After almost 4 years of parenting I have discovered the secret to getting a baby to sleep through the night: never go to bed yourself!

The longer I stay awake in anticipation of my son waking for the first time, usually between 11 PM and 12:30 AM, the longer he waits. If he hasn’t woken up by 12:30 I usually wait longer. Once I decide to give up, typically around 1 AM, he starts to cry as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Coincidence? I think not. More like a conspiracy to rob mothers of their sleep even when they are sleeping.

Damned if they do {sleep}, damned if they don’t {sleep}.

This is the final review and giveaway for the New Baby Event Part 2.

When I decided we would be using a hammock for this baby the next thing I had to have was a video monitor.  I knew I would want to be able to keep a close eye on the baby without waking him by walking in every 20 minutes like new mothers to new babies do.

Luckily I was able to work with Summer Infant, a company that really has video monitors cornered!  They have many varieties.  The one I felt would work best in our home was the Sleek and Secure Video Monitor.

Features:

• Handheld 2.5″ display screen Monitor with stand and belt clip.
• Wall mountable camera with day/night view
• Rechargeable battery with around 10 hours of battery life
• Two way talk feature
• Power saver, video will turn off after 3 minutes leaving only audio
• Split screen with up to 4 room view (needs additional cameras, sold seperately)
• Easy to use interface
• Extra long cords
• 900 Mhz
• 350-foot range
• 100% digital technology and no interference or static

I think you can browse video monitors online forever and read hours worth of reviews.  Without being able to test a product in your home it is hard to know what will work.

First I will talk about set up.  The monitor and camera will be super easy to get working right away.   It is basically just a matter of unboxing and plugging in.  If you plan on mounting the camera on the wall you are going to want to test the video range before mounting.  We have our monitor mounted directly to the hammock so it is very close and the picture is clear. (FYI, this is something we did carefully however Summer does not sanction this sort of mounting) Mounting too far away could result in poor picture quality so be careful.  Measure twice, cut once, ya know?

The extra long cord comes in handy depending on where your outlets are located so it is unlikely you will need a cord longer than what is provided.

The camera moves around left to right and can tilt up and down which makes getting the perfect view of your baby very easy.

Once the camera is wall mounted or set on your table you are ready to spy *ahem* I mean, look in on your baby.

The handheld monitor is about the same size as some smartphones, perhaps an older model.  It is as small but not as thin as a newer phone.  There is a handy belt clip on the back.  This is good for when you are going about your day doing chores on multiple levels of your house.  You can always have the baby within ear and eyeshot.  If you aren’t going to be changing rooms you can leave the monitor on a kick out stand.

There aren’t too many buttons to figure out; it is very user friendly.  I was able to just play with it to figure out how to change from video to audio, and if I had extra cameras, which button to change views.  Volume is adjusted by the large center arrows.

On the monitor there is also a light which you can glance at to easily see if the baby is crying, which will go up and turn red when they are.

As for clarity, the screen works in both day and night settings.  During the day you have a color screen with a great clear picture, and at night it goes to black and white night vision.  While it isn’t an HD TV it makes seeing my baby easy and clear without having to run in and check on him.  I don’t know how people lived without these!

One of my favorite features is the Talk button.  The monitor can be used to “talk” to your baby with the push of a button.  You can try to soothe them back to sleep from another room, or, if you are monitoring a toddler, you can tell them to GET BACK IN BED RIGHT NOW!  How freaking cool is that?

For moms of more than one kid, you can buy the Sleek and Secure with 2 cameras which will allow you to monitor 2 rooms at once.  I plan on buying a second camera, which you can find for around 70.00 at most retailers, to allow me to also view my son.  How many times have you been enjoying a quiet moment in the livingroom while your toddler is playing, only to check on them and find wipes all over the floor or an open spray bottle that has been poured on your wall?  Just me?  lol!  I know when I peek in, if he was actually being good, he then stops what he is doing to hang out with me.  With a video monitor you can keep an eye on them without distracting them from their angelic activities.

This monitor allows you to watch up to 4 screens at once, or you can scroll through them as you need to.  You can also set it to rotate through the rooms every 8 seconds.  It is almost like a security system!

There is hardly any noise other than the background noise audible in the bedroom where my baby sleeps.  When the volume is all the way up and the baby cries you can hear him in every room of the house, so you can leave it at the middle setting and feel safe that you will definitely hear them.

I can’t say I have tried another video monitor to compare, however, this one has met all of our needs and then some!  Even if you only have one child but plan on having more, knowing there is an option to simply add on a camera versus buying another monitor is already a money saving option in terms of video monitors.

Where to buy

You can find Summer products like the Sleek and Secure at virtually every major store or online at places like

Amazon.com for 149.99 and you can even buy extra cameras for 79.99 each as well.

Since I love the monitor so much I would love for one of my readers to have one too, so….

Summer will be giving one very lucky DDL reader a Sleek and Secure Video Monitor!

Congrats Susaan!

Mandatory Entry:

(1 entry) Visit Summerinfant.com and tell me another Summer product you have used and love, or one you would love to try!  Leave it as a comment.

For extra entries do any or all of the following.  Leave a comment for each you do.

(1 entry) Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Keep an eye on your baby with a @summerinfant Sleek and Secure Video Monitor.  #giveaway from @KimRosas.  http://f6p2t.th8.us Ends Dec 16.” Leave a comment with a link to your status.

You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet. 1 entry per day.

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A sample of the product mentioned was went for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% genuine and my own.  Some product links are affiliate links.  Giveaway ends on. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn. *Open to US only*

This post was written by Kristen, DDL contributor.

I love milk.  I also happen to love ice cream…and cheese.  A LOT.  I typically would drink 2 gallons of milk a week, just myself.

Why am I telling you this?  Because 3 months ago, I was told by my daughter’s pediatrician that in order to keep breastfeeding my 5 day old baby, Suriah, I would need to cut all dairy, eggs, soy, nuts and seafood out of my diet.

I had no idea what was left to eat!!!

It really wasn’t a laughing matter though.  At only 4 days old, I was changing Suriah’s poopy diaper, only to discover that it wasn’t poopy…it was blood. I calmly called the on call doctor, who told me to save the diaper and bring her in the next day.  (How I managed to not rush her to the ER is beyond me!).  Before I was able to bring her in the next day, she had about 5 more blood-filled-diapers.  At the doctor’s office it was confirmed that it was in fact blood (I had been hoping I was wrong of course) and that because Suriah appeared otherwise healthy, it was most likely due to a severe allergy.  Whatever she was allergic to was actually causing her intestines to bleed.

After consulting with a pediatric gastroenterologist, it was decided that if I wanted to continue to breastfeed, I would need to seriously change my diet.  And if I chose to not breastfeed, then Suriah would need to be placed on a very expensive, prescription-only formula that is just amino acids.  Her pediatrician told me that it was healthiest for Suriah to get breastmilk and advised that changing my diet was the best thing for her if I could really stick to it.  Breastfeeding my first child didn’t work out as I had hoped because she needed to be supplemented with formula and other problems led to me drying up at 5 months, so before Suriah was born, I was determined to exclusively breastfeed her.  I had been planning and preparing and mentally working on the idea of breastfeeding in public…and then I was told that I needed to change my diet so drastically that I honestly didn’t even know what I would be able to eat anymore.  Oh…and did I mention that I already had a weird diet?  Yeah, I haven’t eaten red meat in about 20 years and I don’t eat any meat off the bone.  I’m really not a big meat eater.

Image from Babble

Lets sum that all up…

*pretty much no meat

*no soy

*no dairy

*no eggs

*no nuts

*no seafood

What the heck is left?!?!

When I got home, I realized that even my bread had milk in it! Giving up dairy was going to be the hardest sacrifice, especially when I realized that dairy was hidden in a lot of other things as well.  But I was dedicated.  It definitely tested my dedication to breastfeeding.  In fact, I had a few friends tell me that they would just switch over to the formula…that it wasn’t worth it to sacrifice so much just to breastfeed.  Even my own family was not supportive of me breastfeeding at this point.  But I did have some friends who supported me and also helped me figure out some things I could eat.  And the fact that the special formula cost $50 for a 14oz can was also a huge motivator to continue to breastfeed as well.  Plus, I had some serious issues with her latch and went through a tough time getting adjusted to breastfeeding…there was some serious cracking and bleeding nipples going on!  I called La Leche League and visited a lactation consultant…and continued to try to figure out what I could eat.

At 8 weeks, Suriah’s pediatrician allowed me to try to work something back into my diet.  She didn’t want me to choose dairy, so we started with soy, as that gave me many more options of what I could add into my diet.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I had to take soy out of my diet again, but then was able to work it back in.  Now that Suriah is 3.5 months old, I am happily also able to eat nuts and seafood as well.  It seems that her severe reaction was most likely caused by a protein allergy to dairy and eggs.  Right now I am not sure how long I will have to go without dairy or eggs, but it’s possible that she may have the allergy forever because her reaction was so severe.

Having to sacrifice so much in my diet, especially some of the things I love most (I consider myself an ice cream and cheese connoisseur), has definitely made breastfeeding much harder…but it’s also made it more rewarding, and as an added bonus, I feel really proud of myself for being able to exclusively breastfeed my daughter for over 3 months and to watch her thrive and grow because of my milk.  Breastfeeding isn’t easy.  It’s hard in so many ways, especially when it doesn’t go as smoothly as you plan, but it’s worth it.  It’s worth not having a big glass of milk with my oreos, or milk in my cereal, some smoked gouda cheese or some of the Guinness ice cream at the new ice cream shop in town (who wouldn’t want to try that!?!?!)…because I know that I am giving my daughter the best nourishment I can, regardless of the sacrifice I have to make everyday.  I love exclusively breastfeeding more than I ever thought I would…but I also can’t wait to try some of that Guinness ice cream some day!

While pregnant with my first son I looked into a baby hammock briefly, but was honestly a little afraid of something that I had never seen used by a “real” person.  No one I knew used one, they used cribs and bassinettes.  So I bought a cradle and a crib, and ended up co-sleeping until after my son was one because he wouldn’t sleep in either one.

This time I am going to try a baby hammock.  After the testimonials of good friends and the online reviews I am hoping it will prevent the horrible sleep habits my son had.  I like to pretend he would have been like this no matter how much I held him and rocked him and slept with him and nursed him to sleep.  Maybe, maybe not.

The baby hammock itself has been around for over 800 years, so it is not a new invention.

Now I have to choose one.  The prices range from expensive to very expensive, so this is a choice I am not taking lightly.  After lining my choices up I have to say I am leaning towards the Miyo since it has many options.

Choice 1: Amby Baby Motion Bed. (307.00 for infant to toddler package)

The Amby is very well known as far as baby hammock go.  Even more so after the voluntary recall issued a few months ago.  They have issued replacement parts to all current owners who wished for one.

Pros:

Great reputation (even with the recall)

Low end of the price range for hammocks.

Comes with a travel bag for compact transport.

Easy to put together and move from place to place.

Cons:

Not available new for the moment.

Not many color choices.

Not as attractive as other hammocks.

Specs:

Infant to 9 months.

Up to 20 pounds with infant spring.  Up to 45 with toddler kit.

(3.5 ft x 2.5 ft x 5 ft)

Where to buy:

At least for now the only places you can find an Amby will be Craigslist or consignment stores.

Choice 2: Arm’s Reach Cocoon (149.99)

The Arm’s Reach Cocoon Sleeper is another contender.  Visually similar to the Amby Hammock.  This company has had issues with recalls, but none of the Coccon that I can find.

Pros:

Less expensive than most other hammocks.

Great reviews online.

Cons:

Hangs from two points, not one, so less motion for the baby.

Specs:

Birth to 15 pounds.

Where to buy:

Amazon.com

Choice 3: Hushamok (409.00 for stand and hammock)

The Hushamok Hammock is quite pricey, however it boasts the benefit of being able to add a seat to the stand for older children.  I have seen this in person and love the style!

Pros:

You can use it without a stand (which adds to the cost) if you hang from your ceiling.

Can buy a seat to add to the stand.

Stand is aluminum and very lightweight. (11 pounds)

Cons:

Very expensive.

Not many online reviews on this product.

Specs:

Newborns up to 6 months or 22 pounds.

43”L x 59”H x 42”W

Where to buy:

Amazon.com

Choice 4: Kanoe (290.00)

The Kanoe is stunningly beautiful.  It is made from 100% organic cotton and dyed with low impact, environmentally friendly dyes.  There is a way to rent a Kanoe for 40.00 a month if you want to see if it is something your baby would enjoy.

Pros:

Gorgeous.

Space saving since it hangs from the ceiling.

Comes with canvas carrying bag.

Can be hung closer to the ground to make a cool chair for older children.

You can adjust the incline or leave if flat.

Cons:

There is no stand made for it, though the website suggests some made by others should work.

Expensive.

Cannot travel with it unless you buy a stand.

Specs:

Infant to 30 pounds.

Choice 5:  Miyo (Hammock:199.95, Stand: 169.95, Door Clamp: 49.95)

The Miyo is another beautiful hammock.  The Miyo does offer a stand and a door clamp to use for travel.

Pros:

High age limit.

Multiple ways to use the hammock, ceiling, stand, or doorway clamp.

EASY to travel with thanks to the door clamp.

Cons:

Very expensive if you buy the hammock, stand, and clamp.

Specs:

Infant to 9 months.

Where to buy:

Jillians Drawers

Choice 6: Mawok (256.00)

This hammock has an interesting fixture where you can hang it from your door, perfect for traveling.  It can also be mounted from your ceiling.

Pros:

Small and light.

Offers stylish patterns and stark white.

Package comes with ceiling mount and travel arm.

Cons:

Doesn’t have a stand.

Hard to find information and reviews.  Product is Swedish.

Mechanics of the door attachment are scary to think of.  This is an option you really should think about before trying.  Also, would want to use a door that doesn’t have traffic.  Oops… squished your baby.

Specs:

Infant to 6 months.

Where to buy:

Right now I can only find it on their Swedish Website. Mawok.se

Choice 7:  Happy Hangup (225.00 with shipping)

The Hangup is an Australian hammock.  There is the ability to add a cushion of different sizes depending on the age of the baby, or use no cushion.  The hammock uses a spring.

Pros:

Gorgeous fabric pattern.

Wooden hanger is handmade.

Cons:

No stand.

Not a lot of information on it.

Specs:

Infant to 45 pounds.

Where to buy:

Happyhangup.com. Will ship to US.  225.00 includes shipping to the US.

Choice 8: Yayita (262.00 with stand. 136.00 no stand)

The Yayita hammock has a wooden bar with two notches, two further in for smaller babies, and two farther out for larger children.  Can be purchased with or without stand.  The Yayita was recalled in 2008 due to a flipping hazard after one baby flipped over but was still strapped in.  The baby was not injured, and since the hammock has undergone a redesign which makers say prevents flipping.

Pros:

Safety Strap.

Can buy stand.

Adjustable width.

Cons:

Previous recall.

Specs:

Infant to 18 months or 45 pounds.

Where to buy:

DreamGym

Choice 9: Mamalittlehelper (109.00 with stand)

The Mamalittlehelper quite frankly worries me.  Besides having a name that sounds like Engrish to me, the website needs quite a bit of work.  Plus, it looks like an Amby knock off.

Pros:

Mesh sides

JPMA Certified.

Inexpensive compared to other hammocks.

Cons:

Reviews often comment it is cheaply made.

They make an infant, toddler, and baby hammock.  What is the difference?  Website not clear.

Specs:

Infant up to 25 pounds or rolling over.

Where to buy:

Mamalittlehelper.com. However they are not shipping orders at the moment.

Edited to add:  I want to emphasize that I have not tried any of these hammocks, and all information came from their respective websites.  I also want to say that I realize hammocks carry a stigma thanks to the recent Amby Motion Bed recall.  However, even traditional sleeping arrangements like cribs, bassinets, cradles, co-sleepers, etc should be used with common sense.  Any baby item is dangerous if used incorrectly or without common sense.

I can’t believe I am sharing this…… but…… this was taken at 10 weeks 3 days (last week).  My new baby (referred to as “shrimpy”)

10 Weeks 3 Days

Starting them young!

and my old baby!  <3

While I was pregnant with my first son I decided I wanted to work on baby signs with him.  I didn’t buy any materials; I just looked up the signs I wanted to use online.

Starting at 3 months I began signing “milk,” and when he began eating solids we started working on “eat,” “more,” “all done,” and “drink.”

I have pretty consistent signed these few words to him almost his entire life.  But I didn’t see any signs!  While I knew other babies typically can pick up signs by around 9 months, Fletcher wasn’t having it.  Then he turned a year, and still no signing.  I was discouraged but I kept up the few signs we did.  I would have added more but since he hadn’t picked the ones I was showing him up I held off.

2-3 months ago he did start signing “all done” which of all of the signs, wasn’t the most helpful!  I was still excited to see him pick it up though.  Instead of flipping his hands front to back, he just holds them up.

Then this month, he started signing “more” back to me.  It was a very exciting day!  For “more” he also adapted the sign to his own use and puts a fist to an open hand, versus bringing it finger tips together.

I began really pushing the signs after that, and just a few days ago he finally signed “milk.”  It was the one sign I really wanted him to learn, since I sign “milk” for nursing.  In recent weeks he has already come up with his own sign for milk.  But it is something I hope he stops.  He smacks his lips and either points to my boobs or lifts my shirt down.  It is less than polite!  ”smack smack smack” mommy give me boobies!

The irony is that I always signed “milk” to him when we nursed.  Now, it is the most beautiful and exciting thing to see.  I love how gingerly he opens and closes his fist.  Friday night while I rocked him and nursed him before bed he gently signed milk.  It was so sweet, and I was so proud of him.

The reason I wanted to share is because I hope our story will encourage any mamas out there who think their baby isn’t picking up signing.  I did think he understood, but was worried he would never sign back.  Now that he is picking the signs up we will continue working on these and will introduce a few more.  I believe signing is great for helping non speaking babies to communicate.  I am just so glad we stuck with it!

I have some awesome videos so far, but more is better!  Don’t forget to submit your video of your baby dancing in a cloth diaper by Wednesday!  I can mute the background, so don’t worry about the noise or music.

This is an old video of Fletcher dancing, he just happened to be in a cloth diaper.  I have a new one for the Ellen video.

Puma.... Rawr!

Trash Can Head

Painting Mommy a Picture!

"Helping" Mommy load the dishwasher

That is your week in Cute!  More at wordlesswednesday.com

More at wordlesswednesday.com

More at WordlessWednesday.com