Baby Q & A

The past couple of months I have been doing Q & A’s (click here to read February’s and click here to read March’s). You guys message or e-mail questions and I round up the most asked ones and answer them. I have found this to be such a great way for you all to get to know me better. I honestly forget that you may only see a blog post or 45 seconds out of a 24 hour time period. I’ve heard from you guys that you like the Q & A blog posts because it makes you feel like we are having a conversation but you get a little bit more insight about my thoughts on certain things/how we do things around my house.

The previous Q & A’s have been pretty broad in that they talk about everything from what to wear to a wedding to my favorite candle scent so I wanted to do a more focused Q & A on just baby or Ralph related things.

Guys, I cannot tell you how many of you submitted questions. Hundreds and hundreds of you flooded my DM’s with baby specific questions. It was SOOO difficult to narrow them down but I did the best I could and I promise I will do another baby specific Q & A sooner than later. Okay, now for the real reason you guys are even reading this post today…see below for my first ever baby Q & A!!!

Baby Q & A

• What sippy cup does Ralph use when he stopped taking a bottle? Oh my goodness gracious we tried SOOO many. Finally a friend recommended this one and after taking out the ‘spill guard’ it has worked great for us!!
• Biggest challenge coming home from the hospital as a first time mom? If I am being completely honest it is keeping your parents from coming over every day. (yes, I love my parents but even them dropping in everyday became extremely overwhelming for me). Coming home from the hospital was so hard because I was post surgery (I had a c-section), I was so tired from being up in the hospital (nurses in and out of the room and our hospital did not have a nursery) and all I wanted to do was snuggle this sweet baby that I had grown in my body the last 9 months. I needed rest and it’s very difficult to rest when your phone is going off non stop with texts from your parents asking if they can swing by. A handful of my closest friends would come by but only stay maybe 10 minutes. I remember my youngest sister came over maybe 3 weeks after Ralph was born (yes she came to the hospital) and was laughing saying she didn’t want to wear out her welcome at the beginning. She knew that I was overwhelmed and was giving me a minute to breath. *Well played Marg*
• Registry help. What are the best baby items you swear by? Do you have a stroller you recommend? When Ralph was 3 months old I did a post on ‘our current favorite things for Ralph’. You can read that post here!! As far as strollers go, we did start out with a car seat and a separate stroller that you could convert, blah blah. We started using the Doona just for travel but quickly realized this was ALL we needed, so that’s what we used until Ralph outgrew it (the saddest day ever).
• Best thing a friend of a new mom can do for her family? I would say little things! Maybe drop their favorite Starbucks order off on the porch one morning (or breakfast burritos) or offer to watch the baby while the mom goes to get a quick manicure (she more than likely will need one or at least need to get out of the house). When Ralph was 2 1/2 weeks old my grandmother made her famous meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots..she brought it to our house (in her cute dishes) and left it for us to eat one night (she didn’t even stay to eat this meal she had prepared). Another thing you could do if you are really feeling wild I would say make them breakfast. One of my FAVORITE post baby memories was a week after we got home from the hospital our best friends Kristin and Jack came over to our house, brought EVERYTHING to make the best and biggest breakfast for us. Not only was it so fun being around them but it was also so nice of them to do that for us. Everyone got to spend time together, with the new baby and have a delicious meal together.
• What chair does Ralph use sitting at the kitchen island? We use this chair for Ralph at the kitchen island!
• Did anything help you through pre-birth anxiety (if you had any)? This question is so good and I am probably the least helpful person with this. I am such an ignorance is bliss person and I 100% applied this to my birth process. I was scheduled for a c-section (yes, it was elected) and the main thing I told myself the entire pregnancy process is that google is not my friend. I do not know what happened behind that drape and to be honest I will not google what happened until we are for sure done having children!
• How do you keep Ralph’s hair looking so stylish? I have been ‘swooping’ that babies hair since he was born. In general I think he has good hair but I always swoop it to the side in hopes that one day it will just lie that way naturally!! 
• How do you pick a school/daycare? I would say first ask for recommendations from friends who have recently gone through he process. Do research as to what is available and then set up tours to see what fits your family best! We only applied to two schools and the school that Ralph goes to was the first one we toured. The movement we walked in we just ‘knew’ it would be such a good fit for our family. The second  school we toured we just kept comparing everything to the first one. Thankfully we got in our first choice so it was an easy decision for us!
• When Ralph was a newborn how did you manage to still go out to dinner and bring him? We would just go early (usually after his cat nap, so around 5:45). When he was little he didn’t really do anything, so we could just keep him in his car seat, have dinner and then go home for bath, his last bottle and bedtime. Now if we take him out to dinner (we take him 2-3 times a week) we make a 5:30 reservation and by 6:15 he has had enough so we are out of there! 
• If you had a girl what would you name her? Prior to us knowing the gender, our girl name was Eloise and the other name on our list besides Ralph was Pierce. Currently, we have a ‘name list’ going and neither Eloise or Pierce are on it so that is why I am sharing! After we are done having children, I will for sure do a post on all the names that were on our list! (no, I am not pregnant right now).
• How are you handling discipline? Still figuring out how we want to approach but I will say Ralph does know right from wrong…
• What do you take on outings in your totes for Ralph? A diaper, a few wipes, a snack and maybe 1 toy. He doesn’t require a whole lot not so it’s just getting easier! 
• Do you like the Restoration Hardware crib? I actually LOVE Ralph’s crib. He has the Kennedy Crib and I just love it. I will say that we had to have it repainted (to white dove obviously) because the crib is extremely STARK white if you leave it as is. 
• When Ralph starts to get sick or feel bad what is the first thing you do? Oh my goodness a sick baby is the worst. All you want to do is help and they can’t communicate what is wrong. The first thing we do when we can tell that he is not feeling that great is take a long steam shower, set up a humidifier in his room and make sure he is as comfortable as he can be. 
• How did you know you were ready for a baby? I am not sure if you are ever totally ready but we knew after we turned 30 we wanted to start thinking about it. We decided to be ‘breezy’ and much to our surprise 10 days after I threw away my birth control I got pregnant (obviously we didn’t figure it out until a bit later but it was very quick). I do think ‘being ready’ is a silly term because I am not sure if anyone can prepare you for life with a baby but you learn quickly and you don’t even know what life was like before that baby! It’s such a natural transition (at least it was for us).
• Work out routine after baby? I have had the same work out routine pre baby, during pregnancy and post pregnancy! Heated yoga a few times a week and spin a few times a week! (when I was pregnant I still did heated yoga but if I felt like I was getting too overheated I just stepped out of the room, easy, easy).
• How do you find the time to work out with a baby? I make time. I get up early, work out during his nap time, work out after he goes to bed, Wade will watch Ralph or if our nanny is here I go then! Honestly, somedays I am really tired and don’t feel like it but I just know once it’s done I feel so much better. Plus it is so good for me to have that quiet time with myself. It’s my version of therapy!
• What products do you use for Ralph’s hair? I use this shampoo and this conditioner. As far as products for school we put in a little bit of this styling cream to try and keep the swoop!
• Did you read baby books? Not one! I am such a believer that you will just figure it out and know what to do. Plus the idea of comparing or making sure milestones are met is not my vibe. He will do things in his own time. 
• Tips on transitioning to solids? Practice, practice, practice! Starting at about 5 months we introduced avocado. Not because he needed the calories but to practice the motor skill of picking up something and putting it in his mouth. As he got older we gradually introduced other things. Our peditrition told us that the first year of life the most important thing is breast milk or formula but we needed to help him practice eating solids for when the day came where he would drink less milk and rely more on food!
• Did you nurse or formula feed? I formula fed Ralph from the beginning. I am so pro you doing what is best for you and that is what worked for us. (if you have something snarky to say about me choosing how I fed MY baby, save it).
• Does Ralph follow a schedule? Oh yes, he has been on a schedule since basically the beginning. To be honest, not sure my family really understands the importance of schedule (aka how we are choosing to do things with our baby) but I promise it has worked so well for us. It allows us to plan our days (we both work) and adjust our own schedules to spend as much time with Ralph. I SWEAR by a schedule. I think it makes for a better baby and a happier mom because you know what your day is going to look like, plus a baby that is on a schedule sleeps through the night sooner (Ralph started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks) and kids who are on schedules are generally better sleepers. You can read Ralph’s previous schedules: 0 – 5 1/2 months, 5 1/2 – 7 1/2 months, 7 1/2 – 12 months, 12 – 15 months, 16 months – present.
• When Ralph sleeps in does it mess up his afternoon naps? The latest he has ever slept was 10:15 (that was actually last week..and yes he goes to bed between 8:15-8:30) and it really didn’t mess with his schedule. Instead of putting him down for his 1:30 nap, I pushed it to 2:15 and it was no problem! 
• What did you eat when you were pregnant? What I normally ate (minus sushi or cold turkey). I tried to eat pretty healthy so I didn’t have a miserable time or have to stress to get my pre-baby body. My doctor told me early on that you are not really ‘eating for two’  so not to go too crazy with food. And no, I do not believe in pregnancy cravings…I am not pregnant and I crave pizza…I am so pro eating whatever, just in moderation. 
• What is the best way to sleep train? Schedule, schedule, schedule.
• What is Ralph’s current schedule? You can read it here.
• Did you have a night nurse? Yes we did.
• How often is your nanny there? Honestly, it really depends on the week but she is full time. 
• When did Ralph start sleeping through the night? At six weeks. Guys, schedules work. 
• Which formula did you use? We used this formula for the first 6 weeks, then used this formula from when Ralph was 6 weeks old to 12 months old. Now he drinks lactose free milk. 
• Very newly pregnant…best advise for the first trimester? Just get through it. Try to keep as normal of a routine as possible and of course listen to your body. One of the best tips that one of my friends gave me was regardless of how sick you are feeling carb loading will not make you feel any better. Some days (especially at the beginning) can be like a bad hangover that is incurable! 
• Baby proofing? We actually have not baby proofed. Of course knives are are in places that are unreachable but otherwise it’s a total free for all in our kitchen/family room/play room. I’ve gotten over that my lower cabinets will not be organized for a little bit. The great thing about our house is that the kitchen/family room/play room are all connected but blocked off by gates so Ralph is confined and cannot roam without us knowing! It keeps total piece of mind knowing that he really can’t harm or hurt himself in the main area he/we are in at home.
• How do you handle flights with your nanny? Does she help with Ralph? As far as flights go, I’ve never asked for help on a flight. Ralph just sits with me and Wade and our nanny is close by but I’ve never ‘passed him off’ (although I’m sure some of you think otherwise). I love flights with Ralph because we read, have snacks, watch a movie and occasionally nap. I’m sure if we did have another baby, my answer would be different but for now this is how flights go for us! 
• How did you get in such good shape after having Ralph? I honestly think this is because I worked out during my entire pregnancy. I chose to work out during my pregnancy to make sure I stayed healthy (I think it is important to stay as healthy as possibly during pregnancy because you are not just being healthy for you but also your growing baby) but also to make my post baby recovering that much easier and stress free. I knew my body would know what to do and I can promise you that not once did I freak out about my post baby body because it naturally went back because I worked hard during pregnancy. Any *worries* I had post baby were about my baby and not my body because if you train your body the muscle memory makes it go back once you pick it up again (I couldn’t work out for 4 weeks post c-section). 
• How long did it take to get pregnant with Ralph? From the time I threw away my birth control to the time we tracked that I was pregnant it took about 10 days. Yes, that is extremely quick and I know not normal, so I am very thankful that it was an easy process for us. If there is a round two, I could only hope it would be that way again and if not, everything will work out how it is supposed to.
• Did you use any sleep device like the owlet sock? I have heard that the owlet sock gives a lot of false alarms because the sock falls off/doesn’t fit properly so we used this system. We only had one false alarm and it was when Ralph could move around in the crib, so he ‘got off’ the sensors. This product totally gave us peace of mind and I can’t say enough great things about it. 
• Are you really strict with bedtime? I would say yes because the later Ralph is up the less time Wade and I get alone (we love our evenings). Ralph is usually in bed between 8:15-8:30.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and please never hesitate to e-mail should you have any questions! I will be doing this sort of post again so make sure to be on the look out!

**please note that all of these responses are my opinion and anything medical related you should consult with your physician**