First, congratulations and good luck!!

Second, don't stress. Breastfeeding is hard--but you can totally do it. The Breastfeeding center (on K street downtown) is a great resource. Pat Shelley, the lactation consultant, makes house calls.

As for the prep... don't worry about it now. You can buy what you need later. Especially in the first few weeks you should not be wearing a nursing bra (you will be engorged, most likely and the bra will be tight, which can cause clogged ducts). Instead I wore a sleep bra until things settled down. Medela makes them. I needed to wear one every night, partly for support and partly to keep my breast pads in place.

I also really liked the nursing tanks. I bought some from target the last time around. This time (baby due in 6 weeks) I treated myself to a Bravado nursing tank. They are more expensive, but much better quality.

Best wishes!!

We need to install wall-to-wall carpeting in our condo in order to rent it out. Any recommendations? Lowes? Home Depot?

Thanks,
Jennifer

I agree with the inclined bed, humidifier. I also use the saline nasal spray and nasal saline gel (for overnight). Little noses also makes a decongestant nasal spray which you could use for a day or two. Steamy bathrooms for sure... also, encourage her to blow her nose--my son was able to do that, which helps a lot.

Hang in there!!

We have similar struggles with the tossed food. Once he starts throwing food off his tray, the meal is over, no matter how much he's eaten.

Try to avoid saying "no" as in another week or two, it's all you'll hear. Gentle, careful, even stop--better alternatives.

I don't think time-outs work. Ignore the behavior you don't like, praise the good behavior.

First, try to relax. Your milk supply is probably up from a week of nursing. So, take a deep breath, look at photos of your child, imagine him/her nursing. And try again in 20 minutes. Drink more water. Also, follow the tips in this video: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

It will come back. I promise. It's just your body not used to the pump after the break.

We swaddled until 7 or 8 months, legs out, arms wrapped tightly. I can't remember how we stopped but it became clear that our son didn't need it any longer. Good luck!

Try lightly coating the inside of the flanges with olive oil. That will cut down on the friction on your nipples. It's totally fine for some of the oil to make it into the milk.

Good luck. I think it's just the different pumping schedule that's got you feeling sore.

I work in Bethesda and would love to have your old mesh visor!! Thanks so much. How do I reach you? My email is jennifer.lynott@gmail.com.

Thanks so much!
Jennifer

Hi All--
We just moved our son out of the infant bucket and into the Roundabout. This morning we realized that we don't have a good solution to keeping the sun out of his eyes, since this new carseat doesn't have a visor. What do others do? Decals on the windows, right? But, can you put those shades on the back windows too? Our boy rides out to day care with dad in Fairfax and so the sun is in his eyes all the way out in the morning.

HELP!

Jennifer

OP here, thanks PP. I have the 20% off coupon which will definitely help. I also have a gift card for about $125 so I feel pretty comfortably buying the Marathon if I have to. I just don't want to get the huge seat if I don't need it now. But, maybe that's the best thing to do? You're right, this is so confusing...

My son is longer in the legs than the torso. In the SnugRide his feet are nearly over the edge but his head isn't at the top of the seat yet. Of course, straps are harder to get on him now that he's bigger... thus the need for the new seat. I guess we can't really predict how our children will grow. Sounds like the Marathon is a sure thing for longer?

We are ready to buy the next carseat (gulp!) and I'm trying to decide between the Britax Roundabout or Marathon. Of course I would love to save myself the $90 and get the roundabout if it's really going to work just fine for us. Can you help me decide?

Here's some important info:
- our boy is long and lean, 95% for height and 50% for weight.
- at six months he's 28 1/4 inches long (was 19 at birth)
- we drive a Honda Accord; second car is an older Toyota Corolla. Likely we'll just get one convertible carseat since usually Dad does drop off and pick up at day care (though if we got the roundabout conceivably we could buy a second if needed)
- we plan to have a second child, probably by the time our son is 2 or 3 and we would like to use the larger car seat for the 2nd child too

It sounds like the Roundabout is easier to travel with and we do fly to Michigan at least 1/year to see grandparents.

Any other considerations?

Thanks!!

We had those foam rollers under the seat initially--installed by the Montgomery County person. They got squashed with several months of use, making the seat loose. When the DC police person re-installed it she said you should never use those noodles, but instead raise the base foot. The Graco user manual says to use a rolled up towel, if necessary.

I think the Children's recommendation is a good idea. Thanks everyone.

Well, the update here is that the police department my husband went to yesterday reinstalled the car seat putting a foam noodle underneath the seat! I thought you weren't supposed to have ANYTHING under the seat. I'm so frustrated. I'm going to call GRACO to see what they advise. I hate that no one has a clear answer for the best way to install the seat. The standing in the seat base sounds like something worth trying.

Thanks to everyone.
Jennifer

We only have latch on the side seats (not the middle). I've heard that in a crash the middle is the safest spot for an infant/child seat. I just don't like that the base is moving around on the seat! I can't understand how it's getting loose. Very frustrating. Sounds like this isn't a problem for others. We've had two different people install it now and it's come loose again. My husband is taking it in to a police station tonight to have it reinstalled. Maybe they will have a solution.

I'm hoping someone out there can help with a tip for how to keep our Graco SnugRide base from shifting in the back of our car. We drive a Honda Accord (2005, if that matters). Regular seats, not leather. Twice now we have had to have the car seat base reinstalled because it came too loose. This morning the seat completely shifted to one side when my husband made a turn. The baby was fine, strapped in, etc, but we are very concerned about this.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it the tilt of the seat? The fabric? What can we do to keep this from happening? The seat is in the middle, not on right or left where we have LATCH. Should we move the seat to one side? I've heard that's less safe in the event of a crash (god forbid).

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

Jennifer