Monday, November 9, 2009

I need your help

Hello friends! Before I give a quick update on Sharon, I have a request. Ammon & I recently made a trip to Wal-mart to start a gift registry for upcoming baby showers. As we cruised through aisle after aisle of baby wonderland we found all kinds of neat gadgets & helpful items. Then, we came to the sippy cup aisle &, after staring at the many cups (ones with hard tips, those with soft ones, non-spill, ergonomic, all kinds of shapes & colors), we realized that we were totally clueless. We have no idea what kind of sippy cup Sharon is going to like. How does anyone go about choosing the right sippy cup?
We had a little bit of the same problem in the bottle area, because there are just so many to choose from! We did have a little help, though, because we have a slight advantage over other parents who make registries before their baby is born. Sharon really likes her Soothie pacifier that she has at the hospital. They make bottles with nipples that are the same shape as the pacifiers, so we decided to put those on the registry.
My request from you, especially you mothers, is that you leave a comment with your favorite baby item, something that someone gave you at your baby shower that you can't live without, something that most people don't think of getting, or something that your baby just loves! I just need ideas of what to put on the registry. Thanks for your help!

So, Sharon is doing really well. She is now up to 4 lbs 9 oz & has finally started looking like a normal newborn. She is so much easier to hold now since she has so few tubes connected to her. She also isn't as sensitive to handling as she was before her surgery. She is now taking at least some of every feeding from a bottle, though she tends to get kind of tired, so they put the rest down the feeding tube. We have even started a little down the road to breastfeeding. She hasn't really gotten anything out, but when she tries she has a pretty strong suck. She does like being cuddled against me while the milk goes down her tube. She had her first tub bath yesterday in a small hospital bucket. She was definitely not happy about that. She is doing well, and we can't wait until she's ready to come home!

18 comments:

Me said...

My favorite item, for sure, was the boppy for breastfeeding.
Other than that, I really liked our portable bathrub, pack n’ play, and the carrier. Oh, the carrier. You will want some type of sling or pack or something. You’ll get a lot more done that way AND it will help when you are out and about. Whenever we were out on dates or at the grocery store and had Caleb in his carrier, parents would come up to us and ask us where we got it or would remark, “That’s what *WE* need!
We got one similar to this.
I have no advice on bottle or sippy cupage because Caleb was pretty easy-going concerning that. We really didn't have to search for the holy grail of sippy cups.

Caitlin said...

Yeah, I do have the boppy & a sling on the list. My mom also has a sling that she would love to give me that she used with my youngest sister. Thanks for the input!

Christine and Nick said...

As far as sippy cups go, we had to try a few different ones. I think what it came down to though was Callie's age. She just wasn't ready when we first tried. But eventually what we found to work was using a soft tip for the first few months, and then (once she bits holes in those) switched to the hard tip. That is still what she uses since she isn't the best with a cup yet. :)
Registry items... I loved my nursing cover, and it wasn't even on my registry! It was so much nicer than using a blanket, because around 4 or 5 months, Callie liked to play with the blanket, so the tie around my neck ensured it wasn't coming off. We also loved her swing. We got that from Nick's family. When she was a newborn that was our saving grace. :) Hope that helps!

Chelle said...

What a precious little girl. So sweet! As far as sippy cups. I bought a few different kinds. Kennady drinks all of them.. Even the cheapest ones there.. that have the hard top. Bottles again the cheapest way was one Kennady took. Now the silicone vs. the latex was a different story. She never really liked the silicone nipples or binki. It's weird. Just have to try and try. I didn't get a lot when i registered for my baby shower. Let me know if you need any other help. When is she coming home??

Caitlin said...

Thanks for the help girls! Those a great ideas. Do they have the nursing covers at Wal-mart, or is that more of a special item?
We aren't sure when she'll be coming home yet, because she still has to take all of her feedings completely out of a bottle. We are hoping that it will be within the next month or so.

Anonymous said...

Good Going Sharon, you just keep that breast milk going in and before you know it you will be in your own bed. Love to You all Nana W.

The Pritchard Party said...

sippy cup - Hannah hasn't started one yet, but I'm going to use one with a soft tip, no spill, and the handles on the side for her to grab. That way it's more like feel of breastfeeding because she REALLY likes breastfeeding.

Favorite item - I too love the boppy, pack n' play with a newborn napper (that's where she slept), and I have a nursing shawl that rocks (from target). I also got this infant to toddler rocker that I could put Hannah in. I got it from target and it had toys that attached. It was so nice to be able to sit her in a chair, rock it while doing something else. And she LOVED the toys when she was big enough to grab. I think it also helped her learn hand-eye coordination earlier than most. I absolutely loved it.

Christine and Nick said...

actually, my friend made me the nursing cover. It would be way easy to make. Or maybe I could add that to your stash of gifts I have for you... :) oh, and sorry I'm so lame that I haven't sent them yet. I'm just planning on giving them to you at Christmas when we are home! Its more fun to see you open it anyways!

cornnut32 said...

binky clips, definitely. babies spit out their pacifiers constantly and this will save you from having to bend over and pick it up constantly and from it getting covered in dirt. (i made some for rebekah...i used this tutorial
http://craftersguru.blogspot.com/2009/06/binkie-charms.html#links)
also i second the nursing cover comment. i also made one, try this link.
http://craftersguru.blogspot.com/2009/04/adorable-nursing-covers.html
lanolin cream was awesome for nursing. we love our swing and diaper genie too. and i love our car seat canopy. i wish i would have had one with andrew. i also made it but couldn't find a pattern online so i just kind of figured it out myself. i didn't want to spend the $$$ on one.
http://www.sweeteepea.grammajdesigns.com/
as far as bottles go, with andrew we had some trouble finding a nipple he would take. i did like the playtex ventair bottles, it helped with gas. we just had to experiment with different nipples. if sharon likes her soothie pacifier, try the soothie nipples. i know they make some the same shape as the binky. and we never had an issue getting him to use sippy cups either. it's just trial and error there.

good luck! :)

Hazel said...

Caitlin, I have seen super cute nursing covers that are super easy to make. There might be a pattern out there somewhere.

Caitlin said...

Wow thanks everyone! Oh and Christine, don't worry about sending them, just bring them when you come. That's totally fine.

Amy said...

My favorite so far is the wrap someone made for me. It keeps the baby close to me. When she is too big for that we have a carrier. I'll have to post a picture of it on my blog.

KacieFlake said...

A boppy is a must have for me. I use it all day long for breastfeeding, propping Cooper up to "sit" on his own, and for sitting him on my lap while I watch T.V. I also LOVE my moby wrap. I looked and and tried on all of the popular slings and loved the moby becuase it is one size fits all(so Derek can wear it too), you can hold the baby so many different ways in it, it folds up small, holds babies of all sizes, and distributes the weight evenly on both shoulders. I have no idea about sippy cups, haven't gotten there yet! Hope you are doing well!

Sunderhaus Family said...

I would have to say, keep Baby Orajel on hand at all times. Also, there are little pacifier thermometers which are great. Once she is three months, those foamy things they can sit in ...bumbos. Those are priceless, but get them at a second hand baby store....
Anna LOVED that...
Those teething tablets that dissolve are so so so nice...
as per sippy cups, just register for different kinds because every baby is different and you can experiment....
Ang is right, a carrier is priceless....
Also, make sure you get a car seat carrier that is well fitted to tiny ones, and if you can, get the kind of infant pillow that does in car seats (you know they wrap around the head so their heads dont bob?) that is made out of microfiber. They dont get as hot....

Caitlin said...

I probably should have mentioned that we do have an infant car seat that's rated from 4-22 lbs. That's one of the only things we've bought, aside from the crib.

Morgan said...

I have seriously been thinking about it for a couple of days and can't really think of things that people haven't already listed. I am in love with my boppy.

We also received 2 swings. One was a big one that could swing the babe sideways or turn and swing it front to back! My girls loved both. The other swing was a portable swing. I would keep in the bathroom when I showered. It would collapse easily so I could take it on road trips!

My girls liked all sippy cups as they got older. The ones with the 2 handles were the best for when they were 9 months or so.

Good luck and have fun!

Christi Pobst said...

Hey! I know I'm one of the last people you'd think to hear from but I have been stalking you guys a little bit. I am amazed at your strebtgh and positive outlook!

I Love my Aden & anais blankets from target. You get 4 in a pack. I love them for eveything. They are really big and light weight. I swaddle Westin in them or just cover him. They are really light weight so they will be great for Arizona. I also love my snap n go. It's perfect for the carseat and doesn't take up as much room in the trunk as other strollers.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck with everything! You are in our prayers!

Lacey said...

Don't register for a nursing cover! ;)