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Getting Ready for Little B

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When I posted my 6 months photo I said that I would tell you how we are “preparing” for the new baby next time. I have to use quotes when I say “preparing” because we aren’t doing much at all to get ready for little B. The biggest purchase we made was this car seat, which you will notice isn’t an infant-only car seat. It’s good from 5 to 65 pounds. It doesn’t come out of the car and snap into a stroller. When we take the baby out, we will be using a Sleepy Wrap to carry the baby.
I found what must be the least desirable color of this particular car seat and it was only $125. I admit, I wanted the blue one, but when I saw it was $40 more, I couldn’t do it. Grey it is 🙂
Before Zoe was born we bought a townhouse and turned one of the two bedrooms into a nursery. I painted a mural on the walls, picked out curtains, and bought a pretty white crib with adorable bedding. After Zoe was born she immediately slept with us 🙂 We used the crib to hold the clean laundry before putting it away …Or did we ever actually put the laundry away? 🙂 Anyway, so much for the nursery!
When Ashley was born we moved again. This time we had four bedrooms. I’ll never forget my in-laws coming to visit us there for the first time, and seeing Zoe and Ashley both in the bedroom with Andy and I. “You don’t need four bedrooms, Kelly!” my mother-in-law said with a big laugh, “You only need one!” And she was right 🙂
Zoe was 5 and Ashley was 3 when we moved to Colorado, and they began sleeping together, in one bed, in their own room. They still do. It’s great.
Like Zoe and Ashley we will be co-sleeping with the baby on the way. So we don’t need a nursery, or a crib, or crib bedding, or any of that.
My friends have already begun giving me their old baby clothes (keep ’em comin’ girls!), so that’s taken care of. I’ll be nursing again, so no bottles or formula needed. We still have some gDiapers that Ashley used to wear, as well as some hemp prefolds , but I’ll probably get more of both of those. And that’s about it. I can’t think of anything else 🙂
I could tell you to read The Attachment Parenting Book or The Continuum Concept and maybe you would or maybe you wouldn’t. But to be honest with you, I haven’t read either of them myself (they would only be preaching to the choir). I had never heard of “attachment parenting” until I moved to Colorado. Where I came from they had a little something called the “Ferber method.” (If you could see my face right now, you would see me rolling my eyes.) No way. I held my babies all the time, nursed when they wanted, and slept with them in my bed. Everybody was happy and got what they wanted 🙂
♥, Kelly
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  1. Thank you for such an honest and insightful post. I love (and agree with 100%) your parenting approach. I’m happy that there are people like you in the world… it makes my heart happy.

  2. Oh ferber… *blech* 🙂

    I just wanted to say that we have that car seat (in the lovely gray for the same reason, lol) and it has worked really great for us, and we’re able to still have our daughter rear facing no problem (I remember seeing some weird reviews about this)!

    Anyway, right there with ya as far as not buying much since we’re AP’ers too! I just can’t wait to tuck this little one into my moby!

  3. Totally agree with you. I grew up with attachment parents and didn’t think anything of it. To me that’s the only way to go. So it did surprise me when people tried to give me advice to the contrary.

    And, when Pele had her health issues, I had moments of wondering if my approach had been wrong all along, but then I knew that, if anything, I was primed to notice things more and could care for her better in a family-bed type setting, where I knew she was safe because she wasn’t in some remote location, being listened to on a monitor.

    I hope you have a wonderful final trimester and hope I get to see the little bean.

    Hugs,
    Hannah

  4. Aww. My SIL (also pregnant) was just telling us how they’re working on getting their 2-yr-old to sleep in her own bed. They have a twin bed pushed up next to their’s. 2-yr-old thinks she’s a monkey right now, so when they ask if she wants to sleep in their bed or her bed she exclaims “Monkey Bed!” So they don’t seem to be having any issues with letting her sleep with them.

    You definitely have to do what works for your family. 🙂

  5. I love that you don’t have one of those “take your baby out of the car and leave them in their carseat all day” carriers! I get so sad when I see babies sitting in those things when they aren’t in the car. I get even more sad when they have misshapen heads because of it. Babies were meant to be cuddled! You are an amazing mom.

  6. It’s always so refreshing to read like-minded opinions about natural, attachment parenting. Thank you!!
    We have four boys, and they’ve all coslept and enjoyed extended breastfeeding with us too. No regrets! Brandae

  7. Hi Kelly! First of all I wanted to tell you that I’ve been coming to your site for a while now and I love all of your recipes and wonderful ideas for a healthier life. Thanks muchly 🙂

    I also love your thoughts and ideas on parenting. Even though I can’t say that I used what people are calling attachment parenting exclusively myself, I can say that my boys and I are perfectly attached and in tune with each other. I always practiced something in between and was always consistent and loving, while giving the little guys their space as well. Eight years later and I almost burst open when my oldest tells me that he loves me (in front of all of his friends I may add…ha-ha!!) or insists on his good-night kiss. That is pride for a job well done.

    I guess it’s important to note that you have to do what works for you and yours and never judge others for their decisions. To make a mother feel as if they aren’t as good or won’t be as attached, or to attached, would be a shame.

    As far as I can tell you’re a wonderful mother as am I, both with amazing children; even though we might have taken slightly different paths to get there.

    Take care and enjoy your newest bundle of joy!! Xoxo

  8. As soon as I saw your post, I showed it to my husband. We agreed that we could have written this post: we use a convertible car seat with our almost-1-month baby girl, a Sleepy Wrap, co-sleep, and nurse. We even canceled our stroller purchase. Nothing beats waking up to snuggles from your beautiful baby! Please keep us posted about baby products that you use/admire!

  9. oh you will love that sleepy wray, i am a huge fan of the MOBY which looks like the same thing, wore both my babies…. nothing sweeter.

  10. Besides loving you delicious recipes, I also love your philosophy on parenting. It is nice to come across like-minded people, just helps confirm I love my style too! It was funny at first how my in-laws couldn’t understand why I carried my son all the time, even on walks!
    what type of car seat is that, I am looking for a new one.
    Thanks and lots of love and light to you and your little one!!
    Vanesza

  11. I love your honesty in this. We slept with ours too and really, I think it forms an even tighter bond. I love that your girls still sleep together. My boys always have sleep overs in each others’ rooms on the weekends. They think it’s so much fun. I think sharing space like that really does help that bond!

  12. What a lovely post. We also practice attachment parenting although like you, I started out in our apartment with ideas of a beautiful nursery and painted the walls (lavender and mint green, with a stripe between the two- so cute) and then baby went from a bassinet in our room to the family bed and wouldn’t sleep in her crib- ever, not even for naps! Whoops!

    I adore babywearing and love the sturdier wraps like girasol, or vatanai for summer. They are so beautiful. I never had a moby wrap because I hooked up with a local babywearing group and they lent me stuff until I had an opinion. 😉 Now we use a Boba, which you should like because it is the Boulder Baby! hehe. Being from Boulder myself, I love it for its name- and that it allows petite me to carry my VERY TALL toddler.

    My mom has a stroller for our daughter, but I never used or liked it after the first month or so. If we have another- and I think/hope we will- we definitely won’t be buying one. 🙂

    Lovely post. Much happiness to a beautiful expectant mommy!

    -Sea