Rock on tiny dancer: Music parents will love as much your baby does

Before Pooka was born I determined that I would never listen to sugar sweet kid's music, or heaven forbid, a group like the Wiggles (is it just me or are middle aged men in coordinating, primary-colored costumes a bit creepy?). But a few years ago, before Pooka was born, I stumbled upon some great music geared for children. I'm not a good sleeper (just like many babies), but listening to music at bedtime usually helps me fall asleep. Seeking an alternative to the new-agey soothing spa music usually recommended to aid sleep, I found Rockabye Baby's lullaby renditions and fell in love. Using only xylophones the group reproduces all sorts of rock and alternative favorites, everything from Bob Marley to Radiohead to Led Zeppelin. We downloaded our favorite songs from several goups and created an itunes playlist that I listened to every night while I was pregnant and throughout labor, delivery, and recovery. We had nurses and doctors coming into our room to ask what music we were listening to. While getting my epidural, the anesthesiologist turned to me with a questioning look and said, "Is this the Cure?" We continued to play these lullabies for weeks after Pooka was born to help her fall asleep.

Eventually we branched out with Jewel's Lullaby album and the Putamayo Kids Dreamland albums (see my post on 10 things we couldn't live without the first 3 months). Then I realized we needed something besides lullabies to listen to when Pooka was awake. Whenever I put her on the play gym, in the bouncy, or on her tummy she is content for much longer when music is on. First we bought some of the Putamayo Kids Playground series, and particularly like the African, French and Reggae Playground albums. Turns out Pooka really loves reggae, because when we purchased Ziggy Marley's wonderful new disc Family Time we would both smile and laugh as I danced around with her. The album features guest appearances by Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, and Paul Simon. After enjoying Ziggy's "children's" album so much I started to dig deeper (thanks itunes!) and found he wasn't the only musician to make a great children's album. We love Jack Johnson and friends', Sing-Alongs and Lullabies for the film Curious George, and discovered Johnny Cash's wonderful children's album. We really like Johnny's silly version of the ABC's. Lisa Loeb has also jumped into children's music, first with Elizabeth Mitchell on Catch a Moon and more recently with Camp Lisa. We prefer the Catch a Moon album, as Camp Lisa gets a bit too campy (sorry)! Elizabeth Mitchell also has some wonderful albums, particularly You Are My Sunshine. She's the lead singer of indie music group Ida.

My recent favorite is Frances England. I'm obsessed with both her albums, Fascinating Creatures and Family Tree. She has a folky/indie vibe to her music and clever lyrics that are perfect for both parents and kids to sing along to. For instance, in her song Tricycle she sings about chasing Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France in your underpants. She also has a wonderful homage to fathers in Daddy-O, and sings about jazz greats Miles Davis and John Coltrane in her song Charlie Parker. Her songs get stuck in my head for hours!

So it turns out that children's music is not a complete desert. I have found my oasis with these wonderful albums and will be sure to update whenever I find any other gems!

All of the music aside from the Putamayo Kids are available on itunes.

Things we couldn't live without the first 3 months with Pooka

My expectant mom friends love to ask this question, and I'm sure the answer is different for every new mom, but I thought I would share some of the things my husband and I couldn't live without those first few weeks and months.

1) Itzbeen Baby Care Timer: We used the timer to mark the end of each feeding and the last diaper change. When things were crazy and sleep-deprived it helped to keep track of the time between feedings, as Pooka ate every 2 hours in the early days. It's much simpler than marking a log or trying to remember the exact time of the last feeding. I also used the timer to keep track of how long she fed on each side, and there is a helpful button to remember which side you last fed on. Also useful is the button that lights up the timer so you can check the time in the middle of the night without turning on the lights.

2) Aden and Anais Muslin Wraps: Pooka has been swaddled in these wraps from day one. They are a little large at first, but if you fold in two of the adjoining sides in a few inches they work for even the teeniest baby (Pooka was 5 lbs 12 oz when she was born). They are nice and light too, so you don't have to worry about the baby overheating.

3) Sling: My husband would work on his computer while the baby slept in our Serena and Lily Prague Market Sling. It's organic and has padded rails, not to mention beautiful embroidery. Not super manly, but that's because I purchased it for myself, only to discover the size was too large for me. Pooka would sleep in the cradle position for hours, we even took her to a cocktail party when she was two weeks old and she slept right through it. Slings are also useful for protecting your newborn from prying eyes and germy hands. After purchasing a Zolowear Ring Sling for myself, I would carry Pooka in the tummy-to-tummy position which worked like a charm to put her out. It's so easy to carry them this way and be hands free when they are so little.

4) Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump and Hands Free Bra: Double electric, that's all I've got to say! My milk took a few days to come in, and pumping after every feeding the first week made a huge difference. I eventually had more milk than I knew what to do with, but I'll save those issues for another post. A few days into the pumping extravaganza I got a hands-free bra and it totally changed my world. It is a NECESSITY if you are going to pump regularly! I used the time with my free hands to catch up on some reading.

5) Lullabies: We started playing lullabies before Pooka was born so she would recognize them once she was out in the world. We definitely have our favorites: any of the Rockabye Baby albums that do lullaby renditions of famous bands such as U2, Bob Marley, AC/DC, etc. (available on itunes, we actually only downloaded the specific songs we wanted from each artist and made a playlist); the Putamayo Dreamland albums, we have Africa and Asia; Jewel's new album Lullaby. We play them each night starting during the final feeding.

6) White Noise Machine: Living in NYC I already slept with one of these on at night and we have continued to do so with Pooka. We use a Marpac Sleepmate.

7) Exercise Ball: We have both a rocking chair and an exercise/birth ball (ours is a Gaim, but you can get them anywhere), and have found that bouncing a fussy Pooka on the exercise ball works like a charm every time. It take a fraction of the time of a rocking chair to quickly calm her and put her to sleep. Plus its great for exercises both pre and post baby.

8) Maclaren Rocker Seat: Pooka sat in this chair from her first week, although the safety straps were much too large for her at the time. To be honest, they seemed unnecessary when she was so small and not moving around much. If she was fussy or wouldn't go back down after an early morning feeding we would put her in her "Magic Chair." Magic, you ask? It was all about flipping the switch and turning on the vibrations which usually knocked her out cold so mom and dad could get another hour or two of shuteye. We did make a promise to only use the vibrations during extreme situations so she would not get desensitized to their magic calming effect!

9) Boppy Waterproof Changing Pad Liners: So the books will advise you to get two changing pad covers. But what about the night you ruin two in less than an hour? If you are blessed with a baby like Pooka, one of her favorite pastimes was to pee on Daddy during diaper changes. At first we just used the changing mats from our diaper bags to keep the cover dry, until I found these Boppy Waterproof Changing Pad Liners. They seriously reduced the number of times we had to wrestle off a wet or poopy changing pad cover. I also have friends who put disposable changing pads down on their tables over the real cover so they can just toss them when they get dirty.

10) Eurobath Bath Seat: If space is a premium, as it is for most NYC parents, this bath seat may just do the trick. It fits in both a large sink or bath tub, but stows away more easily than a traditional baby bath tub. It is only designed for the first six months, which is fine by us as we plan to have Pooka sit up in the tub once she is comfortable and stable on her own. And in the overpriced world of baby gear, you can't beat the price at $12.00!