Ask a STM week of October 15

disneybaby84

FTMs asking STMs questions!

thechickendance

Sound machine - yay or nay, and what are the pros and cons?
Thanks!

sjnsjnsjn

Yay! No cons.  Great sleep aid. (I have one for me too. )

disneybaby84

my son still uses white noise to sleep. haven’t decided about this baby

bellebaby221

My twins didn't need the white noise machine but my youngest did. The alarm clocks the older boys use have a white noise option so if we need it I'll take one of those and replace the clock!

okayestmom12

All the YES to a white noise machine. My 6 & 3.5 year olds still use one and I have an app on my phone I’ve been using (since it drowns out DH’s snoring). 

bww_0331

Yay to the sound machine over here as well. I need to find one that doesn’t require batteries though- that was our biggest drawback. Anyone have suggestions?

we switched from a white noise machine to our iPad with songs on repeat around 4 months or so with no issues. But we need to get that thing out of his room because he is way too interested in it 

PurplePoppy424

Both of my kids use sound machines and honestly, DH and I do, too. We all sleep better with them. 

okayestmom12

@bww_0331 - We have one of these in each kid’s room. It plugs in but does have a battery backup in it which we appreciated when we lost power a few times. 

sjnsjnsjn

@bww_0331- We have had the Dohm for years and it has no batteries. Just a wall plug.

allthingsgo

Another sound machine yes here! We use it and DD does too. We also use the Dohm and it’s awesome. 

BourbonBiscuits

Big fans of the white noise over here too. We just have an app on an old iPad that lives in DS's room (I think it's literally called white noise - it was free) and it works like a charm.

disneybaby84

@BourbonBiscuits I have used the white noise app when traveling with DS, i agree it works great.

hannahbananas11

We already use a fan in our room every night and the white noise is subtle but nice. Is that enough white noise for most babies, or will we probably need something louder?

okayestmom12

@hannahbananas11 - I vote for something louder.  Babies sleep through a lot but I like having that extra "buffer" there, especially as baby get solder and is more aware.  

BourbonBiscuits

@hannahbananas11 another vote for louder. Think about how loud it is in the womb too ... it’s a rough transition to the relative silence (and huge scary unexpected noises!) of the outside world. 

bww_0331

Thanks for the rec’s @sjnsjnsjn and @okayestmom12

danixbanani24

Hmm never used a sound machine but who knows I may have a tough sleeper on my hands with this LO.  but also anyone else get creeped out by white noise? Lol

disneybaby84

@danixbanani24 I hate the sound of white noise. I tried making my son quit the white noise once, it went bad. I had to acknowledge that it works for him.

becks_726

White noise sounds so aggressive to me but I've found other 'colours' soothing, @danixbanani24. 

ThePax89

Both of my kids have sound machines. We have a dohm and a homedics machine. The dohm is nice but isn’t loud enough. 

hannahbananas11

Infant socks: useful and should be included in the registry/shopping list, or pretty pointless and should be left off?

wrensnest

@hannahbananas11 I vote yes to socks, especially with our LOs being born in the winter. Those toes get chilly! In fact, I’d give a bigger yes to socks than infant shoes, lol. We also found that they stay on baby’s hands better than the scratch mitts (if your baby is prone to mangling their face like ours was). Get a mesh laundry bag for the baby socks though, so they don’t go missing in the wash!

BourbonBiscuits

@hannahbananas11 oh yes to socks. Although I didn't put any clothes on the registry with DS. People buy those anyway - it's practically impossible to walk past teeny tiny baby socks and not bring them home with you.

kdrn913

We have a homedics sound machine that we like. No issues, 6 different options for noises but we usually stick to rain. 

We didn’t ever use socks for dd but she was an April baby. Def going to need some for this one. The Zutano booties are great too and stay on so much better than socks! 

hannahbananas11

@nursemom913 I have a two pairs of the fleece Zutano booties on my registry! Have you tried their mittens? They sell mittens with a string attaching them to go through the sleeves of a jacket. I'm thinking that might be really useful, since they won't get easily lost (I remember having a string attaching my mittens when I was little!). Wondering if the Zutano mittens stay on well.

@BourbonBiscuits At first I put a bunch of clothes on the registry, but I'm seeing a lot of people say that people will buy clothes anyway because it's a "cute" thing (plus I've picked up quite a few second-hand clothes from friends). So I'm now only putting the very practical clothes on there that I don't already have, and winter things.

allthingsgo

I love the zutano booties too! But socks are good to have too as the booties aren’t as economical. 

hannahbananas11

@allthingsgo I'm thinking I'll use the booties with socks when we go outside and in the car, and just have socks for in the house (assuming I win the thermostat wars with H and can keep the house warm in the winter... )

BourbonBiscuits

I was gifted a pair of the zutano booties! DS hated them (still weirdly hates almost anything on his feet unless he's outside) but I forced the issue when we had to take him outside in the winter.

okayestmom12

Yes to socks and yes to Zutano booties! Both will be “musts” for us with a winter baby. 

ThePax89

Zutano booties are amazing. We also love trumpettes. They stay on their feet beautifully. 

kdrn913

I haven’t seen the mittens but that’s genius!! We will use the booties mostly for outside too but honestly we used them for a lot of the time for DD

wifemomme

Another vote for socks. Footie jammies are great at keeping babies feet warm but if you baby wear the jammies can pull up too much and cause the toes to curl and loose circulation. For wintertime I like socks, Robeez shoes (which look similar to Zutanos) and leg warmers. The leg warmers cover the gap between the socks and pants and do an excellent job at holding on the shoes.

becks_726

I just googled Zutanos and omg those are CUTE! 

hannahbananas11

@nursemom913 here are the mittens: Zutano Baby Mittens With String, True Navy, One Size (Fits 0-6 Months) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JCC886X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_faOYBb0D9MK5J

ginger1228

Yes to socks. If it’s a little chilly at night I put them on under sleepers too. I’ve had good luck with Cat&Jack brand from Target too. Most don’t stay on but I like those. 


Also - something I learned the hard way - no hats in bed or car seat. DD had a hat from the hospital I had her in in her bassinet. She was maybe a couple weeks old and I heard her fussing around. The hat had rolled down over her entire face. Freaked me the hell out thinking what if I hadn’t checked. I was telling another friend about it and she said the same thing happened to her son while in his car seat. 

madreofdragons

My kid was a hat and sock hater. Those suckers never stayed on. 

notthecheat

Omg DD's hats never stayed on like they were supposed to. She either wiggled out of them or wiggled more into them so they came down over her eyes. Lol. Socks were helpful until she learned how to grab her feet and then they became handheld chew toys and things to throw -_-

cali1710

I vote yes to sound machine or something that makes noise. DD never used a sound machine per-say but we have a floor fan in her room that works perfectly. I don’t think it helps her go to sleep but drowns out noise so she doesnt wake up. Were in a bungalow so our loving room and everything is in close quarters. Works like a charm. 

And yes for socks. DD was also born in January and We used socks a lot. I mean they don’t always stay on.. but good to have.