* Products I Recommend:
BUM CREAM: Bennets bum cream – Brilliant cream! Great for clearing all rashes, chaffing etc
BUM WIPES: Pigeon wipes and container – cheap and work really well. Some other brands of wipes are very wet while others don’t seem to work at all and I have found the pigeon container to be much better than other brands, as some others release too many wipes, or they all get stuck together etc.
DUMMY: Honey dummy – the best dummies for breastfed babies
STERILISER: Milton for sterilising – easy to use, safe (Heating plastics in a microwave or steamer is not) and will still work if there is a blackout!
SHAMPOO: This is a personal thing. I started with Johnson’s as I love the smell (Elizabeth Anne’s shampoo also smells like baby) but now use the Pigeon shampoo as it has Jojoba Oil in it and I have noticed it makes her hair lovely and soft.
NAPPIES: Again this is your personal choice. I found Huggies nappies fitted better on newborns but from 0 – 3 noticed they leaked more than Pampers or Cuddlers. I now use Pampers. Try them all out.
BOTTLES: I used the NUK bottles which worked well and there was no nipple confusion from Amy, who was bottle fed expressed milk once a day from 2 weeks of age. CONTRARY to what you may be told by experts, I feel that starting her so early on both was part of the secret with her.
BREASTFEEDING: I used the NUK and Pigeon breastpads(for about 3 months) and Lansinoh cream(which is brilliant) after each feed in the first 3 weeks. I used the Medela Electric breastpump and their plastic freezer bags.
LOTION: The Johnson’s Soothing Naturals intense moisture cream for keeping her skin smooth and soft.
SUNBLOCK: The Elizabeth Anne’s spray on lotion is easy to apply and rub in and does not leave the baby’s skin sticky like I have found the Johnson’s rub in sunblock does.
TEETHING POWDER: Now that she is teething I use Ashton and Parson’s powder, recommended by my friends, it really does work and she loves the taste!
UNNECESSARY PRODUCTS you will probably receive loads of at your baby shower: powder(talc is linked with fertility problems and cancer yet it is still sold!!), massage oil(some people swear by this but it leaves the baby and you oily and I think it is therefore easier to massage with lotion), vaseline and loads of aqueous lotion.
DEALING WITH COLIC/CRYING: Telament drops are essential in the early days. Place on the dummy to help stop crying or a few drops in a colicky baby’s bottle if bottlefed. Gripe water is also good but mainly because they like the taste and it sidetracks them for a while. Babies cry. just accept that and try not to let it stress you out. We listened to the Dunstan Baby Language which really helped us in the early days to interpret her cry, but you will soon get to know your baby and be able to decipher the code of her cry.
PAIN/FEVER: Panado syryp for infants helps with fevers. You really should not be giving a baby any other pain medication. Use only if and as advised by your doctor.
* The Dummy Debate:
Amy uses a dummy. I gave it to her from 2 weeks of age, first a NUK dummy (for a total of 1 day!) and then a Honey dummy which is better for bresatfed babies. She loves her dummy but is also happy to go without it. I don’t make a big deal about using a dummy as some people do. Yes it isn’t pretty but it is a method of comforting the baby and trust me it has its advantages. Many people worry the baby will become too dependent on the dummy and not want to give it up, but as my mother always says, “have you ever seen an adult walking around with a dummy in their mouth?”
Pros and Cons:
PRO
- Helps sooth, quiet and comfort a crying baby
- Helps limit them putting all manner of things in their mouth in the early days
- Prevents them from sucking their thumb and causing dental problems later.
- Aids peristaltic movement, limiting colic.
CONS
- looks ugly
- may cause nipple confusion in some babies if not given the appropriate dummy
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks again for all the great info! It’s always very helpful!
As for the dummy story, I don’t understand why people make such a big deal about it. Why are dummies manufactured if it’s such a bad thing – because it comforts the baby! Is there something wrong with comforting your baby? I really hope not!!! I totally agree that there comes a point where you have to start weaning them, but making a deal about it will only make that need for comfort worse and who knows what they may turn to later.
xx
ps… I also do not think it looks ugly – it looks like a baby! What’s wrong with that -they are babies for such a short time!
Dear Caroline
Thanks for the advice and helping me navigate through all the baby products. I’ve been avoiding buying any because my books all warn against using fragranced products because they can cause allergies. And there are so many choices that I just stand in the isle until my eyes glaze over trying to assess which products would be best, then I leave. Doesn’t anyone want to invent a range that is clearly marked with the words unscented, hypo allergenic for newborns. That would really help.
I guess everyone “the thing” that worked for them. The trick is not to get tied down by thinking this is the best choice or that is the best option.
All babies are different, with different constitutions and temperaments. If something doesn’t work, try something else. Something will fit. Try, experiment and try again.
Regarding dummies: they are great to keep baby calm in stressful situations, but I have a friend whose baby can’t sleep without it. We were there the other night and they had to keep getting up every hour to put the dummy back in!! I felt like I was losing my mind after a few hours. So I would caution against becoming to reliant on the dummy. I made it a habbit to take the dummy out Adam’s mouth when he was asleep and luckily I never had that problem.