With the Squid turning a year old here in a couple of weeks, I thought I would share some tips and tricks that I have discovered and used over this past almost year. A couple of these tricks I found on other sites like BabyCenter, Pinterest, etc. but I promise that I wouldn't share these tricks if they didn't work. Here we go!
Packing Clothes for Trips
When packing clothes for a trip, put individual outfits into Ziploc bags. Put in everything you need: onesie, pants, socks, white onesie, etc. Put all pajamas into a larger bag. I've gone so far as to label the bags with each day we are going to be gone. This way you don't over pack and you are organized. And with pressing the air out of the bags, you save room in the suitcase.
Laundering Those Tiny Socks
One thing I feared when I started washing the Squid's tiny socks was that I would lose them in the apartment complex laundromat and machines. So I went out and bought a lingerie bag to put all the small articles of clothing in while washing so that I don't lose them. But after I started using the bag, I ran into the issue of losing the bag under Squid's hamper. After a couple of trials that ended in error, I found that if I clothes pin the bag to the side of the hamper (we have a flexible clothes/toy hamper) that it would stay in place and was easily accessible at all times. It saves so much time because I don't have to sort through all of his laundry and pull out the socks, mitts, etc. and I'm definitely not going to lose them in my washing and drying machines.
Administering Medicine
Ask any kid and they will all say that medicine is icky! And forcing something foreign into a baby's mouth that doesn't produce something yummy is harder than you would think. I've tried squirting into the side of the mouth, putting it into milk or cereal (consult doctor before doing that), pinning down the Squid and then taking forever waiting for him to swallow each tiny drop until it's all gone, and some other techniques. The number one thing that worked was getting a medicine cup designed for babies that has a nipple, like this one:
The Squid has had no problems with using this method to take medicine. And from what I have seen online, almost all babies have not had any problems and prefer this method. It's closest to a breast nipple and bottle nipple so baby isn't going to turn it away. Always check with a doctor or pharmacist before watering down any medicine.
When Teething Starts
I have tried teething tablets, cold teething rings, room temperature teething rings, rags, etc. All babies are different when it comes to teething remedies. So try out everything until you find what your baby prefers. But one thing that Squid absolutely loves the best is teething wafers/biscuits. There are specific biscuits and wafers designed to be hard enough to provide pressure to sooth yet soft enough to be dissolved and eaten. They come in different flavors and textures. Squid prefers the Plum Organics wafers because they are more like a graham cracker but he will still eat the rice rusks as well. If your baby is old enough and teething, I highly recommend getting some teething wafers, just be sure to keep an eye on your little one while they are eating.
Nursery
I prefer that my home be organized and clean. Everything has a place. That includes my baby's room. Our changing table is opened, meaning it has shelves with no drawers. FATMAN! and I went out and bought some organizers, like these:
We put diapers, wipes, breastfeeding accessories, bibs, and other grab-and-go items in the boxes to keep them handy for when we are in a hurry or need them in reach. We also got some under the bed storage boxes that I filled with toys and blankets.
As for baby monitors, we had some great friends in Jackson who spoiled us. They gave us a camera baby monitor and it is one of the best gifts I received for the Squid. You can actually see that your baby is sleeping soundly or that he is starting to wake up. It's been a great blessing for me because Squid sometimes cries in his sleep, especially earlier in his life. If it weren't for the camera, I would have rushed into his room, wake him up, and then have to actually calm him down and lull him back to sleep instead of seeing that he is still asleep and just needs a minute. If you have the money, investing in a camera monitor is a great investment. Plus, in the future if you want to have a camera in all of the little ones's rooms, a lot of brands and models come with extra cameras and sync up to the one monitor. It's awesome!
And last, but not least, I swear by my diaper genie. If you don't have one, I don't know how to manage. I don't know how I would keep my house smelling nice if I didn't have one. Go get one! (Or put it on your registry if you are expecting and don't already have one.)
Clothes
And my last couple of tips come from a couple of friends, but remember that I said I wouldn't share anything unless I had tried it myself? First off, go buy hangers and hang up your little one's clothes. I had the thought that I would just put all of my baby's clothes in the dresser, even after being told to hang them up. Well, for the Squid's first 4 weeks I did put all of his clothes in the dresser, and then we all moved and I had to unpack bigger clothes, which meant more clothes. I didn't have enough room in his dresser for all of the clothes that I unpacked for him and was forced to hang them all up. In that first week, I realized why I was given the advice to hang up all of Squid's clothes. When they are all hung up in the closet, you see every onesie, not just the ones on top in the drawer. And since I'm able to see every onesie, I will go through all of the onesies instead of just the same 7-10 outfits every week. So now all of the onesies are hung up in Squid's closet, except for white onesies which I put in the dresser along with pants, pj's, and socks.
Second, the design of the onesie has a secret. I was told about this secret by a friend and then I saw a video clip online a week later that confirmed it. The reason the shoulders are designed the way they are is for easy take off when an explosion happens. When your little one poops so much that it's going up his back, the last thing you want to do is to get that poop in your little one's face/hair because you have taken the onesie off going up and over the head. Next time this or a different kind of explosion happens, pull the onesie down towards the feet. The shoulders are designed for this method. Here's a YouTube video showing you how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waramIqsU_A
Well, I know that was kinda long and I rambled a little, but I hope these tips help you now or in the future, whether near or far. I'm not done having kids, so who knows what other tips I might come up with in the future. And please feel free to share your baby tips in the comments below.
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