If you’re one of those dedicated “by the book” moms as I was, you probably read (and re-read!) the “What to Expect” pregnancy books (pre-baby). Once you had your mama feet properly anchored you may have subscribed to a weekly email from your favorite parenting website (post- baby). Admittedly, I’m still plugged into all the developmental milestones of my four year old.

With my second go round as a mom (yep, I’m a proud mama of a 5 ½ month old) I find myself straying from the so-called expert advice and relying on the confidence I’ve grown as a parent.

In casual conversation with other moms also starting over in baby mode, I recognized they too stood a little taller dropping their own bits of parenting wisdom here and there at the playground. This inspired me to kick off a short list of breadcrumbs I would have considered valuable had I been told as a new mom.

Here goes mine:

• Mosey on over to your wholesale club and stock up on a heavenly box of q-tips. You’re going to need them to clean the plumbing in those baby bottles and the buildup found in the sippy cup crevices!

• Register your baby’s domain name before someone else does. Fast forward a few years from now, reserving their dot com will be as mainstream as having their own mobile phone one day. Plus, we’re talking less than ten dollars a year. Should there be any interest for me to expand on how to do this I would be more than happy to swap into my techie shoes and scribe a post!

• Ditto for snatching their personal e-mail address, although I feel the domain name will always be more up for grabs, especially with these companies who pilfer names for profit.

• Yes, you’re taping the high chair! Before breaking in the new high chair just in from the shower, cut up some strips of scotch tape and cover any holes you find hiding beneath the chair cover. Food remnants will  (not if) find a cozy home there. Dried up food from months ago is by far the most offensive thing you will ever want to clean.

• Nursing? B is for Beer. I no longer whimper when my husband pulls out a glass of Prosecco. I learned nursing moms can afford a beer now and again without needing to pump and dump. There’s no proof in the pudding about it truly boosting breast milk production, but it’s been deemed safe enough for your baby as you long as you keep it to just one glass.

• Open a Life Insurance Policy (in baby’s name). I know this sounds creepy but it’s not for the death benefit. It’s a tax shelter for lifetime savings. I once met someone at a women’s conference who proudly shared that she swung the entire down payment on her first home by cashing in on the savings her parents made towards her life insurance.

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1. Tips for babies that sleep at night:
   Swaddle!
   Keep your baby up for at least an hour before the last feeding of the day;
   Establish a nighttime routine (play, warm bath, bottle, swaddle, bed);
   If you are nursing, pump and give the last feeding from the bottle (that way they don’t fall asleep on the boob before they are full and you know how much they ate before they go to bed.

   Getting your 6+mos kids to sleep at night:
   It’s ok to let them cry. REALLY! If they’ve been fed, burped, changed and are warm and cozy, they are crying for attention. Check up on them every 5-10 mins at first, then 20 mins (if they are still up). If you keep running every time they wimper, you will be reading books, singing, getting drinks, taking bathroom trips, sitting next to them, etc every night until midnight when they are 5yo. I promise even if they cry at night, they won’t remember in the morning because they’ve gotten a good night sleep and so have you! It takes 3 days if you do it early (5-7 mo). However, it’s not full proof. There will be stages when they go back to bad habits. It’s ok, repeat the process!

   Comment by Helena — October 22, 2009 @ 11:37 am

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