STM+ surprisingly wonderful items

riversdoctor

I’m thinking of putting together a unique gift basket for SIL (also due in April). Dh and I were discussing items our kids loved that were a bit off the wall.  So think beyond the rock n play or baby wraps. As your kids got older what were some crazy loved items?  

riversdoctor

1.)The cooter cooler!   I wrapped these bad boys in cloth diapers and used them
as pads for the first few days. Loved them!   Plus the ones I had could be washed in the dishwasher or washing machine on gentle. 

2.) ds’s “Chewy toy”. He loves the teething ring now but we also used it for pacifiers when he was littler. The teether can be kept in the fridge. 

3.) hot/cold dino. Can be iced or microwaved. Works great to warm up the crib before you lay them down but I often use it when my back is achey too!  

4.) boo boo buddies!  Kisses from mom so wonders but the boo boo buddy makes everything better. Ours is Sofia the first, but I ordered Pete the cat to have a spare. Any bumps or boo boos are quickly calmed 


Edited because pics were out of order

btm013

A salad spinner was my sons whole world for longer than it should have been haha. 

tooraloorah

Wubbanubs are lifesavers to me. We never had one but on my A14 board, Winkels were all the rage. 

rmmorris

A cheap plastic pinwheel. It caught my daughters eye in world market one day and so we bought it. I kept it in the cup holder part of my stroller organizer and it would spin as we walked—keeping her entertained as we went on walks, shopping, ate dinner outside, etc. 

irenejean

The Winkle rattle from Manhattan toy company, it's like $10 on Amazon and was the first toy DS "played" with. 

mountainsmama

We got this black and white book at a shower, and I never would have thought to buy it for my LO, but she LOVED looking at it starting at a super early age. You can stand it upright and it really helped keep her happy during diaper changes and stuff!

https://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Tana-Hoban/dp/0061172111

Pic of my teeny little doing some reading!

Mattel

We loved having a small portable sound machine. We clipped it to the rock n play, car seat or stroller. It was nice to toss in the diaper bag if you were visiting a relative or something for a while. 

psuxray07

DS loved his little security blankets when he was a baby.  He loved to hold them and rub them on his face lol.  He had monster ones.

g_amoss

Great ideas ladies - I just put a few of these on my registry!

petethecat

Agree with @Mattel about the portable clip on noise machine! 
I'll add this happy puppy rattle. It was one of DD's favorite baby toys and she's still (at two) obsessed with it. She carries it around and presses the buttons constantly.

DD also had a Carter's lovey with a paci loop, similar to this one. (Pic says not available but Carter's makes a ton of different/similar ones.) We tried the wubanub, but she didn't like the straight nipple paci that comes on those. With this one, we could loop on the paci that she liked (MAM or NUK). It was great for encouraging car naps on trips.

Anytime I've done baskets like this, I always like to add some things for the mom too-- (and it depends on how close you are with the mom as to wether or not some of these would be too weird) I'll add a pack of always infinity pads (they helped so much with the PP pad hate, IMO, because they are both very thin and incredibly absorbent), almeda gel soothies and lanolin (if she plans to try and BF) and a cute or possibly monogrammed water bottle with a straw, granola bars or other healthy snacks, a pair of cute/comfy fuzzy socks, etc.

irenejean

I second @kbamomma33 on the infinity pads, I don't even wear pads normally, but I definitely needed them for several weeks pp and those were the best! Make sure to get the long ones

whatabout2ndbreakfast

Not really off the wall but crinkly books. They entertained DS for hours!

Third on infinity pads! TMI, I bled for 6 weeks and they are nice because they don't chafe! 

psuxray07

@peppersmith22 yes crinkly books!  DS loved his.  I would also set it on the couch so he could kick it and hear it crinkle.  He loved it lol.

What are infinity pads?  Is it a certain brand?

I took a bunch of those pads from the hospital that you crack and shake and they get cold lol.

whatabout2ndbreakfast

@psuxray07 those ice pad things were AWESOME lol. Infinity pads are just the soft always brand ones. They're not the plastic-y kind if that makes sense

pghren

@psuxray07 they're a lightweight foam that's crazy absorbent and dry feeling, miracle product

rmmorris

Yes to the infinity pads!

psuxray07

Looks like I know what I'll be getting when it's time!  

ladythrice

Another +1 to infinity pads . Even with stitches and such in my business, no catching or chafing with the infinity style Always pads. Super thin but crazy absorbent.

nessa1632

About how long do you have to wear the pads? Idiot FTM here and I try to avoid traditional products if possible but acknowledge their limitations... for example I use honest co pads and tampons but I’m thinking the latter won’t do for what you guys describe here.

mmmmkay

i'm a fan of Thinx instead of pads.
pads i always feel like i am wearing a diaper and have swamp crotch!

rmmorris

@nessa1632 I wore pads for 6 weeksish—the last two weeks or so were mostly spotting. I might be wrong but I don’t think you are supposed to use tampons if you delivered vaginally. 

nessa1632

@rmmorris I meant that only as an example- I switched to organic chemical free feminine products so I haven’t used traditional in probably 3-4 years. I’m not sure if I should do the honest pads or the infinity.

@mmmmkay I’ll look into those!

psuxray07

@nessa1632 I think I bled for about 5 weeks after baby.  Then I had like a week off, then my period started and I remember at least the first 2 periods were sooooooo heavy. 

mountainsmama

Upon the recommendation of my last BMB, I bought a pack of depends and actually loved them. They felt really thin and flexible and you don't have to worry about leakage at all. I wore those for at least the first week. 

Puddlewonderful

@mountainsmama yes to depends! I thought they were way more comfy than wearing a super jumbo pad that soaked like once an hour. 

whatabout2ndbreakfast

@nessa1632 I wore pads 6 weeks too. I actually think I wore liners after that for maybe 2 weeks because it was still spotty. It surprised me I could bleed that long ha.

ekendall09

I too bled for 6-8 weeks post delivery in some form (heavy for close to 4 and spotting probably the last two)  I dreaded leaving the house not knowing what to expect and remember passing a lemon sized clot around 2 week PP and calling the doctor panicked to which they told me was no big deal.  

nessa1632

Dang. I feel like the dr should be discussing this. How else am I supposed to know and prepare? I had no idea I’d pass clots but it makes total sense. Thanks ladies! I will take y’alls advice and get both the pads and probably some depends bc I am not trying to be worried about bleeding through.

ekendall09

@nessa1632 everyone is different i'm sure, but they discussed it during discharge with me.  They said to call if I passed big clots or got a fever.  I had both and both times they said it was fine when I called.

irenejean

@ekendall09 @nessa1632 Yes, the doctor warned me to not be worried about clots unless they were bigger than golf ball size. Without that warning I would have freaked out for sure. 

ladythrice

Quick note about pads... the Always Infinity pads are NOT NOT NOT super thick diaper feeling pads!!!! They are incredibly thin, we're talking closer to panty liner thin, but have the same absorbency as the thick diaper pads. It's why they are loved by post partum moms.

Re: how long bleeding lasts
I bled for 6-8 weeks after my kids. With DS (C/S) it was closer to 8. I thought I was done around 5.5 but then it picked back up at 6.5. I thought for sure I was getting my period but it was just prolonged bleeding. By 8 weeks it was done and I didn't get my period for months. With DD (VBAC) I bled for 6 weeks and probably would have stopped earlier but I wasn't gentle on my body. The more you rest and let you body recover, the less you'll bleed. Neither time was I gentle on my body... hence the prolonged bleeding. Even things that seem simple and NBD, like going for walks with the baby/kids or walking up and down stairs, strained my body a lot more than I thought they would.

Puddlewonderful

Re: PP bleeding, I’ll also make a plug for listening to your body. One of my best friends had severe bleeding with her second and the midwife kept telling her heavy bleeding was normal. Turns out she was hemorrhaging and ended up back in the hospital ten days after her son was born needing a transfusion. She was still soaking a pad in under an hour several days postpartum and knew something was wrong despite what her midwife said. 

riversdoctor

nessa1632 said:

About how long do you have to wear the pads? Idiot FTM here and I try to avoid traditional products if possible but acknowledge their limitations... for example I use honest co pads and tampons but I’m thinking the latter won’t do for what you guys describe here.

I actually broke out from the always Infiniti so I never recommend them for that reason. For me it was two and a half weeks for lochia and a bit longer for incontinence so I actually used Gerber white prefold cloth diapers instead.  Worked well and much cheaper.