Thoughts for new moms

I feel like I am surrounded by pregnant women right now. There are 4 at church, my buddy from MI, and my sister-in-law. Babies, babies, babies...it almost makes me want another one...almost. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my mommy insight with all my new mommy friends. First of all I'd just like to say that I know that everyone and their brother wants to give new parents advice about their baby. Take it all with a grain of salt, we mean well. :)

Baby Stuff: Less is more. Don't worry, soon enough your house will be over-run with toys and such. Start out with less. I've found that people are so generous, sharing of "stuff" is a good thing and most of the time you don't really need it. My top list of baby things you need: bouncer seat, Gymini Playmat, and a pack-n-play. Two things I think you don't need: High chair (reclining booster seat works just as well and doesn't take up space) and a changing table (use a short dresser and just put a changing pad on it. You'll need the dresser anyway).

Baby Wise: I know this one is very personal and I don't want to step on the toes of on-demand feeders. This is just what worked for me. I like the "Baby Wise" idea; I don't think it's 100% perfect or fool-proof but it worked for me with all 4 of my children. I'm a schedule kind of girl and I like having my babies on schedules. After the first few weeks I always get them on a 2 1/2 to 3 hour schedule and I must tell you that all 4 of mine slept through the night by 9 weeks old (granted sleeping through the night is 5 to 7 hours but that is FABULOUS when you haven't had more than 3 solid hours for months!). I'm also a let them cry it out kind of mom. It's tough at first, but they get used to it and they go back to sleep. Now I never had a child who cried for hours without stopping. I know it doesn't work for every child but I think if you decide it early on it will work. Be Strong!

Other random thoughts:
Get one of those comfy sleep nursing bras, they're worth it! There's also a nursing tank top that you can buy. You wear it under a regular shirt and then your belly doesn't show when you lift up your shirt to nurse (Target has them). Maybe I'll post on nursing another time. It's an adventure all on it's own. :) The diaper bag: after 4 years of trying to find the perfect one I'm using a back pack. It's a good thing because then you can get your hubby to carry it and he doesn't feel silly.

My theme song/hymn for motherhood, "I need Thee every hour"