Random advice

Here are random little tid bits of advice...

- 7/31/07 from Jennifer's Ped. regarding Mosquito repellant... Children under 3 should not use repellent with DEET. They said the best thing is Avon's Skin So Soft or Skintastic Botanicals. I couldn't find either one at the store but I did find some "Natrapel" at Wal-Mart that doesn't have DEET.

- If your baby won't take her pacifier, dip it in some water and then offer it to her. This worked like a charm when Caroline was first born.

- Keep a pump bottle of Germex by the changing table. A great way to disinfect without having to put the baby down to go to a sink. But also note that it tastes pretty bad so don't be putting your fingers in her mouth afterwards.

- This may sound a bit uptight but I used a stopwatch to follow Caroline's schedule. I would start it when I fed her. That way I would know how long she took to nurse. I kept it running (since I fed her right after she woke up) so I would know how long it had been since she slept. And then it would continue running during her nap so I knew how long it had been since she ate. I think I finally gave up my stopwatch after 2 or 3 months - once she was on a very regular clock schedule.

- Another uptight one, but I kept a chart of my medicines when I got home from the hospital. I was on three meds that all had different time frames and I really didn't want to miss taking any of them but my mind was so fuzzy I had a hard time keeping track without writing it down.

- I set up "visiting hours" for people to come to our home to see Caroline. I think that if a lot of random people come over at the same time, they are less likely to overstay their welcome. It also helps you to time visits for a good time in the baby's feeding and sleep routine (if you are lucky enough to have one).

- Have a way to keep track of gifts you get at the hospital and also meals that come to your house so you can do thank you notes.

- I printed Caroline's birth announcements at snapfish.com (they come with envelopes and you can have them shipped or pick them up at a Walgreens). I printed address labels on our computer before she was born and bought enough stamps for my list. So when the announcements were ready, all I had to do was stuff and stick and off they went.

- Take a shower and do your hair and make-up before you leave the hospital to go home. That way you are refreshed and feel good for your trip home. Esp. if you aren't lucky enough to have your mom meet you at home to take care of you like I did.