Crib Notes

Every parent has dreams about bringing home their newborn baby and cuddling and gently rocking the day away. But, when baby starts crying and doesn’t stop for hours each evening, we get frustrated, tired and confused.

As my three year old son peeked around the corner into my hospital room, my hope was that we had prepared him well for this moment. It was the first time he would meet his twin sisters. As he walked into the room, I could see his apprehension melt away when he saw that there were balloons and a gift –for him. We explained that we were celebrating him becoming a big brother and the gift was from his new little sisters.

There are a number of classic, all-American essential aspects of summer - those things that you have to do at least once during the season. Making a trip to the local swimming pool is a must, also celebrating the 4th of July, likely with fireworks. The sweltering heat of July and August can make most families long for a little time away from real life. And every year, families pile into their vehicle for the quintessential road trip.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and that is definitely true with parenting. Your first kid can be pretty overwhelming and just when you think you have everything figured out your baby enters a new phase and you are back to feeling clueless all over again. Here are a few sites that I wish I had known about as a new mom.

With my first baby I was not concerned with "getting the best deal" on essential baby products. Instead I was concerned with what everyone else said I needed. With my second child, I cut back on buying as I had most of what I needed from my first. When my third was born, I needed deals...good deals...on diapers, wipes and other quickly consumed items. Here are some tips that worked for me on how to get the best deals on these products.

When my first son was born, I was pretty clueless about what a baby really needed. Sure, you buy things like body suits, diapers, and a crib, but then there are those things that you’re “supposed” to have, like a wipe warmer (really??) and crib bumpers. Isn’t your crib, the superstar of the nursery (second of course to the baby), supposed to look cute?  It turns out that those bumpers aren’t so safe for your wee one, particularly when they start moving about in the crib.

It’s hard enough becoming a mother, either for the first time, or adding another to your already balanced family life. For me, it was my first pregnancy, and after battling infertility and going through several rounds of IVF, I was finally pregnant, at the tender young age of 41. My due date was 12 FEB 2010, so you can imagine my shock when I delivered my son, all 2lbs 5oz of him the day after Thanksgiving 2009.