Question regarding nursing clothes; how much nursing-specific clothing do I really need?
Bras seem obvious, get a couple to start and then in whatever size things settle at. But, what about tops? Right now I have 2 nursing tanks, 2 pull down nursing tops, and 1 night gown. Am I really going to need a nursing specific top every time I leave the house, or do you all just use covers? Some combo of the two?
I'm curious about nursing tops too. I have always just EP'd and just pulled my arms out of my sleeves and pulled the shirt up to my neck to pump, but I'm wondering if nursing tops would be easier to just slide my boobs out or unsnap down... did anyone who pumped find it useful to use nursing tops to make it easier or not really?
I don't really know @WinchesterGirl but my mom always wore looser fitting tops she could pull up over her boobs. She just used a blanket or cover for some privacy if needed. She only needed a cover if we were out like to a restaurant or attraction like the zoo. (She was a stay home mom. Also she didn't hide it from us kids, so I saw at a very young age how babies were fed, she even squeezed her boobs one time and accidentally squeezed milk all over my brothers head while trying to show me how the milk comes out lol)
@winchestergirl I wore tank tops and nursing tanks exclusively the entire time I was bfing. It was too hard to wear a shirt with a high neck or a t-shirt and stay covered up if we were out. One thing I did though would be to wear a tank top under a regular shirt so I could at least have the top shirt as a buffer if I was sick of the tank top look.
Depends if you want your midsection covered. If no (esp if you're EP bc I'd imagine you never do that in public), then you just need bras. If yes, you'll want at least tanks to wear under regular shirts.
@CurlyCupcake21 we just put up blinds that have both sheer and blackout options, I think they're called "day/night blinds" like you pull them down and they're blackout but there's another handle to pull down to reveal the sheer. We have those in our bedroom and leave the sheet about 12-18" exposed so its dim but manageable. Maybe those are an option until you can put curtains up?
I basically only wore things I could pull my boobs out of the whole time. Pulling a shirt up to nurse sucks and you go from a little boob showing to be half naked.
I wear a lot of low v neck shirts or tanks that are pull downable. This time I got some of the long sleeve like hidden pull up things and they're not really made for big boobs tbh.
I wore nursing tanks under a lot of things. If I couldn't pop a boob out of the top, I could keep my belly covered that way. I actually was way more self concious about flashing post partum belly than boob!
Looser shirts or things that unbutton from the top were what I mostly went for. This time I am kind of winging it.
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
Total vanity question: but best places to find baby girl clothes that aren't all pink? We had to buy some preemie stuff and it's all soooo pink and somehow most of her newborn stuff is too. Everything people bought her is pink and as cute as it all is, there has to be sleep and plays and body suits that aren't pastel pink. I've looked through H&M and found some good stuff there, but do any of you guys have places that you like that has cute, reasonably priced little girls stuff that doesn't look like Barbie made it?
@FerForShort Baby Gap, Old Navy , and H&M were my go- to shops with DD. Not a huge fan of all the pink either. And I HATE all the "princess/diva" messages on onsies.
@FerForShort I'm team green and have gotten a bunch of neutral long sleeved PJ's at Target. They've had the best selection (online, not in my local store) that I've found so far.
How old were your LOs when you started putting them down for discrete naps or periods of sleep? DD is only five weeks now and so far I pretty much just carry her around all day and she naps on me or occasionally in her swing. When we go to sleep she goes (mostly unsuccessfully) into her bassinet. We never put her down and leave the room
This system works for now while I'm on mat leave but when she goes to daycare I imagine it will be an issue. How did you transition to napping alone, when, and how long did it take?
@lemieuxk We were able to get her down for naps alone from the very beginning but of course a lot of them she was held for because, baby. What's preventing you from getting her down? Is she just not okay with sleeping on her back alone? What have you tried in terms of that? Can she sleep in her crib alone at night at all? I know she is a preemie and so you face more challenges but I'll try to help if I can!
I just don't put her down to sleep alone during the day because I know she wants to be held and I enjoy the bonding aspect of snuggling her. I also feel nervous putting her down in our bedroom and leaving the room just because she's so young (but maybe that's misplaced?). At night she does sleep alone on her back swaddled but she doesn't love it so it's a challenge to get and keep her sleeping that way.
For now this works but I guess my concern is that one day I'll drop her off at daycare and she won't have a 1:1 caregiver all day. I don't want to wait until it's here and set her and her DC provider up for misery.
My DD slept on me pretty much my whole maternity leave. She was okay at daycare though. They had a system in the infant room that got her to sleep and it worked out!
LO has been sleeping in his crib (swaddled, arms in but hands out) since we got home from the hospital. Sometimes he's restless and doesn't sleep great but most times he can sleep for 4 hours.
@lemieuxk it sounds like you're fine then! I would snuggle the crap out of my baby when I had the chance and let the daycare people set up their routine etc and not worry about it. It sounds like your routine is pretty standard for having a newborn as long as you're happy with the way it is.
@lemieuxk We pretty much have the same situation lol. I almost always hold DD while she's napping during the day and then she goes in her bassinet on her back (swaddled with arms out) at night. DD doesn't like being on her back either but she just deals with it lol. She will make some noises and move around a bit but almost always falls asleep after a while. It never occurred to me that this might be an issue at day care, I just figured she would learn to adapt to their routine there.
@lemieuxk I really think what works in regards to sleep is different for every baby. My DS1 would NOT sleep by himself unlesd I was holding him or at least in reach for over a year. We became cosleepers out of my desperation to get sleep. He went to daycare part time at 3mo and did ok with their routine though. However, my new 5 day old is already on a better sleep pattern and is ok sleeping alone in his pack n play.
I second something that can be easily removed for LO's appointment! Easy off and then easy on, especially if your LO is like mine and hates being naked lol.
Socks!! Please tell me one of you experienced mammas have a brand that don't fall off! I am loving sleeping gowns for easy diaper changes, but her socks keep falling off and her little feet get cold.
Bonus points if they don't look like shoes and aren't pink
Socks!! Please tell me one of you experienced mammas have a brand that don't fall off! I am loving sleeping gowns for easy diaper changes, but her socks keep falling off and her little feet get cold.
Bonus points if they don't look like shoes and aren't pink
Okay, for all the STMs/folks with outside babies who are planning to cloth diaper.... umm... what am I doing wrong? Theo is soaking prefolds like a champ, and often going through the prefold, the cover, and a onesie. I've been trying to make the switch over from disposables, and my god I'm changing diapers like once an hour. I know he's a big wetter and a big pooper, but I don't know how to make this work!
I think part of the problem is that he's gained all his weight length-wise, so he still fits the newborn size prefolds, size-wise, but they just can't handle the volume (picture that line delivered like Scottie from Star Trek). When I try and put him in an infant sized prefold, the amount of extra fabric is ridiculous. Like, baby can't lie flat ridiculous.
Help? (she says, as she opens another package of disposables)
@poetryandoceans this was the exact issue we had with DS1 but he wasn't just leaking but getting pee burns too. We tried everything and soon his diaper was so thick with extra shit he couldn't fit in pants and we just gave up. I've heard pockets are better than prefolds but we had lost our minds and already spent so much on our initial stash
@poetryandoceans I'm not s STM, but out of curiosity what brand of prefolds are you using? I've heard GMD and OsoCozy both work better than some other brands. I plan to use OsoCozys, but I also have a ton of BumGenius AIO's that a friend said worked really well for her son.
I've heard that boys need significantly more padding toward the front to avoid leakage, and a lot of CD families I know use inserts WITH the prefolds for heavy wetters.
Edit: @madamerwin I'm using Bummis organic cotton. They're a Canadian brand, and the one that my local crunchy mama store recommends. I didn't do too much digging into different types, I just figured cotton is cotton is cotton. Maybe that was wrong...
In terms of the fold, being in-between sizes is creating an issue: the newborn size doesn't let me do the extra padding in the front, and the infant sizing does let me do the fold to provide the extra padding, but there is just SO MUCH EXTRA fabric afterwards.
@PerraSucia I'm really kicking myself for backing the prefolds so much; my stash is primarily prefold, and I'm having a hard time saying "welp, maybe these will work better for kid 2"
Does anyone have any advice about how to successfully diaper a little dude in prefolds? Are they just better for girls?
@poetryandoceans, I think it's just hard to fit a newborn. Do you have any flats? Flower sack towels? Could they be added as a layer? Or a fleece liner?
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
Hmm I would try adding some more absorption. Maybe buy some super cheap flour sack towels to add. They're pretty trim and you can find them anywhere (walmart and target in the states). How often are you changing him?
@Starfish113 at this point, almost hourly. I can get 2 hours out of a disposable, but there are a ton of changes going on right now either way. I'm going to add fleece liners, but because of the awkward size issues if I put anything too bulky in, I can't snappi the prefold shut. Once he chunks up a bit, and more comfortably fits the infant prefolds, I think I'll have more options
@poetryandoceans I'll be starting CD too but not until after NB phase. Have you tried troubleshooting on any CD fb groups? I'm in one that seems super helpful with all sorts of issues.
Re: Ask a STM January
Bras seem obvious, get a couple to start and then in whatever size things settle at. But, what about tops? Right now I have 2 nursing tanks, 2 pull down nursing tops, and 1 night gown. Am I really going to need a nursing specific top every time I leave the house, or do you all just use covers? Some combo of the two?
I don't really know @WinchesterGirl but my mom always wore looser fitting tops she could pull up over her boobs. She just used a blanket or cover for some privacy if needed. She only needed a cover if we were out like to a restaurant or attraction like the zoo. (She was a stay home mom. Also she didn't hide it from us kids, so I saw at a very young age how babies were fed, she even squeezed her boobs one time and accidentally squeezed milk all over my brothers head while trying to show me how the milk comes out lol)
I wear a lot of low v neck shirts or tanks that are pull downable. This time I got some of the long sleeve like hidden pull up things and they're not really made for big boobs tbh.
Looser shirts or things that unbutton from the top were what I mostly went for. This time I am kind of winging it.
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
This system works for now while I'm on mat leave but when she goes to daycare I imagine it will be an issue. How did you transition to napping alone, when, and how long did it take?
For now this works but I guess my concern is that one day I'll drop her off at daycare and she won't have a 1:1 caregiver all day. I don't want to wait until it's here and set her and her DC provider up for misery.
Me: 37 - H: 39
TTC#1: 01/2016
BFP: 06/18/2016 - EDD: 02/20/2017 - Born: 01/27/2017
My DS1 would NOT sleep by himself unlesd I was holding him or at least in reach for over a year. We became cosleepers out of my desperation to get sleep. He went to daycare part time at 3mo and did ok with their routine though.
However, my new 5 day old is already on a better sleep pattern and is ok sleeping alone in his pack n play.
Bonus points if they don't look like shoes and aren't pink
Me: 37 - H: 39
TTC#1: 01/2016
BFP: 06/18/2016 - EDD: 02/20/2017 - Born: 01/27/2017
https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=674616002&vid=1&locale=en_US&kwid=1&sem=false&sdkw=sport-socks-4-pack-for-toddler-and-baby-P674616&sdReferer=https://www.google.com/
Also, the baby socks at Hanna Andersson stay on, but more expensive and in cutesy patterns.
I think part of the problem is that he's gained all his weight length-wise, so he still fits the newborn size prefolds, size-wise, but they just can't handle the volume (picture that line delivered like Scottie from Star Trek). When I try and put him in an infant sized prefold, the amount of extra fabric is ridiculous. Like, baby can't lie flat ridiculous.
Help? (she says, as she opens another package of disposables)
I've heard that boys need significantly more padding toward the front to avoid leakage, and a lot of CD families I know use inserts WITH the prefolds for heavy wetters.
In terms of the fold, being in-between sizes is creating an issue: the newborn size doesn't let me do the extra padding in the front, and the infant sizing does let me do the fold to provide the extra padding, but there is just SO MUCH EXTRA fabric afterwards.
@PerraSucia I'm really kicking myself for backing the prefolds so much; my stash is primarily prefold, and I'm having a hard time saying "welp, maybe these will work better for kid 2"
Does anyone have any advice about how to successfully diaper a little dude in prefolds? Are they just better for girls?
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17