[This post contains affiliate links to amazon. If you click on a link and purchase something I get a litte bit from amazon. You don’t pay more of course.]

• Having a good start is super important. Thus choose the hospital you want to give birth at carefully. Find out what is important to you first (eg. do you want a hospital that has a unit for children, is it important to you that there are lactation specialists who help you with breastfeeding, do you want an alternative, anthroposophical approach to giving birth, and so on) and then do your research and visit the hospitals that suit your criteria beforehand. Most hospitals organizes special events or days of the open door where you can meet doctors, nurses and midwifes and peek into the delivery room.
• If you want your husband with you the first night(s) in the hospital, make sure you tell them you want a family room (Familienzimmer) when you arrive at the hospital. Otherwise someone else might get it. 
• Take the first days when you’re back home to heal and to enjoy every second with our baby. In Germany your partner has the right to take Elternzeit which is a special leave for new parents. This is definitely something you should consider as it helps so much when you’re not alone in the first weeks. And more over it is great for the new daddy as well to spend as much time as possible with the baby.

  

• Having a midwife that supports you the first days when you’re back home helps so much! You can ask her any questions you might have (and believe me, you will have many questions :-)), she checks if you are healing properly and if the little one develops fine. In these first days she is your best friend, your nurse, your shrink… You can find a midwife via this website: www.hebammensuche.de Just type in your postal code and you will see a list of midwifes that work in your area. You can even check if there is one that speaks your mother tongue when you select „Sprachen“ and enter your language. Make sure you contact a potential midwife as soon as possible. This means right after you’ve found out that you’re pregnant! 
• It helps our baby to fall asleep when we stroke her from the forehead down to the tip of the nose (super random but I’ve heard that from other moms now, too 🙂

  

• One more word about sleeping: At the beginning we thought we have to sing to her, carry her around etc in order to help her fall asleep. She was crying every night before bedtime at that time. Then we got the tip that most new moms and dads make the same mistake at the beginning: We entertain our babies too much. So we changed bedtime routine and put he straight to bed after changing her diapers. And what can I say? Ever since she falls asleep much easier.
• Make sure you have everything you need as a new mom ready when you’re coming back home from the hospital. Here are some things I didn’t want to miss at the beginning (and still today):
  • • • A bed for the baby that can be attached to my side of the bed so that I don’t have to get out of bed at night to feed her. We have a Babybay [affiliate link].
    • 
      • A nice diary as you want to write down everything from the first day.
      • Onsies for the little one that you can open in the front (I hated everything that I had to pull over her head as I was scared to hurt her). I personally love the silk and wool ones from the brand Alana that you can buy at dm. 
      • A music mobile that turns by itself makes your life much easier as you don’t have to stand next to it to push it so that it moves. It will keep your little one entertained for some time. We have bought this one [affiliate link].
    • 
      • Several nursing pyjamas (you want more than one, believe me! Not only that you will be sweating a lot at the beginning, once you’re producing enough milk to feed your baby you might produce too much and thus your pyjamas will be soaked quite often…). I bought them second hand on eBay Kleinanzeigen.
      • Muesli or protein bars (I am sooo hungry when I am breastfeeding, especially at night).
      • The Stilltee from Weleda [affiliate link].
      • The Windelbalsam of Bahnhofapotheke Kempten. It is seriously the best balm for your baby’s bottom in my opinion!
      • This fun ball [affiliate link] that makes it easy for your baby to grab it.
    • 

Yeah, I know, this post is SUPER random 😀 But these are the things I would have loved to know earlier myself.

If you have any questions about being or becoming a mom in Stuttgart feel free to write them down in the comments.

The post What I’ve learned from being a new mom in Stuttgart for 3 months appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[Guest Post by Rachel Sanghee Han. Please note that this post contains unpaid advertisements based on personal experiences by the author.]

Shopping for your baby can be overwhelming. There are so many brands, advertisements, reviews, it just gets out of hand. And if you’re like me who likes to actually shop in shops instead of online, it can be more difficult to find the right thing at the right place and time. Now that you have a child, no time should be spent on the road, not knowing where to go, so here are some shops I’ve learned to be quite helpful when offline shopping for a child.

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Hema

This shop is originally from the Netherlands and it only landed in Stuttgart two years ago. But I have grown to love it. Not only do they have cute and affordable clothes for babies, but they also have blankets, bottles, toys and for your toddlers, everything activity. If you like DIY, they also have some great tools to get you excited. And the party supplies! I’ve always been a bit hesitant when buying party supplies online because they are either too much in quantity or just not good enough in terms of quality. There are themes that come and go, so you may have to settle with specific themes whether you like them or not, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find something you like. Definitely a great place to go for good baby finds in Stuttgart.

Hema Stuttgart: Königstraße 43a, 70173 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Søstrene Grene

One of my favorite shops in general but their baby and toddler related products are so cute and mostly sustainable. The Danish brand is a joy to visit, and like Hema, it goes through different themes, which means you won’t find the same things at all times. I love their little toys, kitchenware both for me and the children, and DIY tools for projects like stickers, string, painting supplies and more. I do not believe they sell clothes in the Stuttgart store, just for your information.

Søstrene Grene Stuttgart: Sophienstraße 21, 70178 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: TK Maxx

A mix match for everything. If you need anything, you’ll most likely find it in TK Maxx. I don’t like going here during the weekend because you may have to wait more than a couple of minutes to reach the cashier, but for daily things you need for the little one, such as clothes, shoes, toys, presents, books, even furniture, this is the place to be. I have bought numerous toys and presents for fellow moms and moms-to be, and also bought a lot of books, shoes and toys for my little one as well. Because it’s more of an outlet system, you do have to take time to find the right one for you. I would also recommend it for summery things, like tubes, swimsuits, towels for babies etc.

TK Maxi Stuttgart: Königstraße 18, 70173 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Uniqlo

I trust quality when it comes to Uniqlo, and they have some of the highest quality clothes for both babies and toddlers. Their little jumpsuits, or “bodies” as they call in Germany, are super for summer because they’re light and breathable, and their rain cots and windbreakers are amazing too. Not to mention their t-shirt, which come in numerous designs and fun colors as well.

Uniqlo Stuttgart: Königstraße 33, 70173 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: dm

Not just for diapers, trust me. dm is great for baby food, baby snacks (especially when you travel to different countries), baby everything, really. I personally love their hats that come in so many different shapes and sizes and also those little portable and travel-friendly kiddie snacks like raisins and pretzels. Not to mention the diaper changing area and some even have breastfeeding areas too.

dm online store finder

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Zara Kids

As my toddler gets a bit older, I try to buy clothes that would last a bit longer. And for them to last longer, they need to also look good, right? I love the overall color scheme of Zara Kids, sometimes I even wish they made the same designs for adults. Their shoes are also cute and comfortable, most of the sneakers have those rubbery, cushiony soles in them too. The only problem I have with some girls’ clothes is the width of the arms and legs. Too narrow, compared to the boys’ so I even sometimes buy boys clothes for my little girl.

Zara Stuttgart: Königstraße 12 and Königstraße 50-52, 70173 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Jacadi Paris

This brand is on the more expensive side, yes, but they have very nice clothes, shoes and accessories. They also do sales quite often, so I usually for for the sales to buy staples, like thick jackets, nice skirts and dresses. It’s also a great place for buying gifts, something special for a special friend or family member.

Jacadi Paris Stuttgart: Eberhardstraße 31, 70173 Stuttgart

Good baby finds in Stuttgart: Petit Bateau

Another French brand, originally famous for their striped shirts. They have some very cute “bodies” and baby clothes, and also a lot for adults. I think it would be adorable to wear something similar and be all matchy matchy for a day.

Petit Bateau Stuttgart: Schulstraße 7, 70173 Stuttgart

More about Rachel

Rachel is a Korean travel journalist who grew up in the U.S. and Seoul. She is married to an Italian, mother of a little girl and lives in Stuttgart with her family. On her blog rachelsanghee.com she shares her experiences as an expat mom in Stuttgart as well as her travel adventures.

Photo credit title picture: Rachel Sanghee Han

The post Where to shop for good baby finds in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

The cute picture book about the Television tower in Stuttgart comes in a special format and you can unfold it in order to see all the lovely details. There is much going on from the entrance area at the tower’s foot all the way up to the viewing platform and the café. You can even have a look inside the tower and the elevators.

These type of picture books are loved by kids in particular. In German they are called “Wimmelbücher”. “Wimmeln” can be translated to bustling about. And that actually nails it. There is so much to see and explore on the pictures that the book will keep your little one busy for a while. 🙂

Moreover, you don’t even need to speak German to enjoy this picture book about the Television tower in Stuttgart. Wimmelbücher don’t contain text. It is all about the pictures and the thoughtful details.

You would like to own this cute picture book about the Television tower in Stuttgart? Well, I’ve got good news for you! I teamed up with the publishing company Silberburg Verlag and we are giving away one copy of the Wimmelbuch for free!

Win a free copy of the picture book about the Television tower in Stuttgart!

If you want to participate in the raffle, here’s what you need to do:

• Write in the comment section under this post if you’ve already visited the Television tower in Stuttgart or not and how you liked it.
• Do so before December 23, 11:59 pm.
• Please note that only people older than 18 with a postal address in Germany can participate.

I will draw the winner on December 24 and contact him or her via email and ask for a postal address I can sent the book to. I will not store any personal details. Email and postal addresses are only used to contact the winner.

Good luck! 🙂

More information about:

Buy the picture book on amazon [affiliate link]: Der Stuttgarter Fernsehturm wimmelt

Tina Krehan (only in German)

Silberburg Verlag (only in German)

The post Picture book starring the Television tower in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.