ok hear me out 👇🏼
This is MY experience. Take what resonates for you and your baby, and leave what doesn’t! My biggest piece of advice, is that – MAMA KNOWS BEST. Trust your intuition and LISTEN to your baby. Just because they can’t talk doesn’t mean they aren’t giving cues.
1. Sleep Training was my Bestie. We started moms on call at 4 weeks. NOW – we didn’t do much “cry it out” per se – if she woke up and was hungry, we fed her. Slowly over time we decreased the amount of ounces she was getting in the middle of the night so she wasn’t as reliant on it. Moms on call at this stage mainly helped us to have a daytime nap schedule, bedtime routine and schedule, helped us learn a little more about sleep hygiene (black out curtains, room temp between 69-72), good sound machine, etc). Once we got her on the daytime schedule of correct wake and nap windows for her age – the night time sleep stretches became easier. We just googled the schedules! There are graphics of the schedules on Google and Pinterest. Ex: search 8 weeks moms on call schedule and it’ll pull right up. Taking Cara babies is another great one!
Example:
2. Start with cold bottles from the beginning – will save a world of hassle later in not having to heat bottles forever! And can feed your baby when you’re out of the house no problemo.
3. There are different nipple sizes. Move up – it saves time, they eat faster, and in my experience ended up eating more vs falling asleep on the bottle because it was taking so long to finish. I use Dr Browns Glass anti-colic bottles that have the green vent inside which helps reduce spit up, gas, bloating.
4. Don’t be scared of formula. I was beating myself up for so long only wanting to feed Claire breast milk. Sleep was hard – at 10 weeks we added ONE OUNCE of formula in the night bottle and she slept 7 pm – 5 am. The next night we put two ounces and she slept 7-7. From there on out we were mixing the night bottle to help with sleep. Our pediatrician noted that formula takes longer to digest, therefore keeps them fuller for longer, ultimately allowing for longer sleep stretches at night. We used HIPP, a clean organic European brand that is most bio-similar to breast milk. Bobbie is also great and a little less expensive!
5. Listen to their cues to move to their own room, drop a nap, drop a bottle, start eating solids, etc. I held onto Claire sleeping in my room for a while longer than she probably needed. Which was okay! But looking back I can tell she was giving us signs that she was ready and I just wasn’t listening (because I wasn’t ready lol). Once moving her to her room, she slept better, we slept better, it was great overall. I tried giving purées at 4 months and she just wasn’t having it. Around 5 months, we noticed she was trying to grab food off our plate and tried again and noticed THATS when she was ready. They can communicate more than you know!
6. Your partner will do things differently and that’s OKAY. You’re a team, and you’re also your own person. Everyone does things differently and that’s perfectly normal. Pick and choose your battles.
7. Long sleeve bibs for BLW >>>. Will save you a LOT of onesies! These are wipeable, I’d even just run them under the sink and let them dry hanging on the faucet, and you can even throw them in the washer.
8. Get a GOOD QUALITY sound machine. When I’ve tried to use our travel sound machine it just does not have the same effect as our hatch. The hatch is truly superior IMO and you can set timers on it, be able to turn on a night light and more.
9. Wearable collection cups and pumps were life changing! I would sleep in my collection cups and wake up with 3 oz in them! Great to wear on one boob while nursing on the other. Great to wear throughout the day. I want to try this wearable cup next time too!
My wearable pump was honestly so helpful for me too. I started exclusively pumping at 4 weeks, and at one point was pumping 6x a day. The wearable pumps allowed me to still walk around, be with my baby, do things around the house etc vs being tied to a pump in a chair.
10. Put shoes on from an early age so they don’t hate them later. I learned the hard way that waiting until they’re walking to put a shoe on their foot was the wrong move!!! We couldn’t get Claire to wear them for almost two months after beginning to walk. I learned later that you want to get them comfortable with having something on their feet from an early age. These would be great for just practice since they won’t really be walking. These are great first time walker shoes too!
11. Let them learn and explore, just be there to help them along the way. Really let them explore, don’t rush them through. Let them touch everything and see everything. You want them to be curious and learn! You can still be right by their side if they need anything.
12. Bamboo suction plates are truly TOP NOTCH SUCTION. We had so many other plates before that wouldn’t stick and entire plates of food would be wasted on the floor (dinner round 2 for our dog, Ralph!). Once we got THESE SPECIFIC bamboo suction plates they’ve been the ONLY ones to actually stick to the tray and STAY there.
13. Yes, you need black out curtains. I really thought we didn’t and when Claire wasn’t sleeping during naps I thought hmm, maybe I should actually try it. Made a difference day one. Check out my favorite curtains here – they truly look custom!
14. Involve them in every day tasks instead of “waiting for nap time”. It’s good for them to see you doing mundane house chores like laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning. Involve them in it! Make it an activity! All they want to do is hang out with you, and it’s good practice to see that everyone does these tasks.
15. Take them out with you! We got Claire out to a coffee shop as early as 2 weeks. Obviously do what you’re comfortable with but I think it’s good for them to get used to being out in public, riding in a car seat, sitting in a high chair at a restaurant, going to the grocery store, and not being cooped up at home always.
16. Eucalyptus steam showers clear congestion better than any medication. We tried it ALLLLL. Claire is a daycare baby with a constant runny nose and the only thing that’s worked for us is a steam shower. I use this clean brand eucalyptus oil & peppermint oil, and add some drops on the shower walls, hold her with me and really wipe the nose a lot with a warm rag to loosen up mucus. Use a nasal aspirator right after, and let them sleep with a humidifier (this is ours and it doesn’t mold!!!). Works wonders! Make sure you’re using a clean essential oil – they are NOT all created equal and you don’t want to be using an artificial fragrance!!
17. Overnight diapers are a thing. REALLY helps to extend sleep stretches as night as they’re more absorbent and keep them comfy. These are the ones we used in the beginning, and now we use these once she moved up to a size 3.
18. Reusable pouches are great and save money. I make smoothie and yogurt pouches in these and can use all my clean, organic, high protein ingredients and batch them for the week! I picked these specifically because they’re BPA free, and have an open zipper on the bottom so it allows for easy filling and easy cleaning. Also – try a pouch holder, it’s been a game changer for us. She can’t spill it or squeeze it and there are handles!
19. Finally, YOU know what’s best for your baby. Let your intuition guide you, and listen to their cues!
