Product Endorsement

No, I'm not getting paid for this.



Just in case you're looking for a baby gift to buy for a new mom, here are my veteran mom recommendations:

When C was about to arrive, I decided I needed a digital clock in my room that I would be able to see in the dark.  I'd spent enough mid-night feedings fumbling with a cell phone to know that a mom of a new baby really needs a reliable, easy-to-see method of keeping track of the time at night.  I also decided that I needed a night light-- one that was powerful enough for me to be able to see to latch the baby, but not strong enough to wake my sleeping breadwinner husband.  We had not yet found a happy medium in that department.

But then my mom bought me this for Christmas (which was, if you remember, just two weeks before C was born):

It is the most practical gift I have gotten in a long time.  Not only does it project the time on the ceiling, so I don't even have to sit up to know what time it is, but the actual time display on the clock is bright enough to provide the "night light" I needed to latch (and change, in the early days) C in the middle of the night.  (On the reviews, lots of folks complained about the brightness of the display, but for me it has been a plus.)  As an added bonus, the clock also makes a variety of ambient sounds (ocean, rainstorm, birds chirping etc.) that are great for drowning out older sisters in the next room while C is trying to sleep.  Alarm clock, night light, and sleep sheep all rolled into one.  A great gift purchase for a new mom, if you're looking for one.

Next product that I love: my new set of nursing camis:

When N was born, and I had no experience with nursing, I assumed nursing bras were the way to go.  So I purchased a couple before she was born.  Did you know that most nursing bras cost $30 or more apiece?  And they're pretty hard to find cheap second-hand (not that I was thrilled about the idea of a second-hand nursing bra, anyway).

When we were preparing for C to arrive and all of my nursing bras were worn out, I was searching to just find something that I could bring to the hospital and get me through the first week or so.  In amongst some maternity clothes a friend had loaned to me, I found a nursing cami.  I put it on the day after C was born in the hospital and I've never looked back.  (Well, I have taken the cami off to wash it-- don't worry :) In fact, when I got home I purchased three more just like it.  They were about $15 each on target.com. Yes that's right, you can get an entire shirt for half the cost of a bra.  If you layer another shirt over the cami, I've found they provide for a much more modest and discreet nursing experience than a bra.  Summer or winter, they're a great layer to have in your nursing wardrobe.

Speaking of discreet nursing, if I ever have a next baby, I will be getting one of these:

They used to be called Hooter Hiders, but I think they may have changed the name.  :)

See the underwire on top?  That means Mommy can see to latch the baby but other people can't see.  It also gives baby some breathing room and the ability to make eye contact with Mom.

I always assumed that I couldn't nurse with a cover, because all of my babies learned how to pull away a blanket at about two months of age.  Or they screamed and fussed and couldn't nurse under the blanket because they felt suffocated.  Who can blame them, really?  I wouldn't want to eat with a blanket over my face.

It's too bad I didn't know these covers existed until after C was born.  It surely would have been worth the $35 investment if she had been my first baby and I knew it would get lots of use.  Now that I only have about 4 1/2 months of nursing left, I'm hesitant to buy one.  It would probably be easy enough to make, except that I have no skill as a seamstress.  Oh well... next time.

And there you have it... it's the choice of a new generation.  :)