Top 10 Part 2

Here are items 6-10 of my Top Ten list of things I wished I'd had with baby #1. These are things I did with baby #2 that made life so much easier.

#6. More Cloth Diapers- I did cloth diapering with my son. I did not do research on it, I mostly just applied the knowledge I picked up from our childbirth educator. She was a raw-vegan with dreadlocks and knew as much about eco-conscious decisions as Mother Nature herself. One thing that I didn't know was that having more cloth diapers around makes cloth diapering easier. I received three diapers as baby shower gifts. They were very small diapers and not convertible in size. This was okay, though, because my son was also premature and he was actually too small for them for his first month home. After he grew into them, however, they only fit him for a short time, like a month or two. When I saw that he was outgrowing them, I purchased three convertible diapers in succession. I had also scored a couple cloth diapers at the local children's consignment shop.

I kept the three convertible ones for when we had our second child. The rest of the diaper stock went to other moms who had just given birth and wanted to try out cloth diapers. I learned from my son that without a decent stock of cloth diapers, I was either caught up in a whirlwind of laundry to keep them clean, or I would run out and have to use regular diapers more often, which defeats the purpose, both environmentally and financially.So when I created the registry for my daughter, I was sure to include about a dozen options for cloth diapers. (I preferred the Bum Genius ones that can snap in or out to create a small, medium or large diaper. I like the ones with all snaps, and not the Velcro.)

Now with an ample stock I was able to keep up with laundry as well as have a clean diaper around when I needed it. (I even found a brand new one like the ones I had at our local Goodwill.)

#7. Infant Car Seat and Stroller- This was something I did with my son, but not until he was about 6 months old. I had this idea that somehow parents who carried their children around in a car seat were neglectful parents. I was very much on a high horse about this. I was committed to attachment parenting and the thought of carrying my infant around in a plastic container seemed deplorable. After getting into a routine of taking stroller walks with my best friend and her newborn, I saw how easy it was for her.. She could put her son in the car seat and then pop him into the matching stroller. Then at the end of the walk, he'd be asleep and she could just park him in the house and continue about her day. I on the other hand carried my son around in a hot Moby wrap and if he fell asleep, he was stuck on me, sweat and all. If I tried to unwrap him, he'd wake up. This made for some uncomfortable summer days. Also, I didn't like having to wake him up every time I wanted to get out of the car. So finally, I gave in and bought an infant car seat. The heavens opened up and the angels sang when it finally arrived. Don't be stubborn, folks, they make these car seats for a reason. Let a sleeping baby sleep. Don't wake them up just because you're at the grocery store. Let them sleep and just put the whole contraption in the shopping cart.Trust me, life will be so much easier.

#8. The Ergo- As I mentioned on #7 I carried my son around in a thick, hot, Moby wrap when he was young. This was a wonderful way to wear him when he was teeny weeny. He came home from the NICU after 5 weeks and weighed a whopping 5b lbs! He would snuggle right down in the folds of fabric and snuggle next to mommy while I did dishes and other household tasks. For those of you unfamiliar with a Moby Wrap, it's 6 yards of folded fabric that you wrap around yourself and the baby. It was useful for hiking as well. My husband would wear him. However, the 6 yards of fabric were hard to tote around. It was also cumbersome to get on. When we had our daughter, I begged my husband to drop $100 on an Ergo. It was a fairly new thing when our son was born, and if I had heard of it, I probably would have got that instead. The Ergo is a superior baby wearing device in every way (except one). You can't wear your baby on the front and face it outward like you can with the Moby. This is a minor inconvenience. In every other way it is easier. Washing it, getting it on, putting the baby in it, even getting it in and out of the car is easier. It stays in place. The 6 yards of fabric of the Moby would shift and settle while wearing and would get uncomfortable after a while. The Ergo just clips around the waist and across the back and can easily be worn by mom or dad. It also has pockets in front for sunglasses or wallet or phone. If you are interested in baby wearing I highly recommend getting an Ergo. My daughter is now a year old and we still carry her in the Ergo when we hike or go to the grocery store. I can nurse her in it, my husband can carry her on his back now, and we have really got our money's worth out of this product.

#9. A Swing/Jumper- These two movement-based pieces were not things that we spent money on the first time around. I had no idea how nice it would be to have a swing around. I used the swing a lot when I would shower. I got the swing for my daughter at 3 months. She was old enough to look around, and so see me. I was now able to take showers while she was awake. I no longer had to wait for her to fall asleep and then wheel the cosleeper into the bathroom. I also used it to get the dishes done. Even though I had an Ergo and could wear her to do dishes, the constant bending over/squatting to get the dishes in the dish washer would just get too exhausting. We were both happier when she could rock back and forth and listen to the music of the swing.

The Jumper was the next step after the swing. Once my daughter was standing up, I couldn't leave her in the swing to take a shower. She would lean forward and it wasn't safe. (She didn't like being strapped into it, either.) So I went to the children's consignment store and bought a $25 jumperoo. I put the swing in storage and used the jumperoo while I did dishes and took showers. She was in heaven. She would come up to it and hold on to the edge and bounce as if to say, "Put me in here!"

Now that she is a walking toddler, she doesn't really like to spend lots of time in the jumperoo. She'd rather be walking. With both the swing and the jumperoo, I would recommend borrowing it from a friend or getting it cheap on craigslist or at a resale store. Kids don't use them for very long before they are on to the next developmental stage, so don't drop a lot of cash on them.

#10. Burp Cloths/Cloth Bibs- I did not understand the usefulness of burp cloths or cloth bibs. I used receiving blankets as burps cloths, which worked, but they would get so gunky. I would fold and fold them to hide the spit up and eventually I would get some on my outfit. Burp cloths are made to fold as well as absorb the spit up. I was a much cleaner mommy the second time around with my burp cloths.

With my son, I also didn't understand the value of cloth bibs. I used them when he started eating solid foods and I was disgusted at their incompetence. They let food and drink dribble all over his lap and I would have to change him again. I realized their usefulness when my daughter started teething at 3 months Cloth bibs are great for catching drool! With my son I was constantly changing his clothes because he would drool all over them. Also, when they teethe they get runny noses too. Cloth bibs will do in a pinch when a tissue is otherwise unavailable. It's easier to change out a bib than an entire outfit.

So there it is, folks. I hope this list makes your parenting life a little easier or provides some insight. Happy Parenting!