@PerraSucia how long did it take you to be able to get the baby latched in the dark? Are we talking days, weeks, ? I know everyone is different, but I just have no frame of reference.
Just to give you another response because this bfing stuff was hard in the beginning.... I probably didn't do it in the complete darkness for a couple of weeks. I don't know if it was me or her but getting my daughter latched on in the beginning was difficult! I actually had my husband helping me do it probably for the first week , started getting the hang of it more in week two and three.
We're headed to Ikea tomorrow to get our crib and mattress. I know it's a little early, but we have a coupon so off we go. If you used an Ikea mattress, did you find you need to use Ikea crib sheets only or did regular ones work fine? They look a lot thinner than other crib mattresses, even though the length and width dimensions are pretty similar.
@Xstatic3333 good luck putting the crib together based on pictures!
LOL. We have a pretty good record with IKEA furniture. I really love Ikea, so they've been my go-to ever since we got our local store. Their Gulliver crib is perfect for us since we want one that isn't gigantic and don't need it to convert.
@WinchesterGirl We used a small lamp with a red light bulb. In addition to providing a bit of light for nursing it was needed for diaper changes. The red light was less harsh than normal light, so it was easier for baby and parents to get back to sleep.
@Xstatic3333 We have an IKEA crib and love it. We used a mattress from Amazon. I've used IKEA sheets on the Amazon mattress and they fit just like the crib sheets we have. So I think the dimensions of the sheets are the same.
I learned pretty quick that turning on lights resulted in DD being up for a couple hours during the early months so I learned to change diapers and bf right away. Every baby is different but she seriously needs complete darkness to sleep well- she's a vampire like her mommy. One of my favorite apps was Baby Nursing- it helped me keep track of how long she was nursing and what side I left off on bc at 3 am you are lucky to remember your name in the early weeks.
@alemarie1 I don't have first hand experience with one but if you are planning on co-sleeping (either in the same bed or room) you probably won't need one. DD slept in our room until she was 4 months old and then went into her own room/crib. SIDS is a terrible thing but I think I would be extra paranoid if I had a special monitor to the point that I would've checked it all the time but that's just me. I do still check in on her during the night if I wake up and she's almost 17 mo.
@Xstatic3333 We have an IKEA crib and love it. We used a mattress from Amazon. I've used IKEA sheets on the Amazon mattress and they fit just like the crib sheets we have. So I think the dimensions of the sheets are the same.
How well did the amazon mattress fit in the IKEA crib? I was checking dimensions and they were off ever so slightly. I wasn't happy with the softness of the IKEA crib mattress, so buying elsewhere is the route we were hoping to take too
@PerraSucia another huge THANK YOU for your description. I am kind of apprehensive about pumping (but really really want to see if I can go longer w/o formula than last time...still a sore point with me).
@yogadevil. I discovered that a lot of mattress manufacturers will tell you straight out which cribs they might be too small for & Amazon mattress reviews also mention cribs. I found a firm organic one that the reviews say fits in the IKEA cribs snugly.
@yogadevil. I discovered that a lot of mattress manufacturers will tell you straight out which cribs they might be too small for & Amazon mattress reviews also mention cribs. I found a firm organic one that the reviews say fits in the IKEA cribs snugly.
@yogadevil. I discovered that a lot of mattress manufacturers will tell you straight out which cribs they might be too small for & Amazon mattress reviews also mention cribs. I found a firm organic one that the reviews say fits in the IKEA cribs snugly.
@yogadevil FWIW we got the most "expensive" IKEA mattress and it's pretty firm. The cheapest one looks like a light breeze would blow it away. We went that route as opposed to an organic mainly due to price. Apparently the IKEAs aren't bad on chemical additives.
I don't see that this has been mentioned here, but I just traded in DD's (now expired) car seat at BRU for 25% off a new seat. Sale goes till October 2nd, I think.
Well, my Labor Day sales finds have arrived. Two things have become obvious. 1. If you put ears or antlers on a hood/hat I'm all in. 2. I'm worried about this baby being cold!
This would probably be a pretty extensive list, but I'm trying to prep and see how much clothes we'll need. I realize babies grow at different rates, but does anyone have a list of how many of each type of clothing should be bought in each size?
@srscott3 this is so different for everyone but I would have at least 7-10 full outfits and pairs of pjs. My kid skipped 12 month all together and went 9-18 and we had so much shit he wore once because it was impractical. Also I know people that change their kids every time they get a little messy or slobbery and that is not me at all.
Are nursery gliders/rockers worth the money and do you actually end up using them often?
Yesssssss worth it. I didn't even want one but we used it everyday. Once we had my daughter in her own room she was still waking up in MOTN so I would nurse her in the chair. Also,you could start out with it in your room if baby is in there with you. When we had people come over, for privacy, I'd take her upstairs and use the glider during the day too. It was used all the time.
Confession: my youngest is 5 and I still "rock her" every night. One of us sits in the glider until she falls asleep. That glider has gotten plenty of miles between all three kids. We have a reclining glider with a gliding ottoman that also has a nursing stool that comes out. Nursing in it, snuggling in it or sleeping in it, it's really comfortable.
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
I'm probably the odd man out on this but I didn't like my glider. It had the ottoman with it too, still didn't like it. I loved just using the big lazy boy chair we had that reclined as well as rocked. It was so comfy. It's sitting in our storage unit right now and I can't wait to get that back, that thing is the best.
There are so many conversations going on I figured I would just chime in with what I found useful.
My baby Swing was a life saver. My Son slept in his for 5 months. He would not sleep anywhere else. Then he moved to a pack and play for a few more months in our bedroom. This time I got a Rock and play to try instead of the swing for sleeping at night.
I am am not crazy about our infant car seat. We have the graco snug ride. I have a hard time adjusting the straps but Maybe it's just me. I think I would go with the Chicco key fit as we have the next fit for DS now and love it.
I agree with previous posters about the sound machine. My DS still uses his and sleeps through a lot of racket because of it.
I enjoy having a video monitor because I could make sure he is sleeping comfortably and safe without checking on him and risk waking him up. I can even see him breathing on mine. I have the Summer infant wide view video monitor.
I dont think you NEED a lot of clothing but I liked having a lot so I didn't have to do laundry every day. Those little ones can be messy.
I had the intention of pumping but unfortunately my Dad was very sick with brain cancer in the hospital the first two weeks after my DS was born and then he passed away so I just couldn't find the time . My Son spent a lot of time with his Dad and Grandma while I was at the hospital. So If anyone has to do formula we tried everything. My DS had colic and a hard time with most formula's until we found Gerber good start. It was a life saver. My doctor told me she noticed a lot of babies with tummy issues do very well on it. Just in case anyone finds themselves struggling with formula.
My baby hated the glider and we rarely used it. There's no way to know if you and your kid will like it. I definitely would have never used it on baby's room as we primarily nursed side-lying at night and then put him back in crib and during day we nursed on the couch. We bought a fairly expensive one, I forget the brand.
Oh and on clothes. My kid grew so fast he was in 12 month clothes by 4 mos because of chunk. >100th %ile for height and length for months and I am 5'5" hubs 5' 11". I would say hold off on buying a lot of clothes until baby comes except for a few 0-3 mos and a few nbn outfits (maybe 5-7?). We have several outfits that never got put on.
Question about swings/gliders/etc. Out house is tiny. Like DH and I are extensively moving things and decluttering and there is room in our living area for ONE smallish piece of baby equipment. I've been checking out the small footprint options, and almost every store steers us to the mamaroo. I'm just concerned that a lot of people's kids hated the thing, from what I've read, and it's so expensive compared to a lot of the traditional swings.
Do any of you have any suggestions on smaller sized swings/gliders? Should we bite the bullet and go with the mamaroo?
Re: Baby Gear - Questions/Opinions/Suggestions
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
DD angel baby 10/16
Rainbow Due 02/20/18
@Xstatic3333 We have an IKEA crib and love it. We used a mattress from Amazon. I've used IKEA sheets on the Amazon mattress and they fit just like the crib sheets we have. So I think the dimensions of the sheets are the same.
@alemarie1 I don't have first hand experience with one but if you are planning on co-sleeping (either in the same bed or room) you probably won't need one. DD slept in our room until she was 4 months old and then went into her own room/crib. SIDS is a terrible thing but I think I would be extra paranoid if I had a special monitor to the point that I would've checked it all the time but that's just me. I do still check in on her during the night if I wake up and she's almost 17 mo.
Will save your post and your links.
Thanks again!
this one... I have not bought it yet, so this is just based on the reviews.
I like the plush ones better than the glider style... but a lot of them are really tall and I feel like a kid in an oversized chair.
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
My baby Swing was a life saver. My Son slept in his for 5 months. He would not sleep anywhere else. Then he moved to a pack and play for a few more months in our bedroom. This time I got a Rock and play to try instead of the swing for sleeping at night.
I am am not crazy about our infant car seat. We have the graco snug ride. I have a hard time adjusting the straps but Maybe it's just me. I think I would go with the Chicco key fit as we have the next fit for DS now and love it.
I agree with previous posters about the sound machine. My DS still uses his and sleeps through a lot of racket because of it.
I enjoy having a video monitor because I could make sure he is sleeping comfortably and safe without checking on him and risk waking him up. I can even see him breathing on mine. I have the Summer infant wide view video monitor.
I dont think you NEED a lot of clothing but I liked having a lot so I didn't have to do laundry every day. Those little ones can be messy.
I had the intention of pumping but unfortunately my Dad was very sick with brain cancer in the hospital the first two weeks after my DS was born and then he passed away so I just couldn't find the time . My Son spent a lot of time with his Dad and Grandma while I was at the hospital. So If anyone has to do formula we tried everything. My DS had colic and a hard time with most formula's until we found Gerber good start. It was a life saver. My doctor told me she noticed a lot of babies with tummy issues do very well on it. Just in case anyone finds themselves struggling with formula.
Samuel Jacob
Due 2/16/17
Do any of you have any suggestions on smaller sized swings/gliders? Should we bite the bullet and go with the mamaroo?