Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

flockofmoosen3 · June 2018

@kissableviv we have (had) two cool mist humidifiers but when our kids get colds and develop the dreaded cough, it really doesn't feel like the humidifier works at all. (I say "had" because DS threw part of one of them down the stairs recently and broke it...). Regardless, we still use it. Just a word of warning if you haven't used one, either use a fan to blow the mist around the room or lay down an absorbent pad beneath it because even on the lowest setting some of the moisture settles on the surface surrounding the humidifier making it pretty damp overnight.
Baby wipes work really well for a quick clean of the bottom half, but vinegar is a good weekly soaking agent to battle mildew buildup.

morethanamama · June 2018

Thanks ladies! We have 2 small diffusers that can potentially be used as humidifiers. We have a ceiling fan too. I guess it will be trial and error:) I'll wait until the first pedi appointments too. There's one in my Amazon cart, so it won't be a problem to acquire one quickly:)

tarheelgirl8 · June 2018

@kissableviv to me its a must. When DD is congested I can tell a huge difference the next morning when we remember to run the humidifier vs when we forget to turn it on at bedtime.

acunamatada · June 2018

@kissableviv I’m with @flockofmoosen3.. I don’t really notice a difference when the humidifier is on, but I still use it whenever DS is sick. I wouldn’t say it’s something you need immediately, but it is good to have.

millpe · June 2018

Anyone have recommendations for postpartum girdles or how sizing works?

wildtot · June 2018

@MrsMiller8588 I’m getting the belly bandit panties plus a Velcro girdle from Amazon. My hospital will also give me a simple velcro one too. Anything with zippers or clips may take you longer to fit in. So something adjustable is helpful at the beginning. For the most part you’ll be the size you were around 6 months (i think) until your uterus shrinks all the way and you lose the extra fluids. With DS i got the bamboo belly bandit and it didn’t fit till about a month later and it wasn’t as adjustable as the hospital one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EVGLMM8/?th=1&psc=1

TalesOfASocialIntrovert · June 2018

For someone like me that bled the full 6 weeks PP with DD, Always Infinity pads are a God send! PP with both DD and DS, I used them as soon as I left the hospital. They are super thin but hold a ton of fluid. I was gifted them in my first pregnancy by another mom and feel like I need to pass the knowledge on to you ladies!

comealongponds · June 2018

TalesOfASocialIntrovert said:

For someone like me that bled the full 6 weeks PP with DD, Always Infinity pads are a God send! PP with both DD and DS, I used them as soon as I left the hospital. They are super thin but hold a ton of fluid. I was gifted them in my first pregnancy by another mom and feel like I need to pass the knowledge on to you ladies!

Yessssssss! These are the best!

hillbillywife · June 2018

comealongponds said:

TalesOfASocialIntrovert said:

For someone like me that bled the full 6 weeks PP with DD, Always Infinity pads are a God send! PP with both DD and DS, I used them as soon as I left the hospital. They are super thin but hold a ton of fluid. I was gifted them in my first pregnancy by another mom and feel like I need to pass the knowledge on to you ladies!

Yessssssss! These are the best!

Another +1 for these! I love them!

morethanamama · June 2018

Here comes a silly question...where do you store sterilized bottles? I wanted to wash a few just to have so they'll most likely have to sit somewhere for a few weeks. Would a regular cupboard work?? I'm also sterilizing a few pacifiers.

zande2016 · June 2018

I don’t think I ever sterilized bottles with my son...I know you’re supposed to but I’m pretty sure the first time I gave him a bottle it was with my lactation consultant at my house. I was having a breakdown over his refusal to latch,
and she said oh honey just pump and give him a bottle, it’ll be okay. I asked if I should sterilize the bottle and she said nah not necessary. So I didn’t, and never did. She was a nurse practitioner so I trusted her. So if it were me I’d just sterilize the bottles and store them in whatever cupboard you’re planning on keeping them in.

I think sterilizing is more important for formula? I don’t know. I’m probably way too lax about these things.

hillbillywife · June 2018

@kissableviv I never sterilized bottles either. But I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I don’t believe they need to be stored anywhere special. We’ve had a bottle/cup drawer in our kitchen since my DS was a baby.

wildtot · June 2018

With DS we were sterilizing after every use...because we were first timers and didn’t know any better (my mom though we were crazy). Finally researched it and didn’t do it much after that. We used the dishwasher so that did the job well enough i think. I’ll probably just do it the first time only. Pacifiers i sterilized more often.

acunamatada · June 2018

I also never sterilized a bottle, they got a good wash and went into the cupboard with the rest of our dishes. I’m pretty lax about all that, I don’t think all germs are bad.

comealongponds · June 2018

FFMC: I had preemies and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I sterilized their bottles and my pump parts. They survived and no one actually told me I should so I just didn’t bother. Eventually I realized how much easier it was to wash them in the dishwasher anyways and just ran them through on the sanitize cycle.

morethanamama · June 2018

Thanks ladies, I'm sorry, Prego brain and late night posting doesn't mix well, plus add the brain freeze after I had just spoken on the phone in Italian for an hour lol...I mostly meant "a good wash" rather than sterilizing. I basically just want to take a few bottles out of the box and wash them before I use them. I got a Mam set and they're sealed in plastic inside a box. So I guess I'll just wash them normally and find a spot in one of the cabinets of my ENORMOUS kitchen (time to purge I guess) to store, haha

AnnaReid81 · June 2018

This isn't a must have, but do any of you third time moms have recommendations as to carseat placement? With our first, I had his seat in the middle. Now that there will be two, I was initially thinking of putting baby in the middle and my toddler on the sidewalk side, but it looks like a) my infant seat doesn't really fit right next to our toddler's seat and b) I think my plans of putting new baby in first are pretty much wishful thinking because my 18 month old has recently taken to darting off, so he'll likely have to be strapped in first. I'm not sure whether to just buy a more narrow toddler seat or what to do. Any advice? I drive an explorer, which we bought anticipating eventually having a second child, but seriously. Now I'm thinking we should have gone straight to a mini van despite my insistence that I don't want one.

Edited to add vehicle type.

SmashJam · June 2018

@AnnaReid81 I can't tell from your post if you are talking about one or two carseats in the back I am not a third time mom, just STM, so i fyou are talking about two carseats I am not putting baby's infant seat in the middle, I will put it on the side. I know ideally he would go in the middle but I can't trust my toddler not to smack the baby lol, or throw toys or food or whatever into the carseat, so he's going behind the passenger side.

+1 to never sterilizing, I just used the dishwasher and gave a good wash after use. I was a formula user as well.

acunamatada · June 2018

@AnnaReid81 if you’re talking about just two car seats, I’m planning on putting one on each side of the back seat. I know ideally the infant seat should be in the middle, but like pp said, I don’t trust the toddler not to get into things. Recently he’s gotten much better at not darting off, he knows to keep his hand on the car for safety. Do you have a bucket seat? They’re pretty quick to install with the base, I remember basically chucking DS into the car and hearing the click to know it was secure.

AnnaReid81 · June 2018

@SmashJam @acunamatada Yes, I mean 2 car seats total. I didn't even think about the fact that my toddler will most certainly torment the new baby if he's in arm's reach! One on each side of the car it is!

comealongponds · June 2018

@AnnaReid81 I most often see it recommended to our baby on the drivers side and toddler on the passenger side. That way if you’re parallel parked on a road, you can put baby down in their bucket on the sidewalk while you load the toddler, then go around to the drivers side and load the baby.

SmashJam · June 2018

@comealongponds interesting! I didn't think about that struggle. DS has been trying to get into the carseat on his own lately and is obsessed with snapping himself him, so I'm hoping that continues so I don't have to put baby down to get him in, I can just let him keep fiddling with his straps and put baby in, then come over and check his straps.

On the other hand, another good reason for infant behind you is that you kind of need the carseat mirror directly behind you to work, right? and I'd still be able to see ds1 if he was in the passenger side because he FF. I think a switch may be in order....

comealongponds · June 2018

@SmashJam nope you can see no matter the seating position if you can angle the mirror! I have one behind the driver, one behind the passenger and one third row behind the driver. I can see everyone!

zombiehoohaa · June 2018

I'm not sure if I've asked this before (please forgive me if I have), however, when should the car seat or at least the base be put in the car?
Also, is it worth making a list of who to inform when baby is born? (If anyone isnt on the list then they can wait until we have more time)

comealongponds · June 2018

@zombiehoohaa doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s in there properly before baby needs to come home! You might want to do it earlier rather than later in case you run into issues that you need to work out. I did the bucket seat a couple weeks ago but it took some readjustments and eventually installing with the seatbelt and a locking clip because I couldn’t get it tight enough with just locking the belt.

I didn’t make a list, we told the grandparents, aunts and uncles day of, then everyone else as we thought of them and let it filter through the grapevine lol.

morethanamama · June 2018

I have had mine in since 35 weeks:) just one less thing to stress about. The other base is in DH's car too.

kbernal2021 · June 2018

I put mine in at 36 weeks. I also just leave the actual seat attached to the base in the car so I don't have to grab it in the instance I'm trying to get out the door.

wildtot · June 2018

I’m 37+3 and still don’t have the car seat in the car. It’s at least clean and ready to go. I’m not feeling as stress about this time around. I figured I’d be in the hospital long enough for H to put it in once we are ready to go.

SmashJam · June 2018

DH will likely grab it when he comes home after baby is born and install it in the hospital parking lot, lol. I use my SUV every day to cart 4 dogs to get a walk in and they would be squished in the all the way back so I leave it out so that I can put the seats down for them. We have installed this carseat in the car before so i know it fits, I'm not super worried!

zande2016 · June 2018

Haha “install car seat bases” has been on my to do list every weekend for the past 4 weeks. At this point my husband will be outside installing them in our cars while I’m inside timing contractions. In all honesty though if you’re using LATCH it’s pretty easy, and my bases (uppababy) are particularly easy to install using LATCH so I’m not too worried, more just anxious to see how the two car seats will fit and if we will still have enough legroom up front (and room for the dog in the back)

TalesOfASocialIntrovert · June 2018

@zombiehoohaa DH installed our carseat at the hospital the day we left but they offer assistance installing them. I'd check with your hospital to see if they offer assistance with installation. If not, they might be able to recommend someplace local. Or if you don't need assistance, just make sure your significant other installs it before baby rides home

Sarafuss · June 2018

We are holding off on installing the car seat just because it will be in the way of the big kids getting into the third row (we have an Oddysey). We will have to have them get into the third row first and put the infant seat in after they are in when we have all 4 kids riding in the van. We could install just the base and that wouldn't be in the way but it seriously takes like a minute to install the base so we might as well just do it all right before we leave for the hospital.

KatyF0813 · June 2018

We haven't even bought a car seat yet.... Sorry third baby

zombiehoohaa · June 2018

My H doesn't even know how to install a car seat...I may ask my brother to do this for me...I use my backseat on daily basis to transport doggos and kiddos. I guess I will just make sure the car seat is out of the box and ready to install for when it's time.

kbernal2021 · June 2018

So regarding carseats. I mentioned mine had been installed now for several weeks and ready to go. We were discharged from the hospital today when DH goes down to get the carseat out of the car. He comes back up with the entire base attached! So basically it wouldn't have mattered much in my case because the whole thing had to be reinstalled before leaving the hospital anyway. Haha

comealongponds · June 2018

Lmao @kbernal2021 that is amazing

hillbillywife · June 2018

@kbernal2021 omg lol. Thanks H!

Want a personalized experience?

Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

Re: Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Want a personalized experience?

Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition

Re: Ask a STM+: The &quot;#1 Must Have Because We&#039;re Super Close&quot; Edition

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Re: Ask a STM+: The "#1 Must Have Because We're Super Close" Edition