Saturday, September 12, 2015

On being prepared for #2. {a giveaway!}

  I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Chicco. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.


  We're about 3 months away from having a newborn in the house again and that is starting to sink in for us. We have been talking a lot lately about what this baby might be like. Honestly? We're guessing he might be a little high maintenance. Caleb was the easiest baby from the moment he was born. He rarely cried, sleep like a dream, nursed perfectly, the who shebang. We really, really lucked out as first time parents and skipped the stressful things like sleepless nights, feeding troubles, and witching hours. 

  But we can't be so lucky the second time around, right? And that's ok! But I think the thought of having a baby even slightly less easy than Caleb has us wanting to be more prepared. Especially for things like feeding.
  I haven't really talked much about breastfeeding Caleb because I think it's extremely personal and I never want to be another aggressive voice added to the breast vs bottle vs formula argument. Feeding your baby is amazing, however you choose to do it! 
  That said, I lucked out with Caleb. He nursed perfectly from the very beginning and we never had any of the pain or struggles lots of moms talk about. When he was 4 weeks old, we gave him his first pumped bottle and he loved that, too. So, for his first 12 months, I nursed him and pumped pretty consistently {I had some irrational anxiety that I needed to build a big stockpile 'just in case', which was silly since I'm a stay at home mom and ended up having some 250oz frozen}. If I was around, we nursed. If I wasn't, he had a bottled of pumped milk. Around 11 months, he started biting me and hardly eating at all so we stopped nursing and started using our frozen stash exclusively, slowly mixing in whole milk until we transitioned completely at 12 months. 
  Anyways, I mentioned all of that because we really did luck out. It was awesome that Caleb easily took a bottle, any bottle, when I wasn't around. We never had to shop around for special slow flow ones or anything like that. We honestly just used whatever came with my breast pump or what had been gifted to us at my shower. 
  But all babies aren't the same! I want to be so much more prepared that this kiddo could come out a little picky or needing some more assistance with feeding. And that's why I so love the brand new Chicco NaturalFit. They're designed to meet the exact needs and grow with your baby over time- aka taking out all the guesswork for me! Bonus? They guaruntee you're baby will love them or you get your money back. Yes, please.
   Chicco is such a trusted brand, and so many moms I know and look up to use Chicco consistently for lots of their baby needs. And since I know pretty much zero about baby bottle needs, I love how Chicco NaturalFit breaks it down into stages for me: 


STAGE 1- NEWBORN FLOW:
  • The nipple is uniquely shaped; it’s at an angle to help prevent gas bubbles and avoid colic. If you’ve ever had a colic-y baby, you know this is a super important feature.
  • It also has two anti-colic valves that aid in reducing air ingestion, gas, and spit up. I’ve had a few projectile vomiting moments with babies I could have certainly done without.
  • The angle is also wider than other bottles, helping your newborn with their newly learned latch, and allowing their little necks to stay safe in the right position.
  • The bottles are available in both 5 oz. and 8 oz. sizes.
STAGE 2- ADJUSTABLE FLOW (SLOW, MEDIUM, or FAST):
  • Because of the baby’s changing feeding styles, the angled nipple is no longer needed and a straight nipple replaces it.
  • These bottles are used starting at about 4 months, when babies have better head and neck control, and typically, no more colic.
  • The adjustable flow nipples allow Mom to find the best speed for feeding specific to her baby, and to accommodate to baby’s growing appetite.
  • These bottles are available in 8 oz. sizes.
STAGE 3- FAST FLOW
  • Used for older babies with stronger suction abilities.
  • The base of the nipple is smaller and less rounded so baby is able to have a tighter lip connection with the bottle.
  • As baby grows, their suction power becomes more efficient and therefore a longer nipple helps aid in the best swallowing patterns.
  • These bottles are available in 11 oz. sizes with a fast flow nipple. You can also get Y-Cut nipples sold separately.

  Overall, we're feeling more prepared for this baby, at least as far as feeding goes! Having the Chicco NaturalFit gift set gives a great starting point for being able to grow with out little guy's needs- whatever they end up being! And you can win some for yourself!!  
*I-C will randomly select 18 winners from all tiered program entries and will handle fulfillment of the winning prizes.


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