If you are looking for stilletto recommendations, you are in the wrong place. I need to be able to run after my kids without falling on my face. Want to know your smartphone's metapix? Sorry. I only write about whether it can survive 5 minutes in the hands of my kids.
After having a baby, one of the adjustments you undertake as a new Mom is your relationship with your husband, because this person is now a Daddy – a new role. The role comes with changes on their end too.
I spend most of my days taking care of our newborn son (and most of the evenings and nights too). Add laundry, cooking, and cleaning to the mix, new Moms barely have time for themselves, let alone their husband. My husband also works 14 hours a day. By the time he gets home and has dinner, he does not have much time for me either.
So how do you connect with your husband? You have heard it before. Spend at least 10 minutes each day together, have date night once a month, email or talk briefly during the workday, and/or go to bed at the same time so you can have a snuggle before falling asleep.
But how does your husband connect with the new baby? If my husband is gone 14 hours a day, by the time he gets home, our son is asleep. Weekends are not much better since I currently am the only one that can feed him (although the diaper changes are up for grabs).
First, see if you can create opportunities for your husband to feed the baby. It gives you a break and allows him to have that bonding. Also throw in a few diaper changes. Maybe make bath time solely a Daddy event.
Second, see if there are ‘baby’ classes for Dad in your area. In the metro-Boston area, there is a great class at Isis Maternity for Dads. Yes, Dads. It is called Time for Dads. It is a four week class that provides Dads with networking, knowledge and a new outing with the baby each week.
Lastly, send your husband an email a few times a week…from the baby. Have the baby ‘tell’ Daddy what they have been up to that day. Maybe even include a picture. It will make the ‘Daddy’ feel like he is part of the day with the baby.
All in all, a new baby brings a lot of work and a lot of joy. Make sure the new Mommy and Daddy work on the relationship with each other as well as their own relationship with the new baby. It all adds up to a growing and strengthening family. Totally worth it.
Frankly, I am getting tired of seeing “Woman as Objects” advertising. I usually let it slide though and move on, as most of us do. Recently though, I saw two commercials that really took it to the next level and has set me a wee bit over the edge. Maybe because I expect the degradation of women when I watch the commercials during sporting events (sad fact), but I don’t expect it from a fitness company. The offender – Reebok.
The two commercials that aired have close-ups of butts and boobs, and I mean c-l-o-s-e ups. The message, as the woman bends over in her underwear for a close up of her waxing job, buy our new sneakers with a special technology that will improve your butt. (Ironic that I saw these commercials for the first time while working out on the treadmill.)
Anyway, these commercials are for women’s sneakers. Yet as far as I know, the ‘in-our-face’ boob or ass shot usually only works for heterosexual men. So why show a woman’s butt in my face as I run on my treadmill? Supposedly I will be insanely jealous of this woman’s butt that I will run out and buy these sneakers so my butt can look just as good. In other words, my desire for a great butt will override my inherent objection over the degrading commercial.
Luckily these commercials appear on lesser known cable channels. Although I do see them during the day. At least my newborn son can’t see that far yet, but others may not be so lucky. All because the advertisers know such ads work and we will be running out the door to buy the sneakers. Added to the fact that people like me will post our angst and anger, creating free advertisement and buzz over such sneakers.
So this post is not about feminists rights or why we should not let advertisers continue these campaigns, etc. etc. Nor am I saying that you shouldn’t run out and try to get a great butt. Rather, my point is that if you are going to run out to get kick-ass sneakers, get sneakers that don’t use such degrading ads and have been around longer than these new ‘offenders’.
This ‘butt-sneaker’ technology is not new. A company called MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) created a sneaker in the late 90s in Europe to make physiological improvements to our walking gait. In 2003, the sneaker made its debut in the U.S. While its focus was (and is) less on a great ass and more on physiological improvements, it does achieve both and has the specs to prove it.
So if you have the desire to have your boobs be jealous of your butt, then skip the Reeboks and give MBTs a go. I don’t own a pair….yet. One distributor I know of is Bliss World…..and they are currently having a sale.
Registering for baby products can be a fun experience or an overwhelming one.For me, it was the latter.Many products, many brands and many pieces of advice to sort through, while in the throes of morning sickness and mood swings.(Taking the bar exam was easier.)
Books, blogs, friends, retailers, parents and coworkers each have a list of essentials, and not so essentials, for your newborn baby that they impart upon you (solicited or not).Added to the fact that you have not even met your baby, (at least when you register for wedding gifts, you can consult your partner-to-be!), you probably want to run out of the local baby store.
So as a survival method, many soon-to-be-moms (and dads) often focus on the bigger items first.It is easier to focus on cribs, car seats, monitors, and strollers than the seemingly thousands of bottles and nipples.But at some point, you do move to the smaller items like bedding, mattresses and sheets, and then to items like socks, burp cloths and blankets.
For me, I received a lot of blankets for my baby shower.It was this event that got me thinking, – where am I supposed to use these?I had read in various articles that you are not supposed to use blankets in the crib.So what do you use in a crib?Since my baby was due in October, I realized it was a question I needed to answer sooner rather than later.
It was around this time that I had the opportunity to review a unique product called the HaloSleepSack Swaddle for my newborn baby. I checked out the specifications online and found it to be an interesting concept.So when I was approached to try it out, I was excited to see how it worked.
Fast-forward two months.My baby was born (a boy – yeah!) and I spent the customary two nights in the hospital.While there, my son spent his time wrapped up like a burrito in the hospital blanket.The nurses showed me how to swaddle and, due to my fuzzy sleep deprived state of mind, I thought I learned (in two days) what the nurses do everyday for years and years.
After I came home from the hospital, I continued my naivety and swaddled for a couple of nights, using the hospital’s swaddling blanket.I believed it would enable a smoother transition from hospital to home.But since I really did not swaddle like the nurses, I often found the blanket unraveled in the crib, my newborn son flailing his arms, causing me panic that he would suffocate on the material.Thus, while my newborn son was crying late one night as I fumbled to redo the swaddle, I decided to give the SleepSack Swaddle a try.
It was easy to put on.No sleeves and you don’t have to slip it over a baby’s head. Since it is like a sleeping bag, I laid him on top, put his arms through the holes and zipped the zipper.Then I wrapped the ‘wings’ of the SleepSack Swaddle around his middle, making sure his arms were by his side first so they would be covered by the wings of the SleepSack Swaddle.I then hurried to bed before he could protest.
A short time later (too short), my son awoke looking for breakfast.When I reached into his crib, he was tucked in the same way he went in.No loose ends, no flapping arms or fabric covering his face.Things looked promising!!!
But when I went to change him, I was thrown for a bit of a loop. Changing my son when he was in the traditional swaddle, I would just unwrap the blanket.Then I would tuck the blanket under his bum to protect it from the dirty diaper.But the SleepSack Swaddle was like a sleeping bag and it was a bit bulky so I could not tuck the SleepSack Swaddle out of the way. What to do?
Well, I realized I could place a diaper cloth under his bottom, but over the SleepSack Swaddle when the flaps were open and the zipper undone, rather than trying to tuck it out of the way. It worked great.An added bonus was that he stayed warm while I changed his diaper, unlike the traditional blanket swaddle, because I did not have to remove it entirely.It also made for faster diaper changes, which is a big benefit at three o’clock in the morning.
It comes in different materials; cotton fabric, micro-fleece to name two. It even comes in organic fabric. I used a beautiful soft polyester in chocolate brown – it felt like velvet.The white version is stunning (though probably not great for a baby if you like things clean) but it would make a great christening gown, if that was something in which you were participating, because it is that nice.There are sizes from newborn to 24 months, so unlike standard sleeping gowns by leading baby clothing brands that are 0-9 months, it won’t ride up or get close to your baby’s face if your baby is on the smaller side.
In the version I tried, there are three ways to use it.You can take the wings off and just use theSleepSack Swaddle as a gown.Leave on the wings and wrap it around your baby’s body for extra warmth and soothing. Or wrap the wings around your baby’s body and arms for ultimate swaddling.What is great is that you have flexibility enabling you to determine what suits your baby best and not to worry about buying the wrong product that wastes your time and money.
I truly don’t have any complaints or criticisms about this product – frankly, I fell in love with it. Though it would be a huge plus if Halo SleepSack Swaddle products were made in the USA. Otherwise, they have great sizing, fabric, flexibility in use, and the price is reasonable (around $20). Also, a percentage of the purchase goes directly to First Candle/SIDS Alliance to support Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) medical research, education and family services. So not only are you getting a great product, but you are supporting a great cause as well.
My one tip though is in regard to washing. Make sure the zipper is zipped and the ‘swaddle’ part of the SleepSack Swaddle (the flaps or wings) are velcroed together.Then place the SleepSack Swaddle in a laundry bag.Otherwise, you will get what I got, which was the SleepSack Swaddle twisted in knots and the Velcro capturing socks and other garments in its wrath.Other than that, after washing, I did not notice any shrinkage, pilling or fading of the fabric.A major plus in my book. It holds up well.
So in all in all, do I recommend buying or registering for this product?Absolutely.In fact, I just came home with three more….and my son could not be more pleased. I think you will be too.
