You may have noticed that posts on this blog have been rather sparse (or non existent) since mid March.  In April, I went back to work full time.  William, my husband, switched to a stay at home dad, doing web development and photography.  This switch came rather suddenly and I found spending time with my family a better use of my free time than blogging.  My son Aidan is now nearly 9 months old, babbling, crawling, eating semi solid foods, standing independently, and we’re greatly looking forward to his first Halloween.  Motherhood for Dummies still has big plans for the future, and will be sweeping away the cob webs and dust soon enough.

My husband is a pastor, in between churches at the moment.  We have great hopes that he will be back in full time ministry very soon, and I will be a stay at home wife and mother again.  You may notice the site going through some changes in the mean time, as I search for a new site design and a better direction for the site.  The “zombie” period as I’ve decided to call it.  Looks like there might be some movement, but there’s not much going on under the surface.  Before long we’ll be back sharing experiences, lessons, and tips with each other, not to mention all the adorable, funny, and sometimes gross stories that are sure to be shared where children are involved.  So put that shovel down, and don’t nail our coffin shut just yet.  MFD will rise again!

My husband set up a webcam that I can put on our son during the day so he can see him at work.  No sense in keeping all that cuteness to ourselves.  Here for your viewing pleasure is the Aidan Cam!  Follow this link below.

Located in the sidebar now —>

The cam takes a picture about every 15 seconds, so hit refresh every now and then.  At the moment of this post he is sleeping in his swing, so not much entertainment value, but sure is darn cute!  Enjoy!

updated on March 5th, 2009 by William to reflect the webcam is now in the sidebar.

Okay, seriously, I’m so excited about this diaper I could pee my pants! (Excuse the pun!)  It’s not a cloth diaper, so no really messy cleanup, but there is no plastic so it’s biodegradable. You can flush the disposable liner or toss it in the can.  You can even use it as compost!  As a gardener that’s just an added bonus.

Check this out when put up against the leading disposable diapers that have plastic in them.

You have a reusable outer “Little g pants”, an inner liner that is machine or hand washable, and then the flushable diaper refills.  It seems really easy to use.   A little more work than the common disposable diapers, but much better for the environment, so worth it in my opinion.  Check out these videos on using and disposing the G Diapers.

These Diapers are slightly more expensive than the name band disposable diapers, but again you’re saving the environment and your trash can liners.  Not to mention you could save a buck on fertilizer if your a gardener.  It’s about $27 for a starter kit, which includes two little g pants, and ten flushable refills.  The refills, run $15 for a single package, and $52 for a case.  The number of refills are comparable to the number of diapers in a package of disposable diapers.  The little g pants are supper cute, and come in a variety of colors.  They run around $17 for solid colors, and $19 for designs. You can find them in specialty stores, or order them through their website.

Being a tree hugging mom, I’m already sold on these diapers!  For more info be sure to check out their site!

I find myself at times worrying about my son needlessly.  I’m sure every new mother is like this.  Is his crying because of pain, or just needing some love?  Every now and then he feels very warm to the touch, and I wonder if he has a fever or is getting sick.  Half the time I’m at a loss to determine what is really wrong, but checking for a fever is one of those simple things to figure out.  If you’re like me though, I had no idea what temp is considered a fever for a baby, and how I should take a baby’s temperature.  Here are some helpful tips.

Age

What we consider a fever for a grown adult is much different for a child.  It is much harder for an adult’s body temperature to fluctuate than it is for a child’s.  So for infants and young children, a higher temperature is not out of the ordinary.  At what temperature should you start to worry then?

• 0-8 weeks: Fever is greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• 8 weeks – 6 months: Fever is greater than 101 degrees
• 6 months – 2 years: Fever is greater than 103 degrees

Taking Baby’s Temperature

There are four ways to take a child’s temperature. Check to see what kind of thermometer you have.  Always use a thermometer designed for one part of the body in the correct spot.

• Rectum: This is the most accurate and recommended method for infants.  Put a little vaseline on the end and put just the very tip of the thermometer into the rectum.  Wait until it beeps.
• Mouth: Suggested for older children.  Accurate readings by placing the thermometer under the tongue until it beeps.
• Ear: Quick and easy for any age, though not recommended for very small infants.  Used by putting a specially designed thermometer in the ear for a couple of seconds.  Not as accurate as other methods, since incorrect positioning, ear wax, and movement can cause an inaccurate reading.
• Armpit: This is the least accurate, but an easy and quick method if you are dealing with a squirming infant.  Using an oral thermometer, hold the tip in the armpit and press child’s arm gently but firmly against their body.  Wait until it beeps.

Temperature Readings

How you take a temperature can affect the temperature reading.  It might be a few degrees off with one method versus another.  Here is a basic idea of the difference that can occur when using different methods.

• Rectum: 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• Mouth: 99.5 degrees
• Ear: depending on the setting, 99.5 degrees to 100.5 degrees
• Arm pit: 99.0 degrees

Really the best advice when it comes to fever is to go with your instinct.  If you are in doubt, don’t hesitate to call your peditrician.  You’ll have peace of mind if it turns out to be nothing, and you’ll help your child get better if it’s serious.

I promised to come back with a list of products every expecting mother should have before giving birth.  Sorry it has taken so long.  Things have been super crazy around here the past few days, and sitting down to my computer took a back seat for a while.  (I’m seriously dreading checking me email!)  But here is my list of items that I couldn’t do with out in those first few weeks, and  I am still using.  Hope it helps and feel free to add to the list in the comments!

Infants Mylicon Gas Relief Drops. I seriously thought I was going to run out of this in that first week.  It is safe from birth and so very helpful.  I could always tell the difference between feedings with Mylicon, and without.  You can give it to baby on a schedule, like every four hours, or just with every feeding.  You also have the option to give it to your child oraly, or mixed in with their formula, so great for both breast fed and bottle fed babies.

Desitin Diaper Rash Cream. I’ve noticed I needed this more with breast feeding than with formula, since babies are more sensitive to what mom eats, but still very good stuff.  I had to go buy this after the first week because regular lotion and powder were not cutting it.  When his bum started getting a little raw, this made it much better in one diaper change, and made the rash go away completely in one day.

Aquaphor Ointment. This is a multi use ointment.  I use it mainly for Aidan’s dry skin and craddle cap, but I’ve also used it on his baby acne to make it less red, and to help prevent chaffing when forced to use diapers that are less than ideal.  It doesn’t dry out as quickly as lotion and seems to be less irritating to his skin.  Also works great on my dried out hands too!  It does a fairly adequate job protecting from diaper rash too, so might work well for a baby less prone to rash.

Nursing Pads. Even if you are not breast feeding, it’s a good idea to buy a box or two of disposable or reusable nursing pads.  Though most people don’t mention this when you have a baby, you will leak once your milk comes in.  More so if you are breast feeding.  It can stain your white clothing, and it smells after a while too.  Nursing pads were essential for me after waking up soaked in the middle of the night!

Lanolin Cream. Very important if you are breast feeding.  Especially in that first week you can be very sore.  This stuff is great for soothing dry sore nipples.  It also works great for chaffing and as a skin protectant, though not advertised as such.  One tube is all you need of this.  A little goes a very long way.

Diapers. It doesn’t matter what brand you choose, but trust me when I say it is extremely helpful to stock up on diapers “Before” baby gets here.  Most babies are in a size 1 at or shortly after birth, unless born under 7 lbs.  Your doctor or midwife can give you a good idea of what your baby will weigh.  Buy big boxes, buy different sizes.  To give you an idea, we recieved about 15 packages of diapers as gifts, and I also bought one large box of diapers all in a size 1.  We’re down to our last package this week.  He’s still not into the next size up, so we’ll have to go buy a couple more packages.  It was so very helpful to not have to worry about buying diapers for his first month.  If you don’t buy any of the other products, make sure you stock up on diapers before baby gets here.  Don’t worry about not using them all.  If by chance you don’t use them, you can usually return unopened packages!