The how and when to stop breastfeeding

Through my experience this subject is extremely personal. However at this point in time I'm trying to stop breastfeeding. I've been working at this process for a about a month now and I'm down to pumping only once a day. That's it. This decision was the hardest I've had to make in a while. I have struggled with feeling like a failure or selfish because I'm tired of doing it. Breastfeeding has protected my son from day one against illness and given him nutrition that formula could never provide. I've always had a large supply of milk and even donated the extra I had. Lately I had noticed a significant decrease in the milk and decided it was my bodies way of saying enough. I was happy to have my body back after I finally stop. I still feel Like I'm not caring enough about my son by stopping. I struggle with this thought everyday. I want to give him the best chance at health and life. He's doing fine drinking formula now that he's almost one now. I don't feel so bad that he doesn't mind the taste difference. It hasn't upset his stomach either. I can't stand the smell of formula it stinks. The way I slowly decreased to pumping once a day was a slow process. I went from breastfeeding only to pumping only in about a weeks time without upsetting my son. I slowly introduced a bottle over a weeks time and he did just fine. After going from pumping about ten times a day down to eight and six and so on....this went on for months. Now I'm at once in the morning. So my son gets one eight ounce bottle every morning of breastmilk and the rest formula during the day time. Make sure that if you decide to stop you stick with it so you don't mess up your milk production so bad if you decide to breast feed again. It's not impossible to start up again but regaining a low supply is hard to do. It's easier to stop I think than start up again.

If your dog won't walk on a leash be creative.

Leash training on a new puppy can test your patience. I enjoy a nice walk to show my baby the world around him. We are trying to incorporate our new addition to our walks but she is like dragging an anvil when she gets on a leash. I decided to put her in the bottom of my stroller to show her it's ok to be outside and believe it or not she loves it! Until she gets better acquainted with walking on a leash this is how we will get around or until she gets too big for the stroller.

Para guard IUD

As a breastfeeding mom I found myself left with few choices for BC after my son was born. Estrogen hormone BC are a big no no for BF moms. I was uninterested in progesterone only or mini pill as an alternative method. An IUD sounded strange and uncomfortable but I decided to do more research. The mirena IUD still used hormones along with having a plastic piece inside of your body so that option was out. I was left with the Para guard IUD. It uses no hormones. The IUD itself has a small strand of copper wire wrapped around itself. The copper wire is a natural sperm destroyer. The IUD by itself also causes as inflammatory response to the lining of the uterine wall causing female eggs to never be able to adhere causing a pregnancy. There is only a less than one percent chance of becoming pregnant while this IUD is inside your body. I can honestly say right now that I should of had this IUD sooner. I was scared that I would get sick from having a foreign object permanently inside me but no such thing happened. However you do need to have this IUD placed by your GYN doctor. You cannot go out and buy this or pick it up at the pharmacy. Insertion took about 5 minutes and it was uncomfortable. I felt pain for a second then it went away immediately afterwards. Once the IUD is in place it works to prevent pregnancy instantly. There is no waiting period until it takes effect. After having an IUD placed you will have to go to the GYN doctor a month after then three months then five months after that to make sure it hasn't moved. They check the placement by an external ultrasound which takes a few minutes you don't need to get undressed or have a full exam. It's been months since I had mine inserted and I feel absolutely nothing or discomfort. I had slight bleeding for a week after with a little cramping but now it's completely gone. Like I said before it was such a good idea and I wish I did it sooner. Also if you have health insurance and you have already had one child, it's almost always is covered completely by the insurance company so no need to pay out of pocket.

baby planning?

http://www.modmomma.com/

Preconception planning means different things to different parents. Having a perfectly laid out plan prior to conception is a great idea but remember you must be aware that pregnancy can be just as unpredictable as the weather. Talking to your OB/GYN should be apart of any parents preconception planning list. The words preconception planning can make any unexpected pregnancy feel a bit unorganized. Being pregnant for nine months can make the fairy tail miracle of birth seem more like a nightmare. Whether your baby was right on time or ten years late preconception planning can be used as a guide at anytime to help sort out the “what ifs,” of your pregnancy.  Becoming pregnant is a very personal experience for every mother. Rule number one is don’t become discouraged when your pregnancy is not like the celebrities in magazines. The miracle of birth can be glamorized with an air brush and high priced pregnancy diet plans or an expensive camera. A wonderful resource at any stage of pregnancy is a maternity concierge or baby planner. These individuals have certificates or degrees in maternal care and counseling. For a small fee these baby planners can help you with everything from registry planning to the actual miracle of birth. Take the stress off of you and your partner by letting the baby planner sort through all of your thoughts about being pregnant and delivery. Throughout your pregnancy or after giving birth you may be riddled with questions that you originally didn’t come up with until now. Add a baby planner to your preconception planning to always make someone available to you. Also green proofing your home by eliminating harmful chemicals and parabens from your everyday use can be an option in preconception planning. Exposure to harmful chemicals can make conception difficult or pregnancy problems may arise from such exposure. Consider green proofing your home as lifestyles change that could benefit you and your growing family. Seeking medical advice from a physician regarding your current health and chances of conception are a good place to start. Preconception planning begins with you and your partner taking the life changing step towards the ultimate goal of having a healthy pregnancy and child.  Take the scary out of pregnancy by planning ahead researching your options and don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are your own healthcare advocate so be proactive. The miracle of birth is truly amazing no matter what happens enjoy every moment.

Best convertible car seat

This car seat can be folded down small enough to be packed into a suit case.

Convertible car seat and stroller for traveling

check this out! Its an all in one car seat, base, and stroller

Coupons

Im not a crazy coupons collector but I do like to save money where I can, this website has great everyday coupons that can be used at all stores. http://www.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13101&zid=pt82&nid=10&bid=0317180317cef3dbbec6118

Door way jumpers

I noticed today that I have a ridiculous amount of baby toys. Some of which my son has used only a handful of times. Mst of which I cannot ever bring with me when we travel somewhere due to there size. A huge problem when we go away is that I cannot use the stuff I normally do at home and that makes staying in a hotel for a week a bit unorganized. My son loves his swing and I use it multiple times a day and in a hotel room I really don't have anywhere to put him but his car seat. I was walking through walmart today and say a baby jumper that has a clamp that adheres to the molding above any door way. I was always nervous about jumpers like this because I thought they required drilling something into the door way and had a good chance of falling down. After carefully reading the instructions and manual to this jumper I decided to buy it and see how well it worked. All in all I love this jumper. It's incredibly safe and hold a max weight of 24 pounds. I don't know why I never found this before. This is an incredible idea for a hotel room. This will replace a swing and a bouncer. This product is small and can easily be folded down and packed into a suitcase. On our next trip I am Italy bringing this jumper. It will be somewhere for my son to hang out, literally, and play. He loves to bounce and swing back and forth. I would recommend this jumper to anyone and think it would be a great travel suggestion to anyone. This can be a safe place to keep you baby for a little while that's clean and not ouching anything in the hotel room. The brand I purchased was EvenFlo and it was a great price at 19.88 which is cheap for baby toys.

Valdosta Georgia

To be honest Valdosta Georgia is rather undeveloped and rural. Yet Georgia is known for its peaches I found one of the best barbeque restaurants I've ever eaten at. The name of the restaurant is the smokin pig BBQ. This place has a bigger parking lot that another building in Valdosta. This place was huge. We had great,fast customer service. The restaurant was very kid friendly. The booths are big enough to fit a car seat,myself and all my stuff. The food was delicious. Most dinner platter come with the salad bar and desert. The price was right and the BBQ was delicious. There was not much to do in Valdosta but eat or walk around. I took daily walks around my hotel with my son. I did not have any shopping centers or parks anywhere near my hotel. The closest place was a restaurant in front of our hotel. Everything required a car to get you from place to place. The weather in January was cool and cloudy. The one good thing about going to Valdosta is that is was about 20 miles from the border of Florida so it was a rather close drive home.

Great article for moms

http://ideas.typepad.com/brooding/2012/01/when-means-girls-become-mommies.html

Unwell wishers

There is always going to people in your life that never have anything nice to say or judge you by what you look like or choose to do with your life. In my short life I've met many of them but I have to say family members are almost always guilty of doing this. Becoming a parent is a big step in anyone's life but when there are people who openly say you are doing this wrong with raising your baby, how do you deal? No matter how far away you travel the burden of unhappy family members travels with you. Just remember at the end of the day the only opinion that really matters is your own. If there are people in your life that treat you nice to your face but behind closed doors say terrible things about you,cut off those unfriendly relationships. From personal experience I feel that people who are genuinely cruel cannot change there way of thinking so there is no point in perusing a friendship with those people. Maybe at another point in time your paths may cross again prompting better feelings but until then be strong and don't let other people bring you down. The reason that I am writing this off topic text is to let my readers know that I understand what it's like to be badly judged. I am here for anyone who needs to talk and express their unsettled feelings.

Traveling and television

One of the most annoying problems when you stay in hotels in different states has to be figuring out what channel on the TV is what. Most hotels don't have a guide button on the controller to display on the TV what you are actually watching. If your lucky your room may have a paper guide somewhere to tell you what's what. I love American idol, raising hope, the new girl and I hate my teenage daughter so all I need to do is find a fox network. Many times I get stuck on a fox political news channel thinking its going to eventually start playing shows but eight o'clock rolls around and no shows to be found. Then I'm left frustrated flipping through channels ona remote that obviously has been overused cause the buttons barely work. Another issue I run into a lot are time zone changes. Getting adjust to new time zones can be Spain. Especially for babies that are on a schedule and get frustrated when you change it up. With TV shows it can be just as irratating to figure out if your favorite show come on at the time you are used to, chances are the shows are not shown at the same time in a different time zone. Your best bet is to google the time zone to get a TV guide or go on the hotels website your staying at and normally they will have one on there for you to look at.

Washing clothes in a hotel

Chances are if you stay a week in a hotel with children you are probably going to have to wash clothes at some point. FYI most hotels have washing machines to use normally located by a fitness center or pool. However they will not provide you any detergent for cleaning. Most hotels will sell your small amount of spdetergent for a ridiculous price. Your best bet is to always bring a small bottle of detergent with you. Especially if you child has sensitive skin like mine, I have to use fragrance free and clear detergent. Normally hotels will not have this brand available for sale. Another option for people who fly to their destination is to just purchase a bottle upon arrival instead of having to pack and entire bottle of detergent. My baby spits up a lot on his bibs, clothes and blankets they cannot sit a full week in a bag without being washed. That's gross and smelly. If you want to use fabric softener in the dryers, the sheets are easier to pack and cheaper to purchase than liquid. Also another trick I use is that I either purchase empty travel size containers or keep the used bottles of hotel shampoo and reuse the bottles to put a small amount of detergent in them from home and pack the smaller bottles. Sometimes the bottles sold for purchase are still more than enough than you need in one weeks time and you shouldn't waste the rest of the unused bottle of detergent by throwing it away. Packing pre-filled bottles of detergent will give you just the right amount of use in one weeks time with out having to repackage or throw away a large detergent container.

San Diego Zoo

I was 6 months pregnant when my husband and I visited the San Diego zoo. It was march and the weather was perfect. That zoo is incredible. I dislike the idea of caging animals for the pleasure of humans but I wish every zoo would be modeled after this one. The environments the animals are kept in were so well created that it was impossible to tell one exhibit from the next. They flowed seamlessly from ne environment to the next. The animals were beautifully kept. All animals literally looked as if they were at home in the wild. It was absolutely beautiful. I underestimated the size of this zoo. The zoo provides bus rides around because it is so large. I wish we would have taken the bus! Pregnant and walking pretty much uphill both ways was crazy. I was out of breathe almost every other step. Luckily the park offers plenty of places to relax and sit. The food was ok, not amazing but ok. They have a sky ride over the entire zoo which was the tallest sky ride I have ever been on. It was so much fun. The admission price was high at 40 dollars a person but totally worth the money once you get inside and see the amazing job the care takers give to that zoo. I purchased a small stuffed animal giraffe for my son before he was born and he loves playing withit today. I have such beautiful memories about tha zoo and every time I see they son play with his toy giraffe I smile. I can't wait to take him there someday.

Feed shark

Hypersmash.com

Burbank CA

My first time flying to CA last year our airplane landed at an airport in Burbank CA. To say the least I was completely unimpressed with that airport. Put an old bowling alley and a someone's garage together and that's pretty much what it looked like. I heard plenty of celebs pass trough that airportso I had expected it to be rather nice but was so wrong. If someone wants to keep a low profile at that airport, dress like a homeless person and you'd fit right in. That was my first airport where I had to actually walk out on to the tar mat to climb stairs in to my plane. One city I drove through last year was Birmingham Alabama. Burbank California and Birmingham Alabama though on different coast pose a striking resemblance to one anther. Litally they look exactly the same, hilly and all. Except the Hollywood sign visible in Burbank, Birmingham downtown with the buildings and crazy interstate drivers are one in the same. The plant life with tall palms and large hills and winding roads are amazingly similar. S if you want a feel for CA on the east coast drive through Birmingham Alabama. When I visited Burbank CA I was 6 months pregnant and thought the city of Burbank was not that safe to walk around through just by the way it appeared. I was there day and night time and still didn't see anything I'd enjoy strolling through. Not to mention at the Burbank airport the luggage carousels were outdoors and it was freezing outside. There is only one luggage carousel working out of the two total so if you don't mind standing around for a while in whatever weather is there have at it. They had very limited food and beverage places, I undstand that it is a small airport but for someone like me who eats very healthy I did not have many options. I can't say I will be booking my next flight to stop through Burbank unless we have to.

Spot light GPS for iPhone and your dog

As an avid apple product user I came across this GPS tracking system for dog owners. I am always looking for new apps to download on my iPad or iPhone too. This is a collar that the dog can wear which has a beacon inside of it. This beacon can be tracked through a free app for iPhone or iPad. The collar is rather expensive at 249.99 for the premium kit that comes with a charging station for the battery inside of the dogs collar and replaceable battery itself. You can purchase the collar alone with out a charging station for 150.00. This would be a great idea for traveling with a pet just in case your dog get free in another state and you are unfamiliar with the area. The app can track your dog anywhere, any distance. It's not like an electric fence. The collar can hold dog tags on it as well so your dog doesn't have to wear two collars, one for tracking and one for identity. Hopefully this device will become more affordable because it will make the dog microchip obsolete. The chip can only track your dog within the state or county where the chip was placed. However if your dog gets out with a battery that needs recharging your out of luck on finding the animal with this device. I use my iPhone for just about everything and thought this was a great idea that warranted sharing with everyone.

Baby carriers

Before my baby was born I purchased two kinds of baby carriers. The moby wrap and baby Bjorn. Both worked great at different stages of the babies growth. When my son was a new born we did not swaddle him, he hated being tightly confined but he loved being carried around all day in the moby wrap. The moby wrap if you haven't seen one is a long piece of fabric about fifteen feet long that can be wrapped around the parents body in different ways to carry the baby in front of you in the style you choose. The only issue I had with this is that there is so much fabric my body was so hot and it's very hard to undo when your baby spits up while inside of it. I honestly would never wear this in public, it makes my body look way heavier than I really was due to the layering of the fabric. I couldn't even see my shirt beneath the wrap and it appeared as if I had on shirt on underneath. A good thing about this wrap is that it is machine washable. My baby loved being warm and with me all day long. I am an avid baby wearer. This wrap is not a good I'd ea in my opinion to be worn on a plane due to having to unwrap yourself through security in the airport. If you have no one there to hold your baby while you re- wrap yourself it is an awkward situation. Plus if you have to go to the bathroom...well you get the idea. The Bjorn however is what I use daily now. My son is older than 6 months and t is great that he can be worn in both directions either facing me or out in front. He loves to look around at whatever is there. When he was little I did use. Once just to see how he liked it and the Bjorn swallowed his little body inside of the carrier. The minimum weight limit for the Bjorn is eight pounds. The moby wrap minimum is five pounds. The Bjorn is a quick way for me to go to the grocery store or other places without having to lug the heavy car seat to and from wherever I go. My son can fall asleep in the Bjorn too which is nice after he gets tired of looking around I don't have to lay him down to take a quick nap. The Bjorn is easily accessed and good for airport travel. On the downside the Bjorn can have a negative affect on a babies hips if used frequently. The narrow bottom of the carrier causes the babies legs to hang straight down with little support under the babies rear end. This can attribute to hip problems and displaysia along with growth problems in the pelvis. The moby wrap provided much better support for the baby's bottom when wrapped correctly. Either way they both work well for differnt ages of babies.

Baby hammocks for airplane seats.

I found this cool idea for parents who travel with a baby via airplane. The flyebaby hammock is a stretchy piece of fabric that somehow has clips that you can put around the tray table in front of you and your baby can sit facing you while you sit comfortably in your seat on an airplane. The cost is ok around 45 dollars I'm curious to try one out. My concern would be what if you have a large baby like I do or if the person in front of your reclines their chair...how does that affect the hammock? Many people suggest that any child that still rides in a car seat should be put in a car seat while on a plane. The problem with that is paying for an entire extra seat just to put your babies car seat on. Most airplanes I've ridden in only have lap belts for adults. I really don't think it's safe to try and attach a full size carry on car seat with just one lap belt. Not to mention who's going to watch your baby in the car seat if you have to get up to go to the bathroom on the plane if you are an adult flying alone with your baby? Do you feel like bringing the car seat with you to the bathroom?!? Plane seats are small enough just for an adult to sit in I would feel so squished in if I had a car seat, myself and my husband in one row. But if you do chose to carry on your car seat to put your baby in during the flight you must check with an attendant at the gate before your flight and ask if they have an extra seat available next to you so you can place your car seat on it. You can call the airline ahead of time to make sure this is possible and skip the last minute stress of what happens if you cant bring it on the plane.Back to the baby hammock, I would love to try this and see how effective it appears to be. Also the hammock turns into a make shift high chair of sorts. If your baby uses a high chair and you don't want to pack a bumbo or other chair in your luggage use this. The hammock fits over the back rest of a regular kitchen chair and the straps can be configured to hold your baby upright to the chair so they don't fall over. It seems like an easy product to pack in your carry on and is worth the money.

Car seat covers

Back in November I received and email with a promotional code to purchase a car seat cover and only pay to ship it to my house. As a frequent travel I thought this would be a great product to have. What this product does is Protect your baby while they are in their car seat from weather and germs. This canopy attaches with Velcro over the handle of the car seat that is attached to a long piece of soft fabric. The fabric covers the car seat completely. When my son was a newborn I was terrified that bringing him into different climates would get him sick. This product gave me piece of mind about that. Some of the places we traveled to so far have been pretty chilly or rainy. This cover can be used for a short period of time when transporting you baby from the car to wherever without having to take the baby out of the car seat. I node stand it can be a chore to strap and unstrapped your baby from the seat. If your baby was like mine where he hated the whole strapping process or if you don't feel like covering the baby with a blanket is enough to protect the baby from wind this product is helpful. The canopy is incredible soft weather proof material I have used this product also as a soft mat to put my baby down on when I had nothing else available or even as a blanket when it was really cold and I didn't have a clean blanket to use. The canopy is machine washable so if your baby spits up or anything else on this just throw it in the washer. It doesn't need to be hung to dry either. If someone around you sneezes or coughs this canopy can protect your little one from air born or surface germs. I love my canopy and use t frequently even in Florida from the sun when going from a hot parking lot to a store. Protecting the baby from the environments is important to me making this product essential to travelers.

What kind of car is best for road trips with kids.

I've driven through plenty of states so far and there is only one car we take for road trips. We drive our 2010 Honda Pilot everywhere. What a blessing this car is to drive long distance. This is no fancy, top of the line SUV. W don't have navigation or TV's in the head rests this is the base model with plenty of room to spare. This car seats eight full size adults. The most people we have put in that car so far is eight full size adults with all of our luggage for a cruise for a week long vacation. We use every bit of space in this vehicle. It's literally a full size SUV with storage compartments everywhere. The seats are tough leather which has had major liquid spills and bodily fluids from the baby all over it and has not even shown any wear or tear yet. The outside of this car has survived rocks and road debris all kinds of weather from freezing rain to ice in the same day. It's a trustworthy car on slippery roads. There have been times where I have been terrified while driving with the road conditions and this car was my only comfort and it has never given me any reason to fear the road. I believe we will have this car for a long time. Another huge plus about this vehicle is the rear 1200vot car jack. For women like myself who pump milk you ne to always have access to privacy and your pump which most likely needs electricity to run. A power converter is a must and can be plugged in o a car jack like this one in the backseat for privacy while traveling. The backseat can support a car seat on either side or the middle seat which is nice and rare in most vehicles. The seats fold down to make it easy for a mother with multiple children who need help strapping themselves in to their car seats for someone to get back and out easily without everyone climbing over things to get where they need to go. Also a small mirror in the compartment where you would keep sunglasses in the roof of the car provides a view of the rear seats so you as a parent can see what is going on in the backseat. I love this SUV it's a wonderful vehicle for long or short trip. It's a great ride.

Dog crates

I fully believe in the power of crate training dogs. It's been a while since I've had to start from scratch with a new puppy though. Luckily we bought a crate that's airline approved and light weight. However teaching a new puppy to think of the crate as a comfy, safe and quiet place is a test of your patience. I've gained much patience from having my baby but I've now added a barking, crying mess to my nights. Just like the baby at first the dog fights sleep. The crate is scary and confining but a nessecary tool in training and keeping my house from becoming a bathroom. The barking all night is now waking up the baby. Funny how I get one baby to sleep and think I can do it with a different species. Let's hope the puppy gets well adjusted quickly and provides love and a means of protection to our traveling family.

Baby+ new puppy = what was I thinking!

To add to my already crazy and helpless lifestyle our family decided to adopt a new two month old puppy from the humane society. Last year we gave away our rowdy boxer for just that reason and thought we had made a mistake after it was all said and done. So we thought since our son was no longer a newborn and sleeping through the night we could have another dog to grow up with our child. I feel that every home is "homey-er" with a pet. Our puppy is an Australian Shepard catahoula leopard dog mix. As of right now she has a very relaxed temperament but still needs much potty training work. I'm having mixed feeling about raising a baby and a puppy simultaneously. Each by themselves are an enormous amount of work. Traveling will be another more challenging obstacle now with this dog and whether or not to take her with us or board her in a kennel. As of right now I will just take everything day by day. God give me strength.

The walls are closing in!

Staying in a small hotel room can make your own bedroom seem like a castle. Without all the comforts of home what do you do to keep you and the baby happy and quiet all week long? First, try and figure out a schedule with the people that one o clean the room everyday. Someone knocking at the door every ten minutes can wake a sleeping baby and can get just plain frustrating. The come back later sign can help you if you can remember to hang it on the door every evening before you go to sleep. This makes the hotel staff become aware you aren't ready for them to enter your room. Once you and baby are up fed and dressed go for a walk. If your babies like mine visual stimulation can keep him happy for hours. If its warm enough outside stroll around the hotel where there is daylight, not some dark alley! Exercise for you by carrying the baby in a wrap or Bjorn will give your mind a break and also will give your baby new things to look at. If its too chilly outside go to the lobby and look around to see if they have an indoor pool area and stroll around there. Maybe getting yourself a cup of free coffee and just walking up and down the long hallways of the hotel can be time consuming enough to get some exercise. I wish someone would invent a travel swing attachment for a car seat so you could turn your car seat into a swing for the baby. Swings are way to bulky to pack in a suit case but are great for having somewhere to put the baby down and relax for a while. Sort of picking up the heavy car seat yourself with the baby strapped in and swinging it back and forth I have no suggestions. Pack plenty of blankets to put down on the bed, floor or better a pull out couch to give your baby a space to play during the day. Plenty of washable toys are essential for baby to play with. Make sure your room has a window and television for the enjoyment of you both. Try and make the best of your stay and remember your only there for a week!

Rubber bib

Have you ever reached into your dryer and ended up pulling out what looks like a clothes line of bibs. The Velcro gets stuck not only on other bibs but all other clothing items that happen to get washed with them. A great invention which. recently found was a basic rubber bib. I don't know why I never paid attention to them prior but they are wonderful. The food doesn't sit on the bib in the hamper until it gets washed causing the whole laundry to smell. The food can immediately be removed from the rubber bib, washed with antibacterial soap and dried immediately upon removal. Now for people who travel a lot like me here's where this comes in handy. If you've tried feeding a baby solid food in the car you know how messy that gets. Also if your like me you don't carry your washer and dryer with you at all times...a bottle of water to wash off the mess when your done and just let the bib dry when your done and it's reusable! No extra laundry when you get to your destination and it's not gross. This can be carried on a plane easily wiped off with wipes and stored for its next use. You can roll them up since they're rubber they can be bent and squished. No Velcro either just a sizable button to choose the best fit for your baby's neck size.

Heading to Seattle Washington

This weekend we leave for our longest airplane trip to Seattle. Many problems of what to bring still run through my head as I try to fall asleep at night. Do I bring a stroller with me or not. It's crazy heavy to pick up when compressed and I'm afraid it will get damaged and dirty in transit if I check the stroller with my luggage. Also is it worth it to buy a small car seat caddy to drag the car seat around the airport? Everything cost money these days so I have to be very money conscience to make sure I dont spend money I do not have on things I will only use once. Baby stuff is very expensive.

Memphis Tennessee baby friendly or not?

I've been to memphis four time now and can honestly say it is not the place to vacation to with a baby under 12 months. In my own opinion I didn't feel safe walking anywhere with or without my husband. Restaurants weren't catering to young children in car seats. Aside from going outside of the city where there are malls or stores to shop at large enough for a stroller there isn't uh to do there with a baby. We walked down Beale street which was incredibly loud and felt completely unsafe. There were less than a handful of stores or restaurants that could ft a stoller through the front door of the buildings. However a town just outside Memphis called German town Tennessee has the most fabulous babies r us store that is also a large toys r us too. It was clean and by well stocked. It's funny how I used to be in love with going to the mall and now after my son I am in love with baby stores instead. All in all Memphis for me was not Baby friendly.

Moisturize

Keeping your babies skin baby soft takes a bit of work. Hydrate,hydrate and hydrate! The skin is a barrier from infection and germ. Skin must be kept intact and well taken care of to keep this barrier strong. Since the skin is the first layer of defense always keep it moisturizer. Dry skin can lead to cracking,splitting,blistering and sores which allows bacteria to pass into the body. Infuse baby friendly lotions such as Johnson and Johnson or babyganics. After every bath apply lotion to your baby's skin. The sooner the better after a bath the pores of the skin are open and more easily absorbs the lotion applied for a longer lasting moisture barrier. Also if your baby is like mine, he has eczema. Mostly around his ankles. Immediately following a bath I apply Vaseline to the affected areas. Vaseline works well with rough patches es Especially if your baby crawls or spends a lot of time on his tummy or knees, it's a good idea to keep the skin well hydrated in those areas. Also make sure your baby gets enough to drink. While traveling via airplane or car, the change in climate in different states can be tough on your little ones body. I like to make water or juice available to my baby whenever possible in between his 7 ounces of milk he gets to keep him well hydrated. Another bit of info. If you notice your baby has dry skin on his cheeks a bit of Vaseline will help heal that dry skin.

How to prevent and treat congestion in a baby while traveling

A congested infant can make traveling challenging and uncomfortable for you both. As a respiratory therapist this was my area of expertise. Humidity and a bulb syringe can be your biggest tools to treat congestion. Staying in a hotel room can dry out the airway and cause the body to react by producing excess mucus. Since babies cannot take OTC decongestants a more natural and gentle approach is the safest. If you notice your baby's breathing through the nose has become more vocal or noticeable, he may be congested. During bath time is a good time to notice whether your baby is nasally congested. The humidity from the warm water causes the mucus to become more fluid or loose therefore you can hear it better. After a warm bath a good time to suction the nasal passages of your stuffy baby is opportune. Not all bulb syringes are creat equal. Look for a syringe that is smaller in size like the syringes they use at the hospital which is light blue in color and is very simple. The larger the bulb- the round part you squeeze the more suction you will receive when applied to the nostril in turn getting more mucus out. You can also create a more humid environment in the bathroom which can help loosen mucus and make it more comfortable for your baby to breathe through his nose by turning the shower on hot water and let it get humid in the bathroom just before you suction. I always give my baby a daily vitamin to help aid in infection prevention. Most infant juice, if your baby is old enough to consume juice had added vitamin C to protect your baby. I only use medication as my last resort but the recommended dose age of infant Tylenol for your babies age can help relieve any added symptoms of being congested. Number one way to prevent infection is to hand wash, yourself as parents no your baby. Hand sanitizer is cheap and you can take it anywhere and use it on babies hands which touch everything! If the congestion gets worse and is accompanied by a fever or rash call your pediatrician immediately, it's better to be safe than sorry. Lastly while you pat your baby on the back to burp them you can also gentle pat a babies back closer to the shoulder blades to keep the babies lungs free of extra mucus. Gentle tapping or vibration helps shake out any extra mucus that can accumulate in a babies chest which can become infected.

Packing luggage

In my experience taking one large suitcase works the best. I place all of my stuff and the babies stuff into one tightly packed suitcase. I've made the mistake of bringing way too much stuff. I never ended up using all of the items I bought and packed them for nothing just making more luggage to carry. In reality all you need are clothes, toiletries and a car seat. I have a bumbo seat and have brought it on one trip and found out it really was useless as a high chair for feeding or place to keep your baby. It wasn't functional and was awkward to pack. I bring blankets to put down in a crib the hotel provides which most of them do. I've brought a pack n play the first few times I've traveled because I thought it would help keep my baby away from hotel germs but really it was terrible to carry. Also I ended up laying the baby on the hotel bed at some point anyway which defeated the purpose of bringing the pack n play. Lastly if your baby spits up in the pack n play it's tough to get it up and impossible to wash the bottom piece so your baby lays in wet, smelly and just plain gross place to sleep. Just bring Clorox wipes and wipe down the crib the hotel provides before you place your baby in it. Bring travel size bottles of baby wash and lotion to help save space in your suitcase while packing. Also you most likely will use up the travel size bottles in a weeks time so you can throw the bottle away upon leaving and you have one less thing to pack up when you leave. Don't bother bringing a baby bath tub,it's a mess to pack especially if they are made of fabric. An inflatable tub is ok to use but I just clean the hotel tub myself and put a towel at the bottom of the tub and have him sit on that while I give him a quick bath. If your baby is small enough the sink works good too or sponge bath on the counter. I also don't bring a stroller I just use a Bjorn to carry him around in so I have both hands available to use. I never pack solid food for the entire duration of my stay, I purchase it upon arrival of my destination especially if I'm flying. Don't risk having them brake in your luggage. The same goes with diapers, just buy a pack when you get to the place your going. However do pack both items enough to get you to your destination. Don't bring a humidifier unless you need it. It does get dry in hotel rooms so if your like me and are used to humidity yearly I run the shower in a hotel room for five minutes on really hot water and keep the door open to the bathroom so the humidity from the shower gets into the room making it easier to breathe and more comfortable to prevent your airway from drying out. Bring your own hand sanitizer so you can help prevent infection wherever you go from start to finish.

10 essentials for car trips

1. A good car seat with an adjustable base that will recline the car seat back slightly, especially for new babies that do not like sitting upright for long periods. 2.bottle warmer meant for a car jack, I found one at babies r us for 15 dollars, it takes about 30 minutes to heat a 5 ounce full bottle. I used the brand "Munchkin." 3. A power converter that is designed for 1200volts. If your like me who needs to pump milk while your on the go to keep up your supply. Also for any equipment that requires a plug outlet instead of a car jack attachment. I also heat baby food jars in this too. 4. A roll of paper towels...trust me, you'll find a reason you need to use these. For those times when you don't check your bag of food at the drive through before you drive away and realize they gave you no napkins! 5. A couple of plastic bags, if you need a place to contain your garbage that accumulates fast in a car or a place to toss dirty diapers until you stop and can throw it out. More than one bag so you don't have to keep emptying a messy bag and reusing it. For babies that eat solids and get food all over everything a bag to put all of your messy towels in helps. 6. A container of 60 count wipes helped me out. I use two kinds of wipes, non alcohol and germ killing wipes. 7. Baby food bowls, spoons and extra bottle nipples. Just in case! 8. Extra baby outfits and shirts for mom or dad so you have a change of clothes when baby spits up or worse... 9. A changing pad so you have a easily cleanable flat surface to change diapers or risk getting pee or poop on your seats. 10. Plenty of diapers and baby friendly toys for baby.

Airplane travel rules for carrying on formula or breastmilk

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

My new blog!

Leaving a career you spent most of your 20's studying in college for was the most terrifying moment next to giving birth! My son was born September of 2011 and since that day I have not returned back to work. Giving my letter of resignation was the most scary and unassured feeling Ive had especially quitting your job in this economy doesn't seem like a good idea. In leaving my career I have liberated myself from the organized working world to travel with the people I love. I'd love to hear from parents with similar stories.