In 2016 I was a local Target’s Baby Advisor.\u00a0 It was truly the happiest job I’ve ever had,\u00a0 I just adored it.\u00a0 Sadly it was a pilot program that they chose not to keep.\u00a0 But for a year I got to keep a department stocked and neat all the while helping parents find what they need… 40 hours a week.\u00a0 But my favorite part of the job was helping a new parent register for their shower.<\/p>\n
Of course, to do this properly I was smart enough to drag my mother in to help me in the world of babies.\u00a0 A world I’d passed out of 13 years ago, now that my sons were teens!\u00a0 And since she is one of the world authorities on babies and breastfeeding for 40 years, now teaching the next doctor generation as USC, my mother gave me lots of great advice to pass on to parents.\u00a0\u00a0 Today, I’m working a different position and cannot give this advice out any longer.\u00a0 So I thought I’d do a blog post.\u00a0 After all, I have several co-worker’s who are expecting!!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ah, but where to start.\u00a0 I know….. let’s start with chemicals!<\/p>\n
Stay away from Lavender!!!\u00a0 Tons of baby products now contain lavender as a “way to make a baby sleep” but a newborn’s skin is so thin it is practically porous and it has recently be determined that lavender, when absorbed into baby’s skin, is an endocrine disruptor.\u00a0 So that product will go and mess with the baby’s hormones.\u00a0 Oh, and the way lavender “calms”…it slows a heart rate.\u00a0 NOT a good thing for a newborn.\u00a0 Save it for when baby is much older.<\/p>\n
And on that ‘newborn baby’s thin skin’ note… you do NOT need to put diaper cream on baby as a “preventative”…that is a petroleum product baby’s absorbing into his system.\u00a0 You do NEED 1 tube of diaper cream but it must be 40% zinc oxide.\u00a0 Anything less and it won’t be strong enough to be an effective barrier to protect baby’s skin.\u00a0 So IF baby gets a rash, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water (baby wipes won’t be enough) and coat the area with 40% zinc oxide…every diaper change… until baby’s skin heals itself.\u00a0 And any wash you use should have as few ingredients as possible.\u00a0 And you don’t need lotion.\u00a0 If baby’s skin is a little flaky that is normal skin shedding, don’t put a product on that baby’s body will absorb.<\/p>\n
Most people wanted my opinion on brands… and the most I could give them was what other people told me because these brands didn’t exist when my kids were babies.\u00a0 TONS of parents loved the wipes of 7th Generation, but not so much the diapers.\u00a0 What I advised was to get a small packet of ALL the brands because they weren’t going to know which diaper or wipe would work best on baby’s skin or bum until baby was out.\u00a0 Register for it all in small packets to try and large packets to either use or bring back for credit to buy what DID work.\u00a0 PAD that registry because you’re going to need LOTS of diapers & you might as well let your friends buy them.<\/p>\n
Let’s talk car seats and strollers.\u00a0 These are completely a personal preference.\u00a0 But in making your choices, know a few facts.\u00a0 A car seat carrier can seem convenient but baby will grow out of it by around 12 months.\u00a0 As soon as their head gets to within 1 inch of the top they are too big for it and you’ll need a full car seat.\u00a0 Also realize that ALL car seats meet federal standards so your choice may be based on how wide it is, what does the material feel like, how many car seat stages does it do (there are 4), does it recline and… iconic to this day age…how many cup holders does it have.\u00a0\u00a0 And when choosing a stroller, go try it out if you can.\u00a0 These days they’re much more versatile than they used to be.\u00a0 Just a note on jogger strollers.\u00a0 Guys love these because they look big and cool.. but ask yourself, will I REALLY<\/em> be jogging WITH my baby….because those joggers are heavy!\u00a0 And unless you’re ONLY using it when you jog, they are impractical for every day use.<\/p>\n DO make sure you also get the wearable baby carriers.\u00a0 Because on Mom or Dad is the true natural habitat for baby.\u00a0 You’ve seen those babies wearing the helmets?\u00a0 That’s because baby spent too much time lying on his head in a carrier, crib or bouncy and the back of his head grew flat.\u00a0 So now he has to wear a helmet to fix it.\u00a0 DON’T be that parent!\u00a0 Get a wearable carrier, any carrier, and prevent this.\u00a0 And know that all babies have reflux and while some babies aren’t bothered by this, others cannot handle it at all; and being upright is their happiest position.\u00a0 Studies have shown being on a parent naturally calms baby.\u00a0 www.kangaroomothercare.com\u00a0 Plus it leaves hands free to push a cart shopping!<\/p>\n There is a myth you should know about…the myth that swaddling baby is good for baby.\u00a0 It is not.\u00a0 There have been actual deaths attributed to swaddling a baby.\u00a0\u00a0 This information is straight from USC.\u00a0 For the first 2 weeks of a baby’s life they are nocturnal, yet they still have to eat 7-8 times in a 24 hour period.\u00a0 Guess when that is going to happen?\u00a0 Yes at night.\u00a0 Factor in, part of a baby’s natural waking process is movement, specifically movement of arms, and you get a situation where a swaddled baby goes into baby snooze because he cannot move, misses a feeding and wakes too hungry to sort out breastfeeding.\u00a0 And some babies will move their body so much they will roll and if he doesn’t have free arms he can smother…(those were the deaths).\u00a0\u00a0 Swaddling was popularized by nursery nurses to create easy to move baby bundles.\u00a0\u00a0 But “baby snooze” is detrimental to a newborn trying to learn breastfeeding and his new environment.\u00a0\u00a0 There are wonderful baby Sleep Sacks that allow freedom of movement and warmth for baby in a crib.\u00a0 Just don’t swaddle their arms!!<\/p>\n While we are on the topic of sleep, I would encourage you to have baby sleep as near you as possible.\u00a0 This lets you get as much sleep as you can during those 2 weeks nocturnal adjustment.\u00a0 The phrase “sleep when baby sleeps” works better if baby is near your bed!\u00a0 Some travel bassinets are wonderful to literally put in your bed!\u00a0 Summer sells one for only $20.\u00a0 And some fancy cribs can be shoved next to your bed in daybed mode and be a great co-sleeper.\u00a0 If you have the space.\u00a0 Remember… all these tactics are there to help you get sleep while still answering baby’s needs to eat and be near you.<\/p>\n Bouncers, walkers, playtime mats, toys; what is good for baby?\u00a0\u00a0 The answer is all of it and none of it.\u00a0 lol…. really!\u00a0 Generations did without these gadgets with no harm.\u00a0 Bouncers’ entertain baby but don’t let baby develop his neck muscles for movement.\u00a0 Are walker’s better for baby than encouraging him to crawl and cruise the furniture when he’s ready?\u00a0 People often think baby’s are bored when they cry out in frustration but perhaps that’s because they are mentally ready to move up in development and NEED that boredom to drive them to pursue movement.\u00a0 That’s where play mats and toys help.\u00a0 And yes, you’re baby doesn’t LIKE being on his tummy in the beginning when his neck muscles are underdeveloped… but how else is he going to develop them. \u00a0 So lots of short repeated bursts of mat time on his front is the solution.\u00a0 And if his tummy is full he won’t want to be on it either, so put a little rolled up towel under his chest when his head gets stronger.\u00a0 And play with your baby. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Now, let’s talk formula.\u00a0 Truthfully almost all formula is cow milk based.\u00a0 And what they DON’T tell you is all formula also causes micro-bleeds in baby’s intestinal tract which is WHY formula has added iron!\u00a0 Without it all formula fed babies would get anemic.\u00a0 The “gentle” formula and “sensitive” formula is mostly marketing hype.\u00a0 And it might seem to work, but there is NO scientific study that proves it.\u00a0 Yes, I’m pretty anti-formula and yes I understand there are some who must have it.\u00a0 But there is a lot of information that new parents DON’T get about formula before they give it that they would be shocked to know.\u00a0 For instance, cow’s milk attacks the pancreas and the rise in diabetes can be directly tracked to the rise of formula.\u00a0 Plus, Dr. Nils Bergman did a study on the link between formula and obesity.\u00a0 (formula is slow to digest and unnaturally stretches the stomach of a newborn…every feed, 8 times a day, for a year…yes… that will have an impact).\u00a0\u00a0 There was also a link between formula and allergies when they realized a newborn’s stomach lining in the first week isn’t fully sealed at birth with micro-holes that formula proteins can slide through into the body triggering early onset allergies.\u00a0\u00a0 And let’s face it, formula is bloody expensive!!!<\/p>\n Whew!\u00a0\u00a0 O.K…. let’s talk Breastfeeding.\u00a0 Just a few tips.\u00a0 First off, Mom….breastfeeding is NOT your success or failure…. it is BABY’S!\u00a0 Yes, breastfeeding is completely driven by baby in a supply and demand system.\u00a0 It is incomprehensibly rare for a mother NOT to be able to produce milk if her baby has a good suck and nursing 8-12 times a day with all the required wet diapers. \u00a0 (Note: all newborn diapers are poop diapers…Day 1 = 1 poop diaper, Day 2 = 2 poop diapers, up to Day 7 where you’ll average 7-8 a day.)\u00a0 So if it seems you’re having trouble with breastfeeding it is almost always a problem with baby… not with you!\u00a0 Tongue and lip tie is the MOST common problem, but sometimes baby is neurologically underdeveloped to handle the complex motions of suckling and swallowing.\u00a0 (bottles take no effort which is why getting a bottle makes going to breastfeeding difficult.)\u00a0\u00a0 The last stage of womb development is neurological and if baby comes out early they are often still developing this and we are needing them to breastfeed.\u00a0 (But remember we are trying to avoid formula for the first week to avoid allergies so conundrum!)<\/p>\n But there are some techniques I learned from the Queen…(me mum)\u00a0 First off:<\/strong> don’t use Boppy’s or pillow or sit up in chairs…recline like an empress at a 45 degree angle, put baby on top of your chest (skin to skin preferably) with baby half awake and let him move himself down to your breast to self attach.\u00a0 This works his neurological development with movement and he will get on the breast in the position that works for him and do it right!\u00a0\u00a0 Half the breastfeeding struggles is baby isn’t on correctly or we start with a crying frustrated baby who can’t coordinate their tongue and end up doing more gnawing than suckling.\u00a0 There are films on this Self Attachment method all over the internet… go watch one.\u00a0\u00a0 Second off:<\/strong>\u00a0 there are cultures who isolate baby and mom for the first month.\u00a0 USE THIS!\u00a0 People want to see baby?…Skype.\u00a0 People want to help you?…. tell them to bring food, do the laundry, clean your house… but YOU and the baby need every moment of those first 3o days to set up proper breastfeeding.\u00a0 BE the Queen you were while pregnant during that time.\u00a0 You have the most important job…feeding baby.\u00a0\u00a0 Three:<\/strong>\u00a0 Trust your instinct as a mother.\u00a0 Find a Lactation Consultant or a Doula or someone with CURRENT experience to answer all those questions you will have, because you are going to have tons of questions!<\/p>\n To recap… the things you MUST have are pretty simple.\u00a0 Car seat, variety of newborn diaper packages & wipes, hooded towel, baby washcloths, some type of bathtub, 40% zinc oxide diaper cream, mild wash, bassinet or crib or co-sleeper (or like me with my 3rd a 6″ deep foam piece on the floor beside my bed lol), wearable baby-carrier, a detergent with no dies or perfumes (Tide Free N Clear is fine and wash EVERYONE’S clothes in it as baby will go on people), onesies, a Sleep Sack, changing pad.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything else might be extras for a later purchase once you get to know about this amazingly new job called parenting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2016 I was a local Target’s Baby Advisor.\u00a0 It was truly the happiest job I’ve ever had,\u00a0 I just adored it.\u00a0 Sadly it was a pilot program that they chose not to keep.\u00a0 But for a year I got … Continue reading