Canadian Thanksgiving

It was my daughters first Thanksgiving dinner last night, and her first turkey dinner that she can actually enjoy the food, have more than just the sweet potato. 

I set aside some turkey, stuffing, sweet potato and potato, and I even topped the potato with a little bit of gravy.  I figured its a special meal she can indulge a little... the thought was there but she only ate the turkey! She's exactly how my sister was at big dinners, would only eat the turkey and maybe a bit of potato. 

How was your child's first thanksgiving or big dinner?

Baby Proofing

My daughter is at the age where she is getting into everything! 

We have some cabinet that she loves to pry open, luckily they are side-by-side so I have taken an elastic band and wrapped the handles together to keep them from openly completely.  This does keep her out, at least for now, one of the elastics is in reach and she enjoys pulling and chewing on them.  Also, our oven has a warming drawer that we use for storage but she loves to open it up especially over my feet! Ouch!

I was hoping for some advice for keeping them shut or at least to keep her out.  I'm not sure about the child proofing "locks" that you can purchase, was more hoping to use some things from home.  All suggestions and ideas are welcome.  I've enjoyed finding new uses for things around the house, have a few ideas to share in an upcoming post! Thanks in advance for your advice!

Our Beloved Tasha

Once again we have had to let go of our older Dog, Tasha.  She was always a little fighter, she fought her way through a heart problem and everytime we thought we would have to come the decision of letting her go she would recover.  It wasn't until this last time, she couldn't even hold herself up, let alone eat or go the bathroom.  It was time to say our good-byes.  Tasha was a 14 year old cock-a-poo (Cocker Spanial cross Poodle), she had a few health problems but always fought through them.  I do feel it was her age that made her body not able to recover.

We lost our beloved Toby back in May 2010 and now our Tasha this September 2010.  Its been tremendously hard loosing both of our loving pets in a matter of a few months apart.  The house has been awfully quiet, although my daughter has been taking care of some of that. 

This time around my daughter was 10 months old and she continues to drop food on the floor looking for the puppy to come clean up.  It saddens my heart that I can't completely explain things to her, but I have explained to her as best as possible to a 10 month and in hopes that she does comprehend some of it. 

I think children are a lot smart than sometimes we preceive and even though my daughter may not completely understand every word that I say when explaining the loss, it does help to put things at ease.  Maybe more for myself I'm unsure.  My daughter may not remember any of this when she gets older but for the now I feel it is good for her, and maybe will help with future explanations for me. 

What did you do to explain the loss of a pet to your child/children? Or any other thoughts would be great to hear!

Missing-In-Action

Hi everyone, sorry it has been awhile since my last post.  My daughter has been keeping me very busy this last little while and I've been neglecting everything else but her.  She's just about 10 months now and is walking and running all over the place, she took her first steps at (9 1/2) months and has been working very hard at it.  I hope to get back to blogging as soon as possible and wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about my blog.

One thing that I want to mention is that I started taking my daughter to our local library once a week to every other week.  It's a great opportunity to start reading to your children, even though they can't read they do listen.  My daughter is starting to love the reading and down time at bed, its our way of winding down the day.  Consider checking out your local library if you haven't already, we've gone through about 10 to 15 books per checkout and my daughters library card is free so for her it didn't cost us a penny and she's got a full range of books, CD's and DVD's.  It is a wonderful source that I almost forgot about. 

and P.S. at my library they actually clean the children's books to help prevent the spread of infections. 

Try it out and let me know what you think about it! If you already use your local library what do you like about it?

Teething Troubles

As all babies have it coming, it comes a time that their nice smooth gums will have small baby teeth to start cutting through.  My daughter is now eight and a half months and her first tooth is about to starting cutting really at any moment.  As a parent, I feel awful for her to have to deal with the pain.  I’ve come across a few things that have helped my daughter get through this ordeal so far.

The first thing we usually run to is Orajel and pain medication like Tylenol.  The Orajel is good for instant relief but the taste is awful.  Tylenol, Motrin or Advil are good for longer relief, I did find that Motrin or Advil gave a longer relief period than Tylenol (in other words they were great for over night).  I wasn’t too keen on giving my daughter medication all the time for pain but anything to help at this point. 

I also took a couple of cloths of wet them and placed them in the freezer for about five minutes and took one out at a time for my daughter to chew on.  She loved it, nice cold relief directly on her gums!

A friend of mine suggested Hyland’s Teething tablets.  They are quick dissolving tablets that you put in some water and give with a medicine dispenser.  I used this on my daughter and it was like night and day.  The relief seemed almost instant.  It’s a homeopathic “medicine”, so its full of natural properties and I felt a lot more comfortable giving this to her, also the relief of pain is soothing for all of us.  If you want to try this you can get it at a health food store, I paid $11.99 for 125 tablets and you need 2 – 3 tablets per dose. 

What did you do for teething relief for your little one?

Couldn’t Remember the Lyrics continued…

Like I mentioned in a previous post I found this website that has posted lyrics for lullabies and other classic children's sing along songs.  I also found a few other sites with lyrics for children's songs. 

http://www.babycentre.ca/baby/sleep/lullaby

http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/lullabies.html

http://www.todaysparent.com/baby/tools/index.jsp

These links have really come in handy! I actually printed some of the songs off and taped them to my daughters dresser (which is right by the rocking chair) so if and when I forget the words they're right in front of me!

 

What’s are some of your favourite songs to sing to your little one(s)? What was your favourite song as a child?

My Review

I've mentioned in a previous post some of my most current favourite things and thought it was time for a new similar post!

I've been bottle feeding my daughter for a bit now and had a problem with keeping the bottles in some kind of order, my sister found this wonderful drying stand from Munchkin, it keeps all of my bottles and nipples in a way more organized fashion.  My kitchen is now a little less chaotic! 

Munchkin also sells a bottle brush that fits perfectly with the drying rack which is a two-in-1 brush; a big brush (bristle type and sponge) on one end and attached to the end, hidden inside of the handle, is a small brush which is perfect for cleaning the bottle nipples. 

Speaking of bottles, I've heard mixed reviews about the AVENT bottles but I Love them.  Never had a problem with them leaking with the exception of one time but I didn't have the nipple pulled all of the way through, gave it a small tug and the leaking stopped!  The nipples are a wider fit and I feel provided less confusion for my daughter when I was bottle feeding and breastfeeding.  The bottles are BPA (Bisphenol A) Free.  The caps they come with I love and a great for traveling with; meaning no spills.  

AVENT also has these sealing discs and are great for storing formula or breast milk, I also use to make formula when I'm putting some in a cup without soiling a nipple. 

One last item from AVENT is the sippy cups.  I didn't buy the sippy cups from AVENT, they sell the sippy cup spouts so you can convert your bottles to sippy cups.  My daughter loves these for her water bottle.  I loved that I was able to just buy the spouts, it allowed me to convert one of the bottles to a sippy cup without accumulating more bottles. 

What are some of your favourite products that you have purchased for your little one(s)?

Couldn't Remember the Lyrics!

Its been so long since I sang any kind of child’s song or lullaby, really it has been since I was little I’m sure of it!  I loved them as a child and wanted to share them with my daughter.  Of course, I couldn’t remember the words. 

Happy to say that I have come across a good source for a few lyrics and, of course, wanted to share!
http://www.todaysparent.com/baby/tools/index.jsp?gclid=CJeXht-Lt6ICFRk7gwodykf05g

What were your favourite songs or lullaby when you were little and wanted to share with your children?

Homemade Baby Pancakes

My daughter has been getting picky with her food lately, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts.  She no longer likes the baby cereals or pureed food with the exception of fruit.  I want to continue to feed her the baby cereals but was stumped. 

My cousin gave me the idea to make pancakes with the baby cereal.  Great idea, I’ve made pancakes in the past and gave her some and she loves them.  I found a recipe online and it look good but I like to take recipes and make them my own.  The original recipe added some regular flour in as well so thought I would stick to the theme with my own. 

Baby Cereal Pancakes
1/2 cup of flour (whole wheat or All-Purpose)
1/2 cup of baby cereal (I used Wheat Cereal – its the one my daughter does not like at all.)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar (granulated sugar or even Apple Sauce would work as well)
Optional – add 1 tsp of any spice such as cinnamon for something different
1 egg – beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (4oz) Formula – I don’t know how well Breast milk will cook, I mainly used Formula because the wheat cereal needs milk added to it, also thought it would be better for baby’s nutritional needs to add some)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Mix all the dry ingredients in small to medium sized bowl, use a whisk to help with the mixing, if desired, I do find that the dry ingredients seem to mix better.
- In a larger bowl mix all liquid ingredients.  Once all combined add in dry ingredients and stir until all blended in.  Lumps are good to have in pancake batter if you have them, if you don’t no need to worry they will still turn out. 
- When cooking make them about “silver dollar” sized, makes for a good size for portioning for baby.
- Instead of syrup try serving with pureed fruit of choice, makes a great substitute for syrup and baby gets in a serving of fruit at breakfast time. 
- These pancakes are freeze friendly, and best way I find to warm them up either the next day or from the freezer is in the toaster.

This recipe passed with my food critic! Let me know how they turned out! Is there a recipe that you would like to share using baby cereal?

Spring and Summer Months

The warm and hot days of spring and summer are among us.  My daughter isn’t too fond of the warm weather when it comes to sleep time.  I noticed that every time the temperature reaches above 20 Celsius (around 70 Fahrenheit) my daughter seems to have a harder time sleeping for her naps and bed time.  I’ve tried cooler baths just before bed, cooling down the room before bed time with the fan, and letting her sleep in just her diaper.  I feel like I’m out of ideas…

What do you do for your little one to keep them as comfortable as possible during the day, naptimes and bedtime?

Walking and the Weather

The easiest way for me to get in some exercise outside of my home right now is going out for walks.  Walking is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air for both me and my daughter.  Unfortunately, the weather can be predictable some days or just not great walking weather, either too hot or raining. 

For days that were lightly raining I wanted to get outside with the baby, enjoy the rain and the fresh scent that the rain brings with it.  Baby’s are not a fan of rain they like to be comfortable.  Best way to keep dry is an umbrella for us but not so great for a baby in a stroller.  I found this wonderful weather shield for these wet days.  There’s a flap on each side that can be opened up to allow for better circulation or can be left shut for if you are outside and it really starts to come down.  Either way allows for baby to remain dry, I love it because than I can continue to get outside for a little exercise; with the exception of thunderstorms and its just best that everyone stays inside.  This weather shield is also great for cold and, or windy days.  The instructions say that it can be used for sunny days but I’m concerned about how hot it would get under there.

Sunny days are definitely the best days to get outside for a walk with the baby.  BUT with good weather comes bugs and a higher concentration of UV Rays.  I found another type of weather shield but is more like a mesh screening.  It helps keeps bugs away from your darling daughter or son and helps to protect against the suns UV rays.  I don't know how much I trust the UV protection but I also carry some sunscreen with me if we plan on being outside for longer periods.  I like this item its great for all of the above, although it doesn’t provide shade to help keep the little one a bit cooler but that seems to be hard to do on days where its above 30 Celsius (or 90 Fahrenheit).

Both of these weather shields I really like and I keep them in a bag at the bottom of the stroller for easy access.  Also a great way to always make sure they’re with you when you really need them. 

Is there anything you use for your walks with your little one(s) that you find helpful?

Iron Rich Foods

I’m always wondering if the food I’m feeding my daughter is good enough.  I’m always concerned mainly about the Iron content, is this Iron-Fortified or have enough iron in it, does it have to be an Iron-Fortified cereal.

Well I found a wonderful site that gives lots of good useful information about iron.  Also a good list of iron rich foods. 
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/nutrition/a/06_iron_foods.htm

Is there any other Iron rich foods that you would add to this list?

Dirty Toys

Toys are definitely something that is hard to keep out of baby’s mouth and off the ground.  It’s inevitable that your child’s toys will become dirty at one point or another. 

Disinfecting toys, in my opinion, probably isn’t the best idea to do every single time you clean them.  I feel that it does get rid of too many of the “good germs” but even though it does kill all the bad ones.  A disinfectant probably isn’t the best idea because no matter how well you rinse the toys there will be some form of residue left behind.  A residue on toys that your baby will put in his or her mouth…

My favourite way of cleaning my daughters toys is to fill up the sink or a bucket with hot water and adding in a little bit of dish soap and vinegar.  My mother did this as well when me and my sister were little all the time, so its one of those tried and tested passed down family cleaning “secrets”.  After soaking and/or scrubbing the toys soak in another bucket or sink filled with plain hot water and let air dry. 

This way of cleaning is a lot more eco-friendly than harsh chemicals and also a lot more safe for baby, never mind the fact that’s its also a lot easier on the wallet in the long run.  What’s your favourite method for cleaning your child’s toys?

Dinner Tonight

My girl, like most children, is a little picky at times with her food.  I did find that she only seems to like to eat one type of food for only a one to no more than 2 meals, than its time for something new.  Until I made my little one this Pumpkin Soup Recipe that I found in “Cooking for Baby”. 

I do enjoy cooking and frequently find new, different and amazing recipes to try but I rarely stick to the actual recipe.  Making my own changes I found that the recipe than kind of becomes my own.  Here’s the recipe that I made, my daughter enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it!

Pumpkin soup

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1/4 of an Onion, finely diced
• 1 grated Carrot
• 1 finely chopped Celery
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Tbsp Apple Puree or Applesauce
• 1/8 tsp Allspice
• 1/8 tsp dried Thyme
• 2 Cups low-sodium Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth works well too)
• 1/4 Cup Red Lentils (or small pasta like alphabets or stars)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Cook until onions start looking transparent, about two (2) minutes. 

Add pumpkin puree, apple puree, allspice and thyme.  Once warmed thru add your broth of choice and the red lentils.  Once soup is boiling bring down to a simmer.  Cook until lentils are soft. 

Puree soup with a hand blender until you reach your desired consistency or one that your baby can handle. 

Store away remaining soup into your refrigerator for up to 3 days, this soup can also be frozen. 

This is a great recipe and one that even the rest of the family enjoyed as well.  I was also finding it hard to feed my daughter her infant cereals but now I’ve been able to mix a little of the rice or barley cereal in with the soup. 

A Tot Tragedy close to Home

Front page on one of my local papers… “Tragedy for Tot” ( http://bit.ly/aKdm4R ).  The tot was only 18 months and was run over by a car on the driveway to his home.  Sadly, the tot died in the hospital. 

First off, my deepest sympathies to the family for their loss of their son.

Saddened by this story, but what could’ve been down to prevent this? Of course, the whole, real story isn’t published and we probably won’t come know the whole story.  Was there sufficient supervision? was my first thought and question.  I can only speculate that there wasn’t, and no parent is prefect we all make our share of mistakes.  From every tragedy there is a lesson to be learned.  What are your thoughts on this story?

Road Trip Packing List

My previous post “First Road Trip” was all about our first family road trip to visit my grandparents.  The trip went well and with everything I packed I don’t feel like my daughter missed anything with the exception of her own crib.  We were gone for three (3) nights and 4 days.  This is my list of things that I did pack for my little one:

• Diapers – I packed 10 per day and 2 per night, I actually kept track of the amount diapers that my daughter goes through per day for about five (5) days prior the trip to know how many I might need.  Average six (6) per day and 1 per night, extra’s for the just in case, if I did run out I know I could’ve easily picked up another package at the store.
• 1 Package of wipes
• Bum Rash Cream
• 1 Bath Wash – I packed a head-to-toe wash so I wouldn’t have to pack Shampoo and a separate wash
• 1 small tube of Lotion
• 2 face clothes, 1 towel
• 6 Bibs, 6 clothes – I did a quick hand wash of these
• 3 pre-measured containers of baby mixed cereal, 1 package baby rice cereal – Breakfast is packed
• Enough pre-made fruit for 4 days – we usually feed our daughter what we eat as per her doctor, this has helped to make this trip a bit lighter to pack for
• 1 tin of formula – I packed a brand new tin and again if I ran out I could easily pick up another tin (I did only one (1) and had plenty leftover)
• 1 8oz bottle, 1 4oz bottle, 1 sippy cup – I washed each bottle after each use and the sippy cup was used for water
• 1 container (about a cup) of Cheerios – my daughter loves these and are the best snack for her
• 4 sleepers, 5 outfits – I packed an extra of each because you never know, the extra outfit came in handy.  Also I mostly packed more sweat suit type outfits for her to be as comfortable as possible and out cute dress because we did plan to go out for dinner one night.
• 3 Blankets – 2 thinner receiving blankets and 1 thicker blanket for night time
• a few toys – just a couple of small toys to keep her occupied and also for chewing because she has been teething a lot more lately.
• Booster seat – her seat easily clips onto any chair
• Play Pen
• Stroller and car seat
• Tylenol, oral gel – all for teething and I am happy we did, what I forgot to mention in my previous post was that my girl was teething really badly on the way home, we had to find a safe place to pull over so I could give her some Tylenol and numbing gel to help keep her as comfortable as possible until we reached home. 

One thing that we needed was an SUV or a Van for packing all her stuff plus ours, thankfully my parents were coming and they had lots of extra room in their car.  We had everything we needed and like I mentioned my daughter didn’t seem to miss anything with the exception of her crib.

How was packing for your vacation with your little one (s) at hand? did you forget anything or over-pack? 

First Road Trip

Finally off to visit my Grandparents so they can meet their great-grand-daughter.  My daughter is their 3 great-grand-baby but like many great-grandparents, they were just as excited as if she was the first. 

The road trip to my grandparents place is about a five and a half hours with short bathroom stops and a quick stop of a small bite to eat.  My parents used to take this exact trip with me and my sister when we were little, so not much has changed with a new baby in house.  My mom warned me… this trip will now take over seven (7) hours. 

How can a trip that normally takes under six (6) hours now take over 7!  Well, the short bathroom breaks now turns into short bathroom break, diaper change and feeding (bottle or food) for the baby.  So as opposed to the stops taking about 15 minutes they now average about half an hour, if not longer.  The longer breaks were actually not bad, it gave us all a little bit of extra time to stretch from sitting so long. 

My daughter did really good for about 2/3’s of the way, all she did was nap.  Once we reached to our last stop she was tired of napping, I could really tell she wanted to stay out of her car seat and play.  So my mom sat in the back seat and played with my daughter to help keep her entertained for the remaining part of the trip.  All I could hear from the back seat was baby babble, laughter and my mom talking to her.  She remained awake for the last two (2) hours of the trip and I was thankful that someone was in the back seat with my daughter to help keep her entertained. 

Our stay with my grandparents is mostly just hanging out and relaxing.  We did just that with the exception of my daughter being the centre of the entertainment.  My daughter took immediately to my grandparents as if she’s known them her whole life.  It was a wonderful visit!

Nap time seemed to be ok, she just napped in her play pen for about an hour or two (2), so she wasn’t too out of sorts.  Bedtime was a different story.  She would go down initially for about a couple of hours than she was up and wanted to sleep in our bed. 

We stayed by grandparents for about three (3) days and by the 3rd day my girl was ready to go home and be in her own bed.  The road trip was the same on the way home with the last two (2) hours of the trip she was tired of napping and this time I sat in the back with her. 

One thing that I feel we did need for the car ride was one of those window shades for kids.  We ended up just using a blanket to cover up the window. 

How was your first road trip with your little one? Happy Vacationing!

The passing of our beloved Toby

Recently, we had to put our sweet 12 year old cock-a-poo Toby down.  This was such a sad moment in our life.  My daughter is only six and a half months so she doesn’t have an understanding yet of losing a pet or someone in our lives.  I would love to hear what you have done to help your child or children understand when it comes to losing a pet? We have one more dog Tasha who is nearing 14 years old and like any other life we don’t know how much longer we have with her.  If my daughter is older how do we deal with it?

How did you and your family deal with losing your family pet?

Diaper Bag Essentials

Have you ever packed your babies diaper bag and left the house than realized there’s something else you should have packed?  Over time I’ve realized that there are certain things that become essential to have with you while away from home.  Yes, I figured this out by trail and error!
So other than the obvious diapers and feed here’s a list of the little extra’s that I found to come in handy:

• Feed – So besides formula or breast milk some little ones need an extra snack, I started doing this now that my daughter is eating solids and loves Cheerio’s so I pack a small handful of them. 
• Soother – my daughter no longer likes them, so no need for them but when I did I used a small container to keep it free from most germs also helped to keep it handy when she was still using them.
• Paper Towel – My daughter is now able to sit in the shopping carts AND weather can sometimes be unpredictable (and sometimes predictable).  Wet weather, rain or snow, means wet shopping carts, so I started packing a few paper towel sheets so give my little one a dry seat to sit on.
• Blanket/Receiving Blanket – I always pack an extra one in case it gets a little cold as well as now to add a little padding to the shopping cart seat.
• Chew Toy – My daughter started teething around three (3) or so months and now she chews on everything, also she’s at the stage where she puts just about everything in her mouth. I throw in a chew toy like Plastic Links I found they have helped to keep her mouth off of the shopping carts also helps to keep her a bit more occupied while we try to get the errands completed. 
• Sleeper – I pack an extra sleeper for the just in case, diapers do leak and I’ve got a few at home and thankfully it hasn’t happened while we’ve been out.  But you never know…

What else do you pack in your diaper bag as one of your essentials?

Mothers

I received this in my e-mail the other day and it brought a tear to my eye, to all the "Mothers" I know, have a Happy Mother's Day this Sunday.
     MOTHERS
     Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
     They don't have time to make it.
     Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
     Are probably in the sandbox.
     Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
     Filthy ovens and happy kids.
     Real Mothers know that dried play dough
     Doesn't come out of carpets.
     Real Mothers don't want to know what
     The vacuum just sucked up....
     Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
     And get their answer when a little
     Voice says, 'Because I love you best..'

     Real Mothers know that a child's growth
     Is not measured by height or years or grade...
     It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother........

     The Images of Mother
     4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!
     8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
     12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't know everything!
     14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn't have a clue.
     
     16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.
     18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!
     25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!
     35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.
     45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
     65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom...

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair..
The beauty of a woman must be seen from within her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she
Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Six Month Check up

Amazing how these past six (6) months have flown by so quickly, it still seems like yesterday we just brought her home from the hospital! 

Well the doctors appointment was the same old thing, weigh in, measure height and the usual check up.  I must say that I love my daughters doctor, he’s talks “do what you think is best for your baby and don’t listen to what people TELL you you should be doing… you know your baby best and she WILL tell you what she wants and when she wants it” kind of talk.  Very laid back and seems to work with my parenting and my hubby’s, although my hubby hates how laid back I tend to be at times. 

With that being said, her doctor said what your having for dinner blend it up and give it to your daughter for dinner.  Really, in my opinion it just makes sense!  She’s been introduced to all single foods already with no reaction other than not liking it or loving it, typical baby reactions.  So far she’s loving most of our dinners, the ones she doesn’t like I don’t blame her they taste awful blended.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post I am making my own baby food but… I did purchase some jarred baby food.  I did this to see if my daughter would eat them for those just in case times, of course that’d be rare to happen but you just never know.  She loves the fruit but hates everything else.  The mixed foods are so bland, they just taste awful so I can’t imagine how my daughter feels about them.  A big part of me is happy that she doesn’t like them but a small part of me thinks well what happens for those just in case moments.  Well, now with the information from the doctor she can just eat what we’re having… sigh of relief (also has helped to ease up on the food preparations for the baby food).

One big thing that the doctor mentioned, lower the crib to the lowest setting.  Definitely makes sense, babies are getting to those milestones where you just don’t know what they’ll do next.  A few days before her appointment she did try to pull herself up in her crib and was almost successful, that was my cue to lower it.  I think this is very important as babies are starting to become very unpredictable.  The doctor said it best, “your baby’s biggest danger to her is herself…” and it makes a lot of sense!

I’m looking forward to the many milestones ahead, and am grateful for such a great Paediatrician.  Hope your doctor gave you some good information that is helpful to you as mine did! 

Babies and Clothes

My favourite clothes to put my daughter in is either a sleeper or a diaper shirt (also known as a “Onesie”).  Both items of clothing are simple and comfortable for my girl, and easy for me.  Its like hanging out in your Pyjama’s or sweat suit for the day, comfortable to lounge and play in. 

Like most families, I got outfits as gifts and lots of hand-me downs.  I found that my daughter was growing at fast rate, I’ve been referring to her growth rate as a baby’s rate.  She’s within average and as a lot of my friends have pointed out, and now I have witnessed, time flies very fast for babies in regards to how fast they grow. 

At the rate my daughter was growing she’d have grown out of every outfit she got by the time we got around to putting them on.  I wanted to get pictures of all the cute outfits and I knew that my girl wouldn’t allow me to try everything on all at once.  I ended up having to make a point to put on an outfit at least two to 3 times a week (she received lots of hand-me downs).  For me, this worked well I was able to get pictures of her in the outfits before she grew out of them. 

My aunt gave me the idea to try on her clothes at least once a week, because before you know it they’ve grown to the next clothing size.  I’m glad I listened to her a lot of gifts would’ve gone untouched, and also my daughter looked very adorable in each one!

I’ve slowed down in putting on the different outfits to once a week, mainly because she had more outfits at the three month size than at anything older.  What did you do to get the outfits on before your little one grew out them? did you have a strategy? or did most of your little ones outfits get packed away unworn? 

Bedtime

Bedtime has been a rollercoaster of a battle some days.  My daughter is now five (5) and a half months and she seems to be changing her patterns again.  I’m thinking another growth spurt, so her six (6) month growth spurt could be rounding the corner… 

Recently, she has been sleeping really well (usually about 12 hours throughout the night) and I count my blessings that she is such a good sleeper.  Getting her to bed is a completely different story, some days are really good and will take us no more than 15 to 30 minutes to get her to bed with minimal cuddling.  Most days take around an hour to get her to bed.  It’s not that she’s not tired, she starts getting tired around 6 P.M. and will fight her sleepiness.  I continue with a bedtime routine, every other day is bath time and in between is the same just minus the bath. 

I’ve gotten a few suggestions to get her to bed.  One being the cry-it-out method… I do agree with this method because it does help to teach themselves to self-sooth.  This does not work for us and our little one at bedtime.  Although, for the odd occasion it does work sometimes when she wakes up at 3 or so in the morning and, of course, when it doesn’t she needs a bottle. 

Another suggestion was just cuddling her to sleep, this is the only way we can get her to bed.  The cuddling method is what takes on some days more than an hour.  She will fall asleep in our arms but the second we start to lay her down in her crib she wakes up and will either start to kick and squirm or scream and cry.  I love cuddling my darling daughter but I would like her to learn to just go to sleep when she’s tired.  She has been doing the same thing with naptime but that’s another story! 

My feeling is that she is hoping that we will give into her so she can sleep in our bed every night.  This may be very well true, in my opinion, babies are really smart and know what they want and will try to do what they can to get it.  Leaving mommy and daddy frustrated, tired, exhausted and so on, will sometimes lead to us caving into her wants; to sleep in our bed. 

I have been working with her to try to settle in her own room and bed.  This bedtime ritual takes longer than I always hope it does but if the extra cuddling is what she needs to sleep, I’ll take it… the cuddles won’t last that much longer and I do want to cherish what I can now.  I’m still in hopes of finding another method that works for us.  I have read “The Baby Whisperer” and she has some ideas that I will be looking back on when I find the opportunity – if I find something that works I will update this post!

What did you do with your baby at bedtime?  Do you feel that sleep training helps?  What method works best for your family?

My Product Review

I wanted to put forward some of the things that I used with my daughter; some I loved and others not so much.  I have found that baby products are hit and miss with parents and these are just some of the things that adds to the trial and errors of parenting.  One thing that I have found with a few things that they worked great for me and not for others and vice versa, again this is just a part of the trail and errors.  Here are my personal product reviews on a few items, I do plan to add more product reviews as they come up and of course they will!

Baby Monitors seem to have come a long way but some of them on the market are still full of too much static.  I have found this monitor works well for us, of course its not perfect and there would be some features  that i would want for it; if I knew what I knew now!  We purchased Digital 1st Audio Monitor, the sound is clear and I can be anywhere in the house our outside with no audio problems.  A small list of some of the cons to this particular monitor that we found. 

• The only low battery indicator is a flashing light; we were sleeping and just happened to wake up because we heard a very faint cry through the walls (our daughters room is next door).  I would’ve liked an audio sound but we just plug it in every night to avoid a dead battery.
• I would’ve loved if there was a battery meter, would help to avoid a dead battery again
• I found that the child unit needs to be fairly close to my daughter otherwise the noise can be too faint to pick up, but like I mentioned the sound is quiet clear on the other end.

I love our Diaper Genie!  The new bag dispenser is easy to install and the bags aren’t pre-cut so you can fill them until you can’t get anymore in!  Before we got this, I didn’t understand how the disposal bags would work.  The ends tie off and there is a cutter on the inside to cut the bags when they’re full! Right now I can’t think of anything that I don’t like about this item except that I have to empty it, haha! But overall this is a great item! 

The bag refills aren't too expensive, we purchase our refills at Costco (it’s the cheapest place to purchase the refills).  The refills aren’t too bad, it takes me about a month to get through one (1) refill package.  A small price to pay, in my opinion, to help keep the smell out of the room and I did notice a difference pre-Diaper Genie.

The Baby Cubes are small food storage containers that are the perfect size right now, they hold a little more than two (2) ounces of food.  I feel they are perfect if you plan to do homemade food for your little one, they come with a nice tray to hold each container so they don’t end up all over the fridge or freezer.  Also they are great with portioning out the food for your little one, keeps all the food separated so you can just pull it out of the fridge and warm up!  These containers are freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe and BPA or Phthalates free!

Avent bottles seem to be really on the low rated list of most parents.  I’ve read tons of reviews on the bottles and I would say about 95% of the reviewing parents hate them and find they leak all the time no matter what they do with them.  I on the other hand am one of the other 5% of parents that love them.  I do not find that they leak, I feel that they are my favourite bottles and my daughter seems to like them too (but she also seems to like any kind of bottle that she can get feeding from with the exception of sippy cups).  The only time these bottles did leak was because I didn’t screw the lid on… and I mean at all, it was a blank parenting moment on my behalf.  These bottles are a little pricier than other bottles and the only reason why I ever tried them was because they were given to me.  Worked great for us because we like them.  You can also purchase the sippy cup handles and Non Spill Soft Spouts for them when your little one reaches the age, I did pick them up but my daughter doesn’t like it. 

I've been feeding my daughter formula and when I'm on the go it was a pain to pack her food for her.  I found this Nuby Milk Powder Dispenser so I can pre-measure her formula for an outting or if we leave her with my parents so we can have an outting.  This container has three (3) sections inside for enough formula powder for up to 3 feedings.  It helps to make for easy formula preparation for either my parents or when we're out with our daughter.  I also found that this dispenser is great for snacks on the go for our girl (of course when she's old enough), great for small snacks like Cheerios or other small snacks while your out.

Have you used these products? What did you think of them? Please feel free to leave a comment and give us a short review on a product that you used!

Simply Homemade

I love cooking and maybe that is one of the many reasons I have chosen to make my daughters baby food.  I’ve heard of so many friends that making baby food is a long and hard process also that jarred baby food is quick.  One thing they got right is that its quick – you open the jar and heat.  Homemade baby food is almost just as simple… ALMOST. 

Like I said I do enjoy cooking, which could help to factor in why I feel homemade baby food isn’t a long and hard process.  I did buy some of the baby cereals and mainly because of they are iron-fortified, have a doctors appointment for my daughter for her six (6) month and will ask the paediatrician about homemade cereals and if I will need to add an iron supplement to it. 

Sweet potato was very simple, wrap in aluminum foil bake at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit until you can poke a fork through with ease.  Blend with a blender, baby food processor or whatever you have… I have a Braun Hand Blender and a Magic Bullet at home and love them both for these purposes to puree her food.  Puree until soft with no lumps and add a little bit of water or breastmilk/formula to make for a more liquid consistency (this is baby dependant).  Separate the food into small containers or ice cube trays and either freeze or keep in the fridge if you plan to use it up within about three (3) days. 

Pureed Pears was very easy, I chopped up the pear (cored and peeled, you can also peel after cooking) to make for a faster cook time.  In a small sauce pan, I added a little bit of water to cover the bottom and added the pears, cooked on a medium/high heat until soft throughout.  Puree with the same methods as the sweet potato. 

I suppose if your not much of a cook making homemade baby food would be a chore, but I do suggest to try it out and see how it goes.  You just never know you may find it easy and its always nice to know what exactly is going into your baby’s food, plus to boot you’ll save some money in the long run.  Check out this site Wholesome Baby Food for a Cost Break Down, gives you an idea of costs if you care to know.  Also, its a great site for other information re: homemade baby food. 

From my experience, I won’t be buying store bought jarred baby food, of course there are some exceptions – traveling with no access to a kitchen to just name one.  But so far I’m enjoying it, and there may be a few that I would like to try because maybe a fruit isn’t in season or something…  I was looking at some of the jarred food today at the store and I felt that there was a lot of limitations in regards to what is available.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to making your own food for your baby.  I will continue to update this topic as this is just the beginning for me!  I look forward to sharing more.

Did you try to make your own baby food? If you did what did you think? Would you go to buying store bought? Looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

Gift Cards

I love getting gift cards, they allow me to get what I feel I need at the time.  Don’t get me wrong the other gifts that I received for my daughter have been wonderful and I have been able to find ways to incorporate them into her playtime or whatever.  Also, some things I never thought would’ve come in handy until I used it, or all the cute outfits that my wonderful friends took the time to pick out for her.  The outfits will definitely come in handy and they’re fun to dress her up in but, of course, only when she allows me!

I did receive a few gift cards and the wonderful thing about them, well here anyways, is that there is no expiration on them (there was a law passed here about gift cards so they can’t expire which is great for the consumer when you put the card away and forget about it a year or so later).  So I don’t have to use them right away and was able to put them away until I found things that I needed.  So just because they were a gift doesn’t mean you have to go spending it right away. 

My thing with the gift cards is that I knew there was going to be “bigger ticket” items that I would need later down the road.  Some of those things were around four (4) to 5 months when I started to consider starting her on solids, I was in need of a booster or high chair.  My girl has been able to sit up with support for a while now and started sitting on her own a little after four (4) months.  Since I had the gift card I found one on sale that I liked and picked it up.  I did put her in it while we ate dinner or while I’m in the kitchen cooking.  Its just nice now to have her with us during meals and what not.  Also, further down the road come about 12 months of age I will have to upgrade the infant car seat to an actually child’s car seat.  These are not cheap and since she will need it down the road I’ve set aside the other gift cards that I received to put towards it.  It will take a nice chunk out of the ticket price. 

I did use some of them for small fun things that I happened to see in the stores and thought my girl would like it – also for a learning tool as I’ve previously explained in my “Baby Toys or Learning Tools” post.  Overall, the gift cards have come in handy for some of the “big ticket” items but also some of the smaller things. 

What did you do with your gift cards?

Starting Solids

The day has come and gone now!  My daughter has started feeding on solid foods.  I was hoping to wait until she was about five and a half months because she was getting to the point of “not completely satisfied” like she used to be just on her formula.  She was getting to the point that when she saw us eating she would get mad, so the other day I told my hubby that I don’t think we can wait.

She was definitely ready for starting solids.  She ate about a tablespoon of Rice Cereal with no problems and seemed to love it!  She took to her food as if she’s been eating like this from since she was born.  I was, for about a few weeks, putting a little bit of her formula on her spoon to see how she would take it.  She always gave me this look like “Hey, this is the same stuff from my bottle!”.  At first she spat out the formula and eventually started swallowing the formula, she was exercising her muscles to change the way she eats.  I do feel this helped her, I will never know if it did or didn’t but I like to think it helped with the introduction to the solids. 

I bought iron-fortified rice cereal to start to see how she would take the solids but my intent is to make all her food.  For me and my family we very rarely eat ready made food, we eat and cook at home pretty much all the time.  So with that in mind I wanted to make her her food as we do our own.  I googled homemade baby food and found some great and very easy recipes, for baby cereals as well as other foods.  I also purchased this book called Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes it has some great ideas and good tips for feeding as well as recipes!

The beginning stage foods are very simple to make as well as the later stage foods and not as time consuming as one would think.  My main concern about store bought baby food is that I don’t know what is in it compared to homemade food; I know exactly what’s going in and feel like there’s a bit more control with what she’s ingesting. 

I just started my daughter on solids the other day so I will be adding updates to the site.  So far all is well with her and she’s enjoying every mouthful.  Next up, I’ll be feeding her homemade Oatmeal cereal and I’m hopeful that she’ll enjoy it as much as the rice cereal.  The starting of her solid feeding has come just in time for Easter dinner, traditionally my family has a turkey dinner and one of the vegetables will be sweet potato.  I will be setting some aside for her to make sure they remain plain – no adding butter, sugar or whatever else can be added to them.  First veggie to come on the weekend! Looking forward to seeing how much she loves or hates it!

How was your first time with introducing solids to your little one? What was their first food? What’s your preference – homemade baby food or store bought baby food and why?  I look forward to hearing your comments and emails! Happy feeding!

Playing Strange

This is a new concept to me, I’ve never really been around too many babies before my daughter and if I was they were pre-strange or post and hanging around a toddler but toddlers are usually just shy at first.

I’m still learning to understand this and for my daughter I think is what sets her off is when other people rush to her, instead of taking their time.  I totally understand both perspectives my friends rush to her because they are always so excited to see her and my daughter gets freaked out because they are not familiar to her like how I am to her.  At the same time any time she leaves my arms to other people she starts screaming and crying like I’m leaving her with them. 

I have tried telling people to ease up when wanting to take her because of this strange phase but I know they are too excited! So my poor little girl just starts screaming and crying those big “alligator” tears.  I’m sometimes at a loss because I do want her to get used to being around people but I hate to see her so upset.

Is this just something that babies get over & grow out of over time? What did you do when your baby went thru the strange phase? I will be updating this post as time goes on and if things get better, which I’m told they should… 

Before I was a Mom

I got this E-mail forward in my inbox from a couple of friends and felt the need to share it with everyone and what better way than to add it to my blog! Happy Parenting to all Moms & Dads, take every moment and cherish them all as if they were to be your last.  Stay Bless

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ (¸.•´(¸¸.•¨¯`•

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Dry Skin… Update!

One of my previous posts I talked about my daughters dry skin and what the nurse from the Health Centre thought it could be eczema.  Just a quick recap of the post, the nurse suggested to use Vaseline or Glaxal Base cream.  I did try the Vaseline and thought I was having success with it,  for a few days her skin looked like it was clearing up and than the next day it made a turn for the worse and it seemed to have gotten worse!

I talked to my other half and he wanted me to try using cocoa butter, tried and no change.  I felt like if it didn’t start clearing up I would have to get to the doctor as my girl was starting to scratch her legs on the dry patches so I’m sure they were starting to irritate her.  I than talked to mom – yes mom knows best, well most of the time – and she had a lotion from Melaleuca called Renew.  She’s heard about some success stories with eczema and she uses the lotion and seems to make a difference.  I also thought at this point I really have nothing to loose. 

She’s been using the lotion for almost two (2) weeks now and every day I see a change for the better.  Her face and back is baby soft again and her belly, arms and legs are getting there.  I’m very grateful that my mom suggested this product and hopefully she continues to get better and I see no reason why it wouldn’t.  I also had a comment on my previous post and she mentioned that her children all grew out of it so I am hopeful and very positive that she very well will even if the lotion continues to work. 

What worked for you and your child(ren) with their dry skin or eczema if they had it? Did your child(ren) grow out of it like my other reader did?

Visitors & Guests

Been busy this little while entertaining one of my best friends from my Scuba Diving days; reminiscing about school, diving, and all the other things in between.  I love it when friends and family come for visits, lots of catching up and relaxing usually.

Things these days are a bit different, mainly having a baby around now will definitely change the way you entertain your guests.  My friend doesn’t have kids of her own but I’m happy that she’s very understanding with my daughter’s needs and me needing to attend to them.  I still had to make things clear with her that my daughter was my priority and she has a routine that she likes to stick to otherwise its like all hell can and usually will break loose. 

Trips to the malls and basically had to have a time limit, I always just watch for my daughter’s signs to let me know when enough is enough, and I’m sure like most children they will let you know.  Thankfully my friend respected the fact that we would have to cut the shopping short or if my girl needed to be fed or changed.  She fell asleep and kept getting disturbed/woken up with the loud music from some stores so I just hung out outside the store while my friend browsed.  Only because a happy and sleepy baby while out makes it for a better experience overall. 

My daughter tends to be happier at home with the familiar surroundings and although I do like to get her out for a change of scenery I feel its best to keep her where she’s happy more often and not cramped in her stroller or car seat, at least for too long.  My daughter is going on five (5) months and outings to the stores have gotten easier and easier with time and I’ve been getting better at paying attention to her signals. 

Overall, the visit was great and being at home mostly was more enjoyable for us all.  We all got to play with the baby, she was able to nap in her own bed and just to be around the place that is most familiar kept her happy.  I was also able to keep her daily routine because I just went on with my “every day life”, so to speak, and continued to listen to my baby’s signals.  Also, I found that staying at home for most days my friend and I were able to catch up more and do more in a sense like cook, watch Television and movies and so on.  I felt like the trip was more bonding time for us all. 

What works best when you have visitors and guests? Does your routine change and do you stick with it? Or just go with the flow of what’s planned out for your guests visit?

A Full Nights Sleep

My daughter has always been a good sleeper.  When she was just a newborn she would sleep three (3) to 4 hours at a time and wake up screaming because she was hungry.  All my friends tell me they all went through it and most didn’t get in a full nights sleep for months; one person was still doing the three (3) A.M. feedings into the toddler years.

Eventually, my little one just moved into sleeping from six (6) to 9 hours at night and with the occasional night of back to three (3) to 4 hours.  I don’t know if this had anything to do with the fact that we were co-sleeping with her or if she just loved her sleep.  Sometimes I do think that my daughter just loves her sleep because anytime that I try to wake her from her slumber she’ll ignore me, wake up and go back to sleep or will be very cranky.

We finally got to a point, at about two (2) months, where she would sleep every other day or so for on average 12 hours straight.  I thought we were making great and early head way to us finally getting in a full nights sleep as well.  Than a turn of events, possibly another growth spurt, and she was back to four (4) A.M. feedings.  One thing that did change, she used to need to be cuddled and rocked back to sleep before putting her back down.  I decided to lay her back down in her crib and go back to bed myself to try to allow her to self-sooth herself back to sleep.  Within about 15 minutes I heard nothing coming from the baby monitor and of course I had to go check on her.  Success! She was back to sleep.  So every night from than onward, we would put her down to self-sooth when she woke up for her morning feed. 

After a couple of weeks of the early morning call, I than decided to try and let her self-sooth herself again back to sleep without me intervening.  First night I had no success, her coos got louder to a cry so I knew she needed a feeding.  Second night was successful, she cooed for about 15 minutes or so and than quiet, went in to take a peak and she was sleeping as if she never woke.  The third night she needed the feeding, I thought my luck had run out.  I did continue to see if she would self-sooth every night, I was successful every other night or so.  By the time she was three (3) months, it seemed so out of the blue to me but she was sleeping all through the night.  No waking up just would sleep right through with no problems. 

About a week before she was four (4) months she did wake up for a few four (4) A.M. feedings.  After only a few days she was back to full nights.  I don’t know if our “work” with trying to get her to self-sooth has paid off or she just naturally changed her sleeping habits.  We will never really know but I like to think the work did pay off, it gives more of a sense of accomplishment as a parent in my humble opinion.

I am very happy that she is sleeping through the night and giving us more mommy/daddy time, I mean I don’t really know any parent that wouldn’t be happy about that.  I do feel like her schedule will change again when she comes to another growth spurt, but I can at least see some light to going back to full nights again.  Now just to get more sleep of my own…  I value my me-time and sometimes need to take advantage with a sleeping baby.

When did your little one(s) starting sleeping through the night? Did you do anything “special” to get to that point or just went with your little ones schedule? If so, what did you do?  Do you have any tips that may help other readers?

Dry Skin for babies

I’ve noticed over the past month, maybe, that my baby girl has a few dry patches on her skin.  They’ve showed up on her thighs, forearms, and belly.  Poor girl but they don’t seem to be bothering her, in other words she’s not scratching them, but, of course, I want to get rid of them in hopes to prevent further problems. 

I’ve tried bathing her every three (3) days instead of every two (2) days and there was no change.  Than I thought maybe it was the scented bath wash. 

I’ve used Aveeno in the past for myself when I was younger for a skin irritation and it worked for me so decided to try it for my daughter.  Found a bath and shampoo wash for babies that was unscented, this seemed to help a little bit but the dry patches were still there.  Next I switched to an unscented lotion, since the Aveeno wash helped a bit I decided to try their lotion.  It seemed to help but, again, only a bit. 

Was using lotion on her every day and always after a bath.  I never rubbed her dry just patted her down and than applied the lotion.  Like I said this did seem to help but not entirely. 

I had an appointment for her four (4) month immunization at the local Health Care Centre.  Like the previous appointment the nurse asked me questions about baby and checked her over.  Thought it would be a great time to get some questions of my own out, I mean who better to ask than the local health centre and nurses that deal with babies on a daily basis.  She did notice the dry patches and said that it is possible that it could be eczema.  Mentioned to talk to her doctor if it gets worse but also told me to try Vaseline brand lotion.  Really I had nothing to lose at this point and I’m thankful that the patches weren’t getting worse.

I had some unscented Vaseline lotion at home.  Since I had some of this Vaseline lotion at home I might as well try it, plus it was unscented.  Nothing like scented lotion to make a skin irritation worse or more irritated.  Have been using this Vaseline since and from the first day I’ve noticed improvement also every day since there has been more improvement.  Her skin is starting to feel baby soft again and I’m so happy the nurse suggested something as simple as Vaseline.  I really didn’t want to use a medicated lotion that would have steroids in it.  Not the ideal stuff to use for a baby in my humble opinion, but if it was necessary I would have. 

The nurse also mentioned that most lotions are “Glaxal” based and if the Vaseline didn’t work that I could purchase a pure Glaxal base to use on the patches.  So something to keep in mind but at least the Vaseline is working and her skin is becoming that baby bottom soft again!

What steps did you do to eliminate such a skin irritation? What lotion worked best for your little one?