Eat Dirt! It's Good For You.

So what kind of mom are you? Do you let your child pick things off the floor and eat dirt because that's what kids are supposed to do? or Do you chase your baby around making sure they don't lick everything in sight and secretly wipe off the saliva covered toys at music class with antibacterial wipes before they play with them?

Maybe you're a little of both or somewhere in between. It's hard. Who wants their child to get sick? While some say,"it's good for them to get sick, it builds their immune system", but doctors say there are hundreds of different viruses, just because your child got sick already doesn't mean he won't get sick again. And when your baby gets sick, you may get sick and then your husband. It's a vicious cycle. Yuck!

But then again we can't be overprotective all the time, can we? And if it's your 2nd or 3rd child who has the time?

But check out this article from the NY Times
"Babies Know-A little dirt is good for you"

It basically says when babies put things in their mouth it is instinctive and all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage that helped us survive as a species.
In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system.

Hmm! Food for thought. So in the meantime maybe dirt worms are ok, but I'm still not so fond of viruses.

Preschool? Are You Kidding Me My Son Is Only 10 Months Old.

Is it too Type A of me to be jealous that another mom's baby got into a preschool and my son didn't. Well it's not exactly that he didn't get in, we hadn't formally applied yet. But who knew acceptance letters start going out before they are even a year old.

I guess some schools start Parent/Toddler programs at 18 months. Pre-school doesn't really start until they are 2 1/2 years old, but here's the problem. If your not in the Parent/Toddler program, you may not get into the pre-school and get waitlisted for who knows how long.

I heard the stories when I was pregnant. Moms saying," You should get on a waitlist for pre-schools, before it's too late." I'm thinking, let me figure the birth part first, then I'll think about school. Now that my son is almost a year...I'm starting to think about pre-schools, but for some that's too late. Good thing for all moms is that not every pre-school requires such an early start. Some won't even give you a tour or consider you until you are 18 months to 2 years old. So I guess there's still time.

But it's tough not getting an acceptance letter to your schools of choice. What is this senior year in high school again?

So I better get on my research. Here's a site that's helpful. You just put in your zip code and it gives you an overview of preschools in your area with reviews.

www.thesavvysource.com

Sleeping On A Plane

We just got back from Oahu and the plane ride wasn't as bad as I thought. While this wasn't his first trip, he's now 9 months old and getting him to sleep is a different story compared to when he was 3 months old and slept in a sling. How was I going to get my son to sleep on me after I had trained him to sleep in the crib?

Well it all worked out. I discovered for my son who likes to sleep on his stomach, he wouldn't fall asleep if I held him, but did eventually after about 10 minutes of crying and whining if I put him stomach down on my lap. I used a soft blanket on my lap and then used a light muslin blanket as a tent to block out light and other people.(my son gets really distracted and wants to play and then will breakdown crying because he's overtired.) So the tent worked, but it was funny to watch him bob around in there until he settled and finally fell asleep.

Tip #1 Go to the lavatory before he goes to sleep because you won't be able to get up after he falls aleep
Tip #2 Tuck the blanket into each side of the tray table in front of you and then either hold the other two sides, tuck them under your bra strap, or pin them to the headrest behind you. Voila! instant tent.
Tip #3 Keep a sippy cup and bottle in arms reach for landing and take-off. Sucking helps equalize their ears.
Tip #4 Plan the plane rides to thier nap times and sleep times as much as possible.
Tip #5 Ignore the crying. All babies cry.