[Huggies] The Baby Name Dilemma

I love baby names. It is probably one of my favorite things about being pregnant or even knowing a pregnant lady. And I love the different types of baby namers out there. I know quite a few people who don't feel like they can name their baby until they have laid eyes on him or her in the hospital. I also know more than one person who can tell you the details of how to legally change your baby's name if you decide the one you put on the birth certificate just doesn't fit.

I have always found myself in the 'pick a good name and it will just work out' category. I like to keep it easy. Before you are released from the hospital, get the name to a person who works there and she will do all of the paperwork for the birth certificate and social security card for you. Heaven knows if it were left to me I would have an undocumented baby well into the teenage years!

One of my favorite phenomena is the couples who want to keep their baby names a secret. I have heard that they are afraid of someone else using the name or that someone will share a story that will make them change their mind. I don't worry about either. My mom was one of like 100 Susans in her high school and she survived, and if there is a story out there that is good enough to make me change my mind about a name, I want to know it BEFORE the baby is born. If my parents had told more people my sister's name before she was born, she might not have grown up with the initials A.S.S.

Just sayin'!

We have always used family names as our starting point when looking to name our kids. Our oldest son probably would have been named James after my husband's grandfather, but I was student teaching at the time and the little boy named Jimmy in my class used to try to choke other kids with jump ropes. So Jimmy the Strangler ruined that name choice.

We joke that when naming my youngest daughter we were trying to get into as many wills as possible. She is named after a great-great-grandmother, both grandmas, and with the name of three aunts and a great-grandmother thrown in for good measure. All crammed into a regular first and middle name. Now that is magic!

Baby number four is on the way. We had the PERFECT girl name picked out. It was pretty miraculous that we all agreed so quickly. Figures this baby would be a boy. I told my youngest, Ruby, that we should name him Max and she could take care of him like the big sister on 'Max and Ruby.' To which she replied, 'They don't have a mom.' Good point!

Why don't those cartoon bunnies have a mom? I mean, they have a grandma, but she doesn't live with them...

Anyway, if you have any good ideas for a baby boy name, let me know! My husband loves the name Hank, but honestly the only thing I can think of when I hear that name is hanky panky. That name so isn't going to happen.

What type of baby namer are you? Have you ever had your kids name legally changed? I would love to hear your baby naming stories!


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[Huggies] Pass Me Another Tissue

My pregnancy mood swings can pretty much be measured by the number of tissues I use crying over ridiculous things! We are talking buy-in-bulk-at-the-warehouse-store amounts of tissue.

I have always been a crier. Weepy commercials: check. A good book: check. Sad movies: check, check!

So, add the fluctuating hormones that accompany growing a human and it can get a little out of control. My husband is used to it (he has been down this road a few times before), and my older kids aren't really fazed by it. My poor four-year-old hasn't quite figured out why I am crying over her cartoons, though.

For some women, the pregnancy weepies actually leave them during the second trimester. Mine stay with me all 9 months and then even a few more months after the baby is born. But they don't bother me at all, especially this go-round. I know it is normal and I know it is a result of the hormones in my body that cause this miracle to be possible. That is even more evident this time, because for the first trimester my body decided that it didn't want to make some of those hormones. That resulted in a lot more tears for me because we almost lost this little guy. I will take the weepy pregnancy any day of the week.

I am about 5 seconds away from my third trimester and well on my way to feeling the only other pregnancy emotion I am familiar with: cranky! Of course, I think that has a lot to do with my inability to sleep comfortably the last 12 weeks. I have never had to deal with anxiety or depression issues that can also accompany the change in hormones during and after pregnancy; if you are feeling either of those, make sure to talk to your doctor. Sometimes we feel like we just have to deal with certain emotions because it is all part of the package, like my pregnancy crying, but it is always a good idea to have your doctor make sure there isn't something else going on.

I would love to hear your experience with pregnancy emotions. Any tips for keeping yourself from crying uncontrollably at a tissue commercial? Any advice for someone who might be dealing with other pregnancy emotions?

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Huggies - The Trouble With Feeding

As you can tell from the cheeks on my youngest, getting her to eat as a newborn was never an issue. I nursed all three of my children until they were around a year old, but here is the deal: I planned on breastfeeding them, I was home with them full-time, and we didn't have any issues with feeding or latching. So I breastfed. I plan to do the same with baby number four when he arrives, but I won't for a minute feel guilty if it doesn't work out that way. You have to decide what is best for your family.

I know women who nurse for a short time to make sure the baby gets the antibodies that are found in colostrum. I also know women who pump for only the first week for the same reason. And I know women who have never breastfed their babies. They all have healthy, beautiful, intelligent children. I am not saying there aren't benefits to breastfeeding, but I do think having a happy mother is a great benefit to a newborn as well.

If you are nursing, make sure to have nursing pads and a breast pump handy from day one. Even if you don't intend to pump often, an inexpensive pump could come in handy when your milk comes in and your little one hasn't gotten the hang of nursing yet. I learned this lesson the painful way with my firstborn.

If you plan to bottle feed, I recommend having a couple of different types of bottles to try. Open your first choice, but if the baby doesn't take to it, you won't need to have someone run to the store while you try to console a hungry baby. You might even want to check with the hospital you will be delivering at and see what type of nipple they use on the bottles they provide. If your newborn gets used to the hospital bottles, you might want to have something similar on hand. This actually is good advice for breastfeeding moms too. You never know if, by choice or by circumstance, you will need to pump and have your baby fed by a bottle, so you might want to have some on hand as well.

And what about how often to feed them? How will you know when they have had enough? If you are unsure, it is always a good idea to consult with your pediatrician and a lactation consultant. Both will come right to your hospital room before you head home. In my experience, your baby will be the best indicator of when and how much he or she wants to eat. Unless you have concerns because of lack of diaper changes needed or because the baby seems fussy, you are probably on the right track.

And most importantly, no matter what your feeding choice or schedule, you will know when you find what works for you. So be confident in your choices and know that you are doing a great job.

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Huggies: Right on Schedule

When I had my first child, I didn't worry much about a schedule. He was one of those kids who could sleep anywhere and through anything. If I had to run an errand he could sleep right through it.
He was the same with his eating schedule. He would nurse and take a bottle with ease, and even today he is the least picky of any of my kids when it comes to food. As long as I don't try to get him to eat an egg, he is a happy camper.  We also didn't have much of an outside schedule to contend with. I worked only a couple of short shifts a week, and during that time he would be home with Dad or happily hanging out at his grandparents' for a few hours twice a week.

Baby number two came and blew my easy-parenting dreams out the window with one word: COLIC! Our schedule consisted of only two phases: crying and not crying. We spent three months in survival mode.  Luckily I had quit work to stay at home full-time, and her older brother wasn't old enough to be in school yet, so we had even less need for a schedule.

When I had baby number three, a schedule became a little more important. I was still at home full-time, but I had two children in school. There was no more sleeping in if we had had a rough night. There were lunches to pack and kids to drop off.
One important step I used in establishing a sleep schedule was to make sure that any nighttime sleep interruptions--a needed feeding or diaper change--were completed quickly and with the least amount of light and interaction as possible. I kept all of the fun, stimulating interaction for the hours I wanted her to be awake.

Now baby number four is on its way this fall. I can't even wrap my head around the crazy schedule this is going to create. I will have three older children at three different schools: middle school, elementary school, and preschool. Throw in all of the extracurricular activities like sports, dance, and music lessons, and I don't know what schedule is going to be possible.

The thing I know for sure is that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a schedule for your baby. This is an area where you are going to have to measure your needs, the demands on your time, and the character of your little one to create something that works for you. Although I am keeping my fingers crossed that this little guy will be as flexible as his older brother was, I will still implement a lot of the same steps I used with all of my children, like a very structured bedtime routine. It may not take place at the same time every night, but the same activities will occur to help the baby learn the habit of bedtime. Nighttime interactions will be as peaceful as possible, and I will continue to not use a sound machine to drown out the noise of the house. I feel that the earlier the little one learns to sleep through some real-life chaos, the better.  And number one on my list: I will pray that this one doesn't have colic!

What tricks do you use in your house to implement a good sleeping schedule?

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Huggies: Mom Advice - Book, Blogs, and Articles, Oh My!

You have heard the phrase 'babies don't come with instruction manuals,' but it seems like these days there are hundreds of instruction manuals you can pick up at the bookstore, read online, or have recited to you by friends and family members. Although much of the advice is good advice, it is important to remember that none of those manuals are for your model. No two babies are alike, not even identical twins, so what works for one may not work for another. Not to mention that no two moms and no two families are the same either. Every new mom has to forge her own parenting road. So seek out advice wherever you are comfortable, but try to never ignore your own intuition.

So where should you turn for parenting advice? One option is your local bookstore. There are plenty of choices when it comes to books to read. Books are nice because you can take them into your home and read them privately. If you don't take the advice contained in their pages, the author will never know, and you don't have to worry about offending anyone. The biggest downside to books is that you have to take the time to read them. When you have a newborn baby in the house, time can be a very valuable commodity. I always vote for napping over reading when a newborn is sleeping.

What about the internet? You can find an answer to just about any question on the internet. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the answer is correct. Add to that the fact that many parenting subjects can be very controversial and it is easy to end up more confused than informed after searching online. Message boards and chat room-type communities are great for support but aren't always the best place to seek advice. Try to stick to sites that are run by hospitals, pediatricians, or trusted brands. Again, you may not always agree with the information they provide, but you can read differing views and make your own choices based on the information you have been provided.

What about other moms? There is no doubt that you will receive advice, solicited or not, from dozens of people you know or encounter while walking down the street. It may become overwhelming, but try to remember that most people are just trying to help. You probably already know two or three moms you trust and respect enough to seek advice from. They are the moms you know will share openly, won't judge you for your opinions, and will be supportive even if you choose not to follow the advice they have given. These are the people who will give you the best advice, either to follow or just to encourage you to think about other options.

One of my favorite places to look for advice is my pediatrician. I have been lucky to always have doctors that are friendly and supportive and will answer any question without making me feel uncomfortable. Of course, finding a pediatrician like that might require you to seek advice on pediatricians from others. It is a neverending cycle.
So, where is your favorite place to get parenting advice? You can check out the Huggies Mommy Answers Facebook page and BlogHer's Huggies page for more advice on seeking advice as well as many other parenting topics.

Dwelling on the Diaper Bag: Emergency Situations

So you have done your research and found the perfect diaper bag for you. You have everything you need and even some of the things you want tucked safely inside. You should be all set, right? No matter how much thought you put into the perfect diaper bag, there will come a time when an emergency arises. Maybe your husband used the last diaper and didn't restock, or you took your wipes out to use them and left them at your sister's house. Maybe you have everything you need in your bag, but you are at a store that doesn't have a changing table in the bathroom. Or what if you forget your bag altogether? Sleep deprivation can make you do crazy things like that!

How do you handle a diaper bag emergency? There are a few items that are handy to have in case you are in an unfriendly diaper-changing situation. You could be at someone's house that doesn't have kids or a store or restaurant that doesn't have a changing table available. At those times, it is handy to have a changing pad.

You can use a disposable pad or purchase a diaper bag that has a reusable pad included. These come in handy in situations where your car, your stroller, or even the floor might be the only option you have for that emergency change.

In addition, some type of diaper sack--a small scented trash bag you can seal the diaper up in--is handy when looking for a garbage can after that awkward diaper change.
On that same note, it is also a good idea to keep some gallon-size plastic zipper bags tucked away too. You never know when you are going to need to seal up some baby clothes that needed to be changed for one of a few messy reasons.

Now, what if the emergency is a missing supply or a lack of the diaper bag altogether? I make it a point to keep extra basics--diapers and wipes at the minimum, and typically a change of clothes too--in each of our vehicles. Not only does it come in handy for you, but if you are out (even without your little one) and a friend or even a stranger has an emergency diaper change need, you can come to the rescue. One quick tip for storing wipes in the car is to also keep a bottle of water tucked away with them. The heat of a car in the summer can easily dry out wipes, but with a little splash of water they will be as good as new.

What are your tips for being prepared for a diaper bag emergency? I would love to hear them


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Dwell on the Diaper Bag - My Diaper Bag Must Haves

I am sure when you think of the absolute must-haves for a diaper bag you think of the basics. Diapers, wipes, maybe some diaper cream. And of course those are the necessities, but with the little room left over -- in between the spare set of clothes and the baby formula -- you might want to squeeze in some other handy items. Here are three of my favorite diaper bag must-haves.


The first item on my list is a carabiner. A giant carabiner!

Carabiners are a tool used for climbing, but they have been adapted for a ton of everyday uses. I have one that I use for a key chain and now I never have to dig in my purse for my keys. Large carabiners are great for carrying multiple bags at once. I use it to keep all of my reuseable shopping bags together and to carry them into the house. It is handy for people who often have their hands full, like moms.
But they have an extra use for you when you are lugging around a diaper bag. You can use the hook to secure your diaper bag to the handle of a shopping cart, freeing up space for things like groceries! And if you are out shopping with a stroller you can use it to hook both the diaper bag and your purchases to the handle of the stroller while you push it along. The best part about this diaper bag must-have is that you won't out grow it. Even when your little one is out of diapers, this hook will still be a handy tool you can continue to use.


My second diaper bag favorite actually does have to do with diapers and wipes. Well, at least wipes.

Although the hard travel wipe cases are handy, I love to use a full-size soft pack in my diaper bag. Wipes are handy for lots of things like sticky fingers, and dirty noses, not to mention their intended purpose, so I like to keep a lot of them handy. You never want to be caught without a wipe when you need one, and the 8-10 wipes that a travel case carries just never feels like enough to me. Plus they come in such fun designs!


The last diaper bag must-have was given to me by my aunt when I had my third child. She gave me what looked like a cute little purse, but it was actually a very convenient way to keep track of a binkie.

This cute little pacifier purse attaches to the strap of your diaper bag and eliminates the need to frantically dig through all of your possessions when your little one gets fussy. It is even big enough to carry pacifier wipes, which come in handy for all the times the pacifier gets spit out and lands on the ground.


These three items are some of my favorites to have tucked away in my bag. What about you? Do you have a can't-live-without-item that you carry in your diaper bag?
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Dwelling on the Diaper Bag

This month Huggies has asked us to 'Dwell on the Diaper Bag.'  I think diaper bags might be the one pregnancy subject that actually isn't controversial. I mean, who doesn't think a diaper bag is handy? That would be like thinking a baby isn't cute. So whether you have your eye on a really expensive designer diaper bag or are just planning to use the freebie they give you at the hospital, a diaper bag is one of those essential items you will want to have before you bring baby home.


With my first child I didn't put much thought into a diaper bag. The hospital gave me a pretty decent one that was neutral in color and not white with pastel animals on it like some of the others I had seen. Everything I needed fit inside nicely, so I used it for about the first year of being a mom. Of course, I had never been one that was picky about purses, and I carried all of my personal items in a day planner at the time, so I was pretty easy to please.

By the time I had my second kiddo, I knew what features were essential. Outside pockets for the things that you will want to grab quickly, like a bottle, a binkie, and your cell phone, are a must. Obviously you want to get to your phone in a hurry if it is ringing, but you will also come to appreciate having bottles and pacifiers that are quickly at hand when baby gets fussy.


Anytime my kids were with me, my diaper bag doubled as my purse. When you are already towing a baby and a diaper bag, it is a lot to ask to toss on another shoulder strap. It is always a good idea, especially in the first few months, to make your life as easy as possible. And when you are sleep deprived, you will only have one bag to keep track of instead of two. I found a nice large diaper bag that had two main compartments. I kept all of baby's needs on one side and mine on the other. It was nice not to have to dig through diapers and wipes when looking for my wallet, and I never had to worry about formula and goldfish getting mixed in with my gum and lip balm.

Speaking of formula and goldfish, your diaper bag will start out nice and pristine, but eventually it will need a good cleaning. It may just be the amount of use it gets, but it will more likely be a bottle with a lid that wasn't secure, crumbs from your baby's favorite first snacks, or even a well-executed spit-up. No matter how beautiful the diaper bag of your dreams is, it needs to be easy to clean. Machine washable is heavenly, but if that isn't an option, get a bag that has a waterproof lining that is easy to wipe down.

Next week I will write a little more about the must-haves of diaper bags that I figured out by kid number three, and I am not just talking about diapers and wipes. There are a couple of additions that will make life as a mom much easier, at least where the battle of digging through the diaper bag is concerned. For now, I would love to hear what you loved about your diaper bag.

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Cars Seats and Strollers and High Chairs, Oh My!

When it comes to major purchases for a baby, there are about a million things to consider. After you have done your research on safety and quality, you then have to decide style and price. But there are a couple things that you might not think about when it comes to those purchases, especially if you are a first-time parent. I am going to let you in on three tips to consider when shopping for Car Seats, Strollers, and High Chairs. You may or may not realize that infants spend a lot more time in their car seats than they do in the actual car. Even if you don't opt for the travel system, you will be carrying them around almost everywhere in the carrier. Before you purchase your car seat, go to a store where you can actually lift the carriers. There are two major types of carrier handles. One goes straight across the seat.

And one has a 90-degree turn.

They make a difference on how you will carry them and your baby as it grows from a cute little 7-pound newborn to a 20-pound butterlump. I have carried all three of my kids with the car seat on my forearm, resting against my hip. The straight handle works a thousand times better for this.

So the moral of the story is you will be carrying around a lot of weight in that car seat, so make sure you get one that you can carry comfortably. Try them out before you plunk down the money for a travel system.

Speaking of a travel system, there are even more features to take into consideration for a stroller. Again I recommend going to a store where they will let you test a stroller out. Push it around and check the turning radius and DEFINITELY try collapsing the stroller. It can be a lot harder than you think. I also highly recommend cup holders and storage under the stroller.

Last but not least, when looking for a high chair, make sure you consider a space-saving-style high chair that straps to one of your regular kitchen chairs. It gives you all of the benefits of a regular high chair, but it is also portable, easily stored away, and typically less than half the price of a traditional high chair.

And without a doubt you want a chair with a completely removable tray for easy cleaning. One that is dishwasher safe will make your life very happy.

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Surviving Week 40 [Pregnancy]

Ah! The week before Baby comes. Unless you have a scheduled c-section or induction, this is sort of a mythical time. During my first pregnancy, my 'last week' ended up being three weeks long. About two weeks before my due date, even my doctor was convinced I would go into labor at any moment. Exactly a week after my due date, my son decided to make an appearance.

41 weeks pregnant

Here are some tips I picked up after child number 1 that will make that last week, or three, a little more bearable.

Don't tell anyone that isn't essential family your actual due date. Obviously you want your parents and husband to know, but everyone will ask and you don't need every person you see the last week of your pregnancy asking you why you haven't gone into labor yet. My doctor gave me great advice that I didn't follow the first go-round. Pick an event or holiday that is around but after your due date. When people ask when you are due, say 'around Easter' or 'just before the 4th of July.' Due dates are estimates anyways, so give yourself a little padding. My son was due in April, so if I had followed her advice I would have said around Cinco de Mayo. I would have been dead-on, since my son was born on May 5.

Get important things done ASAP and let the rest go. I believe every state won't let you leave the hospital without a proper car seat, so make sure you have one. Get it installed and practice taking the carrier out a few times. Pack a bag for the hospital. It doesn't have to be elaborate. If you forget a toothbrush, every hospital I have delivered in has extra. You can put that in the trunk of your car too. Make sure you have diapers and wipes and if you aren't breast-feeding you will need bottles and formula, but other than that every other single thing can wait. Your last week of pregnancy is not the time to be worrying about painting the nursery.

And probably the best piece of advice I can give in your last week of pregnancy is SLEEP! Sleep every chance that you get!! There are going to be a million things you want to get done, and since you will probably be nesting you will have the energy to do them. Try to resist! I had a friend that stayed up until 3 am tiling her kitchen. She went into labor at 5 am. Labor is exhausting enough. Starting out exhausted is the worst thing you can do for yourself. Enjoy your last quiet nights at home with your hubby. Watch movies, snuggle on the couch, and get as much rest as you possibly can. Because once your little one is home it may be 18 years before you get an uninterrupted night of sleep again.

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What Not To Buy for Baby

We recently cleaned out our garage and gave away all of the baby items we had been holding onto. Items we had used with our first child and held onto through child two and three and then a bit longer just in case. You would be surprised at how few items there actually were. A crib, a pack-and-play, a high chair, and a stroller. Now, there were some items that we loved, but they just didn't store well or they needed to be replaced for safety reasons, like car seats, but in reality there is just a lot of stuff that you feel like you won't be able to live without that you probably don't need. And not buying those items could save you a ton of money.

Here are my suggestions for items that you don't need when having a baby, at least not right when you bring them home.

Inconvenient 'Convenience' Items. There are a lot of items that sound great when you are walking through the baby aisles but really only end up costing you more money. We never bought a wipe warmer because I had multiple friends tell me that they dried out their baby wipes and rendered them useless. I returned the fancy diaper pail we bought before even opening it because the refillable trash bags were pricey. For a lot less money we could put a regular trash can with a lid right outside the back door or walk the diapers out to the trash can. It was a good job for my husband.

Untested Items. Eventually you will want to have a dozen bottles and a half dozen binkies at your disposal at all times. And in your nesting stage you will want to buy them all, sterilize them, and get them all ready for the new arrival. In theory that sounds great, but when you bring the baby home and they won't latch onto the bottles you have chosen and prefer the binkie that they got in the hospital nursery, you will have wasted a big chunk of money on items that you now can't even take back. This rule applies for formula too. And clothes. If you have a closet full of newborn-month clothes, the baby will likely outgrow them before you even remember to put them all on. My babies never even fit into newborn sizes. Buy a couple of the essentials and when you find what works and what the baby loves, then go out and stock up.

Items You Can Borrow. It is likely that you know someone that has had a baby and is going to have another baby but doesn't have a baby right now. Someone that is storing a swing or a rocking chair, or one of a dozen other items in their garage. Someone that probably wouldn't mind lending it to you so they could park in their garage again. Now, not everyone is a lender or a borrower, but if you have it available to you I would seriously consider taking advantage of it. Even if just to take the items on a trial run. Some babies love swings and others don't. Save yourself a couple hundred dollars and find out which one your bundle of joy is before you fork out the dough on a swing of your own. And sometimes it is mom that doesn't like an item. I love rocking chairs but not gliders. That fact would have been good to know before we bought a glider for the nursery.

No matter what you decide you can't live without, try not to panic and buy it all before the baby gets here. There is plenty of time to figure out what you want to have around, and you probably can find a superstore open 24 hours a day to get it when you do decide you need it. You should spend all of your free time before the baby comes sleeping anyways. You can't buy that at the store.



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