Category: Uncategorized

List of baby essentials…

For my best friend, who is having her first. For myself, to see what else I can get rid of.

Stroller: Babyzen yoyo+

Clothes: no stress, can be bought after birth by dad, when the birth weight is known. We had to skip right over to size 3-months.

  • onesies, only those which opens on the front: 7 / # of wash you accept doing per week + 20% (for accidents). We do 1 wash per week, so around 10 onesies. If you do 2 per week, then go for 5.
  • 3 pyjamas with feet (don’t want to deal with socks)
  • 2 sleeping bags adapted to season

Baby wrap: they are all good, just make sure it’s an ergonomic one. Brands we have and recommend: Boba, Sollybaby (for petites), and a classic Ergobaby (for dad)

Nursing: silver cups (Envie de fraises, or second-hand on Anibis) + pads

Maxi-cotton gauzes: to wipe, to swaddle, to use as nursing cover, to use as changing station outside, to cover stroller for naps…. we just took 2 in the bag everytime we went out and that was it. Brand: Aden + Anais I recommend the cotton ones, the silk ones shrank over time.

A nursing cushion Brand: Red castle

Furnitures:

  • changing station: we started with a removable changing station on top of the crib / then we moved to a changing mattress on top the Ikea Hemnes dress / now we found a second-hand SUNDVIK dresser. All work fine.
  • a diaper trash can
  • if you decide to do this, a co-sleeping side bed (we didn’t)
  • a high chair: 2nd hand Tripp Trapp chair + newborn set

Bath: we used the Shantala tub (bought at Jubilane) and were happy with it. But I think it’s fine to just bathe with a parent, or directly in a regular baby bathtub (which we used after his 4 months). We don’t use any specific bath product.

Other: 1 pack of newborn diapers, cotton pads from Migros (you can stack these up)

Everything else can be bought later, depending on evolution, specific needs from the baby, including: bottles (after breastfeeding), special mattresses if they have gastric reflux, shoes (only after they walk, it’s better to be bare foot), breast pump kits, toys, food cooker/mixer, utensils, play foam mattresses, bike trailer…

This is the only video I liked when searching for baby essentials, from Farmhouse on Boone.

Week thirty-six

“a selection of my links, once per week, every week”

1. This week, I really liked the article “Kate Manne on the Costs of Male Entitlement”. Kate Manne is a philosopher. She distinguishes sexism and misogyny and defines the former as the ideology, the latter the enforcement of that ideology.

This distinction is interesting as she argues that one can exist without the other. I.e. a person can not hold sexist views but participate in a misogynist structure. And vice-versa.

2. This weekend we had a few friends over for brunch. Not close friends. Sufficiently “not close” that we invited several so that we wouldn’t run out of conversation. Those are friends we don’t agree with on political issues, on material issues, on values.

Somehow we managed to build somewhat of a conversational bridge (TED talk), and I was surprised. It was a lovely moment. No echo chamber of ideas. Seb and I had material for discussion and debate for days afterwards.

I’m glad I hang on to those relationships, those you catch yourself asking, why bother? It often feels like work and even this time we didn’t leave happily agreeing on everything. But it makes me grow.

3. One of my best friends is dealing with a newborn right now (sending all my love). I sent her this Oprah video on how to decipher baby cries. Not sure if it works but it’s so fun. Good luck N, it does get better <3

Week thirty-five

A week-end with my dear friends… in the garden, harvesting zucchinis

I re-discovered Bleubird, a blogger Caro and I read ages ago. At that time she did a year-long project, “a portrait of my children, once per week, every week”. Today it inspired me to do something similar.

“But I hate taking pictures.”

“But you love eclectic links.” he replied.

So here is it. A small project. “a selection of my links, once per week, every week”.

  • Bleubird’s IG. You let me know when you’ve figured out how she makes her feed so relatable and so full of sponsorship at the same time.
  • Why every city feels the same now: I have been (slowly) decorating our new home, and am obsessed with being not-hipster. No I don’t know what it means. Yes I can just feel it. This article describes the effect of non-place of a city. So it gives me a language to talk about non-place in a home. Like the armchair I just bought and love in an genuine way – I’ve just seen it in three of my friends’ home.
  • On another topic, Seb and I have low executive skills and vacation with a baby is difficult logistically. We were looking for places where we could eat, rest, learn new stuff and have farm animals, all in one place. Eumelia looks amazing. It’s in a middle of olive tree farm. With a from-farm-to-table restaurant. And goats! If you know similar places, please let us know.

Week thirty-four

  1. An article that generated a lot of discussions with my friends last week is this one: the birth of the new american aristocracy. We asked ourselves, do we belong to this group, economically, culturally, philosophically (believing in meritocracy for example)? Does it apply in Switzerland? If yes will it express itself the same way, or are there systems (free education, spatial mixity, direct democracy…) in place to limit the crystallization of the gaps?
  2. This coincides with my endeavor to learn the Fundamentals of Sociology. This Coursera class gives an overview from Adam Smith to Norbert Elias, covering Tocqueville, Marx, Durkheim, Weber and others. The lecturer is amazing. Join me if interested (I’m at Week 5, on Marx).
  3. Zalan asked what fun thing we’re doing in our garden. I have to say trying out the ancient Three Sisters technique from the Mayas.
How to Plant the Three Sisters (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Result: the green beans are amazing and producing tons.

But for next year, we need to see how to get the timing right: the beans outgrew the corn so much that it bent the whole structure. Also we’ve had issues of corn cross-pollination. Look at all those empty seeds! So we’ll try higher density next year.

To my future goddaughter…

My friends got pregnant with you.

You and I, we haven’t met yet, but you will learn that I’m not a big fan of small humans. They can’t express what they want, their movements are unpredictable and scary, and they are so needy for attention.

You’re lucky evolution has made many adults think these characteristics are cute and forgivable.

Against all odds, your parents asked me to be your godparent. I hesitated. While I was pondering what the hell your mom was thinking, I realized that being a godparent is not about me. Maybe it’s not even about you.

It’s about me having a place in your parents’ life.

And to that request, I can only say yes.

(Written two years ago… I have since then met her. More on this later)