Stuffing my Diaper Bag

I often wondered why most diaper bags are so big. Now I know why. You end up stuffing so much baby “stuff” in there! Here is what I stuffed in mine. Keep in mind that this is good for the first 6 months. As your child gets older, you may need to add more items to your bags.

Of course for those shorter trips, such as a quick run to the supermarket, you may not need all that. A smaller diaper bag with just a few of the listed items will probably do.

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Curious MC Photo Update!

Okay, here are more photos of Mason taken recently. He’s definitely more active and smiles/laughs more often now:
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More coming up!

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Enfamil Points

Has anyone ever noticed that there are points on the UPC bar codes of every Enfamil can you purchase?

I called Enfamil to ask them what they were used for. Apparently, we used to be able to collect these points to be redeemed for items such as Lullaby cassettes, Peter Rabbit books, Peter Rabbit dinner sets, car seat straps, etc. However, Enfamil ended this program back in 1999, but decided to keep the points on the UPC bar codes. The customer rep told me that they don’t intend to offer this program anytime in the near future.

Oh well.

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Getting Rid of the Pacifier

I don’t know if my baby misses his pacifier or not…he’s been off it for nearly 3 weeks now.  Of course, this means a fussier baby at times.  This also means it makes it harder to put him to bed at night.  My  husband and I used to pop one of those soothers into his mouth and let him suck on it for awhile.  Then I’d pull it out of his mouth as soon as he falls asleep.  It seemed so easy.  It wasn’t until I ran into a family friend, who happened to be a dentist.  She said, “Don’t let him use the pacifier!  It’s bad for him!  It can cause dental problems later.”  According to her, getting your baby off the pacifier is much harder after the 6th month and will continue to get harder as each month passes.  That day, we stopped giving him the pacifier.  We figured “Let’s stop him now at 3 months old!”

Does he miss his pacifier?  Many times, when I watch the baby sleep, I notice his lips move as if he is sucking on the pacifier.  Strange.  I know it was something my little brother, who is now 15 years old, used to do when he was a baby.  Is that what happens when you suddenly strip the pacifier away? 

Anyhow, I ended up doing some reading to validate our dear dentist’s claim.  And this is what I found:

All babies have a natural desire to suck on something.  It’s their way of preparing themselves for their first meal.  Many parents use the pacifier to help the baby learn to self soothe. If that is the case, many parents give their babies a pacifier only at naptimes and bedtime. If a pacifier is not introduced, the baby will usually find something else to satisfy that sucking desire such as a thumb, finger, or toe. 

One of the fears of pacifier use is the baby’s long term dependency.  They fear that their baby will still be sucking on it at 3 years of age and in some cases, at 6 years of age.  On the contraray, they also fear that if they don’t introduce the pacifier, their children will become thumb-suckers, which is probably an even harder habit to break.  (That makes me wonder if I should let my baby suck on his pacifier again???)

According to my pediatrician, pacifier use during a baby’s first year is harmless.  But the baby should be weaned off of it after one year.  I didn’t ask why at the time, but I’m assuming it’s because the pacifier can cause long term dependency. 

If some of you parents out there are debating like am I on this pacifier issue, here are some pros and cons for you to consider before you make your decision.  

CONS:

PROS:

Although there seems to be more cons than pros, a peace of mind from a screeming baby can be worth a lot for some parents.  If you choose to use a pacifier, however, try to use one that comes is one piece to prevent choking.  Also, try to get one that is “orthodontically correct” to lessen the chances of future dental problems.  And don’t give your baby a pacifier just to hold off on feeding or diaper changing.

I’m not sure which way I’ll go yet.  I guess I better decide soon as my baby is quickly approaching 4 months. 

Please let me know what you think and what you would do.

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Making Money Online - My First Product Made and SOLD!

I’ve been out of work for 5 months now, but I’ll be returning to work next Wednesday, Oct 24.  :-(  How depressing.  A few people have asked me if I have done anything during the 5 months of my maternity leave.  I’ve told them no, but that’s not exactly the truth.  Well, I didn’t travel anywhere, if that’s what they’re asking. 

Let’s just say that I spent whatever spare time I had helping my husband with his business (He’s an internet marketer/publisher.  He keeps a Passive Income Blog if you want to learn more about what he does).  It was great because I learned a lot about not just internet marketing, but also how people make money online.  And one of the best ways to make money online is to have your own product.  And guess what???

I am proud to say that I created my very own product!  It’s listed on eBay and I have plans to get it on Amazon.  My first day of listing on eBay, I sold 2 copies!  It’s not much because I netted only $10 per pop, but it’s a start.  The concept is…make a few more products and viola!  A few extra hundred dollars into my bank account every month (sigh…milk money.  I wish it was shopping money)!

Oh!  What product did I make?  LOL.  I made a citizenship test guide for those taking the naturalization test.  Check it out.  It’s a bit corny, but it sells.  And there seems to be a market for it.  (If you want to purchase one, shoot me an email.  I take Paypal :-) )

 Citizenship Test Guide

It’s getting late so I’m going to have to tell you how I came up with the idea and how I created it some other day.

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Lose Your Post Partum Tummy

One of the biggest complaint I have about my post partum body is my bulging tummy. Ugh. Many have told me that it can take up to one year to lose it. ONE YEAR! I’m plannning to have another baby in one year! Will I be able to enjoy a flat tummy again???

Although it’s not completely flat, it has gone down considerably. Actually, A LOT…thanks to a few tips from my mom and friends. Here is what I did the last three months:

  1. From day one, put a hot pack on your belly. My mom used a heated brick because it was heavy and retains the heat for a longer period of time. I have heard of some people putting a bag of rock salt in a cloth pouch and heating it up in the microwave for 2 minutes. Apparently, they push the tummy in and can help push out the excess blood and air.
  2. Wear tummy control underwear. I know, that sounds funny. But it helps support the flab. It also helps push the stomach down while you’re standing up. They can get expensive at $25 - $50 a pair. I can’t afford a week’s worth of them right now, so I went to Chinatown in LA and purchased those cheaper ones $20 for 5 pairs. They’ll do just fine for now.
  3. Go on a no-starch diet. See my no-starch diet blog.
  4. Do light tummy exercises. I just lie on my back on my bed and lift one leg up. I do about 10 - 20 per leg or until my leg gets tired. Then I lift my head up slightly and put a little pressure on my abs. Hold it for 5 seconds or until my abs get tired. Do this 3 times a day.

I am still wearing those tummy control underwear but you can barely tell that I have a tummy now. I’m hoping that in a few more months, I can do away with them.

Try these tips and let me know your progress. Good luck!

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Losing Your Pregnancy Weight - The No Starch Diet

I did it!  I lost 10 pounds of my postpartum weight in one month and I barely had to exercise! 

At my first ob/gyn visit, I weighed 108 pounds.  Small girl, right?  Well, let’s just say that I gained 50% of my weight by my last visit.  Yup…I weighed a whopping 156 pounds my last week of my pregnancy.  If you think that’s crazy, just wait until you see my nasty stretch marks! 

At my 6 week post partum check up, my ob/gyn said I really should start exercising to get back to my pre pregnancy weight.  I told him that I would be back to “normal” by Decemember.  He laughed and said “We’ll see.”  I guess he didn’t have much confidence in me because of all the weight I gained.  Of course, gaining weight is a lot easier than losing weight.  So I didn’t have a problem with his lack of confidence.

With the busy schedule of caring for a newborn, I barely had the time or the energy to exercise everyday.  The only thing that I could do was watch my diet.  So I went on a low starch diet.  I usually eat several bowls of rice a day.  But since I limited my starch intake, I began to notice the pounds dropping.  I was actually able to squeeze into my old pre-pregnancy jeans! It was amazing.

Right after I gave birth to Mason, I was at 135 pounds.  I stayed there for two months.  Then I decided to go on this no starch diet.  Last week, I weighed myself and I weighed “only” 125 pounds.  All I can say is…only 17 more pounds to go, doctor!

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Cuddling Your Baby to Sleep

Finally, the baby is able to sleep 4 to 5 hours straight at night.  He’s now a little over 3 months old and we’re finally getting into the rythm of things around here.  It’s been really fun watching him grow and develop the last few months.  He’s now able to see and is starting to recognize people.  He turns his head towards sound and smiles and laughs with you.  Is he actually responding to us? 

Waking up to his smiles always make my day.  Sometimes, he’ll sit there in his crib and babble in baby talk, with his thumb in his mouth, and kicks his legs up and down.  He’ll do this until we wake up and greet him.  Once he sees our face, he’ll smile at us.  What a wonderful morning greeting.  It melts my heart every time.

It’s too bad he’s not like that all the time.  Is there even such a “smile and laugh all the time” type of infant?  Many times, he’ll burst out crying at 2 a.m.  I’ll rush to him, pat lightly on the butt and hope that he goes back to sleep.  Yes, sometimes, it works, but other times, he cries even harder.  It’s those times that seem to test my patience.  

“Oh no,” I think to myself.  “Is he colicky? He can’t be.  Something is wrong.”  I check his clothes to see if he’s wet them.  Nope.  And he cries harder. Check for a wet diaper.  Nope.  He cries even harder.  I pick him up to see if he needs to burp.  Nope.  He cries so hard by now that he can’t breathe.  I look over to at my husband.  He’s still sleeping.  Still sleeping!  Can you believe that?  How can he sleep through all that crying?  I’m not pretty darn frustrated and wish he was up to help me.  He can either calm me down or calm the baby down so that I can calm down. 

Forget it…let him sleep.  Perhaps the baby had a nightmare.  So I just hold him close, cuddle him, and try to rock him back to sleep.  He stops crying almost immediately.  He opens his eyes to check if I’m still there.  Yes, I am.  So he closes his eyes and fall asleep.  “That was it?” I ask myself.  I hold him for 10 more minutes before putting him back into his crib.  I let out a sigh of relief and crawl back into bed.  It was now 3 am.

It’s really frustrating to see your baby cry and you don’t know what is wrong.  Sometimes, I’ll feel the urge to yell at him or even shake him.  But I know better not to.  Other times, I just want to leave him there and let him cry.  But that’s not a good idea either.  Especially when he starts to get hysterical. But I have come realize that sometimes, when he cries, all he really wants is just for me to cuddle with him until he falls asleep again.  For him to feel secure.  To feel loved.

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Free Enfamil Coupons

Wouldn’t you agree with me that buying baby formula gets expensive over time?  I think we have spent nearly $500 on formula alone and my baby is only 3 months old.  He’s a big drinker!  But I did manage to find this program offered by Enfamil themselves.  The program is called the Enfamil Family Beginnings. 

Basically, they will send you newsletters with valuable parenting tips and great information on baby care, feeding, nutrition, and development.  These newsletters come every other week or so and have coupons ranging from $4 to $7 attached.  The newsletters are tailored to the appropriate stage of your baby’s development. In addition to the coupons, they also send you free formula samples.  It’s a great program because it’s free.  All you have to do is visit their website and join online.  Just fill out a simple questionaire, get an online account, and your first coupon will be on its way to you.

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Dr. Brown’s Milk Bottles Review

Dr. Brown’s bottles claim that it reduces gas, colic, and spit up. But does it really?

I would not mind spending a few extra minutes to wash the extra parts of the bottle if they really work for my baby. After using them a few weeks, I realized that these bottles are no better than regular bottles. My husband and I ended up using the bottle itself and attaching a regular nipple, with no fancy parts. I think it’s just the way my baby drinks his milk. He ends up gulping in air every now and then and swallows it. I can hear the air travel through his body.

I think what helps is the type of milk the baby drinks. We tried converting our formula Enfamil Lipil with Iron (the yellow can) to one that reduces spit up (Enfamil AR (the orange can) and it seemed to work much better. No only did he spit up less, but he also seemed more comfortable - less gas.

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