When stay at a hotel here's our cleaning station..Ha ha ha

The different brushes and sponges we use.

As we're in the middle of summer, before you head out on vacation I'd love to see what necessities you guys bring.

Because of the bottle and milk situation we always bring a few things:

- Dish washing soap - This is to clean baby bottles and water bottles.  We use just Dawn soap

- Sponges and Baby Bottles Brushes - Again, for cleaning purposes. 

- Straw Cleaning Brushes - Just wanted to add this as a separate item.  A lot of parents do you use it but, we feel its the best way to clean the sippy cups and straws.  To see the one we got click here.

- Stainless Steal Travel Coffee Mug - This is for milk.  It can keep milk cold for 6 hours or more.  A lot of places we go sell milk but it's way more convenient for us to always have it with us.   We don't have to worry about finding it, the price is cheaper, and we're always ready.  It doesn't matter if we're at the beach, in line for a ride, or at the end of day, we always have it.  To see the one we got click here.

What do you guys bring?

We asked Peg and Lion Moms how long did it take before they took their newborn out of the house.  This doesn't included Dr Appointments.

The most common answer was a few days, followed by 2-3 Weeks.

But of course a lot of depended on the circumstances.

One great tip a Peg and Lion Mom said was because it was flu season they didn't take their baby out at all until 12 weeks, which makes a lot of sense.

Another Mom said "I've always had a 2 week rule. No visitors and no leaving the house for 2 weeks, other than baby appointments".

Something that seems very appropriate is the stress of taking a baby out.  Here's what a Peg and Lion Mom said "Probably 3 or 4 weeks. It seemed like such an overwhelming task as a new mom. I had no idea how stressful taking him out was going to be. At 9 weeks now it is getting easier and more frequent."

If you have any thoughts on taking your Baby out leave your comments bellow.

If you want to see the original Facebook Post click here.

It's one of the many fun games to play when you have a baby coming. What's funny is it doesn't matter if you want to play it or not because people will play regardless. You will hear all sorts of opinions from everyone: Grandmas, Aunts, friends, and even strangers. We heard it from everyone...even cashiers at the store.

They'll say "You're going to be having a....", followed by "I know because of..." Ha ha ha.

Well now you don't have to rely on the cashier to know what the sex of your baby will be!

Here are 8 fun(ny) ways to know whether you're having a girl or a boy:

1. Morning Sickness
   Here's one passed down to each generation. If you're nausea in your first trimester, you're going to have a girl. If you had an easy, vomit-free pregnancy, then it's a boy.
2. Acne
   This one can be mean especially coming from that one Aunt who has no filter. It goes if you're breaking out in zits or aren't really exhibiting that gorgeous pregnancy glow, you might be able to blame it on an eventual daughter because girls steal their mother's beauty.
3. Ring on a String
   If you're married, get your wedding ring and tie it to a string. Hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circle, you're having a boy, but if it sways back and forth, it's a girl. People swear by this one.
4. Fetal Heart Rate
   At your next doctor's appointment listen to your baby's heartbeat, if babies heart rate is more than 140 beats per minute, it's a girl. If it's less than 140 beats per minute, a boy.
5. The Pee Test
   Legend has it that if your pee is bright yellow, it will be a boy and dull yellow for a girl. And you thought you were done looking at your urine!
6. The height of your bump
   This is the one we heard the most, if you are carrying high you will have a girl, while carry low means a boy. What's funny is we heard it the other way also: carrying low for a girl and high for a boy.
7. The shape of your bump
   Round ball bumps means a boy, but a wider bump is for sure a girl.

I hope you have fun with this!

Babies, and kids in general, grow up so fast.  People always say it.  But it's true.

Milestones and achievements come and go in a blink of an eye.

One day you're struggling, wishing for the next phase, as you wake up for the 5th time that night to feed.  The next day they're gone off with their friends, off to college, or off to start their own family.

It's the cruel irony of parent hood...ha ha ha.

That's why always make a point to take pictures.

We have a great blog post about awesome pictures you can take of your baby but only happen in a small window.

You can find the post here.

Another great system is to use milestone stickers.

These are stickers you put on the belly that signify a milestone such as "1 Month", or "1 Year Old".  It's a great way to track and see their progress.

If you do have them, here are some quick tips on how to get the best photos possible.

Relax Baby - Hungry or Sleepy = Cranky

Make sure your Baby isn’t hungry or sleepy. Ideally they ate, poo-ed, took a nap and woke up. But each Baby is different find your sweet spot and go for it.

Use Natural Light - Flash Can Distract or Scare a Baby

A flash on a camera can make a baby scared, distracted or confused. Rarely do they make Baby smiley and giggly.

Instead use natural light. The best time is “Golden Hour” which is about an hour before sunset. During this time everything will have a beautiful warm glow, take advantage of it. Find a window that faces the sunset and use that light.

Get a Helper - 1 to Take Pictures and 1 for Smiles

Have one person take pictures and another person to get the baby to look toward the camera and get smiles. The helper will stand behind the camera and use squeaky toys, their voice, or rattles to have the baby look at their direction and smile. Usually Moms are best at getting babies attention and getting smiles. If you’re using a toy to get Baby’s attention, place the toy right above the lens of the camera to give the illusion Baby is looking at the camera.

Props - Can Keep Baby Occupied and Smiling

Give Baby something to hold and play with so they won’t be bored. Flower, favorite toy, etc.

Bribes - Candies and Cookies Help

Depending on the age use bribes (cookies and candies) to get their attention and/or to have them sit or stand in place and smile. Don't give them the entire cookies or candy all at once give them just a piece or a small bit. M&M's work great for this. Plus they won't melt in their hands and ruin their clothes.

Do Not Rush - Take a Break

If you are pressuring Baby to smile or getting frustrated your baby will sense it, instead have fun. Do your best but don't worry if it's not perfect. If Baby isn’t feeling it, or spits up, or begins to cry try again later.  Remember everything doesn't have to be done that day or that hour.

Just remove stickers and let baby sleep and eat and when they're ready reapply stickers and do it again.  :)

That's why having good high quality stickers are so key. Babies will grab them and take them off, spit up on them or just will sleep with them on.

High Quality Stickers

Having high quality stickers are so important. The best sticker are rip resistant, super sticky and great to look at. There's many options but we created are own because of these real life situations.

Most baby stickers are made by corporations or young designers that have no experience with babies.  We designed our stickers with parents and babies in mind.

Our stickers are:

RIP RESISTANCE - Made with rip resistance plastic. If a baby gets a hold of it it's designed not to rip.

SUPER STICKY - They can be repositioned not once, twice or three times...but multiple times. Take pictures with confidence knowing you can make mistakes and still have great photos.  And because of their stickiness, if during the photo session baby isn't feeling it simply remove the stickers until baby is ready!

DESIGNED LARGE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA - Large 4.25” stickers with large words made with anti reflective material to prevent glare from camera flashes. It can be easily seen and read on Social Media post and phones. Get more Likes and Shares!

100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE - If your not happy.  If baby destroys them.  We'll give you your money back.  Period. :)

For Baby Monthly Milestone Stickers and coupons click here.

We hope you enjoy them!

On our Facebook Page we are doing a very special Mommy Appreciation Monday.  We are giving away 10 free Baby Monthly Stickers.

But not any stickers our own Peg and Lion Baby Monthly Stickers!

Yes we are very excited!

After months of brainstorming, testing and prototypes, after months of late nights, we finally finished our baby monthly stickers!

Hopefully, this will allow us to do more of what we love, which is give you Moms and Moms To-Be more support resources, laughter and hugs.

But we did our research and think it's better than the other stickers out there.

- Large - 4.25 inches and not 4 inches like the others.

- Social Media Friendly - The writing is big so when you post it on FB or IG people can ready it.

- Sticky - Mistake friendly. Reposition it as many as needed. It will stick!

- Cute Design - Yeah...we think so :)

It also comes with 12 Bonus Stickers including: I ❤ Mommy, My First 4th of July and I Love Grandma.

The first 10 Moms to raise their hands  on the post will get one for Free!

We will keep you posted on the Winners!

Here are 3 great Baby Moments you need to capture.  Hurry before they grow out of it.

1) Eating Food - It's cute.  It's messy.  Snap a pic before it's too late.

2) Airplane - This usually happens before they can crawl.  The window is about 2 Weeks to 1 Month and then they'll never do it again.  This picture isn't the best but if you can imagine your Baby on their belly with the arms stretched out to their side.

3) Text Messages - Don't just capture and laugh and smiles.  Having a baby is crazy and hectic.  Sometime you want to pull you hair.  But in a few years we're going to laugh at it all and miss it...I hear especially when they're teenagers.  Capture the emotion of the moment.  In 20 - 30 Years we can show them the text messages of what they put us through!

If you would like to see our guide to getting great baby photos, click here.

We asked Moms in our Facebook Page to help us with Morning Sickness remedies.

Here's what they suggested.

Water - Hydration.  Hydration.  Hydration.  Sometimes that means in different forms.  One Mom wrote "Coca cola :) and lots of water".

Peppermint/ Spearmint/ Mint Candy or Gum  - Also try a bottle of peppermint essential oil.  "Dab on your wrist to smell" says one Mom.  But the mint flavor from brushing teeth seems to add to the nausea.  Here's what a Mom said about it "Brushing my teeth would almost always require me changing clothes due to the fact that I'd be hunched over the toilet for any given time".

Saltine Crackers - Don't have the exact reason why this works but this was a very common answer with Peg and Lion Moms.  Maybe it's because of the next reason.

Eat Food Regularly - "Eating small things all day to help keep my stomach from getting completely empty" is what one Mom suggested.  Another Mom wrote "Making sure my belly had something in it at all times".

Vitamin B6 - Another very common answer with our Moms.  But here's what Healthline.com says, "Taking vitamin B-6 can be an effective measure for improving symptoms of nausea, but it may not do much for reducing vomiting. AAFP notes that the recommendation is 10 to 25 milligrams every eight hours, but side effects can include headaches, fatigue, and paresthesia, or the sensation of “pins and needles.”  We're not Doctors but so many Moms mentioned it that we decided to add it here but please speak with your Doctor before taking.  :)

Unicom - "Unisom is the only reason I survived" is what one Mom says.  Unisom is a drug that aids in sleeping but that is also used for the nausea.  It's active ingredient is Doxylamine which is an antihistamine.  But please, we're not Doctors.  It was a suggestion by a lot of Moms on our Facebook Page but please speak with your Doctor before taking.

Lemon - Licking, biting or eating.  One Mom said "it works wonders".  We just love how natural and inexpensive it is.

Other honorable mentions: preggy popps, sea sickness bands and ginger or ginger root.

Sorry we don't have the exact reason or "science" behind why these work.  But Moms have suggested the morning sickness remedies above so they seem worth a try.  Of course please use common sense and stay away from these if you are allergic.  And always check with your Dr.

We hope this helps.

If you want to see the exact Facebook Post.

You can find it here.

Do not do this!  Butterfly Needle...Poked in the arm multiple times!  Ouch!

Do the heel stick...easier :)

This will save your new born baby, and YOU, from crying.  Wish I knew this earlier

Bottom line: If you need to get blood drawn from your new born, if you can, have them do a heel stick or prick.

When my daughter was a couple weeks old I took her to the get her blood drawn.

She was small a baby, our first, but I was also a first time Dad and had no idea what to expect.  I just new my Wife, Julie Anne, wouldn't be able to handle our Baby getting pinned by a needle.  I had to go.

Should've Done Some Research

Not knowing there was other options, they began to tell me how they're going draw blood using a butter fly needle which is meant for kids bec it's flexible and short.

What I didn't know was that Babies veins are extremely small and it's very had to hit a the vein with the needle.

We discovered this the hard way.

When they began, they tried to find the vein.  I tried to calm my new born down as they stabbed the 1" needle in her arm and missed.  They took it out and did it again...missed...and again...and again.  7 times to be exact.

Then they called the other nurse in to try....and again a miss.  She tried multiple times and missed.

Baby was crying.  Going crazy.  I was going crazy.

"OK.  OK.  Enough" I said as I quickly scooped up by Baby.

Here's the kicker...It was completely unnecessary.

"Sorry we like to do it this way because it's faster."....wait for it. 

"We can just prick the heel and get the blood"....What the !?!

I was shocked.  The only reason we're doing this is to save time!

We could've saved everyone some tears, heartache and headache.

"I have all day" is what I told them.

Heel Stick

This was less traumatizing for everyone...Baby and me!

They first warm up the area with a heat pack so there'll be blood circulation at the heal.  Then they use a small need to prick the heel and then squeeze the area so that blood dribbles out.  They'll then use a scooper to collect the blood in a vile.

Yes it takes longer.  But yes it's easier on everyone.  After about 15 min they had the vials of blood.

More Tips

- Make sure Baby is hydrated so the blood isn't thick.

- Be calm - Baby will sense your fear.

- Make sure Baby is calm.

- Call ahead and make sure someone has baby (not kids or toddlers) experience.

- Leave the Band Aid on afterword.

- Be aware that not situations can you use the heel stick method.  If not use a butterfly needle which is not necessarily a smaller thinner needle just more flexible and shorter to easily find the vein.

- Have a positive attitude to the technician/ phlebotomist - They're their to help and most often then not they have experience with infants.

Hi Guys!

We are pretty excited for this email.

Why?... Because we figured out the "how". :)

"Huh? What are you talking about?", you ask...Ha ha ha

The "Why"

Well, a while ago I sent and email about "Why?".

Why we are doing this. Why the site? Why the emails? Why the Facebook Page?

Hopefully you know "why"... for all of YOU.

Everyone of you Moms and Moms-To-Be, you're the reason why. :)

We understand the journey you are going through and we want to support you any way we can.

Whether it's information (like popular diaper brands), resources (free white noise), or a smile and laugh.

We want to help you out.

That is our "why"

The "How"

But "How"...How do we do it? Was the bigger question.

It takes a lot of resources. The time required is even more so, especially when both me and Julie Anne work and there's 2 kids.

How do we keep doing what we want to be doing...which is all of this.

The Answer is "Sticky"

A few months, and then again a few weeks ago, we did Baby Sticker Giveaway.

We bought a few for the Giveaway and noticed how awful they were.

Cheap material, bad design, wasn't very sticky.

We were thinking we can do it better. So we did!

If you want to get a sneak peak take a look at the link bellow.

Hopefully you'll like it. :)

SNEAK PEAK HERE

BTW: Nothing Changes

Will this anything change with the website or the Facebook Group?

Absolutely not.

Our plan is that this will allow us to do more. :)

More resources. More guides and more giveaway and prizes.

It's definitely going to be a work in progress but we think we're headed in the right direction!

Thank you all again for reading this.

We are excited for this new part of the adventure.

Mike and Julie Anne

A few hours earlier this was disgusting

How was your Memorial Day Weekend? 

Ours was great except for the throw up we had to clean on our car seat. 

Tip for New Moms:  When looking for car seat, make sure it can easily be washed. 

What we mean is you can take it apart and put  the cushions, the straps, and anything cloth in the washer. 

Do you have any tips you want to Share in the Comments?

The reason we say to have your car seat easily washable, is your car seat might end up with cookie crumbs, spilled milk, leaky diaper, and, our personal favorite, throw up.

The one we have isn’t easy to clean and wash.  The cloth for the head rest, back and sides can’t removed.  The seat cushion is difficult to remove and same for the straps. 

Unfortunately, we were so disgusted we had to clean our right away so we do not have any before photos.

This photo was taken after we cleaned it.  It looks ok now but it was pretty disgusting.  Food crumbs fused together, candy stuck to certain parts, and of course the vomit. 

It took forever to disassemble it and clean it. 

What are your tips when choosing a car seat?  

(What features do you look for? What features are over rated?  What is something you wish you knew before buying yours?)

We asked Moms our our Facebook Page, "What was the the most surprising thing about being pregnant is/ was...."

Here's what they said.  

"I craved dirt the last couple of weeks. I had heard of bizarre cravings before but always sort of thought it was made up or just happened to crazy people."

"The night sweats afterwards!! 😩😩😩"

"Feeling him progress with his kicks. I will miss that!"

The comments on their body a lot of Moms found very annoying.

"How comfortable people feel commenting on your body...or touching it. 'you’re huge!' 'Your face is swollen now!' 'You’re about to pop...ohhh you have 2 months left??' 'Is it twins?!' 😂"

"People coming up to you saying. . You are fat.. or are you sure you having one. .or your baby is going to be so big that you won't be able to push her out"

A few Moms had surprising medical issues...yikes!

 "Carpal tunnnel. Can't feel my right hand!!"

"Having no cervix left at 23 weeks and being air flighted to a bigger hospital to have surgery to try to keep baby in. It was successful. She stayed in 8.5 weeks. I had her at 31 weeks and 4 days. She is my miricle baby."

"Breast cysts" 

But there were also many positive comments.

"Loving being pregnant! I was 9 months pregnant and could have gone longer with him in there...lol. I absolutely adored the way I felt emotionally, the way I felt and looked physically. Makes me want to do it again just thinking about it!"

"I’m only 7 months and I absolutely LOVE it. I feel better and prettier now that I am pregnant than before I was 💕"

Here's a link if you want to see it for yourself.  CLICK HERE

POPULAR DIAPER BRANDS

WE ASKED PEG AND LION MOM'S WHAT DIAPERS DO THEY USE

We asked Mom's on our Facebook Group to tell us what diapers they use and these were the results.  

We'll update or ask this question often so you know what the everybody else is doing.

We used Pampers at first but switched to Kirkland Costco for our Son who was a heavy flow kid and leaked a lot.  Plus the double adhesive in the diapers helped with keeping it in place.

Also mentioned on our Facebook Group was Honest, Comfort for Babies (Kroger Brand), and Target Up and Up.

Which ones do you use?

Leave the which brand you use in the Comments

Have you heard about removing your shirt and putting it next to your Baby so they can sleep better?

Supposedly, your Baby's sense of smell develops first so by the time Baby is out of the womb it's nose is very functioning and useful. Unlike hearing and sight which can take months to develop.

By placing your shirt, which has your smell on it, next to baby, Baby gets in a comfortable secure mindset thinking Mommy is near by and sleeps better.

No matter the "science" behind it, the bottom line is Grandma said it so it's 100% true...and we did it and it 100% works. 👍😀

What tips, useful or not, did Grandma share with you?

Please leave in the comments

* After Baby sleeps remove the shirt.  Do not leave any lose items next to your Baby.  Babies under 1 year are best placed to sleep in their own crib, alone, and without blankets or other soft objects to promote the safest sleep environment

Hi

Just had a super compelling reason to write you guys today.

As I write this I'm still frustrated what happened with the Doctors at the ER and what eventually led to my daughter to be admitted to the hospital for 3 days.

Happily everything and everyone is fine and ok.

But we wanted to share so that you can trust your gut and instinct.

A SWOLLEN EYE THAT GREW

One morning we noticed my daughter's eye was a little bit swollen. It wasn't bad but it was puffing up. It was a stye. It wasn't a big deal. We've had styes before so we did the usual home remedy treatments of a warm compress.

However, throughout the day the swelling didn't stop and it was actually getting worse. We decided to call her Dr and show her some pictures. The Dr was worried. The swelling was growing fast and the Dr was concerned about my daughter's eye swelling shut and bacteria spreading from her eyelid to her actual eye. She said to go to the ER to get oral antibiotics immediately, as in now.

THE ER

After a couple hours of waiting, we finally saw the Doctor at the ER. 

"There's no need for oral antibiotics", he said. 

We were confused. Her eye was looking seriously worse. Her primary Doctor said we needed to get the oral antibiotics.

"Are you sure? Her Doctor said specifically to get them."

"Yes" he assured me. Then he began to tell me reason that our primary Doctor was was wrong and how she was basing her conclusion from a picture and that he's looking at it now and my daughter doesn't need it.

We're not Doctors and what he said made sense. But deep inside we felt he was wrong. It just didn't feel right. Our gut was telling us something else. But what could we do?

We followed his instructions and used a weaker topical antibiotic. 

BIG MISTAKE 

My daughter's eye got worse and we went back to her primary doctor who was shocked that the ER Dr didn't give the oral antibiotics. She was scratching her head. She couldn't believe it. She prescribed the oral antibiotics but it was too late. The next day my daughter's eye had swollen so much it was almost shut and she was admitted to the hospital.

Everything worked out and my daughter is fine. At the hospital, she got a strong dose of antibiotics through IV, which was an ordeal, but after 3 scary days at the hospital the swelling went away.

But we learned our lesson. Trust yourself and your gut, like a Mama Bear protecting her cubs we push back a bit harder when we feel our gut is telling us something different than what the experts are saying.

BACK TO URGENT CAR

We recently had to go to Urgent Care. My son who had a stuffy nose started to complain about his ears. He was rubbing them and saying "owiee". He never does that. Ear infection was what we're thinking. 

We took him to urgent care, after a complete clinical review of my son, including checking his ears, the Urgent Care Doctor concluded everything is fine. "He might just have a bad cold but he doesn't have an ear infection."

We know our son. He doesn't just rub his ears... ever. And he wouldn't say "owiee" for no reason.

We explained to the Dr that we know our son and that we can tell something is off and asked her to please check his ears again....she reluctantly checked his ears...and said "oh i don't know why I didn't see this before, but it looks like an ear infection"

Protect your cubs Mama Bears.

The isn't about Doctors being wrong, they're great and know their stuff. But this is more about you being right and knowing your "stuff" which is your kids.

If you feel something isn't right let them know.

Your Mama Instincts are one of your greatest super powers.

Believe in it. :)