This that I could NOT Live without to get baby boy to sleep.

So, hubby and I have tried MANY variations on helping baby boy sleep, not only through the night, but also get him to sleep, without being dependent on one of us, and keep him asleep, but also help form good sleeping habits early on. 


Naturally, there were things we were simply NOT willing to compromise on. I understand some people are, and do, that's their business, and of course each child is different, and it's all an experimenting game, HOWEVER, this is what we have set, we love it, it works, so I'm gonna share it.


But FIRST: Here is what we were UNWILLING to compromise with;
1) We did not want to bed share, co-sleep, which ever you call it. First of all, I have a mama nth of a husband and a huge 70 pound dog. No way in heck was I gonna take chances with them alone. Second, I roll, toss and turn. I change positions often in the night. Not to mention I'm up like a thousand times because I have to pee, and since I get dry mouth sleeping I keep water by the bed and drink it at night, which only fuels my need to pee more. Third, hubby and have sex on the bed. Yep, two grown, consenting married adults, gasp, we actually find each other attractive still and want to have sex, lol. Fourth, I like my space to sleep. I don't like being touched once I'm asleep. Yes I like to snuggle as I'm falling asleep, but not once I am asleep. Fifth, I am a tummy sleeper. Need I say more?


2) We were not willing for him to become dependent on one of us to fall and go to sleep. Sure as a YOUNG infant it's okay. BUT now that habits are forming and he's understanding more each day, not okay, at least to us. We don't want to have to rock him to sleep, or nurse him to sleep. Sure when he's not feeling well there is ALWAYS an exception, BUT, not a habit we want to make. So yes, we do lay him in HIS CRIB, and let him fall to sleep on his own. Sometimes it takes a little crying, sometimes it does not. Just depends on the night. 


3) We weren't willing to compromise on safety. What I mean by that, is children who sleep in their own beds, are safer, and pose a lower risk to sids in their first few months. ALSO, children who are started YOUNGER on sleep training, sleep better through childhood into adult hood, which means their over all health is better.


4) We weren't willing to compromise on distractions. This means NO stuffed animals, no mobiles, no crib toys, etc. We wanted Jayden to associate crib/bed, to sleep at night time. We use the pack and play for naps, so he knows it's nap time.


7) No night lights. None. We don't want him to become dependent on a night light to sleep. We still may come to a phase where he will "want" "need" one, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.


Now, the things we settled on, and that work WONDERFUL!




1) Paci: (aka Binki, pacifier, etc), babies have this amazing ability to suckle in their sleep. It's a comfort thing. So, we let Jayden just happily suck away on his paci at night, all night. 


2) Womb bear, or an app on your smart phone/droid/IPhone that makes a similar sound, like the waves one we have found. Nothing calms him down better than that. 


3) Security animal head mini blanket. Oddly enough, it comforts him. Has mommy and daddy's scent on it.


4) Daddy and I sleep with his sheet and blanket for the next night in our bed, so it has our scent on it. Oddly enough Jayden sleeps better when he smells us. In fact this is a proven study.


5) Humidifier. Yep, every night. We use it. Helps pull mucus out and keep it most so it doesn't get stuck and cause congestion. Sure we have to wipe his face in the morning and changes his sheets more often, but, if it means he sleeps better because he has nothing blocking his air passages, then so be it.


6) We keep the room cool, and bundle him up. He's like mama and dada on this one. We like to snuggle under the blankets and have a cool room. It's also safer, since babies in warmer environments are exposed to a higher risk of SIDS.


7) Complete silence and darkness. We have blackout curtains, to prevent noise and light from coming in. 


8) We allow Jayden to sleep how he is most comfortable. Even if that means on his tummy. 


9) I feed him, asleep, at 10pm. Every night. Keeps him fuller longer, and asleep longer.


10) He stays IN HIS crib from 8pm-8am, so he KNOWS, that's night night sleeping time. No exceptions for now. We will adjust as needed.


11) Set bed time routine. Dinner, a little slow down play or cuddle time. Bath time, then read a story, then it's into bed he goes. 




Well, that's it for night. Have a great night and rest of the week. Until next time! 

Our First steps into the great unknown of Solid foods.

So, at Jayden's 4 month check up, with his weight gain, and milestones, and of course his horrible reflux, the Pedi said it was time to start introducing solids. 


We started wee man on Rice Cereal for a week. He did really well.

 First Taste and He LOVED it.

 More mommy, MORE!

 His very first taste of solids! Was interesting to say the least.

 He got so excited that he hit the spoon and it went ALL over his face. lol.

 Lets get to this mama! All ready to eat!

We then went on to carrots. Yum! He actually LOVED his carrots. Made me so Proud! One proud mama here!

 I Love my Carrots THIS much mama!

He's quite the messy eater. lol. 

We then Ventured into Apples!

 Ready to start my Apples mama!

 He was so tired after eating, he fell asleep. lol. 

 First taste of Apples. 

 Oh, I like those mama, keep them coming.

 Lets get going mama!

 Yum! 

We then ventured in to Oatmeal and Peas. By the way, He LOVES his oatmeal WAY more than the rice cereal. We both eat our oatmeal in the morning, and he has his rice at night. He has Fruits in the morning now, and veggies at night. 

Peas = YUM! He actually LOVES his peas

 YUM Oatmeal. He prefers it over the Rice cereal

 First taste of oatmeal with his peas!

 His daily food of Oatmeal and Peas

After his Peas, we went into wheat cereal, and bananas. Out of ALL the fruits, nanners are his favorite. 

 Bananas and Oatmeal =HUGE success!

 He was determined to get me to give him more, after he ate one full tub of bananas and his oatmeal already! 

 He decided it was fun to finger paint!

 His very first taste of bananas!

Then we went into green Beans, again he loved his green beans. Strange, that my child prefers his veggies over his fruits. But hey, that's something he takes after his mama. I loved my veggies as a kid, still do! His dad on the other hand, preferred fruits, in fact he still does. 

This is the only photo I got of him eating green beans, and he loved them

Next on our list were Peaches. Unfortently, although he loved Peaches, he has an intolerance, and had an allergic reaction, a pretty bad one, to the peaches. So Peaches are now off his list as of now. We will try them again in 3-6 months since some children grow out things like this. 

 He decided he wanted to take his spoon and play with him.

 He attempted to feed himself, and when he couldn't he threw it.

 Again trying to figure out how to put it in his mouth

 Loves his peaches, but, he's allergic as of now. 

 Getting his peaches!

 First taste of peaches

Next on our list was Squash! He had a blast with these. 

 Having fun at dinner time!

 Loves stealing his spoon

 Playing with his dinner, hey sometimes you have fun.

 Happy baby, loves to eat though!

 Checking out this spoon thing.

 YUM Squash mommy!

 First taste of the Squash

 Hey I like these!

 Just loves to try and use his spoon

Pears were next. He hasn't seemed to like or dislike them. He eats them. Sometimes he fusses about them, but mostly because he's a little over hungry.

 Pears and Oatmeal for breakfast!

 Give me that spoon mama!

 Yum, pears!

 Hmmm, 

 I see it on the spoon, not sure I want it. 

We are graduating stage one baby food in a week. All he has left is sweet potatoes for three days, and three days of prunes. We will be going to stage two baby food, with a whole new menu. We added juice, snack items, and yogurt. =) So we have another exciting Month of baby food! =) So excited! Stay tuned to watch Jayden grow through this with us. 

Have a great night, and stay tuned in for the next blog, that one will be on sleep training. What has worked, what hasn't. All the research we have done. Have a great night. 

Useful? Or a big fat waste of money?

All new mothers to be get "the list". You SO know what I'm talking about. The list that the stores give you when you go baby registering. The one that's like a MILLION miles long. Even some on the internet are enough to give you a small heart attack or panic attack. 


Well, rest assure, you do not have to buy all that crap. Not right away at least, and some is so useless, that I wouldn't even waste the money unless you are dead set on using it. I'm gonna tell you what we bought and why. As well as what we decided to skip or put off and why.


1) Crib. Yeah, this was QUITE the controversial thing in my family, well, hubby's dads side at least. They told me I was CRAZY for wanting a 700 dollar crib. Well, lets compare MY crib that retail is 700 dollars (Which I got for 150 brand new still in the box, never used by a seller on craigslist. She had gotten 4 cribs at her baby shower, obviously only needed one.) Anyways first it's a convertible bed. A 4-in-1 crib. So not only does it have the two stage crib, up high then goes down once the child learns to sit, crawl, stand, all that jazz. BUT, it converts to a toddler bed, then a day bed, and eventually a full size bed. He will be able to take this bed to college with him. Secondly it is made out of OAK. Yeah, oak. Sturdy, long lasting, durable, because boys will be boys, oak. See where I'm going with this? Yeah, idea here, LONG TERM. All we have to do is buy a mattress once we convert from a toddler bed to a full bed.


2) BREAST PUMP, for all you breast feeding mommies. I have two. An electric double pump for at home, and a handheld battery operated one for on the go. YES, I said two. BOTH must haves. HOWEVER, if funds are an issue, which seems to be so for most people now a days, I suggest the handheld one. Works just as great, just takes longer to pump at home.


3) The crib positioner, Great idea in theory. Works SOMETIMES. HOWEVER, here's the issues WE had, and I know, not true for all babies, but has been good to have on hand JUST in case. Jayden moves A LOT in his sleep, he ended up rolling over them, and well, he'd get mad. Also, Jayden is a tummy sleeper, just like mama, and well, can't place him on his tummy in one, doesn't work right. However, before he could sleep on his side on his own, and when he wanted to sleep on his side, it has helped keep him in place. So yes, I rate this as a middle of the road good investment. 


4) Changing table. Not so much. Really, takes up a lot of room, and really, chances are you will just start changing your baby where ever you are, and will not make the trips to the changing table every time. I decided to forego this. Because......


5) 4-in-1 Pack and Play. It comes with the pack and play, the insert able bassinet, the changing table, and the diaper/wipe/necessities holding station. I used this IN PLACE of an actual bassinet, and changing table. So I got 4 items of NEED in one deal. This is also a grow with child item. So this is a MUST HAVE investment in my book. I currently have it in the living room, that we use for a napping place down stairs, so I'm not constantly having to run up and down the stairs.


6) Boppy Pillow/Nursing Pillow. I say if you are gonna go with one, go with the boppy pillow, it's more versatile. Get the one that is the 4-in-1 boppy pillow, from newborn-infant-baby-toddler. Not the biggest fan of this, however, it is a good Pillow to pull a pillow case over, for Jayden to sleep on, when he wants to be cuddled the entire time. 


7) Baby monitors. These are one of those, meh things. We like it so we can see it from the outside, but really, inside we can hear him just fine. I know though, that this might turn valuable once he is older, and not sleeping in his crib next to my head. 


8) Swings, now some babies like these, and some don't. It's one of those things, you will have to buy and see if it works. 


9) Bouncy seats, the same as the swings. We have two separate types, we have the little baby Eisenstein seat, and a Fischer price 2-in-1 rocker infant to toddler seat.  


10) Organzier for toys/diapers/ blankets/burp cloth/etc. MUST have. We have two. We have a Munckin one that we are using for now, and as he gets more and more toys, we have a Fischer price bucket one on rails. (That's the best I can describe it). 


11) Rocker for the nursery. MUST MUST MUST have. There have been nights, when all Jayden wanted was to be rocked to sleep.


12) Enough safety gear to keep your baby safe. This includes outlet plugs, baby gates, tv anchors, cabin ate locks. 


13) Although controversial to some, I think the walker is a invaluable toy. It has kept Jayden playing for hours on end, it helps him with exercising his legs, it gives him the independence and freedom that he's wanting. Some don't like it because they claim it "prolongs" walking. In fact we are finding it's doing the opposite. Seriously BEST toy ever! Ours is a jummpy, walker, with a car type like toy on top, that can be removed and theres a snack tray under neath. LOVE it. A MUST in my book.


14) High chairs. When it comes to high chairs, big bulky, single use high chairs, are a thing of the past. I'm obviously one that likes my all in one items. We have the all in one high chair, that turns into a booster seat down the road. It's a snap into a chair one. Not a big bulky floor one.


15) Womb bear. I don't have to say anything more, than the MOST VALUABLE thing for the nursery.


16) Toys, that are age appropriate, that help with eye hand coordination. 


17) Cloth diapers. I know they sound rather alarming to some, but they really are MUCH better than disposable diapers. Not only are they better, but they are more cost efficient. Turly they are.


18) Paci's. MUST have during teething.


18) teething rings, I'm not such a big fan of them.


19) Paci Leashes, also a must have.


20) 2-in-1 shopping cart/high chair cover. Absolutely Must have!


That's about it for now. As time comes I will add more and more to this list. 


Have a great night!

The basics: Starting out slowly

Baby boy, my sweet little man Jayden, blessed us with his debate at 41 1/2 weeks gestation. He was 6 pounds 2 ounces and 19 inches long. 


I had planned on formula feeding him, until about when I was 5 months pregnant. Something inside of me changed, and I had this irresistible urge to breast feed. And not only, "I will try breast feeding" type mentality, but a "I'm definitely breastfeeding no matter what it takes" mentality. 


I immediately jumped into research mode and looked up all the benefits of breastfeeding, which only sold me more into the desire to exclusively breastfeed.


I then researched how to be successful at breastfeeding, and eventually pumping my milk. I wanted to make sure I would have no issues, and have no issues with supply. 


I researched everything from how to, diet, and life styles.


This is what I have learned:
1) Eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, not only does it give you a good amount of Iron, but it also pushes some of that iron that breastfed babies need into your breastmilk.
2) When pumping, pump NO LESS than 15 mins per breast. 
3) When pumping, pump both breasts at each pumping session.
4) Massage your breast all over, prior, during and after to stimulate breast flow and milk production.
5) Smear a little of baby's saliva on breast, it stimulates milk production.
6) They have an insert that goes into the breast shield part of the pump that massages all areas of the breast as you are pumping, I highly suggest getting one. 
7) Eat every 2 hours, even small snacks, the more calories you pack in (Within the appropriate amounts) the better milk production is. 
8) If your baby is not nursing every 2-3 hours, make  sure you are pumping.
9) Your milk works over time at night, so a good nights sleep, although difficult sometimes, is a must! SO, that means get on daddy's case to help you sleep AT LEAST in 3 hour stretches, in order for your milk to ramp up. Studies have shown that women who can get 3 consecutive hours of sleep at night at least twice a night have better milk production. 
10) Avoid TOO many carbs, and take in as much protein as possible. 




For more help and information try these sites: 
kellymom.com
breastfeeding.com
babycenter.com key word search breastfeeding
and there is a support group for breastfeeding on cafemom.com


Jayden was exclusively breastfeed until 4 months old. He had nothing but breastmilk. This was very important to me.


In fact he still gets his breast milk, we plan to still give him breast milk one way or another until he self weans, or age two.


Stay tuned for the next stage of food, but first, some tips on things that are worth the money and somethings that are worth skipping. 

Welcome!

I'm sure most of you have read the introduction to this blog. I am a well informed mother. I love being a well informed mother. It's me, it's how I am. I want the best for my child, in every part of life. 


This blog will details everything I have researched and done. I know I'm about a month behind on the solids, and my son is now 5 months old at the end of this week, but hey, better late than never. I will start at the beginning and work my way to the here and now.


I will post pictures and descriptions through our journey.  So have fun, learn with me, from me, and I hope to learn from you!