#newborn tips

Quick, tested tips to prevent diaper rashes — fit, change routine, breathable liners.

My sister-in-law just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and it’s got me thinking a lot about must-have essentials for newborns for first-time parents. A LOT has changed since I had E and now the amount of choices and products on the market can be ridiculously overwhelming and so many of them unnecessary. The reality is you only need a tiny fraction of what is available out there. To help prep,…

Top 5 Tips for Making Bathtime Fun with a Baby

  Is bath time a source of stress in your household? Does your baby hate the bath? If so, this is the post for you!

When Andre was first born, he HATED the bath. And because he hated it, I hated it. There’s nothing fun about bathing a screaming child, nothing. I would put it off as many days as I could until Mauricio would finally say

‘Abby it’s been 6 days… we HAVE to bathe him!’

Easy for him…

Following on from my post on how great a nursing pillow is, here are some other lessons I have learned in my three weeks as a first time mother.

1. Buy a sling

I confidently invested in an Ergo baby carrier with little thought as it was obvious from reviews I had read online that it was a leading brand of baby sling. I have not been disappointed and our buggy has barely seen the light of day as the sling makes walking around a busy town or city a breeze, without the hassle of maneuvering a bulky pram through crowds of people. It is easy to set up alone (there is a very helpful video on the website) and baby seems to instantly fall asleep in it. It has a padded insert for newborns, which keeps them very toasty, and a hood so you won't worry about exposure to the elements.

Despite my joy with the Ergo, I still want to invest in a second sling for around the house as the newborn insert is a bit too cosy for indoor use and it is too structured for relaxing in. I would also like a sling that is possible to breastfeed in. Instead of blindly buying one and risking wasting my money, I have called on the services of the wonderful sling library from Babywearingireland who make it possible to rent two slings for two weeks for a mere €15. I have my order put in for a ring sling and a Kari Me wrap sling.

2. Make a supplies station in the bedroom

Bedtime can make a new parent quite apprehensive. You are tired, and the baby is tired but there is no guarantee that baby will sleep and when he does, it is broken. It can be overwhelming and suddenly your inviting bedroom can become a room that you dread to enter. I overcame this initial fear by placing a table by the bed and every night it is stocked with nappies and changing accessories, a big bottle of water/juice for me, snacks, my book, my ipod and change of clothes for baby. Everything I need is at hand and makes nighttime all the easier. 

3. Buy cellular blankets and a swaddling blanket

You will probably end up receiving a lot of beautiful blankets as gifts and most are lovely to look at but not practical for general use. The cellular blankets are recommended for sleeping as they allow air to circulate. I used these for the first two weeks but found it quite hard to prevent the baby from kicking them off. Two nights ago, I started swaddling the baby and have noticed a marked improvement in his sleeping. We bought a purpose made blanket from The Gro Company but you can learn to do it with a normal blanket.

4. Buy muslin cloths

I heard a lot of people recommending these when I was pregnant and was baffled as to what was so great about a cloth. Now I know. These lightweight rags are really absorbent and large enough to wipe up baby spit for a whole day. Bibs are useless in comparison. They can be quite expensive to buy in specialist baby shops but I got mine cheap in Michael Guineys [99c a cloth I think]. Honestly, you can't have enough.

5. Use terry nappies as baby towels

I bought a six pack of terry cloth nappies but as I have invested in proper Bumgenius reusable nappies, the terrys have found a better use as a baby towel and something to put under baby when Im changing him. I find them very handy to dry the baby off when I have used water to clean him after a nappy change. They are also useful to wrap a naked baby in between changes if you need to do so.

6. Babies love a good foot massage

Great for getting out wind and settling baby, a good foot massage with natural oil [I use coconut] is a nice way to wind baby down in the evening. It is also relaxing for you and I can happily spend twenty minutes working those little toe toes!