November Wobblers

[RebeccaT]

I'll get us going this month -

We had a blast trick-or-treating last night! We went out with two other couples, each of whom had a two-year-old for Julia to idolize. We visited maybe 6-7 houses total. Julia had a ball - loved watching the other kids, was totally fascinated with the process of taking candy from someone and putting it into her little treat bag, and enjoyed being in costume. It was a good night.

Still not walking unassisted yet, but we're making a teeny bit of progress on the standing. Sigh. She's doing great in all other respects, and seems to be developmentally right on target when it comes to temper tantrums for no obvious reason :rolleyes: The communication thing is hard for her, and it gets her frustrated. I should have taught her sign language, but she's so close to talking (she mimics so many words, and uses a few sponaneously) that I hate to introduce another form of communication.

Here are a couple of pics of my little chick. She's really coming out of her shell (har har! :D )!!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pe175f67c90a5d660b0ccba4d38c6d544/ec3dece5.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/padcd9224fc1ae251ccbf8278dc292881/ec3dec6f.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/paa8329b0bbaec9b9d6218cd2b5ac39b7/ec3dec03.jpg

[lisas3575]

She is adorable, Rebecca. What a cute costume! I always LOL seeing photos of trick or treating in warm climates. The temps here were single digits last night, and we've had snow on Halloween before. You always have to plan your costume to include a turtleneck, stocking cap and longjohns, and then it all gets covered up by your winter coat anyway. :p

[TerriS]

Is it wrong that I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a 16 month old who's not walking? :p Caroline is RIGHT THERE with ya! She did, however, start saying 'no' yesterday. :D And, if it makes you feel better, we bought all the signing videos, we watched them, she signed "milk" about 4 times, and now seems to not care. She still likes watching the videos, though. :rolleyes:

She was not so into trick or treating - she was soooo tired - we were out of town over the weekend and she was allll jacked up from the time change. So we went to two houses, she had zero interest, we came home and put her to bed. :)

[RebeccaT]

Is it wrong that I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a 16 month old who's not walking? :p Caroline is RIGHT THERE with ya!

Terri, it can't be wrong, because I feel the same way! :D There are two steps down into our sunken living room, and Julia just yesterday started sitting on the bottom step and standing up from there (like standing up from a chair). So we're getting there. Just very, very slowly.

Here's hoping they walk at the same time, Terri, so neither of our girls are left to crawl alone! ;)

[buffygirl]

Thanks for starting the thread this month! Love the pic of the 2 cute chicks :)

Rex didn't enjoy the hat part of his costume at all. So the pics kinda suck. He did have a great time answering the door and looking at all of the kiddos in costume. We took him to just a few houses on our street, then handed out candy with both grandmas and grandpa. He had a grand time being the center of attention. :rolleyes:

Chicken Little:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6cf20b3127cce8e0423f3c85900000005108AYuGjhi1aOc

[mgs]

Here we are at 15 months. Everyone has such cute babies. I would love to post a picture, but I don't know how to make them smaller! lol, I am lucky I can post and use emoticons. Showing my age, I guess. :p

We had our 15 m appt and PJ is right there at 50% in ht/wt. His head is bigger at 75% and I think that is why everyone thinks he looks so big. He is a bobble head!.....We also enrolled in a flu shot study - just trying to give it transdermal instead of intramuscular. He will still be immunized, but they want to see the side effects of the shot. Anyway, he had to have blood drawn, I don't know why. That was horrible. Here in Cleveland they do 12m lead tests which is a blood draw and I knew it was horrible, and i almost didn't enroll him in this study because of it, but I consented. Man, I think not being able to hold him down will disqualify him for any other study. Even the research nurses were like, " he is strong" yeah, I know :( My poor baby, I felt so bad for him.

My husbands parents are coming tomorrow eve for the weekend. I successfully talked DH into telling them to arrive around 5 (don't know how I did that ?) so that we don't have the odd/stiff 3-5pm hours until DH arrives home from work. They just kind of sit on the couch fixing their clothes, shooing the cats, folding their arms, drinking water........just very socially awkward people. They just aren't baby people and the try really hard to be, so then it makes it all very forced. Last time they came up here (about 6 months ago?) PJ was laying on the ground and his mom walked in - in her heels, blazer, wool slacks - and laid full body right up to her chin on the floor next to him. I mean, how odd is that? :confused: Ok, that was snarky, but I just don't understand them. They have a very good friend who is wonderful with PJ and they always make fun of her and call her crazy. Um, no, she is just much more natural than you. She gets on the floor and plays with him willingly. She doesn't wear heels if she is going to be playing with a baby. Ok I must stop now. They will be leaving on Sunday. :D

I do have a question about feeding. From months of reading the new mom's thread I did go out and purchase the book Child of Mine. I am having a little trouble with dinner time here. PJ is a great eater, but dinner time rolls around, he looks/acts hungry, I put him in the highchair, and he refuses to eat. Almost every night, it is like a new ritual. He doesn't get a bedtime snack or bottle b/c he goes to bed so early, so this is his last meal for the day. the catch is that if I let him out of the highchair and wonder around, he will eat while wondering/playing and he will stop when he is full. I know in Child of Mine this is not a good idea, but it also says to tell the child 'no more until next meal.' Well, I don't think PJ would understand if I said to him "Eat now so you won't get hungry in the middle of the night" I think maybe the advice she gives is for an older toddler? He is not a picky eater, either. I thought he was refusing things, getting picky, then I realized he just doesn't want to be in the highchair anymore. This is only at dinner. Thoughts?

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

[buffygirl]

MGS, we are having the same issue with Rex and I believe it is about the high chair as well. He's not a great eater anyway, so I worry about dinner a lot. I think by the end of the day, he is just not interested in sitting in the hight chair. He too will wander around the table eating his crackers, but not in the high chair. I am not interested in being ok with this behavior so we don't let him do it too often. But that means he doesn't eat which starts the mommy guilt... DH and I have discussed getting a booster seat of some kind so he could sit at the table. Does anyone have recommendations for a booster chair?

Kim

[mgs]

I know what you mean about not being ok with this wandering/eating (like the West Wing walking/talking LOL) but I am sort of feeling like at this point he doesn't get it, maybe in a few months he will get it, KWIM? Probably just me rationalizing my permissive parenting style, but I do know that if he doesn't eat dinner he does wake up in the middle of the night OR an hour early in the morning, so he isn't at the stage yet where he really knows what he is doing. I do think he is hungry for dinner, he is just tired and a little on the cranky side by the end of the day. I have tried moving the dinner time around anywhere between 430-530. I have also let him down and then tried again 30 min later. Neither of these things work consistently.

We have a clip on Hippo Clip on Chair that we use for snacks. Maybe I should try that for dinner as well? I don't see him really getting angry when I put him in the highchair, but pretty much as soon as he is offered food or with in about 5 bites he is signing all done and just wants down. but again, will instantly come back and eat scraps off the floor if there are any. I have experimented and put a few peices of food on the footrest and his cup to see what he will do. He usually eats them all up. Kind of grazes through his dinner. UGH

[RebeccaT]

mgs and BK, take this with a giant grain of salt, since in general Julia is a good eater. But, as hard as it had been, I have followed the advice of CHild Of Mine and when Julia starts acting like she doesn't want to be in the high chair, I take her down, even if she hasn't really eaten. This has been particularly scary when the meal that she's not interested in is supper, because it's the last meal of the day. However, I have never once had her wake hungry in the middle of the night. I thought she would, especially when she was just 12-13 months old and wasn't eating as much table food yet but had turned her nose up at baby food... but she never woke up hungry. I think that we have both been trained by this - I have learned that if she's not interested in eating, not to force it, she'll eat if she's hungry. And she has learned that high chair time is eating time, and that she doesn't get other options.

FWIW... this has just been my experience. I do know that this is very hard to do with kiddos who aren't eating well other times of the day. For us, this is just a once in a while thing, maybe every couple of days or so that she will start acting up in the high chair before she's eaten what I consider a full meal. Her way of acting out is throwing food - as soon as she throws food off the tray, the meal is over.

[Couperine]

I'll preface with the fact that Ethan has always been a good eater, so I've never had anxiety about him eating very little at a meal because I know he will chow down within the next few meals. When Ethan was about 15mo, I took him for a visit to my parents and bought the Fischer-Price booster chair for the trip. Ethan had been a pain about being in his high-chair prior to this - the booster seat was such a huge hit with me and him that when we got home, I did a final deep-clean on his high-chair, and he's in his booster seat at our height at the table. It really makes him feel much more like part of our meal.

He also never is allowed to wander with any food at all - for his afternoon snack and juice, he sits at his little play table and loves it. Ethan would suck down crackers all day long if I let him, and then he wouldn't eat his meals. I always know that after our playdates where they have to have a morning snack that Ethan won't be eating much for lunch.

Like Rebecca, the moment food gets tossed to the dog, I take everything away. I've been doing this long enough that Ethan knows what I'm doing, and he doesn't whine about it.

So to sum up (since I'm chatty as can be while Ethan naps) - I'd try getting a booster seat to make your baby feel more grown-up by eating at your level. Mine has a tray, which I use to keep Ethan's feet off the table, but in the past few weeks, I've transitioned from solely putting food on a plate on his tray to having a normal placemat like the rest of the table that I put his plate and cup upon. It is working out really well for us. Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/602-4778044-5159845?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0000DEW8N)

I'd also stick to your guns about having your baby finish with a meal, and not feeding food in the night. They will quickly get the point that they eat when you say, not when they say.

I hope this doesn't feel like a lecture - I'm just talkative today, and I just want to help if I can. :o

Nancy

[zippy478]

So I'm about to admit something....DS's booster seat is in front of the TV :eek: But, I of course can justify it. We get home about 6pm. Many times, DH isn't home until well past that. Family dinners don't happen. DS gets food (if he's lucky - he'll get whatever we are having for dinner but more often than not, I'll prepare his own meal) and he knows that eating *a meal* takes place in the booster. However, I am guilty of letting him roam the house with snack food. He *usually* doesn't play/take advantage of it and will leave it on the coffee table but there have been times that he has a stash in one of his cars. :rolleyes: :D :p

But, to answer the original question - when he got to be about 15 months or so - we took the high chair out of the kitchen mostly because we had gotten a new table and were out of space. He's been in his booster seat since. I also have the FP Booster chair and really like it. It's easy to clean and the trays can go in the dishwasher. Maybe try the booster seat and see how they take to it. I wish I hadn't bothered with a high chair honestly because we only got a few months use out of it.

In other news...the toddler bed is mostly successful but he only wants DH to put him down at night. We try to switch nights but it hadn't always been successful the past few weeks because I've been so dog tired with this pregnancy so he's gotten pretty used to DH putting him down. Fine by me - they spend the quality time together and I clean up the toys that get left behind when he gets tired of helping. Some nights are better than others. It really stunk last night - hormones were kicking in and I was upset that he wouldn't go to sleep with just me tucking him in. But, then he came into our room at 4:45 :eek: and made up for it by snuggling with me and not DH :p I of course let him stay in our bed as we only had another hour or so before wake up time and didn't want to battle with him. Not a habit I'm willing to encourage but every once in a while - especially if it's related to a nightmare which I think last night was - is no biggie to me.

Didn't get any pictures of him on Halloween - he just wasn't cooperating and I wasn't pushing it. He was a construction worker. We put him in overalls, work boots and a flannel shirt. He was *supposed* to wear a tool belt and hard hat but wanted nothing to do with that so he wore a winter cap with a dump truck on it instead. He looked pretty darn cute and I wish I had been able to get pictures. Oh well. He did have fun carrying around his ghost bucket and getting candy from some of the neighbors. DH took him around the neighborhood and when they got back - he helped me hand out candy - one piece at a time. It was cute and fun.

Hard to believe he will be 2 on Sat. We are planning a party for family/friends and it should be a good time. The theme, of course, is trucks and MIL is making a construction scene cake. If I can find the link to it - I'll post it. Otherwise, I'll post pics next week.

Maura :)

[buffygirl]

mgs and BK, take this with a giant grain of salt, since in general Julia is a good eater. But, as hard as it had been, I have followed the advice of CHild Of Mine and when Julia starts acting like she doesn't want to be in the high chair, I take her down, even if she hasn't really eaten. This has been particularly scary when the meal that she's not interested in is supper, because it's the last meal of the day. However, I have never once had her wake hungry in the middle of the night. I thought she would, especially when she was just 12-13 months old and wasn't eating as much table food yet but had turned her nose up at baby food... but she never woke up hungry. I think that we have both been trained by this - I have learned that if she's not interested in eating, not to force it, she'll eat if she's hungry. And she has learned that high chair time is eating time, and that she doesn't get other options.



Thanks for sharing this. I've pretty much stuck to food only in the chair. He walked around with crackers only 2 times when grandma was over and he was being especially charming. :rolleyes: I just feel so guilty sending him to bed with not much supper. I do have to admit though that my experience is the same, he never wakes up hungry.

Thanks, Nancy for that booster seat info. I think I may have to try that. (You didn't sound like you were lecturing at all :) ) Rex just flails and struggles when I put him in the high chair. At school he eats at a kid size table and chairs with other children so I think he is just done with the high chair at this point.

I know these eating issues are punishment for all of those under the breath self righteous comments I made as a childless woman.."I can't believe she lets her child have THAT!"

Rex ate a banana tonight for dinner, that's it. :rolleyes:

[lisas3575]

Woohoo! An entire banana! :) That's a pretty good dinner. I'm able to report a fairly successful dinner here too, DH made Owen some mashed potatoes that he ate some of, and I tried a bean and cheese quesadilla that was a BIG hit. :D Hopefully he'll still like both tomorrow. :rolleyes:

[food girl]

We had a fun Halloween here, Anna went as a chicken, I'll post photos later - it was pretty funny.

Halloween night was the first night ever that she has completely refused dinner. It was clear that she wanted nothing. It was very hard, but I just let it go. I figured that she would be nice and hungry at breakfast. Well, I'm glad that I didn't push it or start offering her favorites (mandarine oranges) because she threw up in the middle of the night. DH said it was probably the beginning of a halloween tradition. She was fine the next day. She didn't have any candy on Halloween, just a cupcake at preschool. I had been noticing that her bad sleep habits are now accompanied by a night-time only cough. I gave her triaminic, benadryl, a drink of water, nothing seemed to help. When she vomited the other night I started thinking that maybe she's developing reflux? Last night I propped up the head of her crib mattress and ... silence... all night. How odd is that?

Have any of you heard of reflux starting at 18 months? I feed her about an hour and a half before bedtime. I wonder if it is problem with milk?

Lisa

[TerriS]

We also stick to the system of eating only in the high chair, and regardless of how much she's eaten, if she throws food or shows lack of interest, game over, meal over. Of course, it helps that i know she gets a full healthy meal at daycare (she eats all kinds of things at daycare that she won't touch at home) and it also probably helps that she's not walking. :o Can't wander and eat if you're not wandering, so take it with a grain of salt.

That being said, I've completely written off Child of Mine because it makes me feel horrible every time I turn to it about my incredibly picky child, so now I choose to ignore it.

However, and take this with LUMP of salt, again, since my kid doesn't wander, but I'm not sure I would want to encourage a habit of eating on the go like that. Some other baby book, maybe the Baby Whisperer, said 'start out as you mean to go on" - meaning - don't start bad habits if you can avoid it thinking the child will grow out of them later. It might be harder for the child to understand why they used to be able to wander and snack and then suddenly they can't.

Caroline is pretty average, but she understands, I think, that eating takes place in the high chair and when she throws food, she is done. Even if all she eats is a handful of cheerios. And never once does she wake up in the night because she is hungry.

So, that was REALLY long and rambling but there you have it.

Her latest thing is saying 'no.' it's really cute right now, although I am sure we will be sick of it soon. :)

[valchemist]

I had been noticing that her bad sleep habits are now accompanied by a night-time only cough. I gave her triaminic, benadryl, a drink of water, nothing seemed to help. When she vomited the other night I started thinking that maybe she's developing reflux? Last night I propped up the head of her crib mattress and ... silence... all night. How odd is that?

Have any of you heard of reflux starting at 18 months? I feed her about an hour and a half before bedtime. I wonder if it is problem with milk?

Lisa

Lisa, this is happening to us! (kate is 15 1/2 months) she had a cold and a bad cough about 2-3 weeks ago, during which she vomited a few times. but now she is all better. no symptoms during the day. but at night she wakes herself up coughing and every other day or so she coughs so much that she throws up. again, perfectly fine during the day. I guess I will call the doctor about it on monday. I was thinking it was just lingering cold symptoms, but they have been lingering too long.

other than that, kate is doing well. I saw the mention of the sign language above... I never taught it to my girls, but the more I see/hear of it, the better it seems. kate is and early talker (and so was julia) so signing really wouldn't be useful at this point (she has well over 100 clearly spoken words), but we have a Baby Einstein words around the house video which kate really enjoys. the video isn't all about signing (it has a lot of real world pictures/action shots and also puppet skits) but it does teach signs for various objects around the house. not common signs (like more, all done, drink, etc.) so it wouldn't be a good video if you are just getting started with signs. but they teach the rooms of the house one by one and common objects found in each room. Kate loves doing some of the signs -- her favorites are computer, bear, refrigerator, and swing. If you know the signs for those things, you will know why a baby might think they were fun to do. :)

kate has started saying no in the past few weeks, too. but it isn't annoying... it is like, if you ask her, "do you want some water?" she will simply say no if she doesn't want it. so it isn't like she is being contrary with her no. I have read that the temper tantrums are supposed to start around this age, but we haven't had any of that, thankfully. even though she is a bad sleeper still, she is always happy and compliant while awake. the books say that the kid who doesn't sleep well is going to be crabby. we are lucky in that respect, I guess. she is just a kid who doesn't need a lot of sleep. blah.

she has learned her shapes -- can say and recognize a bunch of shapes. she learned this mainly by using her shape sorters and doing puzzles. and she is finally turning the bend on colors. she isn't there yet, but she will occasionally identify/say a few colors.

that's it from here. oh, I will chime in on the eating... we never have family dinners since DH works crazy long hours. so I sometimes let kate eat while doing other things. but she also eats well at the table. I really should shift to eating more at the table, but since I get more food into her the other way I tend to gravitate towards that. I know, bad mom! I know it really is a bad habit that I should break now.

[mgs]

The wander and eat thing is such a bad habit. We don't do it every night, he doesn't get fidgety every night. I am not saying that as an excuse just more observation of what a weird thing it is for him. I still think I am not timing the meal right. Seems like all this week he is really hungry at 430-445 - and he will eat. But that seems like an awful long time till the next meal! 730am the next morning. So I am trying to figure it out. He eats sooo well all day long - in his highchair - then dinner comes and I know he is probably tired and 'had a long day' and his patience is low and that is what it is, but I still have this need to fill the tank before bed! I wish I could get over that b/c I think that I am only reinforcing the behavior. Now last night he was starving at 445 and we gave him his dinner (spinach lasagna) we dished out the portion we would dish ourselves and he ate half and then started wanting out. He gobbled that 1/2 down in 3 min and couldn't get out of the chair fast enough. I really thought he would eat more, believe it or not (he is a big eater) but maybe I need to just follow him. I know he is going to slow down his intake, but it seems rather dramatic to me. OH and his milk/fluid intake has dropped significantly! Hard to get the minimum 15oz in him a day of any fluids! yikes!

Child of Mine can be really frustrating if your kid won't do any of the things she suggests. I keep referring to it b/c PJ seems to be the perfect example of toddler eater. She will say toddlers eat like x,y,z and I think "hey PJ does all of that!" so I think I should follow all her suggestions. As hard as they are for me. What I think I see, though, is a leap from baby eating to toddler eating in her book, and PJ seems to be sort of inbetween right now. Probably just me making excuses again.

Lisa, did your daughter have shots around the time this all started? All babies are born with reflux, some grow out of it right away, others take longer. Some don't have pain, others do. PJ has painful reflux and at 15 m still takes prilosec and still spits up when it flares. It can flare with shots. It can also flare up with teething. On another note, other than reflux, teething can definitely cause coughing. They sort of aspirate their drool and they cough to clear it. I would suspect that it would be worse at night because they don't consciously swallow it or they aren't swallowing the spit when drinking or eating, it is all just sitting there for them to inhale. Does that make sense? Just some thoughts on the coughing in the middle of the night.

Also wondering what age I should see PJ recognizing colors and numbers, and shapes for that matter.... I have been reviewing colors with him a lot. We have a book he loves with flaps, so that is one we do at least once a day. And the numbers not quite as much.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Meg

[buffygirl]

I just have a quick second, but I wanted to post that we bought the FP booster seat and have had great success with it. No more meltdowns in the high chair. Rex loves the booster seat and loves to be right up to the table with us when he eats. Thanks to everyone who gave insight.

More later!
Kim

[jphilg]

I've been holding off posting, trying to scramble up a cute halloween picture to add, but technical difficulties and laziness have thwarted my efforts. Oh well. She was an adorable little ladybug, and took right away to trick-or-treating. DH took her around with the neighbor dad crew. They all met at one house for the annual halloween picture (we have 8 under-3s on our block, and 2 on the way!) and then they went to 9 or 10 houses of people we know well. Saskia was so cute when she came to our house....she was so proud of herself, looking up and saying "please?" , then taking one piece, but she was flabbergasted when I said goodbye and closed the door. She started wailing and reaching for the doorknob. Foreseeable, but funny in a drama-queen kind of way.

Not much else to report. She's getting so communicative, answering my questions with "yes" and "no". Food's gotten dicey; she's refusing a lot of things she used to love. I'm hanging in there and hoping that over the course of the day she gets a balanced diet. I just re-read the toddler part of Satter, and am still trying to stick with it as far as not catering, not forcing, and just being laid back about things. I'm pretty good at delivering food on a schedule but that hasn't stopped the constant begging when other people are eating or drinking. Its pretty embarrassing at playschool, where she scavanges everyone's snack leftovers after they leave the table. My kid is the one under the table, eating dropped grapes and goldfish. Oy.

She eats breakfast and lunch in her high chair in the kitchen, and then we put her in a booster and pull her up to the table for dinner. I do let her walk around with her snack.

I just sent out an e-mail to a very small group of relatives about her clothing sizes and some book and toy ideas for Christmas. I hope it is received in the spirit in which it was sent; I probably should have waited for people to ask me, but some of them never do, and consistently send completely randomly sized clothes from boutiques in far-flung locales, and duplicate toys. I'm the token control freak of the family, though, so I'm expecting some ribbing. Just hoping no one gets their nose out of joint, but, you know how in-laws can be.
Do you all send out that information? Or are you more socially adept than I, and wait until people ask?

[gertdog]

Jen, I send something out, but it's generally expected in both my family and DH's that we'll share holiday wishlists for ourselves and Ryan. For clothes, I just said that he currently weighs 26 lbs. and is 30" tall, and that these measurements are better gauges of size than age. I also said that anything that pulls over the head should be stretchy or have shoulder snaps, since one of the main reasons we end up returning things is that they don't fit over Ryan's big old head. For toys, I gave general ideas (wooden-knob puzzles, toddler-size hooded bath towels, board books, a pounding bench), and I did say we'd prefer things that don't use batteries.

Ryan is back at daycare today after being out for a week. He's had a bad cold with that seal-barking cough, though he doesn't have it at night so I don't think it was croup. I think he's also had some teething pain, so he's not been a happy camper. Yesterday he took two 2 1/2 hour naps, and this morning he slept in an extra hour, and seemed to be much more himself when he woke up.

On the food front, he's discovered that he can throw and drop food from his highchair, so we've had a few prematurely-ended meals. When I've ended a meal, he starts frantically grabbing at whatever's left on his tray and shoving it in his mouth- hope he gets the idea soon. Also, he's starting to show more food preferences. Yesterday he had just put a cracker in his mouth when he saw me open some yogurt for him. He promptly stuck his hand in his mouth, scooped out the half-chewed cracker, dropped it on the tray, and opened his mouth for the yogurt. Yuck.

[TerriS]

Re sending out clothing sizes - before Caroline's birthday I sent out an email with the "what Caroline is up to" type information and casually mentioned something like "she's such a big girl, she's wearing 12-18 size clothes now." I'll probably do something similar for Christmas. Regarding toys I usually keep an Amazon list for her so I'll send that to anyone who asks and instead drop not-so-subtle hints in my "chatty" email - "Caroline loves playing with books and puzzles." That sort of thing. My family and the ILs are still a little iffy on the wishlist thing so I only send it when asked...

[RebeccaT]

Regarding toys I usually keep an Amazon list for her so I'll send that to anyone who asks

Funny this was brought up today, as I just was working on an Amazon wishlist for Julia during her nap. It's sort of expected in my family, especially on my side, so I don't find it weird at all, and I know that those who actually look at it (my parents, inlaws, a couple of aunts) will pass on the information to those that don't. We've been lucky in the clothes department in that Julia has always worn the same size as her age, so we haven't had to do many returns. My parents and inlaws both know what size she wears, and in the past extended family (like Julia's great-aunts) have just asked them. But it is an awkward thing to do, you don't want to be perceived as panhandling on behalf of your child.

How would you all feel about sharing lists and ideas for the holidays here? I think we did that last year, and it really helped me make age-appropriate requests since I know so little about what toys are out there.

So far, I am planning to suggest anything Little People, books, and these two bigger toys:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000JFDW4M.01-A7C8L1L85IFA8._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V39259247_.jpg

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00000IZEM.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V36701618_.jpg

[gertdog]

How would you all feel about sharing lists and ideas for the holidays here? I think we did that last year, and it really helped me make age-appropriate requests since I know so little about what toys are out there.

I like seeing other peoples' ideas and finds! Here are a few things we suggested for Ryan (actually some were my mom's idea, so those are things she and my dad are getting for Ryan).

Radio Flyer wagon w/ fold down seats- we can haul him now, and he can haul the wagon around the yard later.
Pounding bench
Board books
Fun music CDs
Big playground-type ball
Crawl-through tunnel (pic below)
Super Spiral Tower (pic below)- I'm almost embarrassed to say that I want this for Ryan- it's a big hunk of plastic but a friend has it and Ryan loved it. Great sounds, no batteries, nothing obnoxious- just fun repetitive play.

http://www.toyportfolio.com/Toddlers/..%5CImages%5Ctripletunnel.jpg
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0006N8YU4.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V54832870_.jpg

I already bought him some tub toys and a set of musical instruments from Gymboree- maracas, a jingle bell shaker, and a tambourine. I also got him a xylophone from Plan Toys.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/toadsandtulipsinc_1918_71936149

[food girl]

Yes, please post gift ideas. I have had great luck with the things posted here especially the Aquadoodle and the cookie puzzle (someone's in the kitchen makin' cookies...).

I will say that my parents gave Anna the new tickle me Elmo, she could absolutely care less. She likes the hokey pokey elmo which we got as a hand me down.

That crawl through tunnel looks like something she would like. Where is that from?

Lisa

[valchemist]

Super Spiral Tower (pic below)- I'm almost embarrassed to say that I want this for Ryan- it's a big hunk of plastic but a friend has it and Ryan loved it. Great sounds, no batteries, nothing obnoxious- just fun repetitive play.

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0006N8YU4.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V54832870_.jpg





I offered this one up as a suggestion on a past thread since my girls really think it is great. I love the toy too.

I know people have different opinions of what a good toy is. but I believe a good toy is one where the kid likes it and learns something from it (either motor skills or brain skills or cause and effect or whatever). I don't have any problem with toys that make noise or toys that are plastic or toys that have lights. heck, they are fun!! I am all about fun. we have a lot of these toys and they aren't annoying to me and they are fun for the girls. no need to be embarrassed. some people don't like to get them because they don't go with the decor of the house. but our house is a mess to begin with (no money for fancy decorating) so that isn't an issue for us. I guess some people don't get them because they think they cause brain/developmental/behavioral problems? I haven't read the research on this, so I am no expert, but so far, no problems in this family. just my two cents.

I am looking forward to seeing more gift ideas. thanks for getting us started.

rebecca, we have one of those bead and wire roller coaster things and they are fabulous. both girls enjoy it. (we don't have the big part on the bottom, just the top maze part.)

the fisher price magnetic cookie puzzle is another example of a toy that is plastic, has batteries, and has lights (just a couple) and music but that we really think is great in this house.

another example... anything little people. kate and julia both love those things! great for pretend play in addition to learning. so I don't mind that they are plastic and occasionally require batteries.

here is something we have that both girls love. kate has already mastered climbing the ladder and going down the slide unassisted. she could literally do this for hours. she also loves sending her toys down the slide.

http://www.step2.com/images/products/721300_popup.jpg

Indoor Slide
http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1216&stp2ssid=62520EAB-1143-E489-2D86A910154F3DC9


I'll add more ideas if I think of any...

oh, a car like the one rebecca posted will probably be in kate's future, too. that and/or an outdoor playhouse.

[mgs]

Christmas ideas over here are going to be gift certificates. Passes to gymboree (the gym not the clothing store), litte gym passes, kindermusik....
those kind of things. First off we are moving and I don't want to have to find a place for anything else in our current house. too much clutter, not to mention I don't want to move it.

The main problem I have with plastic toys is the environmental issue. Many wooden toys can be recycled when no longer used, or can be kept for passing on to future friends/family members. I am not sure if this is an issue for anyone but I did find this when doing some research:They also don’t contain the chemical ‘phthalates’ which is used to make plastic mouldable. Research is still divided as to whether this chemical has serious health effects. One thing is for certain, wooden toys don’t contain chemicals which are then inadvertently chewed and sucked on by young children and babies.
Our community has a toy lending library and that is where I borrow any plastic toys that I think PJ will like. I don't specifically request only wooden toys for him and I don't return the plastic toys for wooden (unless it is something he doesn't like) but I look for wooden alternatives to toys I think he will like. There are a lot of options out there now even at Target. Ryans Room and Melissa and Doug are 2 pretty widely distributed brands.

Do any of you recieve those toddler magazines? Babybug/Ladybug or the Animal Zoo magazine? We get those at the library and PJ is a little young yet, but in a few months they will be great, so that is another idea.

Meg

[valchemist]

ah, the recycling reason isn't one I had thought of or heard about. I can see that everyone has a host of reasons for buying and not buying certain toys... I was just giving my thoughts on it but obviously everyone is going to do what feels right to them. I guess that huge plastic slide isn't a great idea for some people afterall!!

speaking of wooden toys, we have a good number of melissa and doug toys. the breakfast/lunch/dinner puzzle food trays are great. we love those!! but the paint chips off them. that is one thing I don't like about wooden toys, but I still buy them because they are fun and cute.

speaking of foods...
kate is really into pretending with foods and with julia's kitchen and dishes/teaset. oh, and her shopping cart too. that is fun to fill with stuff and push around. so that is another idea for christmas gifts -- pretend food and dishes and even a kitchen. we got julia her kitchen when she was two, so I guess 12-18 months is a bit young for it. but kate kind of is having fun with it now, since we have it. she will be even more into it later, I am sure.

speaking of pushing things around, kate also likes pushing around dolls in julia's doll stroller. again, I guess usually that is more like a gift for a 2 year old, but since we have them around the house, kate uses and enjoys them at this age.

[buffygirl]

On the plastic toys, my parents actually kept all of our FP toys, airport, plane, school, etc and now Rex plays with them. So they are not automatically disposable :) I do like the wooden toys, and I like that they are recyclable and probably use more environmentally friendly processes to produce. But I have nothing against the plastic. My DH is a research chemist in the plastics field, gotta support the industry :D

Val, that slide rocks! That is going on Rex's gift list. You have such great recommendations, the toys you suggest are always a hit with Rex. :)

Our neighbor has that car with the push handle and she and her son constantly use it.

I'm sure most of you already have the Busy Ball Popper, but if not, that is a huge hit in our house.

Keep the suggestions coming!

Kim

[gertdog]

I know people have different opinions of what a good toy is. but I believe a good toy is one where the kid likes it and learns something from it (either motor skills or brain skills or cause and effect or whatever). I don't have any problem with toys that make noise or toys that are plastic or toys that have lights. heck, they are fun!! I am all about fun. we have a lot of these toys and they aren't annoying to me and they are fun for the girls. no need to be embarrassed. some people don't like to get them because they don't go with the decor of the house. but our house is a mess to begin with (no money for fancy decorating) so that isn't an issue for us. I guess some people don't get them because they think they cause brain/developmental/behavioral problems? I haven't read the research on this, so I am no expert, but so far, no problems in this family. just my two cents.

Mostly I'm embarrassed b/c *I'm* the one who wants this particular toy- Ryan played with it and really liked it, but I'm the one who keeps thinking about how much fun it was. My only real criteria for toys at this age is that they're safe and engaging, but I do try to go for balance and variety in terms of what the toys do and what kind of play they encourage, and I'll admit that I don't like sounds and lights if they don't really have a purpose or if they're poorly designed (the &*%#@! Alphabet Pal that Ryan got for his birthday is a good example).

Re: plastic toys- I'd never heard of phthalates until I saw that some of Ryan's plastic toys were labeled "phthalate-free" so then I had to look it up.

We also have a few Melissa and Doug items- they are cute and Ryan likes them, but the paint chipping is an issue for me too, since he still mouths things frequently.

I'll mention a few other things we have that Ryan has enjoyed-

Fisher Price Incrediblock- I had doubts about this one (sounds! lights!) but he has gotten a lot of mileage out of it. There is a turntable on top where peek-a-blocks can ride around to music; slots on one side where blocks can be stacked, then released and dropped by pushing a lever; another side has a different kind of block drop, and there is storage for the blocks inside. And he loves the peek-a-blocks too. It comes with 8 blocks, and then I scored a huge bag of them at a consignment sale for $3.

iPlay press-and-go Inchworm- press it flat, and it zooms across the floor (it even works well on carpet) as it regains its shape. This is great- he follows it across the room, then sends it off again in another direction.

http://www.growingtreetoys.com/images/products/bg/012533.jpg

[valchemist]

Mostly I'm embarrassed b/c *I'm* the one who wants this particular toy- Ryan played with it and really liked it, but I'm the one who keeps thinking about how much fun it was.


haha! I'm right there with you, stephanie. I swear, I think I like toys (shopping for them and playing with them) better than the girls sometimes! but, no. they actually like them a lot too. I think the fact that I get so involved in researching and scoping out great toys makes it funner for all of us. Since I invest some time in the toy shopping, I usually get one that is on target and a hit for the girls. plus, the fact that I like to PLAY with the toys (instead of just leaving the kid alone to play) makes the toys even more fun. even if a toy CAN be played with alone, it is much more fun when mom or dad (or sis) gets involved. I can tell that you guys (here) are like that, too. otherwise we wouldn't be having this detailed discussion.

here is another fun idea...

from iPlay (international playthings) again... I love their toys. the spiral tower and stephanie's worm are two that have been mentioned on this thread so far....


farm bowling set (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000087L1K/ref=pd_sl_aw_alx-jeb-9-1_toy_22674125_14?tag2=amd-google-20)

this is a toy that will totally grow with your kid. they aren't going to play bowling with it right away. first it is fun for learning animals, numbers, and matching. there are six pins, and three different sounds (rattles and jingles, not battery powered). so they can match the pins that sound alike. they come in a zippered bag and kate is into zippers lately, so she likes the bag a lot. and she likes just carrying the pins around. later on, we will work on the bowling!

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000087L1K.01-A23NLORBGXOLEO._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[valchemist]

oh!

with that spiral tower thing. I have to tell you about this. when the frog goes down that long tube in the center of the spiral, he makes a funny horn noise... it is a soft dullish noise. then he appears to be stuck in the bottom and you press the yellow button and a bell dings and he pops out.

anyway, what I was going to say is that the reason the frog makes the noise when he drops is that his body has some holes/vents in it and when air rushes by, he makes a sound. well, don was experimenting with the frog (figuring out how it made the sound) and he found that if you put your lips on it and blow, it makes a sound. it can be used as a little instrument. kate is so proud when she blows through it and makes this sound. she thinks it is funny and she cracks herself up.

[mgs]

OK stop with the toy ideas! Didn't I say I wasn't going to get anything!!?? :D

Val, I know that toy from the parents center we go to and it is a HUGE hit. PJ loves it. Now that is a toy I wouldn't return if someone got it for him!! :p

[mst]

Can I sneak in a parenting question in the toy discussion?

Ilyssa is starting to be her own person, and assert some control. Like, she holds her food over the side of the highchair, looks me in the eye, and says, "nooooo", and then drops the food. The bigger issue is in the morning, Ilyssa sits on my lap while she is waking up. We talk back and forth, we sing, we clap, we tickle. When she gets excited she kind of pumps her arms up and down. It started probably about two weeks ago that she would kind of do that to my face. I was not sure if it was excitement, or if I should stop her because it is hitting me. It is becoming more clear that it is hitting. I say "no" firmly, and give her a very stern look. The second time she does it, I say no again, give her the firm look again, and I hold her arms. The third time, I put her in her crib, or on the floor. Any thoughts? TIA!

[gertdog]

Can I sneak in a parenting question in the toy discussion?

Ilyssa is starting to be her own person, and assert some control. Like, she holds her food over the side of the highchair, looks me in the eye, and says, "nooooo", and then drops the food. The bigger issue is in the morning, Ilyssa sits on my lap while she is waking up. We talk back and forth, we sing, we clap, we tickle. When she gets excited she kind of pumps her arms up and down. It started probably about two weeks ago that she would kind of do that to my face. I was not sure if it was excitement, or if I should stop her because it is hitting me. It is becoming more clear that it is hitting. I say "no" firmly, and give her a very stern look. The second time she does it, I say no again, give her the firm look again, and I hold her arms. The third time, I put her in her crib, or on the floor. Any thoughts? TIA!

Meredith- Ryan has done some of this too. He also grabs at my glasses (I'm pretty sure they're now slightly crooked- grr.). I don't give any warnings- as soon as he does it I say "no hit" or "no glasses" and put him down on the floor facing away from me. It didn't take him long to get the idea that when he hits, the fun stops immediately. The first few times, he turned back to me and clamored to be picked up again, being his most charming smiley self. Then he'd hit me again, and I'd put him right back down, and he'd cry (angry crying). After a few days I noticed that he just wasn't doing it anymore.

[gertdog]

this is a toy that will totally grow with your kid. they aren't going to play bowling with it right away. first it is fun for learning animals, numbers, and matching. there are six pins, and three different sounds (rattles and jingles, not battery powered). so they can match the pins that sound alike. they come in a zippered bag and kate is into zippers lately, so she likes the bag a lot. and she likes just carrying the pins around. later on, we will work on the bowling!

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000087L1K.01-A23NLORBGXOLEO._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

We have this too- I bought it for Ryan's birthday. I didn't know it was iPlay. I guess I am a fan of the brand too! He likes shaking the pins to hear the sounds, and he likes watching me "bowl"- he laughs like crazy when they fall down, and crawls over to topple any that didn't fall (Mommy does not roll a strike every time, it turns out). He's just getting into rolling balls (and throwing them) so he occasionally imitates me by tossing the ball at the pins.

I looove kids' toys too. My first job out of grad school was planning a toddler area in a science museum, and shopping for and testing toys and activities was SO much fun. I wish I still got to do that!

[mgs]

Stephanie and Meredith -

Ryan and PJ are exactly the same. He gets very excited about something and if he is in my arms he will start pumping his body up and down, and then his arms go and OFF with the glasses! And his arms are still pumping...it is hard to discipline when they are so happy and excited but we just say, "Gentle PJ no hitting" and put him down. I don't want to scold him for being happy, but I also can't allow him to think this is okay.

My glasses are definitely crooked! ;)

HTH

Meg

[TerriS]

Fun toy ideas! I am also thinking about the Little People (the Farm one, maybe) and musical instruments. I love that slide. We have a little tikes type slide thing, a very small one, and I think it's not "big" enough for her. When I try to get her on it, she just keeps dragging me to a nearby set of stairs so she can "slide" down that on her butt. Silly girl.

Re hitting - this is an area where I think it helps to bring "natural consequences in." Not just saying "No," but "No hitting, that hurts mommy, ow!" and "No hitting, mommy doesn't want to sit with you now." Because that's what happens when you hit someone, right? Just a thought. We haven't really had to deal with this yet, except with the throwing food = all done scenario.

[Couperine]

I have a few other toys on Ethan's list - he'll be 20 months at Christmas time.

Little Tykes Swirlin Sawdust Workshop - One of Ethan's friends has this and Ethan adores it. It's not very huge either - definitely my most anticipated gift to get Ethan.

Aquadoodle Mat - it's clean and goes on the floor - what more could you ask for? :)

Little People Fun Park - it looks like Ethan would love to drop his cars down the loop

Radio Flyer Fold n Go Tricycle - Ethan sat on this in the store, and he was trying to work with the pedals - it looks like a good Christmas or birthday present

Fisher-Price Peek a Blocks Press and Go Train - Ethan is totally into cars, trucks, and trains, so I thought this train that would use some of the blocks we already have a ton of would be nice

Sit n Spin - people don't like the new one much, so I picked up a vintage one on Ebay - we have fond memories of this toy

Books on his wishlist - (some are for him to grow into)
The Pop-Up Mice of Mr. Brice - Dr. Seuss
Dig, Dig, Digging - Margaret Mayo
Wiggle Waggle - Jonathan London
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin, Jr.
Who's a Busy Baby? - Thierry Courtin
I Love you Stinky Face - Lisa Mccourt
Good Night Gorilla - Peggy Rathman
Rumble in the Jungle - Giles Andreae
One Moose, Twenty Mice - Clare Beaton

I just wanted to mention that we do take Babybug magazine - it's cute and Ethan enjoys reading it. There are ideas on how to make each story and rhyme more engaging on the protective jacket covering the magazine.

[valchemist]

there are lots of great Little People sets out there, but I will mention one that isn't as mainline as the others... it is a really small set, and one you may just easily pass on by at the store.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000DH3340.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Lil Dino Set (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Brands-J4424-0-Brontosaurus/dp/B000DH3340)

the reason we love it is that it is small, inexpensive, and even funner than it appears at first glance. the baby is in the egg and can "hatch" out. then the mommy can come over and kiss him or whatever (her neck bends down). also, you can pretend to have the dinos eat the food (kids at this age love pretending that animals are eating). they love the idea of mommies and babies. they love hide and seek or peek-a-boo. so that is why this toy is a hit. they also have a T-rex and stegasaurus. we only have the brontosaurus, but if you buy more than one you can hook the fences together and play games like match the mommy and baby. I keep meaning to buy the other two sets (we got the first one for a gift on kate's first bday).

look at me, saying "WE" got the gift. kate got it! but mommy loves playing with it too. ok, someone stop me!

[mst]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. It makes me sad to have to start to "discipline" Ilyssa, but I know that I need to.

Funny that you guys mentioned the glasses...DH's glasses always have tiny little fingerprints on them. :p

Now, back to the toy discussion. This is great for me as Ilyssa's birthday is coming up too.

[valchemist]

Books on his wishlist - (some are for him to grow into)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin, Jr.
Who's a Busy Baby? - Thierry Courtin

Rumble in the Jungle - Giles Andreae
One Moose, Twenty Mice - Clare Beaton



these are books we have and love. (don't have the others so can't comment)

if you can find the audio cassette of chicka chicka boom boom, snap it up. it is hard to find, but great. ray charles (RIP) reads the story. and then there are kids singing the song. then there are a bunch of fun rhymes and songs. just a great tape. I think it is hard to find maybe since ray charles and one of the authors of the book are dead now.

[DanaSD]

Brendan loves the chicka chicka book and the rattle that came with it - I bought a few months ago based on a reccomedation from this board. So I just bought the CD today (this board makes me spend money! but I'm always happy with the suggestions) - you can buy it used on Amazon. He also loves the Time for Bed book, again from this board. He finally likes me to read to him before bed - it was something that I really wanted to do but it was always such a battle with him grabbing at the pages. Now he giggles as I read the pages. He really giggles when I read him his A to Z veggie book - not sure what he finds so funny.

[DanaSD]

to keep the toy discussions going...

anyone have good recs for kids CDs, both nighttime and playtime CDs. We have the Baby Einstein set and a 4 CD set of childrens songs which Brendan loves but I find the woman signing to be very annoying. Any CDs that would make both baby and mom happy?

We're planning on getting Brendan the radio flyer wagon with the flipup seats for his birthday.

For Christmas I'm mostly done but I may end up buying a few more things after reading this thread:

parents magazine music set
name puzzle
gymboree balls and parachute
little people dump truck
curious george CD and book set
where the sidewalk ends book - he's a little young but it was my favorite as a kid
baseball card box with his name engraved (also got one for DH, my husband is a big kid)
pottery barn everywhere chair

we're suggesting to family:
board books
little people
playground balls, soccer balls, footballs - I'l to have some the are dedicated outdoor and some indoor
bath toys
Melissa and Doug puzzles

[gertdog]

to keep the toy discussions going...

anyone have good recs for kids CDs, both nighttime and playtime CDs. We have the Baby Einstein set and a 4 CD set of childrens songs which Brendan loves but I find the woman signing to be very annoying. Any CDs that would make both baby and mom happy?

I know everyone has different taste in music, but I absolutely love the Putumayo Dreamland CD. Gorgeous lullabies (and even a few Carlos Santana guitar licks!). We play this in Ryan's room at night time. We also have a few classical CDs that my musician uncle picked out for bedtime.

For daytime, we only have a few CDs. I like the Sandra Boynton CD, Rhinocerous Tap. We also have a Baby Einstein Traveling Melodies disc that is fine (it is all digital music though, and no vocals, which I didn't realize when I bought it). The one we have that I don't recommend is some awful disc of kids singing Beatles tunes- ugh.

[mgs]

We are into the kind of 'folk' kids music. Justin Robers is our favorite. His newest "Meltdown" always calms PJ in the car - not b/c it is necessarily calming music, but because he recongnizes it and likes it. It is fun music about being a kid.

We listen to XMKids on Directv during the day in the home and that is where we heard of Justin Roberts. They don't do the Wiggles or Barney and rarely do a Sesame Street song which is nice. I don't even know a wiggles or barney song! But I know a lot of Trout Fishing in America, the whole "High School Musical" soundtrack.....another we are starting to get into is "Songs I Heard" by Harry Connick,Jr. He covers several of our favorite songs when we were growing up.


Oh, I bought the Baby Einstein Christmas Target exclusive CD and silly me, didn't read the label and found there is no one singing, just melody. So that is no fun! It is nice music but I would love to do a sing-a-long in the car.

meg
(I really needed to clean the house today!!)

[jphilg]

I also really like the Putamayo Kids CDs, especially Folk Playground and the one with Bananaphone. I've also found that Laurie Berkner (if Ani DiFranco became a preschool teacher)and, to a lesser extent, Dan Zanes, are highly tolerable for car music. But it's tough. Lots and lots of intolerable kid music, to my ear.

[DanaSD]

We listen to XMKids on Directv during the day in the home and that is where we heard of Justin Roberts. They don't do the Wiggles or Barney and rarely do a Sesame Street song which is nice. I don't even know a wiggles or barney song! But I know a lot of Trout Fishing in America, the whole "High School Musical" soundtrack.....another we are starting to get into is "Songs I Heard" by Harry Connick,Jr. He covers several of our favorite songs when we were growing up.


meg
(I really needed to clean the house today!!)

we have direct TV - hadn't thought to check to see if they have kids music

[DanaSD]

I already bought him some tub toys and a set of musical instruments from Gymboree- maracas, a jingle bell shaker, and a tambourine.

Are the maracas that you got the small rectanglar shaped ones? Brendan LOVES these but I haven't been able to buy them anywhere. Our gymobree (the gym) doesn't have very many of the toys for sale - last time I was in they had the balls and scarves. I've checked ebay and the gymboree website.

[mgs]

XMkids is channel 868. I think it is fun, but I am a big kid at heart. Occasionally (I think Thurs am?) they have a storytime, and Sunday am is kids country. It is kind of cute.

I have to admit, as much as I think John Lythgoe is a dolt - he has some pretty cute kids music that they play on XMkids. I don't think I would ever buy any, but they are pretty catchy. Oh another place to try to catch some samples of kids music is through yahoo. I think it is the little kids channel.

I need to start looking into Gymboree/Little Gym for PJ. Does anyone have a preference?

I think I have figured out one (of many) reasons he has continues to refuse dinner. MOLARS! I felt just the very beginnings of molars on the top coming through. All of his teeth erupt so slowly, so this is going to be horrible. I knew there had to be a reason his spitting up so much. Teething always makes his reflux flare.

Meg

[zippy478]

Just a quick post with a band/cd suggestion

http://www.bananaslugstringband.com/

We picked up a CD of theirs near Jackson Hole one year and it's pretty good. Some of the tunes are catchy. It's time to drag it out again because DS is starting to get into music/dancing again.

In other news - he is a healthy 2 yr old! We had the dr. appt today - he's 24lb 12oz and 34" tall. The dr. said if he keeps growing like that he could potentially be 5'10" and 150 lbs! It will be interesting to see how tall he actually gets - my family has tall men - DH's really doesn't.

I'll post again later when I have more time with toy suggestions!
Maura :)

[MinEaston]

Great ideas for toys! DH is *really* leery of buying toys and totally "cluttering" the house, so I try not to go overboard. I'm definitely looking at an AquaDoodle for Anna to have at my parents' house, especially for when it's too cold to play outside. And I really want to go to IKEA and see what they have. We're moving Anna to a different room this winter, and there will be more space in there for things like a chair or even a little table.

At Anna's last appt she was 31" tall and 23lbs, so she is growing some. Not one week later, we were back at the dr's with a 103 fever and weird breathing, which turned out to be an ear infection and bronchiolitis. 5 days of zithromax and she's pretty much recovered. Only we reverted back to huge separation anxiety! I'm hoping that will pass soon; it breaks my heart to leave for work in the morning with her crying for Mama, in DH's arms. She has no problems once she gets distracted, as long as I am not around. It's making it hard to get anything done around the house without her "help!" :rolleyes:

I'm really late on posting Halloween pictures, but here's my little bumblebee. (And her crazed Mama, who dressed up as a mom :D )
DH took her around the neighborhood but the dark and the witch costumes (especially on familiar neighbors!) were a bit overwhelming.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pae66cdda6649f2adcca2da6c7b517672/ec1f3658.jpg

[gertdog]

Are the maracas that you got the small rectanglar shaped ones? Brendan LOVES these but I haven't been able to buy them anywhere. Our gymobree (the gym) doesn't have very many of the toys for sale - last time I was in they had the balls and scarves. I've checked ebay and the gymboree website.

They're the more traditionally-shaped ones, not rectangular. I haven't seen the rectangular ones before.

[DanaSD]

Does anyone have any experience with the motorized ride-on toys that are for ages 1-3. Fisher Price has a few:
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/powerwheels/

All the kids in our neighbor have the larger one and Brendan loves to watch them drive around. I think he's like to have his own - it says for age 1 and up, but I don't know if he'd be able to use it.

[lisas3575]

Good morning! I could use some mom advice about, er, digestion issues. :o

Owen has *always* struggled with constipation-- not surprising for a FF baby. I thought once we started solids that things would start moving along, so to speak, but that hasn't been the case. He eats fruit with every meal (mangos, peaches, pears, bananas and applesauce which I know are no nos), veggies with both lunch and dinner, and I give him a few tablespoons of pureed prunes and ww toast every morning with breakfast. I give him water several times a day, he maybe drinks 6 oz a day. I try to get him to eat beans when he will, but otherwise it's a lot of starches, yogurt and cheese because that's what he'll eat. About every other week he'll get constipated. The poor baby turns red in the face and tenses up so hard that his arms tremble with the strain. Several times (twice this week), he strains soooo hard that he vomits. :( :( :( Once he finally passes it, it's firm, but nothing that seems rock hard. Does it seem severe to you guys for an 11 month old to still be dealing with this, given he eats a good variety of fruits and veggies?

Our pediatrician hasn't ever been too concerned, "just keep feeding him prunes." She advises against juice which I agree with. I'm going to call and talk to the nurse about it *again*, but my crazy imagination is starting to wonder if there's something wrong with his muscles or small intestine or something. Has anyone heard of this being caused by some kind of physical abnormality?

Sorry about the TMI... WendyW, I hope you're not lurking! :p

[DanaSD]

We've never really dealt with this even when Brendan switched to formula except for a few weeks ago when he was eating mostly applesauce and yogurt. Brendan drinks a LOT though and its mostly formula.

You say he's constipated - is it mostly an issue getting it out or is it also the consistancy? I'd think if the consistancy was also hard, then there isn't a potential issue. If its not hard, maybe try a GI doctor? Also, does he show any signs of dehydration - like a few hours without a wet diaper?

Most of the articles that I read said to try juice - why is the doctor against it? the sugar? I don't think it would be too bad especially if it helps the situation.

[mgs]

I totally understand your relcutance to give juice on a regular basis - but think of it as a medicine. If it is his medicine to treat constipation then give it if it works. Is your doctor against it even in the case of constipation or is she against it as a beverage choice?

PJ has never had a problem with constipation (he goes 3-5x/day!! HELLO!) but if he did I would probably try prunes, prune juice or apple juice. I know you have already tried the prunes. What about heating them up a little? Same with the juice.

Good luck

Meg

[RebeccaT]

Lisa, we have the same issue with Julia. When she goes, about 50% of the time it involves eyes watering, turning red, and a LOT of work. But then, most of the time it's not hard (occasionally it has been, though). I just give her a lot of fruit (peaches and pears are great when she really seems to be struggling, and avocados too) and water, which it sounds like you're doing. Julia doesn't like juice, even if I wanted to give it to her! When we switched to whole milk from formula, it got a little better, but we still have some problems. I guess I just figure that she's going (she's not so uncomfortable that she holds it in) and that she just has to work at it sometimes... I know that's no help, but there it is FWIW!

Oh, and Attention Shoppers! The Little People farm is on sale at Target right now for $19.99 (usually $29)! :D

[food girl]

Lisa,
Have you thought about switching to Iron-free formula for a while? Maybe once you switch to whole milk things will get better. There's alot of iron in formula, some kids are very sensitive to it. I would try juice, the downside can't be worse than straining an vomiting - poor baby.

Lisa

[lisas3575]

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. Meg, why do you suggest heating the prunes? He laps them up eagerly cold, so I'm wondering if it will help at the other end somehow?

Lisa, Owen is taking very little formula anymore, only about 5oz a day. He does drink some whole milk but it's not his favorite. Maybe 3 oz a day at best. I do think that dehydration is contributing to it. He just isn't much of a drinker.

Rebecca, thanks for putting me at ease and knowing that you deal with this too.

[gertdog]

Lisa, I'm sorry Owen is dealing with constipation! Ryan has only had issues twice, and I did go the juice route both times (but he was younger, and not taking much in the way of solids yet, so my options were more limited). I gave him just a few oz. of apple juice each time, and it did the trick. Those are the only times he's ever had juice, so I'm not worried about it. I do wonder about fluid intake- you mentioned Owen drinks up to 6 oz. of water a day, plus about 8 oz. total of formula and milk on a good day. I think Ryan takes about 20 oz. of fluid a day- 16 oz. of milk and at least 4 of water if not more. I wonder if there is a way to get Owen more excited about fluids? What kind of cup does he drink from?

Mariana, CUTE pic of you and Anna. I think it's fun that, now that I've met you, you automatically register as "familiar" to me when I see your photo. :)

Here are a few of Ryan in his chicken costume:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pcfeae4e4bc3a39249bd8320ab4c38b1e/ec1c786d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid218/pd3da4d819514d08420c4240952d945a4/ec1c781a.jpg

[MinEaston]

Mariana, CUTE pic of you and Anna. I think it's fun that, now that I've met you, you automatically register as "familiar" to me when I see your photo. :)

Same goes for seeing pics of Ryan & your DH! BTW, I think Ryan looks more like you :)

[RebeccaT]

Please help...

My baby is sick, and I don't know what's wrong. She woke this morning very listless and unresponsive, she perked up a little to eat, and now she's back to acting weak and puny. She was sweaty and balmy feeling, too, as if she had had a fever in the night that had broken. She didn't feel warm at all, but I took her temp anyway (rectally) and it's only 96.5! I have a call in to the pediatrician, they are fully booked but will try to work me in, and the nurse should call me back... but I am really, really worried.

Anyone have any experience with this? Please? TIA!

[Couperine]

Rebecca - call your ped's office again. There are slots throughout their schedule for sick visits, and at least in our part of Houston, there's no big contagious things running around filling the schedule for every doctor - the nurse may figure if you don't call again, that you decided your baby wasn't really that sick. Call again and see what happens.

[MinEaston]

I would say call again too! Last week when Anna got sick (see post above), I asked to speak to her doctor's nurse to get some advice, and the receptionist put me on hold and then came back to say "bring her in, we'll work it in somehow."

I was already figuring that if they couldn't take me, I'd wait until after closing hours and call the Dr on call and take her to the ER.

[RebeccaT]

nancy, you are right that our office has "sick appointments," but I have been through this before - it's Friday, and rather than "wait and see" most parents try to get their kids in before the weekend. Plus, one pediatrician (mine!) in the office is out of town, so they are a little short.

But, I did talk to the nurse. She was very sympathetic, but said that everything I've described sounds like a virus, including the low temp. She said to keep an eye on her and to call back this afternoon if she wasn't perking up at all. I gave her some Motrin in case she had any body aches, and she did start to perk up a little, and I got my first smiles of the day. She ate a little, has been drinking A LOT, but otherwise we have been snuggling on the sofa watching Sesame Street. TG I have 6 episodes saved on Tivo! Her temp is up closer to normal, and I just put her down for a little nap. Thanks everyone, for your concern - I will keep you posted.

[MinEaston]

Thanks for the update, and glad to hear that she seems a teeny bit better. At least you got to talk to the nurse, and if she's drinking lots that's also good. The "unresponsive" in your first post was what alarmed me...

[RebeccaT]

The "unresponsive" in your first post was what alarmed me...

Yeah, that's what alarmed me, too. Thanks for the concern. :)

[buffygirl]

I need to go back and read up on the toy recommmendations, you all have been busy bees the last few days! :D

Lisa, on the constipation, Rex does this too, it been a struggle for him to go poo since we've introduced solids. He goes 2 times a day regularly, but with a real struggle. Our doc recommeded just a smidgeon of Karo in his milk every now and again. About 1/2 to 1 tsp. This really helps. I only do it when he is really having trouble. It has gotten much better since he is off formula and on whole milk.

Rebecca, I hope Julia is starting to feel better.

Kim

[ShanaG]

Rebecca and Stephanie, where did you find the car and the crawl through tunnel? They both look like something my 20 month-old would love.

We went to playgroup today and I noticed how much more she enjoyed playing with tricycles, cars, gym mats, etc. versus blocks, puzzles, etc. I know she needs to be exposed to all types of play, but I definitely want to be sure she gets a few toys geared more toward active play for Christmas.

[gertdog]

Rebecca and Stephanie, where did you find the car and the crawl through tunnel? They both look like something my 20 month-old would love.

Shana, the tunnel is made by Step2, but I haven't been able to find it locally. After doing some searching online, I think it may have been discontinued. :( I'll be disappointed if that's the case, as I thought it would be a neat gross-motor thing for indoors and it would actually fit in our small living room!

[mgs]

The reason I suggested heating up the prunes is because warm things 'gets this moving' for most people. ;) So if you give him something warm to drink it might start some action. It is up to you. Maybe just for those particularly bad days.

Sorry he is so constipated. I know it plagues many babies and they do just grow out of it, but some not until they are 3-4. I hope not for him. :(

(woops just realized I never sent this message sorry! hope he is better today!!)

[ShanaG]

Stephanie, I was thinking the same thing, as our family room is very small and already crowded with toys.

Does anyone have any specific recommendations for Laurie Berkner CDs? I just heard her for the first time last week, when flipping through the kids channels trying to find a program for my niece to watch. Juliet seemed to enjoy watching/listening to the music video so I am thinking come of her CDs might make great stocking stuffers for Christmas.

[RebeccaT]

Rebecca and Stephanie, where did you find the car and the crawl through tunnel? They both look like something my 20 month-old would love.



The car was on Amazon, and I think it's by Step2 as well.

ETA link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IZEM/ref=wl_it_dp/102-9150412-1652925?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3G58KBH73L9PJ&colid=3OQ8MDJ7UEWQT

[MinEaston]

Rebecca... how's the little one doing today?

[RebeccaT]

Oh, thank you SO much for asking! It was just as the nurse said it would be - she was so much better on Friday afternoon, and by Saturday was acting like herself again. It must have been a virus that just needed to run it's course. Friday morning was no fun, though... so scary.

I, on the other hand, seem to have whatever it was that she had. I am queasy and tired and NO I'M NOT PREGNANT! Just not feeling well. :o

[MinEaston]

So glad to hear she's doing better, and I'm sorry you are feeling the effects now. I seem to have escaped Anna's latest affliction (bronchitis/ear infection), for which I'm really grateful.

Then again, back in February, she managed to bring home a stomach bug that DH and I both got, one week apart, and she escaped. :rolleyes:

[gertdog]

Rebecca, I'm so glad that Julia is feeling better.

I have a question for you all (and any lurking preschool/older kid moms too!). If you usually have a Christmas tree for the holidays, how did you handle that with a curious toddler in the house? I've been trying to think of the hazards and any precautions I can take- any tips on what's worked for you, or what I should look out for? I have a lot of ornaments- but they are mostly porcelain and glass, and so probably won't be on the tree this year unless they are up high, out of reach. I was thinking of doing some felt cutouts (snowflakes, mittens, starts, hearts) that would be relatively harmless. I'd love any advice/stories. Thanks!

[RebeccaT]

Stephanie, we have the same dilemma. I mentioned it to a friend who has a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old, and she said that their family bought a little white picket fence from Home Depot and put it around the tree. It was decorative (only about 16 inches high) and she made it look cute buy stringing some garland on it, and it kept the kids away from the tree itself. I thought it was a great idea, and we'll look into doing the same thing here. I found it online at homedepot.com:

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2114804720.1163529977@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccegaddjghmjiifcgelceffdfgidgio.0&CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc/searchResults.jsp&MID=9876&N=2984+5521&pos=n18

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/161765_3.jpg

I am going to have to talk to her a little more about how they installed it so that it stays up. She did say that it's not really stable, and that it wouldn't truly keep her kids away from the tree if they tried hard enough. However, she said that just having it there was enough, and it kept them from even trying to get to the tree. Obviously it depends on the kid, but it could work for many!

[Couperine]

My dog is the perfect height for banging the bottom of the Christmas tree, so we got a bunch of plastic Christmas balls that look like normal glass ornaments to hang on the bottom of the tree. We mix those with non-breakable ornaments, and I'm planning on going with that and an eagle eye to deal with a toddler and a tree. We got the Christmas ornaments at the local hardware store but they're bound to be other places. We also use plastic icicles from Wal-Mart to fill out the tree, and I put a lot of those near the bottom of the tree.

[jphilg]

I think we're going to decorate thoughtfully (breakables up top) and then just roll with it. I want her to enjoy Christmas, and if that means chewing on all of the ornaments, so be it. I may eat my words, but that's the plan.

We'll probably wire the tree to the wall to avoid any major danger.


Jen

[LaraW]

If you have your tree near a window (like we do) we took a piece of fishing line tied to the lock on one window, around the tree a couple of times and then around the lock on the other window. This gave it some stability in case it was bumped (and was invisible). Last year we kept meaning to do that but never got around to it, and it was fine.

[MinEaston]

We didn't do anything special with our tree last year and I suspect we won't this year either. Right now, Anna rarely goes off on her own to play somewhere without Mama or Papa with her :rolleyes: - her insistence, not ours!

Of course, I think I did take a picture of her last year, helping DH with the lights. She put one in her mouth (didn't chew on it), and her cheeks glowed. :eek: (Go ahead, turn my mommy card in, right now!)

[RebeccaT]

And the hits just keep on coming...

Julia now has conjunctivitis! The ped thinks it's viral, so we just have to wait it out. Poor thing - she's pretty miserable.

I am so ready for my baby to be well again!

[Chelle D]

:o

Am I still allowed to post if it's more than halfway through the month and I haven't posted yet? :eek: :o

I will say that I did scroll through a few times and meant to get back here and never did. Life gets crazy I guess. Again, I am a picture gal and I LOVE all the pictures. The costumes are so cute. We took Maxwell out trick-or-treating this year (we did not last year) and at about the third house I think it clicked that people were giving him something he might like and he got excited. It was a lot of fun. He and his cousins were "1950's" people, but I did not get a good picture of the group. This is the best one I got of all of them together and then of just Maxwell -

http://family.dinesen.us/gallery/albums/16-18-Months/DSC00223.sized.jpg

http://family.dinesen.us/gallery/albums/16-18-Months/DSC00209.sized.jpg

Rebecca - I am sorry that Jlia is sick. Today is the first time Maxwell has ever had a temperature and I feel so bad. As mom's I think we just feel so helpless and just want to snuggle with them until they feel better. I think it was cute that you both snuggled with Sesame Street yesterday. That's the best place to be when you are not feeling well :)

I have no idea what to do on toys. Seriously, Maxwell has played with old Matchbox cars my DH had when he was little more than the thousands of dollars of toys he has overflowing toyboxes here. I think we are going to urge family to go low on things and do as we did last year - open a couple things and put some things up to open later once he's bored. He really seems bored with most things. He loves to play other places (nurseries, etc) but at home, it's cars, trucks, and puzzles and that's about it.

[mgs]

OMG I love the glowing cheeks picture. I wonder if we can recreate it! I looked up on line how to babyproof a tree and the only suggestion I think I will take - if I need to do anything other than thoughtfully decorate - is put a play yard around it. We have a super yard xt that can go in a circle around the tree.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001NVNSO/ref=pd_sl_aw_alx-jeb-9-1_kitchen_25229876_1?tag2=amd-google-20


One toy that I hadn't even thought of is one we already have - it is one of those pop up tunnels. My mom got one for pj when he was crawling and he loved it. I just pulled it out for a little playgroup of 14-18mo's yesterday and it was a huge hit. They cracked up and crawled through in one after the other. They got a huge kick out of it. And they are cheap! I know at costco they had one that had a little pop up house with a tunnel on each side for $25. Ours is just the tunnel, and i can't find a picture, but here is a link to something similar from TRU

http://www.toysrus.com/sm-crawl-n-play-pop-up-play-tent-and-tunnel-set--pi-2267176.html

I hope Julia starts to heal up soon! how hard that must be to have pink eye as a toddler. Trying to keep her from touching her eye will be hard. And it is soooo contagious. Do a ton of handwashing!!

PJ has been pretty sick, too. Bad cough that rated a doc's visit last Friday. They put him on an inhaler which was a waste of money. Simply b/c there was no way we were able to give it to him. He just wouldn't do it. He is just starting to get better. And molars. So we have had a lot of sleepless nights and lots of holding/rocking.

[food girl]

And the hits just keep on coming...

Julia now has conjunctivitis! The ped thinks it's viral, so we just have to wait it out. Poor thing - she's pretty miserable.

I am so ready for my baby to be well again!


I know what you mean, we have been back to the ped this week. (do you think I could ask for gift certificates to the Knoxville Pediatric group for Christmas?) This part of Mommyhood is very hard. Do you by chance have any frozen breast milk left? You know that is an excellent cure for conjunctivitis, drops of it in the eye, not drinking it ;) I didn't keep any, but I meant to. Perhaps if you know someone still bf'ing that you trust....?

Chelle, can we have an arranged marriage between our kids? I think they would make a cute couple.

Lisa

[zippy478]

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to reply to all the posts but I do want to ask a question.

Zachary has been suffering from some congestion for the past week or two. Sometimes it prevents him from sleeping. I called the dr. and they don't suggest anything OTC as far as helping it break up beyond what we're already doing. No other symptoms and it doesn't really seem to bother him too much. Am I just plagued with the kid with the congestion? Any suggestions on what I can do? We already use a humidifier with that inhalant stuff in it, we keep his nose as clean as we can, we put vicks on his chest/back at night to help break it up. Sometimes DH will also use the nose-sucky-thingie/saline drops to help things along.

Any help is appreciated!
Maura :)

[Chelle D]

Maura - Maxwell has been congested FOREVER as well. I asked about it at his 18-month appointment about a week ago and the ped. said just to let it run it's course. It started with a runny nose, then the runny nose went away and the congestion got worse. He has a slight fever yesterday, but he's fine today. He just sounds like he's wheezing all the time.

Lisa - Sure! But she'd have to move up here to Michigan and agree to a TON of grandchildren :)

[buffygirl]

Maura,

We use Benadryl Allergy for Children and that helps alot. Our doctor recommended it since we have so many allergens in Houston. I give him one dose per day when he is suffering from runny nose/congestion. I would be afraid of constant congestion turning into a sinus infection.

Elevating the head end of his mattress *may* help. This didn't work well for us since Rex turns alot at night.

Kim

[mgs]

We have been dealing with the nose/chest crap for quite a while as well. We have used vicks vapor rub and humidifier - which is what the ped recommended. We also used Triaminic thin strips which worked really well for a few doses for day time, and the liquid at night which really sucked. Made him have worse sleep with it! I have used benadryl in the past, but not this time. His sleep has been interrupted by coughing for several weeks now and we are all exhausted.

The ped said that they don't usually recommend triaminic or any over the counter things because they often don't work but we could try it. Well, it didn't work. :(

He is slightly better, but now we have several molars coming in which is also disrupting sleep. ACK and Turkey day is coming up with family coming HERE, so it is going to suck.

good luck everyone.

Meg

[mgs]

Does anyone remember which bb'er was making those felt or maybe wool baby shoes/slippers? I tried to order some last winter, but she said she was moving and would get back to me when she started making them again. I think she moved into an old barn that needed a lot of work....... The shoes were custom order. I want to get PJ some for the upcoming NCAA basketball season :p

I think she had a daughter named Ellie or Emma??

Thanks

Meg

[valchemist]

it is sweetpea (http://community.cookinglight.com/member.php?u=10867) you are thinking of.

[mgs]

thanks for that quick response! I already sent a request. :)

[TerriS]

Caroline has been dealing with a snotty nose for going on two weeks now...the only thing that helps a little is the humidified...no meds ever seem to help. I've even given up on suctioning her nose since it just turns into wrestling match. Instead I just keep the house stocked in tissues. Her spiritis are fine and she doesn't seem like she's feeling unwell, just a snot faucet. Fun.

Re tree - I am hoping to avoid the problem for one more year - we have a cheapy mini tree (like 40" tall) from Target that we put up on an end table. So she won't be able to reach much of it. Maybe next year we'll graduate to a bigger or real tree but for now, path of least resistance.

[gertdog]

Re: snotty noses :D The two things that help Ryan appear to be elevating the head of his crib a little (but as Kim mentioned, if the baby moves around a lot while he sleeps, this may not help) and the humidifier. I tried the nose sucker once and it was not very cost-effective (the cost being how angry it made Ryan!). We've never given him decongestant since our ped said it wouldn't help.

We also try to make sure he gets lots of liquids when he's stuffy, but that's pretty hit or miss. He does seem to be more thirsty when he's congested- probably b/c of all that mouth-breathing- so we try to offer him sippy cups of water throughout the day.

Thanks for all the thoughts on Christmas trees! My general philosophy is that I want to minimize the amount of time DH and I spend saying "No" (no fun for any of us), and I want Ryan to enjoy the tree and lights and all. The Superyard or another temporary fence is a pretty good idea- I'll have to look into that.

Hope the babies that aren't feeling well get better soon!

[buffygirl]

That is so funny about the humidifier. It makes not one ounce of difference for Rex. I guess his is truly allergies versus a cold because the Benadryl works wonders.

We are gearing up for T-day. Rex's 2 little cousins are coming so that will be really fun. Wathching the kiddos play is such a hoot!

Kim

[zippy478]

Thanks for the responses re: congestion. It comes and goes and when I called the dr. office on Friday, they said they don't recommend anything specific but to ask at the pharmacy if I want something OTC...especially since he has no other symptoms. Even when I took him in for his two year appt., the dr. said he doesn't like to give the kids that young any sort of decongestant because it does sometimes tend to keep them awake. So, we will just keep the humidifier running, use the vapo-rub and the nose thingie. Sad to say but I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering through this!

I would elevate his mattress but my boy does not sleep in one position (unless he's wedged between me and DH in our bed as he was last night! :rolleyes: ) I guess we'll just keep doing what we're doing.

No thoughts on the tree issue - haven't really given it much thought yet. I'm hoping that he's old enough to understand but we'll see. I agree that No is not a word we like to use a ton but we will put the breakable ones up high just in case.

Hope everyone is doing well!
Maura :)

[MinEaston]

...the dr. said he doesn't like to give the kids that young any sort of decongestant because it does sometimes tend to keep them awake...
The one and only time I gave Anna an OTC decongestant (Pediacare, I think it was), she had a meltdown at bathtime like I've never seen before, in an over-stimulated way. Since decongestants keep DH awake, I figured she was reacting in the same way. It was not pretty!

I can't elevate the bed either because I have a mover & shaker when she sleeps, but I may be pulling out the humidifier soon. She has another runny nose too. It could be more teeth - 2 yr molars, I guess, since she has all of her other teeth and she got them all "early."

[lisas3575]

Man, I am full of questions today. :p The handwriting is on the wall that Owen is about ready to drop his *afternoon* nap. Crazy kid. He goes back down for his morning nap about 9am and gets a good 2 hours (today we're past three!!!) and the afternoon nap has gotten poorer and poorer. I wouldn't have a problem with it at all except he's starting daycare in two weeks and I don't think they'll give him that morning nap. Should I keep him up until early afternoon instead? I haven't tried keeping him up past 9am because he's falling asleep on his feet by then, and in my experience, making him more tired doesn't help.

[DanaSD]

Brendan has gone down to 2 naps and goes through days where he just takes 1 nap. He alternates between 2 naps (1 hour morning and 2 hour midday), 1 morning nap (2-3 hours) and 1 midday nap (2-3 hours). On weekends he only takes a midday nap.

In the morning he starts to act sleepy but more needs just some quiet time and then when I'm about to put him in his crib he 'wakes' up ready to romp. Or sometime we're in the car so he gets a 5 minute cap nap and when we get home he's awake (he enver seems to fall asleep until we're a few blocks from home). Maybe you could try a calming activity in the morning instead of a nap. Or maybe he'll take a catnap on the way to daycare?

The nice thing with Brendan giving up a nap or 2 is that he has added on an extra hour to his nighttime sleeping and doesn't wake up until 7 (and he'll play in his crib for a half hour) so I can take my time getting up and having breakfast.

[LaraW]

Lisa, have you tried waking Owen after an hour and a half or so, during that morning nap? I wonder if he's sleeping too long, and that's throwing the afternoon nap off. I usually like to get Colin up by 6:45, just b/c if I let him sleep longer, he'll have a hard time going down for the AM nap, and then he's off all day.

Just a thought.

Also, I have found with both my kids that they nap differently at daycare than they do at home. I think daycare is so much more stimulating than home, so staying awake might not be as big of an issue as you think. It might take him a little while to get used to their schedule, but they will probably all take their naps at the same time, vs on their own schedule. Colin never has taken his AM nap well at daycare, and I think Natalie gave her AM nap up there around 9m, but kept it at home until 17-18 months.

HTH

[gertdog]

Ryan takes only a PM nap at daycare- he has never ever taken a morning nap for them (they tried- many of the babies in his classroom do take AM naps). At home, he takes a morning nap most days- but if we let him go longer than 2 hours/later than 11 AM, we generally don't get an afternoon nap. For what it's worth, he gets up btw 6 and 7 AM, takes a nap at home from 8:30/9:00 to 10:30/11:00. Second nap usually happens around 2:00, but if we were off-schedule in the morning it won't happen. Sometimes on those days he falls asleep around 4:00- we only let him sleep an hour and wake him at 5:00 so that his evening schedule isn't affected.

I do agree w/ Lara- babies seem to come up with their own schedules for home vs. daycare. This really stressed me out at first- I was worried he'd become sleep deprived and fussy- and I kept pushing the daycare teachers to get him to take the morning nap. They did try, but in the end I told them to just go with his flow since he didn't seem to be having problems at home as a result of getting less daytime sleep at daycare. His nighttime sleep seems to be the same regardless, so I stopped worrying about it.

I think I remember reading in HSHHC that you can gradually push the morning nap later and later until it actually becomes the afternoon nap- that could be worth a try...

[TerriS]

I actually try to keep C on the same schedule as daycare to the extent possible. She's been on one nap for a looooong time (now is 16 months) and takes that nap around noon-3. She started out doing one nap at daycare but would still do two naps at home on weekends, then gradually starting doing one nap at home. She would also sometimes take a catnap after getting home from daycare around five, but that was when she was still pretty little.

[mgs]

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. How did the babies do? PJ wasn't thrilled about much of anything on the table. He ate some sausage stuffing, took a bite out of one long string bean (I didn't cut it so it might keep him entertained and he would sit for a minute longer) and - well - that was about it! :eek:

So we are now gearing up for a long trip to Seattle Dec9-14th. DH has an interview for a job in 1.5 years (after his fellowship in SF) and they want to fly us all out. It sounded great at the time, now the reality is starting to hit. I have to travel for 9 hours with PJ on a plane. YIKES> I already have a few ideas of things to entertain him - what would you bring? he is a pretty social guy so as long as people aren't too persnickity (sp?) he will probably walk around a lot.

Als0, just reading about the nap responses. PJ isn't in daycare, but I am wondering in general....how long do your babies nap? He has always been a poor napper, but now that we are on 1 nap most of them are only 1.5 hours since he got over his sickness. He cant' seem to really get that nap back. Before his was sick he would sleep about 2 hours with some longer and an occasional short nap.

Lisa, I was also surprised to read that babies drop their afternoon nap and then slowly nudge their morning nap till it is mid day. PJ just shortened both naps to only 40min so after about a week of that we started the long transition to one nap. Which was going well, until recently. I have also heard that during the transtition period they tend to go to sleep earlier at bedtime to help make up sleep. PJ started to go to sleep around 630 and we are somewhere between 630-7pm now dependign on how well he napped. Lately we barely make it to 630 :(

Meg

[RebeccaT]

Julia did pretty well over t'giving, once she got over being sick! Poor thing, she had the conjunctivitis, and an incredible snotty nose, all at the same time, and this only a week after the mystery virus that scared me to death. She recovered while we were in Atlanta visiting family, and spent the rest of Thanksgiving week a happy, healthy girl. What a relief, since we were gone that whole time, in ATL and then Huntsville, AL to visit my mother. She was napping during our big meal, but feasted on dressing and gravy, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie leftovers. Didn't like the turkey, though - she spit it right back out!

Our big news is that Julia is FINALLY walking! Not just taking a few steps here and there (which has been going on for about 3-4 weeks now) but choosing to walk rather than crawl wherever she is trying to go. She has this funny way of holding her hands in the air to help her balance, but she has really gotten the hang of it, and is even bending over to pick stuff up off the ground and standing back up again. I know this is not a big deal to ya'll whose kids have been walking for months now, but we are just so happy at how fast she is making progress we can't stand it!

Meg, for your flight, I'd say pack a lot of books and a lot of patience. Our flight east was only 2 hours, but the dicey thing is that you often get stuck on runways and tarmacs for indefinite amounts of time, and the kids can't roam the aisles then! Also, food - a finger-food snack would keep Julia busy for 15-20 minutes, more than any other activity we brought with us. It's hard, but you'll get through it. You may want to think about an overnight flight so that PJ will sleep, and you REALLY may want to try to get him his own seat - even though the airlines will allow them to fly as lap babies until they are 2, it is really hard to make them understand that they need to stay put unless they are strapped in to a car seat.

Lisa, I have no good advice on the naps that hasn't already been mentioned, but I wish you good luck! It's a hard transition to go from 2 to 1 nap, but you'll be amazed at how much freedom it gives you once you're there!

[jphilg]

Long time, no post.....I have to say, after the last couple of weeks, I am really looking forward to the hum-drum routine of the coming week!

Things picked up speed a week ago Friday; I had a high-anxiety thing the Washington Post Home and Food sections are featuring me in their holiday entertaining spread, and they came to photograph my house. The visit precipitated a previously unknow level of neurotic cleaning.....around 1, and then my in-laws arrived at 4, and Saskia wouldn't nap (for the first time I can remember) so that was just fabulous. Saturday morning, Peter and I left for our Babymoon in Vegas, leaving Saskia with the in-laws, which was also sort of stressful. We'd been running around all week working on our wills and life insurance and all of that, so we were covered for blazing inferno scenarios, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to just drive off. I got over it, though, and we had a great time in Vegas. I slept 12 hours one night! It was romantic and fun and just the right level of Vegas cheesiness. And that's probably it for the getaway for the next 2 or 3 years...sigh.

We returned Tuesday night. According to Papa and Mimi, all went well (actually, according to them, she didn't miss us at all. Nice. Couldn't you have thrown me a bone? Don't get me started about how they gave me all sorts of tips on how to take care of her.....), which made me happy, but Saskia was a little traumatized when we came back. At one point, Peter put his coat on while the in-laws were standing around, and Saskia flipped out, thinking that we were leaving her again. And she woke up inconsolable Wednesday night, and ended up sleeping in our bed (which she hasn't done since 3 or 4 months old). But things seem to be getting back to normal.

Thanksgiving was nice. The in-laws were still there, plus my SIL and some of my cousins who live locally. DInner was delicious, Saskia ate everything we did, and my in-laws left the next day, for which I was thankful. :p I know I should be happy to have such involved grandparents for Saskia, but they are so IRRITATING! I would recite a litany of reasons they suck, but they are mostly petty and ultimately it's me who gets annoyed, not them who are annoying. But we have no plans to get together until after the new baby comes in March, and that's good.

So glad to hear that Julia's on the move, Rebecca! Isn't it amazing how quickly they pick up speed? I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up much longer (because I am definitely slowing down, on the cusp of my third tri!)

Lisa, hang in there on the nap. Once you have transitioned to one nap, it is pretty easy to move the timing around. It's just the transition itself that is so rough.

I finally organized our pictures from the summer and fall. If you are interested: Saskia Gallery (http://purplecow.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=18&g2_navId=xd6e1a0a8) Click on Fall 2006 or Summer 2006. Duh. :D

[mgs]

Rebecca -

I was thinking I wasn't going to take our carseat, he does have his own seat. Do you think that is silly? What do you do, lug it all over the airport with you? that seems miserable to me.

I am bidding on ebay for one of those stoller/carseat combo's that you see used in the airport.

Meg

[jphilg]

Definitely bring the carseat if you have a seat for DS! It will make the trip so much easier... without the carseat, he'll just rattle around in the seat and it's far less likely that he'll sleep out of your arms.

You can buy straps that make the seat sort of like a backpack, and you can also buy snap-on wheels for the seat to make it into a stroller. Here's one version, not too too expensive: Carseat wheels (http://www.safeandsecurebaby.com/cart.php)

Is it a 9-hour flight, or 9 hours of travel with a layover? The latter is a lot more manageable, because you have a chance to run him around. As far as toys, I'd bring books, maybe something like a travel Aquadoodle (is he coloring at all yet? ), and snacks. On our flight back from Mexico, I sang ever single song I know, I swear; Itsy Bitsy Spider through Stop in the Name of Love. Lucky seatmates. :D You'll power through!

[mgs]

OMG I had no idea they had snap on carseat wheels! What a great invention! Thank you so much for clueing me in!!!

It is 9 hours with a connection. I think it is 4 hours followed by 4 hours.

I did find this little toy cell phone today a Target that has Buzz Lightyear talking back. When I pushed the button his eyes lit up and he said, 'ooooooooohhhhh" haha! so that is tucked away for the trip. Many snacks, books. He loves music and in the car I can calm him with my singing.

I can't imagine you sitting there singing Stop in the name of Love. OMG how funny. DH has a wonderful voice so I will let him do that. :p I was looking at the Aquadoodle, I could get that travel pack so if he doesn't like it, it won't be a big loss....

Off to so some internet shopping!

ETA: I couldn't find the snap-on wheels - the link didn't work....but I did find a strap that attaches the carseat to a peice of rolling carryon luggage and that can turn the seat into a stroller. It got rave reviews on Amazon and I purchased it for 1/2 of the ebay price on Amazon Marketplace. I am still a little interested in the wheels, though. Do you happen to know the brand? Truth be told that would be easier than using a piece of carry-on as a stroller. Seems a little cumbersome, but it is a wonderful alternative to lugging an empty carseat around an airport - or 4!!

And another question.... I am assuming we would get pre-boarding. But is it easier to be the last ones on the plane? Probably would be for us, as PJ hates to sit still. Although I think he will think the plane is fun.


Meg

[gertdog]

And another question.... I am assuming we would get pre-boarding. But is it easier to be the last ones on the plane? Probably would be for us, as PJ hates to sit still. Although I think he will think the plane is fun.


Meg, some airlines offer pre-boarding and some don't. We've flown with DS 3x now and none of our flights offered pre-boarding. We did fly w/ a carseat and it takes a few minutes to get that strapped in properly, so our strategy was that one of us (me) would get on the plane w/ carseat and carry-on as soon as our row was called. I installed the carseat and stashed the carryons. DH waited with DS until later in boarding so that when they got on, the carseat was ready for DS and we weren't all standing in the aisle blocking traffic while struggling with the seat and carryons. And PJ wouldn't have to sit still quite as long.

[gertdog]

Jen- when when when will the holiday entertaining article be appearing in the paper??? How exciting for you!!!

[zippy478]

Just replying quick to the airplane questions. We flew about 6 or more hours last year with Zachary. We bought him his own seat and put the car seat in it. He slept part of the way and was actually pretty good about staying in the car seat for most of the flight - which was good as he was a squirmy worm otherwise.

As for entertaining - he found the magazines to be great fun. I took a bag of toys and he got bored with them pretty quickly. I imagine if you have a new toy though it may not be as bad. We packed lots of snacks, water, juice for him and DH walked with him up and down the aisle maybe once or twice.

My recommendations on packing - take at least one extra outfit just in case. Also, pack extra diapers/wipes - especially if your luggage gets lost. Keep tylenol or motrin in your diaper bag. We gave it to DS before taking off and then we had it if we needed it again when it wore off. It helps with the air pressure changes.

We found it easier to wait until the end of the boarding. Seems like most airlines do not offer pre-boarding anymore but gertdog's method seems like a good one. But, we also only had the carseat and one carryon (plus my purse) so there wasn't as much jostling around stowing luggage and whatnot. My suggestion is to pack lightly for yourselves. Maybe a magazine and an extra shirt - just in case - because you won't have much need for anything else as you'll be busy entertaining.

In our world, I'm 36 weeks now and getting antsy. Trying to figure out the plan for if I go into labor in the middle of the night and what to do about DS. Inlaws live about 45 minutes away so that's a last resort only because of the timing. Obviously, we don't want to take him to the hospital with us. But, we'll figure it out. If it's during the day it's not quite as bad as he'll be in daycare - it will just be coordinating the pickup and whatnot.

We had a good long weekend together. It was fun but tough to get up this morning and go back to the real world again. Surprisingly, he was easy at dropoff, though. I figured he would have a fit. DH is going to try to cut his hair (again :rolleyes: ) tonight but we'll see if he's successful. We've got an electric razor and DS will want to "help" so we'll see how it goes.

Hope everyone else is doing well!
Maura :)

[lisas3575]

RE; Car seat wheels: Jen's link isn't working for me and I'm having trouble finding them on the site. Can someone tell me what category to look in? Thanks! :)

[gertdog]

I found this on the site but not sure if it's the item Jen was referring to:

http://www.safeandsecurebaby.com/GoGo-Kidz-Travelmate-by-GoGo-Babyz-pr-16233.html

ETA: Since we're talking about air travel w/ babies, I wanted to mention a new item I saw in a magazine this month. It's a harness, newly approved by the FAA, that attaches to the seatbelt of the plane seat. This is not the same as the Baby B'air harness that's been around for a while. The price is exorbitant IMO for what it is, but it's apparently an option for those who would prefer to check the carseat as luggage.

www.kidsflysafe.com

[jphilg]

Yup...Stephanie found it. Sorry 'bout that. That one is called the Go Go Kidz Travelmate; I haven't researched this particular one, but I've heard great things from friends about similar products.

The Post articles will be out this week, Wed in the Food section and Thurs in the Home section.

[mgs]

Oh, that is what you were talking about! that is a stroller /carseat but not wheels that you attach your carseat too. That was what I thought you meant.

I just got back from looking at a stroller (still trying to find one for SF) and the woman showing me the stroller said she would loosen the straps on the carseat and actually wear it as a backpack, and stroll her son in the umbrella stroller. I thought that was great!

And she showed me this new stroller made by Valco Baby called the buzz = it was WAY cool. I am a little embarrassed to ask the il's for it as a christmas gift b/c it is pricey ($329) but I just might see if they would be willing to split it with me. It comes with all the accessories. :D

M

[lisas3575]

Thanks Stephanie-- I saw that and assumed it was the whole seat etc.

Jen, do you think the article will be published online? Can you please post a link if it does? Congratulations!! How'd that come about? Again, I bow to your greatness. :D

HOORAY for Julia! Rebecca, that is terrific and you must be so proud and relieved. :) I'm so happy for you both. I bet she's just darling cruising around with her arms out.

Thanks for all the great tips regarding naps and poo. ;) Lara, we took your advice and are waking him back up after an hour in the morning (he is so not liking that ;) ) and we're getting a 90 min or so nap in the afternoon again. Not ideal, I think he needs more sleep than that, but I think we're on the right track.

Not much improvement on the other issue. We've taken to giving him the pureed prunes 2-3 times a day, plus juice, plus all his other fruits/veggies. The nurse help line said to try Benefiber, and if that doesn't help, he may have some muscle issue and to bring him in for an assessment. :(

[mgs]

Lisa- how much night sleep does he get? I think that anything more than 2 hours of daytime sleep is plenty. I am a follower of babywhisper and your waking him was a great idea. Pretty soon he'll probalby just wake after an hour. And, if you need to adjust again in the future, just wake him at 45min and so on. IF you need to do it that way. There are some that follow babywhisper who end with just a 15 min snuggle/nap in the morning and get a 2 hour afternoon nap. and eventually that 15min snap goes away. It is a loooong process to get to 1 nap. but once you are there, you are there for a long time (I hope!) I am lucky if PJ does a 2 hour nap in the day. A single 2 hour nap, but he sleeps 12+hours at night usually. I have a friend who has a daughter that would prefer to do ALL her sleeping at night. She puts her to bed at 530-6pm and she wakes up 7:30ish! but she only sleeps 1-1.5 hours in the day. I want a 2 hour nap! :o

Rebecca - I am sorry I think I forgot to congratulate Juila on finding her land legs! How fun. PJ did that 3-5 steps for a good 2 months before he started walking well at 14months.

and everyone thanks for the tips on air travel. I will probably have more questions but you all did remind me that in reality PJ isn't a toy kid, so why stock up on so many toys? He loves books, so magazines will be great and walking him around a couple times. probably a little nap on each leg....and the almighty snack!

Jen - what's this article thingy! lol

Maura - can you have your inlaws meet you at the hospital? I agree, not ideal to bring DS to the hospital, but that wouldn't be as bad. That way you can be on your way and your il's could be, too, and it wouldn't be as long a wait? I worked L&D and that is what a lot of people did. The nurses who work in that environment understand the circumstances and if your son has to be there for 30min they can help out - probably. If you are ok with him being there, that is....

[gertdog]

Yay for Julia on the walking! They truly do everything in their own good time, don't they? :)

So, it turns out that Ryan has functioning taste buds after all. I am not sure if I am relieved or disappointed by this development. Broccoli, a favorite from almost the beginning of solid foods, is suddenly something to be despised and pushed away. Barley, something he's always eaten with no hesitation, is also on the reject list. Is the best thing to just keep these foods in the rotation without actually pushing them?

[Couperine]

Yay for Julia!

Gertdog - I'm pretty stubborn about food for Ethan - if I serve it, that's what he's going to eat, whether it be at that meal or the next. I just save the rejected food and feed it to him at the next appropriate mealtime - I've found that he always eats it the next day. If he seemed particularly stubborn about a food he normally enjoys, I feed it to him solo at the next meal - usually an early start while I finish up the rest of dinner. Something about cooking smells makes whatever he rejected much more appealing.

That being said, Ethan's weight and eating habits have been pretty stellar thus far, so I don't worry at all when he eats very little at a meal because he's rejecting things.

[buffygirl]

Congrats on the walking Miss Julia!

Rex had his 15 month appt today, a little late. He had 3 shots, including the flu shot, and a blood test. Poor little guy. He is now down to the 10th percentile in both height and weight. He's barely gained any weight since his 9 month, I think about 2 pounds. He is 21 lbs 12 oz. His wheezing has also now resumed. :( So we are back on breathing treatments. He was off them from May-October so I guess it could be worse. He started wheezing again as soon as we got a hint of a cold front. There are way worse things that could be going on, but I hate giving hime those treatments every day.

I don't mean to be a total downer. He is a happy little guy most of the time. He has really started snuggling which is sweet. He loves to come up and give us hugs then sit in our laps. It is just wonderful.

I don't have anything to add to the air travel discussion. We are still too chicken to take Rex on a plane :p

Lisa, let's hope for no "assessment" for Owen. Yikes!

Stephanie, you would want to avoid any advice I would give on eating, Rex is the worst eater in the world. :o

kim

[DanaSD]

Costco online is selling the carseat wheels attachment mentioned earlier. Price includes shipping.

wheels (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11177084&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4013903&Mo=16&pos=1&No=4&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=48038&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=)

they also have the sit and strolls (all in one)

[gertdog]

Dana, that really is a great photo of Brendan with Santa. We haven't decided if we'll take him to see Santa this year (mostly selfish reasons- don't want to go to the mall!). We are, however, going to an indoor display of theme-decorated trees next week- Ryan has been so fascinated by the lit trees he's seen in stores that I know he'll really love this. We used to go to a display like this at the Met in Fresno every year and I was always awed by the creativity of the groups that did the trees.

So, today Ryan discovered how to put blocks into his Diaper Champ. It was delightful fishing them back out and washing them- I'm grateful that we only use the diaper pail for wet diapers, not dirty ones. Luckily he only got three in there before I realized what he was doing and stopped him. He's very big on putting things into containers right now- I gave him an empty kleenex box and it is kind of funny to see what's in there at the end of each day. Always a different assortment of stuff (including the TV remote, yesterday).

[DanaSD]

the blocks in the diaper pail is funny...but thats also something I could see Brendan doing any day now. We've really been working on that toy where there's 4 different block shapes to put the blocks through and he's quire proud of himself (we have to show him which shape).

The mall really wasn't bad. We went on Saturday at 1 and waited 15-30 minutes. It wasn't long and DH stood in line while we walked around and looked at the decorations. I went to another more popular mall on Sunday and it wasn't bad either - no lines. I think everyone was worn out from Friday and Saturday when there were more sales.

[valchemist]

kate had her 15 month checkup a month late today. we switched doctors trying to find one we liked and struck out.

this doctor basically told me kate is fat. here is how it went... she said kate is 30 pounds and 33 1/2 inches, 95% for both. and I said, kind of offhandedly, "oh, that's good." she gave me a strange look and then told me in a rather rude tone that at this rate she will be 5'8" and 200 and that isn't so good. huh? she is just 16 months old! julia was this size at kate's age and she is the perfect weight now -- not too skinny or too fat. anyway, the doc said we don't have to put her on a diet yet, but we have to be careful. whatever!

she did a few other things to make my blood boil but I won't get into it!

kate got 4 shots including the flu shot (only 1 dose of that needed).

she is doing really well. still learning words at a rapid clip. and she is finally coming around on her colors and letters now. she knows the majority of the alphabet, caps and lowercase. and though she confuses the colors from time to time, she knows them and how to say them all pretty clearly.

here is a photo of the "fat??" girl.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/pe26e42f34c52307d77a4179005c9bb1f/ebd97c0a.jpg

[DanaSD]

I'd keep looking for another pediatrician. She's not fat and there is no correlation between weight for babies and adults. My husband was also a chunker as a baby and had the same hugh thighs that my son has and now that he is grown up he is thin (and he doesn't work out yet he's skinnier than me and weighs less). My son is also in the 95% for height/weight (25 pounds at 10 months) and so is everyone in his playgroup except for 1. It might be different if they were 10% for height and 90% for weight.

she's a cutie!

[valchemist]

I'd keep looking for another pediatrician. She's not fat and there is no correlation between weight for babies and adults. My husband was also a chunker as a baby and had the same hugh thighs that my son has and now that he is grown up he is thin (and he doesn't work out yet he's skinnier than me and weighs less). My son is also in the 95% for height/weight (25 pounds at 10 months) and so is everyone in his playgroup except for 1. It might be different if they were 10% for height and 90% for weight.

she's a cutie!

thanks, dana. yes, that is how big kate was at 10 mo, too. I wonder if kate were a boy if she would have been on my case as much?? maybe it is a girl thing that you are supposed to be small or something. when I told her she was a good eater, she said, "I get suspicious when babies are good eaters." going on to say that kate was probably eating too much?? ok, I have GOT to stop thinking about this. don't get me started on what she said about the sleep thing. not going there.

[mgs]

Stephanie that is one of the most absurd things I have heard. Like Dana said, it isnt' like she is off the curve for weight and normal for height. She is absolutely on the curve for both. Is she staying on the curve? did she suddenly shoot up? It doesn't sound like that. And what the hell does suspicious of good eaters mean? PJ is a pretty good eater and my doctor said told us at his 12 month appt this bit of trivia - if your baby is small >50% they will slow down their eating around 12months, if they are average (like PJ) expect his eating to slow down around 15-18mo and if they are big (NOT FAT!) expect eating to slow down 18 mo or later. Not stop eating, just not that hollow leg kind of eating that PJ was doing at 12 mo. So far my doctor was right. PJ is starting to eat like a toddler now at 16 months. He eats, but refuses 50% of dinners offered to him. I am really angry at your doctor. Nutrition is a huge thing with me. AND anyway, babies should be chubby up until 2 if you ask me. It is healthy. GRRRRRRRR I mean if this lady had something to say, she sould just come right out and say it not say snarky little things to make you doubt your parenting skills. Another thing my doctor always says to us,"It is my job to make sure you feel good about what you are doing when you leave the office" this woman needs to make rounds with my ped!

Off my soapbox.

[food girl]

I am really angry at your doctor. Nutrition is a huge thing with me. AND anyway, babies should be chubby up until 2 if you ask me. It is healthy.

I totally agree. She's just gorgeous, kate that is, not the pediatrician!

Meg, do you have a snack trap? That keeps Anna entertained for at least 30 minutes. It does bring to mind the kong toys I used to get for the dogs. I bought Anna some pom-poms at a craft store and she enjoys taking those in and out of the snack trap too. That might be a nice, quiet toy for the plane.

I am trying to imagine loosening the straps on a carseat and wearing it as a backpack. I think that would be uncomfortable and look kooky too. Maybe its because I'm imaginining that gosh-awful humongous Britax on on my 5'2'' frame. I would look like homeless mama.

Lisa

[Molli526]

Val-

I can't believe the ped treated you like that. Ugh. Kate looks very proportional. Not every baby is going to be the same size.

My ped, whom I have loved up until now, seemed to question me at Henry's 6-mo why I was still bf-ing him, like I was doing him a dis-service. :( :mad: She asked how long I planned on bf-ing and I should really consider giving him some formula to provide him with more iron etc. PUH-LEASE!

[TerriS]

Rebecca, I logged in just to see if Julia was walking yet because Caroline finally is too! Woo! These crazy kids are on the same crazy schedule!

Flying with the kiddos! Oy! We've done the 5 hour flight from DC to San Diego a bunch of times and Caroline has been to about 10 or 11 states in her short life. We have a Sit n Stroll (carseat that converts to a stroller) and it is a LIFESAVER. If you think you'll be flying much at all, I highly recommend it. We use it as a carseat in our second, less used car so we get daily use out of it as well. And any time we travel we get a lot of envious looks from frazzled parents as Caroline rides along in style.

If you are getting PJ his own seat it is HIGHLY recommended by the FAA that he be in a carseat. I am a pretty frequent traveler and I have seen people getting carseats through the airports in a couple of ways:
* getting a backpack to carry it in
* wearing it like a backpack with straps
* balancing it, somewhat precariously, on the stroller
I have not actually seen anyone use the wheels for the stroller - GoGoKidz and some other brands. I know that they sometimes don't work with every car seat so check before you buy.

I am totally getting one of those kidsflysafe five point seatbelts for C when she outgrows the Sit n Stroll, though. A friend of mine just used it and said it worked well for her very active 2.5 year old. Remember it is designed for for children over 1 year old, weighing between 22 and 44 pounds.

If you are worried about not having enough hands, you can get a family member or friend to come with you to the airport and get them a gate pass to come through security with you. You just have to ask at the check-in desk. This helps enormously. The hardest part (and I've traveled with Caroline by myself several times) is getting through security, because you have to get them out of the stroller and get the stroller and carseat up on the xray belt. that's the worst. People in line or TSA people are sometimes/usually willing to help, especially if you ask politely. But it helps to have a second pair of hands with you.

I prefer to pre-board. I would rather be able to walk on and get settled without a mad rush of people surrounding me. Carrying the Sit N Stroll with 30 lb Caroline in it is tough, because it doesn't roll down the aisle, you lift and carry it with baby in it. Always an adventure. So, I prefer to preboard and get settled before everyone else gets on. I ALWAYS ask if they are pre-boarding. Fewer and fewer airlines do it but most will do it if you ask.

Keeping them entertained on the plane - ditto most of what's been said. Cheerios. Definitely. We lost our snack trap - I need to get another one. Another thing I like is flash cards - I have Baby Einstein animal ones - more pictures to look at than books and don't take up much space. If you have any toys that have a loop on the top made of ribbon or string, that's kind of fun because you can hang it from the little latch that holds up the tray table. Gives baby something to look at.

On our last long flight I successfully made a little tent out of a blanket draped across the seats to let her sleep and block out the light. That helped a little.

Oh, and Benadryl helps them sleep. Ask your ped.

Re baby being fat - Caroline is the exact same size (95th %ile for height and weight) and our ped has never had a problem with it. I'd be looking for a new ped!

Jen, I saw your spread in the paper. You ROCK!!!

[mgs]

I had a lot to say this morning, but PJ sees me going towards the computer and he starts screaming for my attention. It isn't just the computer (I don't spend THAT much of his awake time on the computer!) but also the stove, the phone. ANYTHING I AM GETTING SICK OF IT. Ok, now that is off my chest I can move on.... :p

The snack trap= so funny, I was just looking at it the other day thinking "I can use this somehow as a toy if I could just think of something to put in it" Pom Poms! he will love that. He loves to put things in and pull things out of containers. And if he throws or drops one no big noise. I had thought of flash cards, but couldn't find any online. I didn't know baby Einstein made some. Have to look that up.

I got the little strap to attach to the carry on luggage, so we'll see how that works. I have to try it out a few times. I am going to bring the carseat, as well. A friend of mine said, when he is in it at least he will know the seat is for sitting. I thought that was a good point. I mean, if I sit him on the couch he instantly turns around and stands up!

He isn't a great sleeper for naps in general, and only does his best in his crib, but I think he will probably take a short nap on each leg of the trip. I ordered some Hylands Calm Forte.... it has good reviews. And I don't have a problem with benadryl. I am actually thinking of giving it to him for our first night there to get him acclimated to the time change. Is that wrong???

I have jotted down a bunch of stuff. Oh and my husband is coming so I won't be alone.

Yippee for all the walkers! Nice to have a little more independence.

[buffygirl]

Val, that ped needs to have her head examined. To me, if she is both 95 in both height and weight, that seems normal. And look at her, she is gorgeous and not the least bit fat. I would kill to have a baby who is a good eater. What a weird comment that she made!

[mgs]

just back on to share my little victory for the day. Don't know what on earth I did different, but for some reason PJ is taking a decent nap!!! Yippee rejoice!!!

For the past 10 days he has slept only 1h-1h15min/day !! he has been waking up screaming.

So far he has been asleep for 1h50min. Woo Hoo!!

If I could jump up and kick my heels I would! :D

[jphilg]

Since some people asked, here's the links to the Washington Post articles. I like the Food one much better than the Home one (I'm fairly certain my husband has never used the word "imperative") but hey, what can you do.....

Home Section Piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112900477.html)

Food Section Piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112800292.html)

There are some links to the right with a bunch of pictures; I'm the "cocktail party gallery" if you are interested.

[zippy478]

Jen - that's a great feature! The scallion crab dip sounds yummmmmy! Thanks so much for sharing!

Maura :)

[buffygirl]

Jen, I wanna come! :p How cool, great photos too!

[RebeccaT]

YAY Caroline for walking! I said at the beginning of the month that I hoped that the girls walked at the same time, so that no one was left to crawl alone, and I got my wish!

Jen, that was a fabulous spread, both of them. I really liked the home section feature since it was just about you and Peter, and I didn't have to read about people I didn't know! :D Congrats, you looked beautiful in the pics, as did the food.

Val, I have to say that I am amazed at Kate's verbal and cognitive abilities. Wow!

[lisas3575]

Thanks for sharing the articles, Jen. The were both great, and I loved the photos. You look great! :)

[TerriS]

Jen, you totally rock - ladies - our Jen was the full half page, above the fold picture in today's Home Section. At least in my edition. I got a little Jen with my breakfast. :) SO COOL!!!!

The only thing about giving Benadryl to help acclimate to the time change is that I have found that Caroline will get an hour, maybe two hours out of it, but when she wakes up she is AWAKE. So it's not the kind of thing that you could give to the baby to help them go to sleep early or anything. So, I'm not sure it would help with the time change. In my limited experience, Caroline has always adjusted fairly quickly when we fly east to west, within a day, but it is harder for her to adjust when we come home flying west to east. YMMV. And there is not much we can do for her other than start working on our usual schedule as quickly as possible, and letting her run around as much as possible to get tuckered out.

[valchemist]

Val, I have to say that I am amazed at Kate's verbal and cognitive abilities. Wow!

I am not sure why, but she is just so interested in letters, now. she is in the back seat of the car and attempting to sing the ABC's. a hack job, but she tries. and she is always pointing out letters that she sees in various places. she especially likes her leapfrog fridge letter magnets.

so anyway, of course we encourage it. and I am home with her all day and I have an extra teacher (big sister) around the house, too!

I am amazed at how much older some of these babies look compared to kate. she still doesn't have a full head of hair. she looks like her dad in everyway including her receeding hairline! saski and julia, for example, I think look much more like toddlers than kate... I think she still looks kind of baby-ish.

I have to concur with everyone else... I am very impressed with the Post piece, Jen. way to go!





thanks to ALL for the supportive comments about my (now EX) pediatrician. There was so much more bad stuff she did/said that I didn't mention. while I was in the appt, though, it didn't register that the things she was saying were dumb. I really left the office in shambles and was in tears when I talked to DH about it on the phone from his work. I actually thought I was doing bad things for kate which is what the ped wanted me to think. I know better now, but what a terrible thing for her to do to a mom of an obviously healthy, happy, bright kid. :(

[buffygirl]

You are an awesome mom, Val. Never doubt yourself. I think you are a mom to be admired. :)