Category Archives: expecting

Baby 411

If you are going to read any books while pregnant, you have to read this one. This is not to say books such as What to Expect When You’re Expecting and What to Expect The First Year are not wonderful and totally worthy of your time.

However, when I was pregnant with our first child, like most new parents I consulted every written source of advice available. I read all the books, even ones written by Dr. Spock many moons ago. I read online articles as well as printed magazines. If the word “baby” appeared within a source, I found it and read it.

Amidst all my reading I was aware of the most popular books and spent a little extra time on them. Then for Christmas my mother in law gave me Baby 411. I read it as thoroughly as I had read all my other books. At this point I was pregnant, but not yet a mother, so therefore I did not really know what a little treasure trove I was holding. In fact, I did not really know anything.

It wasn’t until after my daughter was born that I realized how wonderful this book is. During the first year of my daughter’s life my husband and I consulted this book on many occasions, looking up ailments, finding the right sleep routine, predicting her growth spurts and eating habits, etc. I am very grateful to having had this book, especially at 2 a.m. in the morning when our daughter would be wailing inconsolably.

Now, being pregnant with my son, I am sure I will use this book many more times during his first year. In fact, I am already starting to look through it in my spare time to refresh my memory. Next time you are at a book store looking for your newest addition to your baby book library, whether you are expecting or expecting to be expecting, don’t overlook this one.

4 Things no Baby Registry Needs

Remember when you were creating your very first baby registry for your first born? Did you consult all the books, magazines, online articles and baby gurus? I did. And in the end, I was just as confused. I did not know what half of the stuff on my baby registry was for, but trusted the “experts” nevertheless.I should have asked my friends who had had children in recent years. Better yet, I should have made a list and tucked it away until after my daughter was born and played it by ear. Each child is different, and even though I have friends and family who would have sworn by their baby wipes warmer and bumbo chair, my daughter never needed or used such items.

As I sit at my computer creating my registry for my unborn son I have a much better idea of what is really needed, and as I cross off item after item, I also realize I have no idea what this child will be like, or what he will like. Back to square one.

What if he is more aggressive than my daughter on the nipple? Will I need Lansinoh cream this time? What if his skin is more sensitive? Should I tack on some sensitive wipes and diapers too?
After much deliberation and frustration, I admit my registry is not yet complete. However, I did manage to concoct a list of things I am absolutely sure are not needed on this registry, or any other for that matter.

1. Bottle Sanitizer/ Sterilizer Kit
A dishwasher is enough. The hot water used to clean your dishes works just fine on the bottles, nipples and caps. If you don’t have a dishwasher, normal hot water with some soap and a regular bottle brush will also do the trick. Your kid will grab everything off the floor and stick it in their mouths. Those things are a lot dirtier than their bottle. In fact, my daughter stuck our cat’s paw in her mouth the other day. We do not have disinfectants for our cats.

2. Double Strollers
Unless you are having twins or other multiples, regardless of how close in age your kids might be, these strollers are more of a headache then a help. They are very cumbersome to navigate, especially if you are trying to go grocery shopping, or run any other errands in closed spaces. Not to mention simply getting the stroller in and out of the car is a feat onto itself. I confess I coveted one such stroller for many months, until I finally made my way into a brick and mortar store to play around with it. No wonder I usually see the dads maneuvering these around.

3. Bathrobes for Newborns
Very cute. Completely impractical. A hooded towel to dry off the tot will do.

4. Lansinoh Cream
This is not a completely useless item. Some women really need it. However, you won’t know until your baby is born, at which point you can get some at the hospital or nearest drug store. I have a giant unused tube of it at home. I am actually hoping to need it this time around just so I can feel as though the product and money were not wasted.

What items do you find to be unwarranted on a baby registry?

3 Things Every Pregnant Woman Needs

I am pregnant. Not disabled. I appreciate all the people who want to hold doors for me, help me carry my coffee to my car (yes, coffee), and I especially thank all of the nuggets of wisdom I receive from people who I have never met in regards to issues which do not concern them.
Please don’t get me wrong, I truly am thankful for any and all additional help I am receiving. I will be the first to admit it is difficult being pregnant while also carrying for a fourteen months old baby.
All that I ask is to not be treated as though I should be in a wheel chair, donning a hospital gown while everyone refers to the “condition” I am in. I am a grown woman, capable of making informed decisions. This is not my first pregnancy, so I was well aware of what I was getting myself into, and judging from my beautiful daughter, I think I did okay the first time around.
Here are some things I never gave up while pregnant, or after, and I have no intention of exnaying in the future.1. High Heels.
I have been wearing high heels since I was old enough to walk. My feet are practically shaped in the form of swanky Manolo Blahniks. Not to mention I can just about run a marathon in the darn things while inadvertently breaking some sort of record, without breaking my neck, mind you.

2. Make-Up.
I concede that now, as a mother, I no longer have the time or wont for many frivolous beauty treatments. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I got anything as basic as a manicure. Yet I cannot fathom any reason to appear in public as if I just rolled out of bed. Sure, I am glowing in my third trimester, but my skin is also blotchy due to all the hormones, and after I slather on a few layers of sun block, my glowing complexion now looks greasy and unkempt. So please stop insinuating that somehow my daughter will be traumatized by the few minutes she has to entertain herself in the morning while I attempt to make myself look decent. In fact, she is having a blast hanging out with daddy in the kitchen while she has her snacks. As for my unborn son, he will be fine too.

3. Coffee.
Of course I decreased my caffeine intake as soon as I found out I was pregnant. “Decreased” being the operative term. When I was pregnant with my daughter I swore of coffee immediately. However, I then realized coffee was not the perpetrator of my caffeine intake. I was getting so much caffeine from soda, chocolate, and tea, the cup or so of coffee I was having in the morning was quite innocuous. This time around I kept the coffee and ditched some of the other culprits. I managed to decrease my overall caffeine intake while still blissfully enjoying my steaming cup in the morning, and all with my doctor’s consent. So please stop glaring at me at Starbucks. I assure you, I am not slowly harming my unborn child.