[blparent] questions about baby products

Thu Aug 18 23:03:19 UTC 2011

Hello Jan,

I've used both the Medella manual hand pump and the electric Medella Harmony
pump and they both are wonderful.  The manual was given to me by the
hospital and I rented the electric pump from the hospital as well.  If you
don't want to put big $$ down on an electric pump I recommend renting a good
one like this from the hospital if you want to pump a bunch and store in the
freezer.  My hospital charges $1 or $2 per day depending on which pump you
rent.  They gave me the flanges, tubes and bottles so the only thing I was
renting was the actual machine and not any parts that could become
contaminated.  If you plan on pumping regularly then maybe a good electric
pump would be well worth the investment.  It just depends on what your needs
are and situation.

Erin

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Angie Matney
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 3:16 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] questions about baby products

Hi Jan,

There's some great information in the message below from Sarah. I want to
offer one minor correction though: You can actually use different bottles
with different pumps. As I write this, I'm pumping (hands-free) with my
Ameda Elite pump into two Medella bottles. I like the small Medella bottles
because I find them pretty easy to read, with the tactile ounce markings. 
They also have markings at the quarter-ounces, whereas the Ameda bottles I
have only have half-ounce markings.

I really like my Ameda pump, but I have never used a Medella, so I have
nothing to compare it to.

Best,
Angie

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sarah Johnson" <sjohnson331 at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:45 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] questions about baby products

> Hey Jane,
> I know you said to email you off list, but Erin asked about cloth
> diapers too, so  I thought  it might be easier to send this to the list.
>
> As far as breast milk storage bags go, it has been my experience that you
> have to get the storage bags or bottles that are sold for the type of pump
> that you have. As in a Medela pump only works with Medela storage bags. I
> personally had a Medela pump and found  that I liked the bottles better 
> then
> the storage bags. it was harder to tell how full the bottle was while
> pumping, and after  they were frozen, but I found that they held up better
> then the bags... But that is a personal  choice. As for BPA, or Bisphenol 
> A,
> it is an additive to plastics that is an estrogenic   and so can mess with
> children's hormones.  So in general a good idea to avoid BPA things when 
> you
> can, but definitely when you are talking about bottles  or milk storage
> containers.
>
> A mini co sleeper is a piece of furniture  which  attaches to the side of
> the bed, so your baby can sleep in his or her own little protected space,
> but still have it be a part of the bed. The most  popular one in my
> neighborhood is the Arms Reach co sleeper, which can also be turned into a
> self standing basinet for when the baby starts to sleep alone.  If you are
> looking for something that actually goes in your bed to protect the baby
> from being rolled over on, you might want to look at the snuggle nest. We
> used it and liked it, although I was glad to get it out of the bed as soon
> as my daughter was old enough to roll over herself, and was out of the 
> woods
> as it were as far as SIDS goes, because the snuggle nest did take up a lot
> of room, and left the parents with less bed real estate then optimal.  I
> think this is why so many people like having the arms reach co sleeper,
> because instead of taking up space in the bed it adds a little bit onto 
> the
> bed- which is flush with your mattress- so the baby has his or her  own 
> bed
> atached to the parent's.
>
> And cloth diapers... I could write whole treatises on cloth diapers- how
> much I love them, the types I like, and the brands... But very briefly... 
> I
> use fitted diapers, pockets, and flip diapers. I have liked different ones
> at different times, but  when my  daughter was tiny I loved having fitted
> diapers. . They look just like disposable diapers, but cloth, and they 
> need
> a water proof cover. Kissaluvs were my favorite for that stage, but there
> are lots of brands that are very good. Now I use mostly one size fits all
> bum genius pocket diapers. They are more expensive (like around $15 each
> new) but  they are very adjustable, and seem to hold up really well. I got
> most of my diapers from cottonbabies.com, but have found great deals on
> nickysdiapers.com and diaperswappers.com. I am also lucky enough to have 
> two
> cloth diaper stores close by, so I have been able to go there to get (and
> touch) several new and used things. It was an investment up front, but 
> even
> with the cost of washing them every couple of days, it is significantly 
> less
> expensive then buying disposables would have been. Anyway, I would be 
> happy
> to write you more if you like off list, but the short answer is that I use
> cloth diapers, recommend fitteds or pocket diapers as good   options, and
> recommend cottonbabies as a good starting point for those who might be
> looking to learn more about cloth diapers.
>
> And as for the diaper bags? I would second Erin's recommendation for a
> backpack style diaper bag. I have a regular shoulder bag style diaper bag,
> and while  I like it, I frequently find myself using a smaller and lighter
> bag which does not get in the way as much... Especially when I am carrying
> my daughter in a  sling or in her Ergo... Which is pretty much all the 
> time.
>
> Anyway, hope this helps, and good luck with the registry. Sounds like so
> much fun!
>
> Take Care,
>  Sarah, mother to 15 month old Isla
>
>
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