When I was expecting with my first someone told me to read
"The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp, M.D. I was really afraid of having a colicky baby who cried all the time and I swear on this book for all first-time parents. He dispels the myth of colic and tells how to reduce fussiness by using his "5 S's" which are:
- Swaddle
- Sucking
- Side/Stomach
- Swinging
- Shhhing
Done together these five things can become a lifesaver for any parent, even if your baby isn't fussy or colicky. So, I think this book, a swaddling blanket, and a binky would be a great shower gift. My favorite swaddling blanket is The Ultimate Swaddling Blanket by
Swaddle Designs. I like these because they are generously big and square (42x42), which makes swaddling a lot easier and they have the swaddling directions right on the blanket tag. So many receiving blankets are so small that they're too hard to use for swaddling after only a couple months. These will last well into toddlerhood and beyond! I also highly recommend a
Homedics sound machine like this one that produces white noise or calming ocean waves. This was really good at drowning out noises during nap time and creating a peaceful nursery environment.
Thanks for sharing about the blankets--they are gorgeous! I'll be keeping those in mind for gifts. I wanted to add that we had to swaddle our son for 5 months. Despite following Happiest Baby on the Block advice, we still had a really fussy guy on our hands. He was strong, too. So after 2 months, the only blanket that worked for swaddling was the miracle blanket: www.miracleblanket.com
ReplyDeleteThough not nearly as pretty (and yes, even a little scary looking as it reminds me of a straight jacket), we wouldn't have gotten any sleep without it! Congratulations on your pregnancy!