Griner's guide to useful newborn swag

I've been meaning to blog about the stuff that really paid off during our first few weeks of parenthood. So here goes. Hopefully it will prove to be of use to future first-timers like us.

Vital: Swaddling blankets, regular and velcro.

Babies either love or hate swaddling. You'll know pretty quick. Ours is a lover. When she's fussy, nothing beats a tight swaddle. I think it's been the single biggest factor in Allison sleeping exceptionally well each night. (We usually have to wake her for the 2 a.m. feeding.)

There are tons of diagrams and videos out there to teach you swaddling, but I recommend asking the nurse or pediatrician once your newborn is actually out. Ask about "double swaddling" with two blankets. It can't be beat.

There are velcro swaddling blankets/sacks that are nice and highly recommended, but they'll never be as tight as a fine hand-rolled baby cigar. Remember, no swaddle is too tight, but it CAN be too loose (which poses a smother hazard).

Vital: Mylicon (but go dye-free and generic)

We call this anti-gas medicine "liquid diamonds," not so much because of its value as the fact that it only comes in teeny tiny bottles that last about two days. Honestly, I have no idea how effective it is, but gas is a huge problem for newborns, and our doctor said it's safe to give the baby Mylicon with every meal (and double at the last feeding of the night).

Try to find the generic version, and definitely get "dye-free." Otherwise, you'll be paying a lot and enjoying pink stains on everything you own.


Vital: Lots of pacifiers.

Just get a bunch. More than you think you'll need. Ditto for bottles, but we'll get to that.

Great: Diaper Champ

Simple design, and slightly less eco-disastrous than the Diaper Genie (which wraps each diaper in its own sack). As far as turd buckets go, I've been very happy with this one.

Great: Crib-side entertainment

Ours is a battery-powered jungle scene that lights up and plays music when you hit the button. (Amazon tells me it's called a "Fisher-Price Rainforest Peek-A-Boo Waterfall Soother." Vomit.)

It only runs for a few minutes, which is usually enough to knock the kid out. And I have to say, the music really doesn't bother me ... even after dozens of listens.

Great: A bassinet/cradle

We have a small house, but it's still been nice having the small cradle/bassinet that my dad built way back in history for my oldest sister. It has since held just about every baby in my family, and there's nothing better for easy baby stationing outside the nursery. As you can see in the picture, we even pimped ours out with an undercarriage black light. Just kidding. You'll only get to enjoy that upgrade if your baby has "teh jaundice."

That said, the kid doesn't really move around, so a laundry basket or dresser drawer (removed from the dresser, please) will do just fine.

Great: Dr. Brown's bottles (but hand-wash em)

If you're going bottle, this is the way to go. Easy to use and vaguely easy to clean.

Big caveat: Their clear bottles have been found to leach BPA, pleasantly described as "a hormone-disrupting chemical" that's been linked to premature puberty and cancer in lab animals. We had already bought ours when that study came out, so we're just careful about hand-washing the bottles themselves and using the dishwasher for the nipples and such.

There's supposedly a non-BPA model coming out, and there's also glass bottles if you don't mind the potential of your baby smashing it on the side of the crib and starting a bar brawl. (Karen has an awesome scar on her knee that has generally prevented us from seriously considering glass.)

Debatably great: Video monitor

Karen loves this thing because it provides immediate release for new-mom paranoid fears like "is my immobile baby still in the crib?" or "has someone replaced my baby with a big jar of Folgers crystals?"

I like that the monitor helps Karen relax, but I find it to be pretty pointless. Our house is very small, and I can hear Allison just fine from anywhere short of the backyard utility easement. Of course, if you have one of them fancy big houses with multiple floors and walls that actually inhibit sound, you'll probably want a video monitor.

Downside: You'll inevitably have nightmares about seeing zombies in the monitor. Or, if you click on the image above, you will now.

My favorite/most useful books: Happiest Baby on the Block, On Becoming BabyWise and Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads.

We read quite a few books. You'll likely end up with most of the standards, but be sure to pick up the three I listed above. Happiest Baby teaches you how to calm a screaming kid. BabyWise teaches you a very successful sleep/eat schedule. Be Prepared is mostly just entertaining for dads, but it has some tremendously helpful advice (like the fact that it's OK to feel no emotional connection whatsoever when you're staring at your newborn).

Well, I hope all that helps someone out there. Maybe I'll do an update in a few months when I figure out what's worthwhile for toddlers. Oh, and of course you should all feel free to post your own findings and suggestions in the comments section.

Another victim of Prog Rock vandalism.

Hope to have some photos soon from the great tree split-o-thon of 2008, an event which is taking its toll on almost every muscle in my body. But until then, here's something I meant to post a while back.

When I came back after being out of the office for Allison's birth, I found that my four framed vinyl records had been stolen and maliciously replaced:




In case you can't see it well, that's two Rush albums alongside ones from King Crimson and Yes, all of which are practitioners of the worst music genre ever.

Luckily, the culprit stepped forward later that day, and the stench of Stephen King's playlist is now out of my office for good.



Whew.

Please don't put some sugar in my bowl.

My sister Kim recently laid down an awesome rule in her house. After one of my nephews was having attention problems in morning classes, a teacher suggested dialing back his sugar intake.

Kim took the bold and commendable approach of limiting their household to only buying cereals that have less than 11 grams of sugar per serving. Where'd she get the number? She admits it's just an arbitrary amount that seemed to be a dividing line between the healthier and overly sweetened cereals.

It seems like this approach is working wonders for her family. The boys are more settled, and attention in school has apparently increased. But perhaps more importantly, she's made them part of the solution by sending them on grocery-store scavenger hunts to pick cereals that are below the 11 gram mark.

Finding one of these cereals is harder than you'd think. As soon as Kim told me about the new rule, I went over and checked our cupboard. We mostly buy high-fiber cereals with clusters and flax and what the hell ever. Because, you know, we're old. But sure enough, almost all the stuff in our cabinet was at or above 11 grams.

Only Rice Chex (a personal favorite of mine) passed the test. It has 2 grams of sugar.

Kids' brands actually fare relatively well in this litmus test, largely because they've had their sugar counts weaned back in response to criticisms over the years. (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which tastes a world of different than it did when I was a kid, only has 10 grams.)

So how's your cereal selection hold up to this test? Let me know in the comments if you found any surprises.

Click here to check out a chart of the sugar content in most cereals. If you're wondering who the real main offender is, you might be surprised. Raisin Brans of all stripes seem to tip the scales at 20 grams per serving. That's FIVE TEASPOONS OF SUGAR. Ye gods.