Update: I just fixed the comments so that you don’t need to log in to comment. Just your name and email is sufficient.
I’m so excited to be participating once again with the Nester’s Semi-Annual Giveaway Day. Your chances of winning are fantasic since I will be selecting 5 winners! It’s easy to enter to win one of our great products, simply leave a comment with a tip for a baby (I’m due in 2 weeks!) or tell what you’d like to win or both. Also you’ll want to “like” The Grocery Shrink on facebook. You can be updated on our new blog posts easily that way.
The giveaway is open from April 5th through Midnight on Sunday April 10th. I’ll select the winners Monday morning and notify everyone.
Here’s what I’m giving away:
1. 3 Winners will receive one of my Ebook trio sets! These normally sell for $12 each, but the value is much greater. Here’s what you’ll learn:
A new shopping and thinking method to feed your family for $50 per person per month, how to apply the ideas to a debt free Christmas, and 31 tested Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes for busy nights.
2. 2 more Winners will receive a $20 gift card to my Etsy store. You’ll find sewing patterns for nursing and maternity, ebooks, and ready-made baby slings in designer twill prints.
As a mom of almost four kids age five and under my best advice is to read “Babywise” by Ezzo (it had the biggest impact outside of the Bible on parenting a baby for my husband and I), and don’t get discouraged if you have trouble with breastfeeding (just get a lactation consultant). I actually taught people to breastfeed when I worked as a nurse and yet I have needed help with all three kids. Don’t be discouraged, just ask for help from a lactation consultant a lot! Also, be prepared to cry a bit a few days after baby is born. You won’t have a reason to, but as hormones swing, you will have some tears, it is ok. And the best advice I’ve ever received: be fruitful and multiply–have more kids soon! They are the greatest!
Well I don’t have any kids YET, but I do love babies. 🙂
Get lots of cuddles and take a lot of pictures early on – since babies change so quickly it is nice to have all of the pictures to look back on.
Get a lingerie bag. It is great for washing those itty bitty socks without losing them!
Always carry a receiving blanket when you go out, for warmth, shade, as an emergency bib or diaper, to swaddle baby, for baby to lie on, for playing peek a boo, for a breast feeding cover up, for burping, ok so I like receiving blankets.
I’m sure you have more baby tips than me, but I think one of the best things was learning to nurse lying down. This allowed me to get more rest, especially the first few months. I also learned to read a book while nursing. I would pick a fun book that I looked forward to reading, which made me anticipate every nursing break, rather than feel like it was an interruption.
Sleep when the baby sleeps. Don’t expect too much from yourself in the first few weeks. Enjoy that new baby – they are only little once.
Check out this blog post I wrote on bringing home baby:
http://jodithegirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/bringing-home-baby.html
I don’t have a baby, so I don’t really have any advise to give. (I love hearing about your big family though.)
I’d love to win the trio of ebooks!
I am new to your site and I love it. I wish I was still had young ones at home yet. I miss it. I can give you a tip but of course different things work for different children. My biggest thing was to fairly keep a rountine for my children that they were secure in their life. Bed time rountine was ususally the same time everynight read, sing a song, and pray. Then put on a cd of music or a learning cd. It works. I had no problems with my children sleeping. The biggest tip is to keep God the center of your family. I miss mine since we are missionaries but enjoy every moment with them. Enough of my missing my family. I would love your trio ebooks. Thank you for this giveaway for whoever would get it.
My advice would be to savor every precious coo, tiny piggy, adorable dimple, sweet cheek and delicious smile. Many congrats!
Congrats on the baby soon to be here! I came to your blog and site a week or so ago when you were on 700 club and am loving what you are doing. Thank you as well for the opporunity for a chance to win. I would love to win the e-books! As for the baby tip I think it is great that you already have a wealth of experience with babies and are still wanting to learn new ways of doing things. I think that is awesome and with that attitude your new arrival is very blessed! Keep that and all your children will be life long learners and continue to keep bettering themselves as a result of the example you set.
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of all the help people offer you in the beginning. It makes you a better mommy to have a break and get some rest!
Would love to shrink my grocery bill. We have three small children with three HUGE appetites! 🙂
My tip is to remember, during the hard times, sleepless times, spit up and poop on your clothes times, won’t stop crying times, I remember and purpose myself to think on and pray on this…
While you are crying or at least feel like crying because you’re exhausted, somewhere some woman is on her knees sobbing to the Lord to open her womb, begging for a chance to be a good mother. And if I know anyone in that position I pray for them when I feel like whining, because it’s a bible truth that praying for others in their need helps us grow in Christ .
ohhh, and the gift card would be lots of fun! But even without winning, I just hope to share this with anyone who will read it!
God bless you and your family!
Staci
I would love to win your ebooks!
My tip would be to let the baby accustomed to sleep with normal activity sounds in the backround. It´s hard when the baby is used to sleep in when the house is totally quiet. So let the baby sleep with everyday noises.
Enjoy every moment, even the challenging ones and take lots of pictures, daily, b/c it really does go so fast! Mine is 2.
momma of 5 here. . tip. .when the diaper starts leaking, move up to a bigger size!!! Also I am a firm believer in the foundation that is laid with a schedule. . eat, wake, sleep. . .Have you read the book Baby Wise yet by the Ezzos. . .it gave me so much confidence as a mom.
So I so want to win the book trio. . .
Hmmm…gift cards are always welcomed in this home!
the best tip i got was from a British midwife who told me in her lovely accent “You CANNOT spoil a BABY!!! a BABY??? no way. love him, hug him, let him know he is secure.” So sweet! I hope u have a lovely time bonding with your new one!
Accept all offers of help. People love helping out a new mom!
What a great giveaway. As the mom of 7, I will tell you the best advice I ever got was to have my kids start helping out when they were very small(about 15 months) with putting away toys or throwing out their garbage and increasing the types of chores as they get older.
🙂 Michelle
Well I’m sure you don’t need advice in the child rearing department. Our home is a believer in co- sleeping. They are only babies once. Why push them away so soon. Love them, feel them , hear them breathe, sleep next to them!
Also, read often to your babies.
The best tip I have is to cherish, love and remember that this too shall pass. Having my baby girl was life changing, and at times, I didn’t think I would ever feel normal again. But I do, and I cannot imagine life without her. Also, get a good group of moms. It helps so much to see other children at different stages to see what you can expect in the future and know whatever your child is going through is likely quite normal.
I got some great advice with my last baby. Put a list of things other people can help you with on the inside of your front door. That way when people come to see the baby and ask if there is anything they can do for you, there is a list with instructions. (Example: Take out the trash. The trash is located under the sink, trash bags are in the pantry, and the outside trash bin is next to the garage.) There are so many simple things people can help you with that make a difference in those first few weeks after having a baby.
My comment didn’t work the first time so I’ll retry! I’ve had my eye on the ebooks for some time now! LOL My tip was to let the other children hold the baby as much as possible right away, so they will have it out of their system and you won’t go crazy with them asking “Can I hold the baby? Can I hold the baby?” Love Susan momma to 8
I LOVE your site and would love to win the ebooks. I think I could learn a LOT from you! Good luck with the baby. The best advice I can give you is to take everyone else’s advice as just that…advice…and trust your instincts.
Love my Moby instead of a stroller! So nice to have that close contact with my sweet one.
-Jen
Would love the ebooks!
Take all advice with a grain of salt…trust your instincts!
I would love your ebook because I’ve tried lists, websites, coupon clipping etc and haven’t been able to find a way to make a grocery budget work for my young, just-getting-on-our-feet family. I’d love to try an expert’s tested and proved approach!
Babies are so much fun (and a lot of love and work)…congrats to you! My advise would be to give up scrapbooking and do it all online. I love to take pictures and got overwhelmed by how many…so I just uploaded to my favorite photo website…and made a photobook online.
My advice is to give Dad his own time and space to figure it out on his own. Congratulations to you!
There are so many great tips already posted, so I don’t have one that hasn’t already been said! Congratulations on your newest addition! Enjoy every precious moment!
I would love to with the e-book trio! I am in awe of your grocery budget — I really need to learn how to trim down my grocery bill!
Always interested in learning how to shrink my grocery bill…sounds like great items to win.
I loved the book Babywise also. I used the eat, play, sleep routine with all three of my girls and found it very helpful for setting up a schedule. Congrats on your new little one!
a tip for something i’ve learned so far….it really is ok to let the older siblings hold the baby whenever they want, they can sit down if it seems like they might drop them… 🙂
Enjoy EVERY stage. It goes by so fast.
Sounds great!
I don’t have a baby yet. Trying toward the end of the year so I really don’t have any advice. I am so sorry! I would love and treasure anything that I would get! This is a really neat blog! Thank you for the opportunity!!!
heatherdmullin@gmail.com
you can’t spoil a baby by holding him too much. they grow up too fast not to take tons of pictures. trust your instincts. and don’t forget about date night.
would love the ebooks.
Sleep training! It will bless you and your child and your marriage huge dividends!!! I mixed babywise and 12 hour sleep solution. Also, stick in there, the first 6 weeks feel like 6 months bc of lack of sleep, then its gone and it seems like it wasn’t a big deal at all and your amazed how big your babe has gotten!
Ooooo – I would be so excited for either prize!!!!!!!!
this is maybe a bit silly for advice, but grab a soap dispenser that pumps your dishsoap straight to the dish, already foamed and ready to scrub (if you don’t already have one). SO helpful for quickly cleaning pacifiers, bottles, spoons, even pumping supplies.
I NEED your ebooks!!!
These ebooks look fantastic!
Baby advice – hmmmm….I’ve had four (now ages 14,10,6,4). I think I’d have to tell you something you already know but it’s so easy to forget. Enjoy the moments. Don’t get too caught up with outside responsibilities and activities. If you have high expectations of how your house will look, lower them. There is no truer saying than, “The days are long but the years are short.”
I’d love to win!
My advice is to trust your instinct and whatever seems to work for you and your baby, when it comes to sleeping and feeding. So many books tell us what to do, and so many readers feel that other moms are sinning if they aren’t following what the books say! Do what feels right! And most of all–LOVE your baby. They are only babies for a short while.
As the full-time working (outside the home) mother of two, I could really use the 31 healthy slow-cooker recipes!
my best baby tip? love ’em because they are only little for so long! Oh, and if you have your kids far apart like me(10,6, 4mths) you have great helpers!
I am so excited for this giveaway!