wrap – AWESOME PRODUCT! Allows you to “hold” baby while still having both of your arms and hands free. Here’s a link with description and instructions on how to use it.
http://www.mobywrap.com

Ergo – another one of my favorite babywearing products! You’ve seen me carry Jack in this one:
http://www.ergobabycarrier.com

Can’t stress enough how great these babywearing products are – it is really good for baby to be close to you (and anyone who tells you that you’re holding baby too much or baby will get “spoiled” is spouting really outdated notions, don’t listen, it actually is good for their physical and mental development to be held – a lot – these products make that possible while still being able to do other things too.)

More great stuff:
Lansinoh breast creme - you will need this if you are breastfeeding!!

Best pumps – Medela or Ameda – you want a good, expensive pump. Lots of info about pumping to be found on Kelly Mom website too.

You’ll need some disposable breast pads too (you will leak, it’s CRAZY at first) – I did NOT like the lansinoh brand breast pads – I liked Avent.

Breast soothies are also good – cooling gel pads. Your nips WILL hurt from breastfeeding – no matter what anybody says. Doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong either, that’s a lot of hooey. The Lansinoh breast crème will be your friend!

Onesies – these are the little bodysuits that snap under the crotch – I used one every day – I liked Gap, Old Navy and Carter’s.

I also loved the snap up “sleep and plays” – these are the all one piece, little footed outfits that you see small babies wearing – some moms prefer the ones that zip rather than snap. Kohl’s has GREAT prices on this type of stuff – super cheap.
Baby Aquaphor – love this stuff. Great for chapped cheeks, rashes of unknown origin and more!

Triple Paste Diaper Cream – THE BEST in my opinion. Thicker than the others, really helps to heal and prevent diaper rash. Love it.

California Baby shampoo and body wash – I love the California Baby baby lotion and cream too – I also like Method baby products too. Both Cal Baby and Method are available at BRU.
www.californiababy.com

Seventh Generation are my favorite disposable diapers – no chlorine bleach, no fragrance, no weird dyes.

I like Huggies Natural Care, fragrance free wipes too – strong and don’t irritate Jack’s skin.

Strollers – go for a good one. NOT necessarily a “travel system” either – they are big, bulky, and not that great. Pretty much any stroller can be adapted to work with your infant carseat, so it’s really not an issue. We have one bigger stroller for neighborhood walks (a Jeep Limited Urban Terrain, it’s OK) and a lightweight one that stays in the car (city micro jogger – like it a LOT! They make a city mini jogger too and I know a lot of people like it. They are not jogging strollers – don’t know why they’re called “joggers!”)

I loved our snap and go stroller too – it’s like a frame – you can click graco infant carseat into it very easily.

Crib mattress – I went with a really expensive organic mattress. Probably wasn’t necessary, but that’s the one I got.
www.naturepedic.com

I also liked the organic cotton sheets I got at BRU.

You need a changing table and changing pad – most frequently used piece of baby furniture in our entire house! Get 2 or 3 soft changing pad covers too.

Other faves:
Gerber cloth diapers – great shoulder spit up cloths!
Gripe water – good for babies with colic – same goes for mylicon gas drops, get those too.
Bibs - a multipack of the cotton ones
Don’t get a lot of NB size clothes and diapers – just a few outfits – baby will outgrow them and move on to 0-3 pretty quick.
A lot of people like Soothie binkies – although if you breastfeed it’s recommended you don’t introduce a pacifier for a while at first.
Sandra Boynton books – of course you can’t start reading to baby too early (teacher mom knows that, ha ha!)
Other thoughts:
Tummy time – SO important. You remember Jack’s little helmet he had to wear – his plagiocephaly (flat spot on the right rear side of his head) started in the womb due to his being breech – but it can start outside the womb if babies are on their heads on the same spot too much. You want to make sure your baby gets plenty of tummy time – and also lays on your chest or Matt’s (tummy down so “facing” you) – don’t always hold her on the same side (whether cradling her or when she up on your shoulder) and make sure she doesn’t always turn her head the same way when she sleeps – rotate it for her every nap and at night so she’s laying on a different spot every time. Also lay her across your legs on her tummy – that counts as “tummy time” too. Babies hate tummy time usually. Do it anyway. Wearing your baby in Moby and Ergo a lot will also prevent flattening. And if you start to notice a flat spot – tell me! And I’ll have a lot more info for you.
Another tip that just popped into my head - when you start bathing her in a little baby tub (we got a simple one from BRU that also had a little "sling" - it was great) - you'll start that after her umbilical cord falls off, before it does, you'll just "sponge" bath her with a damp warm cloth or whatever (and - they don't get dirty so do not feel like you have to do this often) - ANYWAY - when you bathe her in the tub - lay a warm, wet guest sized towel over her entire body so very little naked skin is being hit by cold air. It's amazing how this calms them and helps them enjoy the bath (instead of shrieking and crying because their skin is being hit by the cool air in your house.) And then you just move the towel around as needed to pour water over her little body, etc. I think I have a pic of Jack in his little tubby.. going to find it.. oh, good found it! You can see the little blue tub (it fit crossways in our kitchen sink,) the sling that's he in (it stretches the length of the baby tub and supports their little body as they lay in the water) and the towel we have on him - he was happy as a little clam!