Winner of 8th Weekly Giveaway (Nov. 13th-19th)

Congrats to the winner of our 8th weekly giveaway! Jenny Jenny wins an Econobum by bumGenius!

Please email nicki@nickisdiapers.com so we can get you your prize!

Item of the Week

SposoEasy All In Ones!! This week only $14.75!!

All "Items of the Week" run from Wed to Wed.

Wed is DOUBLE DEAL DAY!!

Breastfeeding - When it is not as natural as you think it will be!

When I was pregnant with my first daughter Gabby something came up the night I was supposed to take the hospital sponsored breast feeding course so I missed it. My biggest worry at the time was whether or not I would get a refund, I should have been worried about the information I missed out on. I thought Gabby would be born, immediately latch on and breastfeeding would be a completely natural process that took almost no effort. I was wrong. It took her 24 hours before she latched on, the nurses assured me that it was okay and she would be fine, she was. It took a couple weeks but eventually we both were champs and nursing went pretty well. I made it through going back to work, complete with having to pump in my vehicle on my breaks. I even dodged a police call when I found a police officer banging on my van windows trying to figure out what was going on in there.....one mention of pumping and she was gone! Gabby and I made it ten months with her breast feeding and I was pretty proud of that, although I was determined to make it a full year with my second child. I am not sure why I let naiveness take over again but for some reason I thought Gretchen would be born and just latch on and life would be grand, I guess I felt like I was a pro (ha!) so I would be able to guide her better. Again, I was wrong. Gretchen was born three weeks early and she had some breathing problems so they took her to the nursery for observation. She was hooked up to a couple machines and I was not able to immediately breastfeed. I went to my room to get some rest and in the mean time they started her on a bottle. When I was finally able to breastfeed her I had lactation consultant there with me ready to face any issues that might come up but it went beautifully so she watched for a couple minutes and that completed her visit. When I went to feed Gretchen the second time we were in my hospital room with my husband and sister by my side but no nurses or lactation consultants anywhere around. It did not go as well. I knew what I was doing but it still was stressful. Eventually a nurse came to help but we were unable to get Gretchen to properly latch on and eat. At that time it would have been very easy to give up and give her a bottle, but having done this before I knew what the benefits were and I knew I wanted to make it work. After working with a lactation consultant and a nurse we started using a Medela Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) and a Medela Nipple Shield to get her to latch on properly and increase my supply at the same time. She was not interested in nursing because it was not producing the same amount of milk as a bottle was and my milk was not coming in as strong because she was not nursing well. I got out my Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump and started pumping constantly to produce milk for her and increase my supply. I was able to produce enough pumped milk that I was filling her SNS with my milk instead of formula and she was beginning to latch on better and better because she was getting an adequate supply of milk, partially from my increasing supply and partially from the SNS feeder. After just a few days we were able to stop using the SNS feeder since my supply was up by that time and within two weeks we were able to drop the nipple shield and continue with natural breastfeeding sessions. Had I been a first time mom, not knowing that it WOULD get better or had I been on the fence about wanting to breastfeed I would have given up in those early days. The stress we felt with the added factor of having to prepare the SNS feeder combined with the sleepless nights and adding a 23 month old into the mix was a lot to handle for my Husband and I but now six months later Gretchen is a nursing champion and I am so glad we pushed through the hard times. In fact, she is such a nursing champ that she refuses to take a bottle, but that is another post for another day! If you are about to have a baby (or already have one!) please go to the website and check out the many products that Nicki's has available to make your breastfeeding experience as seamless as possible such as a Boppy Pillow, Medela Tender Care Lanolin Nipple Therapy, Milk Bands, Knickernappies Stay Dry Nursing Pads (my favorite baby shower gift!) and Mother's Milk Herbal Tea. If you are in the Madison area please come into Nicki's Madison store and take part in the many breastfeeding classes/clinics they offer. It is valuable information that you WILL need. I also recommend coming in after the baby is born and taking advantage of the other breastfeeding resources they have available, including the Mama's Milk Hour. Breastfeeding is very rewarding but does not come without challenges, educate and prepare yourself in advance but remember the hard times are more then likely short lived. Both of my girls ended up nursing well and I was able to adequately supply them with the milk they needed to survive and flourish. ~Corey

My Top Reasons for Babywearing

Baby Wearing... you mean put my kid on like a shirt?

Yup that’s what I mean. I love to wear Soren especially when he’s fussy or seems to just need some extra mommy time. Being a busy parent of two with an in-home daycare means that I don’t always have my hands free and that’s where babywearing comes in. I don’t have 8 arms even though I often need that many and wearing allows for my hands and arms to be free.

My Top reasons to baby wear:

It’s practical. You need your hands free for several other things. I can think of at least a hundred things I can do while babywearing. Dishes, laundry, prepare dinner, vacuum (Soren’s favorite), and the list goes on and on.

It’s beneficial for me: Who wouldn’t get a workout from carrying junior up and down the stairs 50million times a day or from a brisk walk around the block! I love to wear one of my kids and go for a walk. You could easily use a babyhawk and do just about any kind of exercise, baby is just added weight. When baby cries it’s also stressful for them and you. When he’s happy, I’m happy!

It’s beneficial for Soren: babies that are worn cry less. Crying less equals less stres. They stay in a calm alert state and can take in more than if they are crying. It can be especially helpful for colicky babies. I feel that he also has a chance to bond more with me; I wouldn’t be able to hold him as much with out it. Babies also feel secure when being worn. Things like your voice, breathing pattern and heartbeat are all familiar to him.

They are cute and cost efficient: Baby slings and carriers come in a variety of styles and colors. There are Moby wraps, Ring Slings, Ergo’s, BabyHawks, and Hot Slings just to name a few. There is bound to be one you’ll like. They are also cheaper than a stroller and a lot less heavy than lugging around the infant seat.

It’s convenient: One of the things I hate most about getting out and about with the kids is, “How am I going to control Zoe?” She’s 4 and can walk very nicely, when she wants too…I have always made her ride in the cart. After Soren was born I soon discovered there is only room for the infant seat in the cart. So I started packing my Moby and Zoe went back into the cart. It was much easier than chasing after her in the store.

I can breastfeed in public discretely: Just scooch baby down a little in the Babyhawk and bam! They are right a breast level (tummy to tummy). Or while in the Hotsling or Moby use the cradle carry. There is plenty of fabric to cover yourself and baby. I have also seen women use the Ring sling “tail” if you will to cover themselves while NIP (nursing in public).

Here’s Soren and I using a Hot Sling. Happy babywearing!

~Gracie

Babylegs October winner!

Today I had the privilege of meeting Leah, her mom Angela, and her baby brother, when they came into the Madison store to pick out her Babylegs! She was our Babylegs of the Month winner for the month of October.

She picked out the purple plaid pair to match her outfit, and also her adorable pink and purple toenails! Thanks for stopping in today and look for Leah's picture on our in-store Babylegs display very soon!

Enter your child into the Babylegs of the Month contest at our Madison location to win your choice of Babylegs and have your child's picture displayed here on our blog and on our store display!

Weekend Coupon!

With all the talk of Black Friday I just can't wait!! Here is a Coupon Code to get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $25.00 for this weekend only! Enter the code NOV into the Discount coupon box at the bottom of the shopping cart. Happy November ;))

Nov. 13th-19th Weekly Giveaway (8th)

WIN an Econobum by bumGenius!

The Econobum system comes with a waterproof shell that has form fitting elastic to prevent leaks. The easy to use, adjustable 3x3 snap system fits most babies from birth to potty training.

The included one-size prefold easily adjusts from small to large to grow with your baby. The prefold lays in the cover, so there is no stuffing involved!

Washing Instructions: Wash hot, line dry cover, tumble dry prefold. No laundry additives or softeners. Prior to first use, prefolds must be washed 3-5 times in hot water with a small amount of detergent to ensure maximum absorbency.

Fabric Content: Cover - 100% Laminated Polyester; Prefold - 100% Unbleached Cotton

Individual Package Includes: 1 one-size 100% cotton prefold & 1 one-size cover (available in white only) ONLY $9.95

Full Kit Includes: 12 one-size 100% cotton prefolds & 3 one-size covers (available in white only) ONLY $49.95

To enter to win your free Econobum by bumGenius! you will receive ONE entry for EACH option below (you MUST leave a comment for each option saying what you did and where). This means you can get multiple entries increasing your chance to WIN! (each "Weekly Giveaway" may be different): 1. Become a subscriber of Nicki's Diapers Blog or if you already are post it 2. Become a Fan of Nicki's Diapers Facebook page 3. Post a comment on Facebook about Nicki's Diapers including a link to any page on Nicki's Diapers 4. Follow nickisdiapers on Twitter 5. Tweet about Nicki's Diapers including a link to any page on Nicki's Diapers 6. Blog about Nicki's Diapers including a link to any page on Nicki's Diapers 7. Talk about Nicki's Diapers on a Forum including a link to any page on Nicki's Diapers COUNTS AS DOUBLE ENTRY!! 8. Grab one of our buttons and put it on your blog. *Contest ends Nov. 19th at midnight and winners will be posted on Friday Nov. 20th. Winners generated by random.org Winners must notify nicki@nickisdiapers.com within 1 week.