[blparent] making baby clothes

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

Hi.  First of all, there's no reason you can't make baby clothes if you have 
the time and the expertise to do it.  Dresses are fine for baby girls, 
especially in the summer months or in warm climates, and they make diapering 
convenient.  The dresses usually come with pretty shorts or panties to go 
underneath them and cover the diaper.  I would strongly recommend looking 
for fabrics that are flame retardant.  Most commercially approved pajamas 
for kids have to be flame retardant to be sold in the United States.

If space is a limitation and you want a swing that's low to the ground, try 
checking out the cradle swings.  They're lighter, lower, and more portable 
than the bigger swings.  In my experience, I couldn't use the cradle swing 
for as long with my baby as I used the bigger model because she started to 
try and get out of the seat once she was mobile.  But the choice might be 
perfect to you since it's built so that the cradle or seat part is only a 
few inches off the floor, and the top of the frame is maybe two feet high or 
so.  I think the model I had was a Fisher Price, and it had a rainforest 
theme with sounds and toys for the baby to bat at.

There is a special laundry soap called Dreff that's made for washing baby 
clothes, but it's expensive and, in my opinion, doesn't work so well.  What 
I did was to get a name brand detergent--All, to be precise--in the type 
that is free of dyes and perfumes.  My child never had a problem with it, 
and I'm sensitive to the fumes anyway, so it worked out well for everyone.

You know, I haven't seen any of the old-fashioned rocking type cradles 
around for a long time.  I'm wondering if maybe they weren't safe.  My 
sister was in one thirty-some years ago, but none of the parents I've come 
in contact with now use them.  The crib I used could be raised and lowered, 
or there are play yards (Pack and Plays, I think they're called) with cradle 
attachments for when the baby is small.

The question of when to move a baby into a separate room will spark a big 
debate anywhere.  There are some who have the baby in its own room from the 
get-go, and some who choose to co-sleep with the baby in their room, or in 
their bed, for months or years.  It's really a personal decision.  At first, 
you'll want to make it as easy as possible for getting up at night, so with 
your limitations, having a basinet or a play yard in your room might be a 
good option.  It really won't become inappropriate, as you say, till you or 
your husband or the child decides it's a problem, which could be years down 
the line, or weeks.  But this idea that every person in a family has to have 
his or her own room was really only advocated in the last generation or so.

Sorry so long, I don't claim to know everything, but I had a zillion 
questions before my baby came, too, and it's good to ask.  Don't worry, some 
things get easier with time, and then there are other complications to 
figure out.

Jo Elizabeth

"How far you go in
life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the 
aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the 
strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of these."--George 
Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tay Laurie" <j.t.laurie at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2012 12:26 AM
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blparent] making baby clothes

> Hi everyone,
>
> considering that I know a good portion about sewing, knitting, etc, I was 
> wondering if it would be ok to make my own baby clothes, at least for a 
> few outfits? I think that doing so might be cheaper, and would give me 
> something to do until baby arrives. I'm not looking to make things out of 
> silk, satin, etc, but sturdy, soft fabrics and things that are easily 
> washable. Also, are dresses for a little girl appropriate even at such a 
> small age?
>
> I also wondered about baby swings. The few I've seen are fairly large. 
> Right now we only have a one bedroom apt, but will be moving into a larger 
> one, or possibly a rented house, as soon as possible. I don't think one of 
> the ones that suspends from the doorway would be my cup of tea, as knowing 
> me I'd forget and run into it. Can anyone suggest brands or styles of 
> swings, cribs, etc? Anything lower to the ground or that can be raised and 
> lowered, since hubby can stand and I can stand for only a few minutes at a 
> time might be a good idea.
> Also, what about laundry soap? Do we simply use less of the normal stuff 
> we use, or is there a specific baby detergent? I appologise if these are 
> silly questions, but I'd rather have them answered than make a mistake and 
> hurt the young one.
> And, another stupid question. I've seen a basinette. But I haven't really 
> seen a cradle, except for the doll cradle I had in 2nd grade, that was 
> directly on the ground. The two boards that made up the head and foot were 
> curved at the bottom to provide the rocking action. Is this how real 
> cradles are? Or are they slightly higher? my grandmother said they're not 
> on a stand since the baby could flip them over.
> I'm just trying to decide what kind of furniture to get, i.e crib, cradle, 
> etc. Also, at what age should we consider little one sleeping in his or 
> her own room? Since it would take a few minutes for me to get into my 
> chair and roll into the nursery, (five minutes on average) I don't want to 
> neglect little one because it's hard to get out of bed. So we figured for 
> at least a litlte while having him or her sleeping in our room, so one of 
> us can quickly tend to their needs. But at what age does that become 
> inappropriate?
> Again, thank you guys for all your help!
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