@kat0607 that was my FTM mom mistake - paid way too much for a crib bedding set and matching mobile, lamp, etc. we didn't use half of it and what we did use was either ruined or mismatched very quickly.
For my second I went to Walmart/target and bought a bunch of cute but cheap sheets and mattress protectors. DS got this cute whale mobile that was less than half what his sisters was and it played the same sound and did the exact same thing, plus it was whales and that is too cute. And for the record both mobiles were destroyed by 1 year. Easier to stomach with a 20 dollar one over a 50 dollar one. Though I CANT recommend the little Einsteins crib aquarium enough. They LOVED it from baby to toddler and still play with it, that thing survived both babies and I will use it for this one too! But you will go through a fortune in C batteries
@kat0607 - total waste of money! Just a way for companies to make money unless you save it for when kiddo is old enough for a blanket. Most of my friends use the blanket as a wall hanging. We're only going to buy sheets and a mattress protector. Nothing should be in a crib with baby except a fitted sheet.
This! The only time it would be nice is if you plan to move them to a toddler bed, because the crib sets will fit the toddler bed and it's hard to find toddler bedding that's not character related, but you don't need it for an infant!
@kat0607 that was my FTM mom mistake - paid way too much for a crib bedding set and matching mobile, lamp, etc. we didn't use half of it and what we did use was either ruined or mismatched very quickly.
For my second I went to Walmart/target and bought a bunch of cute but cheap sheets and mattress protectors. DS got this cute whale mobile that was less than half what his sisters was and it played the same sound and did the exact same thing, plus it was whales and that is too cute. And for the record both mobiles were destroyed by 1 year. Easier to stomach with a 20 dollar one over a 50 dollar one. Though I CANT recommend the little Einsteins crib aquarium enough. They LOVED it from baby to toddler and still play with it, that thing survived both babies and I will use it for this one too! But you will go through a fortune in C batteries
We did the same!
And YES to the crib aquarium. DD is 18months and still turns it on for herself every night. We had a pretty easy transition from our bed to her crib because of it!
Okay, so I'm not crazy!! Haha, my mom had asked me if I was going to register for a bedding set and I was like, am I really going to need all that bedding? I already have a bunch of different fitted sheet sets on my registry so I'll just stick with those for now. @Dcwtada this is also why I chose not to get a mobile either!! I like the look of them, but to me it's extra money for something baby won't even care about, considering we are planning to have him in a bassinet in our room for a little while at first. @Potterphile I'm ALL about the swaddle blankets too!! I think they're super versatile and adorable. Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!
@LuLiLaEv I swear I'd gladly pay 10x what that aquarium costs. And mine were the same, id hear them get up, hit the button and go back to sleep in the middle of the night or give us an extra 15-30 minutes or so in the morning when they woke up just playing and watching it. We took it off DS 's crib about 6 months ago and they carry it around and play with it still. Dumb me was hesitant to buy it because of the mobile fiasco, I am sooo glad I did.
I'll add a bedding tip someone passed along to me that has been helpful. Put a waterproof pad on the mattress, followed by a sheet, followed by another waterproof pad and another sheet. When you need to change the top sheet/pad, all you have to do is take them off-- the bed is already made underneath. It can save a lot of middle of the night time -- or even just when you wash the sheet because you planned to! I'll definitely do the same with #2.
re: water breaking my SILs water broke while she was sleeping, with no signs of labor. My sister was quite scared of this happening to her so she had a pad on, had towels on her seat while driving and she had this plastic kind of shorts on just in case lol. I'm going to look into those shorts/undies
This is a REALLY dumb question, inspired by the coupons and deals thread. Why is a crib quilt or blanket necessary? Is it just for show? I'm actually laughing out loud at myself because I honestly have no idea. Babies don't snuggle up with a quilt in there, do they? Infants and small babies don't obviously. But I'm not sure I understand the real purpose of them hahaha
Yeah pretty much pointless. However, my son was still in the crib when he got to the point that I let him have a pillow and blanket. And toddler beds are the same size, so it could get used someday. Otherwise, it's just to look pretty. Throw it over the back of your rocking chair or something.
I registered for a blanket, but it's really for me hahaha. I am always cold so I figure I can drape it over my feet when I'm on the rocker doing a feeding.
I will say, even though babies can't sleep with blankets, I had a million blankets given to us as gifts when DS was born, and I used them all. It was nice always having one close by for tummy time, or to use as a burp cloth or something, or just to cover his legs and get cozy while he was nursing. He was born in May, and I pretty much kept him in a onesie all day every day, and covered his legs with a blanket. He only wore pants if we left the house and went somewhere that he would be coming out of the car seat.
My water broke...before labor and contractions started...and it was in my bed. It was a huge gush, like in the movies, and I am SO thankful I had put a mattress protector on a few months before. I ordered one on Amazon and put it on my side of the bed. My mattress would have been ruined otherwise. I would definitely get one. And even if your water doesn't break in bed, you sweat sooo much after birth that it will be worth it to have then too.
I ordered blankets because I plan to use them while LO is nursing or just to snuggle her up when I hold her. I'm a big fan of quilts and we collect them in my family. I don't plan to put them in the crib with her for obvious reasons, but for tummy time and other times she will be on the floor I want to have quilts to put her on.
For the crib quilt I used it for DD when I thought she was able to use a pillow. It's not very snuggly so I put a light blanket under it, DH keeps it super cold. It definitely got used tho, for DS I don't remember using it but maybe a handful of times and I laid it on the floor for him to play on.
Re crib bedding: baby can't sleep with it for the first year or so but the crib quilt is perfect for tummy time. Once baby is old enough to use a blanket and still in the crib it can be used. We got a ton of use out of ours.
I will say, even though babies can't sleep with blankets, I had a million blankets given to us as gifts when DS was born, and I used them all. It was nice always having one close by for tummy time, or to use as a burp cloth or something, or just to cover his legs and get cozy while he was nursing. He was born in May, and I pretty much kept him in a onesie all day every day, and covered his legs with a blanket. He only wore pants if we left the house and went somewhere that he would be coming out of the car seat.
Agree with all of this. Are a bunch of blankets necessary? Nope. But... can you find use for them if you buy some matchy ones for your bedding set or if people gift you a bunch? Yep! I had them all over the house for tummy time and I would use them to keep myself warm during middle of the night feedings.
Not sure where exactly to put this, but my friend that had her baby on 4/2 is having a rough go of it, so I wanted to send her a little care package type thing. What would you have loved to receive most when you were two weeks into being a new mom? I was thinking of shipping stuff from Amazon, but I could also have flowers, fruit, or cookies delivered to her too. I don't know why I can't wrap my mind around what she might want or need. I ask her, but she's the type to never ask for anything which I secretly love because it makes me want to do more and more for her. She's one of the good ones.
@maybeitsmadeline I'd throw some gas drops in for baby, a few of her favorite snacks, maybe some good chapstick. I'm trying to remember what I wanted or needed and I'm drawing a blank. But those things are what I remember using most.
thats very sweet @maybeitsmadeline ! I know I was constantly starving when I started out breastfeeding, so fruit or cookies would be a nice gesture. Maybe also some magazines or books or movies to keep her busy?
@maybeitsmadeline you are such a good friend! I'd go with gift cards for take-out and delivery restaurants nearby or that they like, a cupcake package (friend sent me one and it was the best), a free movie rental or something just fun and/or stupid. Honestly I am sure she will love the gesture so much that what you give her will only be a second thought.
Sometimes just knowing someone is thinking about you and wanting to help means all the world.
@maybeitsmadeline during pregnancy and post-partum, I really like my yeti cup that kept drinks either really cold or really warm for a long time. As a new mom you rarely have time to warm things up or add ice, even.
+1 on the baby gas drops. Soothe by Gerber or Nature Mama gripe water were good ones.
Now I have a question- we had a ceiling fan in DS's room with a remote that I left on the table so if I was nursing and was hot or cold I could control it without standing up. Now that we're having a girl I love the look of the chandelier in the nursery but DS relies so heavily on the fan now- thoughts on not having a ceiling fan? Yes we can control the house temperature but with the sun beating in it'll be warmer in her room in the mornings and hotter in DSs room in the evenings I kinda think the fan is the better idea.. experiences?
Not sure where exactly to put this, but my friend that had her baby on 4/2 is having a rough go of it, so I wanted to send her a little care package type thing. What would you have loved to receive most when you were two weeks into being a new mom? I was thinking of shipping stuff from Amazon, but I could also have flowers, fruit, or cookies delivered to her too. I don't know why I can't wrap my mind around what she might want or need. I ask her, but she's the type to never ask for anything which I secretly love because it makes me want to do more and more for her. She's one of the good ones.
Some additional ideas based on my own experience, not otherwise mentioned: -Super soft pajamas that are button-down, if she's nursing. -Or nursing tanks. -If she's a reader, a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble or Audible.com. -A cute/pretty water bottle or a case of her favorite non-alcoholic beverage, since nursing makes you so thirsty. -just go hold the baby for 30 minutes so she can shower. -A gift certificate for a home cleaning service. -Friends gave me "diaper money" with an Amazon gift certificate, which I definitely used and appreciated.
Now I have a question- we had a ceiling fan in DS's room with a remote that I left on the table so if I was nursing and was hot or cold I could control it without standing up. Now that we're having a girl I love the look of the chandelier in the nursery but DS relies so heavily on the fan now- thoughts on not having a ceiling fan? Yes we can control the house temperature but with the sun beating in it'll be warmer in her room in the mornings and hotter in DSs room in the evenings I kinda think the fan is the better idea.. experiences?
We didn't have a ceiling fan in DS's nursery, and we were fine. We had blackout curtains that were closed most of the time anyway. We never really had trouble controlling the temp in the room.
Not so much a question as a concern. I'm worried that I'll end up going into labour and not realizing it until I'm well into it (DH will have to get to me plus about a 30 minute drive to the hospital) but I deal with chronic pain so my pain tolerance is higher than most people's because I'm constantly used to pain. But I'm really hoping I don't get too far into it before I realize what's going on and he has both time to get home and get us to the hospital. I also don't want to be one of those super paranoid women where every little thing sets of an alarm in my head and call him multiple times for false alarms
Not so much a question as a concern. I'm worried that I'll end up going into labour and not realizing it until I'm well into it (DH will have to get to me plus about a 30 minute drive to the hospital) but I deal with chronic pain so my pain tolerance is higher than most people's because I'm constantly used to pain. But I'm really hoping I don't get too far into it before I realize what's going on and he has both time to get home and get us to the hospital. I also don't want to be one of those super paranoid women where every little thing sets of an alarm in my head and call him multiple times for false alarms
All I can say is you will probably have false labour a few times and not be sure but high pain tolerance or not when $hit gets real you will know.
@maybeitsmadeline I had this situation come up in November when I was visiting her and her two month old. I brought a bottle of wine and some cookies from this well-known bakery. She was happy for both things, but especially the company. Because it was winter in NY, she was basically cooped up in her tiny apartment all day with the baby. She said by the time she bundled up her daughter to go out, the baby needed to be changed, fed, or both. It wasn't worth the effort. But that meant she was a hermit for the entire season.
I wish I had known that before I visited her. I would have gotten her a gift certificate to a spa or maybe Care.com to hire a sitter (if gift certificates to that exist).
Not so much a question as a concern. I'm worried that I'll end up going into labour and not realizing it until I'm well into it (DH will have to get to me plus about a 30 minute drive to the hospital) but I deal with chronic pain so my pain tolerance is higher than most people's because I'm constantly used to pain. But I'm really hoping I don't get too far into it before I realize what's going on and he has both time to get home and get us to the hospital. I also don't want to be one of those super paranoid women where every little thing sets of an alarm in my head and call him multiple times for false alarms
I knew I was in labor before it was painful. I started having contractions in the morning and timing them, so I knew they were getting closer together. I had non-painful contractions for 6-8 hours, and texted my H and to let his boss know he wouldn't be there the next day. When it was time to go to the hospital (5 minutes apart) they were getting a little painful, but I was still walking/talking through them. DH was home from work at that point so he drove. They didn't get bad until after I was admitted.
Of course everyone's labor is different, but for me the pain level didn't affect anything
Now I have a question- we had a ceiling fan in DS's room with a remote that I left on the table so if I was nursing and was hot or cold I could control it without standing up. Now that we're having a girl I love the look of the chandelier in the nursery but DS relies so heavily on the fan now- thoughts on not having a ceiling fan? Yes we can control the house temperature but with the sun beating in it'll be warmer in her room in the mornings and hotter in DSs room in the evenings I kinda think the fan is the better idea.. experiences?
Okay, so I'm not crazy!! Haha, my mom had asked me if I was going to register for a bedding set and I was like, am I really going to need all that bedding? I already have a bunch of different fitted sheet sets on my registry so I'll just stick with those for now. @Dcwtada this is also why I chose not to get a mobile either!! I like the look of them, but to me it's extra money for something baby won't even care about, considering we are planning to have him in a bassinet in our room for a little while at first. @Potterphile I'm ALL about the swaddle blankets too!! I think they're super versatile and adorable. Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!
A mobile for DD was incredibly useful. She always loved it. It helped her be in bed awake alone until dozing off. We got a used one from a neighbor.
@nktrodden826 We put a chandelier in our daughters room and took the fan down. When she finally started sleeping in her room we put a small oscillating fan on her dresser. Takes up space but that airflow feels good moving around. I remember reading somewhere years ago and I could totally be off but it talked about airflow being good to reduce the risk of sids.
@MrsZeno I've heard the fan/SIDS advice, too. We considered a ceiling fan, but are going to do a smaller regular fan instead, and a dimmer switch for the light.
@virginiaunicorn11 I don't know ...but I'm not a fan of our normally negative weekly posts becoming positive things.. (tw Tuesday became ten things and FFFC became friYAY). How are people gonna rage if we don't have those? Next it will be Making Progress Monday or Positive Feelings Monday or some other happy bs.
I like the ceiling fan for DD's room because it keeps air flowing, keeps it cool, and is a subtle sound machine that isn't very loud. We are installing one in 2 weeks in DS's soon to be room. Function over form in our household
Yes, why no FFFC? I was going to confessential to never seeing an episode of Game of Thrones!
I have a LOT of plush toys. They were in a box in storage. I'm hesitant to put them in the washing machine, but I definitely need
to clean them somehow before letting baby anywhere near them. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to wash them without destroying them?
I have a LOT of plush toys. They were in a box in storage. I'm hesitant to put them in the washing machine, but I definitely need
to clean them somehow before letting baby anywhere near them. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to wash them without destroying them?
I don't have too much experience with this, but I know my Mom used to wash our stuffed animals all the time and I don't recall any ever being ruined. I'd probably wash with normal detergent on a gentle cycle and not put in the dryer if they have eyes or any other items that are "glued" on.
@Twinkiedoll I would guess the dryer would melt the fur? I'm not positive but I know it messed up my hooded coat that has some fake fur on it. But I'm sure plenty of parents have washed them before. Pinterest it!
Re: Big Dumb Questions Thread
For my second I went to Walmart/target and bought a bunch of cute but cheap sheets and mattress protectors. DS got this cute whale mobile that was less than half what his sisters was and it played the same sound and did the exact same thing, plus it was whales and that is too cute. And for the record both mobiles were destroyed by 1 year. Easier to stomach with a 20 dollar one over a 50 dollar one. Though I CANT recommend the little Einsteins crib aquarium enough. They LOVED it from baby to toddler and still play with it, that thing survived both babies and I will use it for this one too! But you will go through a fortune in C batteries
This! The only time it would be nice is if you plan to move them to a toddler bed, because the crib sets will fit the toddler bed and it's hard to find toddler bedding that's not character related, but you don't need it for an infant!
We did the same!
And YES to the crib aquarium. DD is 18months and still turns it on for herself every night. We had a pretty easy transition from our bed to her crib because of it!
@Dcwtada this is also why I chose not to get a mobile either!! I like the look of them, but to me it's extra money for something baby won't even care about, considering we are planning to have him in a bassinet in our room for a little while at first.
@Potterphile I'm ALL about the swaddle blankets too!! I think they're super versatile and adorable.
Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!
re: water breaking
my SILs water broke while she was sleeping, with no signs of labor. My sister was quite scared of this happening to her so she had a pad on, had towels on her seat while driving and she had this plastic kind of shorts on just in case lol. I'm going to look into those shorts/undies
Me: 26 Him: 27
Dating: 5/2011 Married: 6/2014
Mirena out/TTC: 02/2016
BFP #1: 12/01/2016
EDD: 07/24/2017
Me: 26 Him: 27
Dating: 5/2011 Married: 6/2014
Mirena out/TTC: 02/2016
BFP #1: 12/01/2016
EDD: 07/24/2017
Sometimes just knowing someone is thinking about you and wanting to help means all the world.
+1 on the baby gas drops. Soothe by Gerber or Nature Mama gripe water were good ones.
-Super soft pajamas that are button-down, if she's nursing.
-Or nursing tanks.
-If she's a reader, a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble or Audible.com.
-A cute/pretty water bottle or a case of her favorite non-alcoholic beverage, since nursing makes you so thirsty.
-just go hold the baby for 30 minutes so she can shower.
-A gift certificate for a home cleaning service.
-Friends gave me "diaper money" with an Amazon gift certificate, which I definitely used and appreciated.
I wish I had known that before I visited her. I would have gotten her a gift certificate to a spa or maybe Care.com to hire a sitter (if gift certificates to that exist).
Of course everyone's labor is different, but for me the pain level didn't affect anything
https://www.amazon.com/Casa-Rubbed-White-Ceiling-4-Light/dp/B01K0OZ3M0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1492175338&sr=8-6&keywords=ceiling+fan+case
Me: 26 Him: 27
Dating: 5/2011 Married: 6/2014
Mirena out/TTC: 02/2016
BFP #1: 12/01/2016
EDD: 07/24/2017
Hashtag: I'm Jewish, sorry for the ignorance...
Yes, why no FFFC? I was going to confessential to never seeing an episode of Game of Thrones!
Edit because bump spell check sucks.