The Girl in the Red Sweater

I haven’t had much time to write lately, because Wiggle Worm is quite a handful. He was very colicky at first, so I thought I would put together a list of the things we didn’t have before he was born but are indispensable now.

Moby Wrap – my number one lifesaver. It’s a sling you wrap around yourself to carry around your baby. For the first couple of weeks, Wiggle Worm would only calm down when I put him in the wrap. I still use it when I’m shopping if he doesn’t want to stay in his carseat, or at home when he’s fussy and I know I’ve taken care of everything from diaper to feeding to burping to temperature control. They’re $40 but well worth every penny, and you can keep using them for a long time because they’re so adjustable and durable.

Crib Wedge – my number two lifesaver. It’s still almost the only way he will sleep, besides when he’s held or resting in the carseat. The wedge lifts his head a little above his feet, so spitting up is less likely, and it has bumpers on both sides to keep him from squirming off of it. Walmart has them for $20.

Swaddling blankets – actually, these tie for the number one baby splurge. They have special built-in pockets for the legs and Velcro closures. I used regular receiving blankets for awhile, but Wiggle Worm wriggled out of them. He got out of these too until he reached 10 lbs, but after that he stayed wrapped – and slept longer. I’m still using them every night. (Get two in case baby sleeps so well he wets the blanket before waking up.)

The Happiest Baby on the Block – get the DVD, which will show you how to calm your baby. I read the book too, and it’s good, but the video makes some things easier, like swaddling. I’m not sue what else to say except that if you use the 5 techniques they show in the video, and keep practicing them, you can calm down any screaming baby.

And the splurge that was NOT worth it was a bottle warmer. Wiggle Worm prefers room temperature milk or formula, and it just wasn’t worth waiting the extra few minutes to warm up a bottle from the fridge.

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