Sooooo many changes!!

I haven't had time to post as there's been so much going on this past week with the little one. He learned to crawl on Thursday, the next day he was pulling up and he can get from lying to sitting. I was surprised the lying to sitting took so long but with all this there's been disruptions in his napping because he's playing and practising in his crib. We've also been taking him out a lot since I go back to work in 6 weeks I want to do what I can while I can. The booster seat has been great for our little picnics as it's so portable and light!

Today is the first time in days he's finally gone down for his mid-morning nap again. I'm hoping we'll get back into a routine since the last few days he's been all over the place!

High Chairs

My son is nine months old and he's definitely not small for his age and we were given an older Prima Pappa high chair by a friend to use. Problem is the tray isn't adjustable so it's too high for him and he can barely see and reach his food now that he's starting to feed himself. So rather than put all that money out on a new highchair we went and bought the Fisher Price Rainforest Booster Seat and I love it! It can be strapped onto almost any chair, it folds easy and can be taken anywhere, the height of the chair is adjustable, the tray can be moved closer or farther away and you can take the tray and back off for when the child is older so they can just sit at a regular table. Best of all my son can see his food and feed himself so much easier. It also comes with removable toys that clip onto the tray and the tray can just be popped into the dishwasher.

Diaper Rash Cream Review

I've been lucky so far that my son hasn't had much for diaper rashes. He's a chubby boy so he had one in a skin fold around the genitals and his bottom gets a little red once sometimes. I have tried about 5 different products including Burt's Bees, vasoline, Parent's Choice zinc oxide, Teddy's choice zinc oxide and Sedocrem and currently I'm waiting to see if I get to review A&D. I find vasoline too greasy. The Burt's Bees and the Teddy's Choice I find go on smoothly, are not too greasy and don't smell more than I'd like. Those two are really similar. I don't like that they don't seem to stay on his skin very long as a barrier. The Sedocrem I haven't used very much but it seems thick so I don't have much of an opinion on that yet. My favorite so far is the Parent's Choice which is a Walmart brand name so it's inexpensive too. I like that it's thicker that the Burt's Bees and Teddy's Choice so it tends to stay on longer forming a good barrier. It's usually still there for the next diaper change where as the other stuff has long worn off. It wipes off easy too and doesn't have too strong of a odor. I use some at every diaper change as a barrier and in the skin folds so I'm always on the lookout for something that might work better than my current product.

Things I didn't know about babies until having one.

I used to babysit a lot when I was younger but spending just a few hours with a baby is nothing like when it's your own and you're with them 24/7. There's sooooo much I thought I knew but really didn't until my son was born. First of all it takes me probably 3 times as long to do something as someone who doesn't have a baby even just a mundane little task like putting the dishes away unless, of course, he's sleeping. I didn't know that we'd need 40 pounds worth of stuff just to leave the house! And of course getting ready to leave the house takes forever! Most days 24 hours just doesn't seem like enough and others it's too much and I can't wait for bedtime! I thought that babies just fell asleep whenever they were tired and I'm sure some do as my son did until he was 6 months old then I had to "train" him for napping, who knew!! And boy oh boy the laundry! Nine wardrobe changes some days (six for him and three for me)! And the food they waste, my goodness! I could feed the hungry with what this kids spits out or throws on the floor! Mommy time has become sooooooo much more valuable! Wanted to add that I used to keep a clean house and now as long as everyone is fed and clothed most days that's enough except for my kitchen. I'm anal about the kitchen staying clean! I do a quick tidy every night after little one goes to bed.

I love my son though and I wouldn't change a thing!

Getting children to read in the summer.

Well my son is only 8 months old so to get him looking at books we read to him before each nap and bedtime so 3 times a day we're reading to him. For older children I know a friend of mine has her kids age 5 and 7 in a summer camp reading program called Fun In The Sun with reading which was offered free at an elementary school. The kids have fun as well as read. For older children one could bring along books on beach outings or on long car rides. It's important to make a routine of it as most kids love a routine so maybe set aside even 20 minutes during the afternoon where the TV goes off, the cell phones and computers are turned off and everybody in the family grabs a book, a drink and sits somewhere comfortable and reads. Take it outside and spread out some blankets if it's nice. On days it's not so nice then take a family trip to the local library where everybody gets to pick out a book or two. If they're old enough then get your child their own library card and let them check out their own books. Have a reading corner in the house that has a book shelf, a nice comfortable chair, a reading light and a small table so it's easy and inviting for anybody to want to sit and read. There's a lot we can do to encourage our children to read throughout the summer. If we make it fun and not so much like school work they'll be more likely to want to pick up a book especially if they see their moms and dads reading too.

My son has Dr Seuss board books made for infants which he loves. He sits there and thumbs through the pages as if he's "reading" and loves to chew on the corners of the books.

Learn more about getting your children to read this summer here

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Making baby food.

I make most of my own baby food though I do buy a few jars for convenience and travelling. Or even if it's something I decided is too tedious to make myself. I look online for inspiration and recipes and my favorite site for that is Well tonight for my son's dinner I made some pancakes that I found on another website that had broccoli and carrots in them (I know, yuck!) and they weren't very good. He ate some (he'll try anything) but made faces before throwing it across the dining room. I ended up giving him some of the chili chicken I made for dinner thinking it might be a little spicy but he LOVED it! He also likes fruits that can be a little tart (ie. mangoes and sometimes nectarines). His little face squishes up but he opens enthusiastically for more! He's such a joy too feed and I love trying new foods with him!

Diaper reviews.

Since my son was a newborn I've tried many different brands of diapers including pampers, huggies, parent's choice, superstore brand and kirkland diapers. The first 3 months or so when he didn't move around much it didn't matter what brand I put on him......they all pretty much worked the same. When he started to bring his legs up towards his chest I found that the superstore brand was no good anymore unless I went up a size because the tabs are so wide that they cut into his chubby little legs. When he got really active around 6 months or so then I found that all but pampers would leak. He can wear huggies but not all night (unless they are the huggies night diaper) and not more than 2-3 hours during the day. Pampers are the superior diaper for fit, comfort and keeping my baby dry even for the 11-12 hours he sleeps at night!

Why moms don't have time.

I really had no idea how much time children take up until I had one of my own. If he's napping then I take that as me time since I have so little of it so I"m sure my friends might be wondering why they don't hear from me much. This article in the Washington Post sums it up really well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201554.html

The heat is on!!

So we're having a heat wave here and it's hot so I took my son outside to his swing slathered in sunscreen with hat and all and after only 10 minutes he was getting a little pink even with sunscreen. We hung out in what little shade we have in the yard and came inside when I noticed I forgot to put sunscreen on the top of his ears.........oops! So....mommies...don't forget those precious little ears!

He's napping now though I'm thinking I might have to get an air conditioner for his room. My question is what do you other moms put on your babies at bedtime? It's warm when he goes down but cools a little around 2-3am and I don't want to be awake worrying that he's not warm enough.

How I get free or almost free diapers and wipes or other stuff.

I don't know how many people know this but at London Drugs you can use multiple coupons towards one item as long as each is a different coupon. I save mine up then when some are nearing expiry I take them to London Drugs and use them up. Some of the employees at London Drugs don't know you can do this but I just tell them it's their policy and they can ask a manager if they want.

There's a lot of good information regarding coupon stacking at London Drugs here.

Contest for wii game.

I just found this contest today.

http://www.momknowseverything.com/2010/06/jumpstart-get-moving-family-fitness.html

Pleeeeeeeeeeeease go to sleep......

Who knew that closing their eyes for 5 minutes is enough to recharge a baby for another 3 hours!!! Well it is and it can be frustrating. Yesterday my 8 month old fell asleep on the way home for 5 minutes so I quickly got him to his crib where he "talked" for over and hour never falling asleep (I left him because he was happy) then 2 hours after I got him from the crib he "passed out" - 3 hours later than his usual nap time. Now today his eyes were getting heavy (he was lying on the floor) so I whisked him off to his crib where he is now babbling away.........

I know.........it won't last forever!