[blparent] Moms Clubs and Winter Travel

Mon Nov 17 15:16:38 UTC 2014

On 11/17/14, wisdom f <s.lovewisdom at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi My name is Daisey, I am also totaly blind . I want to say
> congradulation to all the new Mom's I am so excited for you as you
> take on the best jerney of all. I have a wonderful gift he is my
> little boy who is six years old now and I have face so many different
> challenges but the joy is all worth it.
> I have been wanting to start a regular weekly phone group for new
> Mom's and I love to share the info. Please join me at 8:00 Pm eastern
> time  every Tuesday by calling 712-432-6463 for friendship and
> information with other Mom's.
> You are a hero, know that your baby will learn to stand strong with
> your tender loving hugs and kisses.
>
> Warmly
> Daisey
>
> On 11/16/14, Judy Jones via blparent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Very good post!
>>
>> I can't tell you how many hours we spent at Odyssey 1 play park!  There
>> was
>>
>> also another indoor playground called The Fun Factory.  When they were
>> little, I thought nothing of getting in the ball pools, tunnels, or going
>> down the slides with them.  Many moms with very young children do this.
>> Of
>>
>> course, Lila isn't ready for anything like that, but this play park may
>> have
>>
>> an area for babies, who knows.
>>
>> Anyway, once the kids got older, and I had gotten into a home business,
>> they
>>
>> would play, while I got myself a latte and did my business bookwork.
>> Very
>> enjoyable for all of us.
>>
>> Odyssey 1 had a race track with seat scooters, tunnels, slides, a big
>> ball
>> pool, and an air tramp.
>>
>> In the middle of the facility was a couple of areas with tables.  On the
>> other side were all the video games, and now, they have a laser tag area
>> in
>>
>> addition.
>>
>> Now that we're all grown, we all have fond memories of Odyssey 1, where
>> it
>> was even okay for moms to enjoy a bit of play.
>>
>> May you find as much enjoyment in the coming years as we did.
>>
>> Judy
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Star Gazer via blparent
>> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2014 5:29 PM
>> To: 'Jessica Reed' ; 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Moms Clubs and Winter Travel
>>
>> Indoor play places are great! Why do you picture total chaos and moms
>> wanting to take care of you? Everybody goes to these places for the same
>> reason, get out of the house, get their kids out of the house and both
>> kids
>> and adults get to interact with the outside world.
>> The staff is very good at making sure kids don't escape from these
>> places,
>> remember they want to stay in business. Moms with two or more kids can't
>> physically be in two places at once which means even if you see a kid
>> trying
>> to make a break, the mom who belongs to that child may not be able to
>> stop
>> it. I don't know why you'd think other moms would view you as a
>> liability.
>> Of course, if that's how you view yourself, then others will too, but the
>> solution is to view yourself as having every right to be there and
>> wanting
>> to have a good time.
>> Lastly, you do not have to go on this outing. Your baby is young enough
>> that
>> she won't care. Your baby may not even be all that mobile. I was at such
>> a
>> place last week. My baby was all over the place crawling and exploring
>> and
>> meeting other babies. I was talking with another mom who's baby was
>> perfectly happy to be strapped in the carrier and just watch the other
>> babies. Our babies were close in age, hers just didn't seem to need or
>> want
>> the same type of experience mine did.
>> Really though, if you aren't ready, you don't need to go this week. I am
>> assuming that you are a mentally healthy adult and that when your baby is
>> ready, you'll find a way to meet her needs. You've already been meeting
>> her
>> needs, so this is just one more aspect of that.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jessica
>> Reed via blparent
>> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2014 8:53 PM
>> To: 'Melissa Ann Riccobono'; 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: [blparent] Moms Clubs and Winter Travel
>>
>> Hello All,
>> I have only written in once, so I probably should reintroduce myself.  I
>> am
>> a long-time federationist from Fredericksburg Virginia.  My daughter Lila
>> is
>> 7-and-a-half months old.  Though my husband works long hours at times, I
>> feel extraordinarily fortunate to be able to stay at home with Lila.  We
>> are
>> fortunate to live in an extremely walking friendly smallish town.  There
>> is
>> a bus system, but it is far from perfect.
>>
>> I am writing with two somewhat related questions.  First, how many of you
>> were or are currently members of moms clubs in your area?  I am in the
>> process of joining one, and have procrastinated because of my blindness.
>> For example, there is an event this week where moms are meeting at an
>> indoor
>> playground.  I am a graduate of LCB and have had training, but all I
>> envision in this situation is chaos and moms worried about taking care of
>> me
>> or even viewing me as a liability.  My worries and apprehensions are
>> many,
>> so I would love to hear any tips or stories.  I recognize that some of
>> how
>> I
>> am feeling is normal to all in any new situation, but I do think that
>> blindness compounds it.
>>
>> On a different note, I am also nervous about the approaching winter.
>> Sighted parents can easily travel from house to heated car to building.
>> We
>> don't drive, and either walk more in the cold or wait for a taxi in the
>> cold
>> or wait for the bus in the cold.  How does this work with babies and
>> young
>> children?  There are no bus shelters in Fredericksburg.  How does one
>> travel
>> in the snow with babies and small children in the snow?  Again, any
>> feedback
>> you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Jessica Reed
>> P.S. Rereading my message I see what a fretting mom I sound like, maybe I
>> am.  i am my own worst enemy.  Lila and I have already been to the
>> library
>> and the playground independently, and I fretted about this beforehand as
>> well.  I just want so badly to give my daughter every opportunity I can.
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Melissa
>> Ann
>> Riccobono via blparent
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:17 PM
>> To: 'Miriam'; 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] To a new mother
>>
>> This is a great list to start with. I'll add two of my other favorite
>> items.
>> One you'll want ASAP, and one you can wait a little while to purchase,
>> but
>> might want to register for.
>>
>> By far, the thing I have used most with all three of my kids, and
>> continue
>> to use even though my youngest is now 2, is a comfortable rocking chair.
>> I
>> went all out and purchased the one I really wanted, with help from some
>> very
>> nice friends and coworkers who gave me gift cards. I got a glider rocker
>> that has a foot stool that also rocks. It reclines, and it can still rock
>> while in the reclined position, which has been a life saver many times
>> when
>> I have been exhausted and just wanted to lay back, but the baby still
>> wanted
>> to be moving. My chair also has really nice pockets on the sides which
>> have
>> been great for storing all types of things over the years. Remember, no
>> matter whether you nurse or bottle feed, you'll be sitting down a lot
>> holding, cuddling, and feeding your baby. Also, as your baby gets older,
>> he
>> or she might want to rock while being read to, want to be held because of
>> illness... And the list goes on and on. You will want a comfy place to
>> sit
>> while you do all of these things... Although I know some babies do prefer
>> to
>> be walked. I usually ended up "compromising" with my kids. I would walk
>> until I couldn't any more, and then we would sit and rock. This usually
>> worked. I know not all babies like being rocked. I was lucky because all
>> of
>> my kids have loved it--at least most of the time. Also, there have been
>> studies done that show if you rock while you're still pregnant, the baby
>> might be more likely to be comfortable with that motion and soothed by it
>> after birth. So, if you are planning to get a rocker, or all ready own
>> one,
>> you may want to do some resting and rocking while you're still pregnant.
>> I
>> did this during all of my pregnancies, and this was a really nice time
>> for
>> me to have a few minutes to talk and read to the baby. Of course,
>> sometimes
>> I was also rocking my other kids, and this was a nice time for them to
>> talk
>> to the baby as well. There are lots of rockers out there, so have fun
>> trying
>> them out, and, if you decide you want one, just go all out and purchase
>> the
>> one you really want. Think of it as an investment--something you can and
>> most likely will use for this child, any future children, and possibly
>> even
>> just as a nice piece of furniture after this baby and any other babies
>> you
>> might have are too big for rocking.
>>
>> The other item I always suggest to new moms is a booster seat with a tray
>> that straps onto a regular chair. This could be used as your main high
>> chair, depending on what model you get, how much room you have in your
>> house
>> for a regular high chair, and what your budget looks like. We have a high
>> chair as well as our booster, but our booster has been extremely useful
>> in
>> so many situations. To name a few: We often take our booster to friends
>> houses so our kids would have a safe place to sit and eat, and still be
>> at
>> the table with us. The booster has straps also to fasten the child in, so
>> it
>> was great not only to have our kids have a safe place to eat, but also
>> somewhere they couldn't get down from, or fall from, unless we let them
>> out.
>> We have also taken our booster to many hotels. Ours has little legs which
>> come out the bottom, so we can set it on the floor, and the child can sit
>> in
>> it to eat. Hotel rooms usually have nice chairs, so it's been great to be
>> able to feed our kids and not have to worry about messiness on hotel
>> chairs.
>> Finally, we have taken our booster seat to restaurants with us sometimes.
>> Restaurants don't always have high chairs,  and even when they do, the
>> chairs themselves are not always the greatest quality. Oh, we've taken
>> the
>> seat to my husbands work tons as well... And our two year old now sits in
>> it
>> at mealtimes. It helps her reach the table, although we don't need to
>> strap
>> her in or put the tray on most of the time now.
>>
>> I hope this has helped. You may want to hold off on getting pacifiers.
>> Most
>> of the time, hospitals will give you one to try out before you go home if
>> you want one. Our first child loved his for about three months. Then he
>> lost
>> interest, and I was glad not to have to wean him away from it at an older
>> age. Our second child absolutely hated pacifiers and did not want
>> anything
>> to do with them ever! Our thir child liked the pacifier for a very short
>> while. So, you might want to learn if your child likes the pacifier
>> before
>> purchasing them.
>>
>> Oh, one more thing... I got a bouncy seat second hand from my sister, and
>> it
>> was a life saver. All of my kids liked it, and it was one place my middle
>> child would sleep well when she was a small infant because she had some
>> reflux, and the bouncy kept her more upright. Again, not all babies like
>> these, so you might see if you can borrow one, or buy one second hand in
>> case your child hates it. The same goes for a swing. All of my kids loved
>> ours, and it had music and nature sounds, and reclined so we could put
>> even
>> our tiny babies in it. But, this is an expense, not absolutely necessary,
>> especially if you're tight on room... But, maybe it's something you put
>> on
>> your registry and if someone, or a group of people, buys it for you, then
>> you might have something nice your baby will love. And, if not, you can
>> sell
>> it to someone else and buy something else the baby needs, or you want to
>> get
>> the baby.
>> Thanks for reading this novel! Good luck with your pregnancy!
>> Melissa Original Message-----
>> From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miriam
>> via
>> blparent
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 8:58 PM
>> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [blparent] To a new mother
>>
>> First of all, congratulations. Hi, my name is Miriam. I have never
>> written
>> into the list although I've been reading it for a while. I have three
>> young
>> children. I  was thinking about the most important things to have when
>> having a baby. And this is what I came up with. Of course, everybody has
>> their preferences. Also, I am apologizing in advance for this being so
>> long.
>> 1.  A baby carrier this is by far the most important piece of baby
>> equipment
>> for me. I have found that the most comfortable ones are the soft
>> structure
>> carriers. I have a catbird pikkolo. They are more expensive but well
>> worth
>> it..
>> 2. A sleep sack with a swaddle like the halo sleep sack swaddle instead
>> of
>> wrapping babies in a receiving blanket. It is much easier to get a safe
>> tight swaddle this way. It also helps to make sure that you dont  keep
>> their
>> hips too tight.
>> 3. A medicine syringe with a notch so you know how much medicine to give.
>> 4.  A medicine Passy. This is basically a pacifier that has a place on
>> the
>> bottom for you to put in Medicine This makes it a lot easier to give them
>> medicine.
>> 5.  A pacifier clip. This helps not to lose Passy's. Although that
>> happens
>> all the time anyway.
>>
>> 6.  A bath with a sling. This helps so that you don't have to hold the
>> baby
>> in the right position. There are many to choose from you have to find the
>> one that you like best.
>>
>> 7. A saline spray and aspirator. This is to help to unclog their nose.
>> When
>> they have a cold or I just stuffy. This tends to happen a lot in the
>> first
>> few months.
>>
>> 8. Bactroban for soreness from nursing. This is if you are choosing to
>> nurse. This is a little hidden secret that helps the most. It is
>> prescription but most doctors will give it to you. Also, this is safe for
>> your baby while nursing. It does not get absorbed into their blood.
>> 9. A cradle. I use the arms reach cradle. This attaches to the side of
>> the
>> bed and also has a way to put all four sides up. There are many to choose
>> from but this is what Ilike because I can hear and feel my baby during
>> the
>> night without getting up.
>> 10. Clothing. Of course. I really like the cotton zip up one piece
>> outfit.
>> They are really easy and avoid snaps. I just have to be careful not to
>> cut
>> their skin. To do this, it is helpful to first do the top snap  they all
>> have and then zipper the rest of it. These are also very cheap.
>> 11. A carseat
>>
>> Also, I have found that baby Center is the best place to get answers for
>> questions.one last thing. I think the most important thing is to have
>> someone to talk to you and run by things with. I would be glad to talk to
>> anyone directly through email. My email address ismdffeiner at gmail.com
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>>
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