Thursday, June 4, 2009

A few Mommy questions.....

I have a few questions that I need some advice on.....

1. "Baby-proofing": We havent done much of anything as far as that goes. I just bought an extra tall gate to go on the top of the stairs, so Briggy can roam free from his room, the playroom and the open-craft room area, without me worrying that he will tumble down the stairs and land on the tile floor below....other than that, nothing else is in the works.
I am thinking of putting some lock system on the kitchen cabinets but haven't really found anything online that isnt ugly and works with cabinets with no knobs--any of you know or use anything that could work?
Do the outlet covers really work? I seem to remember my little brother and sister always able to pull them out when they were toddlers....and if there is a way to break or disrupt anything--Briggy is the toddler to do it!

2. I had Briggy in chilly chilly weather. He was so tiny I kept him extra bundled and swaddled with those swaddle-me wraps...love those things. Oliver is going to be born in 100 degree weather....Briggy slept so well being swaddled, I'm nervous that Oliver is not going to sleep as well because it will be too hot to swaddle....or will he be okay swaddled if the ac is on and the house temp is between 70-75?

3. I faced this problem with Briggy, but never really thought of it as a problem at the time. I fed him so often (every 2 hours for monnnnnnnnnthhhhhhs) that his diaper would need to be changed at every waking during the night....and I would be nervous that if I didnt change him before I fed him, his diaper would overfill...so I would change him first when he woke up, then feed him....but that was usually pretty loud and miserable because he would be crying so loud and hungry....what is the right approach to those nighttime feedings? Change first then feed, or feed, change....sleep for two hours....feed then change? Am I making sense? I feel like I'm not...but I don't know how else to explain it. I'd just rather not have Oliver screaming up a storm because he'll be in the room with Tom and I and I want Tom to be able to sleep!

3. When should Oliver be put in his own room? With Briggy I had him in his own crib a few days after we came home...but his room was right across the hall from me, so I felt a lot better about it. In our new house, Tom and I are on the opposite side of the house, and on the first floor--where as the boys rooms are upstairs. I'm a nervous wreck as it is now with Briggy being so far from me, I am convinced that with a brand new Oliver, there is no way I could handle that...especially because I'm waking and feeding him so frequently the first few months.....also, we decided against buying another crib--because we plan on transitioning Briggy from crib to twin bed at 2 years old...which will put Oliver at 6-7 months. In the mean time we planned on Ollie sleeping in the pack-n-play....do you all think thats a good or bad idea? I just didnt want to end up with two cribs in 6 months....

4. Baby monitoring: We have a Graco monitor that we use for Briggy so we can hear if he's breathing okay and not crying...(yes, I still check on him and poke at him at least 3 times once I put him up for bed to hear if hes breathing....you think I would have gotten over that by now....and no, to those of you who tease me, he still does not have any pillows or blankets in the crib with him...but I do let him have Monkers in there with him!) When I have Ollie upstairs in his own room (age yet to be decided) should I get another monitor system for Ollie, or have him use Briggy's? I just worry about not being able to hear whats going on in Briggy's room--especially when he starts using the twin bed....

I think thats all the questions I have for now...I feel all nervous now that Ollie is really REALLY on his way. Everytime I tell someone im 33 weeks--they're like...oh gosh! do you have everything ready!!? thats so soon!!! and it is soon...and everything (for the most part) has been ready for the past couple months....but I still have a few kinks to work out!
Thanks for your advice in advance!!

8 comments:

Tillo's

Kelly you are too funny! Man i thought i was a nervous wreck..lol Okay, ET and I have to have our home approved for foster care/adoption for safety. Lock all cabinets with chemical and drugs, high and low. Don't worry about looks. I use the white ones that mount inside the cabinet, so you don't see it from the outside. Outlet plugs are a must! They go so tight in there, Marcus can't even pull them out. And when I forget to put the plug back in, sure enough I find Marcus trying to jam something in there. Domi I let sleep with us until he could go longer then 2-3 hours without eating. Then we sent him to his room in his crib. I think the pac-n-play will work fine. The light swaddle would be fine to use. If it's hot, put him in a onesie then swaddle him. Remember they wear 1 layer more then we wear. I wasn't a big swaddler, a receiving blanket works for me. I do have Amy's if you want to borrow them. Give poor Briggy a blanket, poor guy! # 1 thing to do... RELAX! Everything will be fine :)

Kelly Tillotson

what brand cabinet locks/outlet covers do you use? I havent seen any at walmart and dont really know where else to look...
i think they have safety 1st outlet covers but they just look so cheap I thought they wouldnt be worth it....thank you for all the advice

Tillo's

I just bought them at Target, not sure what brand.

Launi

Hey Kelly!!

You won the HypnoBirthing book on my blog giveaway! I need your address now to send it to you.
Congratulations and thanks for reading Gracious Rain.

Launi

PS--You really should look into HypnoBirthing--it would calm you down entirely. I teach in Orem, Utah. But if I can be of any help--let me know. There are over 55 fabulous birth stories on my blog too. That should help as well.

:]

Rains Family

Geez Kelly, lots of questions! 1) I'm not one to ask about baby proofing, I still don't do it and Addy doesn't get into much so it worked out for us. 2) I would only change Addy's diaper once at night, and the other feedings I would just leave her in the same diaper until morning-- never had a problem. 3) I think you might be able to transition Briggy even earlier than 2, alot of friends I have did at 18 months and their toddlers did fine. They have those railings for beds where Briggy couldn't get out or fall down. I would consider transitioning him earlier so you can get Oliver to a crib as soon as possible. The pack in play is fine for a little while, but babies really start to recognize their beds at 4 months. 4) You'll probably want 2 monitors for both kiddos 5) The swaddles are fine with a onesie, he won't be too hot. Make sure you have some AC on!

I can't think of anything else, it will all work out. You know what's best to do!

Rains Family

oh yeah, hypno birthing is awesome!!

Keri Hoehne

First, I love your blog. Makes me wish I was a stay at home mommy. I was a big swaddler, and Bayly's first 6 weeks were hot. We just used the lighter weight cotton swaddle blankets and a onesie. I am trying to remember my changing/nursing schedule. I think in the beginning I did change her first, in case she fell asleep while nursing. But I did read somewhere that you could skip a changing here and there, to keep them calm. I'm not sure how much longer you have till the baby is due, but Bayly is 21 mos, and just made a great transition to her big girl bed. I have it against the wall, and just the mattress and boxspring are on the floor, and she has a full length railing on the open side. (and pillows on the floor if she somehow falls out the bottom). I think it sometimes works better when they are younger because they don't know they can get out. Bayly wakes up and calls us to get her, instead of getting out herself. I say go with the short hair cut. I had it long, and realized I styled it twice a week and had ponytails the rest of the time. I had to cut it to force myself to style it. I bought some clearance Martha Stewart party supplies for $2 each. Bayly's party will either be a brown and pink polka dot party, or a yellow and white daisy party. I'm doing cupcakes either way....Any more thoughts?