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February 2015 Moms
Alygohome
member
STM's--This ftm needs some advice on various things
Alygohome
member
1) Cloth Diapering--I have about 30 diapers and 70 inserts, is that enough? should I buy some disposables for night time and the first few weeks? They are the insert kind, can I throw the whole thing in the washer or do I take the inserts out and wash separately? Do I have a pail in the babies room and in the laundry room? Is there special detergent I should be using? Right now I set up my change table with one basket for the diapers and the other for the inserts. Then I have another one for the diapers with the inserts in, I was planning on only putting enough diapers together for the day in the so that I don't have to "stuff" them every time I do a diaper change (since I don't know how many "inserts" I will need to start in each one?) is this unreasonable or should I just stuff them all with different amount of inserts? I am so overwhelmed with the clothe diapering but I live in the country with no garbage service so we decided that clothe would probably be the best for us. (I am off for a year so I will only do it for the year) And these were pretty much given to us brand new.
2) Baby monitor--I don't plan to get one, my house is pretty small and I can hear everything, is it unreasonable to think I wont need one? My bedroom is directly across from babies and we will be using a bassinette in our room for the first little while
3) Infant seat vs. Convertible seat. From my research it looks like its best to go with the infant to start, but I plan to drive my husbands truck most of the time (it will be winter) so we were going to put the infant seat in the truck. Now if the weather is bad and he needs to take the truck I think I should have an emergency/back up seat for my car. Should I go with one of the convertible ones? or two infant seats? I feel like the car one will only be used in emergencies for the first 4 or so months because it will be winter here and we don't use my car much in the winter.
4) Crib height--I am a shorty and my crib allows you to raise the mattress up pretty high--we set it up this way so I can reach in, but I am at a loss on how long you should have it at the top part? do you move it down when baby can sit up? it seems unsafe I guess, I didn't realise there was different heights until we put it together the other night
5) Pumping/breast milk---Ok this may sound really stupid, but I bought the Advent electric pump...do I have to you advent bottles or can you use any bottles with any pump? I tried looking on Amazon but it didn't say (I just ordered it today, 35% off woohoo)
6) Bassinette sheets- how many should I have? it only came with one and I am thinking I will need a few more.
I know this is a lot of stupid questions but I am super stressed because I keep reading so much different opinions, but I trust you ladies and want to know your thoughts?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: STM's--This ftm needs some advice on various things
1) Cloth Diapering - No advice here.
2) Baby monitor-- I say try without it for a while and see. We have a video one and even though I can hear pretty much everything without it, I still like to see what he is doing in there. We still use it now and he's 2 1/2.
3) Infant seat vs. Convertible seat. - Start with buying just an extra base for the infant seat. When it's time to switch to a bigger seat, I would get two seats. I find changing seats a hassle.
4) Crib height-- Yep, move down when baby can sit up. Usually around 5-6 months. Baby is so tiny at first, you want to have the highest setting so it's easy to pick baby up.
5) Pumping/breast milk--- Not really sure. I had a Meleda pump and used the bottles it came with. It was always enough. I would transfer milk into storage bags and bottles that DS actually drank out of, so the 4 it came with was enough. Refer to the manual for the pump, maybe it has something.
6) Bassinette sheets- We never had a bassinette, but I would say 3 sheets are good. You need more than one for those middle of the night diaper leaks.
Hope that helps.
DS - Born 6/17/12
DS#2 - Due 2/11/15
@oem617 oh thanks! I didn't even know you could buy an extra base for a car seat, duh! ok, I will definitely do that then (I am in way over my head methinks)
I don't think my pump comes with any bottles but maybe I am wrong, I guess I will wait until it comes in the mail to see (a few weeks) I am sure I can order advent bottles if that's all I can use.
I am heading to the big city to do some shopping on Sunday and hoping to pick up everything I need (I am in a small town and selection is limited) and don't know if I will make it in again before baby comes so any other "must have" items that you may think of would also be super helpful.
ETA: Note at bottom.
Feb'15 November Siggy Challenge:
Other very useful things to have on hand:
Burp Clothes - I think old fashion cloth diapers work best
Storage bags for BM if you are gonna pump and want to start a stash
Nipple Cream, nursing pads, nursing bra/tanks
Gas Drops, Gripe Water, Fever medicine, thermometer, nail clippers
I'm sure there are much more things, but that's what I got right now.
DS - Born 6/17/12
DS#2 - Due 2/11/15
2) I like having a baby monitor with the screen. I never use he volume on it. But I like seeing if DD is asleep or whatever. That being said, I don't think you need one.
3) I agree with PP about two bases. I would also start with the infant carrier because you can get them all buckled in and cozy inside your house then just put it in the base outside. Easier to me.
4) I had the crib at the highest height and I think I moved it down when she started rolling over.
5) I don't have that pump so I don't know. However, you need to at least check and make sure the bottles fit if you plan to pump into them. I was good with my four bottles and dumping straight to bags. If you're going back to work, you may need more.
6) I didn't use a bassinet but I have about 6-8 crib sheets because they were cute and on sale at target. I think you only need about three.
2. I didn't think we needed a monitor (live in 950 sq ft), but we got an audio one at a shower. It broke, and later I found a video monitor on craigslist we still use over 2 years later. DS talks in his sleep, so it helps me know if he's really up or just chatting
3. Ditto 2 bases.
4. Started at highest, moved it when he started crawling. This is a great question for your pediatrician, though. Ours was so helpful with stuff like this.
5. Not sure, but be careful before you stock up in a ton of bottles. DS wouldn't drink from Avent bottles, and I had like a dozen (ugh!). The pump will come with ones for collecting, and you can always pour the milk into other bottles, and you'll be storing it in bags anyway (if you're not using it right away). Fwiw, DS loved nuk bottles.
6. I'd say at least 2, so you have one for changing motn if you need. We did fine with 2.
Hope this helps! You sound way more prepared than tons of folks, so I wouldn't stress too much
NO MORE HEARTBURN!
@marys001 Thanks! Did you use any special detergent for the diapers? I usually use method scent free for HE and was planning on just using that but I didn't know if you need to use anything special. I plan to hang dry in the summer because--you know environment and natural bleaching but If its too much work I will use the dryer. I know that you shouldn't use fabric softener because it can cause the inserts to "repel" the pee or w.e (so I heard) Did you use the cloth diapers at night too or just during the day
Thanks for all the advice ladies, I was up all night the other night thinking of this stuff (after putting the nursery together and realizing that I have no idea what I am doing and baby is coming in 9 weeks!) and it makes me feel better to have some real ladies advice!
We would hang them to dry when the weather was nice, or on the bike hanging in our laundry room (makeshift drying rack!) since they last longer when you don't throw them in the dryer. Sometimes you just need to, though!
Yup, fabric softener will make them way more useless. And every month or two, add a little bleach to a load to remove any other detergent buildup. That helps them stay effective (and can fix a fabric softener accident, which hubby had once or twice).
We used them at night for a little while, but switched to overnighters after a month or two- he started leaking regularly. I have a friend who has boys and girls and her girls did fine with the cloth overnight-- so it really depends.
It sounds so complicated, but we got the hang of it pretty quick!
NO MORE HEARTBURN!
I dont have an avent pump, but I know with my ameda pump as long as the bottle is standard (not wide) it would work on my pump. I always poured into bags though for storage so I only used a few bottles with the pump.
Trust me , your questions are WAY better than the questions I was asking before Henry lol you got a good grip as to what you need I think
January Siggy Challenge:
Being able to get out of bed on the first try
I think that's fine. PS, I don't know if it's just me, but I have to scroll for a very long time to get last your sig pic. It's huge.
These are not stupid questions at all!!!
1) Cloth Diapering - no advice, sorry
2) Baby monitor-- we didn't use one with either baby.
3) Infant seat vs. Convertible seat. Which infant carrier are you looking at? The Chicco Keyfit is insanely easy for the base to be moved from car to car. Maybe start with that and just one base in the beginning. Either way, an infant carrier is a must IMO.
4) Crib height--We co-sleep so no help here.
5) Pumping/breast milk-- I had the Advent manual pump and the Medela PIS. Both needed their brand bottles.
6) Bassinette sheets- no help on this one either, sorry!
I am on iPad. Maybe that's the problem.
DS - Born 6/17/12
DS#2 - Due 2/11/15
Crib height - once DD could pull to stand it moved down. You will be able to judge easily based on your LO.
Basinette question - it's not required some babies do the crib from day 1. Or some babies, mine, won't sleep AT ALL unless they are touching someone. We were firmly against bed sharing but DD had other plans for us.
F15 December Siggy Challenge:
2. I like the monitor for peace of mind, but if your place is small enough you can try without and can always change your mind later. Our audio monitor was about $35, so you don't have to break the bank.
3. I also would recommend 2 bases if you don't want to have to move one between cars.
4. We had the mattress at the highest setting until DS could pull up to standing, then lowered it all the way. I agree your pediatrician should be able to give the most updated guidance.
5. I have an Avent pump and it came with one bottle. They have wider necks than some other bottles so it might only use the same brand. You can always pour the milk into another bottle or bag for feeding/storage as needed.
6. Our bassinet came with one sheet, and i bought one extra. I'll prob pick up one more in case DD spits up as much as DS did, so i can go a little longer between laundry loads.
Great questions, btw.
2) Baby monitor: While you don't *need* one - our parents / grandparents got by without them - it's convenient to have one. I like to be able to go to the other side of the house or even outside and know that if LO wakes up or needs me, I'll hear him.
3) I agree with PP, get another base. Also, you've probably already considered this, but you might need to take special precautions with putting your LO in the front of a truck, such as disabling the airbag.
5) There'll probably be a converter you can use so that you can pump right into a bottle of a different brand if you'd prefer. Don't stock up on one bottle type before LO is here - he/she may have their own preferences, and you don't want to be stuck with a million bottles they won't drink from.
6) I made do with two bassinet sheets. It would have been nice to have three.
@alygohome - PP had a good point. We couldn't do the BumGenius pocket inserts until DS was around 10 lbs & had more chunk to his legs. Until then, we did prefolds, Thirsties covers & Snappis. As he grew, I typically had 1 insert in the pocket diapers, but would do 2 inserts for longer (4 hr) sleeping stretches.
Prefolds are hands-down the BEST burp cloths. We received several pretty, monogrammed burp clothes that didn't absorb. We used the plain Gerber cloth diapers & set aside different prefolds (ironically- the Gerber CD suck at being CD but excel as burp cloths).