Randoms and Questions 01.02 - 01.08

pshaortao · January 2017

Hooray, we're fully into 2017! How is it going?

WombThereItIs · January 2017

Ah shit. I was that idiot that posted in last week's.

Dayacre closures on federal holidays should not be a thing when you have a two year old. YOUR TURN, daycare!

kns1988 · January 2017

I just sneezed and had the worst knife in the groin RLP. That symptom is really not my favorite.

Sorry you don't get a break today, @WombThereItIs. Our friends were here with their 20-month-old over the weekend and it's exhausting! I'm sure having more of a baby proofed house would make a difference in the amount of running around, at least. We think we're moving in the next 2 months, so we're planning to set up the new house baby proofed so that it's already done when our kid becomes mobile.

MrsFox2008 · January 2017

My birthday is this week, woo hoo! DH is taking me to my favorite restaurant for lunch that day! I can't wait. Also looking forward to having some time with DH today since he has a short day at work today!

pshaortao · January 2017

Happy birthday @MrsFox2008!

I feel you on the sneezing rlp @kns1988, they're the worst! If I have another sneeze right after especially while sitting, I try to straighten my body out then its not so bad.

Nothing going on here so far, just a blah rainy day, that DH took the car after I had told him we were going to an indoor playground this morning. So thats not happening anymore and I'm just annoyed. I've been on his case about looking for a 2nd car since he always has a not so helpful comment for anything I find on his behalf. Now to hide the keys tomorrow morning or not... i don't even know if thats even worth a fight.

chickyclg · January 2017

I need to clean the house but I am so unmotivated. The kids birthday is Saturday and then we are going on vacation so I feel like if nothing really gets done this week it will be a nightmare to do next week, especially since some time next week we need to paint our old furniture for the nursery.

vrj0522 · January 2017

Slow morning here. DH and DD are still sleeping at 9 am. DS is watching tv, I'm hanging out with him. What I really should be doing is cleaning too because our house is a mess from the weekend but I don't know if I'll get to do much of it today since I haven't started yet and we are going to my brother's house later this morning and then to the aquarium in the evening. I figured I'll get to it tomorrow when DS goes back to preschool. He goes 3 days a week for 5 hrs each day, which really gives me time to get some stuff done, particularly because DD is very good at keeping herself busy and will hang out with me while I work but do her own thing at the same time.

MrsFox2008 · January 2017

@pshaortao thanks!

@kns1988 I'm a STM and just experienced this the first time the other day! Super uncomfortable.

starphish18 · January 2017

It is dead today at work. I think I'm going to work on my Amazon baby registry. Speaking of registry items... Are these things actually useful, or are they just trying to get me to buy more stuff:
Hooded baby towels
Baby washcloth (vs any regular washcloth)
Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers
Baby lotion
Diaper caddies (presumably just a plastic container for the wipes?)
Nursing pillow

pshaortao · January 2017

starphish18 said:

Hooded baby towels - I dont think the hooded part is necessary. DD hates it but it may depend on the kiddo.

Baby washcloth (vs any regular washcloth) - theyre super soft and lightweight. We used them a lot while we used the baby tub

Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers - we used puppy pee pad haha but we didnt use a changing pad to begin with

Baby lotion - i had one as part of of a baby bath set and used the lotion more for myself because it seemed wasteful otherwise.

Diaper caddies (presumably just a plastic container for the wipes?) I just used an old container that I already had

Nursing pillow - yessss! I personally am a fan of the boppy but have heard breastfriend is great too. Boppy was nice for other things like propping baby on it while in your lap, or for cushion when they start to sit up but usually will fall over. We had wood floor so that added protectio was a must for us.

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · January 2017

Hooded baby towels: Yes but I wouldn't buy a ton. DD grew out of the baby size by 1 and we still use the regular kid size at 3.
Baby washcloth (vs any regular washcloth): we use them but I don't think it makes much of a difference.
Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers: we used these. I liked them for when we got stuff on the liner, We could just toss it in the wash without having to wash the whole pad cover.
Baby lotion: we used Aquaphor.
Diaper caddies (presumably just a plastic container for the wipes?): no. I also saw someone else mention having 2 diaper pails (1 upstairs and 1 down). That seems unnecessary too. Upstairs we had the diaper pail for pee diapers. Downstairs pee diapers went in the regular trash. All poop diapers have a 1 way ticket straight outside to the outdoor trash.
Nursing pillow: we had a boppy. I never used it for nursing but almost every other nursing mom I know swore by it.

vrj0522 · January 2017

@starphish18 - I feel like most of those items might be nice to have but unnecessary. The two I would add would be hooded towels but try to find toddler sized ones because they griw out of the baby ones really fast, and baby lotion. I recommend aveeno baby or any other that is good for eczema since it's very common for babies to have it. I hated Johnson&Johnson and Baby Magic lotions and we are still making our way through the ones we got when DS was born 4 years ago. We only use them for emergencies basically.

ETA to say yes on the nursing pillow. I could never bf without one, even when my babies got bigger. Plus you can use it for other things.

chickyclg · January 2017

Hooded towels- I love the hood but I wouldn't get more than 3 or 4, I hated the microfiber feeling ones that came in a 3 pack at Target. My kids are small (like 1-2% when they are actually on the curve) and they were still out of them around their first birthday.

Baby washcloths- I liked them and bought a small set for this baby

Baby Lotion- I think this is a must (unless you use a sensitive skin lotion). I personally hated J&J brand, Aveeno worked well for us until DDs eczema got bad.

Diaper caddies- meh, if it were a gift sure, but not something on my must have.

Nursing pillow- I loved my Boppys for everything but nursing. I used the twin breastfriend and I felt like it was more supportive for actual nursing.

ETA: I will be buying a single breastfriend and a new boppy this time since I think they are both essential.

psherman42wwsa · January 2017

Hooded baby towels- People frequently buy these as gifts because they are cute. No need to register for one since you will probably get one or several. I never found them useful.

Baby washcloth (vs any regular washcloth) - Yes. I got a couple super soft bamboo wash cloths, they were useful for washing the eyes. Other than that, I used my hands.

Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers- Couldnt tell you. I didnt use my changing pad. When my DS was tiny I used the changing pad on the pack n play in my living room. I could wipe it down after explosions.

Baby lotion- Yes. When newborns come out their skin is peeling off and probably is dry and itchy. Plus I loved to give my baby massages and still do. I sing songs and give him a good rub down and he loves it. I like the shea moisture or the aveeno. I don't think the J&J products do very much moisturizing for more than 3 minutes.

Diaper caddies (presumably just a plastic container for the wipes?) I have this one https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Sarabear-Portable-Diaper-Waffle/dp/B00674S4LU/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1483381206&sr=8-1&keywords=sara+bear+diaper+caddy I still have it on the first floor of my house because bedrooms are upstairs and I'm too lazy to walk upstairs for every diaper change.

Nursing pillow- yes if you plan to nurse. I used mine a ton.

I love talking baby stuff : )

OmegaRose3 · January 2017

Hooded baby towels- not 100% necessary, at 1.5, we still use them for DD, but more just because it's what we have, not because they are anything special

Baby washcloths- I like them, for my own personal washcloths I use really knobby ones that can be a bit rough in order to exfoliate so I use baby washcloths. We also use washcloths for teething so it's nice not to use up all of mine

Baby lotion- I would just say get Eucerin, Aveeno or I personally have been using the generic of Vaseline lotion with shea butter for DD and I because it's cheap and moisturizing without being greasy

Diaper caddys- Honestly, I think they are gross. SIL had one for my oldest niece and when it was full it was just fowl smelling and not really all that convenient

Nursing Pillow- Go for it if you plan to nurse, I have no advice because DD was bottle fed

OmegaRose3 · January 2017

On another note, I almost legitimately punched DH in the face last night for keeping me up with his loud movies and popcorn. How he didn't wake up DD is beyond me but I am still super annoyed at him and feel completely exhausted. Is it too much to ask for a good night's sleep because between DH and pregnancy dreams, I'm dying here.

bacorrea · January 2017

+1 for my breastfriend nursing pillow! It's my favorite. The boppy was useful to help DD be "propped" up, but she wiggles too much to
use it as a BF pillow. I think everything is really personal preference. It's great to put it all on your registry and if people buy it, great! If not you don't need to feel like you have to rush and buy all the things when the baby is here. Amazon Prime is the best or having DH run to the store to buy something if you find you're in need.

I have to say, I love the arm & hammer diaper bags. I keep a roll everywhere in the house and in my purse/diaper bag. In the house I can put a poopy diaper in it and throw it in the trash/diaper pail and not worry about the smell. Same if I have to change a diaper in the car and I can't get to a trash can right away. Also DD has a poopsplosian on a road trip and I was able to put her outfit in one of the bags and the diaper in the other. Contains the mess and the smell.

bacorrea · January 2017

Any military mamas delivery at Langley AFB? The military board is always dead I thought I would ask here! @WombThereItIs @h&pmamma

CherryBananas · January 2017

While we're talking about registry stuff, I picked up a few of these on sale at babies r us. One in the 0-3 month size, one in the 4-6 month size. I wasn't going to register for any more in case the baby doesn't like them, but some of my friends are insistent that the 0-3 month size I'll use all the time. Thoughts?

Squirtgun · January 2017

@CherryBananas- it's going to depend on your kid! Older daughter HATED those things. Liked being swaddled, but those things would slip up over her mouth, because of how she wiggled in them, trying to get out! Younger daughter LOVED them! She had the super fuzzy ones and the ones like you have pictured. She would settle right down as soon as she was Velcroed in! We transitioned her from those to the ones that are a zipper bag with their hands in the air to sleeping without one.

psherman42wwsa · January 2017

my son loved the swaddle. He wouldn't sleep until I put on the swaddle. Around 5 or 6 months I had to get rid of the swaddles because he would bust out and then get mad... the transition was a little tricky.

I would just get 1 or 2 of the small size until you know if your child likes them. I hear about most babies hating them.

lilmisscrafty-2 · January 2017

@OmegaRose3 - OMG, that was me last night. DH was off last night and spent it playing his playstation. I've been begging him to keep it down and last night he seemed to completely ignore me. He knows I've been having trouble sleeping, so WTF?!

Have no motivation today. My client's office is closed today so I'm trying not to feel guilty about not working.

slowmo · January 2017

@starphish18 - The hooded towels are more cute than necessary. We had waaaay too many because I didn't listen to my SIL when she told me this.

I wouldn't go nuts with diaper organizational stuff until after baby. The way I put things away initially didn't make sense after baby. I figured I would always change him upstairs on the changing pad in his room, and in reality ended up changing him more downstairs in be PNP changer thing. I did love the changing pad liners and, like @bacorrea, swear by those Arm & Hammer diaper trash bags. Excellent for poopsplosions!

clebl24 · January 2017

@cherrybananas. The swaddle me was great for DS. I was reluctant at first, but several friends swore by them. I felt like I was putting him in a straight jacket, but it helped him sleep better. I don't think you are supposed to use them once LO can roll over.

clebl24 · January 2017

starphish18 said:

It is dead today at work. I think I'm going to work on my Amazon baby registry. Speaking of registry items... Are these things actually useful, or are they just trying to get me to buy more stuff:

Hooded baby towels
I still use the hooded towels DS(2). I prefer the thicker towels. I recently got the bigger size.

Baby washcloth (vs any regular washcloth)
I still use them. They are so soft and great for dealing with clogged tear ducts.

Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers
I still use them. It is so much easier to wash liner than the cover when you get a poop smear.

Baby lotion
I could take it or leave it.

Diaper caddies (presumably just a plastic container for the wipes?)
It's nice to have everything together and portable from room to another. Not must do, but very convenient.

I keep our diaper genie outside. It stinks.

Nursing pillow
YES! I ended up with two (one for living room and one for bedroom/nursery). I took one with me everywhere the first couple of weeks.

WombThereItIs · January 2017

@bacorrea my son was born at Ft. Campbel and this one probbaly will at well. I did have the first half of my prenatal care last time at Ft. Belvoir as well. I believe Langley has some staff and also gets OB residents from Walter Reed and occasionally Ft. Belvoir as well. I don't know anything else about it there though.

starphish18 · January 2017

I've seen a lot of comments that diaper pails/genies are never going to completely mask the smell of poopy diapers. Does anyone have a brand they find particularly good for masking smell? I had an odd thought of using a compost bin instead. I actually have one sitting next to our litter box. We bag the litter in little poop bags and deposit it into the compost bin (which has a charcoal filter), and it completely masks the smell unless you're opening the bin. It makes it way easier for us to go longer before bringing them to the trash outside because we have an incredibly long driveway. There's no way I'm running poopy diapers that far, so I need an easier solution for indoors. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Also, thanks for all the responses so far about registry items. You ladies are so incredibly helpful.

kns1988 · January 2017

@starphish18, I'm planning to cloth diaper and to use the Ubbi diaper pail, which is what my friend recommended. She doesn't have any issues with it.

CherryBananas · January 2017

@Squirtgun @clebl24 @lrwardrop thanks ladies. That's what I thought - each baby has its own preference. Maybe I'll just register for one more and then buy as needed after the baby comes

starphish18 · January 2017

@kns1988 Ubbi was on Lucie's List, as well. It's what I currently have on our registry if I don't hear about anything better. I like that you can use your own bags, too.

starphish18 · January 2017

Another question about cribs (yeesh, I'm just full of them today). I've noticed that the traditional crib length seems to be around 54" long, which is the width of a full-size bed. The smaller ones I'm seeing, around 40" and the width of a twin bed, say "mini". I was leaning towards getting a mini that can convert into a twin bed, but am wondering... Will toddlers get too long for the minis before they transition out of the crib?

kns1988 · January 2017

Maybe this belongs on a UO thread, but I just looked at gender reveals on Pinterest and so many of them are barf-worthy. Staches or lashes, pistols or pearls, touchdowns or pompoms, cupcake or studmuffin. It just reinforced that I'm just telling people "it's a __" the old fashioned way.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/yq/zdqj402m6w4u.jpg

starphish18 · January 2017

kns1988 said:

Maybe this belongs on a UO thread, but I just looked at gender reveals on Pinterest and so many of them are barf-worthy. Staches or lashes, pistols or pearls, touchdowns or pompoms, cupcake or studmuffin. It just reinforced that I'm just telling people "it's a __" the old fashioned way.

I want to punch that cake.

MoshiMoshi7 · January 2017

@starphish18 I think it depends on your kid. My MIL had a mini crib for DS and he outgrew it by 18 months. But he was a tall kid and stayed in his crib until pretty recently (2.5). So it could work for you, I think it just depends on your child's size and how long you plan to keep them in there.

So I am finally biting the bullet and staying home with DS for a few days to work on potty training. I really should have done this when I was still able to drink.

emilyalso · January 2017

@starphish18 - I know you've gotten lots of info already, but I love me a good list!

Hooded baby towels - We LOVE these, but some are TINY. I'm not sure if packages list dimensions, but make sure they are big enough to do some good. I bought a big bag of 12-15 towels at a consignment sale, and I consider that one of my best 'finds.'

Baby washcloth - I think these are good to have because they're so soft. They're also super cheap, and you can find them anywhere. I think we got a great pack at TJ Maxx.

Changing pad liners overtop changing pad covers - I used dog tt pads over the changing pad until DS was big enough to wiggle all over - then it was too hard to keep them in place. Everyone says little boys tt when their diapers come off, but he was WAY more likely to poop without a diaper - which was an even bigger mess!

Baby lotion - I think my Ped said not to use it until 1 month, but after that we worked it into our bedtime routine. Even if I just do his legs and feet, it's a nice little massage and helps to relax him.

Diaper caddies - While DS was sleeping in our room, we had the pnp set up as the changing station and all of the diapers/wipes were near that. This time around, I will definitely have a changing station set up out in the house somewhere, but it doesn't have to be fancy. Make sure your wipes have a hard plastic top and not just a flap that's part of the packaging. It makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE when you're closing it back up.

Nursing pillow - I loved my boppy and have actually gotten a second one (to keep one in the bedroom and one out in the house.) This was another consignment sale find - so they were cheap! It may sound frivolous to have two, but I remember last time having to cart the boppy, water bottle, and little notebook (used to keep up with diapers/feedings in the beginning) from the bedroom to the living room every morning and back at night. Add the baby to that load, and it was a lot to deal with. A few extra dollars is SO WORTH IT to me to cut down on the struggle.

I don't have an older toddler, so I can't comment on that aspect of the smaller crib. The first thing that comes to my mind is - How easy will it be to find sheets to fit? You might be limited in your choices if it's an odd size.

CherryBananas · January 2017

kns1988 said:

Maybe this belongs on a UO thread, but I just looked at gender reveals on Pinterest and so many of them are barf-worthy. Staches or lashes, pistols or pearls, touchdowns or pompoms, cupcake or studmuffin. It just reinforced that I'm just telling people "it's a __" the old fashioned way.

Gross

pshaortao · January 2017

starphish18 said:

Another question about cribs (yeesh, I'm just full of them today). I've noticed that the traditional crib length seems to be around 54" long, which is the width of a full-size bed. The smaller ones I'm seeing, around 40" and the width of a twin bed, say "mini". I was leaning towards getting a mini that can convert into a twin bed, but am wondering... Will toddlers get too long for the minis before they transition out of the crib?

Just to give you an idea.. DD is 2.25yo now and she's around 95% for her height. She was 36" at her 2yo appointment. And she's still in a crib since it's still working for us. I think it really depends on your long term plan, space (their own room? shared room?) and so on. When she's ready we will just take the side down and use it as a toddler bed while we look for a twin or full sized bed rather than converting. It's my understanding that it cost a bit to get the conversion stuff that you may as well buy a new bed anyways.

KMD1106 · January 2017

@starphish18, if you won't be converting it to a toddler bed, it could work. You might just have to move your toddler out of a crib earlier than you would in a full size crib. We have a full size that converted into a toddler bed and my 37 inch, short for her age, 3 year old is still comfy in it.

hp_momma · January 2017

@bacorrea Nope sorry, I've got an Arizonan, Texan, and now Washington state but no Langley AFB. Isn't it a Joint Base now with Fort Eustis? I've heard good things about Eustis! Your right, the military board is always slow. I go on there once in awhile just to check but never anything new.

KMD1106 · January 2017

This stems from last week's random post, but do any STMs feel like they are experiencing things slower than last time? I'm not feeling true kicks yet (probably due to anterior placenta), I don't have sciatic pain yet (please stay away!), and I still don't really "feel" pregnant. If it weren't for rlp and an expanding midsection, I would forget that I'm expecting!

WombThereItIs · January 2017

@starphish18 my son is petty average in height and at a little over 2 he definitely needs the extra space, he's about 36". A 40" crib would give him very little extra space at the top or bottom. I'm lucky because he shows no sign of climbing out soon and I hope to keep him in there until he's 3!

For perspective this is him at about 22 months. If he wasn't at the diagonal you can tell he would be taking up a good bit of the length.

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