Going from two to THREE

[BonBon]

Re: Going from two to THREE

FWIW, I thought 1 to 2 was WAY harder than going from 2 to 3.

SO true!

We also gave room temp bottles - so much easier!

We used these for Cate and Alex: http://www.miracleblanket.com/ They really help with preventing the babies from jerking themselves awake.

BTW...congratulations!!!

[v-girl]

Re: Going from two to THREE

Getting someone else to pick up kids or stay home with baby aren't options for me. I make Kenny nap in the car. He can also nap in his stroller or in the Ergo (and Hotsling or Baby Bjorn).

We loved our Bumbo and used it for a long time before he outgrew it.

I love our Buggy Bagg for shopping carts. He's even napped in that while I walked around Target for an hour.

That's all I can think of for now.

[Flynn]

Re: Going from two to THREE

Fabulous tip about Amazon for diapers Nellie.

Baby will be formula fed 100% and I only feel slightly guilty so that's an improvement from 8 weeks ago.

It's funny that you should say this. One of my biggest hangups about trying for number 3 is that both of my previous BF babies refused the bottle vehemently. This is soooo stressful for all parties involved and I'm not sure that I want to go through that again. I think BF is great, but it has to work for the entire family.

Good luck.

Kelly

Kelly ITA. I had a similar experience. I think had my kids gone from breast to bottle like a lot of kids do I would have a "nicer" memory of the infant phase.

In one (out of two ) MAJOR freak outs when I found out I was pregnant, I told DH there WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I was going to breast feed again and if he had an issue with it, we had a MAJOR PROBLEM. I was irrational but very serious.

He was on board with whatever I wanted to do -- happily. (Thank GOODNESS!)


These suggestions/ideas are fantastic. Keep them coming please!!!

[Phoebe]

Re: Going from two to THREE

I need an I'm thinking emoticon. My first thought is the learning curve is much better from 2 to 3. I had a bouncy seat upstairs and one on the main floor because I would get upstairs and realize I could really use one. I let MIL buy it for me.

I really liked the Robeez shoes, which I had never used before and received them as a gift. Those are car seat covers are great when you are out and about a lot in the colder months.

I swore by our swing with baby #3. I posted it somewhere on this site.

Not much advice that will really make a difference! You will do great! It seems overwhelming, but you will get the hang of it.

[Amiens]

Re: Going from two to THREE

ITA on the babysitter. I switched Brigham's preschool days so it coincided with the days that I have to drive Emma to school. Emma is in morning K. I have a gal come in to be at the house while I run the 2 older ones to school and to do errands. Also it allows Lorien and Reed to stay on their respective nap schedules.

I haven't figured out what I am going to do this coming fall when Emma is 1st grade and Brigham in K.

Other things that have helped:

Lorien gets formula on occasion, and I have a container that has premeasured forumla, so when we are out and about or if dh has to take her, then all he has to do is dump the formula into the bottle. Also you don't have to carry around the entire can of formula.

We are into solid food stage: Earth Best's makes single servings of rice cereal that I keep in our diaper bag, in the event Lorien wants her solid food.

Everyone gave great suggestions!

[BonBon]

Re: Going from two to THREE

FWIW, I thought 1 to 2 was WAY harder than going from 2 to 3.

I haven't read any of the replies yet, but wanted to echo this. I went from 2 to 4 and that was WAY easier than 1 to 2. Granted, I also had help but it was still easier. I had learned to juggle!

[planet]

Re: Going from two to THREE

One other thing I thought of that isn't really as new but might still be helpful is one of those bunting things that fits into the carseat. You can zip it up so baby is all snug in the carseat instead of trying to bundle them and buckle them in. Those only fit the infant seats as far as I know.

This is very good for cold climates. It is also safer and provides a more secure fit in the carseat than an overly bundled baby.

I'll also ditto that going from 1-2 was more adjustment than 2-3.

[ud_grad]

Re: Going from two to THREE

So I'm coming into this really late but I have some tips that echo other posts and maybe some new ones.

The deal with the plastic bottles is you don't want bottles with BPA in them. BPA is the chemical that makes the plastic hard and clear. Playtex drop-ins are ok, but I won't use them just because I don't want to waste all those plastic bags (that is my green side). We used the Born Free bottles (BPA free) and loved them.

At night I would take up a few bottles with the right amount of water in them and a formula dispenser. You can get them at Babies R Us and they hold 3-4 servings of premeasured formula. I had one dispenser for the house for night time feedings and another for the diaper bag.

I'm a HUGE fan of baby carriers. If you decide to try something other than the Bjorn that will have a higher weight limit and go up to 40+ lbs, check out thebabywearer.com. I've tried several and my favorite carriers are Connecta, Yamo, and Beco.

The bunting the previous post was referring to is called the BundleMe. There is a regular BundleMe for winter and a BundleMe lite for spring/fall.

[Flynn]

Re: Going from two to THREE

AWESOME suggestions guys.

Thank you times 100!!!!!


In large part due to your fabulous suggestions I know own:

• Born Free bottles
  two formula dispensers -- one for baby bag and one for room (Munchkin is the brand)
  lots of bottled water for late night feedings
  I have two college girls waiting on their fall schedules to help out in the morning when I drive DD to Kindergarten...
  two "Swaddle Me" blankets on the way
  a new -- never been spit up on Boppy (if I don't use it for feeding I can use it when baby is learning to sit up)
  We will likely buy the Chicco Key Fit 30 car seat this weekend

I'm now reasearching formula. Apparently the metal cans have BPA in them??? So some formula may have it due to the packaging??

If anyone has a BPA free formula brand I'd love to hear it. The articles on this, unlike the ones on the bottles, aren't as conclusive.


Thanks again guys. This really has been very helpful.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Going from two to THREE

Flynn, my ped told me the BPA gets into the formula (liquid) when its heated, like in the microwave, or it can leech from the bottles when they're washed in the heat of a dishwasher. This article says the larger concern is the formula that is sold in a liquid state: http://www.ewg.org/node/25570.

ETA: We use the Sam's brand which is comparable to Enfamil though I do believe it comes in a metal can.

Re: Going from two to THREE

We used the SwaddleMe blankets for both kids and they are awesome!

I have to say that the best money we have ever spent was on the Amby baby hammock.....Kate sleeps so soundly in it that I usually have to wake her up to get in her nighttime feedings. I wish we had it when DS was little.

[Flynn]

Re: Going from two to THREE

ETA: We use the Sam's brand which is comparable to Enfamil though I do believe it comes in a metal can.

Yes....liquid formula is apparently high BPA but powdered formula in metal cans have it too:

http://www.ewg.org/node/25571

I guess I'll choose the ones with the least risk....

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Going from two to THREE

I guess I'm just a little pessimistic that this whole BPA thing isn't just another push by the 'must breastfeed" group. But those may just be my issues. We do the best we can for our kids and we're all exposed to more chemicals now then we were as kids. I think that comes with any industrialized nation, IMO. :huh:

Re: Going from two to THREE

I think the bottles get a lot of focus but I have read about it being in the lining of cans (for canned goods) as well. (I was going to say for human food but I meant for adult food ). I've checked out our sippy cups as well. I can see how this could be over-used by the breast brigade.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Going from two to THREE

Cheri,

I agree with you. At some point, I think we also have to pick our risks....when I was living in Germany, they did some studies of the content of certain chemicals etc present in some women's breast milk just based on their own environmental exposure.

I think you just have to do what's right for you and the baby....

Kris