I’m BAAAA-CK!!!

So here I am. I am alive and back on the blogging scene. As usual, I have missed it terribly but unfortunately life got the better of me the past few months and I had to prioritise. This meant that the Batchelor Pad took last place. 😦

I guess I should get you all up to speed on what has been happening…

I completed a 12 week full time teaching placement which has resulted in me now becoming a fully qualified Primary Teacher! It was damned hard work and I am soooo glad it is over.

About 3 weeks into my placement, I fell pregnant… yup I am pregnant 🙂 I am now 20 weeks along and have just found out it is a lovely little girl (although very active little girl) who refuses to sit still for any photograph session so far. BTW… the new 4D ultrasounds… horrible! It did not assist the bonding at all… the sonographer said it looked like a baby gecko but my husband and I felt it was something more like a baby alien. Thank goodness they don’t come out looking like that! lol

I tried to toilet train my daughter last week but called it off after 3 days as she wasn’t coping emotionally. The thing is, she is sooooo ready for it physically and intellectually that it made sense to try BUT the emotional meltdowns we were having (that weren’t getting better with each day) only showed us that she is still a little too young. So nappies/diapers it is for another month when I will try again (if that fails, I’ll wait till after Podge, the new baby, is born). On a positive note however, she has learned to hold her bladder and knows the difference between doing a number 1 or 2 now. I’ll ask her if her nappy needs changing and she will reply with either of the following:

‘No Mummy. I clean.’
‘Yesh. I wet Mummy.’
‘No Mummy. Jus ffffart.’ (that one still makes me laugh)

The biggest thing I have been agonising over the past few months however has been whether to return to work or not. I know that every mother goes through this tough decision and every mother makes their decision based on their own circumstances. I am not one to judge anyone’s decision here!

My dilemma has been that whilst I don’t need to return to work, it would be nice to earn some extra cash so we could all live it up a little more (we’ve had to start a tighter budget recently). On the other hand, I keep reminding myself that I will never get these years back with my kids. I know I will look back in 20 years and think, ‘Why did you choose material things over your kids?’ I am sure I won’t see that it was worth it. I was stuck in a rut with it all and began applying for jobs ‘to keep my options open’ but realised the other day that in not making a decision but applying for jobs and unofficially being offered one, I was in fact making a decision to choose work over staying home. This made me very uncomfortable. The fact that I felt uncomfortable only told me I had made a decision that I did not like.

So a compromise was made.

I will be a stay-at-home-mum who does night shift on Friday nights and recovers on Saturday afternoons (after we have gone to the Farmer’s Markets as a family on Saturday morning). Now the question is… will I cope with that? I am pregnant after all! Time will tell.

How do you juggle family and work? Are you a stay-at-home-mum- was that decision a tough one for you?

Shopping for Baby Items – Separating the essential from the non-essential

A pregnant friend of mine came over for dinner at the weekend and said on numerous occasions and said that no one could tell her what she needed to buy to prepare for the baby. I have made up a list for her consisting of what I think are ‘essential’, ‘nice-to-have’, a ‘luxury’ and so on based on what I have found to be a ‘godsend’ for me. Check it out and tell me what you would recommend and if you think I have some non-essentials that are essentials or vice versa…

Essential Baby Items

Item	Price Range	Brand I bought	What I think of mine
Car Seat	$250 to $600	Chicco Infant Capsule	It is the best for safety on the market- meets all safety requirements plus some for Australian Standards. Whilst it is great to have an infant specific seat, I could have saved by getting a car seat like the Safe n’ Sound Platinum AHR Air Cushion (Top of the range) for $659.00 BUT there are cheaper ones.
Cot	$400 to $1500	Kingparrot	I like the safety rails and how they have a special lock on them within the run. ‘Baby Girl’ can’t get her fingers trapped in it and she won’t be able to push the side down when she is older as a result. I don’t like the mosquito canopy on our cot but most cots don’t come with that.
Pram/Stroller	$150 to $1500	Baby Jogger (City Select)	I love my pram/stroller! It is very easy to fold and folds small compared to other pram/strollers. The wheels come with a guarantee (the only brand that does) and the company will send replacements to anywhere in the world for me. The stroller seat converts to a bassinet for when they are newborn (costs an extra $80) and an attachment can be bought (extra $60) for the car capsule to slot straight onto the pram frame (no waking baby when they fall asleep in the car). Just check the Baby Jogger website for compatible car seats before you buy a car seat.
High Chair	$100 to $500	Svan High Chair	I love this chair. It is wooden and is just about the only highchair that you can use from 4-6 months (as soon as they have control of their heads). It can be converted to a chair for up to 7 year olds. This brand is at the higher end of the price range though.
Steam Steriliser (If bottle feeding)	$40 to $200	Medela Microwave Steriliser bags	I like the microwave bags however as I have started bottle feeding more than I used to, I think a microwave steamer (container) would be better for the larger volumes I am sterilising.
Breast Pump	$100 to $1000	Medela Portable Double Electric Pump	I prefer using an electric pump and hand expressing. This pump is light weight and easy to travel with. It came with 2 breast attachments and 4 bottles to store the milk in. There is a hand pump that can be bought by AVENT which is supposed to be alright. Most people will say that an electric pump will take off more milk than a hand pump though.
Cot Sheets	$40 and up	No particular brand	Let’s face it, you need sheets and I would say a minimum of 2 sets but the more the better to cope with those babies that vomit/posit a lot. The only thing to be aware of is that different cots have different sized mattresses so make sure the set you are buying is made to fit your cot.
Cot Blankets	$40 or more (for Bamboo)	Anything made from Bamboo	I love the bamboo as it is warm, light and it breathes.
Nappies	Disposable – approx $25 for a week supply; Cloth – $30 each or more	Disposable – Huggies; Cloth – Baby BeeHinds	I love the Baby BeeHinds but I haven’t been using them because you really need to have both parents on board to cope with the amount of washing and my hubby isn’t too keen… part of me isn’t too committed either.
Baby Carrier	$80 and up	Hug-a-bub & Beco Carrier	I love both carriers for different reasons. The Hug-a-bub is great for preemie babies, allows for skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, can be worn with bub facing front or back and fits snug making it easier on your back (I have never had a sore back from using this one and I wore it 12 hours straight on a night shift once). The cons for the Hug-a-bub are that it gets hot and can be difficult to get your head around how to wrap it around you. The Beco is really quick and easy to put on, you can do skin to skin if you like (but it won’t cover you completely so you might flash people), there are multiple ways of wearing it, it grows with the baby up to 2 years. It is easy on your back however not as nice as the Hug-a-bub. I use the Beco in PNG every time due to the Tropical Heat being too hot for the Hug-a-bub.
Nappy Bag	$50 and up	OiOi	I bought an expensive leather bag because I decided that whilst having a handbag would be nice, I can essentially rule out that luxury for the next… let’s see… 8 years or so (taking into consideration the next baby and a third that I haven’t decided on yet). I wanted a bag that would go the distance and look a little like a grown up handbag. It fits everything we need (nappies, bottom cream, wipes, nappy bin bags, a change of clothes, bib, bottle, formula sachets, toys, lunch/dinner for ‘Baby Girl’, a change table mat, my purse, a bottle of water, panadol for M and me, lip balm, sun cream, insect repellent, Sunglasses for M and me, towel, small blanket… need I say more?

‘Nice-to-have’ Baby Items

Item	Price Range	Brand I bought	What I think of mine
Change Table	$100 to $500	Kingparrot	Mine matches my cot BUT you don’t need a change table. Alternatives: If you put a few towels down on the couch, bed or bench top, then you have a homemade change table.
Baby Bath	$20 to $100	???	We used our bath only a handful of times and preferred the alternatives. Alternatives: The kitchen sink when they are newborn, the normal bath when they are a little bigger or shower with them wearing a sock with the toes cut out on your forearm to act as a grip for them (be careful of soap, you could drop the baby).
Baby Monitor	$100 to $400	AVENT	I like my baby monitor. It tells me the temperature of the room (which is REALLY important to ensure they sleep well – too cold and they don’t sleep; too hot and they don’t sleep). Some have a camera on them so you can always see the baby and some also have breathing plates to lie the baby on so if it stops breathing it alarms (these go off for no reason sometimes and the camera, I’ve been told, keeps you glued to the screen when they are sleeping so you get little done in the mean time).
Cot Mobile	$50 to $150	???	I bought one but didn’t use it as I read that putting toys in the cot doesn’t help the baby realise they are supposed to sleep there and instead think it is a play area. Toys of any kind in the cot are also considered a SIDS risk anyhow (although a mobile would be less of a risk).
Baby Sleep Sack/Sleeping Bag	$$79.95 and up	Merino Kids	I like my sleep sacks/sleeping bags. I love that the Merino wool is breathable and can be worn in temperatures from 18 Degrees Celsius up to 30 Degrees Celsius. I have needed to use extra blankets however but check out the Save Our Sleep Bedding Guide for more info on that (link below).

Luxury Baby Items

Item	Price Range	Brand I bought	What I think of mine
Steamer/Blender	$170 to $250	AVENT	I love this appliance! It makes really healthy puree foods for ‘Baby Girl’. It cooks the food and blends it up so there is less to clean up afterwards! The alternative however is to get a steamer (because steaming is the best way to keep the nutrients in the food so long as you keep the water) and then get your hand mixer and puree it after cooking. The Magic Bullet would be great for purees and you can steam-microwave the food and puree it afterwards.

Clothes to start off

Item	Average cost	Size	Notes
Onesies	Pack of 3 at Target approx $12	newborn/0000 x 3 3 months/000 x 6 6 months/00 x 6 9 months/0 x 6 1 year/1 x 6 Don’t forget you need short and long arms for hot or cold days.	I only recommend these numbers as the bare minimum but lots of people will most likely buy the bub clothes when it is born so hold off on the shopping spree. I should specify however that I didn’t hold off and went on a big shopping spree cause I just loved all the little girl clothes when I visited America during my pregnancy. With the newborn size, many people will say their baby didn’t fit newborn clothes after a few days or a week so there was no point. You could always put them in bigger outfits or just get a couple to last for the time being. Who knows? Your bub could be the same as mine and fit the newborn size until 3 months! OR you could keep the clothes for their first dolly

Toys

Item	Price Range
Play mat/Activity Centre	$80 and up
Walker	$80 and up
Rocker/Bouncer	$80 and up
Soft Toys	$8 and up (I like the developmental toys by Lamaze)

Things for Mum

Item	Price Range	Brand I bought	What I think of mine
Breast Pads	$10 to $30	Bamboobies – Bamboo Washables	The washable ones are great and stops you needing to buy more. I also have some disposables in case the washables can be seen through my top. I bought the Lansinoh brand but you can get Pigeon and other brands too. They are relatively inexpensive and stop embarrassment when you leak.
Lanolin Ointment/Cream	$10 to $20	Lansinoh	This is a must have particularly if you intend to breastfeed. It soothes cracked, sore nipples.

Good Websites or Resources:

I can easily give an exhausted list here but I’ll give just a couple and then exhaust it later… this blog is getting huge!

Bubs n Grubs Online Store

I have never found a baby shop that offers essential items for a cheaper price. You can get the majority of the essential items list in a package deal (Newborn essentials Packages) starting at $1399.00 for the Bare Essentials Package.

Baby 411 by Denise Fields and Ari Browne M.D

This book has been the best ‘go-to’ book for all of our general questions such as ‘How much food should she be eating?’ ‘How should I store the milk?’ ‘She has a rash… Should I be concerned?’ AND the first chapter is all about preparing for the baby. A really handy thing about it is that it covers the old wives tales that our parents tell us with regard to various baby raising points and offers suggestions as to how to deal with it when they tell you about it.

Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall

Whilst controversial, Daryl and I really found this book to be of the most help in establishing a daily routine and getting ‘Baby Girl’ to sleep. She has been a VERY happy and content baby since. Many have said it didn’t work for them however it was gold dust for us.

Notes:
Many shops will say you need a pillow for the baby cot but it is against SIDS guidelines and I wouldn’t recommend it. They are comfy without the pillow anyhow.

Beware of BPA in plastic food items. It is believed that it can cause Cancer. Most baby products will specify if it is BPA free or not. If it doesn’t specify, then it most likely has it. You can also look at the recycle number, if it is a 7 then it has BPA… there are other numbers to watch out for too but I will have to look them up and make that a whole other blog!