Here’s the first part of the article with more to come in later postings:

10 Baby Things You Don’t Need by Michelle Kennedy Hogan
Save yourself the space and cash

When I became pregnant with my first child, I had been babysitting for a wealthy family for quite some time. They had every gadget you could possibly imagine for raising a child. They also had every glossy magazine available, detailing every shiny new gadget I would “need” in order to have my baby. I was 20 years old and a little overwhelmed by the finery. Howwould I ever afford it all? I soon learned that yard sales were the best places to find all of the gadgets I would need.

Between the sales and the baby shower, I was outfitted. I had every gadget a mother could possibly need to take care of her baby. It wasn’t until baby number two arrived a little over a year later that I realized that I needed very few of those gadgets, and I had a yard sale myself to rid myself of the clutter that was overtaking my apartment.

Save yourself the space and cash. Here is a list of 10 things you absolutely do not need in order to have a baby. There are many others, but this should get your started.

1. Baby Lotion/Baby Cleanser - I’ve received a number of bottles of these items through the years and I must admit that they do smell pretty good. However, not only does your new baby not need to smell any better (they already smell really good), but also take a look at the list of what’s in the bottle. No, it is not just baby goodness. Indeed, I can’t pronounce 90 percent of what’s in it.

Buy a nice bar of natural soap from your local co-op if baby is really that dirty, but a little warm water will do just fine for baby’s already very soft skin. Savings: $10 (plus refills)

2. Diaper Genie - OK, well, you won’t be using disposable diapers anyway, right? But if you did use disposables, this thing has got to be one of the most wasteful, ugly things on the planet. It produces what can only be described as a giant doody caterpillar when full and I have no idea what you do with it after that. Savings: $30 (plus refills)

3. Changing Table - I had one of these for my oldest, but I soon learned that I changed 99 percent of his diapers on either the floor or the couch. Instead, make yourself up a little basket with the appropriate changing needs (diaper covers, diapers, washcloths, etc.) and keep it next to the sofa. Especially in those first weeks, you spend a lot of time on the couch as most of your time is spent nursing, changing diapers, and trying to catch a nap! Forget the table. Savings: $100 (at least)

Michelle Kennedy Hogan is the mother of six and the editor of
Organically Inclined. Her new book 100 Ways to Save Money Right Now is available in digital and print formats. She and her husband John homeschool their children, work from home and practice sustainable living on an organic farm in Vermont. Email her at: editor@organicallyinclined.org

The site is searchable by city or zip code, so you can find deals in your town or use it for trip planning. You can add any locations that you may know of, as well as make comments to help other parents plan outings.

Enjoy!

I’ve been doing a lot of contemplating/meditating on where to focus my creative energy. I don’t want to post just to post. I want to have compelling information or insights to share that make it worth your while to visit Spit-Up On My Shoulder. I’ve had so much to share in the past and am extremely proud of this blog, but am finding myself straining to maintain momentum the last few months.

I read a quote by Julie Morgenstern recently about the need to unload the past for the sake of the future. I’ve been questioning if I need to let go of the blog to free my energy up for other creative pursuits. I still haven’t made a decision. I won’t post here though unless I feel what I have to say will help make your life better in some way. We’ll see what happens.

“I think back to all the times when my baby was teething or gnawing on the side of her car seat, and my heart sinks wondering about what her tiny body ingested.” –Bobbi (mother of a one year-old)

Can you believe it? A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.

This is downright scary–and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children’s products with toxic chemicals to come out lately. We have to turn this tide.

The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children’s products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven’t yet committed to removing these chemicals from their products. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.

*Ask Graco, and other manufacturers of children’s products, to not use any more halogenated fire retardants - period! Go to this link to sign a petition: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1230

Haloge-what? Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.

Forward this note to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxics near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen.

Belkin’s search for balance led her to the conclusion that it can’t be done. The book is filled with her own stories and those of people she interviewed including a father-to-be who restructured his entire company to have more time with his new baby, and a young couple who placed a bet with a friend just to insure that they would meet for lunch twice a month.

I love this piece from the introduction to the book:

“Not a one of us seems to be able to give 100 percent of themselves to their job and 100 percent of themselves to their family and 100 percent of themselves to taking care of themselves. Small wonder. Yet we all seem to think someone (else) out there is getting it right; people who work full-time think people who work part-time are doing it, and people who work part-time are thinking people who don’t work at all are doing it, and those who left the office to tend to home think that if only they could escape back to an office, they might find sanity. But all of this misses the point. No one can do it, because it cannot be done.”

So true! So let yourself off the hook and sit down with Belkin’s book for an honest and humorous read. Another great thing: because these are pieces from Belkin’s newspaper column, each chapter is around four pages long. Perfect for a new parent who doesn’t have more than a few minutes free at a time.

New Mom Central interviews Melanie Bowden, author of Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me? True Stories of New Motherhood on Blog Talk Radio. Ms. Bowden is a registered postpartum doula and a mother of two children living in Davis, California.

In addition to her book, Ms. Bowden has published a workbook called Get Your Articles Published and has been freelancing for magazines and websites since 1999. Her articles have appeared in over 100 publications including Vibrant Life, Jugglezine, Parents’ Monthly, and Writers Weekly. She also teaches magazine writing classes, coaches writers, and speaks to writing and parenting groups.

The show airs on Friday, May 23, at 9:30 a.m. PST. The topic of the show will be “Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?” Ms. Bowden and I will be discussing some of the things that we wish someone would have told us before we became mothers. Ms. Bowden will also be sharing information from her interviews with other mothers about the things they wished someone would have told them when they became mothers for the first time.

One of the most difficult aspects of the transition to motherhood can be the difference between a first-time mother’s expectations of “life after birth” and the reality. Ms. Bowden and I will shed some light on the underreported and rarely talked about major life transition called “motherhood.”

Click here on Friday and then look for our show listed under “Featured Today” to learn some things that could make your transition into motherhood, especially the first three months, a little easier and even more joyful. You can call in with your own questions, or join the discussion with your own stories. The listener call-in line is (347) 945-6211.

If you can’t listen in on Friday, look for a blog post here at Spit-Up On My Shoulder afterwards with a link to the taped show.

Click here to view a cute card with a song that outlines what American mothers really want for Mother’s Day. After you view the card, you can click a button to send it to all the presidential candidates. They need to know that mothers are expecting a lot of family-friendly policies from whoever wins the election.

Enjoy your day tomorrow. You’ve earned it! And thank you for spreading the word about making our country friendlier for all American families.

Then I read an article in The Dollar Stretcher by a mom with five kids who found a solution. Every day her family has a 30 minute clean-up where everyone cleans like crazy for a half hour. They don’t worry about cleaning any other time of day.

Five kids and only 30 minutes of cleaning a day? Woohoo! I decided to propose the plan to my family and see how it went. Since I only have two children, we decided twenty minutes of clean-up right after dinner should do it. I’m more than happy to make the list every day of what needs to be done since I learned long ago that I’m the only one in the house who sees dirt!

I reminded my girls that this would keep me from nagging them throughout the day about chores. Each person picks which chore or chores they will do on that day’s list. This gives the kids the chance to learn how to do a variety of tasks instead of being stuck in a rut with a chore chart.

This system is working so well I can’t believe it. It’s amazing what four people can do when they all work hard for 20 minutes straight.

Since I work from home, it’s been a huge help to me during the day in managing my time. Whenever I notice a chore that needs to be done, I just put it on the list for that night’s clean-up, and get back to my writing work.

Every night I go to bed relaxed knowing my house is looking good for the next day. I’m not snapping at everyone to do things during the day, and we’re all happier. So crank up the music and set your timer for whatever of amount of time works for your family.

Even if your only child is a newborn, I can see this system working with two adults. How nice not to have chores hanging over your head all day when you’re home with your baby since you know you and your partner will get them done during that day’s clean-up time.

Do you have a household system that has been successful for your family? One that’s lowered your stress, or helped you manage your time better? I’d love to hear about it. Please drop me a line.

Marcus guides you through discovering your strengths and weaknesses. Once your know what they are, the goal is to build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses. Since we’ve been taught our whole lives that we should spend more time improving on our weaknesses, I found his philosophy so refreshing.

Strengths are tasks that we love, that invigorate us, and ones where we find we lose track of time. Weaknesses are any tasks that drain you and you find difficult to concentrate on. Most people don’t like their jobs because, although they may be good at the tasks, they are doing things that drain, rather than energize, them.

Wouldn’t it be great to feel excited more of the time about your job, and I’m including parenting, instead of feeling drained? Of course, every job is going to have parts that are not energy-producing. Marcus shows how you can rework your job though, or find a new one, so you can focus on your strengths most of the time and feel invigorated about what you’re doing.

When you’re home with your baby, which tasks do you find energizing? Is there a way you can do more of those tasks and minimize or delegate the tasks that drain you? Maybe you and your partner could both take Marcus’ course, then make a family plan together that lets you both focus on your strengths whenever possible. I’m using the course to examine how I can use my strengths more in all areas of my life–work, parenting, managing my house, volunteering–and it’s been a revelation.

Your energy will increase because you’ll be doing more of what you love. What could be better than that?

Less electricity used.

Less exposure to consumer ads which leads to unnecessary purchases that use up resources.

More time to enjoy nature.

More time to do something to save the planet like plant a tree or clean up a park.

Every year my family participates in TV Turnoff Week, and I remember how nice it is to have more time to sleep, read, exercise, and enjoy friends. Give it a try–you just might like it!

For more ideas on how your family can cut back on TV watching, check out my article, TV Turnoff Week is an opportunity to go low-tech

Have you found ways to reduce your TV time? Drop me a line so I can share them with your fellow blog readers. Thanks!