Well the boys are 14 weeks old. I have found some more wonderful gadgets that I absolutely cannot live without. These last 14 weeks have been such a whirlwind of learning, extreme fatigue, non stop feeding-changing-shushing, and utter chaos. BUT I have found, now that they can see more clearly, interact with me, and want to touch and hold things everything has been a lot more exciting around here.
We are now finally getting 5 hours of sleep on a regular basis. The horrible '2 hours of sleep' days are over, well at least until they start teething. So my sanity is doing much better. The boys are now lifting their heads and looking around at their environment. They smile when we talk to them and just act like they want to giggle. But not much giggling is happening yet. They are cooing up a storm, they have conversations with me with the cutest expressions, I am sure the topic is something very intelligent and intellectual. 14 weeks old and they are the light of my life, I just love being around them.
Here are my 5 recommendations for this stage of baby life:
1. Bottle Warmer. I have found that especially in the first 3 months, with all the night feedings, making bottles when I am half asleep was no fun. So I thought a bottle warmer would be great! We got the BabyPro the First Years Bottle warmer, it warms 1 bottle in 3 minutes. It has 2 little water holders, it has a removable cooler for 2 bottles with an ice pack to keep your next two bottles cool. I have found that premixing all my bottles before bed, setting them in the fridge. And 2 in the cooler works great. As long as your baby is eating every couple hours. The ice pack only last a couple hours. So I advise that you buy an extra one, to switch out the ice packs every time you feed a bottle. This warmer is a very handy little device to have if you are bottle feeding your baby(ies). I recommend cleaning the unit each day, only because you will get a funky grime on the burner if you don't. Which I use a rag or sponge for.
I keep my warmer next to the crib, it isn't loud at all. Its easy to use just poor the water in (pre-measured), click the switch and it turns off when the water is gone. The steam heats your bottles exactly to the right temperature. There is a little technique to doing that though. Took some practice to know which bottles needed a certain amount of water to boil, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. You can find this warmer at Target and Babies R Us. Also Buy Buy Baby.
2. Goats Milk. I had some challenges after the boys were born with my health. I was in the hospital and was put on many medications. Which resulted in me not being able to breast feed my babies and could only pump just a little at a time. So I went to formula. Tried Similac which gave my boys severe stomach issues, tried Enfamil same thing plus severe yeast infections. Plus my boys were sensitive to cows milk. So I said fooey on all the formula and heard about goats milk. With the right vitamins added, goats milk is the closest to breast milk in nutrition that you can get. So I got some advice from some naturpath doctors and went out and bought all the goats milk I could find. I buy Mayenberg Goats Milk, found at Walmart, Sprouts, or Whole Foods. You can get it in cans or refrigerated. I buy both. Cans are found in the (yes strange) baking aisle. And the refrigerated is found where the milk is found. I add Folic Acid, DHA, Multi Vitamins, and probiotics to the milk and the boys are sooooooooo much better now that they are on the goats milk. A cousin of mine had a similar experience. She also has twins and her boys were getting very gassy and fussy on the formula when she started weening them off of breast milk. She is trying the Goats milk now. She found it at a goat farm near her. Make sure that if you do find a goat farm with fresh milk, make sure it is pasteurized. Buying it fresh from a farmer can save you lots of $$. I spend about $15 on a half gallon, my cousin spends about $7 on a half gallon from the farm.
If you would like the instructions on how I was taught to prepare the goats milk and for the vitamin info, contact me or comment. I am happy to help your babies get healthier and happier! Check out http://www.meyenberg.com/ for more information about the product.
3. Playtex Drop-ins. I love the Playtex bottles. The babies are less gassy (due to air in the bottle), the nipples don't cause me problems (leaking, popping, bubbles), and the drop ins are disposable, which means less bottles to clean. I use both kinds of bottles but I prefer the drop ins over anything. They are a little more expensive if you add buying the drop ins every week. But I have learned to recycle a little and use the drop ins 2 or three times, instead of once. What I mean by "popping" with the old, regular nipples on regular bottles, I have found popping occurs with a certain amount of suck pressure. Where the nipples will be sucked into the bottle with the pressure. Scared me the first time it happened, I thought my baby sucked the nipple into his throat because of the sound it made. Very scary, but all was well when I found the nipple inverted into the bottle.
'Pros' on the Drop ins: less air bubbles, easier to clean, no popping, and no leaking! 'Cons': a little more garbage, and harder to use with the bottle warmer.
I get my drop-ins from Target or Walmart. But to check out Playtex bottles and go to www.playtex.com/bottles/dropins
4. Boppy. I use the Boppy for many things, with twins it is hard to feed both at the same time, so I have used the Boppy when it comes time to feed them both. I love to hold them and cuddle but there are times that they both want a bottle NOW and I have learned to just set them in the boppy and feed both of them at the same time. They are also good for tummy time. I am always present when I do this, but I place them both tummy down on the middle of the Boppy and place their hands and head on the highest part of the Boppy. They have strengthened their neck muscles and really enjoy looking around while on their Boppy. They are good for those TV times (if you do that) when you are folding clothes or other "in the room" chores you have, you can place them in the Boppy and let them watch their educational program. As they sit there content, you get stuff done!! Helps when breast feeding too, a lot more support with a Boppy. Get a Boppy you will be happy you did!
http://www.boppy.com/
5. The Fisher Price 2 in 1 projector Mobile. I have the Precious Planet mobile, which my boys love. They start to jibber jabber and kick and wiggle out of excitement, when looking at it. My boys aren't big enough yet, but my friends daughter loves this mobile as well, she is a year and a half and can turn it on herself now, when she is in the crib. Which keeps her entertained. There are 3 different sound options: soothing nature sounds, heart beat, and music. You can change the volume of the sound and you have a choice whether to have sounds, projector, and turning mobile. Or you have the option of turning the projector off and just have the mobile and music. Or you can just have the music! The great part to this mobile is when your baby is older and can reach the spinning mobile, you can take it off and just have the sound/projector box. So it is safe for all ages.
Well there's my 5 top picks for the 3rd month of my sons life. I have a few things I am trying out right now, that I think will be great. So I will let you know the results next month!
Thanks for reading and please comment your opinion as well on any of these products.
Come back soon!
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