Ask a STM week of September 17

disneybaby84 · September 2018

FTMs asking STMs any and all questions!

bellebaby221 · September 2018

FTM (F = fourth

) with a question.
For my current youngest, we used a swaddle for him to sleep. Now I'm reading those aren't a good idea anymore. Seriously, how can stuff change so quickly? He's only 5!
What sleep sacks do you recommend?

sjnsjnsjn · September 2018

@bellebaby221- Wait, when did that change?! We used swaddle sleep sacks pretty early on, after receiving blanket swaddling for a week or two. Pretty sure they were Halo brand.

kayjay44 · September 2018

I thought swaddling was still fine as long as their legs aren't bound?

etnyah · September 2018

Well I hope swaddling is still ok, because I’m picking up two miracle blankets I bought from a neighbor today!

disneybaby84 · September 2018

@bellebaby221 is it saying no swaddling at a certain age or never at all?

danixbanani24 · September 2018

All I’ve read is to stop around 2 months or when they roll...a sleep sack with arms free might be a better choice? This is from the AAP

sjnsjnsjn · September 2018

Oh yeah, you do have to stop swaddling before they roll. That was the same two years ago. Phew, I thought there was some new stuff and I was all out of the loop! Swaddle sleep sacks are easy peasy

disneybaby84 · September 2018

ok, so to clarify, there are sleep sacks that are not swaddle style. I do think I only used the swaddle style when my child was in the newborn age, but yes actually when they can roll, the regular sleep sacks with arms free are easier, put baby in,zip up and done.

bellebaby221 · September 2018

The stuff I read was mostly pointed at the potential leg issues that could result from the swaddle. Maybe it is more of a question of when to stop or making sure you're doing it right. I know my youngest would not sleep without it because he had such a strong startle reflex that he kept walking himself up.

danixbanani24 · September 2018

@bellebaby221 there are some concerns with swaddling and hip dysplasia but I think it pertains more to a newborn that has been diagnosed with it rather than not. My DS had hip dysplasia and they diagnosed it the day he was born. He had to wear a brace and his hips could not be “abducted” which means squeezed together like in a swaddle or even a bumbo seat they told me is squeezing the hip too close.

Babies are soft and mushy and not everything is fully developed right out (meaning like a soft hip socket for example) which is where I think the concern comes from.

kayjay44 · September 2018

My favorite swaddles only wrap arms and legs are in a sack, so I'm not super concerned...

hannahbananas11 · September 2018

What swaddles worked best for y'all? I'm assuming this is similar to bottles: have a few different types and see what baby likes most, since every baby is different?

bellebaby221 · September 2018

kayjay44 said:

My favorite swaddles only wrap arms and legs are in a sack, so I'm not super concerned...

Think I'll give this kind a try with this LO.

Thanks for all the info ladies!

ohsunnydays · September 2018

I saw an ad on Instagram for Bloomlife contraction Monitor. Should I look into it or is it overkill for a FTM? I'm a "knowledge is power" person so I can feel in control (hilarious, because I know labor/labor plans will not in my control). Thoughts?

danixbanani24 · September 2018

I love the halo sleepsacks!

kdrn913 · September 2018

I love the halo ones too! For newborn stage we had the sleep sack with swaddle and then just the plain sleep sacks- no swaddle once rolling

disneybaby84 · September 2018

I will also say Halo. I find them easy to use.

PurplePoppy424 · September 2018

I loved the swaddle-me with DD until she started to roll. DS loathed the swaddle, so he was in a halo sleep sack from the beginning. I can’t speak highly enough of those. They’re wonderful!

A lot of ladies swore by the merlin suit in my last BMB. We never tried it, but they swore it worked wonders.

disneybaby84 · September 2018

I will say also, later when my child was bad at sleeping, waking up constantly, I did use a nested bean and liked it.

etnyah · September 2018

Anyone tried the woombie swaddle? The zipper seems handy! Thoughts?

ThePax89 · September 2018

@ohsunnydays I’d skip it. You won’t sneeze out a baby. You will know when the contractions mean something.

ThePax89 · September 2018

I LOVE the swaddleme. It also came in handy for transitioning out of the swaddle. You can swaddle one arm in and one out, and then safely “swaddle” with the arms both out once the baby is rolling and mobile. It is like a sleepsac with more compression around the mid-section which my second liked.

ThePax89 · September 2018

@hannahbananas11 planning on breastfeeding? If so, I’d recommend the comotomo bottle or medela calma nipple.

hannahbananas11 · September 2018

@ThePax89 I am, so I'll add one of both of those to my registry! Thanks! I'm going with the advice of the others on here and getting a variety of bottles to try, since they all found that different ones were preferred by their kids. I've read a lot of good stuff about the Comotomo bottles!

disneybaby84 · September 2018

@hannahbananas11 as far as bottles, I personally loved Dr Browns, or as a child from the 80s I call them Doc Brown. My child had less spit up and was less gassy. I also used Enfamil Gentleease formula. I started breastfeeding and then switched to formula.

thechickendance · September 2018

Along the lines of the leave discussion in the workplace thread, how long did you take off before going back to work? How old was your child before putting them in daycare? Pros/cons and what would you do ideally?

sjnsjnsjn · September 2018

@thechickendance- My son went to daycare, and I went back to work, when he was four months. Not gonna sugarcoat it, it was pretty hard. I had a lot of pp anxiety and was fairly distraught. Luckily I have an office with a door so I had somewhere to cry! This time I won't be able to take that long off unfortunately.
For me, what would have been ideal is if I could have come back to work part time, because I do think ultimately it was good for me and my mental health to rejoin society and my adult professional world at around that point-ish. But going from 24/7 with my baby to him in daycare 7:30-5:45 Monday-Friday was very drastic. It was a trying time for me.

bellebaby221 · September 2018

@thechickendance
My twins went at 9 weeks because I lost 3 weeks of leave to bedrest. My youngest started at 12 weeks.
It was good for me to get back to work because I needed the adult interaction. My twins were terrible sleepers so I was often going on 3-4 hours of sleep at most, so that part was hard. I was more comfortable leaving my youngest because he went to the same place as his brothers and that made me feel a lot better.
With this one I've been super lucky and found a place 5 minutes from my office that encourages moms to come breastfeed during the day which I plan to take full advantage of. My goal is to start her at 12 weeks as well but DH can take additional leave after mine is over so if we think more time at home would be better we can do that too.

disneybaby84 · September 2018

@thechickendance I was unemployed at the time of pregnancy and childbirth, I began applying for jobs when my son was 5 months old and did not succeed at starting a job until he was 10 months. By the time my son was 8 months I had cabin fever and was desperate to return to work. This time will be my first time already being employed and having to determine my own return to work.

bellebaby221 · September 2018

What carrier have you or will you use to wear baby?

sjnsjnsjn · September 2018

@bellebaby221- I loved my moby wrap. We also had the ergo but I never liked it as much as the moby.

disneybaby84 · September 2018

@bellebaby221 I have an ergobaby with the infant insert

hannahbananas11 · September 2018

Has anyone tried the Solly wrap?

kdrn913 · September 2018

@hannahbananas11 my sister in law was just saying such good things about the solly. We had an ergo and a moby with DD. I honestly feel like I’m going to use a carrier so much more now with this baby since I’ll be chasing around a toddler too!

PurplePoppy424 · September 2018

I have a little frog woven wrap, a TC conversion short wrap that I typically use as a ring sling, a homemade short linen wrap, an Ergo and an infantino SSC. I love all of them for various reasons. I used all of the wraps with DD. DS hated and still hates the wraps, but loves the SSCs. SSCs work great for the bigger kids because they’re so quick and easy. I really love my wraps for the tiny ones, though.

conchispita · September 2018

@thechickendance last time I went back after 4 months, my husband took 2 months of leave right after me so DD didn’t start daycare until 6 months. I agree with the need to be around adults, but I work in the construction industry which is very fast paced, so going back full time was too much for me. Another thing people don’t tell you is that your baby will be sick all the time if they go to daycare. Add on sleep deprivation (even at 4mo DD was only sleeping 4 hours a night) - it’s brutal.

This time I’d like to go back part time for a few months, we’ll see. Still need to talk to DH about it, and see if HR is ok with that.

wrensnest · September 2018

We had a Moby and a Lillebaby with DD. We hardly used the Moby, but the Lillebaby got a ton of use. I was gifted a Kinderpack for this one already and it’s similar to our Lillebaby (though a little bigger). Wrapping was never my strong suit and I appreciated how quick the Lillebaby was to throw on when we were out and about.

allthingsgo · September 2018

I was gifted a moby wrap and hated it. Way too much fabric and hard to use. I bought a gently used solly wrap and it was amazing. Less fabric, breathable, lightweight and super easy to use. I also got the Boba SSC which has been great too though DD did not like it until she was older.

hannahbananas11 · September 2018

@allthingso I've heard the same about the Solly being more breathable and lightweight. Georgia (US) get preeetty hot in the summer, so I have a vested interest in cool things! I went ahead and bought one of the Solly wraps from the new line, since they were 20% off last week and are gorgeous.

I've put an Ergobaby on my registry, since I used that while hiking this summer with my godson (1 YO) and it was very easy and comfortable, though it did get a little hot and the weight distribution wasn't perfect.

allthingsgo · September 2018

@hannahbananas11 I’m in Florida so something that is breathable is a must here! I think you’ll love the solly. I lent it to my SIL when her daughter was born last
year and she loves it as well.

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