Babies and their bat-like sleep habits, oh the joys. "get ready to not get any sleep for a while" was a common sentence I heard from friends and family before I had my baby. Sure I believed them, but that sentence didn't really mean much until I HAD my daughter. I am pretty sure I was a zombie the first month from the lack of sleep, but taking infant parent courses with other women going through the same rite of passage made things much easier. I learned many tricks that were helpful in helping my child become a great sleeper. I will only share the night feed for now. It can really take all day to share all the tips.
Night Feed: This method became my best friend for a while. Basically, instead of waking the baby to feed him/her, or instead of waiting for when baby wakes, beat the baby to it. If you have an idea of how often your child will wake, feed him/her by inserting the bottle in his/her mouth while baby still sleeping. It sounds crazy, but it actually works. The baby will use its natural sucking instincts and drink the milk while sleeping. I loved doing this as close to midnight as possible that way I would get a nice stretch of rest in the wee-hours of the night.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Friday, October 21, 2011
It has been a while...
So I have typed and done reserach for two posts in the last month, but I forgot to hit saved both times...hmmm...having a one year roaming around can be very counterproductive when you are trying to get a blog going.
First of all, I had done a little studying about baby mattresses. I was so confused when we ordered our daughter's mattress from Diapers.com; we just picked one and left it to chance. It turned out to be a great mattress after all, but when a friend asked me about the details so she could buy one for her baby to be, I didn't have an answer for her. Well, now I do. In a nut shell: 1. safety comes first (obvious) meaning one must pick a mattress that fits snugged within the crib walls to avoid baby getting limbs stuck between mattress and crib walls. 2. Coil mattresses are a better option to foam matresses, but truth be told, babies will sleep on anything so don't stress about it. If going with coil, the higher the coil count the firmir the mattress and the most comfortable too --once again, babies don't care a bout comfot and they will outgrow the mattress way too soon so no need to stress about it. 3. One other option is organic mattresses, unlike synthitic ones, they don't release any fumes that can cause allergens. Typically they are more expensive.
Personally, I would rather get a better quality coil mattress and add an organic waterproof mattress cover to go over it. But, As alway I have attached a few links so you can decide for yourself.
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/sleepbedding/ht/HTcribmattress.htm
http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/baby-crib-mattress.html
First of all, I had done a little studying about baby mattresses. I was so confused when we ordered our daughter's mattress from Diapers.com; we just picked one and left it to chance. It turned out to be a great mattress after all, but when a friend asked me about the details so she could buy one for her baby to be, I didn't have an answer for her. Well, now I do. In a nut shell: 1. safety comes first (obvious) meaning one must pick a mattress that fits snugged within the crib walls to avoid baby getting limbs stuck between mattress and crib walls. 2. Coil mattresses are a better option to foam matresses, but truth be told, babies will sleep on anything so don't stress about it. If going with coil, the higher the coil count the firmir the mattress and the most comfortable too --once again, babies don't care a bout comfot and they will outgrow the mattress way too soon so no need to stress about it. 3. One other option is organic mattresses, unlike synthitic ones, they don't release any fumes that can cause allergens. Typically they are more expensive.
Personally, I would rather get a better quality coil mattress and add an organic waterproof mattress cover to go over it. But, As alway I have attached a few links so you can decide for yourself.
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/sleepbedding/ht/HTcribmattress.htm
http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/baby-crib-mattress.html
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Crib
After a long time of looking for cribs we have finally chosen "the one"-- The Modo 3 in 1 by Babyletto in Espresso color. I'd like to thank my in-laws for buying our baby such a nice gift.
I have to give a shout-out to the site babyearth.com. for having some gorgeous eco-friendly products. We were really torn between this crib and the Eicho Crib by Spot on Square (I am lusting over it still), but went with the Modo because it was Espresso (we can't paint our off-white colored walls), it becomes a toddler bed, and it was much cheaper but still sleek.
I am very happy with our choice. It was easy to assemble ( it took my handy husband less than 30 minutes) and it looks perfect in our daughter's room.
Although my husband and I are all for buying and re-vamping old furniture we really wanted a new crib for our baby. There are always so many recalls and with baby items we feel you can never be too safe. Today I looked at some of the cribs that have been recalled and I hope yours isn't one of them. The link below is the 2010 list of recalls provided by CBS news, and the government's crib standards for 2011.
http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2011/06/the-new-crib-standard-questions-and-answers/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20008769-10391704.html
I have to give a shout-out to the site babyearth.com. for having some gorgeous eco-friendly products. We were really torn between this crib and the Eicho Crib by Spot on Square (I am lusting over it still), but went with the Modo because it was Espresso (we can't paint our off-white colored walls), it becomes a toddler bed, and it was much cheaper but still sleek.
I am very happy with our choice. It was easy to assemble ( it took my handy husband less than 30 minutes) and it looks perfect in our daughter's room.
Although my husband and I are all for buying and re-vamping old furniture we really wanted a new crib for our baby. There are always so many recalls and with baby items we feel you can never be too safe. Today I looked at some of the cribs that have been recalled and I hope yours isn't one of them. The link below is the 2010 list of recalls provided by CBS news, and the government's crib standards for 2011.
http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2011/06/the-new-crib-standard-questions-and-answers/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20008769-10391704.html
Thursday, September 1, 2011
No Painting this Nursery
I wanted to paint my daughter's nursery but our landlord was not having it; he said: "Absolutely not".
No problem, I will have to paint some of her furniture instead, or use different fabrics to make the off- white walls pop-out a little. In the meantime this got me thinking about paint. What paints are safe for baby's rooms and why? I have heard that most traditional household paints release fumes that can cause health problems so I looked into it.
According to consumer Reports article from 2009, the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), or gas released from typical household paints have been linked to memory loss, respiratory problems, and even cancers. They also contribute to ozone and smog pollution. Hmm... I could think of many times in my life when I have walked into someone's house and I could smell the paint on the walls. Usually I find the smell to be pleasant and have never given it much thought , really.
Ok, so the paints that are baby friendly ( people and earth friendly) have lower levels of VOC or claim to have no VOC at all. This consumers repot article put a few paints to the test and said the performance of low VOC paints lacks a bit in quality, but, I think, in the name of health it may still be a better option.
So what better way to learn how low VOC paints are made than through--"How Stuff Works: paint components".In a nut shell, the pigment in paint has the greater amount of VOCs so low VOC paint has less pigment. Since low VOC or baby friendly paints found on the market tend to be very costly, if you absolutely can't afford it, try using water based paints instead of oil based paints... Oil based paints have a much higher VOC content.
Through this same web article of "How Stuff Works", I learned that only about 50% of the paint's VOCs may be released within the year since painting your walls or furniture... yes, your paint releases fumes for much longer than you can smell it.
I sure learned a lot about paint and I hope you did too. I have attached the articles I used as my sources and a link to a place that sells low VOC paints. Enjoy!
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/materials/low-voc-paint1.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/home-garden/interior-paints/overview/interior-paints-ov.htm
http://www.earthsafefinishes.com/Baby-Safe-Paint.html
No problem, I will have to paint some of her furniture instead, or use different fabrics to make the off- white walls pop-out a little. In the meantime this got me thinking about paint. What paints are safe for baby's rooms and why? I have heard that most traditional household paints release fumes that can cause health problems so I looked into it.
According to consumer Reports article from 2009, the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), or gas released from typical household paints have been linked to memory loss, respiratory problems, and even cancers. They also contribute to ozone and smog pollution. Hmm... I could think of many times in my life when I have walked into someone's house and I could smell the paint on the walls. Usually I find the smell to be pleasant and have never given it much thought , really.
Ok, so the paints that are baby friendly ( people and earth friendly) have lower levels of VOC or claim to have no VOC at all. This consumers repot article put a few paints to the test and said the performance of low VOC paints lacks a bit in quality, but, I think, in the name of health it may still be a better option.
So what better way to learn how low VOC paints are made than through--"How Stuff Works: paint components".In a nut shell, the pigment in paint has the greater amount of VOCs so low VOC paint has less pigment. Since low VOC or baby friendly paints found on the market tend to be very costly, if you absolutely can't afford it, try using water based paints instead of oil based paints... Oil based paints have a much higher VOC content.
I sure learned a lot about paint and I hope you did too. I have attached the articles I used as my sources and a link to a place that sells low VOC paints. Enjoy!
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/materials/low-voc-paint1.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/home-garden/interior-paints/overview/interior-paints-ov.htm
http://www.earthsafefinishes.com/Baby-Safe-Paint.html
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
New in Town...
Just moved to a new town. We are renting an adorable three bedroom bungalow and I am excited to get decorating. First item of business is my daughter's nursery. Hopefully by blogging about it I will get it done faster. Hang on tight. More posts on the nursery decoration coming soon :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)