Random advice

Hi ya'll!

I've had few things running through my head today that I've decided I have questions about and want some advice on:

1. This summer I want to do more hiking/camping/outdoorsy stuff, especially with our little one coming mid-spring.  What are some of your favorite places to hike?  Easier hikes would be preferred.  What are some of your favorite camping spots?  Campsites that you don't have to pay a fee for would be preferred :)

2. I want to start reading actual baby books...switch my focus from pregnancy books to baby books.  What baby and breastfeeding books have you found helpful and why?

3. I'm starting to think about what I want to pack in my hospital bag.  What did you find helpful?  What did you find you didn't need that you wish you would have left at home?  At what point in your pregnancy did you pack your bag?

4. If you could give one piece of advice about labor that you think would be the best advice, what would it be?  And why?

Baby Advice

Hi all!

So a while back I posted this post asking people what they wished they knew before they were a mom.

Well, here I am asking again, but in a different way: what pregnancy/newborn advice do you have?

I want serious advice...not "be healthy and it'll make pregnancy easier."  While I know that's true, let's be honest...it's super general and not exactly helpful to me.

Here are a couple things I've been told already that I found helpful:

- Use name brand diapers until their "little poo poo" (thank you Bill Cosby) becomes more solid, and blow outs will be less likely to happen.  After it becomes more solid, use store brand diapers to save money.

- Buy sensitive wipes: then you're less likely to have to worry about crazy rashes and such.

- Make sure pacifiers have the little "lip" on them.  If they don't, baby has to suck harder to keep it in his or her mouth, and it makes breast feeding more difficult because they're used to sucking hard to keep the pacifier in.

- Walk or do yoga everyday.  It'll help keep extra weight off, and make labor a lot easier.

So...what advice do you have?