STM secrets

EmbracingChange

We've talked registries, showers, names, etc. We've scared the first time Moms a little bit with gross crap about labor. Now, our numbers seem to be up so before everyone gets busy and starts getting deep into buying things. I think we should talk about babies and things that you swear by. A different/odd method for fussy babies, a product that works, etc. Personal testimonials if you will.

Mine: I love Parents Choice or Pampers sensitive wipies. They have more of a wet washcloth feel than wet paper towel. 

I have a son with allergies and his all cause diarrhea. Boudreaux Butt Paste is freaking fantastic and so worth the $5 a tube!

tlcalloway

boogie wipes - i laughed when i first saw them back when DS was in utero but oh my goodness... they help with the stuck on snot and help when LO has a runny nose - just the right amount of saline in them.... heck i use them from time to time when my nose is sore - especially now when i have a head cold and can't take anything 

EmbracingChange

Gripe water would never work on my first child. She was miserable, cried a lot, and you could hear her tummy it was so bad. My kids were both lactose intolerant as babies. So I called my mother in law one night and told her that nothing was working. She told me to run to the gas station and buy a bag of Sweet Stripes. Melt one of those with 2 ounces of warm water and feed it to her. I was willing to try anything so I did. I got one huge fart, three little ones, and a sleeping quiet peaceful baby. I swear by it. I've done it with both children and I have many friends who tried it after I told them. I always send a bag in with my baby shower gifts. I realize that they have sugar, but once in awhile won't rot their teeth.

momof5sept18

Parent's Choice quilted hypoallergenic unscented wipes are the best, they never irritated my boys' skin, though Parent's Choice diapers they are allergic too. Never buy a bunch of one brand, you'll never know how your LO will handle the diaper (allergies, too rough/ soft etc).

Corntarch and Balmex cleared up any and all rashes my boys had, (with the exception of a chemical rash that was more like a burn from the chemicals in a sposie diaper causing an allergic reaction for DS1)

Dreft is overpriced, you can get a big bottle of All Free&Clear for half the price of Dreft and it works much better in my opinion. (Also it was great for DS1 eczema! ) And Purex laundry soap is super affordable and is all hypoallergenic!

HeyAmberNicole

Triple Paste. Best diaper rash cream ever. Worked within hours and I swore up and down by it. Heck, I still use it on my kid when he gets some chaffing or heat rash!

momof5sept18

Infant gas relief, whats that other name for it? It works wonders too! I also had a colic baby, but never tried Gripe Water but a lot of momma's swear by it!

k318

Saline nasal spray to clear up a stuffy nose

EmbracingChange

I had a bouncy that each of my kids liked to be in, but they hated the vibrations and I would have to put my foot on it and bounce it up and down while I was folding laundry and such. That's why I am seriously considering springing for a Mamaroo.

crestedlady

Second the Gripe Water.  Hyland's Teething Tablets seemed to help (at least a little) with teething pain for our son.  Granted it doesn't work as well as infant Tylenol, but it is homeopathic, so that is a plus.

Mztwilson

Stretchy receiving blankets. I've only ever found them at old navy. They are fantastic for wrapping baby up tight. I found swaddling a baby with an upset stomach much more effective then gas drops. I usually leave their arms out otherwise I end up with a really cranky baby.

owlcup

Definitely at least try store brand diapers/wipes. It will save you so much money if they work for you. We use target up and up.

Second Happiest Baby on the Block. It was wonderful for DS. I even did it for a friend's baby who "wasn't tired, just grumpy" The kid was out in 5 minutes and slept 3 hours.

White noise is also a lifesaver for us.

Also colic calm or gripe water.

Sareynoo

I second the aiden and anais swaddle blankets, I even kept ours from DD to use with this baby!
If you are planning on breast feeding, I will suggest the medela nipple shield. My DD had the most difficult time latching but this saved us.

EmbracingChange

I second the trying store brands suggestion. We used Parents Choice diapers on our kids. We're lucky in that Ry's allergies are mostly food/outdoor related so we used regular detergent (ERA). 

My kids were easy when it came to diapers and bottles. The first bottle we tried outside of the hospital was a Parents Choice one and they each took to it easily. Now, after that they didn't want any other type. The nipples on others were too soft, they wanted something that didn't completely collapse when they mashed down on it. If I tried a different one, they cried. Neither would use a pacifier though. 

I think babies like to screw with us sometimes. 

EmbracingChange

Yes, they're the soft peppermints. They dissolve much faster than the regular ones. My kids now hate regular peppermints, but love those. 

tnd1218

HeyAmberNicole said:

Triple Paste. Best diaper rash cream ever. Worked within hours and I swore up and down by it. Heck, I still use it on my kid when he gets some chaffing or heat rash!

Yes! I had tons of suggestions for diaper rash, this worked the best.

ncbelle

A quality baby carrier and an exercise ball (for bouncing on with baby in said baby carrier)!  And if you are breastfeeding - bookmarking/reading kellymom.com and having your partner do so too!

tbmadeamistake

@embracingchange, can you change the title of the thread to reflect what's in it now that it's taking off?  Baby Tips, STM Secrets, something like that?

I use Mama Medicine's Sweet Bee Magic on C for all her rashy needs.  Diaper, drool, and food allergy rashes all clear up with this stuff overnight.  It's awesome.  It seems expensive when you look it up, but we've used 2 ounces in 6 months.  A little bit goes a really long way. 

Remember that babies need alone time, too.  Sometimes when C was screaming, all we had to do was set her down on her own and she'd immediately calm down.  She needed some personal space, the same as any of us.  Screaming does not always equal hold me/rock me/shush me.  That said, there were time when the only thing that worked was a stroll up and down the street in the Moby wrap. Experiment, and look up the video on the 5 S's (swaddle, shush, swing...and two other S's).

DaisyHeadMayzie

I second the white noise!  Either buy a machine or download an app for your phone.  As soon as we found this, DD slept SIGNIFICANTLY better.  Plus, it helps drown out any noise that you're making while baby is sleeping.

The "I love you" baby massage was really important for us.  Our DD would get so bottled up with gas that her stomach would get hard and she would just scream.  The gas drops really did nothing for her.  Combining the "I love you" massage (there are youtube videos) and bicycling her legs helped tremendously.

EmbracingChange

This thread is reminding me of when they were babies.

I remember L always trying to chew on DH's dog tags. The metal was cool on her gums. He tried to keep her from putting them in her mouth so instead she used them like a rattle and used to smack him in the face with them since they were still around his neck. 

I bought L her own set of dog tags. Not for her to play with. We attached them to the side of her carseat so that EMS would have her info should it be needed.

I have had to FF both kids. I always keep bottled water in the house because on three occasions we had none in the house, our water was turned off for maintenance in town, and I had to run to the gas station for some to feed my baby. 

hlp2709

Have baby gas relief on hand along with burp cloth and extra wipe container to go they are life life savers.

EmbracingChange

I have a little 8" fan. I brought it with me when I was laboring and it sat on a shelf in DS's room after he was born. Everyone in my family sleeps with a fan on. In our case DH and I each have one next to our side of the bed. We're all light sleepers and the slightest noise has us up. The ferrets are nocturnal an the fan helps us drown that out. 

EmbracingChange

michellev10 said:

I had a bouncy that each of my kids liked to be in, but they hated the vibrations and I would have to put my foot on it and bounce it up and down while I was folding laundry and such. That's why I am seriously considering springing for a Mamaroo.

Doooo it! We love ours. We actually got it on Craigslist for a steal, if you're open to buying used.

I've been looking. There is only one on my CL and she hasn't responded.  

hollygb22

Things I loved:

For me: Earth Mama Angel Nipple butter..so much better than the Lanisoh greasy nipple cream. They also made a great bottom spray ..I think they called it. No one told me the nitty gritty of recovery...bottom spray, dermaplast, steal mesh underwear and find a good thin maxi pad.

For baby:

love the Triple Paste. hands down our favorite diaper cream. The others stink or don't clear up as fast.

I'm an amber teething necklace believer. She cut a molar last month and we didn't even realize it until we were washing her hair and saw it.

Up and Up diapers. We were using Pampers Swaddlers. for the first 6 months or so and switched. I've only had a leak with these where she's been sick and no diaper would probably hold what she produced. I like the diapers but am not a fan of the wipes.

white noise machine..we had that stpid sleep sheep. it was useless. It turned off after 40 minutes. We just used an old ipod, bought a cheap dock, bought an ocean waves white noise track for $1 and play it on a continuous loop.

Love A&A swaddles..not to swaddle but for so many other things. Their facecloths were great as well.

We are a nose frida, boogie wipe household as well!

kimmyberly26

For the older babies...bungies for sippy cups so you don't keep picking it up off the floor.

For making baby food, spring for an actual food processor and don't waste time with the baby bullet. You can do so much with the food processor once your baby is out of purees. Mine only needed purees for about 5 months.

MollySm

I second the person who said sometimes babies just want to be left alone. Lucia cried and cried and every book/person said to cuddle and bounce and swaddle. H put her down on the couch one day and she immediately stopped, put her hands up over her head and was fine. Some kids just don't like that much cuddling.

Aden and Anais blankets are amazing.

Using a hand blender(immersion blender) for baby food is the best. You can do any size batch and it's the easiest of all the options to wash.

lucreciac

I also loved the boutique size a&a blankets. I'm embarassed to admit how many I have but they are worth it. Def get a nosefrida or take the sucker from the hospital - the store ones are awful. And Costco brand wipes - best wipes ever. Seriously. They're amazing. The 5 s's were helpful when my first was going through the witching hour (worst thing ever). Oh and a bath cozy for when the baby is little and hates bath time. I thought they sounded silly but it was fantastic.

elittler

Mommy23Munchkins said:

Infant gas relief, whats that other name for it? It works wonders too! I also had a colic baby, but never tried Gripe Water but a lot of momma's swear by it!

Mylicon drops! These were magic for our daughter.

MrsKipper

Happiest Baby on the Block and the 5S method. Seriously. Get the book and the DVD and memorize it all!! It worked wonders for us!

SwaddleMes are where it's at. Nola was always busting out of A&A blankets.

I prefer Desitin over Butt Paste, but I just figured that out in the last few weeks when I tried Butt Paste for the first time.

Get a bathtub that will really support Baby before they're able to sit up. I didn't have a good one and I always loathed bath time when she was a baby. I will be getting a different one this time around.

White noise machine. Invest. Best things ever! Also, apparently there are portable white noise machines. I'll be getting one of those, too! I always had to use the app on my phone when we were away from home or not in the nursery.

I preferred Pampers Swaddlers until we started solids. I felt like it wicked the runny breastmilk poop away better because of the netting. Once the poop became more solid, I switched to Up and Up diapers because they're way cheaper and pretty good quality!

Pepper6

MrsKipper said:

Get a bathtub that will really support Baby before they're able to sit up. I didn't have a good one and I always loathed bath time when she was a baby. I will be getting a different one this time around.

What type of tub would you recommend?  This is one of the things I'm still looking at for our registry and I just don't know which one to use.

KeyLime81

Most of my must-haves have already been listed, so I'll just second (and third) them!

-NoseFrida (if you're bored, read the reviews on Amazon, they're hilarious!)

-Happiest Baby on the Block (Just check it out from the library and take notes if you want to save a bit.)

-Boogie Wipes (I love them too.)

-Boutique size Aden & Anais blankets (so many uses...I even used them as nursing covers)
-White noise machine...we already bought a second one for this LO, so DS can keep the one he has!

-If you're planning to breast feed, the Medela nipple shield.  When my milk came in, I was so engorged that it was impossible for DS to latch.  The nipple shield helped him latch, empty the breast a bit, then I had him relatch without it.

mattanda2011

Nose Frida without a doubt! I remember seeing it when we were registering and I thought someone must have lost their mind if they thought I was going to suck my childs snot out of her nose. Now we use it all the time! It is the only thing that really works.

Happiest baby one the block as well - works like a charm

I love the swaddle me blankets with the Velcro, but we ended up using a Miracle blanket. Its actually even more intense than the swaddle blankets, but my child could never get out of it. https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3349758&cp=&parentPage=search

Those were our biggest life savers.

tdf2010

michellev10 said:

Great thread! The Nosefrida Snot Sucker. Seriously. Buy one now. And then buy a package of the filters because nothing sucks more (ha ha, pun not intended) than needing to get all the nasties from your babe's nose and not having a filter.

Colic Calm Gripe Water is awesome, but it stains. So be careful!

Aden & Anais swaddle blankets--get the boutique sized ones, not the ones at Target or BRU. They're a bit bigger and worth the money, especially since we're having summer babies.

For sure this!!!  Also, my daughter loved the Woombie!  As soon as we bought that, she started sleeping through the night.  We couldn't get her swaddled where her arms would stay in throughout the whole night and this did the trick.

coffee-saur

I love Target diapers, but since there's no Target for a looong ways we use Safeway brand diapers.  I definitely second trying out store brands for all things.  Sometimes I think they're just as good or better and TONS cheaper!  

Stuff like swings depends on your baby.  DS hated the swing.  With DD I was almost scared to try it because of DS, but one day I put her in it, started it up, next thing I knew she was fast asleep!  Then it was a battle keeping DS from playing with the noise and mechanism...

I second the noise maker too!  It is awesome for keeping them asleep while you're doing things during the day that could potentially wake them.    

SecondTimeinMSU

I'd say to try out the baby carrier before you buy it. I bought one for DS and didn't like it at all (the bjorn which I'd have read the bump more I would've avoided but still different carriers work better for different people). I am trying to figure out somewhere local to try out carriers right now before I make that big of investment since I need something good this time.

I loved the miracle blanket. Only swaddle my houdini couldn't bust out of

Just the humor and patience to know that everything is a passing phase. DS was a miserable baby.  I think a lot of it was stomach pains since once got him on the right medicine he ate better and wasn't quite so impossible to sooth. We said his least favorite things were smiles, tickles and joy. Humor and teamwork were the only things that saved our sanity. But we got through it and he is such the opposite now, he is a cuddling, tickling, giggling machine so nothing lasts forever whether you want it to or not.

becomingmommyagain

Mommy23Munchkins said:

Infant gas relief, whats that other name for it? It works wonders too! I also had a colic baby, but never tried Gripe Water but a lot of momma's swear by it!

Mylicon drops!! 

TonyaCody06

I would like to focus on things for the parents: sleep now, get pedicures/massages, go out to eat, go to the movies!!! These are the things I missed during each newborn stage. I'm not saying you will never do this stuff again but for me it isn't as often as I'd like. 

Sareynoo

Oh yes, pampers swaddlers were the only diapers that kept the poop in. I've tried other brands, all shitty. Pun intended!!

Also, the purple desitin cleared up diaper rash the fastest for DD.

robbinrl

Moby and sound machine were my couldn't live withouts. Our $20 sound machine by homedics has lasted almost 3 years and now I buy it as a baby gift.

We also did baby led weaning/solids (BLW) and loved it. No purées, basically gave DD thick french fry size pieces of food to suck/chew on and explore for herself. It's messier but we have 2 dogs that didn't mind! I recommend reading the book beforehand.

emandjp

Some of these have been mentioned already but they are our favs:

*Amber teething necklace. DD1 has worn hers since she was 4.5 months old. We LOVE it, never a single teething symptom.

* Summer Infant Swaddle Me wraps. When DD1 was a newborn she would always wiggle out of her A&A Swaddle blanket so we started using these around 2 weeks old and she rarely got out and slept so well!!

*We cloth diaper and have never had a single diaper rash, I attribute that Grandma El's. We use it as a preventative and never had a red tushy.

*Kimono onesies, especially when they are newborns...easier to dress a sleepy baby than pulling one over their head.

*CJ's butter. Heals any little scratch or minor skin irritation.

Mia081081

+1 for Boudreaux Butt Paste. It's amazing. Though try to get the tub on Amazon. Lasts longer and you save some money.

If a diaper rash hangs on more than a couple of days, try a dab of Lotrimin A-F, then apply the butt paste. It's an anti-fungal. Dr. recommended it and it was awesome for when DD was older. 

+100 for the Nose Freida. An amazing invention. Gets everything out, then you throw it in the dishwasher to sanitize. DD is 2.5 and we're still using it. 

Yoga ball for bouncing a cranky baby. It was the ONLY thing that helped some days. Swing was useless for us and we didn't want to be reliant on it. 

Get Boppy liners for changing the baby (whether or not you're getting a changing pad). You might go through 2-3 in a day in the first few months. I preferred to get poop on those than on my area rug, floor, etc. 

Burp cloths are so cute! BUT they are way too tiny. Get a pack of old-school cloth diapers. Best things ever to wipe up pretty much anything and they're nice and big so you don't get covered in spit up. Those thin carters burp cloths make me LOL. 

https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Birdseye-Count-Flatfold-Diapers/dp/B007VBYVVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391461306&sr=8-1&keywords=gerber+cloth+diapers

Last one: I am a huge cook. I have my own cooking blog. I was obsessed with making DD homemade baby food, including homemade applesauce. The homemade baby food is worth it, but go ahead and buy the big tubs of organic applesauce (ingredients: organic apples). Peeling apples sucks, but applesauce make a great base for tons of baby foods (apple/zucchini, apple/spinach, apple/butternut squash, etc.)

Mia081081

One more for after labor! Soak some big, fat pads (like depends) in witch hazel and then freeze them. They will feel super amazing and help with swelling after delivery. 

njbabymama - We swear by 12 hours sleep by 12 weeks old. I worked really hard to get DD to nap on a schedule and stay in her crib, and she's always been an amazing sleeper and napper.