Single father with newborn daughter. Please Help.?

Question

I've been struggling for the last three months.
My wife died in childbirth. I'm left to bring up our daughter, Scarlett. I love her to pieces and want to give her the best possible chances in life. I work night shifts as a paramedic and she is in child - care a lot. I've never had a child before, but I know the basics, I just need a bit of advice on the best nappies and bottles and stuff.
I would be very thankful. :-)

Answer 1

I like avent bottles, we don't use them too much because I am breastfeeding but our daughter likes them when we have to use them.
We started with pampers number 1 and 2. We buy number 3 Huggies, they are a bit cheaper yet the same quality (IMHO)
If you have any questions yu can email me. Will be happy to help.
So sorry about your loss!

Answer 2

Some general advice from one single parent to another:

1) take care of yourself - get sleep, eat well etc. It's easier said than done but that little one is completely reliant on you. You need to care for yourself too so you have something to give.
2) Consider grief counseling. It wouldn't take much out of your week and will help you with your difficult time. This also falls in the category of taking care of yourself so you have more to give.

3) Consider changing to a day job. I had a night job when my son was born. It tore me up that someone else put him to bed at night. That is strictly parental territory (LOL). When he was 4 months old I switched to days and it was the best move for us I ever made.

4) Nappies-hit or miss. Huggies worked for us. I have heard people say that Huggies work for boys and Pampers for girls better.

5) Bottles- Personal preference. There are so many brands. EAse of cleaning and sterilization was a big factor for me. Some people swear by Dr. Brown's for gassy babies.

6) General stuff-
CLOTHES/FURNITURE/TOYS
Hand me downs, consignments etc are your best friend. They outgrow things so quickly it is ridiculously expensive to pay retail.
CAR SEATS
Buy these retail. You never know if a used one was in an accident. They morph so rapidly with new safety features anyway.
SUPPORT
If your family is not in the picture find other single parents. This way you have backup. Really triple backup is best.
PLANNING FOR FUTURE
This may sound morbid now but you need adequate life insurance coverage and a will - Now! You need to name a guardian and get that all set so she is protected.

Good Luck! Single Parenting is hard but so is all parenting. Scarlet is a lovely name by the way.

Answer 3

I used Evenflo nipples and bottles. They have the graded flow holes, so you can make sure she isn't getting too much at the wrong time which can cause alot of gas and spitting up.

Nappies are diapers(?), I used Pampers exclusively because Huggies gave my sons bottom a bad rash... the Pampers also have a better size selection that seems a bit more accurate.

Pampers baby wipes, unscented with aloe.

If you have any questions, you can email me... I'd be happy to help.

Answer 4

I have found that Pampers work best for my son. They seem to be more comfortable around the legs but hold everything in better. I have never had anything leak out with Pampers but have with Huggies, Loves, and store brand diapers. Isaac likes the Playtex VentAire bottles. He is less gassy. Remember to change the nipples to stage 2 nipples when she is old enough to handle a faster flow (I think around 3 months or so). Your daughter has a beautiful name. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Answer 5

kudos to you. First sorry about your loss and congrats on your daughter! As far as the best bottles its a matter of opinion some like the bags or angled bottles because they dont allow the baby many air pockets which reduces burping time and ear infections while other people think there isn't much difference between them and traditional bottles. Newborns love to sleep between every bottle. So when you hear her wake up change her diaper feed and burp her nad nuzzle her back to sleep. And as she grows she will stay awake longer between feeding but trust me she will let you know when its time for a nap. Basically thats the best advice is listen to her she may not talk but she has her ways of letting you know what she needs its when they get older they leave you scratching your head. Best of luck and again congrats!

Answer 6

if you are interested in the SAFEST, not best products, check out consumer reports baby issue. they do one every year and review car seats, bottles, toys, etc for safety, durability, and other criteria. they are objective, since they have no ties or affiliations with the product manufacturers. if you work nights, try to spend as much time with her during the day. don't feel bad about how much time she spends in daycare. if you can, see if your parents or scarlett's other grandparents are willing to keep her at night. perhaps suggest alternating nights so each set of grandparents has some nights off. this should free up the money you were spending on daycare, which may make it possible for you to work one less shift a week.

Answer 7

i used evenflow bottles for the first little bit4 oz bottles, and make sure that the nipple has a very slow flow unless your baby is doing well with a little faster flow(all babies are different) if she coughs then the flow is too fast. later on i had to get bigger bottles i used the winnie pooh ones which were 8 oz. and when he got teeth i used the parents choice transition sippie cup it had a soft nipple but it was flat like a sippy cup nipple, and later the playtex sipppy cups. i used pampers diapers when the baby was younger then when it was about 7 or 8 months switched to the store brand diapers cuz they are alot alot cheaper and the skin is less sensitive then. i used johnsons and johnsons baby wash. if the baby does not have cradle cap then you can slip a swimming suit on and take a bath with her, thats the best way to avoid bath accidents. i used huggies natural care baby wipes unscented for sensitive skin and johnsons and johnsons unscented baby powder if the skin got red. i used baby tylonol in those little drops when he got sick and ground cloves on his gums when he started teething. good luck:)

Answer 8

So sorry to here of your loss.
With our last son we swore by Evenflo (used with drop ins/liners) with silicon nipples and I've always used Huggies on my children. You may need to experiment with different brands of certain items to see what works best for you.
Good luck and many blessings.

Answer 9

every baby is different,i couldnt get my babies to take an advent bottle at all they just didnt like the nipples so i used the "bent"bottles and that worked well ,and some babies are sensitive to diff. diapers,like for instance my son couldnt wear the cheap diapers,all he could wear was pampers,but normally there is no need to get the most expensive brands,btw i am sorry to hear about your wife,and i commend you for caring for your daughter,before you know it ,it will be like second nature to you..good luck

Answer 10

Advent bottles, or Platex nursers with the Drop-Ins tend to help make baby less gassy. I've had good success with Pampers for diapers, they go by weight so know how much she weighs when you go to shop for them!