Girls. Two Rules:
-
It is no longer a toy.
-
Wipe from front to back.
Girls. Two Rules:
It is no longer a toy.
Wipe from front to back.
poopshovel wrote:DoctorBlade wrote: Poop jokes are about to become old really quick.Poop jokes NEVER get old. Speaking ov, poop's baby rearin' tips: 1. Get the damned "go-bag" ready NOW! There's a list of what to pack in that "What to expect" book. Don't ask mama to do it. Get it done. You'll be a hero. 2. If ANYTHING weird happens, go to the damned hospital. Again. Hero. I practically had to drag mama there, 3 weeks early. 20 some odd hours later, we had a kid. 3. The hospital where kid will be born likely has a maternity class. TAKE_IT, hero dad! You'll see the room where kiddo will join the living, meet the staff, etc. Make an impression at the class, and they'll remember you when you get there. 4. (Your call...personal preference:) Stay on your side of the sheet. Wanna watch the "Miracle of life?" There are DVD's for that. Don't ruin the p**** in your mind!!!! 5. Mama needs to breastfeed. You can pick out the breastfed vs. "formula" kids at the playground. 6. "Dr. Smith's diaper ointment" - Dr. Sis-in-law turned us on. Pricey. Worth every penny. 7. READ to her. A LOT. Our kid is 2, and has a vocabulary that rivals many 5-year-olds. 8. Toys Schmoys. Baby swing. Buy one. They can't not sleep in that thing. 9. Search CL for a decent furniture/crib/changing table set. Used, solid oak on CL > chip board chinese crap @ wally world. PS: Go ahead and get the car seat mounted in the car. Fingering it out in the hospital parking lot all sleep-deprived and sweaty is a bitch.
poop speaks truth, particularly the 'read to her' part. 
Advice from my wife: buy the best damn breast pump you possibly can. Your boobs will thank you. You'll also use it more which will give dad a chance to feed the baby too which is pretty awesome.
Mndsm's wife here. I have so many resources!!! What I believe as a parent is you have to do your own research and choose what you feel is the best for your family. From reading your post I read that you were interested in nursing, babywearing, and cloth diapering. I have added other resources that many mothers who do those things also enjoy. Feel free to ask any questions you have. Also if your on facebook there are great support groups for nursing mothers, who also enjoy cloth diapering and babywearing. If you wan to know more let me know.
Nursing can be difficult but a lot of time it is due to the lack of correct information. Doctors and nurses know very little about breastfeeding and nursing. I pumped for the first two month's due to poor information from the hospital. I refused to give up despite many obstacles and currently have a two year old that keeps requesting "MILK MILK DRINK MILK Please momma! Right now. There are some great resources and I would encourage you to start looking at the resources now.
http://theleakyboob.com/2011/08/baby-explains-normal-newborn-behavior/ http://kellymom.com/category/pregnancy/bf-prep/
I have a different view than most of society about raising a child due to my experience working with kids with SEVERE anxiety and depression as well as developmental disabilities. How you choose to respond to your child from the beginning will make a difference for years to come including in the womb. My favorite author on Gentle Parenting Practices is http://www.littleheartsbooks.com/
http://www.phdinparenting.com/blog/2008/7/5/cry-it-out-cio-10-reasons-why-it-is-not-for-us.html
Also you may find Evolutionary Parenting interesting http://evolutionaryparenting.com/
Cloth Diapers are great from what I hear. We never did them but I know many people who do them and LOVE it! The covers can be super addicting. http://simplemom.net/cloth-diapering/
Babywearing is the best thing in the world in my opinion. You can nurse your child easily anywhere in a carrier and keep the baby where they feel the safest and can get a view of the world. http://babywearinginternational.org/ you may find a local chapter close to you where you can try them out and find the ones that are the best for you.
You may want to look into a doula to help either during the labor or after as well. If money is a concern there are often doulas in training looking for births to attend to get practice. http://www.dona.org/mothers/
As far as what you need and want that very much depends on you and your little girl. She will have her own ideas of what she likes and doesn't like.
jcp907 wrote: Congratulations! We have a 15 month old daughter. We also have a 21 year old, 20 year old, and 17 year old (all sons). Don't sweat the small stuff, and find a way to enjoy all of it! We regret not enjoying more with our boys. It's not the size of the head as much as it is the shoulders. How broad are yours? Either way, it's not likely to be an issue. Names: use google and save your money for diapers. Book (Now): What to expect when you are expecting. DVD (Leading up to birth): find a demo version of Duntz (sp?) baby language. The demo is sufficient to give you the major differences in the noises made. It's incredibly informative When she's a little older, get Baby Signing Time. All of you will learn to communicate much faster than relying upon speech development. Here are some websites that we turn to when we are looking to be better parents: http://www.askdrsears.com/ http://www.llli.org/ (particularly if breastfeeding is an option), but your wife can go to some meetings to get more information. Finally, if you are thinking of natural methods for childbirth, checkout http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/ WARNING:if you are set on a c section...you may not want to watch that.
These are great resources!!!!!! We love baby signing time!!! Also Dr. Sears is a great resources!
I have four beautiful nieces. Take it from Uncle Bob, you'll be needing one of these.
http://www.mossberg.com/products/shotguns/pump-action/mossberg-590a1-special-purpose
It's never too early to let the neighborhood boys know that she has a crazy dad with a gun.
With cars, the root problem is usual one of there things, Air, spark or fuel. With baby's, it's, Food, Diaper, or sleep.
Spoken for truth. Also sleep applies to you as new parents as well. You gotta get your rest.
All other info in this thread is pretty good.
We have an almost 4 year old with number 2 on the way in January. My wife is a breast feeder and I would encourage that as well. We are considering doing cloth diapers as well. We did disposables with kiddo #1 and I can tell you they are really easy to use. Middle of the night changes are easy, and I can do them even being half asleep.
The most important thing you can do, spend time with your kids. Teach them and love on them. Everything else will work out.
Thank you so much! those resources rock!
I wonder if I could add a gun to the baby registry... I already look crazy, too.
With cars, the root problem is usual one of there things, Air, spark or fuel. With baby's, it's, Food, Diaper, or sleep.
That makes a shocking amount of sense. I never thought of it that way. When you guys said to pay attention to the cry so we know which one it is, how do you tell? Is it like a tone thing? urgency? I'll know it when I figure it out? My mom can do that and I always thought she was practicing witchcraft or something. She hears like 2 seconds of crying and can tell exactly what my nephews wanted. Now their older so they can just say what they need, but I thought it was some kind of magic before.
On the talking note, my wife is bilingual and we want our daughter to be as well. Has anyone tried that with their own kid? I heard that bilingual kids speak later, so we're prepared for that, but I was just wondering what other challenges we might face. She's totally fluent in Korean and English from growing up in both countries, so she won't be speaking in broken english or anything, but we've read of some kids growing up not knowing the division between the two languages or other things.
Toys? Don't buy ANY- unless you see something that you just have to have. (I was guilty of certain things. Hot Wheels, mostly). Your family will take care of it for you
Get this, we found out tuesday morning, told my mom, and TODAY we got a package full of girl clothes and toys! I can see them showing up with a pickup load of toys any day now. I heard them on the phone trying to figure our how to ship a full size dollhouse from 700 miles away. To say they are excited would be the understatement of the century.
mndsm wrote:poopshovel wrote:True story. E36 M3 heals kids quicker too. Wife uses it whenever my child has a scrape, cut, bruise, whatever, and he heals way faster. He also jumped off his train table yesterday, blew an ankle, and we took him to the ER. He's doing laps of the living room at Mach 2 right now. He's SUPER smart too. He quite literally could start momma's MINI if he could reach the clutch pedal. He already knows how- he's just not long enough. And he's 2. I don't know if it's normal for 2 year olds to do that, but he does. One side note, Don't be afraid to let your kid try stuff. I've handed my kid a sufficiently deactivated power drill before. He's had the sawzall before. He knows how to remove the lugnuts from a wheel, if he could muster the torque to do it. I show him everything. We read a lot, we are active a lot, EVERYTHING is a chance to learn. Don't squander it.Mama plans on breastfeeding, though I don't know what the main difference will be for the kid. I figure humans survived prior to baby formula without going extinct, it can't be all that bad.Good reading on the subject - it is the OPPOSITE of bad: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc Personal experience: Your baby will be a berkeleying beast on the playground, compared to all the sickly looking little formula-fed kids. Different strokes for different folks, but my Sis-in-law works at a daycare, and I was like 10 and 0 picking out which kids were breast-fed vs. formula. Our daughter was 3 weeks early. Six months later, she was in the 90-something percentile for height & weight. The stuff is magical.
When you say it heals stuff, do you mean you put it on the scrape?
I'm not too afraid of the kid getting dirty. My parents weren't worried about it either when I was growing up. My mom even admits to craving dried dirt as a kid, and she didn't die. We knew 2 families when we were in college that had newborns. One went all ape-e36m3 over sanitizing everything. She basically disappeared for the first month and banned anybody who was in contact with anybody with a cold from seeing the kid for months. The other (on their 5th kid) came to the campus center when the kid was a couple weeks old to show him to all of us. That 2nd one is a pediatrician, so we resolved to follow her lead. My brother is a bit germaphobic with his kids, too, and he tries occasionally to go gluten free with them or red dye #5 free, or "bad" sugar free, all of that kind of stuff. Him and I grew up on skittles, mac-n-cheese, soda, and Applebees, I wonder what his deal is going so the other way on that one...
Yeah, sanitizing everything is great for short term health, and probably very bad for long term health. I am personally a big believer in the hygiene hypothesis. Sure my kid may get a few colds here and there, and it's tough watching the kinds of things she puts in her mouth, but if it helps avoid autoimmune disorders later in life, then I'm all for it.
You'll get to know what the cries mean because you'll get to know your daughter. By paying attention to her, you'll know when you get it right, and I'm confident she will encourage your efforts by making it very clear when you get it wrong (so you can try the next item on your list of the Big Three.) And it's not just crying/not crying: you'll be able to watch her facial expressions, her body language, etc., and you'll learn more every day.
On the subject of bilingualism, the key is to let her hear lots of the languages you want her to learn. If your wife talks to her in Korean and in English right from the start, her brain will program itself with the ability to make the correct sounds in both languages when it's time to talk. There's no harm in starting to do this before birth, by the way: after a certain point (2nd trimester?) they can hear perfectly well, even though it's all a bit muffled and sloshy.
Don't worry about her starting to talk in some kind of confused mish-mash of languages. Won't happen. Babies are smarter than that. Research shows that every stage of "baby talk" makes grammatical and linguistic sense for that baby at that time. There might be the occasional word that crosses over in the beginning, but she'll be fine. (She might go through a stage of talking Korean only to Mom and English only to Dad, though, and switching seamlessly from one to the other. You can sell tickets to the in-laws.)
I know a family where both parents are tri-lingual- English, German, and Japanese.
From the time their kids were born, the father speaks only German. The mother speaks only Japanese. English is not spoken in the home at all, but only English is spoken when they are out of the house.
The kids did just fine. Picked up all 3, and switch seamlessly.
We made a mistake when our kids were little- we were living in the Dominican Republic (Spanish speaking). We allowed them to rely too heavily on their English, and we spoke it at home and among ourselves when out. The kids had angry responses when we told them they should speak Spanish (because we were not consistent, and they knew it).
Curmudgeon wrote:poopshovel wrote:poop speaks truth, particularly the 'read to her' part.DoctorBlade wrote: Poop jokes are about to become old really quick.Poop jokes NEVER get old. Speaking ov, poop's baby rearin' tips: 1. Get the damned "go-bag" ready NOW! There's a list of what to pack in that "What to expect" book. Don't ask mama to do it. Get it done. You'll be a hero. 2. If ANYTHING weird happens, go to the damned hospital. Again. Hero. I practically had to drag mama there, 3 weeks early. 20 some odd hours later, we had a kid. 3. The hospital where kid will be born likely has a maternity class. TAKE_IT, hero dad! You'll see the room where kiddo will join the living, meet the staff, etc. Make an impression at the class, and they'll remember you when you get there. 4. (Your call...personal preference:) Stay on your side of the sheet. Wanna watch the "Miracle of life?" There are DVD's for that. Don't ruin the p**** in your mind!!!! 5. Mama needs to breastfeed. You can pick out the breastfed vs. "formula" kids at the playground. 6. "Dr. Smith's diaper ointment" - Dr. Sis-in-law turned us on. Pricey. Worth every penny. 7. READ to her. A LOT. Our kid is 2, and has a vocabulary that rivals many 5-year-olds. 8. Toys Schmoys. Baby swing. Buy one. They can't not sleep in that thing. 9. Search CL for a decent furniture/crib/changing table set. Used, solid oak on CL > chip board chinese crap @ wally world. PS: Go ahead and get the car seat mounted in the car. Fingering it out in the hospital parking lot all sleep-deprived and sweaty is a bitch.
I realized yesterday evening that you can say ANY word to my 2 1/2 year old, and she can identify the first and last letter, and some of the ones in-between. We stopped looking at the "milestones" quite a while ago, but I'm pretty sure she's way ahead of the curve there <3
we went to baby's r us the other day looking at strollers, specifically ones like this: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=18166076&cp=2255957.2273447.2609247&parentPage=family that can do infant/toddler, car/stroller in one. I was surprised how rickety some of them were, but I guess they can't be too heavy and they're expensive enough already.
RUN AWAY! Not that Graco makes bad stuff, but those damn things are insanely gigantic for what they are. Practically need a fullsize SUV to tote it. We ended up with http://www.diapers.com/p/baby-trend-snap-n-go-stroller-564612?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=BT-085&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1463198825&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=BT-085&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
That. That thing is rad. Snap carrier in, go. After child graduates from carrier, buy separate stroller, unload carrier and stroller thing to someone else- move it along. I'm REALLY glad we did it that way.
http://www.justkidsstore.com/prod/baby-jogger/2012-city-mini-stroller/crimson-gray/?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=pricegrabber
This is the stroller we have. It is also quite rad. HELLA pricy but it's the foldiest stroller you can imagine. And it's light, and the big wheels are great for not getting snagged on stuff. Kinda sucks for storage and you need to buy a separate drink holder for you and your minion, but I'm quite happy with it.
Option 3 that the wife is a big fan of- baby wearing. When they're small, they're easy to do. Skip the carrier altogether and get a convertible that will handle newborns on up, and wear the kid. No stroller needed then either. It's not real hard to wear an 8lb kid.
The graco stuff we looked at was pretty huge, yeah. I don't plan on transporting any of that stuff in my RX-8, but my wife's G20 isn't exactly a huge car either. Anything will fit in my van, but I don't plan on using that for very often for kid transport.
I want to do the baby wearing thing. My wife is small and was a small baby, but I wasn't. I think we were both about the same size, actually, but I was 5 weeks premature, and the last few weeks of the pregnancy were particularly stressful for many reasons. My cousins that went full term often exceeded 10 lbs (one was 14!), so it's hard to say what's gonna happen here. I'm praying for a non-gargantuan baby for my wife's sake!
poopshovel wrote:Curmudgeon wrote:I realized yesterday evening that you can say ANY word to my 2 1/2 year old, and she can identify the first and last letter, and some of the ones in-between. We stopped looking at the "milestones" quite a while ago, but I'm pretty sure she's way ahead of the curve there <3poopshovel wrote:poop speaks truth, particularly the 'read to her' part.DoctorBlade wrote: Poop jokes are about to become old really quick.Poop jokes NEVER get old. Speaking ov, poop's baby rearin' tips: 1. Get the damned "go-bag" ready NOW! There's a list of what to pack in that "What to expect" book. Don't ask mama to do it. Get it done. You'll be a hero. 2. If ANYTHING weird happens, go to the damned hospital. Again. Hero. I practically had to drag mama there, 3 weeks early. 20 some odd hours later, we had a kid. 3. The hospital where kid will be born likely has a maternity class. TAKE_IT, hero dad! You'll see the room where kiddo will join the living, meet the staff, etc. Make an impression at the class, and they'll remember you when you get there. 4. (Your call...personal preference:) Stay on your side of the sheet. Wanna watch the "Miracle of life?" There are DVD's for that. Don't ruin the p**** in your mind!!!! 5. Mama needs to breastfeed. You can pick out the breastfed vs. "formula" kids at the playground. 6. "Dr. Smith's diaper ointment" - Dr. Sis-in-law turned us on. Pricey. Worth every penny. 7. READ to her. A LOT. Our kid is 2, and has a vocabulary that rivals many 5-year-olds. 8. Toys Schmoys. Baby swing. Buy one. They can't not sleep in that thing. 9. Search CL for a decent furniture/crib/changing table set. Used, solid oak on CL > chip board chinese crap @ wally world. PS: Go ahead and get the car seat mounted in the car. Fingering it out in the hospital parking lot all sleep-deprived and sweaty is a bitch.
One of my nephews was like that at 2.5, very smart kid. They learn vocabulary so quickly! He's currently 4 or so and at the rate he's going he'll have a bigger vocabulary than me by age 8. He also became fairly adept at manipulating his younger brother 
though he discovered quickly that grandma doesn't fall for it.
I have two boys and absolutely nothing to contribute to the girl conversation, but congrats!
Rufledt wrote: The graco stuff we looked at was pretty huge, yeah. I don't plan on transporting any of that stuff in my RX-8, but my wife's G20 isn't exactly a huge car either. Anything will fit in my van, but I don't plan on using that for very often for kid transport. I want to do the baby wearing thing. My wife is small and was a small baby, but I wasn't. I think we were both about the same size, actually, but I was 5 weeks premature, and the last few weeks of the pregnancy were particularly stressful for many reasons. My cousins that went full term often exceeded 10 lbs (one was 14!), so it's hard to say what's gonna happen here. I'm praying for a non-gargantuan baby for my wife's sake!
Frame of reference- 90% of the child's travel in my case is done in the back of a Cooper S. All that you've seen me mention can be accomplished with that car. My favorite was loading the carrier, we used to do it through the hatch because it was easier to fold a seat down and go at it that way, instead of trying to cram him in behind a seat and bend my arm like berkeleyin' Houdini to get him in there. So- without trying to toot my own horn, I'd say I'm an expert at small car baby work. In fact, the BIGGEST car we own is my Mazdaspeed 3- and that car is parked 4 months out of the year. I have a Chevy Prism that is no larger than the G20, and the MINI. We're good at small cars. As far as the baby wearing goes, seriously- ping "GibsonsMom". That is actually my wife. She's done more research on it, tried more types of baby things, and all that- than anyone on earth. Hell, she STILL wears my child occasionally and he's 3ft tall, 35lbs, and 2 years old. It works sometimes! She's only 5'5" so it's not like she's a sherman tank.He came out at 8lbs14oz, and tall. It can be done.
The issue is not really how big a car you will need to haul it. You can drive a step van if you want to.
The issue is that those cadillac boutique strollers (like Graco) are expensive, and heavy as crap. Sure, it will impress your friends who are impressed by that kind of stuff, but it will wear you completely out (especially your wife).
Why do you need a 43 lb. stroller to haul around a 7 lb. kid?
you guys gave me a great idea, we won't buy anything my wife can't lift without too much difficulty. It's safe to assume we won't both be there 100% of the time due to our schedules, so when it's her and the baby, she needs to be able to move the stuff herself. When It's just me and the baby it won't be such a problem, and when we're together (probably most of the time) we can both do it, but a mega-stroller won't be much help if she can't get it out of the car, right? Sound reasonable?
Rufledt wrote: you guys gave me a great idea, we won't buy anything my wife can't lift without too much difficulty. It's safe to assume we won't both be there 100% of the time due to our schedules, so when it's her and the baby, she needs to be able to move the stuff herself. When It's just me and the baby it won't be such a problem, and when we're together (probably most of the time) we can both do it, but a mega-stroller won't be much help if she can't get it out of the car, right? Sound reasonable?
This was actually a deciding factor for us, as well. I made the wife test everything I thought was ok. I was the mechanical part, she was the "can everyone do this" part.
The only thing I can say beyond Congratulations... is wait 15 years.
I became an "insta-dad" when my Mother took custody of my soon to be 13 year old neice. My Sister is unfit to be a mother due to medical issues and her absent Father has spent zero time with her in the past 5 years even though he only lives 5 miles away.
Working in night clubs, I look at all the 20something girls wearing next to nothing and shudder.. that could be my Niece in a few years
RX8s make great family cars. Only problem is that now that we have 3 they cant all fit. 
Take a look at the baby trend infant seats, they are more narrow than most infant seats, and they have a wankel themed handle.
Wife gave me one rule to live by when our 1st girl (of 2) was born.... ............You kill my daughter, I kill you!
That being the rule to "Live by", I have let my girls try anything they were comfortable with, much to the scowling eyes of other moms during play dates & at school pickup.
1st vertical ladder climb @1yr old (under close supervision) 1st shifter kart ride @1yr (lying on my chest facing me) Now races Karts! 1st driving lesson @1yr (golf cart standing between my legs) she was able to catch a hand brake induced slide by age 5 in my 944t
Some hints: Set Stock Levels of the following items to make sure you NEVER run out or get short. Leave these items in go bags in every auto plus the perambulator. - Simethicone Drops, ALWAYS have it in the bag it absorbs/reduces gas after feeding & they cannot OD on it. Wal-Mart generic is just as good as name brand. - Medicated Gold Bond powder, Much better than regular baby powder. - Diaper cream, NEVER run out!
Don’t use the word “No” for everything! Pick a word that is not in normal language for anything that could do real harm (light sockets, knives, chemicals…etc.) We use “Danger-Danger!” and my kids would instantly stop and look at us for direction.
Set some ground rules with the grandparents…Mine pushed my 1st to write right handed even though she was trying to use her left…We did not find out until way late and now she writes right, bats left.
Brest feeding – Take a breast feeding class, both of you! Dad, learn how to hold the top of the kids head with one hand and put your other thumb between the lip and chin and open the mouth as wide as possible to properly “latch on” in the beginning this trains the baby to get the nipple properly positioned deep in the mouth. If they only gnaw on the nipple Mom will be in intense pain & baby will get no milk. Also, learn how to break the suction by edging a finger I at the side of the mouth. I have successfully gotten my kids latched on and fed without waking my wife in the middle of the night.
Breast pump - Medela Pump-in-Style, has been great for us, 12vdc adapter for the car. With some thought I was able to adapt the Playtex cap to the Medela and use the 8oz bags for collection & freezing/storage. The Medela bottles are only 4oz and it really sux to try and change bottles in the middle of a pumping!
Dad, change the 1st diaper!!! It is bank that you always have to bring up later!!!
No, both of you don’t need to get up to feed the baby in the middle of the night but life will be better if you do, believe me! “what can I do to help” “need a pillow” “Like a glass of water”…etc.
Last but possibly the most important…. The voice you speak to your children with will become their inner voice.
I can not add much more than what has already been posted.
I can add
When baby arrives limit the visitors and if people do come over insist that they plan on helping you. Like say bringing a tray of Laguna. Or helping with laundry. This will weed out those that really care from those that want to make your new baby there new baby.
There is a thread over on Corner-Carvers about expecting dads. Read it if you can.
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