Tip #15 - Don't prebuy seasonal baby clothes

My husband and I thought we were really on top of things when we found great deals on Craigslist and at consignment shops for baby clothes before our little munchkin was born. What we didn't know, but all moms seem to find out pretty quickly, is that baby clothing sizes don't mean a whole lot! So here we were buying long sleeves for 6-months old thinking it will be fall when he's six months, only it turns out he's in most of those now (June and July). He spent about a total of two weeks in '3-month' sizes and there are even some 12-month clothes that he's in now at 16-weeks.

So if you are pregnant now, feel free to stock up on onesies, but hold off on the swimming trunks and the winter jackets until you have some idea how big your baby will be (and birth weight has nothing to do with it, I've seen some small babies put on a lot of weight as well as big ones). If you're buying presents for a friend...gift cards, so they can buy that seasonal stuff as needed.

Tip #14: Consider stroller compatibility when purchasing a car seat

There are so many factors that go into your decision to buy a particular stroller: size, price, weight, maneuverability, ease of folding, etc. One thing we didn't consider pre-baby was how our carseat was going to fit into that decision. We bought the carseat based on safety record and ease of use only to find out that it doesn't 'officially' fit any of the strollers we were interested in. It turns out it does 'unofficially' fit them however, so in retrospect I think we would still go with our same decision.

If you would rather not be caught unawares, check out this compatibility guide.

Another great tip from my brother- and sister-in-law is to consider buying a used seat from Craigslist if you want something for the stroller. If you aren't taking it in the car, then buying used is fine!

Poll

Along with the theme of Tip #13, this week's poll is what your baby's favorite food was/is when they began solids. This poll is a write-in poll, since enumerating all possibilities seemed difficult. However, to avoid needing to use an e-mail client, this poll will take you to a response-o-matic form (they have an email script on the back end that sends me an email..I didn't feel like writing my own). You can return to this page once it's sent. Thanks for voting!

Tip #13: Share baby food making with friends

I've heard lots of parents who want to make their own baby food (especially because then they can make it organic), but then the time to make it outweighs the cost factor. A great tip I heard is to create a food making group. The structure is up to you, but here's one example: 10 sets of parents get together once a month to exchange cubes of frozen food. This month, set #1 made apples, #2 made peas, #3 made butternut squash, etc. etc. So you make a large lot of food once a month and you get 10 different foods! The mom I heard this from said they would have a little party on a Sunday when they got together to exchange food, they also changed whose house they got together at every time.

Source: Friend

Tip #12: Improve your chance of tummy time success

If your little one is like my little one then you are also struggling with tummy time. You can improve their enjoyment (or at least minimize their frustration) by bolstering them up. If you aren't using a boppy or towel then start, and if you already are then add more material to make their tummy time surface higher and firmer. As our little guy has gotten stronger, the amount of bolstering material we've needed has gone from boppy+folded blanket down to just a boppy and now finally on the floor.

Also, if you aren't already, find a favorite toy to put in front of them to distract them, that could be you, a cat, a black and white card, a mirror, etc.

Source: Combination of mommy and me classes and friends.

Tip #11 - Use a dishwasher basket for hard toys and bottle parts

You can purchase dishwasher baskets to keep all those little bottle parts in one place while you sanitize them on the top shelf of your dishwasher. We actually have two, one is by the sink collecting dirty parts, while the other is getting washed and/or drying in the drying rack. This isn't an endorsement for a particular product, but here's an example at Babies R' Us. These baskets are also great for holding those small teething and hard plastic toys your baby loves to play with while they get sanitized on the top rack.

Source: Grandma set this up while she was here taking care of grandson.

Resource: Track your baby's patterns

I've been using Trixie Tracker to monitor our baby's sleep patterns. You can also keep track of nursing, bottles, pumping, and diapers. It's fantastic if you have a daycare provider (like a Grandparent or a nanny) who will use it too. It gives me my fix of knowing what's going on in my little guy's day and how much milk he's drinking (and if I'm balancing that by pumping).

Here's an example of a sleep report, the hope is we would be able to pick up on patterns of napping. You can see our little one wakes up pretty consistently at the same time and then takes a morning nap an hour-and-a-half after he wakes up (this is oriented with midnight on the far left and right and 6am is that very solid line). Of course then it's hard to say if there's any pattern for the rest of the day.
They have a 14 day free trial that will help you decide if you want to keep using it.

Source: Friend

Poll Results: Favorite Swaddling Blanket

Thanks everyone who voted for a favorite swaddling blanket (there were 11 voters). I learned a little something about polls, I should have labeled this one "What swaddling blanket works for you?" Since, clearly, who ever tries something new when something is already working? Here are the results:

Kiddopatomus SwaddleMe	4
Miracle Blanket	3
The Woombie	2
Aden and Anais Blankets	1
Receiving Blanket	1
Halo Sleep Sack	0

Tip #10: BabyLegs make for easy diaper changes

A mom from my first mom's group always had her baby in the cutest baby leggings, BabyLegs. She was kind enough to share her source with me recently at Naturally Trendy: An eco-friendly baby boutique. These things are great for the diaper bag in case it turns out to be a little too cold for shorts or a onesie only. Also, you don't need to remove them when changing a diaper and can be put on while their legs are hanging out of a carrier. I was going to save this little gem of advice for later, but they are having a half-off sale on baby leggings right now at Naturally Trendy..I may have gotten a little carried away when I saw that.

Source: Friend

Recall: Kolcraft play yards

From another blogger, I saw Kolcraft play yards have been recalled. Details here.

Tip #9: Sources of white noise for soothing a baby

If your baby can be soothed with white noise then you can soothe a fussy baby in the car by tuning your radio to an unused station. Experiment, apparently some babies prefer AM noise and some like FM noise.

Other ways to create white noise for home or for the car:

• Download recorded white noise tracks from ITunes
• Use the box from a sleep sheep, one mom I know removed the box from the stuffed animal so it would fit in a diaper bag.
  
• Make your own recordings of vacuums, dishwashers, showers, hair dryers, etc.
  

Source: Friends

Local Resource: Gyms with babysitting

Here are just a couple of gyms local to the Arlington/Woburn/Cambridge area that have babysitting so that mom and dad can work out without worry.

Woburn YMCA
137 Lexington Street Woburn, MA
Their website doesn't explicitly state childcare costs and availability for while you are working out, but a mom on the Arlington Parents list loves the facilities at the Woburn Y for child care. They have lots to keep kids active and a section to separate non-walkers from walkers.

Evolve Fitness
52 New Street Cambridge, MA
This gym is brand new. The website advertises monthly membership fees at $19.99. They don't have the price for babysitting services, but from an Arlington-Parents email list conversation, a parent said it is $4 for babysitting services for the duration of your workout.

Boston Sports Club
See this page for locations in the Boston area that offer babysitting services.
Rates for babysitting and membership vary from club to club, but the BSC clubs linked above all offer babysitting services for up to two hours per visit. They don't publicize babysitting fees, but I heard through the grapevine that it's about $1 per visit (probably for members). They also offer these services to non-members.

Healthworks For Women
Several in the Boston area offer child care so see link above
36 White Street, Cambridge MA
Babysitting services exist for this just-for-mom gym. Reservations for young babies are required. Enquire with Healthworks for membership and babysitting fees. I have heard great things as well about their Mommy and Me fitness classes. Apparently, bring baby to class and mom gets a very serious workout.

Work out World
200 Boston Ave Medford, MA
From a mom on the Arlington parent's list. Childcare is $1 for the first 45 minutes and an additional $1 for every half hour following. Childcare hours are roughly 8:30-12:30 and 4:30-8:00, these times are approximate, make sure to call WoW for details.

Tip #8: Use cotton washcloths or paper towels instead of wipes

Related to Tip #7, one way to minimize baby's exposure to harmful chemicals is to replace conventional wipes with cotton washcloths (great if you already wash cloth diapers) or your favorite soft paper towel. Simply place some water on these just before using, I keep a water bottle at the changing station. There's also a lot of do-it-yourself suggestions on the web for creating your own paper-towel wipes using a little bit of oil. Just search for "Make your own diaper wipes".

If you go the simply water route and you have a temperature sensitive baby, you can put warm water in one of those coffee thermoses with the pump feature and have warm water at the ready. Always make sure water going into the thermos is less than 98degrees Fahrenheit for safety.

The bonus of cotton wash cloths is given their size one will usually do for even the largest diaper blowout! Costco carries white cotton washcloths in packs of 24 that are a great size. Then you only need to carry the more expensive wipes with fewer harmful chemicals in the diaper bag (or go the do-it-yourself route).

Tip #7 - Look at chemical compositions in your baby products

It's easy to forget that the baby products we rely on daily are packed full of chemicals, dyes and perfumes. Some of these may be harmful to baby. Check out the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetics Database to determine if your diaper rash ointment, baby shampoo, baby wipes or other products have chemicals in them that you would rather not expose your little one to.

Tip #5: Balloons (mylar) make excellent toys

This is being reposted since I was alerted by a friend that balloons can actually be a safety hazard. So make sure you buy a balloon that is unlikely to pop and create lots of small pieces that can be grabbed or inhaled by an infant, i.e. mylar. As always, play comes with adult supervision.

Infants love watching balloons bounce in the wind. You can tie it to the top of their play mat or to their bouncy chair. Added bonus if you can tie it to a four-legged pet, then it's fun for the whole family!

Source: Baby Play, 100 fun-filled activities to maximize your baby's potential. Dr. Wendy S. Masi and Dr. Roni Cohen Leiderman, Creative Publishing International, 2001. (Pet idea contributed from personal experience).

Tip #6 - Don't be dooped when buying a crib

One tip we picked up from Baby Bargains, was to check how well a store had put a crib together. The authors heard from one reader (who worked in a furniture store) that stores would try and trick buyers into thinking the cheaper cribs were less sturdy by not fully screwing everything together well. We were disgusted to find this put into use at Jordan's furniture store. Their lowest end model had a lower, corner screw completely unscrewed (we were able to pluck it out!).

Source: Baby Bargains, Denise and Alan Fields, 7th edition, Windsor Peak Press.

Local Resource: Consignment shops in Arlington and Belmont

Since infants grow so fast, second-hand clothes are rarely well used, and so consignment shopping is a great way to load up on infant clothes. Here are a few local places to find second hand kids clothes.

Arlington

Pink Dolly
8 Medford Street, Arlington MA
Arlington Center
This shop has great deals on very nice clothes for slightly older kids. Last time I was in looking for 6-month onesies I couldn't find anything. However, I did hit a fabulous sidewalk sale this spring here..everything you can fit in a bag for $5.

Little Fox Shop: Fox Library
175 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington MA
East Arlington
This isn't exactly a consignment shop. Donations here are resold by volunteers and the money goes to supporting the Fox Library branch of Arlington, which is a great library for children. Make sure to check the hours, since it's run by volunteers the hours aren't standard shop hours. In addition to clothes this has great deals on things like exersaucers and stroller toys.

What's Yours is Mine
1185 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington MA
Arlington Heights
I haven't visited this shop yet, but heard about it from another Arlington resident with kids. If you visit let me know if you like it!

Belmont

Growing Up
443 Common Street, Belmont MA
I heard about this place from a friend who lives in Belmont. It's a wonderful little gem packed with clothes and some games and toys. We managed to outfit our boy for 6-9months for $14. We followed that up with a pretty good lunch at the restaurant across the street called Kitchen on the Common. They had seating outside (great for kids), but the service was a little slow (not so great for kids).

Tip #4 - Keep your baby used to the bottle

If you breastfeed and decide to introduce the bottle at the recommended time (4-6 weeks, after breastfeeding is well established), make sure to keep your baby used to it by giving them the bottle every other day or so.

Source: Unknown, but I've met many moms now who introduced the bottle early and then dropped it, just to find at the end of their maternity leave they wouldn't take it anymore.

Local Resource: Postpartum Support Groups

There are free drop-in postpartum support groups and/or breastfeeding support groups every day of the work week in the Arlington/Cambridge/Somerville area:

Monday

2:00pm-3:30pm Mt. Auburn Midwives Support Group .
Vineyard Church Meeting Rooms, 2nd Floor
15 Notre Dame Avenue, Cambridge, 1 block south of Rindge Ave., between Middlesex and Sargent Sts.

You don't need to have delivered with the Mt. Auburn midwives (or at Mt. Auburn at all) to join this group of women. Each week there is usually someone in addition to a midwife, a lactation consultant, a baby massage specialist, etc.

Tuesday

10:00am to 11:30am Jewish Family and Children Services: Cambridge Group
Congregation Eitz Chayim 134-136 Magazine St, Cambridge

You don't have to be Jewish to attend JFC&S groups!

10:00am to 12:00pm JFC&S Breastfeeding Support Group: Cambridge
Cambridge Health Alliance , 8 Camelia Avenue , Cambridge

Wednesday

3:00pm-4:00pm Isis Maternity Drop-in BreastFeeding Group: Arlington
397 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington

Thursday

11:00am-12:30pm JFC&S: Somerville Group
Somerville Family Network, 42 Prescott Street (Cumming School), Somerville

Friday

10:00am-12:30pm JFC&S Arlington Group
Calvary United Methodist Church
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington
I've heard great things about this informal group of women from a friend.

Tip #3 - There are diaper rash creams that can work with cloth diapers

Source: Pin stripes and Polka Dots has a list of diaper rash creams and rates them with their compatibility with cloth diapers.

Summary of diaper rash creams that work well (and don't require a liner):

• Angel Baby Bottom Balm
• Baby Bottom Butter
• California Baby (this is the one we use and have very good luck with available at Whole Foods)
• Claymazing Powder
• Grandma El's (available at Target.com)
• Northern Essence Diaper Salve
• Norhtern Essence Better Butter Cream

Tip #2: Improve car safety

If you have an SUV or a car with an open cargo hold, install a safety net to keep projectiles (could be your dog or your groceries) from launching over the seat towards your child in the event of an accident.

Source: Instructor of a Mommy and Me class

Tip #1 - Make pumping more efficient

Refrigerate your pump parts in between uses so you only have to wash and sanitize them once a day.

Source: Friend (and I think I remember seeing this reiterated in a Medela pamphlet as well)

Welcome Post

Greetings,

I created this blog as a place to keep track of all the great advice I hear from other moms, that I pick up from Mommy and Me classes as well as various book resources and parenting lists. I struggled with the naming of this blog for a while and then when my friends teased me about always going too far with the personal information, I realized TMI Mom was a perfect title! It captures both a personality trait of mine as well as the need to write stuff down, since I have too much information from too many resources to ever remember it all! I hope readers will find something useful once in a while and will post their own comments and solutions on a topic (I may keep these for future posts as well). Not everything works for everyone, and so I'll post anything I feel is safe for baby, whether it works for us personally. I had originally hoped to post something once a day, but being a busy working mom, I now plan on aiming to post two tips a week and one more tip, local resource, or little known fact on a weekend day.

You'll see the content of these posts evolve with our child, who is currently 3 months old. Thanks to all the parents out there who so willingly share their advice and experiences that help new moms and dads with their parenting experience!