Preparing Your Toddler For Baby

One of my biggest concerns when I found out I was pregnant was "How do I explain this to Mason in a way that he can understand it and accept it?" I didn't want my darling baby boy to feel left out once the baby arrived and I wanted to fully prepare him for what is about to come. Two years old by NO means understand the concept of baby no matter how you really explain it until the baby actually arrives. But below are 10 helpful tips that you can try to prepare your toddler for the arrival of your newest little addition!

1. Plan on giving him/her plenty of quality time with daddy.
2. Read books about babies.
3. Stagger the timing of changes. Meaning; if you need to change your childs room or bed, do so about 4-6 weeks BEFORE the new baby's arrival.
4. Encourage regular contact with babies for him/her.
5. Allow him/her to still be a baby.
6. Expect moodiness.
7. Remind him/her that they were a baby once too.
8. Buy a few special toys.
9. Encourage him/her to help with the baby once he/she arrives.
10. Show him/her the benefits of being a big sister and/or brother.

Any Blog Topics For Me?

Are there any blog topics that I haven't already discussed that you guys would like me to?

If so, comment on this blog and I'll go through them later.

Add me to your circle on Google Plus!

Hey Dolls! I just made a Google Plus account about a week/two weeks ago. Still trying to figure out how to use it but be sure to add me to your circle!

Click meeeee!

Cloth Diapers Vs. Disposable Diapers

I personally have never used cloth diapers and I don't plan on starting anytime soon. While there are some good benefits to it there are also some not so great things to cloth diapers. I personally do not have the time to keep up with the demand on cloth diapers. I always used disposable diapers with Mason and I will be with our newest addition as well but I wanted to educate everyone on the pros and cons for cloth and disposable diapers.

Pros for Cloth Diapers

• Cheaper
• Better for the Environment
• Healthier for baby's bottom.
• Lots of designs to choose from.
• Potty train earlier
• Healthier baby

Cons for Cloth Diapers

• Requires too much work
• Too smelly
• Inconvenient

Pros for Disposable Diapers

• Ease of use; disposables seem like the easier choice. They are an all-in-one product, with less fuss than cloth.
• Throw-away; disposables can be thrown away once used, unlike cloth which will need to be washed.
• Easy to travel with; disposables are the easy choice to use when traveling.
• Leak less; disposables tend to leak less than cloth. They have a tight, snug fit and are very absorbent.

Cons for Disposable Diapers

• • More expensive; over the years you will probably spend around $1500 diapering your baby in disposables.
  • Bad for the environment; it is estimated that around 5 million tons of untreated waste is deposited into landfills via disposables every year.
  • Harder to potty-train; toddlers can’t feel wetness as much with disposables, so it’s harder for them to potty-train.
  • More diaper-rash; according to one study, 78% of babies in disposable diapers get diaper-rash, compared to only 7% of cloth diapered babies.
  • Babies health; the chemical used to make the super-absorbency of disposable diapers is Sodium polyacrylate, which has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) and can cause allergic reactions.
  
  
  The decision is up to you mom!

Baby Items!

Since I found out I was expecting a girl, I haven't been able to stop shopping! I wanted to share some of the clothes I have bought for her so far and also share the places I shop.

Here are some clothes we have boughten for our little princess so far;;

The places I like to shop for baby clothes are; Petit Tresor, Bonpoint, and Marie-Chanel.

Another big thing is a carseat. Everyone wants their baby to be safe and normally the safest carseats are HUNDREDS of dollars which indeed is annoying but I am willing to spend the highest amount to make sure nothing happens to my children.

While I did keep the crib from Mason, I wanted something different this time. This time we went with a circular crib and I absolutely LOVE it. They're available at potterbarnkids.com for about 1000. 

Enjoy shopping dolls!

I know I am!

Nesting

Nesting is a common occurrence during pregnancy. Just like a bird, dog or cat get ready to deliver so don't women. Personally I find it to be a fun part of pregnancy because for once my house is REALLY clean!

Here are some things to do while you prepare for baby's arrival;

Re-stock Your Fridge; Throw away any outdated items and shop for fresh ones. You're going to want to stock up on the key essentials for once the baby has arrived. Things such as milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, items for salads, even a roasted chicken or five is great to have around for quick fixes!

Re-stock The Pantry; The last thing you're going to have time for once the baby arrives is grocery shopping! Stock up on things such as cereal, crackers, dried fruits, canned items, ect!

Cook In Quantity; Yet again it comes down to the fact that you just don't have the time to cook or prepare meals. Make extra servings of your freezer friendly foods (lasagna, meat loaf, pancakes, banana bread, ect) Pushing a button on the microwave is about all you have time for once baby arrives and everyone stops to visit.

Laundry Time; Right now is the perfect time to wash those things that you normally forget! Things such as duvet covers, rugs, pillow shams, guest bedroom sheets, and anything else that doesn't get washed regularly. Once the baby comes you're washing machine/dryer will be on overload from trying to get all the spit up stains out so do those little things now. You'll be greatfull you did!

Clean, Clean, Clean!; Do those cleaning chores around the house that you just NEVER feel like doing. Things such as dusting the picture frames and other items, or maybe even cleaning the blinds. Don't push yourself if you're pooped and stay away from ladders. Ask someone for help if need be, afterall you're the pregnant one who needs to prepare for labor.

Outfit Your Baby; Every mom wants to make sure she has all the essential items for once the baby arrives. While you'll get most of the items you need at your baby shower (if you have one) you can also make sure you have enough onesies, booties, or sweaters for baby. You can also never have enough spit up cloths and I always seem to find that the socks disappear immediately!


Birth Announcements; Order your birth announcements now so you can just fill in the measurements later and sleep a picture into place. Also make sure you address all of the envelopes NOW so you don't have to later and then all you have to do is slip the announcement in them and ship them off to your loving family and friends.

I hope these little tips help you get ready for your newest addition to your family!

Breastfeeding. My Own Personal Experience With It.

A lot of you have been wanting to know about breastfeeding and when to stop or how to stop, ect.

I absolutely LOVED breastfeeding Mason. It was such a great bonding experience between mother and baby. It's just so natural and beautiful and whether you aren't sure as to whether to breastfeed your baby or not, I highly suggest you try it and if it isn't for you or you don't like it, that's fine. Just try it! Guaranteed most of you will love it.

When I first got pregnant, I told myself I would try breastfeeding and see how it goes. When Mason was born, the milk started coming in and we got to nursing immediately. Most times I was nursing almost every hour throughout the day! He loved it and so did i. In the beginning it was terribly painful at times but the more I did it,  the less it started to hurt and the easier it got for both Mason and I.

I told myself that at six months, I would stop nursing him. Well six months came and I just couldn't stop. So I said at a year I'll stop. A year came and I still didn't stop. When he turned a year old though, I introduced him to Goat's Milk and and Cow's Milk (all organic) and alternated the two for him. Everyone at this point was giving me such a hard time to STOP breastfeeding him that I started to wean from all of our day feedings and just do night feedings. 

At 14 months, I tried to stop the night feedings all together. I put cold cabbage leaves in my bra due to the painful, lumpy, hard feelings in my breasts. I hated it. Neither Mason or I were done yet with nursing and I was perfectly fine with that. It wasn't like I was going to nurse him till he was 5. When he wanted to stop nursing, we would stop. Simple as that. That night he pulled at my shirt and I nursed him like we normally would. He did that for 3 more nights until one night he just stopped. He was done nursing and that meant so was I. At this point in time, my breasts didn't hurt at all.

I obviously plan on breast feeding our little girl this time around as well. For the same amount of time if not a little longer. Maybe 2 years. You'll all probably think I'm crazy but I think the child knows when it's time for them to stop and I don't plan on stopping them before that time period is up.

So for all of you asking, "When Should I Stop?" You're a mother with natural mother instincts. Do what you feel is right for you and your baby and only you can determine that.

For those of you who REALLY want to stop breastfeeding, here are some tips to wean your baby from nursing;;

TIPS TO WEAN FROM NURSING:

• Engage the child in a distracting activity or go for an outing during times that would normally be spent breastfeeding.

• Do not sit in the spot where breastfeeding normally took place, and avoid wearing nursing garments.

• Do not attempt to wean a child during an adjustment period, such as a new day care provider, or during times of  stress or change.  A child will be more resistant to giving up the comfort experienced during breastfeeding.

• If the child is younger than 1 year of age, try to gradually introduce a bottle or cup at times that breastfeeding would typically take place.  For an older child, offering a healthy snack and a cup might make the transition easier.

• Make changes to the daily routine, this will allow a mother to focus on other activities besides the breastfeeding regimen.  

• Enlist the help of a partner, spouse or friend to provide a daily distraction and take the focus off of breastfeeding.

• If the child adopts a habit such as thumb sucking or becomes attached to a blanket or stuffed animal, do not discourage the behavior, the child may be attempting to emotionally adjust to the change of weaning.