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In the prenatal months, a baby’s brain is at its most receptive stage of learning. This would explain why pregnant women are constantly told to talk to, sing to, and play music to their bellies. When hearing the same sounds outside of the womb, babies tend to react to them positively. The sounds that they’ve heard inside of the womb help them relax once exposed to the world outside.

Daddy and I talk to my belly and in addition we use a product called BabyPlus. The BabyPlus is a device that introduces patterns of sound to a prenatal child. The BabyPlus is programmed with 16 one hour lessons that resemble the rhythm of a heart beating, a language that a baby recognizes best. The rhythms gradually increase when advancing to each new lesson. It is recommended that pregnant women start BabyPlus lessons at 18 weeks. At 18 weeks a mother should start on lesson one and should play each lesson for one hour twice a day for 7 days. After an hour has passed, BabyPlus will cut off automatically. BabyPlus comes with a chart which lists allow you to record your week of pregnancy, the day and times you had your lessons, and the baby’s response to the lessons. There is also a chart that tells you how many days to use BabyPlus according to the week of pregnancy you are in. So if you are past 18 weeks, you can still use BabyPlus!

Studies have shown that babies that have been exposed to BabyPlus prenatal curriculum are born more relaxed and alert. They are more responsive, interactive, and are ready to start observing the environment around them. Parents who have used BabyPlus have reported that their babies nurse more readily and self-soothe more easily. As they grow older they demonstrate earlier developmental milestones, have longer attention spans, and improved school readiness. Check out what parents have to say about BabyPlus.

BabyPlus can be compared to a prenatal vitamin. Prenatal vitamins encourage strong physical development and BabyPlus encourages strong, cognitive development. This being said, don’t expect BabyPlus to turn your baby into a genius; BabyPlus just simply strengthens the foundation for learning.

I started using BabyPlus at 24 weeks and I will admit to missing quite a few days due to being overwhelmed with business and tasks at home. Since I threw my BabyPlus schedule off so bad, I decided to start over because I wanted to do it RIGHT. I found that the best time to do BabyPlus lessons are while doing housework or exercising, that way the beating sounds are less distracting. It is said that babies inside of the womb may react while BabyPlus lessons are in session. Some babies will move to the rhythm of the beats and some may settle down as if they are observing the sounds. When I use BabyPlus, I don’t notice a significant change in Jayden’s movements. Jayden’s really frisky, so he twists and turns during BabyPlus lessons as he would when lessons aren’t in session.

This is my experience with BabyPlus thus far. I still have 6 weeks of pregnancy and 10 BabyPlus lessons to go. I don’t know if we’ll be able to determine the effect, if any, BabyPlus has on Jayden since he is our first child and we have nothing to compare it to. But of course we’ll be documenting all of Jayden’s developments here on Mommy Daddy Blog. So we’ll see!

I recently received coupons to try YoMommy and YoBaby Yogurt, so on our latest trip to the grocery store we picked up a 4 pack of YoMommy in raspberry and blueberry flavors. I’m saving the YoBaby coupon for when Jayden is old enough to eat yogurt. As for YoMommy, it is a low fat, organic yogurt that is formulated to meet the special nutritional needs of moms and their developing babies. YoMommy is ideal for expecting and breastfeeding mothers. YoMommy is formulated with DHA, Folic Acid, and vitamin D and contains no artificial colors or sweeteners. YoMommy is available in packs of 4, with two flavors per pack: strawberry and peach; or blueberry and raspberry. Each flavor contains organic fruit pieces at the bottom!

So I bet you are wondering how YoMommy tastes. Well, YoMommy yogurt is full of flavor perhaps more flavor than ordinary yogurts. The only difference that I noticed is that YoMommy is a thinner yogurt, so it kind of drizzles off of the spoon, which isn’t a problem.

Each year Stonyfield Farm gives away 10 percent of its profits to organizations and projects that work to protect and restore the earth. In addition, Stonyfield Farm will be donating $1 for every click to Environmental Working Group to help protect families from harmful chemicals in foods. Stonyfield Farm will donate up to $20,000 to this cause, and you can help make this possible by visiting their donation page. Enter your email address in the form and click the cutie pie underneath. When you do this you will be taken to a page where you can download a Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This wallet sized guide will help determine the fruits and vegetables that should be purchased organic based on their pesticide levels.

If you’d like to try YoMommy yogurt, I’ve included a link to a printable coupon below. YoMommy is available in all major grocery stores. If you plan on trying YoMommy yogurt, or already have, I’d love to know what you think of it!

Long before learning about the baby wearing movement, I wanted to wear my “future” child. I just couldn’t picture myself doing tasks around the house without my child being by my side. I couldn’t picture myself pushing those bulky strollers while traveling either, goodness why do they still make those things anyway? Now I realize the MANY benefits of baby wearing and I want to make sure that we as a family can take full advantage of them. According to Dr. Sears, babies who are worn seem to cry less, get “humanized” earlier, learn more, and are smarter and more organized than babies who aren’t worn.

About 2 years ago I was introduced to baby slings, pouches, and mei tai’s just by randomly browsing the web. I thought these carriers were so cool and they seemed very easy to use. They are made simple, come in gorgeous fabrics, and babies and their mothers absolutely love them. I already have a Peekaboo Pouch baby sling and I am going to be purchasing quite a few slings from Slinglings. I don’t intend on purchasing any type of carrier that resembles a back pack, just for the record. Those seem to be too bulky and can cause muscle and back problems in the babies that are worn in them.

Alright baby wearing mamas it’s time for some questions. What is your favorite baby carrier and why?

Question: What has made parenting easier for you?

SuburbanDaddy says “Learn how to swaddle! It’s a real art form. The nurses at the hospital are experts, and babies calm down as soon as they are snug. I could never get the swaddle to hold for more than 5 minutes, so we used the ones at babies r us that wrap around with velcro.”

To be honest, I did not know what the heck swaddling was up until a couple of weeks ago. After I read SuburbanDaddy’s comment, I thought to myself, “What in the world is swaddling?” Before turning to Google to tell me what it was, I tried figuring it out on my own. I began to focus on the word……………swaddling…………swaaaaaadling………sssssswaddling……… And that’s when it hit me! I came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with swimming and paddling! Swimming + Paddling = Swaddling! Right? Then I wondered, “But what the heck does swimming and paddling have to do with babies?” Could it have something to do with a baby “swimming” around in his/her mother’s stomach? But then how would he/she have access to paddles? Becoming frustrated, I just asked Mommy what swaddling was. After she laughed at me (for an hour or two) when I explained to her what I thought it meant, she told me what it was. I felt like an idiot.

So since I’m a complete dummy when it comes to swaddling (Swaddling For Dummies, anyone?), as I just previously proved, I’ll let my research do the talking on the subject.

Running a quick search on Google for “swaddling” will net you loads of information on the practice. It turns out that swaddling has been around for centuries simply because it has many benefits and very few risks. Swaddling is meant to emulate the tightness and security of the womb for a newborn baby. Loosening a swaddle over time can help him/her adjust from the tightness of the womb to the openness of the new world they’ve just entered. This can make the transition for the newborn much easier and much more comfortable. Many more benefits of swaddling include:

-helps the baby sleep through the night with very few awakenings
-keeps the baby warm
-prevents the baby from startling him/herself and even scratching his/her own face
-calms the baby

There are also some risk factors of swaddling. It is recommended that a baby is swaddled only for the first month or two of his/her life. Swaddling for longer could potentially interfere with his/her mobility and development. Excessive swaddling could make it difficult for the baby to become comfortable or fall asleep without a swaddle, as he/she would rely so much upon it. It is recommended that you loosen the swaddle over time so that becoming reliant upon it can be prevented.

In case you are interested to learn how to swaddle a baby, here are some instructions on how to do so:

1. Lay the blanket out on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.
2. Fold down three or four inches of the top edge of the blanket.
3. Place your baby on the blanket so that his head is overlapping the top edge you turned down.
4. Tuck your baby’s right arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the right corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the opposite side of his back.
5. Bring the bottom corner of the blanket up and tuck it inside the blanket near his chest.
6. Tuck your baby’s left arm into the flap made by the folded down edge of the blanket and the left corner of the blanket. Pull that corner across his body, tucking it behind the blanket on his back.

Or if that doesn’t work for you, you can always buy a swaddling blanket with Velcro flaps to make it easier for you as SuburbanDaddy suggested. Mommy and I have these types of swaddles on our Babies “R” Us baby registry. And speaking of Babies “R” Us, they are currently having a buy one get one 50% off sale on all Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe swaddles! The offer ends on the 24th of this month, so be sure to hurry and check that out if you plan on swaddling your bundle!

So now I would like to hear your opinions on swaddling. Do you or did you swaddle your baby? If so, how did he/she react to it? Are there any other benefits/risk factors of swaddling that I did not mention here? Are there any swaddling methods you would like to share?

This post is a part of our Parenting Made Easier series. Our goal for this series is to help new and expecting parents learn ways that parenting can be made easier through tips and advice given by “veteran” parents. If you would like to be featured in this series, just leave a comment on the original post sharing your own tips and advice on what has made parenting easier for you. And be sure to subscribe to our feed so that you don’t miss out on any updates to this series!

(Sources: Baby Center, Wikipedia, and About)

Question: What has made parenting easier for you?

Summer says “Physical items that helped: A sling! Oh, hands free baby care rocks and they are so much happier and peaceful. Cosleeping. No getting up for late night feedings, just roll over lift shirt fall back asleep.

The biggest help was learning to trust my gut instead of what the “experts” say or what society thinks I’m supposed to do.”

Mommy - Two summers ago, I purchased a Peekaboo pouch on sale to add to our “baby stash” and I’m eying a few other slings. Slings are definitely must-haves. There’s no way our baby would survive in our bed as Daddy already uses me as a teddy bear! Products such as the Co-Sleeper or Amby Baby Motion Bed may be of some assistance! Oh, just rolling over and lifting up your shirt sounds really convenient, lol!

Daddy - Trusting your gut is definitely important. Everyone is unique in their own way, so what works for one person just may not work for another. That also can be applied vice versa; what doesn’t work for others just may actually work for you. Sometimes you just have to go by your gut instinct to find what works best for you and most importantly, your child.

LOL @ “just roll over lift shirt fall back asleep”! Mommy suggested co-sleeping to me for when Jayden arrives, but then she retracted the idea due to the fact that (and I quote), “You might roll over him or fart on him.” Now I’ll admit, I can get a little tossy turny while I’m sleep, but I DO NOT FLATULATE IN MY SLEEP!!!

…ok maybe I do once or twice, but Jayden won’t care!

This post is a part of our Parenting Made Easier series. Our goal for this series is to help new and expecting parents learn ways that parenting can be made easier through tips and advice given by “veteran” parents. If you would like to be featured in this series, just leave a comment on the original post sharing your own tips and advice on what has made parenting easier for you. And be sure to subscribe to our feed so that you don’t miss out on any updates to this series!

Every Monday, beginning next week, Christine over at From Dates to Diapers, and beyond! will choose a stay-at-home mom or a mom who works from home, who she will interview and put in the spotlight! Words of encouragement, funny quotes, or tips to help the honoree navigate her way through mounds of dishes and loads of laundry will be left by commenters. So are you feeling unappreciated and need some lovin’? Go nominate yourself or someone who you feel deserves the spotlight and if you help spread the word about Christine’s Mom of the Week segment, you’ll have a chance to win a pair of handmade earrings made by Christine herself!

Question: What has made parenting easier for you?

Raquita says “What has helped the most for me (I just had kid #2) is backing off the idea that I had in my mind about what parenting was going to be for me, and learning to go with the flow. I’m still figuring out what works best for my family and my kids, but we are getting there and it seems better every day.

As far as material items, I couldn’t live with out my stroller, its the one that accepts this one. My travel swing, and a good monitor, it will help you keep from spoiling the baby. The more comfortable you can be with the baby in another room the easier it will be for both of you (you and the baby- that is) to learn to be independent of one another… for me that took a pretty high tec monitor.”

Mommy - Going with the flow is definitely what I’m all about. Life’s full of surprises and you have to be able to adjust to them for the benefit of your family. Independency is something I may struggle with because I plan on practicing some forms of attachment parenting. This is where going with the flow and seeing what works best for our family comes in!

Light-weight strollers are a definite must-have! When you’re traveling with kids in tow you don’t want to have to struggle with lifting and getting a bulky stroller out of your vehicle, especially in extreme weather conditions. I will wear Jayden, but in situations when wearing him becomes uncomfortable we will definitely benefit from a stroller.

Thanks for your suggestions and congrats on babe #2!

Daddy - First of all, congratulations on your second child! I totally agree with you on going with the flow. I’m a go-with-the-flow type person myself, and I’ve learned that some things are just best taught through trial and error. That way, you can figure out what doesn’t work, what does work, and what works best. And when it comes to family, as you said, you want what works best!

I also agree with you on a parent and a child becoming independent of one another. I already know that Mommy and I are going to spoil Jayden like crazy since he is our first child. But I don’t want to spoil him to the point where it has negative affects on him or us. So I believe establishing independency with the child is definitely a very good way to make parenting easier.

This post is a part of our Parenting Made Easier series. Our goal for this series is to help new and expecting parents learn ways that parenting can be made easier through tips and advice given by “veteran” parents. If you would like to be featured in this series, just leave a comment on the original post sharing your own tips and advice on what has made parenting easier for you. And be sure to subscribe to our feed so that you don’t miss out on any updates to this series!