Update and baby items

Carson is doing much better, we have been giving him the zantac for a few days now and yesterday he seemed to have a bad feeding when we gave him his apple/prune juice, so when the nurse called today to check in on him I asked her if the juice would make it flare up and she said it was possible, so we discontinued the juice and he had a great day! I have been taking so many pictures lately b/c I haven't been stressed about him being in pain and b/c he is in such a great mood all the time. He barely cried at all today...I just hate that he had the reflux for so long and I didn't know what is was and that something was actually wrong...I just thought he was fussy and needed to burp a lot.

So a word to any moms to be: if your baby is arching his back, and crying during feedings and doesn't seem content after a burp, can't make up his mind if he wants the bottle or not...its reflux and there is a simple remedy for it. BTW this is not just formula babies, breastfed babies can have this problem as well. I always feel so guilty because I wasn't able to BF for very long and thought that the bottle charade, the gas, bm consistency issues, and the reflux were all my fault, but the more I read and the more I talk to other moms I realize that BF babies have their share of issues as well. I always thought that breastfed babies lived in a perfect world....but I have learned that with all babies, EVERYTHING is trial and error and all babies get gas, tummy aches, and spit up, etc...

Now that I have been a mom for a little over 2 months, I have learned a few things; here are items that I can't live without:

A swing is a MUST. This thing is a lifesaver. Babies LOVE motion and when I need to get things done I just plop him in the swing and he loves it (assuming he isn't hungry and has a clean diaper). Its like a mini babysitter. Its better than the bouncer b/c of the motion. I have this little lamb swing which is good for both boys and girls, it swings both directions, has a mobile and has music and nature sounds b/c babies DO get bored. (Target and babies r us)
I think the spin and dry rack speaks for itself. There are so many things being used and washed in rotation for a baby, that everything clean just stays on this rack and it doesn't take up much space at all. (Target and babies r us)

This little bear plays 3 different songs, womb and nature sounds. It will strap to the crib, but we just take it wherever Carson goes b/c he likes noise, and I think it is so calming. I will probably send it to daycare with him, or get another one to keep there. (Target)

For Carson, these playtex drop in bottles work really well, and they are very low maintenance which I will be thankful for when I start back to work in a few weeks :(
We tried Avent, which were fine for him, but they leak terribly and are SO expensive; we tried playtex ventaire but he spits up a ton w/ those and he was ready for a faster flow nipple after 3 weeks, but they don't offer a medium flow, and he couldn't keep up w/ the fast flow. So I jumped on the playtex website and took a quiz which told me that drop ins were good for us, and it worked, and they had a medium flow nipple! (Target, Wal-mart, babies r us)

Loads of crap (in my opinion) -

• Pee-Pee TP's (shields for when baby boys pee when you remove the diaper: after you wash it, it doesn't go back to its original form, we just use a wipe)
  
• Special swaddling blankets: waste of $ (the large flannel ones are great)
• Buying brand names (we buy the off brand in almost everything - formula, drop ins for his bottles, detergent for babies, tummy drops which is the off brand for mylicon, target brand baby tylenol..its the SAME, and when we finally have to buy diapers and wipes and baby soap, that stuff will be target off brand as well, unless the diapers leak, we'll see) But I do love pampers swaddlers, they are SO soft.
  
• Baby "bath and spa"...we registered for this and received it. It has a sprayer that we thought would help and we have used it once, now we use a cup b/c its quicker but the actual tub is great. I can't wait to just throw him in the kitchen sink when he gets big enough!