Baby's First Car Ride Can Be Tough for Parents

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What's a tired mom-to-be to do? Buy a Snoozer Pillow

Newborn babies must ride in a rear facing infant or convertible car seat which has been properly installed. Check the manual which came with the seat, as well as the one which came with your car for directions about proper installation. Different seats and vehicles have different requirements, like locking clips, adjustable tilts, etc.

If baby looks lost in that big seat, you can roll receiving blankets and create a buffer zone, or buy a care seat swaddler which fastens into the seat for baby's comfort. The safest place for baby's seat is the center of the back seat of a car or the center of the middle row in vans and SUV's.

Who is that baby in the mirror?
There are small specialty mirrors available in many baby care stores which attach to your rear window. These clever little devices enable you to view baby's face via a quick glance at your rear view mirror.

Imagine staring at fabric every time you went out for a ride! Want to give baby something to look at? Baby can see 8 to 14 inches away. In a matter of weeks, that distance increases greatly. A baby mirror can be attached to the car headrest to give baby something to look at and get her little engines revving.

Baby's homecoming
If you live close to family and life-long friends, you may find yourself bombarded by well wishers on your first day home from the hospital. While people are well-meaning, this is often not the best thing for baby or his parents and siblings. Any new baby, be it the first or the fifth in a family brings change. Keeping that in mind, homecoming should be low key, whenever possible. Mom and Dad, siblings, and close support people (invited by parents) should be in attendance as baby arrives home to the nest. Everyone else can wait a day or two, or more if parents so desire.

This is hard to get across to people excited to meet your little one. The best way to handle this is to get the word out in advance.

Is there a painless way to set boundaries? Consider a "Baby's Sleeping, please come back later" sign on the front door for times when baby is napping or Mom is not feeling 100%. Take advantage of technology. Turn on your answering machine and change your outgoing message.

Let people know you're busy bonding and will be returning phone calls to set up visits when Mother and Baby (and siblings if they are having adjustment issues) are feeling up to it. If you will be setting up a website for friends and family members to view, consider including a section on visiting hours. Sounds silly? If done with charm, it can be a tremendous help.

One second timer Dad I recently spoke with claims it saved his sanity. With his first child, the doorbell never stopped ringing. With his second, neighbors and family members took his website words seriously. "Princess Emily and her Royal Court will be receiving visitors from four in the afternoon until six on Tuesday and Thursday. Please join us for her royal debut.

If the princess or her mother Queen Mari are otherwise engaged, the rest of the royal family will be happy to entertain you with pictures and stories." The family believes they had more visitors, but because their visits were contained and people were forewarned that should baby need to nurse or Mari to rest, there was no guilt about stepping out to do so.

Such measures may not keep grandparents or other close family members away. Remember, your baby is beloved by people other than people who live in your own little nest. If you're mother won't leave or your sister-in-law arrives when you're feeling your most exhausted, give her a task. Take advantage of the love they're feeling (even if it's not directed at you). Ask her to keep an eye on baby so you and your partner can catch a nap or a quick shower. Tell her where to find the wonderful casserole the neighbors dropped off. Ask her to take your older kids to the park for some quality non-baby time. Be creative and you will reap the benefits of involved family members.