The Baby List - Wheels of Steel - The Stroller Rant Continues

Oh who for art thou Phil, and Ted and haloed be thy name for thou hath created so hardy a vehicle, and thin, like I used to be, to scoot through shopping isles and around rude women and mindless men and old people who feel like demanding respect and rude as hell is the same thing.

Thy name I invoke oh Phil, and Ted thy praises will I sing for long ago I bought your metro pack when I had to trade in my sling.  A sporty yummy mummy, I raced around Bondi, I worked out your 3 wheeler with my head held high.

Love love love P&T

I could go on but the corn is even getting to me... So... here 'tis - LOVE my Phil & Ted Sports, have it in black and bought it before baby number two, because I knew I would need to seat two children and a pram truly has to last you till about age five, for those long late night treks where your angel really just needs to sleep somewhere.

The Phil & Ted is a hearty and well thought out piece of machinery.  It is as compact as pos (obviously not talking about the vibe).  And here is some bullet points of the pros:

• Narrow frame
• Solid
• Great steering (one handed steering a breeze)
• Easy for jogging and walking - and I shop with it quite easily too (although I could have a concrete ankle bracelet and do that)
• Heaps of under pram space.
• A simple bike pump (which I keep in a handy under pram pocket) pumps up the tyres.
• Easy conversion from one to baby with toddler or child with toddler (heavier one in front)
• Rain and Shade covers though expensive are 'faultless' and great quality
• Compact enough to fit in any car boot, the wheels even come off easy if more space required
• Beach friendly

OK - there are always Cons, here they are:

• Heavy frame (which is rectified in the alloy models of Dash and Vibe)
• Quite awkward to fold down (I can never catch the old buses with this pram), it's fine with cars and with the disabled buses which you can roll onto, but too hard for any quick fold down situation (both hands needed)
• ..... can't think of anything else.

All I can say is Phil & Ted which is a New Zealand brand's products basically rule.  They're really well thought out, good quality and you really pay for what you get.  I've also got their Metro Pack (the backpack for 6 months to 5yrs (which I would never do by the way!), but it has been on many bush walks and music festivals with me... Awesome, love it and the kids love sitting in it too, they feel like they're better than you because they're taller than you, which is REALLY important in their little egotistical lives, I know some people over the age of 12 where it still is.

Phil and Teds are now sold at most major chain baby supplies, they retail for around $500 for the classic up to $950 for the Verve.  Then there is all the add ons, the adapters, the doubles kits, the rain cover, the cocoon, the shade cover etc etc etc.  But, you don't have to buy everything, and you don't have to buy it all at once and as I said before ****SPEND MONEY HERE**** 

Top pointers are:

1. GO TO THE STORE AND TEST DRIVE
2. DON'T LET THE PUSHY SALESWOMAN TALK YOU INTO ANYTHING BUT DO PUMP HER FOR INFORMATION
3. KNOW YOUR HABITS AND YOUR LIFESTYLE, ARE YOU ACTIVE, DO YOU HAVE A SMALL CAR - BUY THE PRAM THAT SUITS YOU!!! OTHERWISE YOU'LL JUST HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF PRAM AND NO BOOT SPACE FOR SHOPPING OR LIKE ME BE TREKKING ACROSS CENTENNIAL GARDENS WITH A PRAM THAT IS MEANT FOR WOOLWORTHS...TRUST ME IT JUST AIN'T CUTE!
4. SPEND MONEY HERE!!! PRAMS CAN LAST YOU A LIFETIME IF YOU BUY RIGHT AND THEN BE SOLD ON FOR GOOD MONEY.
5. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO STEER THE PRAM WITH ONE HAND WITHOUT KILLING YOUR CHILD OR ANY PASSERSBY.

And that's the current completion of my rant on prams, strollers and what comes in between.

xx

J's Baby Arrives - a whole week early!

The point of this blog has arrived.  She is small, she is sweet, she is helpless and she is a survivor - as all babies are.  Her mother is sweet, beautiful, in touch and I believe up for the challenge of this new adventure.  Daddy is also quite simply.... in love as all new Daddies could be.

There was a really good birth and then the drama of a haemorrhage after, which I suppose is how in olden times, many children lost their mother at birth.  But, thanks to many discoveries of science, this is not often the case; as in this case.

Honey Child and doting Aunt

As I sat on the bus to Randwick, I don't think I've been so excited, not even with my own children (as I actually had to physically deliver them).  And as I entered the hospital room, their she was, my friend, my sister girl; physically exhausted but glowing with change and creation.  I grabbed her teeny bundle knowing somehow that everything here in this room is different.  Lives are now different, as they should be.

Congratulations to J & J, I know you don't know entirely what you've gotten yourselves into, but no doubt it shall all be revealed in due time xo

Digression - The Sleep Solution - Understand it NOW!

Granted I've disappeared from my blog for around a month and a half, and I still haven't finished my final uni assignment, but anyway I'm diverting into a pleasant rant instead - here we go...

Sleep!  I thought I would digress at this point away from stuff you can buy and make sure everyone in the house gets a few important points.  SLEEP!!

We all need it, and when giving birth, feeding, looking after small people, we REALLY need it.  The best gift that you can give your little one is teaching them to sleep properly, its the lesson that gives for a lifetime.  There are a million websites and books available that share copious amounts of information, but I'm just gonna point out a few basic facts, and then point you to my bible.

There are a few important things to remember:-

1. Self settling is the key to good sleep now and for the rest of bubba's life
2. More sleep = more sleep (and the opposite is true, less sleep = less sleep)
3. Routine is everything.

Naraya's tribute to sleep

Here is the breakdown in laywoman terms.  Self settling is teaching the art of falling asleep by themselves, without any assistance from objects like dummies, touch (mummy), breast or anything else.  

So when it is time to sleep and he/she has been fed, changed, burped so that all problems have been eliminated, they get swaddled, and layed down fully awake and left with a "time for sleep now", even if you want to stay, stay out of sight.  But, my suggestion is go get a cup of tea etc.  

If they are still crying by the time you finish your tea, go back in and check that everything is OK (no strange monster has crawled out of the wardrobe, or they haven't wriggled so much the swaddling cloth is up over their face - mine did that) preferably without being seen.

There is a lot of covert mission work, you know crawling on the floor so baby doesn't see you as you pop up behind the bassinet, or drop from the manhole with only a wire attached to your butt!

The other side is - if you don't teach self settling (and many people don't), a baby's sleep cycles are around 40mins, so think about being woken up every 40 minutes to, pick up the dummy and put it back in, to put the baby on the breast so it can sleep, to pick up that toy she's dropped....etc etc.  I know what I prefer.

More sleep = more sleep - so don't get any ideas about "if I keep her up for six hours then she might sleep all night!!" It don't work like that sista... if a baby gets over tired it takes buckleys and none to get that child to sleep, and LOTS of screaming (that's you and the baby) in between.

Routine is everything - If the baby knows what to expect, what is going to happen when, they seem to find comfort in this.  So, if their sleeps are at the same time, their feeds are the same time and their bath is the same time they tend to work with you a little more (unless they are a rebel and just say NO whatever you do!! - you know who I'm talking about).  Bath - Breast - Book - Bed is such a great rule of thumb, it really winds them down, and by the time they're in bed they're just ready to sleep.

Complications -  If you have a baby with colic, gastric reflux, other illness, some of the above will change, my sleep bible has alot of case studies with these scenarios, so if applicable check it out there.  But I know you can elevate one end of the bassinet/cot to increase the comfort of the baby, and if they have thrown up, they won't choke on it.

THE DADDY WARNING (JET READ THIS!!!!)
DADDIES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO THWART THIS PROCESS OF TEACHING SLEEP, SWADDLING AND OTHER NECESSITIES.  DON'T BE AFRAID OF LETTING THE BABY CRY, YOUR LITTLE PERSON WILL BE ALRIGHT, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY IS THE GREATEST MANIPULATOR YOU HAVE EVER MET!!  THEY MAY LOOK SMALL BUT ARE A WORTHY ADVERSARY WHO IS TRYING TO MAKE YOU THEIR SERVANT...DON'T FALL FOR IT!!  TRUST YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIEND AND "HELP" HER INSTALL THESE SYSTEMS FOR BOTH YOUR SANITY - TRUST ME, IT CAN SAVE A RELATIONSHIP (you know make time for tv and or nookie)

Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall

Save Our Sleep - Tizzie Hall - My Sleep Bible
(Insert Godly Ethereal Music here...Ahhhh)  Okay, basically most of the sleep gurus say basically the same thing, with subtle differences, not really important.

Save Our Sleep is my drug of choice, Tizzie breaks it down in a simple easy to understand way.  Read it BEFORE baby arrives, because you won't have time or patience afterwards.

After birth I used to just photocopy the routines and put them on my fridge so I didn't have to think.  She has really good routines that go from birth through to 2years, covers a range of topics, but I've now done my two babies on them, and many of my friends who didn't have routines asked me for the book after about six months so that they could install order in their house.

Most babies will naturally revert to a routine that is similar to these, but do think this is a great reference, even telling you which breast to feed from and when to express.

Then it has case studies about many different scenarios, e.g gastric reflux and twins.  Love, love, love it.

Kya is killing Naraya in the lounge room so I have to go, going to coax them outside to do yoga in the sun!!

The Baby List - Your Titties and Their Substitutes - the First Three Months

Everyone knows about breastfeeding in theory.  "The breast is best!!" yes thank Mother Goose.  The votes are in and have been tabulated.  These are the points For breastfeeding taken from the Breast Feeding Association of Australia (yes, our breasts have their own association, that's where they were those nights when your husband couldn't find them):-

1. breastfeeding protects your baby from illness and infection
2. provides the correct food for your growing baby
3. aids the development of your baby's eyesight, speech and intelligence
4. promotes a special loving bond between mother and baby (until they get teeth and you have to rethink the whole bonding thing)

And here's the threatening bit....If you DON'T Breastfeed your baby they:

• have a higher risk of cot death
• have an increased likelihood of allergy
• cost more money - you need to buy expensive infant formulas and feeding equipment. Non-breastfed babies are more likely to fall ill, costing more to the family and the community in medical bills (there's a cheerful thought)
• are less environmentally friendly - in terms of fuel, energy and resources needed for artificial feeding (personally I think have babies full stop is not very environmentally friendly - the amount of Methane they contribute to the world is second only to the cow, who may I add also drinks milk...)

Well in all seriousness, breastfeeding 'can be' a wonderful experience when it works, it gives your bubba a fantastic start in life, and may I add is THE MOST CONVENIENT food you will ever have to carry with you.  Cost efficient, always warm and ready to go!

Don't let the old ducks fool ya - it is NOT the most natural thing in the world for most women.  It is awkward, uncomfortable, weird and lord does it hurt a lot of people.

I had an awesome pre-birth educator named Julia Clarke who gave me the most invaluable piece of breastfeeding advice.

She said that THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS ATTACHMENT.  THE ATTACHMENT HAS TO BE RIGHT.  IT SHOULDN'T HURT, IT SHOULDN'T BE UNCOMFORTABLE AND IF IT IS, SLIDE YOUR LITTLE FINGER IN THE SIDE OF THEIR MOUTH AND BREAK SUCTION AND TRY AGAIN.  DO IT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU HAVE TO UNTIL IT IS COMFORTABLE.  IF YOU DON'T, THAT IS WHEN YOU END UP WITH CRACKED NIPPLES ETC ETC.

Paying absolute attention to this advice has led to successful breastfeeding of two children with no cracked nipple, mastitis or any other complication.  And my advice is make sure you do it every time, even from the first feed.  You'll be a pro in no time. 

So that brings us to the stuff for feeding.... (yes there is stuff for EVERYTHING).

Fertile Minds Milk Bar Breastfeeding Pillow

The Breastfeeding Pillow

The breastfeeding pillow is gods gift to woman (that and chocolate).  If you're asking what do I need this pillow for?  Or can't I just use a normal pillow?  The answer is yes you can just use a normal pillow (or three).  The breastfeeding pillow is a firm, extra high profile pillow that is curvy in shape so that it hugs your body.  

The idea is that you can place the baby on your breast, (attaching properly of course) and lay your arm and the baby on top of the pillow, helping your posture, and the stress on your arms, back, neck and shoulders is relieved.  Doesn't that sound good?

Note to J: Don't worry about buying this, please borrow mine, it works a treat.

There are many many models on the market as everyone tries to cash in on this new necessity.  THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO SPEND MONEY as all these pillows work the same.  The one pictured to the left is very popular, it is Fertile Minds Milk Bar and retails for around $65.  It is really nice looking and comfy and has the great added feature of the zip of cover, which means if there's ever and little 'accidents' on the pillow it is easy fixed. 

Note: This is a great item to take to hospital with you if you have space!

Stuff Cabbage Leaves in your bra!

Cabbage

Yes I said cabbage.  Between day 1 and 3 you will experience "engorgement" that is, your breast will go into factory line production of milk overdrive.  You see they've been waiting all your life for this chance and now they have it.

Apparently engorgement is VERY painful and your breasts are as hard as rocks, so to ease the pain, send someone out for a cabbage and put it in the refrigerator.  After each feed you can apply cold cabbage leaves to ease engorgement, bruise them slightly before applying.

The other thing that is good is a hot shower and just gently massage the engorged glands with your finger until the pain eases.  But, women for thousands of years have used cabbage leaves.

Here's a good information page on the different techniques of uses of cabbage leaves in engorgement.

Bottles

If you are breastfeeding I recommend that you only buy two for first 3 months.  You only need the small ones 120mls.  My personal favourite brand is Avent.  Avent has a great feeding system and I've used them for both babies.  There is a valve system that allows air to flow back into the bottle, so I found it reduced the amount of gas that ended up in the babies tummy.

the beautiful glass WeeGo Baby Bottles

In my attempt to be as chemical free as possible I attempted to go back to glass bottles with my last baby.  I love these glass Weego Baby Bottles that I purchased from Ecobabe.  They have these great Silicone covers that are in all these cool different shades.  

I love the concept of them, I just could get used to the bottle not having a valve that releases air back into the bottle, I tried out a few different teats and it still didn't work to my satisfaction.  So I went back to the trusty Avent bottles, yes they are plastic, but they're now BPA free and my babies drank easier from them.

Note to J: I have these for you, you just have to buys the teats (which should be replaced regularly anyway).

To Be Continued....

The Baby List - Medical - the First Three Months

There is a bunch of random stuff that you need or may need that you never think of (at least I never did).
I thought I would split it up, if you stock up on this stuff little by little, you won't notice the money seeping away.

The infa red thermometer ***Spend Money Here*** These are worth their weight in gold, all the Mommas in the neighbourhood borrow mine.  This allows you to take temperatures instantly without having to struggle or wake the sleeping cherub.  Get it!!

Why? Babies get fevers all the time for no apparent reason, they're just out of sorts, and you have to keep a close eye on it because fevers can be very serious in a small infant.  I never knew how many viruses were floating around until I had children.

The Braun seems to be the most popular model, and can be purchased from your local chemist for around $100.  Mine was about $60 and the brand is Microlife, it is Swiss design and was also from my local chemist.  I love it, and wish I had bought this straight away instead of the dodgy little digital thing I had.

Panadol for infants.  You don't know when you'll need it, just keep it in the cupboard, as you would rather have it than not.

Finger Nail Scissors or clippers for infants.  Pack this one in your hospital bag.  Both my girls were born with extra long fingernail and you know how babies love to scratch themselves.

Humidifier - this one is purely incase of illness.  If bubba gets a cold, you MUST have a humidifier.  When you can't give them medication, this is a life saver and helps clear their nose and their chest.  You can even ad a few drops of oil (Eucalyptus/thyme) to a small reserve which warms the oil.

I purchased mine from my chemist and still use it today.  A REALLY good buy!!  My brand is 'Hippo', but I've seen smaller cuter ones around.

Fess Little Noses - this is another one for the chemist.  There are a couple of brands on the market, but they are disgusting and fantastic little contraptions/extractors that allows you to suck the snot out of your little cherubs nose... (Hey its preferential to the formerly used sucking it into your mouth technique - not joking).  Get it from your chemist and add it to your medicine cabinet.  About $12 I think.

A word on monitors.
Breathing Monitors and baby monitors may be great, I've never used them, thank god, I think it would've just made me even MORE obsessive about whether the baby was still breathing.  Very good idea if you have an upstairs downstairs.  And they cost lots of money...I'd rather eat pizza.

Where to spend the most money....

There is always a mountain of products out there for children and babies, all of them claiming to be VERY important, trust me, on the whole they're not.

The most important things for you to invest in are:

• The pram 
• The Nappy Bag
• The Cot
• Your Underwear

And that's about it.  I'll expand on what you should spend said money on later.