As I mentioned in the previous posts, the layette is separated into several categories. These are clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby. Today I am going to talk about feeding baby and in part five I will wrap up with bedding and travelling with baby. Part 6 will be the complete list but since we aren’t there yet, let’s look at feeding baby.

The Feeding Baby Layette:

• High Chair: I mentioned this first simply because I am going to tell you not to buy it, at least not yet. Baby does not need a high chair until he or she is old enough to be sitting up and eating in it. Before that time, there is no reason to purchase it since it will be one more thing in the way and something that you can save for. Don’t worry about a high chair until after your baby is about 6 months or older.
• Feeding Pillow: If you are breastfeeding, you will want to have a nursing pillow. I didn’t for my first and decided to buy one for my second. It was great! The pillow tucked up around me and I didn’t have to worry about it slipping all the time. Baby nestled right up to me on top of it and breastfeeding (at least positioning) was much easier.
• Breast Pump:Another item you only need if you are breastfeeding your baby. This is important if you want to be able to go out for longer than an hour without your baby or if you will be returning back to work. Remember that just because you are going to work does not mean that you can’t breastfeed, it just takes a little perseverance to do so.
• Nursing Bras: Have at least 2 nursing bras. These will make breastfeeding much easier and having 2 or 3 will keep your bras nice and clean.
• Disposable Breast Pads: Whether you plan on breastfeeding or not, you will want to have some breast pads to keep your bra and clothes dry.
• 6-8 4oz Bottles: You don’t need to have 8 ounce bottles until your baby is much older. Trust me 4 oz will fill her up when she is an infant and she will actually only consume between 2 to 3 oz during each feeding when she is a newborn. You can purchase larger bottles when baby gets older. Make sure you find bottles with good quality nipples.
• Bottle and Nipple Brush: If you use bottles, then you will need a bottle brush. These are fairly cheap and you can buy several so you can transfer the old one out if it gets too dirty or run down.
• 3-4 Baby Bibs: I would recommend getting a few baby bibs right from the start since some babies do spit up after nursing. My youngest burped up some whenever he ate so we had closer to a dozen bibs ready at one time. If you do use a bid during feeding, make sure it comes off before you place baby down to sleep or play.

And that is the feeding layette.

Sirena Van Schaik

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As I mentioned in post one and two, a layette is usually broken into several areas. These are clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby. I have already talked about clothing and nursery so let’s look at bath time.

The Bath time Layette:

• Plastic Infant Tub: This is a debatable necessity. Some people do not feel the need for an infant tub and prefer to give their baby a bath in either the kitchen sink or in the bathtub with only an inch or two of water in the bottom. It is perfectly fine if you do not have an infant tub and it is fine if you do. I had one for both of my kids because I felt comfortable sitting on the floor and bathing baby in the tub. It kept the baby down low, to avoid any tumbles off a high space, such as the change table, and it was a space I was comfortable with.
• Body Wash: You don’t need a lot of fancy bath washes and bubble baths for a new baby. All you need is a body and hair wash that is designed for baby. Don’t feel the need to purchase ones with lavender and a host of other natural additives since the best thing for baby’s skin is simply being clean without buildups found in some oily body washes. Find one that includes the hair as well so you can give baby a quick hair wash when he or she needs it.
• 12 Wash Cloths: An Item that you don’t really need to purchase if you already have face cloths for yourself but I would recommend them since they are smaller and usually fairly soft against baby’s skin. You only need one hand to rinse and wring them out so you will have the security of having your other hand on your baby.
• 2 Towels: Another item that you don’t need but more than likely, you will have a few laying around since they are often hot items for baby shower gifts. They come in very handy since you will have a little hood on the top of the towel for baby’s head.
• Skin Lotion: When baby comes out of the bath, it is best to rub his or her skin down with a nice infant skin lotion. My preferred lotion of choice is Aveeno but you can find many on the market.
• Baby Toiletry Set: These sets can be found everywhere and it is filled with the basic grooming necessities; hair brush, nail clippers, and a gum brush for brushing the excess milk off the gums. Don’t use any toothpaste when you do this since it isn’t best for baby.

One point that I would like to make is about bath rings. Many parents purchase these and I did for my first before I realized the hazards. Bath rings are for children that can sit on their own in a tub. It suctions to the tub and baby slides his legs under it. It keeps him sitting up without slipping but there has been a high number of injuries (and worse) related to the use of bath rings. You don’t need bath rings and if baby is fine laying in the tub, just let him do so. Don’t purchase a bath ring, even if you see it on another list for baby layettes.

Next time, I will cover feeding but until then, happy shopping.

Sirena Van Schaik

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I found it aggravating. Why was my son not eating? I packed it with a few goodies like fruit roll ups, cookies and other unhealthy little treats to go along with the healthy snacks but those were being left by the wayside as well. I tried everything from lecturing to blackmailing, “well if you eat your lunch, I’ll buy those really sweet donuts that you like,” to guilt trips “you know, there are kids that are starving in our own country.”

Nothing worked, obviously, and my stress level rocketed. How could he go an entire day without eating? How could his teacher go through the day without forcing…er…encouraging him to eat something, anything?

The answer to those questions were simple. For the first time in his life, he had complete control over what he ate. If he chose to eat his sandwich, then he ate it. If he was too busy talking to friends (almost always) he didn’t. No amount of lecturing or conniving on my part was going to change this. It was a hard fact to grasp but after a while, I learned to just ignore the half eaten lunches and found other ways to ensure that his daily intake was acceptable.

Here are a few tips that I thought I would share:

Give options:

Getting a child to eat can be pretty time consuming for any parent. There are a few likes, a lot of dislikes and a small amount of maybes in a menu. The key to getting your child eating while he is at school is to pack a large lunch. My usual lunch consists of two choices for morning snack, two for afternoon and then lunch which has the meal, a fruit or vegetable to choose from and one dessert. Usually, he could find a few things that he wanted and most of the other food could be used on another day. It is important to avoid loading up on foods that will spoil after one day or you will start to have a pretty heavy lunch budget.

Variety:

Ahh, the spice of life. As adults, we hate having the same thing for lunch everyday so why would it be different for children. Yes, sandwiches are a staple of the school lunchbox but you can offer things like wraps, bagels, soups, salads and just about anything. Try to mix it up and take advantage of hot lunch days since this can provide a break from the usual brown bag lunches that are regular throughout the school year.

Don’t Panic:

If your child isn’t eating lunches, don’t panic. This was something that I had to work on since I worried about every little detail. After a few months, however; my panicking days were over and I (and my son) was a lot happier. Remember this general rule about kids “they will eat when they are hungry.” If you are worried about vitamin intakes, pick up a high quality multivitamin for kids.

Offer a After School Snack:

One thing I noticed was my son was famished after school and couldn’t wait an hour and a half until dinner time. Since he wasn’t eating his lunches, I would offer him an afternoon snack. Eventually, I wised up and allowed him to take a snack (one that didn’t have a shelf life of one afternoon in a lunch pail) from his school lunch. He could snack on something I had packed for him and he could hold off until dinner without chasing down the cat to eat him. It was a win-win for everyone (especially for our 11 year old cat ;o)).

Make Breakfast the Large Meal:

Flip your day and make sure your child has a large meal in the morning. This way he will have the energy that he needs to get through the day and if he doesn’t eat, that breakfast should tied him over until the 3:30 munchies hit. Some mornings he’ll eat less but a good breakfast isn’t just a catch phrase for cereals but a way of life.

Following these few tips should make getting over the Lunch Box Blues much easier and you will find one less thing to stress about in the school year.

Sirena Van Schaik

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Today, I’m going to talk about the nursery and all the wonderful items that you need in a nursery.  If you remember, layettes are usually split up into the following categories: clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby.  I have already written about clothing and diapering, so let’s move onto the second item in our list; the nursery.

The Nursery Layette:

• Crib:  Obviously you need a crib and most people know this without being told.  It is important to remember that your crib should meet all safety regulations.  The crib bars should never be wider than 6 cm apart and the corner posts should never be more than 3mm high.   When it comes to age, any crib made before 1986 should be avoided since it does not meet current standards.  Other cribs to avoid are ones with suspended mattresses held on by an S hook.
• Crib Mattress: The mattress should never be farther than 3 cm from the side of the crib and it should be firm. You can purchase foam or spring cribs and the only thing that you need to focus on is the size of the mattress and the firmness.  Also, check to make sure the crib mattress doesn’t have any little holes or tears.
• Dresser:  There really is no way around this item since you need a place to put all those wonderful clothes that I mentioned in the clothing layette.
• Change Table:  When I purchased mine, my mother looked at me and said, “why do you need that?  You’ll never use it.”  I almost didn’t get a change table but decided to anyways, turned out to be a life saver and I used it about 90% of the time.  After the baby had outgrown it, I converted it into a toy shelf.  One way to save money is to purchase a dresser/change table.  Once baby outgrows it, you slide off the changing mat and you have a nice dresser.
• Rocking Chair:  I know it might seem cliche but having a chair to rock in is another life saver.  If you can avoid purchasing one, do so.  My rocking chair was this ugly brown fabric hand me down that was the perfect height and width for rocking and breastfeeding.  It cost me nothing and although it was an eyesore, it did the trick.  For my second, I purchased a glider with a nice foot rest and found it so uncomfortable, I would often take the baby to the old eyesore that had been converted into a story time chair in my oldest’s room.
• Shelves:  Have a few shelves near the diaper area where you can store the diapers within easy reach.  I found that having the wipes up and out of the way, along with the creams made diaper changes go much faster and easier.
• Baby Monitor:  Another must have, make sure you buy one that has a good range on it.  I swear by the Angel Monitor with the pad under the mattress, the only drawback is the middle of the night alarms when baby has rolled off the pad.
• Mobile: Having a mobile is great for many reasons but I would suggest one that can be remotely turned on to avoid having to sneak in to wind it just as baby falls asleep.

There are always a few items that you can add but these are the basics of a nursery.  I also recommend purchasing a bassinet but everyone has different views on that.  I found it very comforting and much easier to handle those middle of the night feedings when baby was right beside me in the bassinet. At least for the first 3 months before he was too big for it.

Sirena Van Schaik

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But I digress and this is about that cute little bundle of joy that will soon be joining your family. That new baby will need a layette and it is important to realize that you don’t need as much as you think or will eventually have.  I know my layette for both of my kids was enough to clothe about 10 babies but most of the items were gifts or hand-me downs.  If you are purchasing a layette for yourself you can keep it things to a minimum and still survive without having to do laundry every hour of every day (don’t get me wrong though, the amount of laundry that you have to do will increase).

Generally, a layette for baby consists of several areas, not just the clothing, and these are broken into categories like clothing, nursery (including the furniture), bedding, bath time, travelling with baby, and feeding baby.  For the sake of nerves, I’m going to break the layette up into a few posts with a full checklist at the end.  This should help in keeping you from panicking and thinking, I have so much to get and so little time.  I know I suffered from this several times when I was pregnant with both of my boys.

So today, let’s look at clothing and since we are looking fabrics, I am going to mention diapers for those of you who are planning on using cloth.

The Clothing Layette:

• 6-8 onesies:  these little undershirts are a must and are great for an extra level of warmth for baby or in the hotter months as an outfit to keep cool in.
• 3-8 sleepers: I personally couldn’t have enough sleepers for my second.  He had a problem where he would push too hard to make a bowel movement and would spit up several times a day.  This ran into a lot of sleepers used during the day and night, as well as clothes for me, and I kept him in clean sleepers most of the time when we were at home to preserve his outfits from becoming stained.  You can make due with 3 but it depends on both you and your baby.
• 4-6 outfits:  You will probably have more outfits than your baby can wear so don’t fret if friends and family bump you over in the outfit quantity.  Just enjoy everything you can put him or her in.
• 4-6 pairs of socks:  Not much to explain here but try to have a few extra pairs since washing machines are notorious for devouring baby socks.
• 1-2 sweaters:  Something to put on baby when you are going out to keep him snug as a bug.
• 1 snowsuit:  If you live in colder climates, like I do, and your baby will be born in the winter or fall, you will want to purchase one of the infant snowsuits to keep her warm.  If she is born spring or summer, wait until the following fall to purchase a snowsuit so you are sure of the size.
• 1-2 scratch mitts:  I had two pairs myself, both gifts, with little rattles in them but scratch mitts are completely optional.  I kept nails trimmed and rarely had to put anything on my kids hands.  When I did, I just used a pair of infant socks (my kids hated the feel of the rattle).  This eliminates one thing from your shopping list.
• 1-2 pairs of booties:  Another optional item since babies should not wear shoes before a year of age.  I know there is a big draw for Robeez but they are not necessary and if you are interested in saving the money, don’t feel pressured to produce a pair of soft shoes for baby, socks work just fine and more often than not, your baby is going to pull off those booties anyways.
• 4-6 receiving blankets:  Like the sleepers, I couldn’t have enough of these with my second, in fact I think I had about 12 to 15, double what is recommended but again most of them were gifts.
• 1-2 blankets:  These aren’t the crib blankets but are blankets that you can use for swaddling.  This is another favorite gift purchase so before you buy any blankets look at how many you get for gifts.  I didn’t purchase a single blanket and between my first and second babies, I ended up with close to a dozen blankets, many of them going to goodwill so I would have enough space in my linen closet.

The Diapering Layette

• 24-48 cloth diapers:  This may seem like a lot but if you only buy 8 cloth diapers, you will need to launder them once or twice a day.  Have more than enough and you won’t have to worry about running out.  You will also only need to do laundry every 3 days.
• 2-4 safety pins:  This depends on the type of diapers you get.  There are some cloth diapers with snaps or Velcro and they are already pre-shaped and ready to use.
• 1 box of liners:  You can purchase disposable liners to make cleaning much easier.
• 4-8 waterproof diaper covers:  To keep the diapers from leaking, you will need these waterproof covers.
• 12-24 washcloths:  For keeping baby clean, you can use disposable wipes but if you are trying to be eco-friendly by using cloth diapers, it is better (and more cost effective) to use washcloths.

And there are the clothing and diapers.  I will have the other categories soon so please check back over the coming weeks.

Sirena Van Schaik

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The answer was really hard. I had problems with latching, which required a shield, problems with milk supply, and a multitude of other worries. The biggest problem for me was that breastfeeding didn’t have that relieved feeling of contentment where I could hear my baby making large gulping sounds as his jaw made that large movement with each swallow. I felt completely inept and a failure as a mother because I found breastfeeding to be very stressful. All the worries that I had came bubbling to the surface whenever he didn’t latch and I spent the breastfeeding time in near tears as I watched the breastfeeding consultant fix him to my breast properly.

Breastfeeding was not fun but my experiences with breastfeeding does not have to be the normal experience for first time (or even subsequent) mom’s. Today, I am going to talk about some of the holds that you can do when you breastfeed and over the weeks to come, I will have other helpful tips for breastfeeding.

Before I go on to describe the holds, I do want to mention that not every hold works for every woman and you shouldn’t feel pressured to try them all. If a hold works for you, by all means use that hold. There is no reason to mix things up since it can throw off your breastfeeding routine. I am going to describe four holds that are commonly used for breastfeeding. Feel free to add any holds that you can think of in the comments.

The Holds:

The First hold that I am going to look at is the cradle hold. This is one of the most common and for many women it is one of the most comfortable holds that a mother can use. A nursing pillow is recommended for this position but you can use a regular pillow. Before you begin breastfeeding, place the pillow around your waist. Lay your baby on his side so that his stomach is against your stomach with your arm curled under him and his head resting in the crook of your arm, face level with your nipple. Tuck his lower arm under your arm and bring him to your nipple.

The second hold that I would like to describe is the cross-cradle hold. This is very similar to the cradle hold except you will be holding the baby with the opposite arm than the breast that you are nursing the baby from. This is an excellent hold if you need to see what the baby is doing and to help position your breast. The baby is laying the same way as in the cradle hold but your opposite arm is across her back and your hand is supporting her head while she nurses. A nursing pillow is also recommended for this position.

The football hold was one of my personal favorites and it is a position that is usually recommended for women with large breasts or women who had cesarean deliveries. In this position, the baby is placed on his side a nursing pillow that is positioned against your side. His feet should be slightly behind your arm and his head should be level with your nipple. Your arm should be against your baby’s back and his head should be supported by your hand. If your breasts are large, you can hold the underside of your breast with your free hand but be sure that your baby is getting enough of the breast into his mouth for a proper latch. To help with the latch, try to keep baby’s hands out of the way by tucking one arm under your breast and the other beside his chest.

And last but certainly not least is the lying down position, which is a wonderful way to snooze while baby is nursing. For this position, lay down beside your baby with your lower arm tucked under your head while your baby is positioned onto her side with her tummy against yours and her head is positioned in front of your nipple. Place your free arm behind your baby’s back for support or hold your breast while she nurses if it is necessary.

Hopefully, out of these four positions you will find one that works for you but if at any time you feel uncomfortable with breastfeeding, please contact a local lactation consultant, La Leche League, public health nurse or your doctor.

All the best,

Sirena Van Schaik

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You shouldn’t be worried too much.  This is a fairly common stage in development for young toddlers.  The world is ripe for exploration and it can be pretty frustrating for any young child to be taken from a fun activity for a diaper change.  Suddenly, she can’t go where she wants or play with what she wants.

Add to that frustration any diaper rashes and you can have a lot of problems when it comes to diapering but there are ways to get over these diapering problems.

The Frustrating Diaper Change:

• Capture attentions:  Since diaper changing can be frustrating for a child on the go, it is a good suggestion to have a mobile hanging above the diaper area just out of reach of grasping hands.  The child will be busy looking at the wonderful decorations swirling around his head that he won’t have time to struggle during the diaper change.  I have found that blank cd’s hanging from fishing line are a huge hit since they cast rainbows and glitter in the light.
• Sing a song:  Sing a few songs while you are changing diapers.  Before you and your child know it the song will be over and so will the diaper change.
• Have a few toys:  Toys are great ways to capture attention.  Even having a few washable books available will also alleviate some of the frustration your child may feel with being taken from an activity.
• Play a game:  Playing a game will also help make diapering enjoyable and provide a great opportunity for some bonding.  “This little piggy,” or other games are great or you can play a tactile game by tickling toes or elbows with a cloth or a wipe.

The Sore Diapering:

If there are troubles involving diaper rashes there are a few things that you can do to alleviate the problem.

• Use cloth wipes:  Some children are sensitive to wipes and using wet clothes for diapering routines can help alleviate some diaper rashes.
• Change the brand:  When my oldest was a year, I switched from a tried and true diaper brand to a no name brand. A friend’s sister worked for the brand company and told me that they were both made by the same company so there was very little difference between the two.  I quickly noticed the difference when my son broke out into angry welts across his diaper area.  I switched back to my first brand, applied a lot of zincofax and after a few days, his skin went back to normal.  So the long story is, if you are dealing with reoccurring diaper rashes, it may be the brand of diapers, wet wipes or diaper cream.
• Let the skin air out:  Allow your child some diaper free time.  This is a bit nerve wracking since an accident can happen at any time but it will help the skin get some much needed air.

Another method that may help alleviate diapering troubles is to change the location of diapering.  Some children do not like being up high on a change table, even if they had no problem with it earlier.  Moving to a bed or even the floor can help with diapering problems and should be much easier on your back when your child gets heavier.

All the best and hopefully your diapering troubles will be over soon.

Sirena Van Schaik

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If you breastfeed your baby, chances are there will come a time when you need to store breast milk. This can be when you return to work or even if you are only planning a few hours out.

Storing breastmilk can be one of the most confusing things for new mother’s and it is good to know how long it lasts, and how to properly store it. I have heard countless mother’s ask how to do this and at one time I was in this position, although for not very long obviously.

Even though my time breastfeeding was short, I can still offer some advice on storing breast milk. Most of my knowledge on breastfeeding and everything to do with it comes from organizations such as the La Leche League and the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Lactation Committee. The rest of my knowledge came from my experience as a mother and an Early Childhood Educator, especially the parts about using stored breast milk in centers and also the public health nurse and the lactation consultants who worked with me when I had my children.

So now that I have highlighted a little bibliography, I thought I would give you some tips on storing breast milk.

How to store breast milk:

After you pump, there are several things that you should do if you are planning on storing your breast milk and these are standard practices regardless of the type of breast pump that you are using.

• Containers: All containers should be sturdy, and clean. They should also be single used containers and are usually glass and plastic, although with the warnings regarding hard plastics, it may be safer to only use glass containers. Never store breast milk in plastic bags or bottle liners.
• Labelling: Make sure you label each container with the date and time that the milk was expressed. This will make it much easier when you are using it and will ensure that you do not use the breast milk after the expiration.
• Mixing: It is important to never mix breast milk. Each time you express, the milk should be placed in a new bottle or container. You should also never mixed any breast milk left in a bottle after feeding with a fresher bottle. Simply dispose of the breast milk since bacteria is pulled back into the bottle with each suck from the baby. Also, you should never mix breast milk and formula. Everything baby needs is in the breast milk and there should be no need to use formula. If you are concerned about supplementing, speak with your pediatrician first.
• Storage Length: Breast milk can usually last for 24 to 48 hours in a refrigerator. After that time, you should dispose of it. If you freeze the breast milk in a freezer that is attached to the fridge, it can last for about 2 weeks to about 3 months with a good freezer, although I would stick with the lower numbers for safety reasons. If you store the breast milk in a deep freezer that is not attached to any fridge, you will find that the breast milk can last for 6 months.
• Heating Stored Breast milk: When it comes to heating, the best method and really the only method you should use, is to heat it up in cup of warm (not hot) water. If the breast milk is frozen, place it in the fridge for about 24 hours before you use it. Never heat the breast milk in a microwave since it can create hot spots and nutrients will be lost in the heating process.

And there is a run down of storing and using stored breast milk. If you have any other questions, please email me at sirena_vanschaik@yahoo.ca or post a comment here.

One last thing before I sign off for today, when breast milk is left in a fridge, you will find that it separates with the thinner milk on the bottom and the thicker fatter milk on top. You may also find white flecks in the milk after you heat it but don’t worry, that is completely normal.

All the best,

Sirena Van Schaik

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