Crib Notes

When I was pregnant and obsessing about the nursery decor, I bought a crib set that I liked. It was restful and versatile and cute. I spent about $70 on it but now I know that it was money better left in my bank account.

Upon further research I learned that cribs should be pretty "naked". No bumper pads, no excessive blankets, no toys. According to the Journal of Pediatrics bumpers pose more of a risk than anything else.

The more reading I did, the more worried I became. Then I found Grobags. What a lifesaver. No worrying about blankets over baby's head. No worrying if she has kicked off her blankets. We could all sleep a little easier knowing we'd done the most we could for our baby's safety.

Grobags can be ordered online but can also be found at Babies R Us and at Here We Grow Again. I'm sure that there are more places in the city that sell them but those are the 2 places that I've had the most luck at. They're not cheap but they really are the best out of all the baby sleeping bags out there. And they're worth the peace of mind.

Another point about the naked crib that we learned was that if we had any hope of Danica sleeping we needn't bother with mobiles and whatnot. We have a Fisher Price Aquarium, a Winnie the Pooh projector and a mobile but none of these are ever used if we want her to sleep. They too easily engage her and there's no way she'll sleep. If I didn't use them to amuse her on occasion, they would all be in the back of the closet with the crib bumpers.

Speaking of the bumpers, anyone got any ideas as to something constructive that I can do with them? Seems a waste.

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

When we brought the newborn Danica home from the hospital for the first time I was in pretty good shape. I was well rested and felt pretty good about things. Danica had slept through her first 3 days on this earth so I was lulled into a false sense of "this ain't so hard".

Ha!

Soon, it became apparent that I had a baby that wouldn't sleep therefore making for an extremely sleep-deprived Mama. Most nights were spent cuddling her in the rocking chair until I discovered that co-sleeping was the way to go. (But that's a whole other post.)

I was frazzled and exhausted and my brain had turned to mush. I remember my mother frequently inquiring as to when she last nursed. Or when did she last sleep and for how long. More often than not, my response was a blank stare because try as I might I couldn't remember what'd I'd done a minute ago let alone when I'd last changed a diaper or nursed her.

Too late did I discover the Itzbeen. What a fabulous invention. If any soon-to-be Mom asks me what they must-have this is my answer. If I ever have another baby (another whole other post) this will be the first thing I purchase in preparation.

Then I will laugh in the face of my addled Mommy Brain.