smartignani

So she is quickly becoming a little person. She has a personality and objections! She also has food preferences, television show preferences and even colour preferences- what? When did this all happen? Beats me. It just did.

Sometimes she’s like a little monkey climbing up the bars of the crib or my legs. Sometimes she’s like a little bear, especially when she wakes up. Sometimes she’s like a skunk- no explanation needed of course. Sometimes she’s a reflection of me- my mannerisms, my head tilt and even my loud voice! I am awed by her. I thought it would wear off but it isn’t. Everyday becomes more special as she blooms into a tiny toddler.

I thought I would mention she hates bedtime. She feels like she’ll miss something if she sleeps. She didn’t exactly tell me this but I’m thinking that’s probably it. She’s also very much against eating beef for some reason. She makes herself gag when she eats it which is pretty fun. Actually not pretty, just funny.

Every day she grows, I get closer to leaving her and returning to work. I don’t want my maternity leave to end because I think she still needs me for another year or two. I know I will have issues with the person who will be her primary caregiver while I’m at work. I will feel irate everytime I have to pry her from their arms and I will cry at night because deep inside I will think she doesn’t love me as much as she loves them now. I will also be grateful for their help and if she loves them then all the better because at least I won’t feel guilty about leaving her behind for the sole purpose of participating in the ever capitalistic and profit-seeking ritual known as “work”. I will deal with that in two months, for now let me try and deal with leaving her for 11 days as I travel with my husband to Rome and then on a 7 day cruise with his work.

I know. What? How can I leave her so young? Listen, if it was your spouse who gets an all expenses paid trip to Rome and a seven day cruise, wouldn’t you go? They specifically said no kids which was my get out of jail free card because I can’t feel guilty about obeying a rule, can I? There are differing opinions and reactions to our plan to take a trip while she’s only 11 months. There are those who praise our courage and encourage us to just “Go and enjoy each other again” while others view us with indignation and a subtle stabbing question of “Wow, are you sure you want to leave a baby so young?”

The answer is a resounding YES! She will be taken care of by grandparents and her aunt. I can’t think of anyone who would love her more and take care of her as if she’s their own child like her own family. I am confident in their ability and their expertise- since they give us advice when we are lost and they raised us – we didn’t turn out so badly, right?

I read multiple forums and they all seem to utter the same message- I will miss her more than she’ll miss me. Ain’t that the truth? But I will try to deal with it- really, I will. I made a pact with me, myself and I and we all agree that everytime we miss her, we will schedule a hot stone massage and a luxurious manicure. This way, I will look and feel good about myself everytime I start to feel bad about leaving her! Deal- we agree. Great, now let’s move on.

I am about to write something very important. You may want to forward this to moms-to-be because this is the sum of my experience when purchasing ‘stuff’ for baby-to-be. Here goes nothing- consider a review as well (hopefully I don’t get sued because these are the items I bought and these are my OPINIONS):

Bottles:We bought Avent bottles. They were ok. The only thing is they leak. We tried the Playtex baggy ones but they weren’t great either. Besides those baggies just didn’t hold enough formula for our little hungry monster. So we switched to Avent and realized we needed to buy the big bottles. BEWARE of the clear bottles. Buy the ones that are coloured because they don’t leak.

Leaky bottles

Good bottles- also available in pink and white

I am sure that other moms can comment with the brands they used and maybe they worked for them. All I know is the coloured Avent bottles- awesome!

Diapers: For some reason, Huggies leaked when she was a newborn but they worked just fine when we got to size 3. Pampers are a sure buy but Huggies goes on sale more often I find. All I know is, if the diaper starts leaking that means it’s too small. Time to move on up the size scale and don’t take too much notice of the suggested weight on the sides of the boxes. My baby was only 20 pounds when she was wearing size 4!

Car Seats: Listen, they are all tested and approved but they differ in price and functionality. We bought an expensive stroller (th review is coming up) so we had to buy the infant car seat that goes with it. Truth be told, it only fit her until she was eight months and it cost an arm, a leg and possibly a finger! There are convertible 3-in-1 seats out there but they don’t really fit newborns (especially if they are born small like mine was) so be really careful. Overall, we loved out Maxi-Cosi chair even though it was a fleeting sort of love because now she rides in a  majestic, throne-like Britax Boulevard 65 CS. We actually bought two, one for each car and let me tell you, the one above it is more expensive for some silly add on features. Don’t buy into the hype and get this one. It’s perfect! Also, if you can find a small store then you can bargain with them if you buy two. For some reason Toys’R’Us just won’t budge no matter what negotiation techniques I pull out of my hat!

It doesn’t have to be this colour of course, they have a really nice cow print one if that’s more your taste or polka-dot pink. Whatever floats your boat or heats your seat!

Strollers: Ok. I’m going to say this and I know some of you might hate me but investing in a good stroller is key to a happy and fit again mom. Some strollers have great travel systems and lots of space in their baskets down below but they are hard to steer and difficult to maneuver. I was actually against my husband buying this stroller but I thank him 15 million times everytime I got for a walk or shopping or to the mall. This stroller is awesome. It steers like magic and it’s easy to stow away. It’s also cool looking- a friend of mine calls it the “Spidey Mobile”. The Quinny Buzz. I love it. It’s worth every penny of the $400 or $500 it costs.

This is not my husband or baby. This is a random picture from the Internet but you get the picture- literally. Also, note that it unfolds like a bat mobile because of its cool hydraulics system!

Furniture:  We bought a change table, a crib, a rocking chair and a book shelf (Ikea). I thought I wouldn’t need a dresser. I did. Bad mistake. Buy a dresser.

Food: I wrote an entire blog about baby food before so I will keep it short. For formula we used Enfamil (after trying Similac and Good Start). Becaause she spat up a lot due to reflux, we mixed Gentlease and Thickened Enfamil and that worked like a charm. She didn’t spit up as much but she wasn’t constipated- perfect! Don’t use no name brand (Costco) until the baby is at least three months old. My opinion. Do what you like, I’m just saying. Also for baby food, I usually buy Organic. It’s the next best thing after fresh cooking in my mind. Baby food is on sale somewhere almost every week so shop around (you will be surprised how much $0.10 a jar makes a difference). Also, do buy Mum-Mum cookies. They were a God send when she was 6 month and older and starving in public and needed something to tide her over. I have a cupboard full of them. Do not leave home with them!

   LOVE BANANA FLAVOUR!!

Toys: Truth is there are more toys and baby bouncers, rockers, swings and jumpers than one person can possibly comprehend. My advice is to buy brand names (they are safer). Here is a breakdown of the toys she loved and those that she didn’t care for-

Sophie: my baby didn’t really care for her but I have friends who swear by this toy. It is great for teething but it constantly needs wiping because its rubber and picks up dust and nasties if dropped (which it will be- quite often). Our Sophie was gnawed on and played with twice or three times then discarded. It was not worth the investment for us.

 Aquarium: BUY THIS! It’s magic. Fisher Price aquarium. It puts them to sleep. It works. Enough said!

Seahorse: Again- great tool to help them sleep. Sounds like music on the beach with waves. It works. Period.

Whirly-Twirly for Strollers: Hours of fun, right here. Worth it.

 If you want to be adventurous and fun, buy these pacifiers (for babies over 6 months old only)- they are from Billy Bob.

Baby Swings:We bought “My Little Lamb” swing pictured on the left and I tried setting it up while I was 8 months pregnant, let me tell you- BRUTAL. With swings, I advise you to go simple. The simplerthe better because ultimately, the baby only uses it until they start to crawl/creep/roll/drag their bodies on the floor. Then they usually lose all interest in being cooped up in a swing/high-chair/car seat. We bought a light weight pack-and-play swing It folds up and can be taken anywhere. Really cheap too!

High-Chairs: There isn’t really a high chair that is better than another. Just don’t buy them too bulky because you WILL stub your toes on them. It’s a fact of life. The sleek ones are so much more expensive and I have to tell you, at some point your baby will figure out how to catapult their bodies forward then slam themselves backwards with enough force to move the chair a foot at a time! So it better be a little heavy and not ultra-light weight because they will fly out of it!

Too Light  Too Bulky   Just Right

What is that?? A high chair that prepares the baby to become a dentist??

Baby Monitors: We bought the simple Angel Care monitor system where you can hear the baby if they so much flip over. There is also a sensory pad that goes under the crib and sets off an alarm if the baby stops breathing. We didn’t use it. It was a complete waste of money and apparently sometimes it goes off by accident. I don’t want to be that parent who runs up the stairs ready to do CPR on their newborn only to find that it was a false alarm. Just so you know, one of my best friends bought one of the monitors that have a camera attached to the wall and a screen that allows you to see your baby. I like those. They were more expensive but she said it was worth it- so there you go. We are happy with our little monitors (buy the one with two hand-sets because you will inadvertently always misplace one for a while).

Shoes:  The heated debate continues- should babies wear shoes? I say yes. Just because they can’t walk doesn’t mean they look like bohemian slobs. I’m kidding. It doesn’t really matter and I won’t judge you if your baby isn’t wearing shoes. They end up taking them off as soon as they learn how anyway! Also, there are socks that look like shoes, those are cute and comfortable. Buy those. Oh and shoes with laces, not practical. Don’t buy baby Jordans or baby Shox, they will end up hurting their feet and probably become decorations for your rear-view mirror. Very expensive decorations for your rear-view mirror. Just saying. Again, it’s all a matter of personal style. I bought my baby shoes fom Winners for $7.99 with velcro and they fit great! There are Roca Wear (Jay-Z if you read this, give me props for the shout out!). She loves taking them off and gnawing on them. It keeps her happy and fashionable, who am I to complain?

I think that is it for now. If I remember any other products, I will be sure to review them in a future blog. I must confess, our baby’s all-time favourite toy so far: the empty Pampers box. It’s too cute how she loves the simplest things. We invest so much money in shiny, colourful and musical toys and give her a box or a metal bowl and a wooden spoon and BLISS for 15 to 20 minutes at a time (which is super long for a baby).

If you have something to review, please feel free to comment!

Thank you to all and to all a good night!

SMartignani