Baby on the way... tips for a first time parent?

[COGENT]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

We've already done the pre-natal class. Actually, we wrote down the wrong class time, so arrived early and so peaked in on the lamaze class next door. Looked over the top, zen, new agey with meditation music, and trickling fake waterfall, and "breathe in that oxygen, feel it filling your lungs, sense it entering your blood and tissues" blah blah blah - it's certainly not something I'm interested in, but my wife is, so I guess we'll go.

I don't know, when it gets down to the part where your wife is having vomit inducing contractions... all zen or meditation will be gone. If you want that get an epidural.

Also, keep your eye on kijiji for a BOB. It's seldom that they come up but when they are they are snatched up in minutes. I missed a few when I was searching.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by yads

Diapers aren't as a big of an expense as people make it out to be. We buy ours at Superstore on sale. Winds up being quite cheap maybe $40-$50/month for the first 6 months or so.

Don't listen to the people who tell you to not microwave the formula. Shake the bottle up and you're good to go, you're heating up liquid not a lasagna. This saves a ridiculous amount of time vs the boiling water method.

Or use one of these and have it done in 2 mins, and it auto shuts off when it is hot.

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....ductId=2689250

[Ashartus]

Use Freecycle and Kijiji as much as possible, along with garage sales and friends with babies older than yours, to get baby stuff cheap. For things like strollers, exersaucers, etc., you can probably buy them used and sell them for almost as much as you paid for them when you're done.

For diapers, cloth are not better for the environment than disposable. Life cycle studies have basically concluded that it's a trade-off; the water, energy and detergent use for cloth vs. landfill space for disposable. If you live in an area with plentiful water and limited space cloth diapers might win out so long as you use a washing service; in an area with limited water and lots of space (like here) then disposable win out. Cloth diapers that you wash yourself are by far the worst option environmentally. I'm not sure you'd really save any money on cloth overall once you factor in washing costs (not to mention the "gross" factor), especially if you buy diapers in bulk. Edit: even with 30-40 diapers that probably means washing a load every day or so at first; 15 to 20 diapers a day isn't uncommon at the newborn stage.

Don't buy a pile of newborn-sized clothes unless your baby is premature; they'll be too small in no time at all and you'll probably also get a bunch at the baby shower.

[You Need a Thneed]

We pretty much abandoned warming up bottles for our first after 2 months or so, and I'm not sure if we did at all for our second. Of course, our kids learned from day one to take any kind of nipple because my wife can't produce enough milk (yes, despite what the le leche league and others says, some women cannot fully breastfeed).

[REDVAN]

I can hardly change my own diaper, so I am a ways away from wanting kids yet, jeeez.

I have a good pal who is having one early November, and I wish them the best of luck.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by fotze

or even faster yet is boobs. Do everything you can to get that breastfeeding working, suck on the boob yourself if you have to. Makes the guys life sooooo easy.

Except the rule was as long as the baby gets it, I don't.

Bottles are good, trust me.

edit: And if you do use formula, get liquid. It is so much easier and less bubbles = less gas. The only downside is you need to make 5-6 bottles at a time, but its actually saving you a bunch of time because you can do those bottles in the same amount of time it takes to make a single one out of powdered formula.. It is a bit expensive, but trust me not having a gassy baby is worth far more than the minor extra cost.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by yads

Diapers aren't as a big of an expense as people make it out to be. We buy ours at Superstore on sale. Winds up being quite cheap maybe $40-$50/month for the first 6 months or so.

Don't listen to the people who tell you to not microwave the formula. Shake the bottle up and you're good to go, you're heating up liquid not a lasagna. This saves a ridiculous amount of time vs the boiling water method.

Diapers are a PITA and definitely cut into the beer budget. Never buy them at full price though. They are always on sale somewhere.

Pampers > Huggies > store brand For us, anyway, Pampers fit way better than the other brands and leaked less. The premium you pay for a couple less blow outs every week was worth it to me.

[Galakanokis]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

I can hardly change my own diaper, so I am a ways away from wanting kids yet, jeeez.

I have a good pal who is having one early November, and I wish them the best of luck.

The main reason to have kids is so they can change your diapers when your old and decrepit. Or at least foot the bill for the Shady Pines nursing home.

Kids are all different, don't sweat the small stuff especially when it comes to comparing kids to other kids. They will walk, talk, crawl, sleep, potty train eat, roll over etc all at their own pace. My soon to be 3 year yammers on and on but I have no idea what he says. I thought for the longest time he would never walk and now I can't keep him still.

And there kids, let them be silly and stupid and have tons of fun. It is what it should be about. Don't blast them with your own insecurities and hang ups about what you did and didn't do in life. They're $15 pair of shoes from Walmart who cares if he ruins them while having the time of his life at the spray park? Put down your $10 Starbuck's coffee and go have a little fun yourself you old bag......sorry ranting a little about stupid parents.

[COGENT]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

We pretty much abandoned warming up bottles for our first after 2 months or so, and I'm not sure if we did at all for our second. Of course, our kids learned from day one to take any kind of nipple because my wife can't produce enough milk (yes, despite what the le leche league and others says, some women cannot fully breastfeed).

I will never judge a women that doesn't/can't breast feed... it is a way more difficult process then I could have ever imagined.

[red sky]

Originally Posted by fotze

Just like a mortgage IS debt. Buying stuff is not an investment.

Haha, yeah wrong choice of words for sure. Although the way the market has been the last few months I could probably get a better (negative) return if I sell the furniture later.

[fredr123]

We're up to four strollers now for two kids. We got the Graco one that comes with child car seat, a cheap folding umbrella stroller, a two kid ride along stroller and a two kid jogging/bike stroller we got second hand. If I could do it all over again, I would get both of the two kid strollers and not the other two we have. They aren't useful with two kids close to the same age.

My brother in law has a BOB jogging stroller and it is awesome. Same limitations apply with respect to having more than one kid that might need to ride in it, but as far as one kid strollers go they are pretty nice.

[Knut]

Babies poop so big that it flies out the sides and up the back of the diapers if you have an incorrect size. Do not go by the sizing guidlines on the box... just go by their ability to keep the poop within the confines of the diaper.

Also. Superstore will match prices on diapers... so cost wise it has been not bad for those.

Buy a wipes warmer for the middle of the night. Cold wipes will shock the baby awake and prevent you from doing a ninja change while they are sleeping.

[tvp2003]

Oh wow -- as the OP it's good to see this thread again I was reading it a few months ago but decided not to bump it (i.e. for no reason).

Anyways, I can happily report that we had a girl and she just had her 15 month birthday (man how time flies). She is healthy and doing awesome, even though she's never been a great sleeper and decided to cut her first tooth at two and half months!

As for the advice in this thread, I can honestly say a lot of it went out the window once she was born, as we pretty much relied on instinct, and the From Here Through Maternity book our doctor gave us.

Some notes for the guy who bumped this thread:

- We used glass bottles; seemed okay
- Disposables all the way!
- We got a travel system with a jogging stroller instead of a regular stroller; we liked the additional mobility with the big wheels. Apparently the higher end strollers are amazing (i.e. Chariot) so we may upgrade now that she's older (my wife likes to go running). We also ended up having to get an umbrella stroller -- got a sweet one for about $70 and are glad we didn't cheap out because it works great.
- Got a bassinet which you could put right beside your bed (like a co-sleeper); seemed okay but didn't use it for too long. The Graco playpen with "newborn napper" got a lot of use those first few months, until she got too big. Next time I would consider getting a swing (because our baby didn't nap that much, an extra half hour here and there by putting her in a swing would have been great) and a video monitor (not because we're paranoid but so we could watch her those times she wanted to play in her crib instead of sleep)
- took the ten week class through Alberta Health Services; was neat to meet the other couples and see their babies afterwards, but for the last 3-4 weeks when you're sleep deprived, the last thing you want to do is go to class. We also have a bunch of friends with kids but otherwise it's also a nice networking opportunity
- Congrats!

[4X4]

To the chagrin of many (I'm sure), I have decided to procreate, and my fruit of my loins will be unleashed upon society in about two months. This thread is awesome. Ninja change, eh Hesla? I'll be patting myself on the back once I master that.
Cloth diapers? I don't even need to try them to decide that there's no way in hell I'll wash poo off of cloth and then use that cloth again. I like the sounds of this Diaper Genie that's being touted in this thread. After googling it, I have decided that it is a must. This is the image that sold me: lol, "hell sausage"...
As for strollers, bassonettes, and cribs, I have a MIL that is going ape-sh*t over her first (and probably only) grandchild, so we've already accumulated a lot of the necessities. I don't think I'd be too scared to use a second hand baby seat, though. I mean, it should be somewhat obvious if the thing is in good shape, no? As long as there are no cracks or any visible signs of damage, I think it'd do it's job as well as a brand new seat, unless the new ones have built in airbags or something.
The video monitor has been a bit of a discussion. Someone told us that it was excessive and that it was just an extra $200 for nothing, but another someone vehemently disagreed and said that it's the difference between going to the nursery every time the baby cries, or being able to see that the baby is fine. Soo, I don't know. I'm already a 5-6 hour per night sleeper, but I don't think there's any reason to chintz on a monitor when it could cut into the 5-6 hours that I definitely need. Maybe I can find one on kijiji for a lot less than $250 it is at Babies R Us.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

I guess this thread is just as good as any other to announce our news.

Mrs. Regulator75 is pregnant with our first child and it's a boy.
She is due on Sept 19th.


Beautiful Future Mother by Witty nickname, on Flickr

As posted in the never ending picture thread a couple weeks ago, we are due very soon (week 39 started today).
The pregnancy has been an easy one on her, we look forward to finally becoming parents after 15 years of being DINKS.

[ricosuave]

Henry, you need every spare penny for the kid, so you might as well sell all your flames related stuff, particularly that pedestal jersey, back to me...

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by 4X4

To the chagrin of many (I'm sure), I have decided to procreate, and my fruit of my loins will be unleashed upon society in about two months. This thread is awesome. Ninja change, eh Hesla? I'll be patting myself on the back once I master that.
Cloth diapers? I don't even need to try them to decide that there's no way in hell I'll wash poo off of cloth and then use that cloth again. I like the sounds of this Diaper Genie that's being touted in this thread. After googling it, I have decided that it is a must. This is the image that sold me: lol, "hell sausage"...
As for strollers, bassonettes, and cribs, I have a MIL that is going ape-sh*t over her first (and probably only) grandchild, so we've already accumulated a lot of the necessities. I don't think I'd be too scared to use a second hand baby seat, though. I mean, it should be somewhat obvious if the thing is in good shape, no? As long as there are no cracks or any visible signs of damage, I think it'd do it's job as well as a brand new seat, unless the new ones have built in airbags or something.
The video monitor has been a bit of a discussion. Someone told us that it was excessive and that it was just an extra $200 for nothing, but another someone vehemently disagreed and said that it's the difference between going to the nursery every time the baby cries, or being able to see that the baby is fine. Soo, I don't know. I'm already a 5-6 hour per night sleeper, but I don't think there's any reason to chintz on a monitor when it could cut into the 5-6 hours that I definitely need. Maybe I can find one on kijiji for a lot less than $250 it is at Babies R Us.

MB that is awesome! Congrats .

[Coys1882]

It might have been mentioned already but I'll weigh in with my opinions:

• routine, routine, routine (sleep, feed and play) Same times all the time.

• help as much as you can, especially if you can do the latest feed possible with a bottle so Mom can sleep

• give Mom a break. Being home all day basically alone with a baby latched to your chest is probably one of the most emotionally draining things a person can do. Pair that with crazy hormones and sleep deprivation and you have a recipe for postpartum depression.

[Wormius]

Agree with the above, especially routine.

There is some debate about letting kids share your bed or sleep in your room... But don't do it. Its like inviting a vampire into your house. Start the routine early and don't get lazy about it - their crib/bed only or you will regret it. Maybe. Depends on how you feel about having a good nights sleep.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Agree with the above, especially routine.

There is some debate about letting kids share your bed or sleep in your room... But don't do it. Its like inviting a vampire into your house. Start the routine early and don't get lazy about it - their crib/bed only or you will regret it. Maybe. Depends on how you feel about having a good nights sleep.

Disagree. Always better to let kid sleep in your room then to cry in a different room. The more sleep everyone gets, the better. It's not too hard to break a sleeping in mommy and daddy's room habit when they are ready.