Things I wish I knew

A lot of my friends are having babies, so I thought I'd write a few things I've learned in the past year.

1) Go ahead, pick them up when they're crying. Let them sleep next to you or fall asleep on top of you. You can't spoil them when they're under 6 months old, they're not smart enough to be manipulative yet.

2) Start pumping and storing early! Buy extra pump parts to have a set at home and at the office.

3) The Lanisoh plastic bags were great for stockpiling pumped milk (pumping while I was home with the baby.) Once we transitioned to daycare, the Evenflo glass bottles were far easier to use with the pump and for transportation/storage. I stopped freezing milk for daycare (except on Thursdays and Fridays,) as thawed frozen milk should theoretically be thrown away after 24 hours, but fresh milk can theoretically be kept for up to a week.

4) Diaper changing will get easier. Once they're about 4 months old, there's only one poop a day.

5) Once they reach the less frequent poop phase, pocket diapers are awesome for home use. They're easier to put on than paper diapers and more ecologically friendly. I bought some from this site and also this site.

6) Provided the poops have become less frequent, airline travel is EASIER between 4-8 months than after 9 months (as they get older they start to wriggle and squirm more.)

7) When we didn't beg, borrow, or steal baby gear, we tried to find it used. Find the local parent newsgroup or message board in your area and start your subscription while your still pregnant. In Berkeley, it would be parents.berkeley.edu. In San Francisco, it would be Golden Gate Mother's Group.