Inara Studios

When you have a baby you quickly learn that sleep is PRICELESS (both for you and for the baby)! The better a baby sleeps, the more sleep mommy and daddy can get too!

As I mentioned before, we quickly realized that Eva slept best when we swaddled her. In the beginning she did great in the Aden and Anais blankets, but around 2 months old she was too strong for them and it was difficult to keep her contained.

That’s when we began using a swaddler with velcro. WOW!

We tried using a few different kinds, but the microfleece SwaddleMe sleeper was our favorite. It has 3 places where the velcro fastens to hold the baby in tight. (The best thing about this particular velcro design is that each tab has a place to cling to before washing so that the velcro doesn’t attach itself to other laundry and destroy it. (Been there. Done that!) This SwaddleMe sleeper is also the least bulky we found and requires 2 basic steps to put it on.

I highly recommend having 2 of these in your baby’s dresser. You’ll want a clean one while the dirty one is in the wash.

At 8 months, Eva still sleeps in her cream colored SwaddleMe. Before naps during the day, we tuck the flaps under her arms so she can play with her snuggie while she falls asleep on her own (more on that later). I give this Swaddler 5 stars!!

I am really behind in posting photos from some recent sessions, of Eva and posts of my favorite baby things. Oops. I’ll get right on that!

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Some of you know that I studied music in college. That’s right. Not photography. Music. I still LOVE listening to all kinds of music even though I don’t enjoy the performance side of it anymore (not sure how much I ever did), so as Eva grows up I want her to be exposed to lots of music of all kinds. In all honesty, I don’t like most forms of “baby” music because it sounds to watered down and cheesy. Instead Eva listens to our adult music and seems to enjoy it just fine. For now, she doesn’t have any other choice.

BUT there is one kid’s “band” that I can whole heartedly recommend: Coal Train Railroad.

Katy is a sweet friend of ours and her melodies and voice will charm your kid. Seriously! You need to check out their first self titled CD. Not only are the lyrics absolutely adorable, the tunes are very catchy! I enjoy listening to it myself.

And TODAY is the official release day of their 2nd CD, Coal Train Railroad Swings! You can even listen to some samples at the iTunes store. It’s really fun!

If you are in Nashville, there are some FREE upcoming shows:

• December 13 & 14 at 9:30. 10:30. 11:30 - Main Library (downtown) Storytime
• December 17 at 4:00 - Ugly Mugs in East Nashville

Last week I told you about the Iphone app that has made my life so much easier. This week: the amazing muslin swaddle blankets by Aden & Anais.

I first heard about these blankets last summer when some girlfriends got them for their babies. The light weight fabric with which they are made makes them IDEAL for swaddling a newborn baby especially in the heat of summer! The fabric is so soft and has a bit of give to it, so you can wrap your baby tightly without suffocating them. Cade and I learned very quickly that Eva slept the best when she was swaddled from the neck down. Now she never goes down for a nap without looking like a little burrito baby.

You can purchase solid white (my personal favorite) or any number of adorable prints. Seriously, these are essential to every newborn!

Now that I am officially immersed in “baby world”, I have decided to add another category to this blog called My Favorite Baby Things. My goal is to showcase ONE product each week that I love and tell you why. Hopefully this is helpful, especially to new moms! And if you have something you think I should try, please let me know!! I found out about most of these baby things through my own friends and I am SO thankful for their advice!

First up The Total Baby Iphone App

I have used this app on my phone since day 1 with Eva! Actually, I used it when she was only a few hours old. This awesome app allows you to track feedings (bottles - how many ounces, or if you are breastfeeding - which side the baby just fed on and for how long), naps, diapers (poopy/wet), baths and other things. The screen shot below is the main menu where it also keeps timers going to show how long it’s been since each happened (icons left to right: diaper, eating, sleeping, bath).

I know there are those who would argue that keeping such a close watch on the clock when dealing with babies is stressful, but for me personally, having this app has given me loads of confidence. With just a click I can check to see how long it has been since Eva ate and conclude whether she is hungry or not, or see how long she’s been awake and know “oh, she’s just tired and is ready to go down for a nap”. The app also allows you to make notes with each entry you make. This has been helpful for me in determining certain foods that make Eva spit up a lot (spicy) or if she had an extra large poopy diaper. And if you have more than one baby (or child) you can have numerous accounts, one for each.

Don’t have an iPhone? It also works on the iPod Touch.

Seriously, you should check it out. I think it is one of the best things a new mom can have …and it only costs $4.99!