Advice from BTDT mommies - For pregnancy or newborn
MommyToAshley wrote: I thought it might be a kewl  to start a thread with advice from BTDT mommies to new expecting mommies. Although I am not expecting any more, I will prolly sneak a peak here and there to take advantage of the advice myself. 
I am a first time mommy -- a BTDT mommy of 7 months. haha.  So, I'll start. Here's the wisdom that I have gained after 7 months: (see post below)
MommyToAshley replied: If you have bibs that are velcro then make sure you velcro them together before washing with the rest of baby's laundry. Ashley has a couple of bibs with some "strong" velcro and it always snagged on her other clothes unless I pushed the velcro together before putting them in the wash. I ruined a pair of her cute little ruffly socks by not doing this. 
MommyToAshley replied: Ok, I have gained another piece of wisdom.
Our highchair is great -- it is adjustable, folds up nice, the tray is dishwasher safe, and the padding is easily removable for cleaning in the wash machine. So, what's the problem??? The "arms" that the tray slide onto are a sturdy plastic and where the seam comes together at the top is an indintation. SOOOO, everytime Ashley eats, she gets food on her hands and then holds onto the arms and the food goes into the indintation. The only way to get it out is with a toothbrush -- who wants to do that every time your child eats?? So, look out for that when buying a high chair! Other than that, the high chair is perfect!
Hillbilly Housewife replied: When your not-so-infant-child-who-gags-and-pukes-half-the-time-when-he-is-given-meds is sick, to give medicine: for medicine like Tempra, or Advil or colic water, mix it with some water. Wait until your child is really hungry, and give it to them in a bottle or in a sippy cup - they'll suck it down, and the taste or texture doesn't make him or her gag so much.
I also learned the hard way never to squirt meds in a baby's mouth while he is on his back on the bed...especially if he or she gags and pukes it up... makes for a very disgusting experience, complete with "puke" in the eyes and up the nose!!!
supermom replied: I think my biggest piece of advice would be to just relax and enjoy your children as much as you possibly can, because they grow up WAY to fast. My oldest just turned 18 and it seems like just yesterday that he was learning how to walk. I thought to myself that it couldn't possibly be 18 years already! I think about the poem:
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
And if I can think of any more practical advice, I'll be sure to let you know.
+Zemirah+ replied: WAHHHHHH!  I am just pregnant enough to cry over that poem!  thanks for sharing that -- I need to read it every morning I think!
MommyToAshley replied: Right along with ya...and I am not even PG.
CantWait replied: Thanx for sharing that that tidbit with us supermom  It's definetly something we should all remember on those crazy days.
MommyToAshley replied: I have another one... I just read this in Parenting Magazine. When you are buying sleepers... make sure they say sleepware or pajamas and not playwear. The sleepware has higher standards it has to meet in regards to flame retardants.
ediep replied: I agree with the bibs in the washer
I also read a good book: The secrets of the baby whisperer by Tracy Hogg
and just remember...you are the mom, you know whats best for your baby! You do not have to listen to every bit of advice that everyone who meets you is going to give!!! Just take all of that advice, and only follow that feels comfortable!
MommyToAshley replied: Probabley one of the best peices of advice I have heard. Everyone has a different way of doing things and sometimes you will hear opposite advice for the same problem... it gets really confusing. I have learned to listen to it all and then do what I think is best.
Schnoogly replied: Here are some things I wish I had known/done before Iain was born:
If you are planning to breastfeed get some bottles anyway (just a couple, you don't even have to take them out of the package). You never know when you might need to pump first because your infant won't latch, has to stay in the hospital, etc. We ran around like chickens getting the bottles we wanted (had to drive 25 miles to a babies r us) before Iain came home from the hospital, which was a big pain when we were so exhausted. Also get a breastpump (esp. if you are planning to get one for going back to work anyway)!! I wasn't going to get one until after he was born and then I decided to and boy was I lucky I did--saved our BF relationship since I had to pump right away. I ended up renting a hospital one but I had to drive to pick it up and this was a big pain since I was spending 12 hours a day at the hospital. Also, everyone tells you this, but breastfeeding sometimes takes a lot of work to get started. Your milk might not come in for a week! (mine didn't) Don't hesitate to find a lactation consultant or breastfeeding clinic as soon as you go home if you have any doubts, or just to make sure you're doing it right! It is possible to iron out almost all BF problems to go on to have a very successful BF relationship (I myself am proof of this!) and it really does get a lot easier as the baby gets older!! But it is really hard to do this on your own--many hospitals (in my area anyway) have free breastfeeding clinics to help you.
Also, if you are planning to bottlefeed (or end up having to at first) get a bottle warmer and put it in the nursery (or your room if co-sleep) so you don't have to go to the kitchen all night long. You can keep the prepared bottles in a cooler (the free enfamil one they give you at the hospital works great). There are some that both cool and warm the bottles. They are worth every penny!!!
Babies sneeze a lot. This doesn't mean they have a cold. They just have gunk in their noses and this is the only way to get it out. They also make lots of noises in their sleep--this doesn't mean they are awake or will wake up. They can laugh, smile, scream, etc. in their sleep. And they hiccup all the time! All this surprised me. Of course if the sneezing is accompanied by coughing or fever, call the ped. Or if you just aren't sure. They don't mind the calls.
The experts tell you that you will learn to recognize your baby's different cries--don't worry if this takes a while, even several months!! I still am not sure what Iain wants at any given time. This doesn't make you a bad mommy.
I learned a lot about baby care from the NICU nurses--in a way I was lucky to watch them take care of Iain so I knew how. They use cloth diapers & rolled up blankets for everything--put under baby's bum while sleeping and changing to catch any leaks, rolled up blankets will prop a baby on its side for sleeping ( safer than tummy but not as safe as back) and stroking a baby's cheek with a wet washcloth will help a sleepy eater stay awake.
Join an online forum/support group like this! (But you already have, so you're halfway there!)
Steph
dhoppygirl replied:
I have a question on that one...why do they make flame resistant sleepwear, but no flame resistant playwear?
Another piece of advice, which I didn't follow, is to buy diapers of the different sizes throughout your pregnancy, that way, you have expensed the diapers before the baby is born and hopefully you won't have to buy any for a while...on caveat is that different diapers work well with different babies, we tried three different brands before settling on the ones we are using (some smelled too much, leaked, or just didn't fit right).
Don't be ashamed to take hand me downs!!! It will save you a ton of money on new clothes, especially since some babies grow so fast they only get to wear the outfit once!!
Finally, I'd like to offer my advice on gaining weight during pregnancy; don't stress out about it. If you are eating healthy and curbing your cravings and the doctor says the baby is just fine...don't worry about your weight. I gained almost 65 pounds on my normal 125 lb body and it was alright!! Some doctors will get on your case, but if the baby is healthy and you aren't at risk for pregnancy related diabetes, don't worry about it!! I've already lost almost all of the weight!!! (its only been 7 months!)
supermom replied: OK, now for something a little more practical I remember with my first wishing I had a pair of baby nail clippers at the hospital because when my kids were born, their nails were so long and they would scratch themselves in the face before we even got out of there to go home. So, with the next one (and the other two too) I always made sure that I packed a pair of baby nail clippers in our suitcase or diaper bag for the trip to the hospital......
I remembered because it's been a while since I've done this and I was looking at my list tonight. Not getting ready for the trip yet, still got a while to go, but I won't forget my baby nail clippers this time either!
MommyToAshley replied: I would think they would make both of them flame resistant, but I guess it is because they figure most fires occur at night when you are asleep. I think the regulations should be changed myself because I never would have known to look for sleepware or pajamas instead of playwear until I read Parenting Mag.
CantWait replied: great piece of advice supermom.
kit_kats_mom replied: Not to negate Supermom's advice....but I took a fine nail file with me. I'm afraid of lopping off one of her fingertips with the baby nail clippers and she wont sit still enough for me to use them. The nail file works like a charm though and I feel like it gets the sharp edges that clippers sometimes leave. JMO. Katherine looks like a little prima donna when she is getting her "manicure" each week. She just lies there, very relaxed, and lets me get all 10 fingers and toes.
MommyToAshley replied: How cute  , but what's your secret? I have a very hard time cutting or filing Ashley's nails. She can't sit still...even in her sleep. LOL
jdkjd replied:
Do you have a picture of that? That is so funny. Bailey has gotten used to me cutting her nails, along with the cats. I'm apparently the official nail tech at my house...
Schnoogly replied:
Hey me too! I cut the cats' claws too. And no way could DH get near Iain with those clippers. It's hard enough for me to do it! They always get too long before I get a chance to cut them (he's sleeping somewhere other than on me.)
Steph
kit_kats_mom replied:
Ancient Chinese Secret! 
I crack myself up. LOL
Welllll, I nurse her and when she is milk drunk she is pretty relaxed. I'll rub her tummy or back for awhile and I go for her nails when she is a little wet noodle.
good luck!
Cary
MommyToAshley replied: Ashley is never that relaxed...LOL. She is the type of baby that blows rasberries in her sleep. LOL
ediep replied: Things I have for Jason that we love: TV monitor, kick and play bouncy seat, baby mozart tapes, reclining high chair, swing, car seat stroller combo, diaper genie, wipe warmer
Things that we never used: snugli infant carrier (too hard to get on and off), crib cd player (it kills batteries so fast) , a million burp cloths, a million cloth diapers, regular monitor (video one is so much better), infant neck support that looks like a mini boppy (It looks like it would make him choke), bottle sterilizer (not necessary and the playtex bottles that we use say not to sterilize after first use)
MommyToAshley replied: Same here, which surprised me. Ashley won't take a bottle now anyways, but she did a couple of times at a sitter when she was younger. But, it still surprised me that it said not to sterilize after the first time.
supermom replied:
No problem, no offense taken - what works for one may not work for another -
I just never had very good luck with a nail file because all of my kids nails were so soft, the file would get them to a point, but not really the soft stuff. So, I would get them really good with clippers. I would have the best luck when I was nursing them for a nap, before they got all the way alseep, and would be very very relaxed.
Guest replied:
When I was still in the hospital with Sasha, I had a NFH [new abbrei! Nurse From H***] who actual said to me that I was a BAD mother b/c I clipped Sasha's nails!!! She told me to never clip or file, that I should BITE them off!! I glared at her and said "MY Mommy told me NEVER to do that [which she didn't...lol] and SHE'S is a higher authority over you!" and continued to clip.
Then with Curtis I had another NFH who told me I should TEAR them off!! Needless to say, I kicked HER out of my room and told her NOT to come back or I'd report her [which I did anyway]. Tearing off baby nails just sounded horrible and what if they tore too far?? NO WAY!!!
ediep replied:
I took a newborn parenting class, the nurse instructor said never to bite baby's nails because of all of the bacteria in you mouth!!
Hillbilly Housewife replied: I've always clipped only. It's easy once you get the hang of it - I did it to all the cats I've ever owned, and I still do it to my mom's dog too. So I could handle a squirmy baby, who DOESN'T bite, or scratch, etc...like animals do... lol 
OklahomaSooners replied: <<grabbing pen and writing furiously>> you guys are GREAT!
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