Tricks and Tips « Back to Group Discussions

[Teles]

So I'm thinking that since there are some new moms mixed with some BTDT moms, we should have a thread sharing tips and tricks for various aspects of having a new baby.

I know Happiest Baby on the Block has been mentioned here several times, but I have found that the tips they offer really do work.

Also I've found that rain sounds are particularly effective in quieting my fussy little miss, like this video, played with the volume way up. I've also found that the music on my chill birth playlist (post with full list found here) is pretty effective - specifically, the Spanish guitar songs.

[kellybeth]

great idea, teles! naomi really calms when i play balmorhea and rolf lislevand. the cloud b giraffe was a life saver last night with our first encounter with colic. i was slipped real cheese 2 nights ago (i'm vegan) and all day yesterday was absolute hell for us all.

administering her some chamomile tea in a dropper during the day helped COMPLETELY and she drifted off to sleep within minutes, but at night things got ugly for her. hearing her cry and scream was absolutely heartbreaking. 

hubby ran and got "colic calm" which seemed to help, too, but by that point she had exhausted herself.

[rachieface]

Good thread!

Obviously, different things work for different people, so take this with a giant grain of salt, but I've been putting Violet down "drowsy but awake" with some success. I respond to her very quickly if she needs me, but sometimes she does some grunting before falling asleep on her own. It is nice (when it happens). Of course, I think I have been blessed with relatively easy babes AND we use a paci at times, partially due to my oversupply. So that's helpful.

So tip: it's OK to try something, or keep trying something, even if you don't think it will work.  You might be surprised that it does work for your babe!

Hmmm, other tip that I got with my first son...hold your hand over baby's eyes when they're sleepy to help calm them. Often Violet starts drifting off right after that.

[kellybeth]

i need some suggestions for carriers that are easy to nurse in and are good for newborns. 

we have a front/back carrier but she can't nurse in that, a ring sling maya which i HATE and a pocket sling which sucks. i really need to free up my hands from this constantly nursing munchkin to clean and get out of bed. i am getting some great arm strength though!

[loveandgarbage]

My friend told me last night that she used to put her baby to sleep with a rainstick. Pretty cool! I've had good luck with all three babies with this one album (Pop) by a German ambient artist called Gas. My babies have all gone for anything ambient or gentler electronic... maybe because they mimic womb sounds?

I just bought a Boba 3G so that I could be more comfortable taking baby out and also wearing him around the house. It's similar to the Ergo (which I nursed DS2 in a lot) but has a newborn setting so I decided to get it. Not sure yet if it's easy to nurse in but will report back! We have a Moby wrap and I'm honestly not a fan. Maybe Lou just doesn't like it or I'm not wrapping it right. I got it because it was relatively cheap and DH and I could both use it. Supposedly I should be able to nurse with it, but Lou just ends up bucking his head back and seems uncomfortable.

[rachieface]

Originally Posted by kellybeth 

i need some suggestions for carriers that are easy to nurse in and are good for newborns. 

we have a front/back carrier but she can't nurse in that, a ring sling maya which i HATE and a pocket sling which sucks. i really need to free up my hands from this constantly nursing munchkin to clean and get out of bed. i am getting some great arm strength though!

I don't love the Moby because it takes for-ever for me to get it on and off (I'm a newbie), but I have had a lot of success nursing her in it. It's easier for me to nurse in the Moby then in the pocket, ring sling, or ergo thus far.

The front/back one, is it similar to the ergo? I love the ergo best for Violet, and haven't nursed her in it yet, but want to try soon by loosening the straps a bit. Would that work?

[loveandgarbage]

I had to loosen the straps to nurse in the Ergo so that the babe would drop down to nipple level.

[kellybeth]

we have a belle baby carrier and an infantino flip, neither of which can be maneuvered to breastfeed in. booooooo. 

the ring sling is just so bulky, i hate all the fabric and naomi really stresses out with the maneuvering. the pocket sling is okay and i've taken her for a walk in it but i have to hold her the whole time which defeats the purpose of a carrier. i have seriously left the house with her 4 times-2 doctor visits, 1 walk in her sling, and once to grandma's house. i am getting serious anxiety with being cooped up but i cannot leave my baby. that would give me much worse anxiety.

[Teles]

I make a point to leave the house everyday and since I'm single-parenting Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7 or 8pm, I take Mila with me wherever I go. We have yet to use the stroller but the Ergo has been fantastic, though it gets a little hot sometimes with the insert. I use the Moby pretty much every day as well but only for in the house. I used it for a walk for the first time today and I found that it stretched out over time so she started to sag and I don't love that, especially given how it's impossible to fix without asking a stranger to hold my baby.

I can't figure out how people nurse in the carriers, however. Like I literally can't visualize how that would work in my mind. I tried to nurse in the Moby once and it was terribly awkward and ultimately led to one seriously pissed off little baby.

[kellybeth]

Originally Posted by Teles 

I make a point to leave the house everyday and since I'm single-parenting Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7 or 8pm, I take Mila with me wherever I go. We have yet to use the stroller but the Ergo has been fantastic, though it gets a little hot sometimes with the insert. I use the Moby pretty much every day as well but only for in the house. I used it for a walk for the first time today and I found that it stretched out over time so she started to sag and I don't love that, especially given how it's impossible to fix without asking a stranger to hold my baby.

I can't figure out how people nurse in the carriers, however. Like I literally can't visualize how that would work in my mind. I tried to nurse in the Moby once and it was terribly awkward and ultimately led to one seriously pissed off little baby.

naomi is attached to my boob. she can go about 10 minutes or so without being on my boobs or without being in my arms. she falls asleep on them, and likes to fall asleep nursing, and it's very comforting for her to just suck when she's not hungry. i've realized that she's a bit on the high needs side, but i'm good with that. i can't imagine not being around her. 

i have been looking up info on the boba wrap, the video on how to tie it is a lot less complicated than i thought it was. nursing is possible, but i'd have to loosen the wrap and that seems complicated to me. blah

*stupid autocorrect

[Chloe'sMama]

Originally Posted by loveandgarbage 

I had to loosen the straps to nurse in the Ergo so that the babe would drop down to nipple level.

Yes to this.  I have done this from when babes are very young (can do it with DS already).  I can't nurse in the ring sling or the moby.  I am thinking of getting a woven wrap too so I can wear DS on my back.  

[odinsmama]

I was finally able to nurse a few times in the ring sling but it took some practice and several failures (quick, get the baby out and just nurse her!).  It's not hands-free but I can do it with one hand supporting her head and the other hand free.  

I was able to nurse older babies in a mei tai (would be similar to nursing in an ergo I think?) and would just pull off one of the shoulder straps to lower babe to boob level, then put it back on when done.  Also used a hand to support head with this.  Haven't put her in the mei tai yet.

oh, and my breasts are pretty small, maybe this makes a difference.

DD and I both LOVE my woven wrap, though I don't nurse in it.  It's great for nice comfy don't-put-me-down naps.  Can get sweaty when it's warm.  Haven't felt comfortable doing a back carry yet.  I want her to have better neck muscles first.  But I can still get lots done with her napping in there, just not too much bending down or she wakes up.

[MaybeJ]

Great tips!

I have been able to nurse Isla in the Beco Gemini.  I just unclipped one strap and then shifted her body into a cradle hold because she's still little.  Obviously I still had to be sitting to do this but I was out at the library with DD1 and I didn't have to take the whole carrier off so it was still a success in my mind.  I imagine that when she's bigger and can nurse from any angle I'll be able to just unclip one side and latch her on.

As for other calming tricks, I second what Rach says about covering the eyes.  I have done that in the past.  Another thing I do is swaddle baby and lay them on a cushion on my lap with head at the knees and rock side to side.  If they really need help going to sleep, I either cover the eyes or cradle a blanket around the top of their head so they feel surrounded and their ears are covered.

When DD1 was colicky, we had to swaddle her and rock and bounce her pretty vigorously in comparison to what Isla seems to require.

[rachieface]

Originally Posted by Teles 

I make a point to leave the house everyday and since I'm single-parenting Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7 or 8pm, I take Mila with me wherever I go. We have yet to use the stroller but the Ergo has been fantastic, though it gets a little hot sometimes with the insert

Have you tried Mila in the Ergo without the insert? I do it frequently with Violet and just froggy her legs with a receiving blanket rolled up under her butt. It works really well, but she is pretty big...probably about 11 pounds at this point. I don't have the insert but love using the Ergo any way!

[HouseofPeace]

kellybeth- i'm sorry you hate the maya, that is my go-to nursing sling so no suggestions!  sympathy on the high needs babies!  usually they're really smart and aware at an early age.  both my high needs babies are WONDERFUL young children.  but it was challenging when i couldn't do anything.  DS1 and DD3 were both like that, always in my arms, and DS1 loved the sling, but DD3 gave me awesome biceps.  :D  speaking and walking were key to their shift from high needs to very social and interactive.  

i have a L maya which doesn't fit and i don't use that one (it's got a lot of rainbow and pink and it fits my 6'2" 230lb hubby, which is durn cute) but have a light cotton REMAKE of a maya my mom made which is a S and fits so much better.  there's not a lot of extra fabric and it's light.  i put the baby on, then the sling and tighten it over the nursing baby and can do most things w/ minimal head support/stabilization.  i've not used the sling much this baby except in grocery store.  the L is waaaaay too long, and i end up tossing fabric over my shoulder.  but i have a woven wrap too which i plan on using, but haven't had the need for yet at all.  next week i plan on walking again w/ all the kids at our local farm, and will try it then.  but can't nurse in it at all.  my mai tai i lent out and don't have back yet, but also can't manage nursing in any upright carrier.  only in the side-lying sling.

thankfully my little dude loves to be held by his siblings (he sleeps in their arms too) and also loves the bouncy chair (he had cinnamon sprinkled across his blanket a few days ago as i had one foot on the bouncy while i make paleo cinnamon rolls!) which makes him an easy baby in my book!

[Teles]

I had her in the Ergo with just a couple of strategically placed blankets once because there was no way I was going to wake her up to put her in the insert, but I do prefer it with the insert because it feels much more secure and I find there's less fussing with things on my end. I'm not sure how much she weighs now, but I'm guessing she's at 10lbs. At what weight are they supposed to be cleared to go without in the Ergo? I can't remember

I think Mila is also a pretty high needs little lady. The cutting out of dairy seems to have calmed her a bit, but I'm starting to think that she just has a wicked temper because she goes from happy and smiling to shrieking in two seconds flat if you do something that displeases her, like picking her up when she wants to keep staring at whatever she's interested in or putting her down when she wants to be held. Quite the drama queen.

[etsdtm99]

I still can't quite figure out nursing a tiny baby in a carrier in a way that is easy - once baby is a bit older 3+'months then I have nursed in a wrap, ergo, beco butterfly, mei tai, & pouch sling .. Not always discreet but fairly easy. I did nurse in a mei tai last week with a blanket in a restaurant baby just got upset when I wasn't able to pay attention to him (that isn't just a carrier nursing issue..)

I know someone else mentioned the cloud b giraffe - we just got the mini one (had the sheep for dd2) and I have been taking it everywhere! It really helps ds2 to stay asleep in the car with all the noise from the other kids .. We also put it on his lap in the swing or any other time we are trying to get him to sleep/say asleep - I've found over the past couple years that I co slept with dd2 and her sleep sheep that I now have trouble sleeping without it, so I'm hoping that will somehow translate into ds associating the sound with sleep ..

I know I must have tips, I have had 4 babies! Why can't I think of anything?

[Jenny01]

We had our first bout of bad gas last night and Rissa screamed full out for just over an hour. Broke my heart and I had a good cry once it was all over. I think the herbs increased my milk flow a little too much so I'm going to cut back a bit and see if that helps.

Any tips for times like those ?? I did end up using gripe water and it seemed to help.

[cileag]

I am a big fan of the wonder weeks theory.  Not that my kids followed it exactly, but just the pattern of stormy and sunny weeks.  It made me feel like I didn't have to fix every grumpy period and it reassured me that sometimes it wasn't the dairy, the soy, the swaddle, the gas, etc.  it just WAS.  This link too made me feel better:

http://purplecrying.info/

and now that my second is such a different baby, it also reinforces my theory about temperament....babies are just so different.

[Teles]

Originally Posted by cileag 

It made me feel like I didn't have to fix every grumpy period and it reassured me that sometimes it wasn't the dairy, the soy, the swaddle, the gas, etc.  it just WAS.  This link too made me feel better:

http://purplecrying.info/

and now that my second is such a different baby, it also reinforces my theory about temperament....babies are just so different.

Yep, I gave up the dairy restriction thing a couple days ago because I realized it really didn't make much of a difference, if at all. She's just fussy between 6 or 7 and midnight most nights and is just very vocal about things she what she does and does not want.