Swaddling Blankets VS Sleep Sacks

I am a HUGE fan of swaddling.  HUGE.  The reason I am such a huge fan, is because I have seen it work miracles with my own.  But there a few ways to make sure it always works, because I know a lot of people give up and say it didn't work really well.  One of the biggest things, is you have to be consistent.  We all know that babies love consistency.  If they are swaddled every time when they go to sleep, they are going to associate swaddling with sleeping.  Seems about right.  Another big thing besides consistency, is making sure you have the right swaddle- and that you swaddle them the right way.  If you half swaddle them everytime, or have a blanket that doesn't really swaddle that well- it's hard for them to stay swaddled, and then you have a super tight burrito baby with one arm flailing around not knowing why it is free.  Of course my favorite swaddles are the pricey Aden + Anais ones.  I have the regular ones, and the bamboo ones.  Both work great.  The bamboo ones are softer, and  little bit larger.  They have more of a stretchier feel to them when you swaddle.  The downside is, they get those lint ball looking things faster and look worn a lot easier than the regular muslin ones.  But they are more buttery feeling and slick.  Both get the job done great.  On Amazon, there are so many delicious patterns to choose from of Aden + Anais that it makes the job of choosing even harder.  They are adorable.  Above Cole is using the Bamboo Aden blanket from the "Diwali" 3-pack.  In the regular cotton muslin blankets I thought the "Liam the Brave" pack was the cutest, but it is definitely a toss up with so many choices.  Check it out here.  They come in packs of two, three, or four.  The four packs is definitely a better value, but obviously pricier up front- depending on the style you want.  At first swaddling to us seemed super weird.  We couldn't ever get it tight enough, and it always felt like he was drowning in blanket (which freaked us out even more).  We swaddled him in smaller receiving blankets for a while at the beginning, until we realized that these swaddles can go around their newborn bodies twice with how teeny they are, and it makes it that much more secure.  They are far better than the other blankets we were swaddling him with.  The material on these swaddles is breathable, and not hot.  It's huge and great for swaddling.  It's perfect for a baby.  The main thing that came with us not feeling so slow or clumsy with swaddling was practice.  We watched the "Happiest Baby on the Block" video where Harvey Karp shows you how to swaddle a baby, and we watched this video from babycenter:

It is definitely a must-have thing for newborn baby time especially.  

Cole was swaddled until he could start rolling over.  After he started rolling over, we switched to the Halo sleep sacks, so that he still had a blanket on that wouldn't get twisted around him, but had the freedom to move his arms and roll around.  Super geeky looking, but great if the nights are a little chilly.

Cole now sleeps without either sleep sacks or swaddles and he is 8 months old.  Without those swaddles though for those first 6 months, we would have been lost.  They were awesome at helping him sleep quickly and stay asleep a long time.

Bouncy Chairs Deluxe.

You are looking at one of my favorite purchases for Cole thus far.  So far I have loved the bjorn things I have purchased (the bib is amazing, this chair saved us the past 4 months, and of course the carrier).  This chair though, deserves a post in and of itself because it has been known to be called the elixir of sleep chair in our home.  Cole had outgrown the swing, and it was taking us so long to get to sleep in his crib for naps during the day.  Nights were fine, but naps were not real.  I know there are plenty of baby gadgets out there.  Some are helpful, some are helpful and ridiculous, and some are just pure gimmick.  This, I feel falls in the first category.  It has been nothing but helpful.  It doesn't have a bunch of bells and whistles like the other bouncy chairs (vibrator, songs, toys, etc), but I feel like you don't need all those things for your baby to love this.  I love that it can last a child well past when other bouncy chairs can last because of how big it is.  I also love that it has great back support and three levels you can position it at (low medium and high), but my favorite thing about it, is how dang bouncy it is.  It's positioned on this huge metal frame, and you can easily bounce it with your foot while you eat, or sew, or do whatever it is that you do when you're not holding the baby.  It is such a smooth bounce, it has saved us.  Cole has napped in this for all his daytime naps for the past 4 months.  It is heaven sent.  He falls asleep super fast, and stays asleep.  When Cole had his first cold and couldn't sleep well in a crib (even with the mattress lifted at one end), this was the perfect place for him to sleep because he was more upright and could keep his nose more clear.  Another awesome feature about it, is when they get older (Cole just started doing it around 6.5-7 months he can bounce himself in it, and he loves it.  LOVES it.  He figured it out on his own how to move his legs, and he can make himself bounce for so long, and high.  He laughs and loves this chair.  Whenever we go places, we take it with us because it's the perfect seat to keep him content, yet still feel apart of whats going on.  It folds completely flat, so it's easy to travel with, or store after when you decide it's time to put the elixir away until the next child.  Because it folds flat, it can also be easily stored under a couch so you're living room isn't cluttered, and can be pulled out when it's time to play.  It is definitely a pretty price to pay for just a bouncer chair- but there are sales at all the major department stores, coupons that come in the mail, or we just saved up gift cards from returned stuff and purchased it with credit.  Well worth it in my book.  Cole is 8 months, and he still hangs out in it everyday.  They say you can use them up to 2 years old.  Awesome baby item.  Totally worth it.  Here is a 20 second cheesy clip where you can see a baby bouncing themselves.  Mind you, they get higher and higher as they get older and braver.

All Natural, All Amazing, Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

So I've started to get into essential oils.  My hubs says they are hooky pooky placebo, and I'm still on the fence about some of them.  But I figure, even if it is placebo- I'd rather my brain tell me it works and have it work that way, than using some chemical or medicine that isn't good for my body.  Slowly over time as I try them out on my own I am finding that I really love using them.  I think they are fabulous.  I don't believe they are the cure-all to everything-all.  But herbs and plants have been around for so long, they definitely have some huge benefits if you use them correctly.  I am starting to be a big believer.  They are all organic cleaners so it's safe to clean with Cole around, they help with skin irritations, sleep help, stomachaches, headaches, etc.  I own the basic oils (peppermint (for headaches), lavender (for skin irritations), lemon (for cleaning), orange (for cleaning), meleleuca (my favorite that I DO know works- used as a healer for cuts, sores, zits, etc), Doterra's Breathe (amazing when your child has a cough, cold, or congestion- stick it in the humidifier or dilute with coconut oil and put it directly on their chest) and a few other combination oils.  Cole (my 7 month old) had developed a diaper rash on the front of his body.  For a week or two I'd used diaper rash creams (A+D, Bourdeauxs Butt Paste, and Desitin).  Those creams have always worked okay in the past, but this rash was different.  It was stubborn, and it wasn't seeming to go away.  If I put the diaper rash creams on, it wouldn't worsen, but it wouldn't get better either.  And I was ending up using a lot of cream for something that just wasn't going away easy.  I started reading some forums and asking google (which always leads you to think your child is going to die of something crazy soon and you better get into the doctor...and that your issue is a LOT more serious than it really is.)  I had come to the conclusion that he had some sort of yeast infection, and I probably should take him in to see the doctor.  Then essential oils crossed my mind, and I thought I'd give them a try before going to the doctor.  I looked up some essential oil diaper rash recipes and mixed a few of them together and came up with this magical elixer:

Natural Diaper Rash Cream

-Cornstarch (to help keep it dry, since wetness is a huge cause of diaper rash)

-Olive Oil (great for soothing irritated skin)

-Meleleuca Oil 10-12 drops (great for healing fungal, viral, or bacteria type infections)

-Lavender Oil 10-12 drops (amazing on the skin, also a skin healer)

Mix the cornstarch and the olive oil until you have a thick gooey consistency that doesn't run too fast.  You can see the consistency below that I chose.  Slow flowing when you hold the spoon up.  I didn't mix a ton of either, because I was testing it out.  I probably started with a tablespoon of cornstarch, and mixed olive oil in until it was the consistency I preferred.  It will have a greenish yellowish color from the olive oil.  Then I added in the 10 drops of meleleuca and 10 drops of lavender and mixed it well.

I bought this container in the travel section of walmart for 99 cents.  I put the diaper ointment into this, so it was easy to travel with, as well as store.  I'd store it in some sort of airtight container, and keep it out of the direct sunlight.

Well the story goes, that this stuff is AMAZING.  It works so well, that I've started telling friends about it and it works for them too!  The diaper rash started to look better after the first couple applications, and it ended up getting rid of it and healing it completely.  Just make sure you are adding it whenever you change diapers, as well as making sure that you give the skin some time to air out as well and not be under a diaper or a cream sometimes too.  Now, if ever I see any pink or redness underneath his diaper, I instantly use this and it goes away.  Placebo?  I think not.  This stuff is awesome, easy, and the best is, it's all natural.  No ingredients that I don't know about, and it smells good too!  I've already made another batch of it, and have it on hand in the closet for when we need it again.  I'm sold.