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I have written a few parenting posts with suggestions for new parents. Some of these posts included sleep tactics, cloth diapering, registry suggestions, and even ideas for making your own baby food. However, now that my three kids are a bit older and I am further removed from the baby phase, I have some different perspective on parenting babies than I did all those years ago.
I have combined the three best pieces of advice I can gift all my expectant Mom friends into a little gift.
1.) Trust your mother’s intuition (and your nose).
Whether it be through adoption or birth, being a new Mom is tough work. Everyone is trying “to help” with various suggestions and advice. From trusted friends to the stranger waiting in line at the supermarket telling you she didn’t need all these new fangled appliances like teething rings for her babies.
Moms have a sense of intuition when it comes to their children. Sometimes it is there right away, sometimes it develops over time. A mom can usually tell when their baby is overtired, needs to be fed, is bored, or needs a change (that one is pretty obvious). However, you should trust YOUR intuition FIRST! Then, if you need advice ask for it.
Then, when do you change that diaper you don’t want to smell it again. Trust me on this one.
At Target, I found the NEW Diaper Genie Complete with The Ultimate Odor Lock system.
This Diaper Genie features a 7-layer refill bag with double Air-Tite® CLAMP, built in carbon filter which can help absorb those nasty odors, and can hold up to 270 blow outs! In addition to lots of Target runs, there will be blow outs in your future. So after you trust your nose, trust your instincts.
2.) Follow your baby’s lead (each baby is different).
All three of my kids are as different as they come. They were born in a span of 33 months, I attempted many of the same parenting techniques, but I can tell you that some of them worked, and some didn’t. My oldest switched back and forth between nursing and bottles pretty easily but was a premie and was kind of a gassy baby and the first bottle we tried wasn’t the best for him, my middle guy preferred nursing and I had a hard time finding a bottle that simulated nursing for him, my youngest preferred a bottle over nursing after awhile. Even now, I can tell you I parent them each a little differently because they are three different individuals who have different needs and require a little bit different care.
Babies after all are little humans, all with different temperaments, likes, dislikes, DNA, and habits. Let’s face it, what works for one little cutie, isn’t going to work for another. Which is why, I say if you try something a few times and it isn’t working, move on to plan B, C, D… there is a whole alphabet after all.
This is why I always give a couple different options when it comes to bottles and Playtex has lots of options.
First, The Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins Liners is closer to natural breastfeeding and can simulate the same suck, small, and breathing patters as breastfeeding. This would have been a great fit for my middle son who would have, I am sure, appreciated a smoother transition from nursing to bottle feeding. Also, with a Like Mom® NaturaLatch® Nipple it can help with a natural latch.
Second, The Playtex VentAire has a unique anti-colic bottom vent which helps to create fewer air bubbles. This would have been perfect for my oldest. And when baby is happy, Mom is happy. Also, this bottle has the added bonus of having an angled design which helps prevent ear infections because you can then feed baby in a semi-upright position. This bottle also features the Like Mom® NaturaLatch® Nipple for easy switching from nursing to bottle feeding.
3.) Be kind to yourself (with a Target run).
Finally, as a new Mom you need to be kind to yourself. Be gentle and forgiving. It’s ok that you don’t know how to fold down the stroller completely and just put it in the back of the car completely open (me). It is ok if you go to Mom and Me Music Class with your shirt on inside out and backwards (also me). All of us Moms are with you in solidarity.
We see you. I see you.
So, lastly, in my Mom Advice Gift, I put a Target Gift Card.
This is just for you. For that rainy day when you cannot walk to the park, but you cannot stand another day in the house. You can wander around with your baby in the stroller sound asleep (don’t stop walking the baby will wake up) and buy yourself some caffeine and a shirt that doesn’t have a stain on it. Because you deserve it!
For more information about Playtex products, follow Playtex on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter @PlaytexBaby.
What advice would you give to a new Mom? What kind of gifts would you include for some #NurseryMusts? Would it be an assortment of Playtex bottles? Share in the comments.
