Baby Gear

Posted by Jane Highley on March 11, 2012

Top 10: Things To Do in the 3rd Trimester

Currently, I’m 27 weeks with my third child, a boy.  His two sisters are quite excited, although I’m not entirely sure that my soon-to-be middle child understands what’s going on, other than noticing that there is less “lap space” to sit on Mommy for bedtime stories.  I feel huge.  Really huge.  Already.  And based on my past two healthy deliveries, I’m more likely to deliver right around 39 weeks, but of course, this baby could throw me for a loop by arriving much sooner or making me wait way past my due date (which is late May).  So while I still have the energy, clarity, and motivation, I have decided to create and tackle a “must-do” list of tasks for this final (and most challenging) trimester.  Though I only list ten below, don’t ever think even for a nano-second that my list could be so simple and easy.  This is a blog post, not a manuscript for the latest parenting how-to book.  I could easily list more, but I’ll let all of you helpful readers crowd-source more “to-do”s that I probably haven’t considered!  But I’ll be grateful nonetheless for your input.

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Posted by Jane Highley on February 14, 2012

Top 10: Newborn Must-Haves

I love lists, especially if it’s not a terribly long one.  And 10 is manageable.  Inspired by a certain late-night show’s regular segment, I decided to launch a short TOP TEN series (emphasis on “short”) on anything relevant to getting ready for a new baby.

Before reading any further, however, here are a few qualifications about this list (and others forthcoming).

Qualification #1:  I am expecting my third child (a boy), so I am compiling this list with some experience behind me, not as a first-time mommy.  I’ve had hits and misses with lots of baby products, so my past experiences with babies 1 and 2 (both girls) will largely inform my picks listed below.

Qualification #2:  I plan to breastfeed and pump, but I don’t plan on using any bottles until at least 2-3 weeks after the delivery.

Qualification #3:  I deliberately omitted the obvious items (e.g., diapers/wipes, crib, stroller, car seat) because I didn’t want to insult your intelligence.

Qualification #4:  This is a list specifically for the care of newborns, not necessarily for Mom (or parents), which is why you won’t find a baby carrier or nursing pads listed below.  I hope to address that in a separate list.

Qualification #5:  This list is a means to an end – I’m sharing mine with hopes that you will share yours.  If you have a “must-have” product that I didn’t mention, please comment below!  There is nothing like the honesty of other mommies who’ve put products to the real, raw test of newborn-care. (more…)

Posted by Jane Park on June 20, 2011

Registering for Baby Bunching

Recently a pregnant friend posted the question on Facebook: “I wanted to avoid having a baby registry, but everyone is telling me I need to have one. What are the essentials that I need to register for?” It was, as you can imagine, dear reader, a Pandora’s box. There was the Boppy faction vs. Brest Friend, the Björn devotees against Ergo converts. Bottle warmer users weighing in against those who declared them a waste of money. Gliders were a godsend while others swore that they simply served as a clothes collector in the corner of the room.

Reading the comments gave me a headache, and I could only imagine how overwhelmed the prospective mother was feeling. Clarifying, no. Tear inducing, yes. I realized that many of these “essentials” are personal choices and not exactly according to the personality of the parents. Usage depends many times on one of my favorite adages: each child is different.

While I wouldn’t dare open such a rudimentary debate to this sophisticated audience by simply posting my own list of essentials, I thought I should offer my thoughts on the things that you should have when you know you’re going to try for baby number two soon after number one. I’ve heard this method of family planning called “baby bunching.” It takes a certain woman with nerves of steel to survive having two under two and certain kinds of gear as well! (more…)