Category Archives: Baby

Making Baby’s First Christmas Presents

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IMG_1151Tis the season to be jolly, to decorate, to cook, to bake, to shop and to find that perfect gift for the new grandparents as your baby’s first Christmas is just around the corner. So I’m sure all of you have seen the Pearhead brand baby hand/foot print ornaments in the store. I actually received one as a shower gift back in March so I’m pretty certain they are available year round and not just around Christmas. I decided since it is our little man’s first Christmas what better stocking stuffer for the grandparents than a hand or foot print ornament marking their one and only grandson’s first Christmas.

Overall the ornament making process isn’t too difficult, you take the material out of its wrapping, knead it for about 2-3minutes, wet baby’s hand or foot and press it in. Voila! Instant Christmas gift. Sounds pretty easy right? Well overall it was except I do have a couple suggestions if you plan to do this:

  1. This is not a one-man job- you definitely need your hubby’s help on this one to hold your baby while you press his hand or foot flat into the material (or vice versa).
  2. The ornament is pretty big, ideal if your baby is older like mine and has “big” hands or feet, however if you have a newborn you may want to use a cup instead to cut out the round ornament around the handprint.
  3. This takes DAYS to dry and harden… even up to a week. I thought of this last minute and ordered it via Amazon Prime thinking we would get it done in plenty of time for Christmas. Here we are days later and its still not dry yet.. so grandma might be getting this an an unwrapped gift with a special note to let it dry before packing it away for next year.
  4. Make sure to write the date on the back and wrap it up securely to adorn your tree for years to come! 🙂

Traveling with Baby

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image1 2My husband and I recently decided to head back to Asheville after an interesting attempt to try and visit earlier this year for a “Babymoon” before our little man arrived. Our first experience was cut short after we rented a “cabin” that was actually right off a very busy road and was the home to several mice which kept us up through the night. After a sleepless night our friend and dog-sitter Emily called us up early in the morning to let us know that our sweet puppy was incredibly sick and as a result our home was in a less than ideal state… Needless to say our trip to Asheville the first time wasn’t so great and so it was time for a do-over. This time we decided to do it right- We decided to stay at the Grove Park Inn (picture above) which is absolutely amazing, especially at Christmas. I’ll probably end up writing an entire post just on the hotel because of how absolutely amazing it is. Before we venture out to see the Biltmore at Christmas time we are camping out in our hotel room while our little man gets in a good nap. I thought I’d take this opportunity to capture all of our tips and tricks for traveling with a baby which has made this a pretty great experience so far:

  • SOUND MACHINE is a must! When sharing a room with your little one it makes it easier for all involved to have that extra buffer to keep him sleeping soundly. It helps that our little boy is also used to sleeping with a sound machine at home.
  • SNAP IN GO STROLLER. The best light weight stroller around which folds up and is easy for carrying up and down stairs if needed with or without the carseat attached. This particular model is the only one we found that fits the Britax B-Safe Carseat.
  • FORMULA DISPENSER or formula in a bottle. Our little man is no longer on breastmilk which has its own positives and negatives. One positive we’ve found during this trip is that we can carry around an empty bottle in tow with the necessary formula power already measured out in the bottle and then just add room temperature water when we are ready to feed him. Makes life a whole lot easier. However if still using breastmilk then a small bottle cooler and warmer are of course great for on the go.
  • BABY CARRIER. Just for when you want to nix the stroller and take advantage of arms free mobility. Ideal for our trip to the Biltmore this afternoon!
  • BACKPACK DIAPER BAG. Leave the large diaper bag in the car or hotel room. When walking around on vacation you want to minimize the “load” you are carrying and travel a little more light weight. We actually lucked out and found an outdoor store in our hotel and picked up one of these Patagonia sling bags. It may look small but it was perfect to fit a changing pad, a couple diapers, wipes, one bottle with dry formula, boogie wipes and a change of clothes. Perfection!
  • HEADPHONES for mom and dad. For the evening or during nap time if you want to watch a movie or listen to something on your computer or phone.

Can you think of anything else you’ve found helpful that I’m missing? Happy traveling! 🙂

Sitting up!

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image1Days away from our little man’s 7 month birthday he is finally sitting up straight on his own! He occasionally still teeters and falls but we are finally getting there – just in time to get a picture of him sitting in front of our Christmas tree. We did have to “practice” a little with him.. I was sure to spend time with him a couple times a week working on sitting and catching him over and over when he fell- our silly boy thought it was hilarious anytime he would start to fall and we would catch him- boys! 🙂 I have a feeling crawling will be just around the corner!

6 Months and Growing Strong!

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Our little man had his 6 month check up today. 17 lb even and growing strong. He is 26.5 inches long and in the 38th percentile for weight and 50th for height. He fits perfectly in 9 month clothes (Carters & Osh Kosh brand, 6-12 month in Gap & Old Navy) and has been wearing them for about a month now. We are also in size 3 diapers. He sits supported in a high chair or leaning forward on his hands and rolls around like crazy to travel from place to place. We are getting close to sitting up completely on our own. He still doesn’t like solids but we are getting there.. we’ve also introduced a sippy cup with water and he is doing great with that! So proud of our strong and growing boy!!!

Here we are before and after shots.. sweet boy!

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The Order of Solids

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There are so many different thoughts on which solids you should introduce to your baby first.. rice first because its non allergenic or oatmeal first because rice has no nutritional value. Fruits first so they like the taste, veggies first so they don’t get spoiled by the sweetness of fruit, both first and alternate between fruits and veggies.. but then you still have to decide which to start with. It’s a bit exhausting! Ultimately you just have to decide what you want to do and go with it. Give each food 5 days to make sure there are no allergies and then move on to the next, no matter what your little one will be just fine..

I eventually decided to start with oatmeal (our little one was a week away from his 6 month birthday when we gave him his first taste) and then alternate between fruits and veggies (orange and yellow veggies before green veggies.. last comes meat). For simplicity I also decided to try each for 1 week so I started the new food on the same day and wouldn’t lose track (I’ve got enough to keep up with these days).  If you decide to make your own baby food I found the book Sage Spoonfuls to be a helpful guide to teach you how to buy, prepare and store baby food.

So here’s our baby food list so far:

  1. Organic Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk served warm
  2. Banana – yellow, ripe with some brown spots – mashed and warmed
  3. Sweet Potato- firm – steamed & mixed with breast milk or formula served warm
  4. Apple- fresh red – steamed and pureed
  5. Avocado- even green color and give a little when squeezed – pureed
  6. Carrot – organic, orange, without cracks- steamed and pureed (The Favorite so far!)

 

Introducing Solids

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Introducing solids has been a bit of a mini research project.. what to do first, second, third, for how long, how much, at what age. It’s a bit stressful. Here’s my recap on how we started solids..

Who: Our sweet boy and mom or dad. Our plan is to wait as long as we can before asking his teachers at daycare to start feeding him solids. I want to see what he eats, how long it takes him and how much. I’m not ready to turn over the process yet.

What: Starting with organic oatmeal before adding fruits and veggies. From what I can tell it doesn’t matter what order however there are recommended fruits and veggies for each age. We skipped rice because of the zero nutritional value associated with rice and honestly we are just ready to get this party started.

When: After he takes a full bottle we are giving him first solids after his first morning feeding (7 am). Once we need to add feedings (goal is 2-3 per day) we will probably try a mid evening feeding (5:30?) or I’ll send his food with him to daycare for after his 11am and 3pm feedings. He is way too sleepy at his 7pm feeding for anything but his bottle. Also we decided to wait until he was only 6 months old at the recommendation of our pediatrician.

Where: In his high chair in the kitchen- consistency matters.

Why: Cuz he needs to start learning textures and how to eat something other than milk! 🙂 (otherwise I think i’d prefer to skip the whole process!)

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So here we go..

  • Day 1: 1 tablespoon of oatmeal mixed with about 3 oz milk
    • This amount was based on the recommendation of the baby oatmeal box
    • This made WAY to much food- especially for his first meal which hardly any of it made it into his mouth because he cried the whole time (as noted by the picture to the right.)
    • Regroup and get ready for day 2.
  • Day 2: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
    • Much more successful – no tears- still trying to figure things out!
    • Rewarding him with a little more from his bottle after the oatmeal
  • Day 3-6: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
    • Still getting used to it… and still doesn’t really like it..and he still cries most of the time. Maybe he will like fruits and veggies better.. we can only hope!

* Pediatrician recommends 2-3 TBS cereal twice a day in addition to breastmilk or formula (up to 36 oz). Introduce one thing at a day every 5 days. Cereal first, fruits, yellow and orange veggies, green veggies then meats. At 6 months can increase to half to one jar which translates to 2-4 oz per day.

** Our boy continued to cry and refuse solids until day 9.. so 6 days of oatmeal and then 3 days of bananas and then he finally ate the bananas, without crying.. wow. What an accomplishment! We gave him 3oz of his bottle followed by bananas and then the remaining 3 oz of his bottle. So don’t worry if they don’t LOVE solids right away, if they scream and cry and act like you are doing the worst thing ever to them by feeing them solids- eventually, they will get it, and it will be worth it!

4 Hr Feeding Schedule

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Our boy is growing up so fast! We’ve been on a 4 hour feeding schedule the last 3 weeks (22-25 weeks) and we are about to add solids tomorrow (I still can’t believe it!) As soon as I get used to one schedule its time to change it again. He’s such a growing boy.. I can’t wait for this first reaction to solids though.. should be pretty fun 🙂

So here is the 4 hr feeding schedule we did to bridge the transition and get ready for solids..

4 Hour Schedule (22-25 weeks)

  • 7:00 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 12 minutes
    • usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
    • 9:30- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
  • 11:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle*
    • 1:00 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
    • On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci – even at daycare
  • 3:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle
    • 4:45-5:15 – occasional nap in the car on the way home
    • 5:45 down for a nap regardless if he napped earlier in the car or not
  • 6:45 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 8 oz bottle

Couple of notes:

  • We only send 8 oz bottles to daycare but he can usually eat more at that 11am feeding. At home I usually give him 9 oz. Recommended oz at his age is 32 oz (8oz 4x a day so that’s why I don’t send 9 oz every day- just a little too much milk).
  • Goal is 2 hours of wake time followed by 2 hours of nap time. Doesn’t always happen- especially driving to and from working and other things that happen during the day but its a good goal.
  • At 5.5 months (around 24 weeks) our little man started rolling over on his tummy and is sometimes choosing to sleep that way instead. However his favorite position is still on his back with his hands behind his head! hilarious!

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Burp Cloths & Bibs

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I love handmade baby accessories. Love, love them! 🙂 One of my favorites is from my dear friend Jenn who has her own Etsy Shop for lots of fun baby accessories- my favorites are her burp cloths and bibs.. so many cute patterns, especially for boys which I feel like is hard to find sometimes.  As you can tell I love her stuff, so stop by her shop and check it out.

Sample Schedule 3-5 months

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Our boy just turned 5 months this week (22 weeks) and we decided to try a 4 hour feeding schedule instead of his current 3.5 hour schedule. Mainly because of his last two feedings being so close together and for ease in planning our days. Not sure if it is going to stick yet but here is our previous 3.5 hour schedule which he was on from 12 to 22 weeks.

3.5 Hour Schedule (12-22 weeks)

  • 7 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 15 minutes
    • usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
    • 9- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
  • 10:30 Eat – 7 oz bottle
    • 11:30/12 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
    • On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci -even at daycare
  • 2:00 Eat- 7 oz bottle
    • 3:30-4:15 – short nap
    • I pick him up from daycare at 4:30, occasional cat nap in the car on the way home
  • 5:30 Eat – nurse about 20-30 minutes
  • 7:00 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 7 oz bottle

This schedule was great for our initial school (daycare) and work routine. I would wake up at 5:30 am and get completely ready before waking up our boy at 7. Then I’d feed him and pump (while he sat in his bumbo or played with Daddy) and then be out the door by 8:15 to head to daycare and then work. On days when I had to be at work by 8:30 I’d wake up earlier and pump before feeding him but keep his wake time at 7 am.

Diaper Diaries

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It’s about that time again.. time to “up” our little man’s diaper size. How do I know? Well you can refer to the size chart that diaper companies provide or you may also know because you are constantly changing your little one’s clothing after multiple blow outs (3 exactly) in one day. That’s a definite sign that its time to “up” your diaper size. Here is my list so far in tracking how long our little one is in each size (pounds provided by Pampers). NOTE: I noticed that our little man started “exploding” out of his diapers 1-2 pounds sooner than the suggested weight range. For instance a size 2 diaper is listed for 12-18lb however we noticed they were too small for him at about 16lb. That’s been the case with every size so far.

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Size N (Our boy: 0-5 weeks)
Up to 10 lb.
222 Avg. diapers per month

Size 1 (Our boy: 5 weeks – 11 weeks)
8-14 lb.
216 Avg. diapers per month

Size 2 (Our boy: 11 weeks – 20 weeks) 
12-18 lb.
216 Avg. diapers per month

Size 3 (Our boy: 20 weeks – 30 weeks ) 
16-28 lb.
177 Avg. diapers per month

Size 4 (Our boy: 30 weeks – ?)
22-37 lb.
162 Avg. diapers per month 

Size 5: 27+ lb.
Size 6: 35+ lb.
Size 7: 41+ lb.

It’s also good to remember how many diapers you went through. Here is our record (yes, I tracked them this long and I’m not really sure why!):

May (birth- 2 weeks): 141 diapers

June (3-6 weeks): 382 diapers

July (7-11 weeks): 378 diapers

August (12-15 weeks): 324 diapers

September (16-19 weeks): 291 diapers