Parenting - A Learning Experience

Have you ever experienced feeling so lost and having no idea where to go or what to do. I hadn't until the little mini me came along.

I have always been very confident in myself and my ability to learn or do anything I set my mind to and be successful at it. But... Parenting is very much a trial and error experience, and you don't always pick the right decision the first time! Sometimes you wonder "DUH, why didn't I think of that?" or "I won't EVER be doing that again". The truth is you don't always think straight in your sleep deprived zombie state.

 

So, with that said... Here are a few things I have learned as a new parent - some are my personal experiences and some are from close friends/family - along with some Adorable PICS because I just love my little bug! 

1. NEVER, EVER brag about your child's good behaviors...  It's like they hear you and say "oh yea? I will do the exact opposite for 1-4 weeks just to show you!"

ex: My baby is sleeping through the night - Welcome to the next week from hell where your child will wake up every 3 hours for no reason!

2. Spit up Babies - this challenge is NO fun but if you get a spit up baby - Loads of burp cloths and extra clothes are a must! Here are a few items that made our life easier and kept the spitting up at bay:

This is the Munchkin Formula Mixer - you can find this at Toys R Us, or online. It mixes the formula so that there are no bubbles. Our little one went from spitting up what felt like half her bottle to almost no spit up at all. There were a few occasions here and there but overall it almost eliminated the spit up.

This is the Playtex VentAir bottles (we did not do the drop in liners, we tried them and she spit up considerable amounts more, and yes we pushed all the air out) - they allow the air to escape the bottle as the baby drinks, best purchase we made. 
*Side note: From another Mom I found out you shouldn't use a bottle warmer with these (it melts the plastic)- I always used the breast milk storage bags to heat the milk (just run the bag under hot water until it's warm), no need to spend extra money on a bottle warmer. P.S. I still do this with formula (if it was put in the fridge) - works great!
*Another Side note - Playtex has the best Slow Flow Nipples as well.

3. Diapers:
Apparently there are a few things they don't tell you about a diaper... They WILL Leak...
A - Don't worry about getting it too tight - that sucker needs to be tight so that it catches everything that potentially could have shot up and out the back (up the baby's back)
B - DONT and I mean DONT trust the Dr to put the diaper back on correctly! They check the baby and put it back on so softly, that thing is not holding ANYTHING in.
C - There are flaps on the inside lining of the diaper (along the leg holes) that you need to make sure are up and out. If not you can have A LOT of leaky diapers... So when you are done strapping it on, run your fingers along the leg holes and pull out the flaps to make sure that diaper catches it all.
D - LUVS nightlock - sounds amazing, but before you go out buying a whole pack, the night lock is in the front of the diaper... Great for boys and front sleepers... Back sleeping little girls, the back of the diaper hardly holds anything, so it will leak ALL the way up the poor baby's back and soak their jammies
E - Buy at least 2 extra sets of sheets for your baby's crib (this is for those leaky diaper situations)

4. Speaking of Diapers - there is this LOVELY thing called Diaper Rash... Its horrible! Here are some secret hacks:
*My baby's clears up with the following - 1 layer of desitin, 1 layer of budreauxs, and then top it off with Aquaphor - do this in the diaper right before bed so it sits on them all night! 99% of the time it was COMPLETELY GONE in the morning. Learned this from my sis :)
*From my Sis-In-Law - the only thing that worked for her baby was just straight baby powder
-Remember every baby is different!

5. Bath time... I assumed like most new parents that Johnson and Johnson brand bath time and lotion was the best for my baby. We started using the lavender scent because it was right before bed and it "calms" - Kenzie got these little bumps down her chest and we thought it was heat rash (which you can put corn starch on by the way). We switched from the Lavender to the original Johnson wash and lotion and the rash got considerable amounts better but I could still feel it on her chest. SO we now use Aveeno Baby lotion and it completely cleared up the dry rash feeling on her skin! This is amazing and I am so glad someone suggested this to me and I can imagine Kenzie is happy about it!

6. Baby Proofing comes WAY sooner than you think - my little one is OBSESSED with plugs on the wall, luckily they all have clear blockers in them but she will pick at them for an hour! And now I guess its time for the cabinet ones:

I have plenty more but these are the most important, well for now they are ;)

Hope you enjoy, and remember every baby is different - so what worked for me might not work for you! But brainstorming with other Mom's is the easiest way to figure out options to experiment with.

Signing off,
How has it already been 9 months?!