**Disclaimer** These are just things I’ve learned in my first year with my first born. I’m staring down two more months of being a mom of one kiddo … then I will have two. Having this on the horizon makes me realize more than ever that EVERY baby is different. Some of these suggestions will work for you, some or all may not (Some of my own suggestions may not even work for my second babe, HA!). I’m a firm believer in doing what works best for you and your family and most importantly your little bundle of love. This list is in no particular order. Enjoy!
1) Don’t panic. You will worry about everything and most likely, you will overreact. It’s all good and it’s a learning process. Every baby is different. With that said, I’m a worry wart and have a tendency to freak out a lot. It is what it is folks. I’m a Mama. Nothing is more important than the welfare of my kiddo and family.
2) I keep these in my diaper bag at all times:
Binkies (if possible, have the attached clip with it — those are awesome!)
onesies/pants/socks (in case of blowouts and unexplained/strange needs to change the baby for whatever reason)
diapers and wipes (of course)
snack bags for older babies (cheerios, mums, graham crackers, or goldfish) I prefer graham crackers or mums only because they can hold on to them a lot easier and they don’t waste as many. but every baby’s different.
bottle with pre made formula (at least that was for me.. I breastfed and used formula. However, by three months I had switched to formula completely.)
a couple of toys
bottle of water
3) When trying the sippy cup, be sure to put something the baby will like in the cup. I had used water for the longest time and my kiddo wasn’t as into the sippy cup as I was hoping. I finally switched to watered down apple juice and now milk and she is now using the sippy cup like a champ! On this note, don’t be surprised if you go through several different kinds of sippy cups. My gal went through many to find the one that made sense to her and she is a genius! heh
4) Talk and read a lot to your kiddo. Get some books with the finger puppets built in. My kid can’t get enough of them. LOVES any kind of books, but those are seriously her fave. They pick up tones and inflections so QUICKLY. Talk and read all the time to them!
5) Keep Pedialyte (either frozen pops/drink or BOTH!) on hand at all times. It has a great shelf life and will keep for a while if unopened. Most of the time if the baby gets sick, the first thing the doc will ask is if the baby has a fever. The second thing regardless of fever or not will most likely say “give him/her pedialyte.” Some babies will have a hard time taking it. Truth be told it tastes like dirt, but better to have than not. I usually just put it in a bottle and continuously attempt to give it to her. Eventually she will get enough after sips and sips and sips. Stock up now because it will SUCK to have to take your sick baby out and about just to get some pedialyte.
6) Schedules are a great thing. This is the one thing that I believe is good for every baby. Let the baby set his/her own schedule, but try to stick with it. Yes, every schedule is subject to change multiple times as they get older. However, the more you stick to a schedule, I believe the better off the kiddo will be…. not to mention the parents as well! From feeding time/snack time, bottle times, nap times, bed time … schedules rock. We are a very schedule dependent family. At least with our first kiddo, she does very well with a schedule. We’ll see about the second… duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
7) Some parents are into co-sleeping with their babes, some parents are into keeping the kiddos crib in the same room as theirs, and some put their babes in the crib in the baby’s own room from the first night they go home from the hospital. Gotta do what’s good for you and your baby.. have I said that enough? Personally, I had a bassinet beside my bed for the first four months. Then, I moved the baby over to her own room in her very own crib. YES. The first night I did it I checked on her every hour on the dot and it scared me to death to be more than a foot away from my kid during the night. However, my babe sleeps great (She’s really a freak of nature. She appreciates sleep). I sleep great. For us, it’s best that we both have our own space and that makes life good. I hope to ship my next kid off to her own crib as soon as I can.
8) I keep a couple of blankets in the back of my car as a padding for a makeshift changing table. I probably use the back of my car more than I use my pack n play changing table or nursery. I swear riding in the car really helps her bodily functions. HA! Also it is good to have blankets on hand — no telling what they might come in handy for.
9) Immunizations. I don’t do any alternate schedule etc, though I have pals that do (again, do what you feel is best..I know I’m beating a dead horse..). However, I found that getting my doc to administer tylenol prior to the actual shots helped make the rest of the day go smoother for my babe. She never had any issues with any immunizations. Her legs were tender, but she never had any reactions.
10) Breastfeeding. Ah yes, breastfeeding. I never knew how scrutinized one action could be until the subject of breastfeeding came up. Holy cow people. There are ridiculous amounts of commercials about breastfeeding in this area where I live too. They kind of shove it down our throats here. Kind of like the political commercials at the moment. I don’t like ANYTHING forced upon me. Bah. I chose (key term here..chose) to breastfeed. Honestly, I got annoyed with it after the third month. Yea, it was a bonding moment for me and my babe at first and I was proud I was able to do it. Soon it became an annoyance. I wasn’t producing enough, my kid was grumpy because she was hungry and we kept giving thrush back and forth to each other and I had a painful bout of mastitis. It was hard and I was fed up with it. I can appreciate anyone who decides to breastfeed for however long you see fit– it is great for the kiddo. However, I’ve seen some hateful words spoken in regards to people who give up breastfeeding (to me specifically and others) and those who decide not to breastfeed at all. Do what’s best for you. Don’t listen to any breastfeeding mafia yahoos or formula mafia pushers who judge you for the decisions you make. You’re the Mama. You make the decisions. Good for you if you can and good for you if you decide not to. Either way, your kid is going to be fine. Just because you do or don’t breastfeed doesn’t mean the kid is going to turn into a troll afterwards. Seriously. I mean it. Your kid will be JUST fine whichever route you take. And YOU will be happy knowing you made the best decision for your family.
So, what’s the moral of this post? Mamas, do what you feel is best. This is only the beginning of a lifetime of decisions you will make…. scary? fun? It’s all a part of the adventure.
Mad Time Mama! 
Oh how nice it would be to have a schedule……:-). The only thing we can schedule is bedtime. Everything else depends on when she gets up, which varies from day to day. Cause unlike your little princess, my troll baby doesn’t appreciate her sleep, lol!
Yup, I hear ya. Like I said, we’ll see how well little Maggie likes a schedule! **fingers crossed** It will be interesting to see what I learn after a year of being a mom of two kiddos in diapers. THAT will be interesting indeed and most definitely a MUCH longer list of things learned. HA!
and some very good decissions you have made , you are the most wonderful mother i have known , my daughter-in-law 🙂
I have wonderful role models! Learn from the best two Mamas I know! 🙂