RSV

I wish there was an 'RSV for Dummies' book out there!

Bryson was diagnosed with RSV earlier this week. At first, I wasn't super concerned- he seemed to be handling it well. He was still playing, 'talking' and sleeping like normal. I started to wonder why children had to be hospitalized and such a big deal was made about the virus.
Now that RSV has hit him full force- I know! It's heartbreaking and just terrible that I can't do much to help him!
So, I figured I'd share, from my experience some RSV tidbits/tips:

1. Do your best to keep fluids up. We stopped offering rice cereal/baby foods. Hydration is key.
2. Sleep- Bryson has slept best upright, chest to chest on one of us.
3. Invest in an battery powered nasal aspirator- this has been a life saver.
4. Breathing treatments are difficult with the mask- switch to the wand. Bryson will gum on the wand, thus getting more abuderol into him.
5. Rotate Tylenol and Motrin.
6. My doctor recommended keep him cool- he hasn't really had a fever (as most children do) but she recommended letting him sleep in light clothing- no footed pj's, etc.
7. Boogie Wipes are amazing. They are wipes w/ saline solution- I believe you can get 'em at Target or BRU.

I'm just praying that Bryson will be feeling better by Monday......I'm ready to have my sweet, playful baby boy back!

Five Months

Bryson is five months old today! We didn't make it to church since I'm sick- so I didn't take the monthly photos til this afternoon. He's a little more cooperative in the mornings :)

Milestones:
* He now eats rice or oatmeal cereal 2x a day
* He has tried sweet potatoes, peas, green beans and carrots. Peas and sweet potatoes seem to be his favorite.
* He had his 2nd ear infection this past month- not a good milestone. But, at least he recovers quickly.
* He can now sit up, unsupported for over 10 minutes!
* He likes to sleep on his side and on his tummy
* Bryson sleeps from about 8:30pm to 6:30am every night
* He can roll back to tummy, tummy to back with ease
* He laughs alot now- and its adoreable!
* We moved up to size 3 diapers, they are a little large on him, but i got tired of the size 2 leaks.
* Still wearing 3-6 month clothing, but not for much longer! We'll probably start to transition his clothing to the next size this week or next........

Diaper review

I'll eventually get around to posting the rest of my Christmas photos- but I thought I'd go ahead and share my reviews of two different brands of diapers that I have recently tried.

So far, we have been pleased with Huggies- I have been able to stock up at great prices and haven't had too many leaks. However, Babies R Us has run several sweet diaper deals, so I couldn't refuse a $3 or less pack of diapers!

1. Fisher Price Happy Days & Nights Diapers

These usually retail for $9.99 and appear to be sold only at Babies R Us- at least around here. These appear to be thinner than the Huggies, but thus far they have held up nicely. They have a 'size right indicator' around the waste to let you know when your child is ready to move up to the next size. They didn't have as much printing/designs on the diaper on the Huggies- both of which aren't things I really look at when purchasing diapers. I don't think I'd pay over $3 a package for these, but I am pleased with the way they have held up thus far.

2. Earth's Best Chlorine Free Diapers

These usually retail for $11.99 and up. I was able to snag these for $1.50 and $3 a pack on New Years Day with coupons combined with a sale at BRU. These diapers claim to be environmentally friendly. Honestly, I know I should be more concerned about such issues, but right now I just want diapers that are cheap and fit Bryson well.

These diapers are a little thicker than the Fisher Price diapers. They are plain white and are the diapers we currently put Bryson in for overnight. He has yet to leak out of these!! And he rarely doesn't leak out of diapers overnight. These have extra tabs on the front of the diaper that wrap around like the fasteners- and I think that makes for less leaks.

Overall, I still like our Huggies and I don't think I will switch from that brand unless they drop their $3/1 coupons and Walgreens stops running Huggies sales. BUT, if either one of these brands go on sale again, I will stock up (especially if the Earth's Best price is comparable to Huggies) and I'd recommend them to my friends- hence, this blog post :)