Registering for your baby shower

            Registering for your baby can be very overwhelming there are so many things running through your head that it can be a tad stressful. First let’s talk about when you should begin to register. I myself waited to register until week 27 of my pregnancy but anytime after week 20 would be a good time to start. Most of the time if someone is going to throw you a surprise shower is will be around 7 or 8 months into your pregnancy so just make sure you get it done before then. It is good to wait until week 20 because that is around the time when you can find out the sex of your baby unless you want it to be a secret then you can go register before that. I would suggest that you at least wait until after the first trimester because God forbid you lose the pregnancy the risk goes down after month 3.

(Source: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/11188975-the-most-convenient-way-to-create-a-baby-registry-is-by-opting-for-online-baby-stores)

            Now what to register for like I said before can get pretty overwhelming. What I suggest is that you bring along a buddy who has already had a baby. Why might you ask? Because they will tell you what you will use and what you will not use. I took my friend Amber because first I knew my boyfriend hates to shop although he was excited for the baby he isn’t one to aww at baby stuff. Any who most stores you register at will give you a huge list of items they think you will need for your new baby. Do not go out and register for every single thing on that list because you will not even use most of the things on their besides the basic necessities.

(Source: http://www.depositagift.com/blog/babies/ask-dana-how-to-register-for-your-first-baby/)

 My friend Amber helped me go through the list and let me know what her kids used and what she found to be a great product. This is great because this way I did not waste my time registering for things I may never use.  Now where should I start in this big old store? Well you can start where ever you feel like I would suggest you go to bedding first and decide what theme you want to go with. That is the funniest part but for some it can be stressful with all the cute choices. I myself went with a monkey theme because I thought it was adorable. I also started with this theme because I went to look at strollers first. The trunk of my car is kind of small so I had to find the most compact stroller to fit and it happened to be monkeys. I proceeded to check out the rest of the merchandise in the store and they had everything to go with it.

            Just remember this is supposed to be fun and exciting so do not get too stressed out. J

Postpartum Depression

You may have already heard of this but are not exactly sure what it is. Well Postpartum depression is an illness that can occur during the first few months after a woman gives birth. It can also happen to someone who lost a child due to miscarriage or stillborn. It basically makes you feel very sad, worthless and hopeless. You may have problems taking care of your little one and even have problems bonding with your baby. Some people confuse postpartum depression for the so called “baby blues” which is when you have trouble sleeping, you get moody, emotional and overwhelmed. The “baby blues” usually go away after the first few weeks while postpartum depression can last for months.

(Source: http://www.onelittlemister.com/2011/07/baby-blues-with-second-child.html)

 I actually thought that I was going through postpartum depression but I realized it was just the baby blues. I was feeling very overwhelmed which who doesn’t with their first baby and I was very emotional. I started to turn my sad emotions into anger and would take it out on my boyfriend any time he did something annoying to me that I could usually just brush off I would flip out. I soon realized that once I got used to the babies daily routine although, you don’t get used to waking up every three hours that things would get better. That is how I knew that I did not have postpartum depression because if I did I would not have been able to rationalize what was going on and the feelings would have lasted much longer.

(Source: http://www.healblog.net/elder-primiparas-at-less-risk-for-post-partum-depression/)

So we have the “baby blues” which are normal and happen to almost every new mommy. Then we have postpartum depression that occurs with 80% of new mommies. But there is one more that is very rare but can occur which is postpartum psychosis. This is when a woman may start acting really weird, they may start seeing and hearing things that are not really there. This can be dangerous for the baby and for herself. It is very crucial that if you feel that you are dealing with postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis that you seek help immediately. The sooner you get help the better you will feel and the sooner you will get to enjoy spending time with your little one because believe me time will fly so you want to enjoy them while they are still tiny. J

Child Care

We all know that the best choice for childcare would be for one of the child’s parents but that is not always an option. These days it is almost impossible for there to be one working parent and one stay at home parent with the economy doing so poorly. If you can manage to have one parent stay home you really should do so because the best childcare comes from the parents. If that really is not an option see if you have a family member that can watch them. Maybe your mother-in-law does not work or maybe a younger sibling who is in college that can work their class schedule around your work hours. If family is not an option maybe you have a close friend with kids who is a stay at home parent and you could see if they wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on your little one for a small fee each week.

(Source: http://www.ababycare.com/grandparents/)

            Obviously free is better and knowing the person caring for you little one really well but if none of those options are available to you then you will have to look into a daycare facility. I do not have much experience with looking into daycares since I am a stay at home mom but I have worked in one before so I know how tough it is for parents to even think about putting their child is the hand of strangers. If you can find time before the little one is born you should go on a few yours of different daycare facilities in your area. This way you can see what each one of them had to offer and you can meet some of the staff members.

(Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/daycare-names.html)

            Cost is a big factor as well when looking for a day care. On average daycare can cost anywhere from, $900 a month to $300 a month. You can tell that the more expensive ones are usually the better choice with the facilities as well as the quality of workers but most people cannot afford that it would be like only working to pay for daycare. You can however find a great daycare that is not too expensive. There are also state programs that will help low income families afford daycare by paying a portion of it for you.

            You could also go for a baby sitter. If you do know of anyone there are websites out there where you can find trustworthy baby sitters with background checks so that you know are not letting some crazy person take care of your baby. But like I said before the best thing would be for one of the parents to be home with your baby. Sometimes it is actually cheaper for someone to stay home rather than work and pay most of your check to a daycare or baby sitter.

Cereal and Solid Foods

           So you are probably wondering when you start to transition your little dumpling to the wonderful world of cereal and mushy baby food. You do not want to rush it to soon because it can actually cause your child to develop allergies if you start cereal too soon. I know a few of my friends started putting cereal into their babies bottles around 2 and a half months so they would start to sleep through the night but the truth is you should really wait until they are about four months to introduce cereal. You should start to feed them a small bowl everyday at the same time. So for instance when your baby gets up in the morning give them their regular bottle or breast feed as normal. The second meal or the next time your baby usually wants to eat you should give them the cereal. So this means it’s time to put together that high chair. This will also help your baby learn to sit by starting them off as a supported sitter. Now this is the same time that you can start to put cereal in the last bottle of the night well if you are bottle feeding at this point. You will have to cut one of the tops of the bottles just a little bit bigger so that the cereal does not get stuck. This will help keep your little one full and hopefully it will keep them asleep all night. You should keep this routine up from ages 4-6 months.

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/847805/beyond-baby-food

             Around 6 months you will have the babies 6 month check up and your doctor will most likely give you the go ahead to start your baby on solid foods so now you will have to stock up on all those little jars of mushy food. There are a few signs to look for that will also let you know your little one is ready for solids. The first is head control you want to make sure they can keep their head steady in an upright position. The loss of the extrusion reflex is another sign. This means your baby will stop using his tongue to push food out of his mouth. Sitting with support is another sign even if they cannot do it on their own as long as they can hold themselves up straight with support they are good to go. If you baby looks like they are immatating you chewing that means they will be able to move food around there mouth and then swallow it.  Last if you baby seems to be getting a bigger appetite meaning they are eating 8-10 bottles a day then you know they are ready for a change in their diet. 

                                 http://www.euphoriababy.com/blog/tag/baby-food/

           The best thing to do is start off with vegetables because if you try fruit first they will love it because it is so sweet and it will be harder to get them to eat the veggies after that. Another great tip I learned is when you are first introducing each veggie and fruit be sure to give them the same kind for three days straight. This way if your baby has an allergic reaction you will know which one caused it.

Developmental Milestones in the First Few Months

(Source: http://www.secretsofbabybehavior.com/2011/06/questions-for-our-readers-rolling-over.html)

            Rolling over is one of the first big milestones every parent waits for their child to do. Once you baby gets a grasp on controlling their head they will begin to roll over. They usually try to get closer to a toy or even you. This can happen as early as around 4 months. It can also take a little longer because they need a strong neck and muscles in the arms to be able to push themselves over. One thing I found interesting was my when I asked my doctor about when my son will roll over he said he might not. He said ever since the rules changed about having your baby sleep on their back that babies have less reason to roll over because they are already on their back and have a good view of everything around them.

   

(Source: http://www.sangrialover.com/http://www.sangrialover.com/)

         Grasping things is another milestone that can be very exciting to see you baby try. Babies are born with a grasping reflex they will curl their little fingers around one of your fingers almost instantly. The grasping is instinctual to newborn babies during the first few weeks.  As the first two months go by they will start to grasp on things and examine their hands opening and closing on purpose. They may even start to hold on to toys and stuffed animals but drop them quickly. They will get better at holding onto things when they get around 4-5 months old. 

                                      

     

(Source:http://www.infobarrel.com/Baby_teething)

        Your baby can begin to teeth anywhere from 3 months to 7 months. My little man had his started to teeth around 3 months and his first tooth already began to pop through at 5 months old. This is very painful for you little one and they cannot tell you that it is happening. One way to tell is they will droll an insane amount. I always have little wet patches on my shoulders. To help ease the pain you should get your little one a few teething rings that you can stick in the fridge. Also stock up on some baby Orajel, it will numb their mouth and ease the pain a great deal.

Getting baby on a sleep schedule

Between months 4 and 6 your baby will be capable of sleeping through the night but don’t be upset if they still wake up once or twice. If they do sleep through the night it can be around 8-12 hours. This way you can finally get some sleep after dealing with all those sleepless nights in the beginning. It can be very frustrating if your baby still wakes up a few times but they have their reasons. Your baby might just want some cuddle time with you or they may be trying to learn how to sit up and rolls over that they even do so while they are sleeping which can wake them up. Around 6 months you should try to get your baby on a regular nap and night time sleep schedule. You can tell when your baby is getting sleepy when they start to tug on their ear, rub their eyes etc. Try and get a schedule going that flows with your life style as much as possible. Pick a set name time or numerous nap times depending upon how long your little one stays asleep.

 My baby just turned 6 months old so we are starting to get a routine down. I can tell I will have a difficult time with it because one day he will take two or three 15 minute naps then the next day he will take a three hour one. His bed times are always different sometimes it is between 8-9pm other days its 10:30-11pm. I swear sometimes he knows when it is the weekend because he tends to stay up later on Friday and Saturday nights. What I am trying to do and what everyone should do at night I develop a routine that you do right before bedtime so your little one will know it is time for bed. I always give him a bath right before bed, but you could also read a bed time story or sing the baby a song, then end it with a kiss goodnight. Try to do things in the same order at the same time every night to get the routine down pact.

Some parents even resort to the cry it out method after a long period of trying to get a routine down does not work. This is not easy especially for those who really cannot stand to her their little bundle upset. You have to put them in their room every night at the same time. Let them cry it out for 5 minutes if they do not stop go in rub their tummy and speak softly tell them it is okay. Every night you should extend the time period by 5 minutes so 10 minutes then 15 minutes and so on. Eventually your baby will get the hint and they will just know it is time for bed.  It is not going to happen right away but just be patient it will happen eventually.

                                                             Pictures are of my baby boy :)

Health

You baby will get sick at some point and time and it will be so sad and that feeling will never go away. You will wish that you could just take it from them and give it to yourself. What makes it worse is that they cannot tell you when something is wrong with them but there are ways to tell. By a few months they will already have a personality. Some kids are not energetic normally while others like mine are spastic and have tons of energy. I could tell my little bug was sick when he was getting really cranky. He had been teething so that made him a little cranky but I would give him some orajel and he would calm down. A few weeks ago he just got extremely cranky and then I noticed he was coughing more than usual and had a slight bit of wheezing going on. So I took him to the doctors and they said he has Bronchitis. I felt so bad for him I had to give him to oral medications and two inhalants that I have to put in a nebulizer. If you suspect they are sick never hesitate to call your pediatrician and make an appointment. They had told me if I left it untreated it would have gotten much worse.

(Source: http://worldarticles.com/the-sick-child/)

You cannot always prevent your little bundle of joy from getting sick but you can do things to prevent it. Make sure people wash their hands before handling them even when they are older. Most people do this a lot when you first bring them home but you should continue to do so in the ongoing months. You should try to limit taking your child to the mall because they are filled with tons of germs. The reason malls are worse than just one store is because there is one filter system for all the stores and there are no exits to the outside and no windows for air flow. If you do want to take a walk around the mall the best time of day to do so is early on while other kids are still in school since they carry the most germs.

Another thing to prevent colds or asthma from occurring in the winter is to check your filters in the house. A lot of people do not think about filters because we don’t see them. It is the whole out of site out of mind concept. But cleaning your filters will help keep more dust particles out of the air and make your house less stuffy.

Well I hope this helps a little when it comes to your baby getting sick. Stay tuned for more posts. J