LO has a stay at home Dad. I'm not sure his pacifiers ever get washed. I once suggested a steam sanitizing and he looked at me like I had two heads. Cheers to immune system development.
I have another question. I could ask on formula thread but I'd be jumping in 100's of posts behind. I have 3 sample cans of formula that all day newborn to 3 months. Any reason not to use that once I start supplementing. LO will be 6-7 months and will get 1-3 formula bottles a day (4-12 ounces) out if what I suspect is 28-32 ounces a day. I am planning to use those up before I buy formula.
@henrytviii If it were me, I would use it. I can't imagine there is that much of a difference. Keep in mind this is coming from the woman who was taken off formula and given 2% milk at 5.5 months.
^^Ha! I grew up picking lead paint chips out of my bed . . . I think we both did alright in the end! I'll just mix the newborn formula with mtn dew or espresso to age it up a little bit for him.
@henrytviii I'd probably also use it. I mean, the similar advanced formula I use is birth to 12m, so... I guess I don't see why there has to be a difference between less than and more than 3m formula? Seems like a marketing ploy to me. You could always compare nutrition labels with the 'correct' aged formula, tho, just to see
I'd check the formula website. I think there may be just slight differences regarding extra vitamins or whatnot. That would be my guess, if there's any difference at all!
^^checked this a while ago and there were only slight differences. My thought is it will be fine because I'm only supplementing and if we use more than planned we'll move through it quickly. Someone let me know if you know something I'm missing.
With LO in the NICU for so long, he got used to using jollypop paci's...they are molded from 1 piece so falling apart is not an option. I tried giving him other brands but he pulls a face, spits them out, and screams...but jollypops are great so I went on their website and got a value pack. I clean and sani the ones he uses daily and have fresh ones handy in the car and diaper bag for emergencies. He is going on 5 months and none have looked in bad enough shape to toss yet...I will toss them if they start to look bad
My FFAQ today is a bit of a thought turned question. I use Vaseline jelly on my lips and my husband works for the company that produces Chapstick, so I use it too. If we are so comfortable using these products on ourselves, then should we rethink our choices given that it is not safe to use these things on our babies? At what point does it become "safe" to use such products (regardless of brands)? I have 3 year olds in my class using Chapstick and other such products - why are we so worried about these things if our LO's will just end up using them anyways? I use Vaseline jelly on LO's bum, so how does it become harmful on his lips (is the ingestion so extremely harmful?) FYI...I am using leftover lanolin on LO right now...this is just my thoughts ou loud and I wanted to see what you all think.
My new changing mat is waterproof, so I haven't bought a cover for it. I wipe it down daily... is that gross? why does it need a cover that gets soiled if the mat itself is waterproof? I feel so ignorant asking this...
I use one because the actual changing mat seems like it would be cold for LO. My only other reason is because it matches the decor in her room!
@cait7425@jesshrou thanks for your replies on LOs rash, ladies. I've been doing a combination of your advice for the last 3 days, and its looking much better. We still only bathe him twice a week, but I do use a damp washcloth on his tummy before bed (I was already using one on his face and hands, so its just an extra step), and apply a very thin amount of aquaphor. 100% cotton only clothes right now, too. I'm going to wait until I've had two weeks of good skin before I reintroduce other fabric types. As of now, you can't even visualize anything. It still feels a bit pebbly, but the flakes are gone and the red areas are gone.
@Sjeff0816 - We were using nursery water, but after doing research on it, it is the same as bottled water. My ped said you can use the filtered water from a fridge dispenser as long as the filter is maintained, or you can use bottled water. Also said boiling water is an option but is labor intensive to do on a continuous basis. My ped said that if your city water is good, it is also fine. We now use bottled water and our filtered fridge water.
@kezdk I use natural products for all of us. Especially avoiding parabens and other endocrine disruptors. Lotion and makeup are the things I'm really strict about. I sometime cheat a little on hair products that are washed out. The only product I haven't been able to find a good replacement for is Vaseline. I love how it feels on my lips and nothing else lasts the whole day. I'm especially careful with the kids because they are young and under reproductive age.
@Sjeff0816 I think you basically have to ask your ped if your municipal water is safe for consumption by infants. Mostly regarding lead and other metals, or bacteria. Which means that generally, unless you are under a boil water order from your city, it *should* be fine. However, older homes may have used lead welds in piping, which can leach into the water that sits in the pipes a long time (like overnight). Which in general is not a big deal for normal consumption, but since babies drink so much more water (mixed in formula) and have much smaller bodies, its something to be aware of. Which is why I use the Pur Ultimate filter. It filters out lead and other metals, and other stuff as well. And its independently certified by NSF and some other water safety commission. Can you tell I've new mommy worried about this and spent one of my insomnia nights looking it all up? I've considered using bottled, but most of the time that's just tap water, filtered by the company.
What have you all noticed with regard to hydration & milk supply?
Kellymom and others say there's not much correlation. But I've noticed a serious drop in volume per session (like from 5oz total to 3oz total) and I'm thinking it could be that I don't drink enough. Is there really no relationship??
@klirwin82 I absolutely notice a difference if I'm dehydrated and I don't care what the websites say. They also say that what mom eats doesn't affect a BF baby and I will tell you from my experience that is garbage too. Try drinking a Gatorade 1 hour before you pump and see if it makes a difference. That helps me when I get dehydrated.
*^ yes to both I definitely don't get engorged ever if I am not hydrated, but when I drink the proper amount during the day I almost always end up engorged even when LO is nursing normally. It makes a huge difference for me.
Also antihistimines did impact my supply, not as drastically but there was a marked drop on days that I have taken them.
@klirwin82 I absolutely notice a difference if I'm dehydrated and I don't care what the websites say. They also say that what mom eats doesn't affect a BF baby and I will tell you from my experience that is garbage too. Try drinking a Gatorade 1 hour before you pump and see if it makes a difference. That helps me when I get dehydrated.
I drink a Gatorade every day! I swear it helps. I started the honest company supplements last week and finally could tell a huge difference today.
I pump twice a day and LO gets one bottle a day. I currently hand wash all bottles and accessories, and I hate it. When I go back to work next week I'm going to be pumping 3 times a day and LO is going to get 3-4 bottles. With the new influx of shit to clean, my question is...is it safe to put bottles and pump parts in the dishwasher every day? It would be so much simpler to just run the wash every night instead of spending 20 minutes cleaning. I have medela and dr brown. Thanks!
@cait7425 I put my bottles and bottle parts in the dishwasher. I hand wash my pump parts though. You should be fine to just wash your pump parts at the end of the day and refrigerate between pumps.
I pump twice a day and LO gets one bottle a day. I currently hand wash all bottles and accessories, and I hate it. When I go back to work next week I'm going to be pumping 3 times a day and LO is going to get 3-4 bottles. With the new influx of shit to clean, my question is...is it safe to put bottles and pump parts in the dishwasher every day? It would be so much simpler to just run the wash every night instead of spending 20 minutes cleaning. I have medela and dr brown. Thanks!
I pump twice a day and LO gets one bottle a day. I currently hand wash all bottles and accessories, and I hate it. When I go back to work next week I'm going to be pumping 3 times a day and LO is going to get 3-4 bottles. With the new influx of shit to clean, my question is...is it safe to put bottles and pump parts in the dishwasher every day? It would be so much simpler to just run the wash every night instead of spending 20 minutes cleaning. I have medela and dr brown. Thanks!
I also have Medela and Dr Brown...the dishwasher gets the bottles clean just fine but the valves and vents and nipples still had residue on them so I'd hand wash after the dishwasher...gave up and just hand wash all of it. I hate.washing.bottles.
Okay I seriously need this to be flame free.. I'm not a dog person, so I never even thought about this happening. Has anyone's dog ever eaten a pee diaper? My sister's dogs found a diaper in the guest bathroom trash can (that we forgot to empty before we left last week) and together ate half of it... Needless to say I feel horrible and she's pretty upset.. One of the dogs already threw up but she's waiting on the other to throw up. And yes she's talked to the vet, I'm just curious if any of you all have been through this with your dog?
Mine ate a dry diaper. She shredded it up first, but still ate almost the whole thing. She's 50 lbs and was fine. I freaked out too, but she must have passed it. The vet said to look out for red flags: inability to poop, lethargy, not eating or drinking, etc. I think it depends on the size of the dog. Good luck!
@cait7425 Thanks for some reassurance! Her dog is only about 8 lbs though, so that does worry me.. Although maybe she only shredded it, and didn't eat much of it. My sister isn't answering me right now, so I don't know how she is.. I'm praying she'll be okay!
My dogs have eaten diapers before, they are 10 and 20 lbs, and they didn't seem to have any real issues. It's mostly just really really gross. We quickly went out and bought trash cans with lids.
Re: FFAQ - Flame Free Anytime Questions
As of now, you can't even visualize anything. It still feels a bit pebbly, but the flakes are gone and the red areas are gone.
Much appreciated!
Can you tell I've new mommy worried about this and spent one of my insomnia nights looking it all up? I've considered using bottled, but most of the time that's just tap water, filtered by the company.
Coconut oil
Edited to say that it's better with some beeswax melted in, etc but I'm usually too lazy for that, well busy now
Kellymom and others say there's not much correlation. But I've noticed a serious drop in volume per session (like from 5oz total to 3oz total) and I'm thinking it could be that I don't drink enough. Is there really no relationship??
Also antihistimines did impact my supply, not as drastically but there was a marked drop on days that I have taken them.
ETA if your LO is going to daycare, I found some dishwasher safe labels that are awesome and cut down on having to label everything everyday.