[blparent] making baby clothes
Jo Elizabeth Pinto
jopinto at msn.com
Fri Mar 16 15:54:56 UTC 2012
Hi. A portable crib or a basinet beside your bed will do just fine for the
first several months. I think Sarah was well over six months old before she
grew out of the basinet by length, but she was a fairly small baby. Bigger
babes would of course outgrow the basinet faster. Sarah's Nanna had a
wooden portable crib at her house that was very low to the ground, and
smaller than a traditional crib, but it had a good thick mattress, unlike
the Pack and Play ones which are just thin pads. You might ask around for a
portable crib, or search online for one because I'm thinking one like the
kind Nanna had would be perfect. Sarah slept in that portable crib for over
two years.
Picnic baskets for storage are a great idea. I still have a basket on the
bar between the kitchen and dining room that holds lotion, a hairbrush, bibs
for those messy days, extra shoes and socks, etc. There are also stacking
bins that might work because they fit together and make sort of like open
drawers or shelves. Look in the storage and organization aisle at Wal-Mart,
or whatever store you have out there. Not with the baby stuff, but with the
storage containers and the like.
You can change the baby on your bed, if that would work, by using a plastic
pad with a cloth covering. I think they're called all-purpose pads in the
baby stores, if I remember correctly. You'll also want a diaper pail. You
can just get a pail with a tight-fitting lid to contain the smell, and use
trash bags, or you can get one of the special ones that are sold to keep the
smell inside. I'd personally just go with a pail and trash bags, as long as
the lid makes a tight seal. I bought one of the specialty pails, and it
worked for a while, but by the second year we had to put it out on the porch
because the smell was leaking out even when it was closed, and then I got
tired of using it and just wrapped the diapers in bags from Wal-Mart anyway
so I didn't have to buy the special liners anymore.
If you get your baby used to napping in the swing, he or she will probably
take to it right away. My baby was in a brace to fix a congenitally
dislocated hip, so she slept sitting up in her swing for the first few
months. Then it was murder to try and get her to sleep lying flat, so if
you do the swing, be prepared to stick with it and then ease the transition
into a crib or a low bed. Also, there are things called co-sleepers that
have three sides on them. The fourth side goes right against your bed and
mattress, so that the baby is sort of in a crib, but on the edge of your own
bed. That might work well for you because you can pick up the baby and feed
him or her, possibly even change a diaper, without getting out of bed at
all. I wouldn't get rid of your bed with posts if the posts help you get
out by yourself, because you'll want your independence when the baby comes.
Keep on asking questions. I've heard that seizures sometimes get better
during pregnancy because of the hormones. Depression also often tends to
ease off during pregnancy as well.
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 1:05 AM
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] making baby clothes
> Thank you so much for the information! My whelechair's seat is roughly 17
> inches off the ground or so, and I can raise my arms another say, eight
> inches. I can raise them level with my shoulders, any higher and they go
> numb, so I can't really lift over my head. Is it ok for little one to
> sleep in a swing? I've seen it done, but then again, the baby in question
> was severely disabled, had a gastric feeding tube and everything. I
> actually got to see my old basinette, and I must say, at the time, i was
> jealous I couldn't fit into it anymore! It looked so comfy and cozy. We
> have some room on one side of the bed where a small crib or basinette can
> fit, but my husband is thinking of selling the bedstead we have and just
> using a metal frame. My problem is, then I can't pull on the posts to get
> out independently.
> Also, would using picnic or other types of baskets for organisation be a
> good idea? For example, blankets in one, diapers in another, baby butt
> powder, cream, etc in another? I figure if they can be closed and neatly
> stacked sidways, they can make a compact type cabinet until we can get
> into a bigger place and find room for actual furniture. We're also going
> to see if one of my friends wants to move down here and in with us, which
> is a great idea, since he can study at the local college. He even offered
> to be an extra set of hands if we needed it. My cousin had a rule that if
> I held her son, I had to be sitting or lying down, since right now my
> seizures aren't terribly well-controlled. I'm talking to both doctors
> involved to see what can be done, but I've noticed they've decreased quite
> a bit in the past week or two, even if I forget my meds, so maybe the
> hormones are helping. Since I can sew simple jumpers, dresses, etc, I
> figure I could make clothing for if it's a baby girl, especially a little
> white dress/robe for if we do get her blessed/baptised.
> I guess you're right,I haven't seen the rocker type cradles in quite a
> while, either. The last time I saw them was in my grandmother's closet,
> and she said they're very dangerous because they could flip over. Since
> the crib can be raised and lowered, that might be a good idea for when
> hubby is caring for her, or our friend, since he can stand and walk just
> fine.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
> To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 11:48 PM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] making baby clothes
>
>
>> 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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>>
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>
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