The first month with a new baby in the house is obviously exciting for Mom and Dad ... and the dog and the neighbors and the grandparents and the mailman. But even out of the whole neighborhood, who could possibly be more excited that there's a baby around than the baby himself??
As they learn to live in the outside world for the first time, every sense that a baby has updates and adjusts to all the new things around them. They have to learn how to use all their brand new body parts to interact with this cool new world, and that involves a lot of growth and development on their part.
The first month is one of the biggest periods of change in a babies life, and here are some of the most dramatic changes you can expect.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.We call it liquid gold and it's filled with all the best nutrients for a growing baby, and that's what makes breast milk such a hot commodity. But for some mothers who cannot develop enough milk to nourish their babies, there is another option: buying breast milk online. Unfortunately, it comes with risks. Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that nearly 10 percent of online-bought breast milk contains cow's milk, which is potentially very harmful to baby.
Two years ago, these same researchers found that more than 75 percent of the 102 samples they bought online and tested actually contained bacteria that was harmful to baby. Now, they found that online-bought breast milk isn't actually 100% pure breast milk, like we'd hope and expect
Just about one in every 10 samples were "topped off" with cow's milk or infant formula. It's dangerous because most of the women who purchase breast milk online do so for babies with pre-existing medical conditions. Add, on top of that, a possible lactose allergy, and problems arise quickly.
Sarah Keim, the lead study's lead researcher, estimates that about 55,000 people are either buying or selling breast milk online. And the latest research shows that not all are distributing, or using, clean product.
Instead, the doctors encourage moms to do their online breast milk shopping strategically.
First, Keim and her team advise moms to stay away from sites that advertise "pure breast milk." It really can be too good to be true. Secondly, avoid those sites that charge a fee. "When money’s involved, sellers may have an incentive to boost the volume of milk that they have available to sell," Keim says.
If you're having trouble producing enough breast milk for your child, the first step should always be to speak with a pediatrician. Then, before you resort to online milk, you can devise a feeding plan that's health and safe for baby.
Have you ever considered buying breast milk online?
I fell fast and hard for my husband, swooning with one kiss. So when I gave birth to our daughter a decade later, I assumed I'd stare into her eyes and feel an instant, intense bond: good old love at first sight. Instead, when I first lay eyes on my daughter, "love" was just about the last thing I was feeling.
It started with how I gave birth.
While I'd hoped and expected to give birth vaginally, after 12 hours of pushing and panting at the hospital, I was told that my baby's heart rate had spiked and that I needed an emergency C-section. Before I could digest the news or ask if I had other options, I was wheeled into a blindingly bright room and slit open.
And it hurt.
I screamed.
One technician in the room, clearly annoyed by the noise I was making, told me to stop screaming. Meanwhile a nurse warned that I was losing a lot of blood, while the surgeon grunted and tugged at my insides and griped, "I wish I'd made this incision bigger." Yeah, me too buddy!
By the time they'd squeezed my daughter out of my too-small incision, I was in so much pain that my body told my mind I must be dying. And since this surgery was an emergency, I assumed my daughter could be dying, too. So when I turned my glassy eyes to the side and saw my husband awkwardly holding a baby, I did not feel a flood of love. No. I felt scared, and frankly angry at my daughter for ruining what should have been a wonderful first meeting. Of course, I knew none of this was her fault, so you can also add a heavy load of guilt to my emotional mix at that moment, too.
Plus, as much as I would have liked to recognize myself or my husband in my daughter's features, she looked like a stranger. She could have been anyone's baby. Then, within three seconds, she was whisked away. I didn't even have a chance to touch her, much less hold her before I blacked out.
When I woke the next day, I learned that my daughter would have to stay in NICU for at least a week. "Is she OK?" I asked over and over, but never got a straight answer. So when I saw her for the second time through an incubator window, as much as I wanted to coo and cuddle and bond, I couldn’t help but keep my emotions in check.
Why fall in love with her if she might not make it?
Within a week, it was clear that my daughter would survive. But even once I'd brought her home, the love didn't flow, because by then, I was struggling to breastfeed -- gritting my teeth as she nursed off cracked bloody nipples, then reluctantly hooking up to the breast pump to be milked like a cow, bursting into tears if I spilled a drop, convinced my daughter was starving.
Then a couple more weeks passed. At my daughter's 1-month appointment, doctors assured me that she was gaining plenty of weight and as healthy as a horse. Finally, I could stop worrying and just relax and bask lovingly in my baby's company. Only by then, I was sleep deprived and cranky. During the few hours of sleep I could get, I would cringe when my daughter's cries woke me up: Oh God, no, not again.
Meanwhile I hated myself for not feeling in love with my baby. Was I suffering from postpartum depression? Perhaps. But I had a hunch that my feelings weren't a psychological impairment, but just the way any mom might feel who had endured an emergency C-section, or a long stay in NICU, or a painful start to breastfeeding, or sleep in tiny two-hour stints for weeks on end. So I kept plugging away, waiting for that wave of love to hit. And the odd thing is, it never did, because my expectations of how love for a child should feel were way, way off.
Up until this point, "love" -- as experienced through meeting my husband -- was an emotion filled with excitement, pleasure, possibility, romantic dates and trips to Italy. No wonder I fell so hard so fast; it was fun!
Meanwhile, meeting my daughter was a whole different animal -- a blur of pain, confusion and worry. My world shrank to endless cycles of sleeping, breastfeeding, and babbling to a baby who just lay there, unable to talk back or likely even understand what I was saying. Honestly, is it any surprise that this lonely scenario didn't feel like "love"?
During these first few hard months, my husband hovered nearby happy to help, but remained sidelined and of little consequence. And that's how he helped me realize that even though I didn't feel in love with my daughter, I was so obsessed with her that it had completely eclipsed my feelings for him.
"All you care about is her," he pointed out one day -- half jokingly, half-seriously. "What about me?"
My husband? Jealous of a baby? Well, why not? My entire world revolved around her. And it still does to this day, four years later (although I've since made more room for my husband, too).
My message to moms: Don't assume that love for your baby will hit with a wallop. Instead, it may build incrementally, or feel nothing like love at all, at least at first. And even if you swear it's not there, it may be helpful to remember that love doesn't always feel all glowing and good. It can feel frightening, angry, awful. But it's love nonetheless.
How long did it take you to feel "in love" with your baby?
Think you know all there is to know about breastfeeding? Leave it to the internet to capture the most knowledgeable and hilarious parts of nursing. From expressing exactly what we know babies are thinking, to the highs and lows of weaning, these breastfeeding memes just get it so, so right.
We have a new take on the classic Most Interesting Man Alive and, of course, Baby Godfather, and these nursing memes are just the absolute truth.
LOL #8 is exactly what every baby thinks! Which is your favorite?
My mother-in-law used to say that my husband was a perfect baby. That he slept like a log and only cried when he was hungry.
My father-in-law strongly disagreed and said that my husband was a colicky baby, that he screamed for hours on end and there was nothing they could do to comfort him. I always laughed at this story because of how completely different their memories were. I knew I would never in a million years forget anything about my newborn, but to be safe, I vowed to write everything down along the way.
I’ve kept meticulous baby book records. Every tooth, every step, every haircut, every word is written down and photographed or recorded. I know who the first people to hold my baby were, what they brought for presents and how often and long my baby slept in the early days. Facts are easy to record. Feelings are not.
For instance, it is really difficult to put into words the overwhelming sense of love you feel when you hold your baby for the first time. Or to describe the Mama Bear instinct that kicks in the minute your baby is born. Or to capture the feelings of euphoric joy – and terror!
Even the simplest of tasks become nerve-wracking adventures. Like that first diaper change. Learning to bend their little arms to get them dressed. Giving them a bath. Even laundry! Who would have thought there’d be so many choices? That we’d ever think about detergents being hypoallergenic or gentle or fresh-smelling? Dreft Stage 1: Newborn should be gifted at every baby shower, supplied at every hospital and recommended by every best friend.
Too many new moms just use whatever detergent is on sale, hoping it does the trick. But, once there’s a living, breathing baby in the picture, it’s a whole different story. We all want to do what’s best for our newborns which is why we rely so much on what other moms find to be tried and true. Dreft Stage 1: Newborn fits the bill. It’s hypoallergenic, gentle, smells great, AND it’s the number one choice of pediatricians! I guess maybe that’s why moms have been using it for over 80 years as they wash all those adorable outfits over and over and over again!
What newborn task did you find most nerve-wracking?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.It's her first birthday. She won't remember it, will love the wrapping paper more than the presents, and will likely not even recognize all the commotion happening around her for what it is. But if you're like many (if not most) parents, you will make a big deal of it anyway. It's the first birthday after all!
That's why you may just opt for a total over-the-top first birthday cake. It's a big milestone to celebrate, and the dessert should reflect that, right?
Just take a look at these 20 over-the-top cakes parents commissioned for a little girl who has no clue what a cake even is yet.
#15 is seriously crazy! Did you go for an over-the-top cake for your daughter?
Strollers. They're a fantastic invention, aren't they? They allow moms to run errands or go on walks without having to worry about their child wandering off, while giving their arms and back a break at the same time. Genius! However, there's an unwritten set of rules moms and dads ought to follow when they're out wheeling their little ones around. Here, seven stroller habits that give parents a bad name. Please. Don't do this. You're just ruining it for the rest of us.
1. Leaving your stroller open in the middle of a restaurant. Going to a restaurant with a stroller is always a pain in the butt. You have to squeeze the thing through a tiny door; debate whether or not to keep your kid in it or put them in a high chair -- it's incredibly cumbersome. But, for the love of God, don't leave a stroller open in the middle of the restaurant -- especially if your child isn't in it. And if she is, push it up to the table!
2. Parking your stroller in front of the shelves when you're checking out somewhere. You know those little shelves filled with candy and gum that are at every checkout lane in the world? Yeah, so do kids. And if you leave them in their stroller right next to said shelves, they're bound to swipe everything off, leaving a giant mess. Move it up a skosh.
3. Letting your kiddo push the stroller. Full disclosure, I let my 3-year-old daughter push the stroller. Whether it's her "baby's stroller" or the stroller she wanted so desperately to go in only to want to get out of 3 seconds later, I'm cool with her pushing it. But. There's a time and a place. And a crowded store is not the place for a volatile, stroller-wielding toddler headed right for your ankles.
4. Parking your stroller in front of a bathroom door. Public restrooms typically aren't the most roomy of places, and when you have to bring your kid (who's in a stroller) into one with you, it's never a good scene. That said, other people still need to get in and out of the bathroom while you and your little one are in there. If your kiddo is of standing age, maybe take them out and leave the stroller outside, and if they're not, don't leave the stroller directly in front of the entrance. Would you want to be trapped in a Target restroom?
5. Not folding your stroller up on public transportation. Going on a train or a bus with a kid in a stroller is no picnic. You've got the kid; you've got the stroller; you've got your bag. But still. Fold the stroller up. Way too many people are trying to get in and out to have a big ol' open stroller obstructing the way.
6. Not moving out of the way for anyone. Strollers are big and bulky and not the easiest things to maneuver. However, that said, you're not the only person out and about. Just like how groups of people who take up the entire sidewalk by walking side-by-side are annoying, so are the parents who obliviously push their buggies along, not moving to the side for people who want to pass.
7. Speeding around like a maniac with your stroller. Some kids, when they get older, like it when you "go really fast" or "tip their strollers back towards you" when you're pushing them along. Believe me, I know. However, this behavior is best left for big open spaces, where no one else is around. Imagine taking somebody out with your stroller? Not only would it be scary, it would be super embarrassing.
8. Insisting on a stroller for a kid who is clearly too big. Clearly there are times when a stroller is necessary for an older child (kids with special needs, for example, or exuberant toddlers who are big for their age), but sometimes parents need to know when to give up and let their kids walk. Your poor kid looks awfully uncomfortable shoved in there!
Post by Judy Dutton. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
So you've mastered breastfeeding (high fives for that!), but that's just half of the battle. You also need to know your rights! How savvy are you about the laws surrounding important topics like breastfeeding in public, pumping at work, or posting nursing pics online? Before you head out with baby, take our quiz to see if you're up on all your rights.
So you've mastered breastfeeding (high fives for that!), but that's just half of the battle. You also need to know your rights! How savvy are you about the laws surrounding important topics like breastfeeding in public, pumping at work, or posting nursing pics online? Before you head out with baby, take our quiz to see if you're up on all your rights.
Back when I was pregnant, if you had told me I would one day become fascinated with my baby’s poop patterns, I would have called you crazy.
Never in a million years would I discuss diapers and stools and prebiotics and probiotics and other less than fascinating bodily functions. Instead, I would dote on my baby’s unfaltering genius, her unbridled beauty and her ever-evolving sense of humor.
Which is exactly what I did.
When my daughter was born, I knew instantly that she was the most special baby that ever lived and so, I spent every moment of her little life trying to make her happy and as comfortable as possible.
So, I read everything I could get my hands on and listened to every word that came out of every new-mother’s mouth. I was sure everyone knew more than I did, and whether I took their advice or not, I paid attention.
Then they started talking about poop.
And issues with poop. And how what goes in helps what comes out. So, that’s how I learned about this whole probiotic / prebiotic business and how it’s connected with poop. Apparently breast milk contains prebiotics that feed the beneficial bacteria (who knew bacteria could be beneficial!) throughout the large intestine. Since I wasn’t breastfeeding I started wondering if my baby was missing out on something she needed. And if she, too was going to start experiencing, shall we say, less-than-comfortable passing of poop.
But then I found out about this great new infant formula. Enfamil® Reguline™ has a prebiotic blend that is designed to act similarly to the prebiotics in breast milk, to promote soft, comfortable stools.
Enfamil® Reguline™ is an infant formula you use every day, and it’s really quite fascinating how it is designed to work. Click here to see for yourself.
Take my advice and don’t wait till your baby is born to start talking about stools. That way, you can start from day one to help comfort your baby. And believe me; all new mothers will be glad to discuss it with you!
All new moms quickly become expert at changing their babies' diapers, but understanding what causes all the different colors, textures, and changes in poop frequency can take a little more time to learn - often with a few worries along the way.
Since there's a lot to know about baby poop, which offers a fascinating (if not slightly disgusting) peek into your baby's digestive health, we compiled some our best tips and information to help you decode the diaper mysteries.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.You try for hours, you're exhausted, and that itty-bitty baby doesn't seem any closer to dream land than when you started this whole experiment. So if driving around the neighborhood and rocking in the chair just won't work, it's time to go to Plan C: an inappropriate lullaby.
You may laugh and say you only serenade the baby with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Humpty Dumpty," but we all know that sometimes, the first song that comes to mind isn't exactly G-rated. And that's perfectly OK.
We asked parents to divulge their most inappropriate lullabies for babies, and it seems some moms had better count themselves lucky that that little one can't actually understand the lyrics. Yet.
Here are the wildest lullabies parents have tried on the baby ... and the lyrics that nail down just why we should brush up on the classics before birth:
Pink Floyd, "Mother" Sample lyric: "Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?" Ted Nugent, "Stranglehold" Sample lyric: "Here I come again now, baby/Like a dog in heat."The Aristocats, "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" Sample lyric: "A square with a horn/Makes you wish you weren't born."VooDoo, "Godsmack" Sample lyric: "No more meaning to my life/No more reason to stay."
Pitbull Ft. Ke$ha, "Timber" Sample lyric: "I have 'em like Miley Cyrus, clothes off/ Twerking in their bras and thongs, timber.""The Hearse Song" Sample lyrics: "Don't ever laugh as a hearse goes by, for you may be the next to die."Green Day, "Basket Case" Sample lyrics: "I went to a w****/She said my life's a bore/ So quit my whining cause/ It's bringing her down."Miley Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" Sample lyrics: "All I wanted was to break your walls/ All you ever did was wreck me."Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" Sample lyrics: "Quick to the point, to the point no faking/ I'm cooking MC's like a pound of bacon."Disturbed, "Ten Thousand Fists" Sample lyrics: "Just another day when all that I want/ Will mark me as a sinner tonight, I'm a sinner tonight, yeah."Metallica, "Enter Sandman" Sample lyric: "Sleep with one eye open/ Gripping your pillow tight."Sir Mix a Lot, "Baby Got Back" Sample lyric: "And a round thing in your face/ You get sprung, want to pull up tough/ 'Cause you notice that butt was stuffed." A la: Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Can you top these? What's your go-to song to get baby to sleep?
We all know that kid who only eats peanut butter sandwiches on white bread cut into triangles ... and has been refusing anything different for the past seven years. Sure, he's sweet, but that's the kid moms dread having over for play dates after school. So how do you avoid raising that kid, the picky eating kid? One trick is actually surprisingly easy: Skip the baby food that mixes flavors.
The idea is that babies have to develop a palette, and blending flavors keeps them from learning to like (or even just put up with) the taste of individual vegetables.
The science to support this theory was presented by researchers from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research at a conference last week, but it's not the first time the story has been told: A study in the journal Appetite also offered up research to back this idea up.
It's the same reason why breastfeeding could produce less fussy eaters when babies grow up -- that exposure to subtle flavors helps them appreciate the taste of anything that's not just mush.
So the supermarket strategy is this: Skip the stuff that mashes different flavors together, and buy (or make!) the baby food that's strictly one-vegetable-only. Easy, right?
Also, shoot for getting a range of different fruits and veggies, and trick your baby into eating as many different flavors as possible (while you still can). Then, if everything goes as planned, they'll be inhaling broccoli by the bunch by the time they're old enough to chew.
Or something like that.
It's an easy switch to make, and one that certainly won't hurt anybody. Nobody really wants to deal with a picky eater -- so please, for moms everywhere, try this trick.
And then, a mere 10 years from now when you have a culinary savant on your hands, YOU get to take all the credit, thank you very much.
It marks the biggest "first" for your son: his first birthday. It's (possibly) your first year of parenthood, his first year of life, and your first year as a new family. It's an occasion worthy of celebration. And for so many, it's a reason to completely indulge in an over-the-top custom-made birthday cake.
Yes, he may just want to smash into it, likely won't recognize it as an expensive purchase, and may get fondant so far up his nose that you're making a quickie call to the pediatrician. But so many parents choose intensely-decorated cakes for their sons' first birthdays that this is a bona fide trend!
And these are just a few of the biggest and baddest of them all.
OMG! #13 is seriously excessive, but which one is your favorite?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The sounds of a wailing baby can be so piercing that sometimes you'll try anything to get them to stop crying. Right, parents? When you've listened to hours of non-stop sobbing and restlessness, you're willing to test out crazy theories to soothe the baby.
Sometimes all it takes is some nursing or a drive around the block, but when those sure-fire ways won't do, you have to resort to other methods. We checked in with moms to see what wild things they've done to get their baby to stop crying:
"I used to pretend that my son's stuffed bear was punching me in the face -- good-naturedly, of course -- and then I'd pretend to fall down and he'd die laughing. I only realize now (11 years later!) how bizarre this sounds."
"When my son was a newborn he would cry non-stop every evening for hours, so we followed the advice in the book, 'The Happiest Baby on the Block.' We swaddled him very tight, shook him carefully like you would a cocktail shaker, and ran the vacuum. We would do this for about two hours straight every single night. It was exhausting, but it was better than listening to him cry. It worked."
"When my daughter was gassy, the only thing that would work to stop her from crying was to put her in her stroller and take her for a ride on gravel. The bumpier, the better. You'd think you'd want a nice, smooth ride for the stroller, but nope!"
"We ran the vacuum and it would settle her down instantly. But I got tired of running the vacuum all the time so I downloaded an audio file of it and played that instead. I didn't want to kill the Dyson. It's way too expensive."
"To stop my baby from crying, [we'd] act like we were all beating each other up (because it's hilarious)."
"The only thing that ever worked to get my daughter to stop crying was to pat her butt. Over and over and over. Not hard. I wasn't spanking her. Just pat, pat, pat, pat, pat on her bottom until she calmed down."
"My mom used to lay me on a blanket in front of the stereo with KISS playing on a record!"
"If feeding, changing, and burping don't help, then we put in Best of Leslie Gore's CD. Our babies automatically stop crying once that first song comes on... 'It's My Party.'"
"My older son always calmed down when the opening theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation started."
"I learned this at the birth center where I had him: I used to say 'Shhhhh!' in his ear. It worked."
"I once tried to breastfeed my baby attempting to lean over her while she was STRAPPED INTO HER CAR SEAT as we were hurling down the highway on an endless road trip. Totally insane!"
"Hand them to Dad! Not sure that really gets them to stop crying, but hell, it saved my sanity."
And finally (and most honestly):
"Beer! Not for baby, but you!"
What's your craziest trick to get baby to stop crying?
You will take probably 10 pictures a day of your baby. In one year? That’s 3,650 pictures…and, you know what? That’s probably a low estimate for many.
Yes, with smart phones, it’s so easy to document literally every moment of every day of our little one’s life, but there are a few moments in those first 12 months that won’t be caught on camera, they won’t be uploaded to your computer, that won’t be shared on Facebook.
They are moments that happen, big and small, ones that you experience maybe with your husband or perhaps all alone. They are too hard to describe, so you can only just tuck them away in your heart. We listed some of those memories, those moments that you play back in your mind over and over again and cherish forever.
1. The first time you hold him. After waiting 40 long weeks and a labor that seemed even longer, you finally get to meet your baby. The nurse lays him on your chest, you do that horrible ugly cry of happy tears, and you can’t even speak. But somehow you manage to say, “Hello, you. We’ve been waiting to meet you. I’m your mom.”
2. The first night home from the hospital. No nurses, no extra hands, just you, your husband, and the baby. I remember, at 3 a.m., standing next to my daughter’s crib as she slept, thinking, “This is it. This is the rest of our lives.” Granted, that sleep was short-lived. That first night home, she was up every hour on the hour – another memory I won’t forget!
3. The first smile that you really don’t think is because she made a toot. Up until then, eh, you weren’t quite sure if she was smiling because she loves seeing Mama or because she just passed gas. For a while, you won’t be certain…until that one day that you just know her toothless grin is pure happiness to see you.
4. When she falls asleep on you. You are on the couch, she’s nestled on your chest, and you realize she’s asleep. You feel the warmth from her little body infuse you with what can only be described as pure contentment. You have to go to the bathroom, you can’t reach the remote, but it doesn’t matter. You want this moment to last forever.
5. When your baby falls asleep on your husband -- and he’s asleep too. You spy them, both in that dreamland, snuggled together on the couch. They look a bit alike. They look like love just dozing in the afternoon. He’s snoring a little, but she doesn’t mind, just like you don’t.
6. When you made it through that really, horrible, no good, very bad Mommy day. He was up the whole night before crying. The coffee maker broke. He’s teething. You forgot that you left a whole load of laundry in the washer two days ago. He totally pooped through three different onesies. You attempted to return some long-overdue emails, but your computer crashed. It was one of those days. But, it’s 6 p.m. and he’s now asleep and you (finally) sit down on the couch…and breathe. You made it, Mama.
7. The first time he slept through the night. You wake up with a start at 6 a.m. You check to be sure the monitor is working. You rush into his room, and find him still asleep. He did it! He slept through the night! You crawl back into bed…and toss and turn because, of course, now you are totally awake.
8. The obligatory mushed-with-his-fist first birthday cake. Sitting in that high chair, he’s wondering why all of these folks are singing and snapping pics of him. You put this slice of cake with mounds of icing on the tray in front of him. It smells delicious, so he takes a big handful of it and shoves it in his mouth. About two crumbs fall onto his tongue while the rest covers his chin, cheeks, and eyebrows. Classic first birthday cake mush? Check!
Ah, baby brain -- that fog of confusion and forgetfulness that plagues new moms, draining their competence at even the simplest tasks. While the science is still debatable on the cause of baby brain or whether it's even real, many moms swear something's scrambled their brain cells post birth -- be it hormones, exhaustion, or all of the above -- and offer up these stories as proof. If you've ever felt mortified leaving your keys in the fridge, check out these doozies to know you've got plenty of company.
"I have a 16-month-old and a 3-year-old, and even though I'd given birth a year and a half ago, just this weekend I poured cascade into the dishwasher and started it as usual. An hour later I opened the fridge to reach for the O.J. and there's the green cascade liquid bottle in the fridge with the milk and juice! Good thing I did not pour it into my kids' sippy cups!"
"When my daughter was about 3 months old, I was back at work and had to pump. I walked into my office, shut my door, and proceeded to take my pants off. I am not sure what I was planning on pumping!"
"Post baby, I forgot my Social Security number for a few months. Glad I found the card!"
"After having my second child, I pulled into a gas station to fill my vehicle with gas. Paid at the pump and then took off. The only problem was, I still had the nozzle from the gas pump in my tank. It wasn't until the gas station attendant came running after me did I even know what I had done -- $250.00 later (to re-attach the nozzle back to the pump) everything was back to normal."
"I put oats instead of ground coffee into the coffee filter. Eww!"
"Right after my son was born, I made a pot of 'coffee' using formula. The coffee can and formula can were right next to each other, and in my sleep deprived state, I didn't notice what I was doing. Thankfully I noticed my coffee was white, right before I took a sip."
"One day, a month or so after my daughter was born, I swear I heard my husband tell the dog to 'knock it off … except he was at work, and I was hearing things."
"I once asked my 3-year-old daughter to carry the groceries instead of my husband. I didn't realize what had happened until she said, 'Mommy, these bags are way too big for me, I'm only a little girl.'"
"I put my daughter's bottles on the stove to sterilize and forgot about them. I lay down to take a nap and her coughing woke me up because they caught on fire!"
"I can't tell you how many times I have poured formula instead of creamer into my coffee."
"When my second child was about 8 months old, he got sick with RSV. We had just gotten back from the ER with him after being up all night long. He was crying and hungry, and I was half asleep with both of my kids sleeping beside me as I tried to get him to latch on and he just kept crying. After I woke up enough, I realized I was trying to nurse my older child instead of my younger one!"
"I went to a pool party and took my shoes off to put my feet in the pool. Then I drove all the way home … and didn't realize I was barefoot until I got out of the car."
"Yesterday I stood at the microwave for 10 minutes wondering why the milk bottle wouldn't fit."
"When my son was a toddler, he has health issues so we had to drive to a hospital an hour away to meet with a specialist. We got there with about 15 minutes before the appointment. I got out of the car to discover I still had my slippers on! Not my best moment."
"I was making bacon Christmas morning and poured the bacon grease ... into my coffee."
"When my first child was about 2 weeks old, I was so careful to make sure and not forget him in the car as has happened to some people. I carefully parked the car in the garage and took him inside. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the car off. Started a fire that burned down our detached garage. Oopsie."
What's the craziest thing you've done due to baby brain?
Few moments are as sweet as meeting your baby after giving birth, but there is one moment that could be equally as precious: introducing that baby to older siblings. It's probably no shocker that many parents try to capture this pivotal first meeting on camera, and the results are family bonding at its best!
As these photos featuring that first meeting reveal, kids' reactions to the newest member of they family run the gamut -- they may be excited, or shy, or have mixed reviews. It just goes to show that you can always count on kids to wear their hearts on their sleeves and give you a glimpse of what the siblings dynamics could be like down the road.
What do you think the toddler in photo #10 is thinking?
Getting baby to go to sleep is not easy feat. They're fussy, crying, and unwilling to get some shuteye, and seem like they'll do whatever they can to stay awake. So it's time to pull out any tricks from your parenting arsenal and get that little one snoozing.
Some are classics, some are a little "out there," but they all seem to have done the trick. Don't knock it 'til you try it.
Take a look:
"The only way I can get my son to calm down and go back to sleep after feeding and changing him is to let him lay on his belly on top of me or my boyfriend! That's the only way! It works even better if I am shirtless and he is shirtless."
"One time I was having a little party at the house, and each person who arrived paused in the entryway, listened for a moment, and then asked, 'Is that your vacuum cleaner running upstairs?' At which point, I told them to just ignore it. It was in the hall outside my daughter's room because it was the only way I can get her to nap!"
"When my daughter was just a few months old and my oldest was in swimming lessons, we found that every time we went to his lesson she would fall asleep and nap the entire time. So at home, we downloaded a swimming pool white noise recording and she would fall asleep within a couple of minutes."
"With my son, every time I wanted to get him to sleep, I had to turn on the vacuum, nurse him, bounce him, sing to him, and pat his bottom. All at the same time for each and every nap and bedtime for a minimum of 15 minutes but sometimes up to two hours."
"Lavender! I put some drops on a tissue, and put the tissue on the floor near the crib, and it works its magic."
"Taking him outside, in the winter. Whenever he was really fussy and we couldn't figure out why, my husband would just take him outside in the cold air and he'd calm right down and go back to sleep! He was born in January and has always been a 'hot sleeper.'"
"Put baby in a hiking backpack and walked two-plus miles every night after dark."
"My oldest was two when Monsters Inc. came out, and he loved it but was scared of Randall. He was really bad about going to bed and would fight, and fight, and fight to stay awake. One night, I was stretching and my toenail scraped along the wall and he freaked out huddling down saying that Randall was after him. I looked at him and he was laying so still with his eyes closed tight and the horrible Mommy that I am told him, 'If you stay really still and go to sleep Randall can't find you.' Five minutes later, he was out. I used that trick for two years without fail and now that he's 13, he still laughs and tells his friends how his mom got him to sleep at night."
"I put her in her car seat, put the car seat on top of the dryer, and turned it on."
"The only thing that worked for her for quite some time was singing 'BINGO' (was his name-o) while touching her face. You had to sit down with her facing you in your lap, sing the song over and over, and just run your fingers over her cheeks. No other song would work and you could not skip the face thing. Otherwise she would fight sleep and cry like you wouldn't believe."
"I don't do eye contact before bedtime. It always got her even more energized and excited, so I stop it about 20 minutes before it's time to put her down."
"We got a box fan, and he used that for years. When I wanted him to wake up, I'd turn the fan off and his head would pop right up."
"My husband had to lay my daughter on his chest, lay on the kitchen floor, and spin in circles."
"One of my daughters had her nights and days switched around. I told my mom and she said turn her (somersault style) head-over-heels three times. I was so desperate, I tried it. Sure enough, it worked. She was sleeping eight hours at night (most nights) by 6 weeks old."
"I make painful noises, as if I'm so tired, it hurts. They always take to that, because that is how tired they feel! So they feel heard, and they know I am aware of their pain. Just rock them to those noises and they all fall asleep!"
"When my son was starting to out grow his nap around age , the only way I could get him to sleep was to have him lay on a blanket and drag him around the house."
"My youngest went through a period where she'd only sleep in her swing, facing the fireplace, with a fire going. We went through sooooo much firewood."
What's your go-to trick for getting baby to sleep?
Yes, yes, that statement is 100% true. I still have that totally tattered bit of cloth that I snuggled with every night from about four months old through my formative years. Now, my daughter has it. She calls it “Grandma Blankie” and, as you might have guessed, it is the grandma to her Blankie.
Yes, we are a blankie family. Sure, she has some stuffed animals she adores, and, when she was a little itty-bitty kiddo, she had Murray, the monkey whom she toted everywhere. However, Blankie is unlike any other. It is her constant companion, and the must-have object when doing, well, anything.
Whether it’s a blankie or a teddy bear (or both), the bond between those “transitional objects” and your child is real. Psychologists explain that this blankie-to-kiddo relationship serves as a kind of parallel bridge between a child and a parent. That lovie is beyond a regular stuffed toy, but not Mama. It’s something in the middle.
Many of us try to “push” a certain lovie for Baby to latch onto, but really, there’s no way to know which blanket or stuffed toy she may pick. The way a baby choses her lovie is magical and mysterious, a little bit like The Force in Star Wars. What else do you need to know about blankies and lovies?
-- Transitional objects can serve as a key component to your child’s bedtime ritual, and having a blankie to snuggle with is a great tool to help him learn how to self-soothe, an essential milestone.
-- You may think being so attached to Bongo the teddy bear means something is wrong with your child’s ability to feel secure, but it is actually the opposite. That bear helps your child move from dependence into independence. Having Bongo near, all soft and with that familiar scent, gives your child feel secure enough to stretch his wings.
-- If your child choses a blanket as his lovie, and it is rather large, you may want to cut it in half, to create a back-up blankie. This will minimize the fear of it becoming lost.
-- Along that same idea, if it’s Lola the lamb or Ellie the elephant your child connects with, see if you can snag a few duplicates. Put them all into snuggle rotation, so as to keep the same level of wear and tear for all of them.
-- Don’t worry if your 10- or 12-year-old still sleeps with her lovie. It’s perfectly normal to keep ahold of it well into adulthood. Just think about how many young adults head off to college with a treasured childhood transitional object in tow!
Does your child have a blankie or a lovie? Did you?
While nursing is great in that you don't need a lot of bottles, warmers, and other equipment, the one piece of gear you will need is a good nursing bra. Trust us -- try whipping your boob out of any old bra while your baby's crying and clawing at your cleavage and you'll understand why!
But it will behoove you to choose carefully: While nursing bras vary widely in terms of their strengths, there are certain characteristics you'll want to look for across the board:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
A clasp you can easily undo. Since babies don't like waiting once they're hungry, you'll want a bra that offers fast, easy access. "Find a bra that has a clip you can easily pull down with one hand," says bra fitting expert Jessica Pfister. "It will make feedings a snap."
Adjustability. Since the size of your boobs and body will no doubt change in unpredictable ways, the more adjustability there is, the better. For instance, nursing bras with more than three rows of hooks and eyes in the back allow for more wiggle room, as do adjustable shoulder straps.
Don't sacrifice comfort for cute -- or vice versa. These days, you really can get a nursing bra that's not only comfortable but won't make you feel like a cow. "Feeling and looking good is important to keeping balance for new moms," says Pfister.
Whatever your goal -- to find a bra that's comfortable, or really supportive, or that helps you feel like a sex kitten come bedtime (yes, it's possible) -- the options in this slideshow have got you covered.
Got a nursing bra you love? What makes it a must have?
