Baby/New Mom Hacks

Sdeux · August 2018

Wasn’t sure if this fell under another category better or not. But thought we might want to look back at this later on too. Add your Tricks & Tips!

Baby/Life Hacks Tips or Tricks you’ve tried or found along the way!

Sdeux · August 2018

- Pillow Cases can double as Bassinet Sheets

- Crib Sheets can double as Pack N Play Sheets

- Nipple Balm doubles as Lip Balm

-Vaseline in the tube is easier to apply to a fresh circumcision.

Sdeux · August 2018

-Depends adult diapers (Silhouette is the slightly more stylish ones) are the best for the first several days postpartum. I would actually use the big hospital grade pads as a liner inside first and also padsicles and then just the depends and toss away. No ruining your own underwear and it keeps everything nice and snug and leakfree. Those gushes in the beginning are no joke!
Bonus points if you register for free samples online first and then purchase with the coupon that comes with the sample! Can do this with Tena brand as well.

-Buy Gently Used (then resell for the same or more) This was something I came to realize after our first was born. You can score some great deals on gently or never worn/used items at Mom 2 Mom Sales, Online/Facebook Buy & Sell Groups, Online Classifieds, Stores like Once Upon a Child or consignment stores. Then when your child outgrows/outplays sell it and buy the next stage. Keep swapping out items. I’ve scored many higher end baby items and brands by doing this and have sold for the same or more and was able to use it for free or next to nothing.

yogapants247 · August 2018

Something that MAYBE everyone else but me just knew, but made a big difference in the MOTN for us - When baby wakes up to eat, change their diaper FIRST, then re-swaddle, THEN feed them. Burp partway through. If they happen to doze off near the end of eating, you can just plop them back in their bed. For the first week or so, I would always change my son right before putting him back in the bassinet, and that inevitable woke him up and annoyed him.

For nursing - my routine was to express some breastmilk and rub that on my nips, let air dry, and then use EMAB nipple balm. I did this EVERY singly time I nursed for months and I never had any cracking/bleeding/etc.

mrsman2018 · August 2018

You don't have to wash your pump parts after every use. I would start in the morning and when I was done pumping, I would put the parts in a baggie in the fridge, then use all day. I never pumped at night though, so not sure if you want to keep them in the baggie a full 24 hrs.

And if condensation gets in the tubing or if you have to clean it, you spin the tubing around to get the water out. I don't know if that is common knowledge or not, but tubing can be tricky.

Coconut oil and a fine toothed comb for cradle cap.

Not a hack but everyone told me that sleepers with snaps are faster than ones with zippers ... not at 3am when you're running on no sleep they aren't.

pourmeanothermocktail · August 2018

I layer 3 waterproof pads and 3 crib sheets on the crib mattresses, so in case of spit ups, blow outs, or in the case of changing them in there-hydrants or explosion issues....you only have to rip off a layer to get bed ready again.

jumpy57 · August 2018

I have to hide my bottle brush so that visitors don't use it for regular dishes and leave it gross.

mrsman2018 · August 2018

EErin86 Eww, has someone done that before?

BostonBaby1 · August 2018

A surprisingly large number of women develop allergies to the mesh panties and hospital pads. Spoiler alert- I did with #2. If something feels off, switch to cheap cotton granny panties that can be tossed and natracare or another brand of organic pads/depends.

Wishilivedinflorida · August 2018

My son was the exact opposite of @yogapants247 and had a terrible gastocolic reflux for the first month or so (pooped anytime the stomach started getting full), so I always changed his diaper at the end of feeding or in between switching boob sides. Otherwise I would have had to do double work. Every kid is different, so hoping this kid doesn’t shart every time he/she eats!

JLyn821 · August 2018

mrsman2018 said:

Not a hack but everyone told me that sleepers with snaps are faster than ones with zippers ... not at 3am when you're running on no sleep they aren't.

Zippers for life!!

[Deleted User] · August 2018

I actually just did my first load of nb/3m clothes and was very happy to see that it seems the majority of the sleepers we have are zip, then gown style, then snap. ;)

pourmeanothermocktail · August 2018

I'm weird and totally hate zippers. They make life harder with my bulky cloth diapers....but mostly my son was so chunky and delightfully plump that by the time he was 3.5 months old, I had issues trying to get zipper to work and not pinch him-less issue with snaps. Plus I didn't like having to get him undressed from the freaking chin down. I love my snaps that let me only uncover his legs and diaper, and that I didn't hurt him with, and with huge diaper I could just leave 1 open so get extra crotch space.

But, I'm frequently the one with my own beat and own drum.

eta: spelling/auto correct

chillmama1518 · August 2018

pourmeamocktail said:

I'm weird and totally have zippers. They make life harder with my bulky cloth diapers....but mostly my son was so chunky and delightfully plump that by the time he was 3.5 months old, I had issues trying to get zipper to work and not pinch him-less issue with snaps. Plus I didn't like having to get him undressed from the freaking chin down. I love my snaps that let me only uncover his legs and diaper, and that I didn't hurt him with, and with huge diaper I could just leave 1 open so get extra crotch space.

But, I'm frequently the one with my own beat and own drum.

We were a snap-loving family for the first three months or so too, my guy HATED diaper changes in the night if we had to fully undress, we would do our best to just sneak the bottom half of his jammies open for diaper changes and it went much smoother! Once he was over that though we were zippers all the way.
So really, i feel like, as with almost everything, there’s no way to know until the tiny dictators get here!

jumpy57 · August 2018

we LOVED nightgowns for when DD was a newborn, just pull them up for a diaper change and pull them down when done

nackie · August 2018

We had a couple of footies that had the zipper starting at the bottom instead of the top when DS was tiny. They were awesome since you got the benefits of the zipper without having to undress baby all the way. Of course, they were all fleece since he was born in the middle of winter and I can’t find them anymore:(

[Deleted User] · August 2018

@nackie I was looking for those. Did you have a link / brand to recommend?

dexnie · August 2018

BusinessWife said:

@nackie I was looking for those. Did you have a link / brand to recommend?

FTM so I’m going off recs of a close friend only, but she raves about bonds wondersuits (Australian company) since they have a two way zip. You can expose just the diaper for MOTN changes. They also have built in mittens and foot cuffs that easily fold (and stay) out of the way when not in use. My friend gifted me a used NB size and the material feels like it’s made of good quality—and it looks brand new after several uses / washes (she had a late preemie, so he got some use out of NB sizes). I stocked up on some other sizes since they’re running a sale

https://www.bonds.com.au/baby/zippys/zip-wondersuits.html

nackie · August 2018

@BusinessWife since they were fleece, I packed them away and put them back in storage since they won’t be terribly useful this time. I don’t remember the brand, but I haven’t seen them again at any of the places I’ve been shopping recently.

yogapants247 · August 2018

@BusinessWife - I just grabbed a few of the bottom-starter zipper PJ's at Target - Cat & Jack brand!

MrsBigTime · August 2018

I may be terribly lazy, but unless my babies pooped, I didn’t change them in the middle of the night! We slathered cream (Honest is our fav) and they didn’t ever seem to have any skin issues from sitting in a little pee, so we’d just nurse and then go back to sleep. Neither were big night-time poopers and I’d love it if baby boy continued that trend!

My “new mom hack” is especially doable for first time moms, but a lot of babies wake up early for the day, but then take their first “nap” relatively early and my friend dubbed this their “second sleep” because it was usually a good nap. I tried not to start my day until after that second sleep! DH and I would cozy in bed with DD (maybe snacking on a granola bar if needed) but then sneak in a few more hours of sleep. We’d make our way downstairs about noon and if we were going to run errands or anything that day, we’d often not make it out of the house until 4 or 5 pm. This lifestyle isn’t necessarily doable long term, but it made the first newborn season that much sweeter and special for us because it was so unlike “real life.”

nackie · August 2018

@MrsBigTime that’s lucky. Mine pretty much only pooped when he was sleeping as a baby. Even now at 2.5, he wakes up with a poopy diaper at least 2-3 times a week. Hopefully this baby doesn’t follow in big brothers footsteps.

smsaulino · August 2018

@nackie @BusinessWife Cloud Island brand at Target have zippers at the bottom.

melissasue777 · August 2018

@EErin86 agreed we loved the gowns! I also had the gowns that had the hand covers which were great. We always put a sleep sack on her that was fleece so the light weight gown was perfect. Plus since she hated to be swaddled in the sleep sack her hands would stay warm

Patience7150 · August 2018

@dexnie I am also a lover of the Bonds brand, I am just a little disappointed the seasons are reversed. Except for the socks and one shirt that pilled prematurely (but it was our favorite on her and she wore it a LOT), I have loved everything we've gotten from Bonds. I think if you spend over $100, you get free international shipping.

treeofcheem · August 2018

Aww, I pulled out our newborn gowns recently and for whatever reason, those are the clothing item that brought back instant memories of those first days (or nights, really) with DD1. They're fast and simple for MOTN changes, but I vaguely remember not loving something about them. Who knows why, because I can't think of a reason now.

I remember being scared of having to pull clothing over a new, tiny head before she was born, so side-snap shirts, onesies, or sleepers were very reassuring to me! It never ended up being a big deal, but it was nice to have the options. Plus it's nice to not have to pull stuff up and down across the umbilical cord stump at first, but again, not a huge deal.

jhjocelyn · August 2018

Random diaper changing method: I prefer putting the clean diaper in place under the bum ready to go, before opening up the dirty one, then any suprises are more likely to get caught on the fresh diaper rather than the clothes or changing pad...

[Deleted User] · August 2018

To piggyback on that, with cloth diapers, you can also put a smaller prefold down to protect the "real" diaper you plan to change into.

jumpy57 · August 2018

Yes! I got some giant prefolds that I used as a cover for the changing pad cover. Seems silly but it was much easier to throw the prefolds in the laundry than to find a new changing pad sheet and protector. I also had more prefolds than sheets for the changing pad

DanyTargaryen · August 2018

I only have 1 changing pad sheet and a bunch of waterproof multi-use cloths that I bought at BRU back with DS1. I always have one of the cloths down on the changing pad and it's great for catching any mess. If it gets dirty I just toss it in the wash and put a clean one down.

I believe the changing pad cover has only had to be washed once or twice because it got dirty (it gets washed as regular laundry, I'm talking only once or twice "emergency" washes due to messes).

Wishilivedinflorida · August 2018

Speaking of changing pad covers, if anyone is using the Arms Reach Cosleeper, changing pad covers make excellent, cheap, well-fitting “sheets” for it instead of shelling out $$ for their proprietary sheets. Best discovery ever!

BostonBaby1 · August 2018

Magnetic Me brand is very expensive but typically goes on large sales at multiple retailers. Magnets trump zippers/snaps/and gowns IMO.

@jhjocelyn We ALWAYS change diapers that way!

JLyn821 · August 2018

jhjocelyn said:

Random diaper changing method: I prefer putting the clean diaper in place under the bum ready to go, before opening up the dirty one, then any suprises are more likely to get caught on the fresh diaper rather than the clothes or changing pad...

Yep! I still do this with my 2 year old DD. It’s habit.

chillmama1518 · August 2018

JLyn821 said:

jhjocelyn said:

Random diaper changing method: I prefer putting the clean diaper in place under the bum ready to go, before opening up the dirty one, then any suprises are more likely to get caught on the fresh diaper rather than the clothes or changing pad...

Yep! I still do this with my 2 year old DD. It’s habit.

This should be the go to move for sure with little boys, then you’re at the ready to *BAM* flip down the front of the new diaper to catch any rogue streams brought on by a cool breeze!

JLyn821 · August 2018

chillmama1518 said:

This should be the go to move for sure with little boys, then you’re at the ready to *BAM* flip down the front of the new diaper to catch any rogue streams brought on by a cool breeze!

Oh yeah. It was a lifesaver with our DS!

mrsman2018 · August 2018

BostonBaby1 said:9

A surprisingly large number of women develop allergies to the mesh panties and hospital pads. Spoiler alert- I did with #2. If something feels off, switch to cheap cotton granny panties that can be tossed and natracare or another brand of organic pads/depends.

The mesh panties made me SO itchy! I'm glad I packed the Always underwear and pads.

JLyn821 · August 2018

mrsman2018 said:

BostonBaby1 said:9

A surprisingly large number of women develop allergies to the mesh panties and hospital pads. Spoiler alert- I did with #2. If something feels off, switch to cheap cotton granny panties that can be tossed and natracare or another brand of organic pads/depends.

The mesh panties made me SO itchy! I'm glad I packed the Always underwear and pads.

Same! I’m ok for a day in the hospital but then I have to get out of them. Soooo itchy!!!!

pourmeanothermocktail · August 2018

I hated the mesh-they felt awkwardly not supportive or something-like the pads were dragging them down so I had to keep pulling them up and there was always a gap between pad and body, so the gushes could be felt more. I have a few depends to try this time, but will most likely do my huge cotton underwear with big ass pads. If they get bloody-wash, and if that doesn't work, trash them. I cloth diaper though, so removing stains from bodily fluids is a skill of mine and doesn't take really much effort.

nackie · August 2018

Fortunately I didn’t have any issues with the mesh panties, but I also wasn’t in any condition to be up and moving around in them, so the fit wasn’t so much an issue for me

southernlady07 · August 2018

Saw this posted in another BMB and thought it was a great tip - I had never heard this before!

Keep the hat the nurses put on your baby after delivery in a plastic bag and take it home with you. Don't open it until your baby is inconsolable; usually this is when they are getting "homesick" and the smell will help calm them down!

DanyTargaryen · August 2018

southernlady07 said:

Keep the hat the nurses put on your baby after delivery in a plastic bag and take it home with you. Don't open it until your baby is inconsolable; usually this is when they are getting "homesick" and the smell will help calm them down!

This is also a good tip if you have pets at home. You can bring home the hat and introduce pets to baby's smell before actually introducing pets to baby him/herself.

Baby/New Mom Hacks

Re: Baby/New Mom Hacks

Choose Another Board

Search Boards