Day 2 – Wrap it up

Getting a present is great – and there’s no better gift than having a new child placed into your arms. Most gifts are lovingly wrapped before presented. One smart thing you can do for your baby is to wrap them up with love… and a swaddling blanket! Babies love the closeness and warmth of the womb… then they burst into our world of light, sound, freedom to move their arms, and feel drafts and breezes. It’s all so overwhelming for their fresh senses. Swaddling does so many smart things for your baby:

1. Keeps them warm without the danger of blankets in the crib or bassinet
2. Protects them from scratching their faces with their little nails
3. Keeps them from “startling” themselves awake with their arm movements that they can’t control just yet
4. Gives them the snug and comforting feeling they were used to in the womb
5. Helps them avoid restless movement while they are nursing
6. Has a calming effect on an upset baby

My little guy was like Houdini in the hospital receiving blankets, and I found he was an even better escape artist once we got home and were using our even smaller receiving blankets – nothing worked! He would fight and cry and struggle when I tried to swaddle him. I gave up for a few weeks. Then I read more about the benefits of swaddling, and decided to try again. This time, I used some nifty products that were helpful.

The SwaddleMe from Kiddopotamus was a tremendous help because it’s a convenient sack with flaps that fold over the babies arms and Velcro shut. I found that while he still struggled a bit at first, after a few times in the SwaddleMe, he started to get used to it and it actually became a cue for him to settle down and go to sleep – as a side benefit nap times are not the long drawn out affair they used to be! I also tried out the Halo Sleep Sack which had a similar swaddling effect, with a separate “wearable blanket” underneath. Both swaddlers were extremely effective at getting my little guy safely bundled and I ended up going out and buying the larger size when he outgrew them because I didn’t want to give up swaddling just yet.

So – take those little gifts from God and their ten fingers and ten tiny toes and treat them like the lovely present they are – wrap them up snug and safe in a swaddle!

Enjoy each moment!

Comment Suggestion: Do you know of any other swaddling benefits or products or have a success (or failure) story about swaddling to share?

Day 1 – Snap!

Pictures, pictures, pictures! I can’t say it enough. Snap those photos early and often. I wish we had done more.

In the blur that is post-delivery, I thought we were taking tons of pictures. But we were too caught up in the moment and missed a few great shots. We have a few shots of me (all sweaty and disheveled from natural childbirth), andvideo of our baby being cleaned up. But after 11 hours of overnight labor and delivery, I think we spaced out a little and didn’t take as many photos as we could have.

Later in the day, when we were more rested, we did a good job of snapping shots of all the relatives that came to visit. And thanks to digital cameras, camera phones, email, and Facebook, I’ve been able to snag a few more of that special day.

But next time I plan to have a better plan! Here are some shots you might want to consider snapping:

1. The delivery doctor holding your baby.
2. A couples shot with the baby right after delivery. Or, whoever was your birth coach/partner.
3. Baby getting his/her feet and hand inked and stamped for records.
4. Close-up shot of baby swaddled up (and also some with you!).
5. Take a shot of the baby with everyone who comes to visit – you won’t regret it.

In our day of digital photography, there’s really no such thing as taking too many pictures – you can go through them later and reduce, but you can never take those photos again!

Enjoy each day!

Comment Suggestion: Post ideas for interesting shots you took of your baby on that first day – I will add them to my entry with a credit and/or link to your site/blog.

Hello world!

Welcome to Smart Baby 101. Don’t worry, I’m not the teacher, I’m the student. Come along and learn with me as I attempt to figure out how to do what is best for my baby. In this blog I will catalog what I learn about making good choices for a happy, healthy, intelligent baby!