By Valentina Pollard of Just Breathe

My Top 10 Must-Haves: The First 3 Months

Daphne and Poppy are now 3 months old! I cannot believe it. They have been home from the NICU for longer than they were there…and the days are flying by (although some more smoothly than others). During this time there have been some items that have made our lives much, much easier. I have listed my very favorite must-haves below. Please note that this list is made with twins in mind. Of course, it applies to all babies (just don’t buy as much if you have one baby instead of two…or buy more if you have three or four)!

 10. Baby Trend Double Snap N Go Stroller. Confession: We have three double strollers. Two parents. Two babies. Three double strollers. I am a bit stroller obsessed. We have the Bob Duallie (haven’t used just yet since the girls are not big enough to run with yet). And we have the Bumbleride Indie Twin (Love it for neighborhood walks and leisurely strolls, but not the most practical for everyday errands and such). At the advice of another twin mom, I bought the Snap N Go…I didn’t want to – after all it is plastic and pretty ugly. But wow this thing is so easy to use when I am out alone with the girls and easy to maneuver with one hand (leaving the other to shop with…). Ugly or not, the easy and cheap Double Snap N Go is an absolute must have.

 9. Chicco Keyfit 30 car seats. These car seats are approved for preemies 4 pounds and bigger. We first bought Graco carseats with a pattern that I loved. The NICU had us return them to buy the Chicco. The girls both passed their car seat tests, they are lightweight and easy to carry two at a time…love them. We lost one of the seat pad inserts (still a mystery where it ended up!), so I called Chicco to order another one. For $12 they sent me a replacement and it arrived in 2 days! Great customer service. Buy them!

 8. Fisher-Price Newborn Rock & Play Sleeper. Two of them in your bedroom…critically necessary for the first three months (and counting!). We each have one sleeper next to each of us and the girls are now sleeping in them up to 8 hours each night. These keep them on an incline, reduce reflux and are easy to move around the house for impromptu napping. Must have. Period. Must. Best money you will spend.

 7. Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing – My Little Lamb. The big one. The girls rotate using this when one is feeding and the other is fussy. They are HUGE and expensive, so we only bought one, but baby is it worth it. They love it. Immediately calms whichever one is in it, which is great because if you are feeding the other one or changing one, etc. you cannot attend to both at the same time. If we had tons of room we would probably buy a second one, but our house is small!

 6. The Miracle Blanket. Get one for each baby you have. They will not want to share and you will greatly benefit from having two sleeping babies! It is the best swaddle. As bragged about above, both girls are sleeping up to 8 hours at night…but only when we swaddle them with this particular swaddle. A good swaddle is huge for a preemie (which most twins are) because it mimics the womb. I like my babies swaddled. And I like them swaddled tight.

 5. Medela Symphony breast pump. I rented mine from a local store. Many hospitals rent them as well. If you are pumping for twins, don’t mess around with the pumps you can buy at a store – they are no where near powerful enough for how much milk you will need to produce and how quickly you will need to produce it!

4. Moby wrap. I am wrap obsessed. Chances are, if you stop by my house I am wearing one if not two babies. All. The. Time. I have bought three other wraps, but I keep coming back to the Moby. People say it is hard to use or that there is too much fabric. Bull. It is fabulous. I can now tie it without using a mirror and the girls love it. In fact, Daphne is asleep in it now while I am writing this!

 3. Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine. Small, portable and plays multiple sounds. We moved ours to the master bedroom and keep it on all the time. I prefer the rain and bird sounds. Puts the girls to sleep and I really believe it helps them relax at night. On a whim, I put this on our registry and am so glad I did. It was an awesome gift to receive and one of the most useful so far.

 2. Diaper Genie II Elite Diaper Disposal System. I’ll admit: I have talked a lot of trash about diaper genies in the past (pun totally intended). But with two babies (or for that matter any amount of baby(ies)!) and all the dirty diapers they produce (sorry, but I only use disposable diapers…much praise to those of you who are more eco-conscious than I am, but over my dead body am I scrapping poo into a toilet…yack)…must. have. Our house smells great at all times.

 1. California Baby Calendula Cream.  Nature’s First-Aid! As the description states, California Baby Calendula Cream is excellent for use on general diaper area, cradle cap, on cuts and scrapes, and may be used on face and body for extra-dry or sensitive skin. Botanically based, our light and fluffy Calendula Cream contains the active ingredient of Calendula, which has been used to heal the skin for centuries. California Baby Calendula Cream offers deep hydration, absorbs completely, and leaves skin feeling satiny smooth. I’ve been using it on both girls’ sweet faces at night (and mine too!) as part of our bedtime routine and on any little scratches (from those pesky finger nails that grow like weeds), etc. If I notice a scratch on one of the girl’s faces I immediately apply some cream and – ta da! – the scratch literally disappears by the next morning. It smells like heaven, is lightweight and the girls and I love it. You will too.

What am I missing out on? Any suggestions of must-haves for the next 3 months?

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More about our Booty Blogger:

Valentina Vassallo Pollard started …just breathe… in May 2010 when, after many months, she found herself still holding her breath in hopes of a positive pregnancy test. After a year and a half long journey through the trenches of infertility, she is now living her very own happy ending beginning – a successful first round of IVF resulting in a healthy pregnancy with twin girls. Valentina is busy adjusting to the wonderful world of mommyhood with the arrival of her girls, now three months old. She is passionate about spreading the word about infertility treatments and the options available to families. She writes about her experiences, hopes, dreams and shopping binges (now mostly baby related) on her blog – www.just-breathe-blog.blogspot.com. Valentina lives in Austin, Texas with her very handsome (and patient) husband, Blake.

by Vanessa of Silly Eagle Books

Nursery Design by Numbers

Numbers are becoming a big trend in both baby names and room decor. And while there are many beautiful options to purchase (aren’t there always?) This is a trend that is fairly easy for anyone (even non-crafty types) to pull off. To start out, decide if you want to display meaningful numbers (significant dates, members of family, ages, etc) or if you just want to go with what appeals to you visually. Once you know which numbers you want to incorporate into your nursery design, try these ideas.

• Visit the local hardware store and check out their house number options. You can find several different styles and finishes that can be combined to create your own custom wall art. Attach them to a board or wall, frame them, or even screw them onto a piece of furniture such as a dresser drawer or changing table. Don’t see what you like at the Home Depot? Try online retailers such as Design Within Reach and Seattle Luxe.

• Search your bookshelves or secondhand book stores for vintage or modern counting books. Frame a few of your favorites or use Mod Podge to create a canvas collage. If you don’t want to destroy a book for the sake of art, you can try simply displaying the books by leaning them on a picture ledge. I love these cool counting board books. And when your baby is old enough, you have something educational and beautiful to read together.

• Look for vintage flashcards to use as wall art. Like this one. I found it here.

• Use a stencil and paint numbers onto your walls or take the easy way and purchase vinyl wall numbers like these black and white ones or these colorful ones.

• Walls aren’t the only place to add numbers, buy this numbered pillow case or try your hand at creating your own with some foam stamps and fabric paint.

Need some more ideas? Just search for “numbers” on pinterest for more inspiration.

What about you? Which numbers would you incorporate into your baby’s room?

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About our Booty Blogger:

Vanessa is the mother of two beautiful girls–Juliet and Lucia. Before she was a mom, she spent her days teaching a little bit of English and a lot more “please be quiet” to high school students and her nights…wait for it…SLEEPING. Now her days are spent reading books, crafting, and chasing the cat around the house while her nights are filled with significantly less sleep and a lot more “please be quiet.” She writes about children’s books, crafting, and learning activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers at Silly Eagle Books.

by Sarah Blight, Founder of Your Baby Booty

Babywearing Rocks. Literally.

Why are we (US residents) the last to pick up on the age old secrets of babydom?

I love technology… a lot… but somehow our technocentric lives have cut us out of the loop of sage baby wisdom that has worked long before technology was the mainstay in our lives.

For example, did you know that in the rest of the world babies’ cries are measured in minutes? For us, in the US of A, we measure them in hours! Hours! The rest of the world doesn’t tolerate their babies crying for hours on end, so why should we? What’s the secret to soothing and calming baby that we’re not privy to?

Let me ask you a question:

Do you wear your baby?

Well, let’s see. If you were pregnant and gave birth to your child, you wore him or her on the inside of your body for (let’s just round up and call it a year, shall we?).  That counts as baby wearing for sure.

If your children came to you by way of adoption then I’m sure you wore your heart for adoption and your child on your sleeves  during the entire, paperwork intensive experience. That counts as babywearing.

But we’re not really talking either of these scenarios, we’re talking about babywearing on your person.

After I first had our son, I wasn’t sure what a baby carrier was exactly. I was confused between infant car seats, baby bouncers, baby swings and then a baby carrier? Whaaa?  I finally realized that if I ever had hopes of doing anything around the house again, I needed to figure out a way to strap baby to me- {light bulb moment…oh! So THAT’s what those are for!}  Call me a bit dense, but it did take me awhile to realize that the SleepyWrap and the Ergo were all ways to let your little one be held by you, hands-free.

Bliss.

Research shows that babywearing has many benefits for your baby (and baby’s parents too!):

1. Babies are smarter- all those neurons are firing and connections are being made because the baby is close to you and soaking up all that is around you. Conversely, you can shield your baby from being overly stimulated, protecting their developing nervous system.

2. Babies cry less-check out the National Geographic Channel or simply do an image search for mothers and babies in different countries. The vast majority of the world’s mothers, wear their babies. Anthropologists have found that those babies are happier and cry less. If you’re like most women, the very sound of your baby crying is like nails on a chalkboard, or mosquitos buzzing around your earlobes all while your milk is leaking from your boobs. Sooo this is very, very good news for us all.

3. Babies become better organized- All you super organized people are LOVING this one aren’t you? Dr. Sears recommends parents wear their babies for an additional 9 months after birth. Imagine as a new baby the culture shock of being out of the womb and being by yourself in a lonely bassinet or bouncy seat, away from the cozy confines of mama’s womb. When you wear your baby, they are soothed by the rhythm of your walk (and probably think- this is familiar!), your voice, your heartbeat and the closeness to you. This helps them organize or regulate their systems.

Okay, are you a convert? Or do you need more proof?

4. It’s a good work out for you- finding time to exercise and get back in shape after baby is difficult, strapping on your baby to do housework or spend time with friends, or chase your other kiddos is a great way to get exercise and have super important bonding time with baby.

5. It’s inexpensive- Baby carriers often times cost less than expensive strollers or swings or bouncy seats and slings are even less expensive and a great way to wear baby. There were some safety issues in the news about slings but not all slings are created equal. This is a great resource to see how to wear slings correctly and what NOT to buy with regards to slings.

So go for it mama (and papas!!), wear your baby long and proud. Baby will cry less and flourish from the closeness. You will look back on your time and wonder how it went by so quickly and will long for those days of babywearing again.

Sources-

Dr. Sears

The Natural Child Project

Good article here.

Excerpt from a research article.

*photo credit- the eye candy in the pic up there? Yep, that’s Steve (Mr. YourBabyBooty) with our bro-in-law.

by Melissa of The Expectant Life

Your Body During Pregnancy

Standing in the grocery store line last week, I couldn’t help but be assaulted by notice the magazine headlines clamoring for my attention: “10 Tips to Get a Hot Body Now;” “Swimsuits That Slim You Instantly;” “Four kids, no time, this body…find out how she does it.;” “How to Get the Body of Your Favorite Celeb;” “5 cellulite fixes that actually work;” “The trick to getting rid of your double chin;” “Down 35 lbs and already rockin’ a bikini bod just 5 weeks after giving birth.”

I wanted to burn them all, the magazines that is, not because I wouldn’t love to have the body of a celebrity or lose my double chin, but because I tire of the messages our culture sends to women about their bodies. Messages like, you have to be skinny to be sexy, you’ll only be desired for your outward beauty, you’re identity is in how you look, and on and on they go. They’re sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but either way they tend to leave women feeling dissatisfied with their bodies and under constant pressure to look a certain way.

I’m very much for healthy eating, being fit and in shape, and taking care of your body. But I’m also for balance, accepting the body you’ve been given, and rockin’ what you got! The journey to have a healthy body image has been life-long for me. And not long after I hit my stride as I rolled into my 30’s, feeling really comfortable in my own skin, did I get pregnant. At first, there wasn’t much of a physical change, at least outwardly. Yet the hormones kicked in immediately, ‘the girls’ began to ache, and my tummy began to rebel. And shortly thereafter, the visible signs appeared as my belly began to burgeon, along with other parts of me that unexpectedly burgeoned too! For me, it was my backside, my bum, my derriere, whatever you want to call it. When I’m preggo, it grows at approximately the same pace as my belly. Perhaps it’s attempting to even things out, so as to keep me balanced, or at least that’s what I tell myself anyway!

Every woman is different and thus, the shape that a pregnancy takes varies from body to body. The one certainty is that your body will change when you’re pregnant. How do you handle this change? Some women welcome it completely, taking great comfort and joy in the fact that this ever expanding body is growing another human being. But many women I’ve talked to experience mixed feelings, the comfort and joy mentioned above, meshed with a struggle to love their widening, softening, and ever growing body.

An even greater challenge for many women, me included, is that of embracing our bodies which are forever changed once we’ve pushed out that bowling ball-sized bundle of love. No one warned me that I would still look pregnant AFTER I gave birth! I remember having a friend come to visit me in the hospital the day that my son was born. I was in the bathroom when she arrived and as I came out, I felt the need to warn her, “I swear I gave birth today, but I still look pregnant!” This not to mention that I was incredibly swollen EVERYWHERE due to the IV that had to be pumped through me for 45 hours. I look back at pictures of me with my family, shortly after Ben’s birth, and let’s just say, it’s hard for me to see myself in that state.

I immediately loved my sweet baby boy more than I ever thought I could love someone who wasn’t my husband, but I struggled to accept all the jiggle in places I never knew could jiggle and that I weighed more than I ever had in my life even though I was sans baby in the belly. But through the years, I’ve come to realize that body image or how I feel about my body is really a matter of perception and attitude. I know women who at 39 weeks pregnant, if you looked at them from the backside, you wouldn’t be able to tell they were pregnant. And those same women slid back into their size 2 skinny jeans just days after giving birth. Yet, in talking with some of those women, they too, identified parts of their bodies with which they were dissatisfied. As someone who will NEVER don a pair of skinny jeans (due to calves that are about the same size as my thighs, ok not quite, but you get the picture), I initially thought to myself, ‘but how in the world could you be dissatisfied with your body when you look like THAT?’ But I was quickly reminded that no matter our shape or size, we as women can always find parts of our bodies that we don’t like, often times much more easily than we can identify the parts we’re happy with. All too often, I think we waste a lot of energy being mad at our bodies, rather than making friends with them.

Long before my baby-making days, in effort to ‘make friends with my body,’ I began asking myself this question from time to time, “Right now, is your body a stranger, enemy, or friend?” I began to explore my views and beliefs towards my body and where those were coming from. I found that many of my beliefs came from what culture was telling me I was supposed to look like rather than what my preferences were or what made me feel good.

After giving birth, I desperately needed to revisit the stranger, enemy, or friend question. I also realized that I needed to spend some time reflecting on the awesome feats my body had just pulled off. As I did, I began to thank my body. It may sound corny, but sometimes a little heart to heart, or rather heart to thighs dialogue is necessary for me. And as I listen to my body, and sit in awe of everything my body does for me on a daily basis, I am filled with gratitude, able to more easily accept my not-so-favorite-parts.

So, if this hits home for you in any way, I’ll leave you with a few questions and thoughts to ponder:

1. Right now, do you see your body as a stranger, enemy, or friend?

2. What attitude do you have towards your body today? Positive or negative? Grateful or disparaging?

3. Make a list of the amazing things your body has done for you today. Perhaps you could start with the fact that your body woke up this morning breathing!

4. What have you done to love your body today? Maybe start with thinking about what things you could actually do to love your body. Here are a few that I like: feeding it healthy foods, exercise, warm bath

5. Think of something that makes you feel beautiful, not beautiful in the “so and so told me I totally rock those jeans” kind of beautiful, but something that makes you feel beautiful inside and out.  For me, it’s going for a hike or a run, somewhere in nature. Something about the sun shining on my face, the wind blowing in my hair, and my body carrying me up a hill leaves me feeling strong and beautiful. Whatever it is for you, DO IT!

6. What does it look like for you to accept what you’re not and embrace all that you are, when it comes to your body?

As my second pregnancy ensues, it once again is debatable as to whether the baby is growing in my belly or my bum, but I’m in a much better place this time around to be friends with my burgeoning backside. I’m choosing to treat my body right, eating healthy and exercising, and I feel good. Everyday, I make it a practice to thank my body for its willingness to undergo such duress, so as to grant me with another beautiful family member to love. After all, we only have one body, so I say, love the one you’re with!

*credit

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more about our Booty Blogger:

Melissa lives, works, and plays outside of Denver, Colorado with her husband, son, and ultra-sweet but ultra-needy Golden Retriever, Samaya. She is a mostly stay-at-home mama to her bundle of boy, Ben, and when she’s not wiping up drool or playing peek-a-boo with her son, she works part-time in her private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Melissa’s latest challenge is that of attempting to juggle the four main hats she sports, those of wife, mother, friend, and therapist. She views life as a journey and considers her life’s work to be that of walking alongside people on the journey, whether it’s her hubby, son, friends, or clients. And she is a strong believer in living life to the fullest, which for her involves playing in the great outdoors every chance she gets. When given a spare couple of hours, she can be found running, biking, hiking, skiing, and backpacking in her backyard, aka the Rocky Mountains. Aside from active pursuits, creating and writing are essential to Melissa’s life. She likens writing to using a pair of binoculars, allowing her to focus in on the beauty that lies in the messiness of the mundane. You can find more of Melissa’s writing on her blog, The Expectant Life.

by Vanessa of Silly Eagle Books

Exercise and Pregnancy: gettin’ in the pool

Athletic is the last word I (or anyone else) would use to describe myself. However, in my childhood and in the late 90′s, I actually spent many an hour in the pool. Not just splashing around, but wearing a Speedo and doing laps. Lots of them. I was pretty much on a swim team from 8th grade until my senior year in college. And although I was never very fast (kind of a key factor in the whole race situation), I did learn how to enjoy a good water workout.

During both my pregnancies, I found myself in our neighborhood pool almost every evening during the summer months. And not surprisingly, it did me a lot of good. Here are a few reasons why you should try it for yourself.

1. You can’t fall.

As any pregnant woman will tell you, balance becomes a challenge once the baby bump starts to pop out. Even in the early months, you suddenly find yourself falling forward, leaning sideways, and generally wobbling about. I swear off step-stools at around month three for fear of toppling off. The nice thing about swimming or walking in a pool is that the water surrounds you, cradles you, and keeps you upright. And even if you do lose your balance in there, it’s no big deal because you’ll just sink softly into the water.

2. You lose weight.

Not literally (I’m not advocating weight-loss while pregnant!), but you feel as if you have lost all the baby weight. The force that usually pulls your belly downward is suddenly and refreshingly gone. You can hop and dance and feel like your old self in the water. Not only do you lose weight, but your older children do as well. If you have a 20+ pound child who still likes to be held, pool time is the perfect time to do it. You can hold her in your arms like the old days and she will feel as light as a feather. I enjoyed holding my three year old in the pool this past summer when I was eight months pregnant. She loved having some time in my arms again, too.

3. You can buy a swim suit that you will grow into.

Usually buying a swim suit is one of the most painful tasks of the year because it involves high hopes that I will lose some weight in order to fit into a certain suit. Buying a maternity suit is exactly the opposite. Instead of buying small and hoping I’ll fit eventually, I buy big and expect to fill it out! Glorious. (Here’s an especially cute one.)

4. You can hide the bump.

I know it’s fun to show off the baby bump, but there are times when I just want to hide it and get a break from the running commentary from random strangers. If you stand in the pool near the wall or sit on the steps with a submerged belly, you look like any other woman in the pool and you can get a short respite from people rubbing your belly, telling you that you are definitely having a boy (even though you are definitely having a girl), and other annoying and unsolicited advice. Of course, once you step out, people will feel prompted to say things like, “Wow! You must be due any day now!” (Actually, I have six months left.) “Twins, right?” (Wrong.), and the every popular “Snack time, again?” (Yes. Yes, it is.)

5. You can relieve joint pressure.

My hip joints always ache when I’m pregnant and swimming is one of the few ways I’ve found to get a little relief. Slow easy laps with plenty of breaks always seems to loosen up my joints and get me back to a less painful place for a few hours. It’s also nice for working out some of that lower back pressure.

6. You can cool off.

Am I the only one who feels like I’m stuck inside an oven for nine months while pregnant? If you are unlucky enough to go through four months of 100+ degree days while pregnant, then jumping in the pool may be the only way to get a little relief from the heat. Water–especially cool water–is always good for taking the body temp down a few degrees.

And of course, there are the exercise benefits of swimming which you are probably already familiar with. You can get your heart rate up, improve your flexibility, posture, muscle tone, etc. Plus, you get to wear goggles.

And don’t forget those cute maternity swim suits.

*credit

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More about our Booty Blogger:

Vanessa is the mother of two beautiful girls–Juliet and Lucia. Before she was a mom, she spent her days teaching a little bit of English and a lot more “please be quiet” to high school students and her nights…wait for it…SLEEPING. Now her days are spent reading books, crafting, and chasing the cat around the house while her nights are filled with significantly less sleep and a lot more “please be quiet.” She writes about children’s books, crafting, and learning activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers at Silly Eagle Books.

By Emily Arters of The Monkey Barrel

First Birthday Freak Out

When I gave birth to my first bundle of joy, John, I was somewhat of a babycare pro. I’d been a nanny for a few years and was well versed in the art. It was a rocky start though since I now had to  figure out whether to breast or bottle feed,  navigate a few other tiny hiccups, and then I couldn’t just send him home at night when I was ready to make dinner. Over all though, John was an easy baby and his first year was pretty darn blissful. I’m hoping that doesn’t sound brag-a-docious, we were just really blessed with a content and happy baby. As his first year came to a close, the one thing I had not prepared for, had not considered, had not even given thought to was his first birthday party.

{Enter stormy music accompanied by panicked, frazzled mom with no clue.}

Just like everything else with your first kid, (and second, third, and fourth) everyone has an opinion or an expectation. With so many ideas coming at me, my head became a tiny freaked out tornado. I pelted the hubs with question after question until his wits nearly took leave. He started holing up in his office with headphones on, “work” projects to finish just so I’d stop asking about color swatches, cartoon characters, and present ideas. After much agonizing and deliberation on my part, -and frankly, peer pressure from all the greatness that Martha Stewart was at the time- we, well… I really… decided to go large. This turned out to be a huge, gigantic mistake.

The balloons were finally bought, presents wrapped, house festooned, gift bags assembled, and the cake was baked and decorated.  John woke up that morning with his first ever stomach flu and barfed for 24 hours straight. Devastated, I called the hordes of potential party goers with a tentative reschedule date for the following week to be sure the whole house was clear and could be disinfected within an inch of its life before we had guests over. Budget blown, half the guests lost to scheduling conflicts, his first party wound up being just close family and John had a great time. This was my first major lesson in how life with kids just doesn’t go as planned.  You either learn to roll with it, or the disappointment gets the better of you.

As a result I became a better and more flexible party planner. Smaller gatherings are always better for the first year. Until they’re four or five they don’t have much of an idea what’s going on, so it’s better to save the big ideas until they can actually enjoy them. I’ve seen the recommendations that the number of years your celebrating should equal the number of kids, but in most cases that’s really not feasible. For us, by the time you make it just through the immediate family list you’re already up to 10 or 12 kids. Yes, there will be friends who are offended they weren’t invited and maybe even extended family, but let’s face it, they’re always aggravated for some reason or another and for once they have a tiny reason. They can deal, people!

When throwing a baby soiree, keep it simple folks, m-kay??

Things to do at your kid’s first birthday party

1. Choose party themes that center around the things they really enjoy. That may mean you won’t find paper products, decorations, gift bags, wrapping paper, and cake accessories to match but honestly at one, they’re licking paper towels, eating paper scraps and lint balls, and surviving on the free range cheerios from off the floor anyway. Beyond a cursory glance at the balloons, they really don’t care about anything else.

2. Go to the hardware store and find various sizes of packing boxes for them to crawl in and out of.

3. Buy a giant bag of ball pit balls and an inflatable baby pool. Have fun with it!

4. Try bubbles and bubble machines for a theme.

5. Frankly just have a nice water table and loads of cups and utensils to play with in it. The baby will have a blast, your budget will remain unscathed, and you will have delightful memories of a way less stressful celebration of making it together through their first year of life.

On Gift Giving

The gifting aspect alone to the party may feel like the end of your sanity. Don’t stress!! Remember the baby has no clue what the green stuff in your wallet is nor how much or how little is in there. If you’re crafty, there’s about a bazillion blogs with cute tutorials on all manner of things you can create. If you’re not crafty check out the bookstore for a new pile of board books. Check your local Taps store for some developmental toys that are unusual and age appropriate. Heed the age recommendations on the packaging! We learned a few hard lessons believing our child was more “advanced” than he really was to figure some of those things out. Doh! Either way you go, remember the amount of new things can become overwhelming because they’re getting more gifts than just yours. Overspending just makes for an irritable you later. Once again, the baby is completely oblivious.

Ultimately, we just want to celebrate our kids. That first year is monumental for both them and for you.  You get to look back to see how far you’ve made it since you graduated Lamaze, how they slapped you on the back and sent you bewildered into the world to go have a baby.. ACK! From the moment they placed that beautiful, crying, demanding, living piece of your heart into your arms, and all of the next 364 days, you accomplished so much more than you both thought capable. That’s definitely worthy of acknowledging, but not so much that you send yourself to an institution with nightmares of giant inflated cartoon characters, and balloon animals stalking you from the corners of your rooms. Relax and enjoy what you’ve shared. Let the fuss and hoopla go in favor of just a good old fashioned good time.

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About our Booty Blogger:

Emily Arters is an indeterminate 30-ish something age (how dare you ask) wife of Fred, the magnificent, Arters. She is mother of 3 monkeys, John, Luke, and Noah with one more to complete the barrelful due in June. Emily’s occupation, besides the above, is a stay at home, homeschooling mom. Emily became a crafter because she’s a penny pincher and look at things wondering how much cheaper she can make them herself or how much work would it require to refurbish a piece.  She particularly enjoys needle crafts; sewing, knitting, crocheting and so forth.  She also loves to cook and her motto in the kitchen is” Cheap and Easy” !!! (just like her)  Husband hates that she always adds that last part.

More of Emily’s thoughts can be found at The Monkey Barrel .

Feeling Disorganized? 5 of Our Fave Websites.

It’s so easy when you have a baby (or are preparing for one) to get overwhelmed with all the stuff that bombards your house and life. Staying organized and on top of things becomes more difficult when you add little people to the mix. So we thought we’d share some of our favorite websites that focus on minimalist, simplistic living!  If you have any you’d like to share, let us know!!

The Suburban Minimalist – this is a great site for the more mainstream among us who aren’t going to be living with 100 items, but want a simple, uncluttered life.

Minimalist Adventures- Rusti (writer) won’t be blogging here anymore but she leaves a fabulous list of resources and her own free ”Ultimate Beginning Minimalist Resource Guide.”

Have you ever Time Boxed? We all have more time than we think, it’s all in the way we spend it. 

Simple Organized Living- Andrea offers super great ideas for decluttering, organizing, recipes, budgeting and making your own things like face wash! {side note: I (sarah) have been using the oil cleansing method that is explained here and it is fabulous. My normally oily-ish skin is now -relatively- normal. It’s a real time and budget saver}.

Zen Habits- How about taking some advice about simplicity from a father of 6 who lives in San Francisco! We like this guest post by Gretchen Rubin on how to identify clutter.

Your turn! Share your fave websites with us:)

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Reading To Your Baby Can…

by Vanessa of Silly Eagle Books

Reading to your baby can help them to discover a lifelong love of books. It’s never to early to start reading with your baby. In fact, the best way to get your child on a path to loving reading doesn’t really involve much reading at all. All you need are some positive interactions with books and you’ll get him on the right track to loving books his whole life long.

The best time to introduce books to your baby is around 4 months of age. This is when they usually start grabbing objects and putting them in their mouths. I like using crinkly cloth books because they provide both tactile and auditory feedback. Nothing is more satisfying to an infant than crunching and munching on a crinkly cloth book!

He’s going to be chewing on something, why not a book? Give him his own books and have them available all over the house. I like keeping some in my daughter’s bedroom, some in the playroom, a few in the kitchen, and of course, some stashed in the diaper bag for fun on the go. Switch them around from time to time: move the ones in the bedroom to the playroom, etc. Just switching the room seems to make them interesting all over again.

Letting your baby have these early experiences with books sends him a a clear message: books are for me!

The next step is to take a few moments every day to point out objects on the pages. Most cloth books have words in them, but I rarely read what they say. I just look at the colorful pictures and blurt out highly intelligent phrases such as “Look! Fishy!” and “Ohhhh….kitty cat! Meow!” or even “Orange! Orange!” You don’t have to do more than point and name objects at this stage. Make it fun for about a minute or two and then let your baby go back to munching on the pages and waving it over her head. You don’t want to overwhelm her or take the fun out of the experience.

Don’t feel like you have to “read” every page either. If your little one just has enough focus for you to point to one doggy, then so be it. Follow your child’s lead in these early days; you’ll have plenty of time to read stories later when she is older.

Finally, incorporate reading time into your day every day. I like attaching book time to nap and bedtime. By establishing this time now, you will make it easier when you actually do get to the story time stage with your child. Just after I give my daughter her bedtime feed, I let her sit in my lap (facing me with the boppy behind her for support) and play with a book. Sometimes we talk about the pages, sometimes I just let her crinkle it in her hands.

We’re not doing much, but I’m teaching her that reading is important and it’s something we do everyday. One day she won’t even think twice about reading. It will be something she just naturally does before bed like brushing her teeth or taking a bath.

If you are looking for a few good cloth books to add to your child’s library, check out my list of favorites here!

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More about our Booty Blogger:

Vanessa is the mother of two beautiful girls–Juliet and Lucia. Before she was a mom, she spent her days teaching a little bit of English and a lot more “please be quiet” to high school students and her nights…wait for it…SLEEPING. Now her days are spent reading books, crafting, and chasing the cat around the house while her nights are filled with significantly less sleep and a lot more “please be quiet.” She writes about children’s books, crafting, and learning activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers at Silly Eagle Books.

It is a new day in the land of baby registration. Not only are there many places to register, there are a myriad of products to choose from. When showing up to register, many expectant mamas arm themselves with:

1.) Enough preggo hormones to blow up the world.

2.) Kind of an idea of what stuff they’d like for baby but no idea if it’s useful, or good, or safe

3.) Sometimes a lackluster sidekick (such as a daddy), whose only joy in this process right now is using the registry “gun”.

These three factors have the makings of a perfect storm. The kind of storm that shows up unexpectedly unleashing its fury and only dies down when exiting the premises or maybe a bit later while in the drive-thru ordering a decaf frappaccino with extra whip cream.

Those who have gone before you can empathize. Anyone who’s been knocked up in the last half decade, can relate to all the choices, choices, choices that are everywhere! It’s easy to think, in the midst of a hormone induced haze, that if you pick the wrong pacifier for your baby, you will screw up its life. Let us assure you.  You won’t. That’s why Your Baby Booty was established, to be the voice of sanity in the midst of the registry storm.

Here are 3 things to consider before you register for all the baby gear:

1.)    How much space do you have to devote to baby stuff? Remember that baby grows very quickly and some things are only used for a couple months before needing some housing in a closet, garage or basement (or under a bed;).

2.)    Are you finding out the gender of your baby? If you are, you can choose gender specific items. If you are planning on having more kiddos, think about things that you can and will want to use for additional babies. Perhaps those items should be more “gender neutral”. Your choice.

3.)    What baby stores are located close to you? Is it important to you that you can register in one place and have the accessibility to return items you decide you don’t need/ want?  Or do you want to be able to choose “off the grid” products that aren’t necessarily available in a store near you, but can be purchased on the internet and shipped to your door? Returning those items may be a bit more inconvenient but it may be worth it to get more unique items that not everyone and their brother (or mother) has for their baby.

Regardless of what you choose, you MUST check out our new favorite online registry called Babylist.  They are a brand spankin’ new website that makes it super easy to register from anywhere on the web. All you do is sign up to get a free account and install the Babylist bookmark on your toolbar. When you’re surfing for baby gear and find that amazing bedding that’s at an online boutique, you just drag and drop it to your Babylist icon and it adds it to your registry! I seriously wish I had this when I was pregnant. No more meandering glassy eyed under the florescent lights of the baby mega store, pointing a gun at random stuff. Nope. You sit on your comfy couch, in your stretchy pants, sipping your beverage of choice, log onto Your Baby Booty, see what you need, browse online, drag and drop items to your Babylist and you’re done. So. Easy. We even made a showcase Babylist with our Budget Mama registry, go here to see it. It only took us 20 minutes to drag and drop these items to our list.

A super sweet bonus is that you can now easily register for things that you could really use, like carpet cleaning, or pet sitting, or a pre-natal massage, baby and me yoga classes, or diaper service or cloth diapers from anywhere on the web! The world wide web is now your oyster mamas!! So go to Babylist now and check it out!

Do you guys think you’d like this way of registering? Let us know!

Today’s blog post is written by a brand new mama (Jessica) who is totally diggin’ cloth diapering. In fact, she’s probably on the mildly obsessed side (she admits it) and has a stache stash that even Albert Einstein would be jealous of.  She gives her thoughts on lots of cloth diapers below. Happy Reading!

When my husband and I started talking about having a baby, I knew I wanted to do cloth diapers. Since getting pregnant took longer than I had hoped, I had plenty of time to feed my obsessive need to research and indulge my love for shopping. So when our little guy arrived in December, his bottom got to try out a wide range of diapers. For brevity’s sake, I’m not going to define the different types of diapers, just my experience with them. There are so many great websites online that can explain all the different types and lingo. So here’s my assessment of our stash after two months…

Kissaluvs Size 0: All the reviews I read said these are the best fitting diaper for the newborn phase. They are a fitted diaper (need a cover) that fit up to 14 pounds. Seriously, baby bottoms look so cute in these diapers – so much so that we had S.’s newborn photos taken in them. These diapers fit great and even have a fold down for the umbilical cord. We have had zero leaks or blowouts with these diapers. They were great prior to him fitting in one-size diapers. But, I would definitely be cognizant of frequently changing these diapers. They get really heavy and warm when wet. They are extremely absorbent and as a result need lots of rinsing, particularly if you have a HE front loading washer. Now if you are doing cloth diapering solely for the financial savings, I would suggest skipping these and using up all those newborn disposable shower gifts. My chubby guy is almost out of these diapers at two months. If you want to do cloth from the start, they do have regular “second” sales on their website.

Diaper-Rite Prefolds: My husband insists I like prefolds due to my childhood obsession with origami. Possibly. But, I also love how easy they are to wash and care for. No smells ever. They are the most inexpensive to diaper. This particular brand is very soft and their sizing decreases some of the bulk found in other brands. Again no leaks or blowouts, just a little more time consuming than using a pocket diaper. I suggest having some prefolds on hand just because they are so versatile (burp rags, doublers, in all-in-two diaper covers, etc.).

Thirsties Duo Wrap: Since the prefolds and fitted diapers can get so heavy when wet, I love how lightweight these covers are. They adjust from x-smalls to smalls without adding much bulk, increasing their cost efficiency. I love the extra leg gussets. These are my favorite covers. Hands down.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap: These covers work well and have adorable designs, but I can’t help compare them to the Thirsties. They are heavier and stiffer in comparison and only come in the individual sizes. I haven’t had any leaks with these covers either, but overall prefer the Thirsties covers.

BumGenius All-in-One sized Diapers: First, I have to mention that Cottonbabies just discontinued these diapers in all but the x-small. My husband made me buy extra because these are his favorite. I’m hoping that they come out with a replacement. Personally, I think these diapers are the best for cloth diaper prosletyzing to disposable users. They are just as easy as a disposable and people tend to be surprised at how much cloth diapers have changed.  They take a long time to dry, but I usually just put them on the drying rack after a dryer cycle. I’d recommend having a few for grandparents, babysitters, church nursery, etc.

Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size Pocket Diaper: Another great diaper for converting cloth diaper heathens. They are different from the BumGenius AIO in that they need to be stuffed. But, as their name suggests the hip snaps do make for great sizing. They are extremely well made, so soft and I expect that they will last for multiple kids. The smalls were great for us, prior to S. fitting in one size diapers.

Happy Heiny’s One Size Pocket Diaper: Of the one size diapers, these are my favorites. They are extremely soft, wash well, and fit my baby well. I LOVE the cow print. They also look like they’ll fit my baby longer than the BumGenius one size. It’s not a coincidence that my favorite Kawaii diaper (see below) is the one most like the HH.

BumGenius One Size Pocket Diaper: These are my husband’s favorite one size diaper. They are very well made and wash nicely. We haven’t had any leaks. I like that they come with a newborn insert and the full size insert can be snapped down as your baby grows. Personally, I don’t like the suede cloth lining on the inside and prefer the fleece in the Happy Heiny’s. I do have the older model (3.0), and have heard positive things about the changes in the newest 4.0 style.

Softbums Echo Diaper – I so wanted these to be my favorite because they are just adorable and so soft. They use an elastic slide sizing that makes the fit very customizable. But, I really can’t recommend them. They are an all in two diaper where the cover is supposed to be used multiple times before washed.  Each cover comes with 3 inserts and one mini insert so they are on the expensive side. But since the cover is fleece on the inside, it gets wet almost every time and poop can’t be wiped off the cover. The thought of letting it dry out and using it again feels a little gross to me. So essentially, I tend to use each cover once (maybe twice), making it a very pricey diaper.

Best Bottoms  All-in-Twos (with Hemp inserts): I bought these after reading great reviews and in the hope of having a trim cloth diaper. They also come in a stay dry microfiber insert, but I can only speak to the hemp. I love the covers – adorable colors, stretchy, easily wiped, leg gussets, snap downs for the inserts, no leaks. But, so far I have found that EBF poop tends to get on the cover and the hemp inserts seem to bunch up in the middle. I have noticed though that as my little man gets bigger (which he is doing quickly), this is happening less and less. So while they aren’t my favorite now, I think my opinion of them is going to improve. The AI2 style is great for traveling, and the inserts wash really well.

Flip Hybrid System: At this point the Flips are my favorite hybrid/AI2 diaper. Even without snap downs, the cover keeps the insert secure and I love the stretchy cover fabric. So far, the EBF poop has stayed more consistently on the insert than the Best Bottoms. I’ve tried both the stay dry inserts and the organic cotton and really like the quality of both. Because I only need to pack extra inserts, these are the cloth diaper I most frequently bring in my diaper bag for outings.

Kawaii Assortment – Soft, soft, soft! I bought these because I read about how inexpensive they are while being very similar to some of the big brands. I love them. So even if they don’t last beyond one child, I only paid about $7 for each one.  While they are on the bulky side, they are so soft. My favorites are their one size aplix heavy wetter pocket diaper and the one size snazzy minky pocket diaper. I’ve had some leaking with the bamboo, and think I might just need to wait for the S. to be a bit bigger. The heavy wetter reminds me very much of the Happy Heiny one size and the super soft snaps, my Fuzzibunz. I always pick these diapers at bedtime when I’m putting S. in a sleepsack. So stinking cuddly. They are one of the many low cost diapers now coming out of China, but are sold by a woman in Canada. The owner has a statement on her website related to worker conditions. The quality may not be as consistent as some of the other brands, but they are a really nice way to start out or complete your stash.

So there you have it. On my wish list are Sloomb wool covers, Babykicks, Rumparooz, GroVias and Ragababes. Cloth diapering is an addictive shopping habit that still allows me to save money over time. Perfect.

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NOTE: If any of you have specific questions about cloth diapering, head over to our Community and we will make sure all your questions get answered:)