Watching Out for Food Allergies

You’ve probably noticed that I am new to the baby blog! I am still writing over at the pregnancy blog, but since my life is monopolized by a cute little 17-month-old who has recently learned to climb just about every piece of furniture, I thought I would share my experiences, advice and know-how over here as well. While my son is healthy, there is one issue which has a huge impact on our day to day life: he has food allergies. Ever since he was diagnosed just shortly after his first birthday, the way we eat and how we handle … Continue reading

Our “Jon & Kate” Moments

With all of the controversy surrounding TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus Eight, I started thinking about what life might be like if we were on a reality show and cameras were catching our every move. Would I be like precise no-nonsense Kate Gosselin or like nurturing Aunt Jodi? And what kind of awkward moments would be captured for all of the world to see that would have people wondering about the parenting style we use with our little ones or actively criticizing our lives. The hairdo A lot has been said about Kate’s wacky hair do that she calls her … Continue reading

Sibling Safety

Your older child can cause unseen danger to your baby in ways other than you might think. Here is what you need to know in order to protect your children. When you bring a new baby home, you might worry about how your older child will receive the new baby. Most of the time, older siblings make the transition pretty easily, especially with the support of loving parents. The safety concern that I want to discuss today has nothing to do with harm coming to a younger child as a result of jealousy, but rather from decisions that the parents … Continue reading

Toddler Food: The Grazing Tray

The grazing tray or nibble tray is a great way to get your picky eater to try new foods and eat at his or her own pace. If you are worried about your toddler getting enough food, try this trick. A grazing tray, filled with lots of nutritious choices makes it easy for your toddler to graze his, getting in more of the stuff he needs without you having to beg, beg, beg or spend the entire day at the table. It avoids putting unhealthy emphasis on food and engaging toddler battles of will. Basically, you provide a variety of … Continue reading

How to Make Your Own Baby Food

There is a lot to be said for making your own baby food. Not only is fresh food better for your baby than commercial jarred and preserved food, but it is often less expensive to make baby food yourself. There are a few things that you need to know, however, to keep your baby safe and provide good nutrition. First make sure that before cooking you scrub vegetables and fruits very well using a vegetable brush. You may want to choose organic produce to reduce the chance of pesticides getting into your baby’s body. Also be careful of feeding certain … Continue reading

How to Fly with a Baby: The Stuff

Planning a vacation away can be a very exciting thing, but if you have a baby then chances are that you are concerned about how your baby will take the flight, if your baby will disturb other people on the plane and how to navigate with all of the extra gear. Here are some tips about all of the gear and supplies to make it easier to fly with a baby. Pack for baby Because the process of flying can take hours, you’ll need to bring a carry on bag that will have to get you and your baby all … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 3

When you are potty training, there are many milestones. Fortunately, we hit a big one today. After another dry night (actually, all of the nights have been dry, thankfully), our little potty trainee decided to let it all go, all over the living room floor first thing in the morning. Truth be told, it was more the fault of the adults, since we were so busy trying to get everyone ready during the morning rush. Our little guy said frantically, “I’m going!” And, well, he went. I don’t believe in yelling or strong words for potty accidents, so we just … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 2

You know how they always say that you can lead a child to the potty but you can’t make him go? What do you do when you are convinced that your young potty trainee would rather hold it in instead of use the potty? The second day of potty training went relatively smoothly, with more things getting into the potty, less things getting on the floor and no things actually getting on me. I see this last fact as a reason to celebrate and a sign that the training will get easier. Once again we had another dry nap. However, … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 1: Evening

How do you manage potty training when someone else has to take over? This is a bit of the dilemma we faced going into the evening on Day 1. I am happy to report that our little one made it through his nap completely dry. I put training underwear on him for his nap (thick cotton underwear, not pull up diapers). Because I didn’t want to risk the couch where he normally naps, I set up a tent in the living room and placed a thick blanket inside the tent. Fortunately the blanket wasn’t needed. Things went well for the … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 1, Morning

Well, the day has finally arrived. It is time to potty train our youngest child. Here are my experiences and adventures, practically as they happen. I have been waiting for the weather to warm up past the 50 degree mark for a stretch of at least three days before I started potty training. This is because I have found that one of the quickest methods for training involves letting the child run around with a long shirt on and a bare bottom, something that just doesn’t work when it is cold. It so happens that we are in the middle … Continue reading