I hope that this post doesn't jinx my good fortune...

Everyone tells me how lucky I am that Baby J is a good sleeper. I don't know otherwise, but I trust them and feel very fortunate. Hopefully blogging about this doesn't reverse my good fortune. ;)

While I know that some of it has to do with her temperament, and the fact that she must have been born with my sleep genes (neither my dad nor I can say no to a good nap no matter what time of day...), a lot of it has to do with the steps my husband and I have put into place to give her a safe and healthy sleeping environment. When Janeen Hayward of Swellbeing, and Deree Kobets and Meredith Legenos of Grow spoke at Bump Club's Expectant Mom Dinner tonight, it was a good refresher of all of the things we have done within our control to get to where we are today.

1. Make sure to have a nice firm mattress for your baby to sleep on. If you can get an organic mattress, even better.

2. Try to make the baby's room as dark as possible. We purchased temporary blackout shades on Amazon.com. Baby J's room is dark all day long---for her naps and at night. However during the first 8-12 weeks of her life, we let her nap anywhere. Most of the time, she napped in our living room during the day. But now, the dark room definitely helps to signify that it is time to go to sleep.

3. We use a white noise machine. We have the Sounds for Silence by The First Years, which we bought at Target. Since we transferred her from the Pack N' Play in our bedroom to the crib in hers when she turned 8 weeks old, we have used the white noise every night. I now need white noise to sleep as it puts me into a restful slumber through the monitor (it's either that or the fact that I am simply exhausted!)

4. SWADDLE SWADDLE SWADDLE! For the first six weeks we thought that J "hated" the swaddle. As it turns out, we were not making it tight enough and she was busting out of it. That was when we enlisted the straight jacket of all swaddle blankets: Summer Infant's SwaddleMe (also described here on our blog.) J slept more soundly once we started to really wrap her up in this. While I can't promise anything, she started sleeping much longer stretches once she couldn't wake herself up at night. As it turned out, she didn't hate being swaddled after all.

5. Make sure the temperature is right in the room. We keep our upstairs at 68-69 degrees F.

6. Make sure your baby is wearing clothes that allow their bodies to breathe. Organic cotton is best, especially if it is next to your baby's skin. Synthetic materials can make them hot. We now dress J in cotton or organic cotton one piece pajamas and put her in a sleep sack. Our favorite is the Aden + Anais muslin Classic Sleeping Bag. It seems thin, but has two layers and really keeps the baby quite comfortable. If you want more warmth, you can always use the Aden + Anais muslin Cozy Sleeping Bag.

7. Once she was 12 weeks old we started a routine. Generally speaking between 7-7:30 (depending on the day's nap schedule) we take a bath (sometimes a quick one), change into our pj's, and have a bottle in our glider before going into the crib. Sometimes we change things up a bit. If J doesn't seem tired, we lay on her rug and listen to music for a few songs until she starts to rub her eyes.

8. Try not to put a mobile that makes noise or a ton of movement over the bed as this can be distracting. Instead, put it over the changing table as that is a place where you can use a distraction for the baby.

9. We have kept Baby J's bed free of everything. She has a mattress, mattress cover, and a sheet which all sits on top of the bedskirt. There is no bumper, no stuffed animals, no blankets, NOTHING else inside the crib. These are the guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

10. You won't know your baby's sleep needs or schedule (which they likely won't have until they are 4 months+) until after they are out of the womb. So take it one day at a time. When you first bring them home, give them what they need. These are my favorite words of Janeen's. Your baby is only that tiny for so long---there is no such thing as spoiling a 2-week old baby! Just enjoy your time with them!

I can't promise that your baby is going to be sleeping through the night at three months if you follow these guidelines. Some things are just out of your control. But I will say that Janeen Hayward has been sharing these ideas with me now for over a year, and using any of them or a combination thereof, can only help you to get you to the place you want to be with your baby's sleep. Make sure to sign up for both Swellbeing and Grow's e-newseletter so that you an get the latest tips for sleep and information on the best products to help you achieve results!

Baby’s First Wheels!

Advice from Real Bump Club Chicago Moms-to-Be

By guest blogger: Andrea Winitsky Rubin

When my husband and I decided to trade in our trusty ’99 Saab for something a bit more “baby friendly” it took us only a day to decide on the perfect mom-mobile SUV. Therefore, I figured picking out a stroller for our daughter-to-be (due 11/1) would be easy peasy. Not quite!

We began our stroller adventures at the highly recommended Galt Toys + Galt Baby, where we stood shell-shocked until a helpful sales associate, Sam, rescued us. We filled Sam in about some important deets about our lifestyle:

• We enjoy long strolls with our pup during the few warm months in Chicago
• We occasionally jump in the car for errands and may even start going to the grocery store once we have a kid
• We want a stylish stroller (Ok, that request was from me, not my husband)

I left Galt knowing more about strollers than I do about restaurants in Chicago (a topic I’m very well informed on) and was pretty sure we were going to end up with the Bugaboo Cameleon, one of the priciest of the bunch, but it seemed to meet our needs.

Before making the $1000 Bugaboo splurge we decided to do a bit more research and continued to check out strollers at Lazar’s Juvenile Furniture and Land of Nod. The Bugaboo Cameleon was still looking pretty good, although we questioned if the Baby Jogger City Select would be better since it easily converts into a double. I’m still getting used to the idea of 1 kid, but may decide to pop out another one in a few years. And the Jetson-Like Orbit looked pretty cool, although we didn’t love the idea that it’s compatible with only their car seat.

My husband, who surprisingly is as excited about stroller shopping as he is about new TVs, discovered the website Baby Gizmo where he watched stroller video reviews for days. Based on his video research he decided what we really needed was a cool European stroller like the Mutsy 4rider or the iCandy Apple. I even asked one of my European colleagues to keep an eye out for them on the streets of London.

We took one last trip to the new Lincoln Park location of Galt Baby, to check out my husband’s beloved Mutsy and iCandy strollers. We were informed that they haven’t sold the Mutsy in over a year due to poor sales and they’d even give us a discount on the iCandy since they were trying to get rid of them. The sales rep told us what we really needed was the Bugaboo Bee, which we had been previously told did not fit our needs. Aaahhh- I certainly hope deciding on kindergarten is easier!

After a day of quizzing people on the streets about their strollers (yep, we’ve become THOSE people) and putting our friends to sleep with stroller talk over dinner we walked into a Bump Club registry event at Giggle. It was here we discovered the UPPAbaby Vista:

• Sleek style
• Somewhat easy to collapse (folds with the seat on it)
• Large storage basket
• Less expensive than the Bugaboo Cameleon

One drawback to the UPPAbaby is that it’s a bit heavy so we’re going to purchase the Baby Jogger City Mini as a second traveling stroller. New moms tell me the Graco SnugRider is another must. My husband and I may need only 1 car to get around Chicago, but I have a feeling our daughter mayhave 5 strollers by the time her 1^st bday rolls around.

Clyborn Avenue Baby Tour

by Amy Galvin
Second City Mommy

If there is one street I find myself on the most in this city it is Clybourn Avenue, especially when it comes to shopping for baby. Most stores have free parking.

Come with me on the Clybourn Baby Tour.

First Stop - Land of Nod
I love this store! They have everything - furniture, baby gear, toys, gifts, artwork and more. I believe they only have locations in the Chicago-land area (and one store in Seattle), but they do have a partnership with Crate & Barrel, so hopefully they will open more stores across the country. Mia's playroom is almost completely decorated courtesy of Land of Nod and there is bedding at the store that I really want for Mia's big girl bed.

Second Stop - Beautiful Beginnings
I have never shopped here, but know a ton of people who have. The store offers layettes, Christening and Bris gowns and gifts, personalized items, toys, books, apparel and furniture. They offer personalized registry service as well.

Third Stop - Pottery Barn Kids
Not my favorite place (everything is always on backorder), but good solid items for decorating baby and kid rooms. Also, a popular place to register and buy gifts.

Fourth Stop - Right Start
Right Start carries an assortment of strollers, car seats, developmental toys, books, videos, music, nursery accessories, safety items and other baby related products. The staff is very knowledgeable and there is one man there (not sure of his name) who has an answer for every one of my questions. Whether it is about feeding supplies or car seats, his advice is so valuable. They must think I have quite the pacifier collection. I am always stopping in to buy MAM pacifiers because my dog is constantly eating them.

Fifth Stop - Costco
Who doesn't love Costco? Go here to eat the plethora of food samples, come home with all of your baby care bulk needs - diapers, wipes, formula!

Sixth Stop - Galt Baby (Coming Soon)
Galt is a great place for toys, toys and toys! They also carry other baby essentials, but their toy selection can not be beat. The store is not open yet, but the sign is up and hopefully they will be open for business this summer.