Pee Pee in the Potty: The Set Up

On the schedule for this weekend: Potty Training Boot Camp!

We've been prepping her slowly for this grand event for a long time now, and I think she's finally ready. The time has come for Little Bit to use the potty!

Daddy-O is taking the beginning of next week off from work to commemorate the occasion and I've been hyping it up to her all week:

In a few days we're going to say, 'bye-bye' to the diapers.

Soon you're going to be all done with the diapers, and you're going to wear underwear!

Look, Mommy wears underwear.

I've probably flashed my undergarments more times this week than Madonna has in her entire career.

Honestly I'm not sure if she gets it or not. I'm not sure if she's really ready or not. And, I'm not sure I even know how we're going to do it.

Here's what we've gotten:

• Panties (a size too big since I couldn't find her size)
• Flushable wipes
• Several potty options to choose from
• A slew of potty books

Potential for a complete disaster = a lot

What can I say? Two in diapers is one too many. I figure it can't hurt to try.

We're up for suggestions! Tell me what you did to get your tot sit on the pot!

Boiling Your Baby's Bottles? Think Again! (new BPA research)

BPA is making headlines again as a new study is released in the scientific journal, Toxicology Letters. The findings of a recent study suggest that BPA is released from plastic bottles up to 55% faster when exposed to boiling water.

Researcher Scott Belcher (University of Cincinnati) examined the effect of a bottle's age, under normal use conditions, on the amount of released BPA. He found that age was not a factor, however bottles that had been exposed briefly to boiling water released the chemical up to 55% faster than before exposure. Other researchers confirm that Belcher's findings are intuitive. (US News and World Reports article)

You can avoid the potentially harmful effects of BPA by using glass bottles or BPA-free bottles and sippy cups (reviews here).

Putting the "Munch" in Munchkin

With fork in hand, my husband aims towards our daughter's mouth. Her nose quickly turns up in the air and his efforts are thwarted with a decisive, "Noooooo."

What is a parent to do? Make separate meals? Cram the food down the poor girl's throat?

Thankfully, neither extreme is necessary. Through a little bit of trial and error, we've found a few tricks that have helped us get through many a meal without a struggle.

1. Hide the yucky stuff. A little bit of chicken can often go unnoticed in the creamy goodness of mac-n-cheese.
2. Do the dip. If our toddler doesn't like what we're offering we'll often try to find something for her to dip it in. Some winners include ketchup, BBQ sauce, honey, and good ol' ranch dressing.
3. One bite minimum. We insist that our daughter try at least one bite of everything on her plate. Only then can she decide if she really doesn't want something.
4. Play distracting games. We like to play Big Bite Little Bite. This works when your tot starts getting antsy and wants to stop eating because it's just plain boring. Being as dramatic as possible helps in this game (think very big and very little).
5. Never surrender. Eggs were our nemesis. Our daughter spit them out every time. But, after many "one bites" and a lot of ketchup, she'll now sit down and enjoy a plate of scrambled eggs for breakfast.
6. Put those little fingers to work. We have found that when we allow our toddler to feed herself she is much more interested in eating what we put in front of her.

Of course we've also found that it helps to sweeten things up sometimes, but that only works if your kid has a sweet-tooth!

Tell me what works for you!

Florida Primaries!

Pack up the kids and go vote!

 

Best Kid-Friendly Carrot Recipe Ever!

My staples of peas and corn have been getting old, so I decided to try to find some new recipes for vegetables that my little girl would actually enjoy.

In my search, I came across a carrot dish that sounded down-right tasty (and I'm not a carrot eater). These carrots hit the sweet spot and had my toddler asking for "mooo" (more)!

Ingredients

10 fresh whole carrots

2 tsp brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp cold butter

water

Cut carrots into 1/4 inch slices. Put in pan with enough water to cover carrots about half-way. Add cinnamon stick, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer until carrots are tender but not mushy. Drain carrots keeping liquid separate. Return liquid to pan with cinnamon stick and continue boiling gently until the liquid has reduced to a few teaspoons (ours was already reduced quite a bit so we skipped this step). Add butter and swirl until combined. Return carrots to pan and toss to coat. Eat 'em up!

*We only used 5 carrots and we had only enough to feed the three of us, so I doubled the amounts to feed a larger group (or have leftovers).

The Giving Blanket

This is the best baby gift idea I think I've ever seen. Baby gets a warm soft blanket, more than 30 children's organizations receive funding, it contributes to the independence and productivity of the disabled, and it is packaged in 100% recyclable material.

What more could you ask for?

We received a Nanny and Webster blanket as a baby gift from my husband's employer. Upon finding out more about it, I learned that 100% of the proceeds are donated to about 34 organizations benefiting children (mostly in the Bellevue and Seattle, Washington areas, where the company is located).

In addition, the company relies on an organization called At Work for it's packaging. At Work is a nonprofit group whose purpose is stated on their website:

AtWork!'s purpose is to to help people with disabilities learn marketable skills; find and keep good jobs in the community; and earn wages and benefits that help them escape poverty.

What a wonderful lesson in giving this blanket will be to our daughter. She will grow up knowing that her blanket is so special it also helps other little boys and girls. She will know that while it is providing her warmth, it is helping another child heal. And when she has it wrapped around her for comfort, she can also be comforted with the thought that her blanket has helped to provide a better life for children in foster care.

The blankets are generously-sized at 36" X 42" so the receiver of this gift will be able to snuggle up to it for many years.

Friday's Fun: Fun With Books!

Don't just read your child's books to her. Have fun with them!

We love Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt. The book is a fun read on it's own, but paired with rhythm and hand motions it's a sure-fire hit.

Watch as Michael Rosen demonstrates:

 

Here are some more ways to get the most out of your toddler's books:

• Act them out
• Use big hand motions
• Find puppets or stuffed animals to retell the story
• Personalize the characters with various voices
• Pause throughout to allow your child to guess what comes next

For more fun ideas to incorporate into several other beloved children's books, check out Story Stretchers for Infants, Toddlers, and 2s

You Know It's Time To Shave Your Legs When...

When every time your toddler accidentally brushes your legs with her hand, then looks down, giggles, and says, "Hair!"

Yes. Mommy needs to shave.

Toy Recall

About 15,000 toy blocks and train sets are being recalled due to excessive lead levels found in the surface paint.

The toys were sold at Christmas Tree Shops stores throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions between October 2006 and November 2007, and were manufactured by First Learning Company, Ltd. (Hong Kong)

The Toy Circuit

Interested in having different toys in your house every few weeks without having to dip into your child's college fund?

Start swapping!

We all know what it's like to see a heap of toys sitting around while our toddler seems absolutely bored out of his mind. But we can't just keep buying new toys all the time. Toys are expensive and that would quickly add up to big $$$.

One option to bust the boredom is to rotate toys. We have some toys that we bring out on the weekends, and others that we keep in bins to be changed out every few weeks.

You can add more variety, however, if you enlist some of your friends with young children to join into the rotation with their own toys. You trade your kid's toys for theirs and everybody gets to play with new stuff every few weeks without having to spend a dime!

Please keep in mind however that swapping toys can also mean swapping germs and other goodies, so it's a good idea to establish an agreement among your fellow swappers to clean up the toys a bit before the exchange.

Happy swapping!

Goin' Clubbin'

Butts bouncing. Arms flailing. Legs in a fit of uncontrollable exuberance. This is the stuff baby-dancing is made of.

So what's better than getting to watch your little munchkin groove to the beat of Stayin' Alive in the middle of your living room?

Watching her groove alongside a few dozen other pint-sized disco divas in a baby-proofed nightclub.

Kids love to dance. So combining dancing with bubbles, tents, scarves, and snacks is a sure hit. What more could a toddler ask for in an afternoon?

Baby Loves Disco is a monthly event held at nightclubs in more than 20 US cities. Tickets run $12-15 "per walking human," depending on the location. For a few hours in the afternoon (2-5), the clubs open their doors to families of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Real DJs spin music from the 70s and 80s. Babies dance. Parents reminisce of times gone by.

Best Cities to Have a Baby: Where Does Yours Rank?

Fit Pregnancy Magazine has ranked the best cities to have a baby from the 50 largest cities in America. Portland is at the top of the list with San Francisco, Denver, and Boston also making the top 10.

From Fit Pregnancy:

1. Portland, OR
2. Minneapolis
3. San Francisco
4. Seattle
5. Denver
6. Boston
7. Omaha, NB
8. Virginia Beach, VA
9. Austin, TX
10. Albuquerque, NM

Want a more personalized list? They've also generated a tool that allows you to specify criteria most important to you, then recompiles the list accordingly.

The magazine took into account information from numerous organizations and assessed each respective city's affordability, birthing options, child care resources, safety, and many other factors.

To Bite or Not to Bite?

So one day that sweet little angel you've been caring for suddenly decides that the best thing to do with those brand new pearly whites is to chomp down directly onto your arm. How do you respond?

Your first reaction may be some indecipherable vocalization signifying pain. Some would immediately follow this vocalization with a swift return of one's teeth onto the predator.

But don't be too quick to react on impulse. The messages we send to our children regarding aggressive behaviors can have lasting impacts.

Drs. B. Terry Brazelton and Joshua Sparrow recently responded to a grandmother's recommendation to use the "fight-fire-with-fire" approach when addressing bighting (article). I can relate all to well with this woman, who for all intensive purposes could very well be my mother.

In fact, just a few years ago my mother did that very thing, only not on her own grandchild. It was my niece who was the victim of a biting toddler, and my mother took it upon herself not to confront the child's parent about the incident, but to go straight to the horses mouth, so to speak. Yes, she actually bit this little girl in an effort to teach her a lesson: biting hurts.

Sure, the little girl may, indeed, never bite again. But for what reason? What has she learned? Has she learned that biting is an inappropriate outlet for anger or frustration?  Or, as the doctors point out, has the child perhaps learned that the adult is out of control, unpredictable, and untrustworthy? Has she learned an acceptable way to express her emotions?

According to the article:

Learning self-control is a major goal for childhood, never more than now in our world of schoolyard shootings, road rage and orange alerts. This is a much more important goal than just teaching a child that parents can hurt back, and to suppress his stunned and violated feelings. Suppressing angry, hurt feelings just postpones them — until the time that the child is bigger and more powerful than the parent.

So what does one do? Well, it depends on what is driving the behavior to begin with.

When our toddler acts out for attention, we put a stop to the behavior by diverting her energies elsewhere. We then try to attend to her while she is playing nicely, thus reinforcing the appropriate behavior.

When she acts out because she simply doesn't have the resources she needs to express herself, we explain to her that what she did was not nice and we show her a better way to respond to the situation.

Kids act out. That's how they learn about the world around them. Teach them the tools that will help them throughout life rather than just focusing on stopping the behavior.

Scrumptious Snacking: Berry Grahams

Here's your chance to break out that KidCo Food Mill you bought when you swore you would make every ounce of baby food from scratch. This tasty little treat will satisfy your toddler's sweet tooth without making you feel like you're dooming him to a life of obesity. And, the best part is that it is incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/3 cup fresh blueberries

1 tsp sugar

Handful of graham crackers or graham cracker sticks

Scoop cream cheese into small bowl. Grind blueberries in food mill and add to cream cheese. Add sugar and mix until well blended. Use sticks to dip or spread onto crackers. Enjoy!

Beyond "Our Father"

We all want our children to develop a loving relationship with the Lord. And they will, provided we offer them plenty of opportunities to explore and practice living a faith-based life. One of the most meaningful ways we, as parents, can provide an atmosphere of devotion is to model our own relationship with Him through prayer.

Traditional prayers such as The Lord's Prayer are important, but a strong bond between our little ones and our Lord can be better established by incorporating prayer into our daily goings on.

For example, with your baby's first diaper change of the morning say a simple prayer like,

Dear Lord, thank you for this day, and thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Brother and Sister. Amen.

Or, when your toddler starts testing your reaction to her teeth on your skin:

Dear Lord, I'm sorry for hurting Mommy. Please help me to make better choices. Amen.

Here are some sweet and fun prayers that your child can learn:

Thank you God for a world so sweet,

Thank you God for the food we eat,

Thank you God for the birds that sing,

Thank you God for everything!

And (to the Happy Birthday tune)

Thank you, thank you dear God,

Thank you, thank you dear God,

Thank you for families and friends,

Thank you, thank you dear God!

Finally, to really liven things up, try some of these dinner prayers:

Superman Prayer (to the tune of Superman)

Thank you God - for giving us food!
Thank you God - for giving us food!
For the food that we eat
For the friends that we meet
Thank you God - for giving us food ! Amen!

Jaws Prayer (said with hands on top of your head like a shark fin and in the same manner as the Jaws theme, starting slow then speeding up)

God is
Great and
God is
Good and
(faster)
So we
Thank Him
For Our
Food and
AMEN! (clothes hands together like a big mouth)

Here are some books with more prayer ideas:

Baby's First Book of Prayers

Prayers for Children (Little Golden Book) 

Thank You for This Food: Action Prayers, Blessings and Songs for Mealtime

My First Book of Prayers

 

Follow these links for more great ideas for prayers:

• CBN
• Meals
• Bedtime
• Variety

Recommended Toddler Reading: I Aint Gonna Paint No More

A mischievous child vows never to paint again when his mother discovers he has painted all over the walls. Unfortunately, after having a bath this budding artist quickly succumbs to his desire to doodle. He makes his way to the top of the closet where the paints were deposited and begins painting all over himself.

The story is told to the tune of "Ain't Gonna Rain No More," but what really makes this book exciting is David Catrow's humorous illustrations. The child's enthusiasm is contagious and the book will surely elicit smiles from whomever gets to read this delightful story!

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))

Written by Karen Beaumont.

Friday's Fun: Go to the Zoo! (Video)

Zoos make an ideal field trip. They're generally interesting to kids and adults alike. They usually have a play zone for the kids to get their wiggles out in between strolling from animal to animal. And, as we all know, it's all happening at the zoo!

Can't make it to your local zoo? Don't have a local zoo? Too lazy to pack up the kids and leave the house for a few hours?

Here's an idea...

Round up all of those little stuffed animals that nobody plays with and make your own zoo!

The kids will love making all of the animal sounds and you can also sing songs like Old McDonald Had a Zoo with them.

It'll be a blast, and you can still hang out in your jammies!

This is the first in what I hope will be a weekly post offering parents ideas for fun activities.

Unfortunately, I'm not clever enough to come up with cool ideas on my own. The inspiration behind today's Friday's Fun activity is from Fisher-Price.

What Happened to Carrying Baby Eggs?

A long, long, time ago, when I was in school, we were assigned baby-simulation projects that involved naming an egg, drawing a face on it, and carting it around for a few days without breaking it.

Nowadays...the babies are about as life-like as you can get without having an actual infant in your care.

The bgdailynews.com interviewed a class who will be using dolls made by a company called RealityWorks in a project to help them realize why they are nowhere near ready to have real babies.

These babies are smart. With a computer inside each of them, they record any neglect, improper head support, shaking, rough handling, diaper changes and feeding.

Said one of the male students:

“He’s been crying since I got him. He’s cried like four times.”

Welcome to parenthood...

(article)

New Designer Baby Items at Target

Target announced today that it will be partnering with DwellStudio to offer an exclusive line of linens and furniture for babies in their stores and online. (article)

Here's a sampling of designs from DwellStudio's website:

These sets run in the upper $300s to over $500. Right now the highest priced bedding collection at Target is the Cotton Tale Derby Plaid 4-pc crib set at $299.

I would expect the DwellStudio line to be priced in the $200-$300 range at Target. The new baby collection is set to appear this month, so keep an eye out!

Paint in the Tub!

No...not with the water in it.

For Christmas some friends of ours got our 19 month old a pack of 10 ct. 2 oz. Bottles - Assorted Color Washable Kid's Paint by Crayola. They explained to us that they let their little guy complete his finger painting masterpieces in the tub before his bath.. that way clean up is fast and easy.

We thought it was a great idea and tried it ourselves. Our daughter painted all over the construction paper, the tub, and herself, and we didn't have to worry about the paint getting everywhere. She had a blast!

Toy Review Tuesday: Play Gyms

Play gyms (a.k.a. play mats)are a huge part of a baby's playtime. They're great for letting Baby practice kicking, batting and grasping toys. They usually have a component that promises to make the dreaded tummy time more enjoyable for your little one. And, these mats can also be helpful when the baby starts to try to roll over.

I've gone through a few of these things already, and they are definitely not all created equal.

The first play mat we owned was the Baby Einstein Play Gym. With vivid contrasting colors, simple images, and a wide base for rolling, this mat had the makings of a great gym from the start. It comes with a myriad of toys to hang from it and many connection points to choose from. It also includes a mirror, which babies love, and a crescent-shaped pillow to help make tummy time more enjoyable for your little one. We instantly removed the musical star and replaced it with a toy hanging from several links so that our baby could bat at it. We felt this mat was perfect for what it was intended and it has lasted far beyond what we could have hoped. We have removed the arched poles that keep the mat taut and our toddler still likes to use it sometimes as her designated play area.

  Baby Einstein Play Gym

Another gym that we currently own has a very interesting design. The Sassy Circus Ring Playmat has one flexible pole that reaches from one corner to the other. Because the pole is flexible, it can be flattened or raised. In addition, it can be bent so that the toys hang over Baby's head, midsection, or feet when laying on her back, or bent so that the toys hang in front of her face when she's laying on her tummy. It comes with very entertaining toys, including a mirror, some spinning toys, and little animal heads that jingle. The downside to this gym is that it has two metal poles running along sides adjacent to one another inside the mat to help keep it flat. When or baby starts rolling over, I'm afraid the poles may be very uncomfortable for her.

Sassy Circus Ring Playmat

Our least favorite has been the Fisher-Price Rainforest 123 Musical Gym." This long, thin mat is very colorful and is flanked by a giraffe and a palm tree with dangling butterflies. The front has an angled mirror for Baby's tummy time, and a couple of hanging toys for batting. One of the toys that hangs is a tiger that plays music when you hit it. I thought the mirror was a great idea for helping to make tummy time more enjoyable, but the musical tiger got annoying and I prefer more natural sounds over synthetic music. Another drawback to this mat is how greatly it limits the baby's movement. Because it is so thin, a child basically just has the option of laying flat on his or her back or tummy, rendering it useless once the child begins to practice rolling over

Fisher-Price Rainforest 123 Musical Gym

When buying a playmat one of the most important things to consider is whether or not it will grow with your baby. While the various bells and whistles may be nice, all your baby needs is dangling toys to bat and kick, room to roll, and something engaging to look at while on his tummy. The rest is just gravy!

Funny Kid Video: Kids and Pets

Kids and animals are always a hoot to watch. Check it out with your volume on!  

I love the ones where you can hear them laughing...too cute!

Some Children Enter Puberty as Toddlers

Fox News has picked up on a story from the UK's Daily Mail about a young girl who has been diagnosed with a condition called "precocious puberty."

The girl reportedly began experiencing several symptoms indicating the onset of puberty, including body odor and period-like symptoms, at the age of 3.

What stuck me most about this article is the burden that such a condition would place on a toddler. Rather than being able to enjoy the carefree life that other toddlers do, these children are saddled with an adult-like situation and are most likely too young to understand why they are different.

Pee Pee in the Potty: The Beginning

With two babies in diapers, we're really looking forward to the day our 19 month old daughter learns to use the potty. There seems to be some controversy nowadays as to when to begin potty training. Some "ECers" start teaching their babies from the beginning not to use a diaper, and others believe it's best to wait until the child initiates potty training.

Actually, we've been introducing the concept to her pretty much since she could walk:

• We got her a couple potty chairs and those things that go on top of the toilet.
• We let her walk around without a diaper on so that she could see when she emptied her bladder and make a connection between the sensation and her seeing her own pee (at least that was the goal).
• We bring her into the bathroom with us and explain what we're doing so that she knows what everything is for, like the toilet paper and flusher.
• We've demonstrated to her, using a soiled diaper, that her own poop belongs in the toilet so that it can go down the drain.
• Most recently, we purchased a potty training book called "A Potty for Me" by Karen Katz (as in "Counting Kisses"). It's a very cute book and our daughter really enjoys it.

I've seen tons of tips, including putting together a reward system, letting the child run around in the buff while they figure it out, and even placing a diaper inside the potty chair so that the child can slowly transition away from diapers. I'm not into reward systems because I think they undermine a child's internal rewards of pride and self-satisfaction. I have tried the diaper-in-the-potty thing, but results were lacking.

I know, they just have to be ready. Well, she knows when she's going, she has the language skills to say when she's gone, and I think she can control it for the most part.

So, we've decided to buy some panties for her. I've been pointing out to her the difference between the underwear that I wear and the diapers that she wears. My thought is that if she feels how much more comfortable the "big kid pants" are then she'll be more motivated to move on out of those diapers.

Only time will tell, but I really think we're getting close. I'll post an update after a week or so, but I'd also enjoy hearing about what other people have tried. What worked for you?

Baby Birthmarks

My three month old was born with an "Angel's Kiss," which is a warm and fuzzy way of saying that she has a birthmark between her eyebrows that kind of looks like someone with too much lipstick gave her a big smooch on her head. It's barely noticeable now, except when she get's really mad and her whole face gets red, but shortly after her birth I remember my mom asking me how it got there. All I remembered was the midwife saying something about blood vessels.

She's had some other abnormalities, too, including a white spot in the center of her pupil which we later learned is a type of cataract and will most likely be harmless.

As a mother, I have always wondered if there were things that I did during my pregnancy that may have led to these various imperfections. I know I was much more conscientious during my first pregnancy, and that baby came out fine. But, I didn't smoke, didn't consume any alcohol, rarely drank soda, and exercised occasionally. True, I had an insatiable sweet tooth that I kept feeding, and I did enjoy some green tea occasionally.

This evening I happened across an article citing research suggesting that lack off oxygen to the placenta may be the culprit behind my baby's birthmark. Aha! So it is my fault. Did I not sleep on my left side enough? What did I do wrong?

My baby is still beautiful, and I'm swear she is absolutely the sweetest baby on the planet...always smiling and cooing. But, I feel tremendous guilt that I didn't take better care of my body, and my baby, during my pregnancy. No, I can't go back in time and try to do things better. In fact there's nothing I can do now except feel like crap.

Never Pay Retail Again!

Very few things in this world feel better than knowing you got a great deal on something. I got that feeling today when I went to my favorite consignment shop, Wallabie's Kids, for their Winter Clearance Sale and Spring Preview.

Babies can be so expensive...upwards of $10,000 in just the first year, so it's important to save where you can. I have found that I can find pretty much anything I want and need for my kids without paying full price for it.

How do I save money on baby and toddler stuff? Shop around!

• eBay- Great for buying new or used baby clothes if you want a huge selection and don't mind buying without seeing. As with most things, you’ll pay less per item when you buy from larger lots.

Most sellers provide pictures and detailed descriptions, but I've still had my share of
disappointments. Sometimes the clothes just don't look the same in person. It's hard to see
pilling and fraying in photos and some stains go unnoticed by the sellers.

Finally, there's the matter of shipping. Unless you happen to buy from a local seller, you
have to wait for your clothes to ship which could take up to a couple of weeks. I actually
won an auction for my youngest shortly after she was born, but by the time the clothes
came she was almost too big for them.

• Craigslist- My local Craigslist is my “go to” site for gear, toys, and furniture. You can expect to pay about half of an item’s retail price. Sometimes more, sometimes much less…depending on the item.

I love Craigslist because it’s local, there are often pictures of the item posted, and the prices are always great.

The problem, however, is that sometimes you have to be really quick when inquiring about an item. There have been several occasions when I’ve emailed a seller about an item within just a few hours of it being listed only to learn that they’ve already sold it.

Also, if you have something specific in mind, you may not find it right away. It took me about a month of checking the site several times per day to find someone selling an Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper at a price I thought was reasonable ($75).

• Consignment Shops- Local consignment stores are great for clothes, gear, and toys. Prices here also usually fall at around half of what you would pay retail.

Consignment stores are fun and feel more like “real” shopping". There are a few in my area that I visit every few weeks and they always have new goodies. Chances are, even if you have a specific item in mind, you’ll still walk out with some adorable outfit or cool toy that you had no idea you wanted.

• Garage/Yard Sales- Yard sales have great prices. Most of the time the sellers want the stuff gone and are just looking to make a few bucks in the process. Baby clothes are often around only $1 a piece and there are usually a ton of toys lined up that are ready to move on to a new family.

Unfortunately, yard sales are hit or miss. Sometimes you can find the deal of the century (a couple weeks ago I bought a Cozy Coupe that was in great shape for just $3), and other times you may drive around for a few hours with nothing to show for it at the end of the day.

• Freecycle- As the name suggests, this is where you can find stuff that’s being given away for free. Can’t beat that!

Similar to Craigslist, if you see something you want, you have to be fast. Sometimes things are just left at the curb and you can simply drive by and pick it up. I actually haven’t used Freecycle since I found Craigslist, but in the past I regularly scoped for miscellaneous items my family was looking for. You’d be surprised by what people are willing to give away.

Raising kids is expensive...that's a no-brainer. Between childcare, health insurance/medical bills, food, clothing, field trips, camps, extracurricular activities, and not to mention saving for college, having kids makes a pretty significant dent in your wallet. Considering all of these expenses, it's important to save wherever you can. With all of the second-hand sources out there, there’s really no reason to have to pay full price for something that you can get for less!

How to Eat Fried Worms (in Baby Food)

According to a Mercury News report, parents of an 8 month old in Pittsburg, California found maggot-like worms in a jar of Gerber's "Sweet Potato and Turkey" baby food. (article)

Yuck! That grosses me out just thinking about it. I am so sorry for anyone who has to see that when they are preparing to feed their precious baby.

Obviously these things happen every so often, even for a company as trusted as Gerber. All the more reason to make your own baby food at home. It's easy to do, and really not that time-consuming. In fact, with a good grinder and/or food processor, you can simply mash up portions of whatever is on the menu for the rest of the family.

By making your baby's food yourself, you'll have the peace of mind from knowing exactly what your child is eating, you'll save money, and you'll likely incur less waste since you'll be able have more control over serving sizes.

If you're interested in making your own baby food, check out the folks over at wholesomebabyfood.com. They've got recipes, instructions on how to prepare baby food, and recommendations on which foods to introduce when!

Use a Dog to Prepare for Baby?

Apparently some people think it's a great idea. (article)

Anybody who has had both a baby and a dog can tell you this is a terrible idea. For one thing, you can put a dog in a crate when you leave the house and still have a life. Also, dogs don't need to eat from a bottle or your breast every 2-4 hours. Dogs don't need to be rocked to sleep. And, dogs learn to walk straight away, which means they don't need to be carted everywhere they go.

Babies are babies for a lot longer than puppies are puppies. They require so much more of you physically, financially, and emotionally.

The main difference, though, is that your baby is a part of you, and that intimate connection alone is often enough to turn a selfish, irresponsible, lazy person into a devoted parent.

Nobody is ever really ready to have a baby. There is no way to prepare because unless you have one, you can't truly have a complete understanding of what is involved.

Dogs are great pets, but in the end, they're just pets.

New Software Tracks How Much You Talk To Your Child

For the low, low price of just $399, you can actually see how much you're contributing to, or screwing up, your child's future.

A new product on the market, called LENA, can count how many words a person speaks to their child throughout the course of a day. Why would someone want this? By keeping track of the number of words spoken, in addition to the number of conversational turns you and your child engage in, you get concrete objective feedback regarding your role in your child's language development. More words spoken = better potential for your little one. Simple as that!

While I think it would be nifty to find out where I stand in terms of the big 30,000 words per day goal, I don't think I would be interested in shelling out that kind of money "just to see." Maybe they should consider renting out their devices.

I'm afraid a person who invests in this device may end up becoming a slave to the numbers. Rather than maintaining a clear focus on the whole child, the parent becomes sidetracked by trying to keep up an adequate word count, then feels like a crappy parent if for some reason they can't maintain their goal.

Oh, well. It's still an interesting idea.

10 Things I Hate About Breastfeeding

I know, breastfeeding is best, but do I always have to like it? These are things I'd rather do without:

1. That weird tingly feeling I get whenever the baby cries, or I think about the baby crying, or feeding time is getting near, or I think about the weird tingly feeling.
2. Leaky boobs. Especially when I'm out in public and only realize that I've forgotten to don my nursing pads once the milk starts flowing.
3. Spending countless hours in my car because I can't find an inconspicuous place to nurse wherever it is that I've gone. (Please don't hate me Lactivists!)
4. Pumping. True, I don't have to pump. But that would mean not being able to leave my baby for more than two hours or so on any given day.
5. Saggy breasts. (Although some would argue this point.)
6. Sharp little baby nails clawing into my sensitive areola.
7. Nursing Bras. They're ugly and I can never seem to find the right size.
8. Knowing that once my little nursling is latched on, I'm in it for the long haul, be it a ten minute "snack" or a nearly hour long nursing session with a tired baby sleepily sucking on and off.
9. Lopsidedness. This happens when the baby prefers one breast more than the other.
10. Baby teeth. Enough said.

And one thing I love:

1. The look of horror on my brother's face as I take my baby from my breast and only then does he realize that I've been nursing during our entire conversation!

The School of Experience

This has pretty much been my mantra ever since my toddler was old enough to experiment with things. We try to maintain an open environment around the house so that our children can (safely) explore and learn as they go about their day. Boredom is dispelled by engaging in a wide range of activities from playing in their playroom, to pulling out and opening every DVD case in the entertainment center, to crawling under our cabinets and emptying out pots and pans which stack, nest, and have great sound qualities.

I try to afford my children with opportunities to discover their surroundings because that's how they learn, entertain themselves, and exercise their respective imaginations.

Gever Tulley seems to also embrace this notion and has developed Tinkering School for kids aged 7-17 to learn a host of lessons while "tinkering" on his property in Montara, California. He is currently working on a book entitled, "50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do." Last year Tulley introduced 5 of those things in a humorous and thought-provoking talk. Check it out!

Top Baby Names of 2007

Well, BabyCenter has once again listed the most popular baby names born to parents registered on their site. I always loved looking at baby name lists when I was pregnant, primarily to rule out any contenders that were too popular for our liking.

Top 10 Girl Names	Top 10 Boy Names
Sophia	Aiden
Isabella	Ethan
Emma	Jacob
Madison	Jayden
Ava	Caden
Addison	Noah
Hailey	Jackson
Emily	Jack
Kaitlyn	Logan
Olivia	Matthew

New to the list this year were Kaelyn, Reagan, Maria, Sadie, Callie, Adrianna, Sienna, Lila, Alana, Adrian, Colton, Nolan, Cody, Preston, Jeremiah, and Oliver.

The Social Security Administration also compiles a list of the most popular names each year.

Bye Bye Plastic!

According to a recent Newsweek article, more and more parents are opting for "greener" bottling alternatives, such as glass, rather than the popular plastic ones used most often today. A major concern is that Bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in many plastics, may have long-term health consequences in young children.

Manufacturers and retailers are responding to this new demand by including more bottling options in their product lines and on their shelves. Evenflo and Dr. Brown's are both currently offering glass bottles. Or, if you can't get passed the idea of using something as old-fashioned as glass, BornFree bottles are plastic bottles made without BPA. Not surprisingly, these alternatives come with a higher price tag (not that you can really put a price tag on the safety of our little ones).

So far, the jury is still out on whether or not the levels of BPA exposure from using plastic bottles are high enough to do any harm, but the CDC has found that children incur the greatest amount of exposure to the chemical, followed by adolescents and then adults.

I'm not usually one to run out and follow the latest trends, but suddenly glass bottles don't seem like such a bad idea.

New Toddler Sleep Study

Scientists at Brown University are researching the sleep habits of children aged 2 to 5. Because this is the time when most young children stop taking a nap during the day, the researchers are interested in how the kids will function without one. Apparently some are wondering if preschoolers and kindergartners would be better off not having nap-time at all. After all, that's time taken away from learning.

So far they have found that while children tend to differ in what time of day they need their sleep, most respond similarly to missing a nap or staying awake past their bedtime: they become disengaged.

Kids grow up so quickly and it saddens me that anyone would want to rush things along even more by taking away their nap. I'm sure there are some three or four-year-olds out there who would function just fine without a mid-afternoon snooze, but there's still so much going on in their little worlds at this age that I think a little down time in the middle of the day is very appropriate.

Stumble, Trip! Stumble, Trip! Stumble Trip!

For those parents who feel like you're reciting parts of Michael Rosen's "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" every time you try to maneuver around your messy house, perhaps this lovely poem will help you feel a little better about the moldy cup of apple juice that is balancing so gracefully atop the heap of dishes in your sink. 

Song for a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Two Under Two: 10 Tips for a Seamless Transition

My first child, Little Bit, was about seven months old when I got a positive result from the First Response Pregnancy Test. While it wasn't a complete surprise, the reality that my baby girl would be only sixteen months old by the end of my pregnancy was daunting. I had no idea how I would adequately care for two babies by myself during the day or when my husband was traveling.

Most of the advise I came across was along the lines of, "start talking about the baby now" and "let the older one be a helper, kids love that." However, Little Bit seemed too young to understand that someone else would soon be joining our family, and she really showed no interest when I tried talking about what was growing inside my huge belly. She also doesn't really get that big of a kick out of being "Mommy's little helper" just yet. So there I was, about to experience the "joys" of childbirth again, with no idea about how I was going to make it all work out. What would be the best way to introduce our new baby to our family?

Now that I'm a BTDT (been there done that), I can look back and see some of the things that have helped me so far. There are definitely difficult days when I feel like I just don't have enough of me to give to either child. On the whole, however, I am very pleased with how things are working out for our little family, and I think there were some very specific things that I did that helped make our transition to four much easier than it might have been.

1. Don't blame the baby. Try to resist saying something like, "Mommy can't hold you right now because I'm holding the baby." That's a sure-fire way to breed resentment towards the little bundle. Your toddler doesn't need a reason why you won't do something. Simply state that you aren't going to hold/read to/play with him or her at that moment, and suggest another activity to occupy your older child until you can offer him or her the one-on-one time they want.

2. Change your routine as little as possible. Toddlers are more confident in an environment of predictability. Try not to rock their world even more by changing their schedule on top of making them deal with a new baby in the house.

3. Don't make everything about "the baby." In other words, don't continually shove the new one in front of the older one's face. It always drives me nuts when Little Bit is in the middle of showing off one of her newly developed skills (like doing a somersault) and some well-meaning family member is going on and on to her about "her new baby sister." I think to a toddler it's similar to changing the subject when you're in the middle of a conversation with someone. Your toddler knows the baby is there, and there's no need to continually remind him or her about it.

4. Get used to hanging out on the floor. Toddlers spend their time playing on the floor. Babies need play time too to develop their muscles and practice batting at toys and rolling over. Why not all hang out on the floor together and spend playtime as a family. When Baby needs to eat, just scoop him or her up right there and let them eat while you sit on the floor and continue to interact with your older child.

5. Allow some VERY supervised hands-on time. At some point, your toddler is going to want to touch this new little life that keeps hanging around. As difficult as it may be, try not to treat your infant like a delicate piece of glass that is not to be touched for fear that he or she may break. Allow your older child to explore his or her new sibling. Some eyes may get poked a little and limbs may get squeezed, but Baby will be ok in the end, and your toddler has had a chance to satiate his or her curiosity.

6. Don't consistently choose either one's needs over the other's. Sometimes the older one has to wait for you to tend to the little one, and sometimes the little one has to wait for you to tend to the older one. It's like I told my husband one of the first times I was going to be left alone to care both of them at once, "Everyone may not all be happy all of the time, but I'm sure someone will be happy some of the time, and we'll survive."

7. Subtly encourage affection between the two. Show your toddler how much you love this new addition to your family. Modeling is a powerful tool. As long as Big Brother or Big Sister is also getting enough attention, jealousy should not be an issue.

8. Limit the need for the older one to feel possessive by allowing him or her to play with Baby's things. If every time he reaches for the little one's toy he hears, "That's not yours, that's the baby's," then of course he's going to learn that the baby doesn't share and he doesn't need to either. At that point, everything that he deems as "his" is off-limits to the baby (e.g. his high chair, his bath tub, his Daddy, etc.). There's also no need for statements like, "That's the baby's toy, you don't want to be a baby do you?" Of course they do if it means they get to play with neat toys.

9. Make sure they both get plenty of "face" time and play time. Yes, you will be tired and it will be tempting to try to get them both on similar sleep schedules so you can also nap, but if one is sleeping and one is awake, think of that as an invaluable opportunity that you can use to provide the much needed one-on-one time that both children need.

10. Have people over. Entertaining guests may seem like the last thing you want to do; your home has to be presentable, your kids have to be presentable, you have to be presentable. But when there are one or two extra people around, that takes the load off of you and gives you a chance to breath a little bit while your visitors hold your sleepy infant or are entertained by your exuberant toddler.

Happy New Year!!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2008!