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Bringing Home a Baby to Your Pets

April 13, 2011

(Photo Credit: Emily Rumsey Photography) We love our pets. Raising children with domesticated animals is a fabulous gift to the children. We have two dogs and two cats. They were our babies until J arrived. The transition was easier than I thought it would be for the pets. A few things helped ease the transition: 1) Introduce the baby through scent. We brought a hospital receiving blanket home specifically for the dogs to smell. Not that they didn’t smell all over J’s carseat, face, legs, and any part of him that they could reach, but it was handy to have something that could easily be covered in saliva and hair sans problem. The cats could smell him a mile away–and liked to keep their distance initially so there was no cause for concern on their account. 2) Allow the animals to approach (or hide). Our dogs sniff J continuously. Every single part of him or his clothing (especially diapers) that they can get at. Sometimes our Great Dane licks his scalp. We discourage licking of the hands or face, but don’t shoo them away if they want to come and say hi. J takes a stab at petting the dogs and cats, which amounts to pressing his hand against their fur and trying to pull it towards his mouth. I encourage him to be “gentle” and demonstrate often how to pat, not grab. To constantly shout “No!” or “Go Lie Down!” whenever an animal approaches instills fear or apprehension in your…

Baby Wearing and Carrying: Do It!

April 10, 2011

Nothing can conjure up the feeling of still living in the womb like carrying a baby close to you in a baby carrier. Many different carriers are out there, but you really just need two, one for ages birth through 15 pounds, and one for 15 pounds through can’t-carry-any-longer. See this post on Natural Mommas for more info on her baby carrying/wearing experience. 1) Baby wrap. We used the Moby Wrap. Although it’s lengthy and takes a few times to figure out exactly how to wrap it, your infant will feel so incredibly safe and tucked in, like a little kangaroo. A product made by a friend of a friend that is similar, but easier to use is Rockin’ Wraps. I love giving business to people I know, so check out her products! Basically, in my experience, a wrap that actually wraps around your body without room for slippage, wigglage, or gappage, is best. These wraps keep your infant’s spine supported, close to you, and secure. 2) Baby carrier. One brand that I swear by: Ergo. These baby carriers are incredible. They are ergonomically correct, never pinching or stressing those baby joints, and made of breathable but durable fabric. Although we had the infant insert, J was born in the dead heat of summer and I think he would have melted had we carried him in it. Once he reached three & a half months, he was the right size to snap in. It washes easily, folds up easily, and…

Preparing & Including Your Partner in Birth

April 5, 2011

Some men are natural doulas, some men think labor & delivery is where they have a cigar in celebration after the nurse runs out of the Operating Room with the big news on gender. Mostly in our generation, men are ideally of the first ilk, though at the beginning of it all, the second sounds appealing to them. All that hospital stuff can freak a partner out and cause him to question his ability to be your coach and your support through the great mystery of labor & delivery. Here are a few steps that can help bridge the gap: 1) Read aloud . . . From anything baby related. Expecting your husband to pick up your reading-about-pregnancy-birth-and-babycare habit isunrealistic (we’re talking men in general here). So as you peruse the Sears’ Baby Book, exclaim “Oo!” to entice his interest, highlight portions of a photocopied page and stick it on the bathroom mirror or fridge door, or ask him to take a look at a specific section or paragraph. 2) Share & make lists . . . From your favorite blog, book, or post-pregnant mama. Making checklists of what to pack for hospital, what to say, what not to say during labor, what to do at home when in hospital (pet care, etc), or a calling tree to share the good news. 3) Attend birth classes. Check out your local birth center for natural birth classes. Attend the hospital tour (if you’re birthing in a hospital) and any classes of interest.…

Why Go with Cloth Diapers?

April 4, 2011

Emily Rumsey Photography We use cotton prefolds for SuperBoy and SweetPea (photo’d above in their cloth) during the day and a special rigamarole combo at night. We also use the local cloth diaper service: Do Good Diapers. They’re family-owned, fabulous, and affordable. Everyone has their own diaper feelings, but here are a few things to consider about the pro-cloth arguments: 1) Price. Others have done my work for me: Cost of Cloth Diapers. 2) Quality. I cannot tell you the difference in our children’s skin using cotton versus disposable. On our trip to Italy almost two years ago now, we used the Seventh Generation Disposables. Yes, they were fine, and what we needed to use. But SuperBoy had diaper rash, general irritation, and just a speckled looking bum. We were anxious to get home for our diapers (odd, but true!). This has been the case anytime we’ve had to use disposables. Cotton breathes and is not filled with chemicals that “wick” away the moisture. What you see is what you get. Skin aside, cloth absorbs better than disposable so you don’t end up with puddles piddling out the sides of the paper & plastic, nor do you have blowouts the same. I’ve been changing diapers for over two years now and I have had about 3 actual “blow OUTS” in terms of the cloth actually not containing all the poo. That’s it. Compare that with the sheer makeup of a disposable diaper–it simply cannot stretch and absorb and contain the way cloth can.…

Cloth Diapers at Night

April 4, 2011

Yes, we have discovered a vast and powerful secret: you can successfully use cloth diapering for long nights, sans changes! SuperBoy sleeps 10-12 hours (unless teething) and has since 10 weeks (his choice, nothing magical on my part). We do not change his diaper in the middle of the night, nor does he have a rash in the AM, nor does he awaken from a wet diaper. Same for SweetPea. We started her with the night diaper around 10 weeks, and even though she does awaken still to nurse a little at night, we don’t have to change her diaper. It’s WONDERFUL! 1) Magical combo. TWO gcloth inserts + One bumgenuis 4 one size cotton with snaps. The gCloth comes in a package of 6. We purchased three of the bumgenius. Therefore, we have three “night diapers.” 2) Assemblage. Yes, you insert the two cloths with the hemp side down stacked on top of one another into the pocket of the diaper cover. Presto. The brilliance of the one-size bumgenius is that you simply adjust the snaps to be smallest for when your little one is small and use the “small” size gCloths. Then when your little one is not so small, you adjust the snaps and use the “medium/large” gCloths. SuperBou has used this since he was about 10 weeks old and we still have the same bumgeniuses. They’re in great shape. 3) Cleaning. a) Remove the inserts and drop them into the wash, and toss the diaper in.…

When We Went to Italy with a 3 Month Old . . .

April 2, 2011

or when my sister got married in Tuscany when J was three months old. Truly, it was breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and profoundly spiritual. The downside was traveling with a three month old to remote Tuscany. Many friends proffered suggestions upon my call for advice and here’s the distilled version of traveling with an infant overseas: 1) KEEP THE INFANT PAPER TICKET THE AIRLINE ISSUES. Infant international tickets are not stored electronically. We learned that the hard, horrific, and expensive way on our voyage home. Enough said on that score. 2) Meds. We brought Hyland’s teething tablets, ear meds (for cabin pressure), baby Tylenol, nasal saline drops, and any other medication you can conceive of. J never had a single medical episode but at least we were prepared. 3) Breastfeeding for cabin pressure. Nurse on takeoff, landing, and any time panic strikes (you or the baby). 4) Scout extra room. Ask the nicest looking flight attendant for a bassinet, or to be moved to an aisle where there’s an extra seat. 5) Diapers. Changing diapers in the tiny bathroom (which lacked a changing table!) was next to impossible. We simply changed J on our laps, or on the extra seat we had. 6) Hands free. We used our Ergo and no stroller/car seat. It worked swimmingly as we were with 5 or 6 other adults. I did take a domestic trip alone with J and brought the stroller. If you are traveling alone with a stroller system, be prepared for TSA not to…

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