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.

Refusing the Bottle

When does the training end? My son who is now 8 months won't take the bottle. I first introduced the bottle at 3 weeks, but for the last few months I have been exclusively breastfeeding, because my supply was going down and It was just easier to breastfeed then to pump. Now he'll take a sip and then stop, push the bottle away fuss. I'm worried because I'm starting to wean him, he doesn't even take formula. So here's my plan start with feeding bottle once a day, which he used to take with just breastmilk...worked so I moved onto 75% breastmilk and 25% formula. So it's been a few days and usually will only take an ounce or 2 then stop. So do I feed him solids or withold until he drinks more? I've been mixing it into his food.
My mother in law tries, my husband tries and I hide. Its more work then just feeding him, but I have to do it sometime. It's exhausting, but he knows what he likes and won't budge. So I'll just keep doing the same thing everyday until he takes it.

A "Germfree" Outing

Every new mom is a germaphobe, especially once your baby starts to touch everything and then put it into his mouth.  A simple outing can turn into a buffet of germs.   But you can't exactly keep everything away from baby, but can try to keep him somewhat clean without being obsessive.  

At the supermarket I used to carry my son in the baby bjorn, but now that he can sit up it was time to look for a shopping cart cover.   Some are just plain ugly, some too expensive, so after a little research I found one that seems to do the trick and it's also a high chair cover.  I like because it's big, plays music, and easy to use.  


Check it out.    So it will keep your baby's  hands clean.

Learning to Drink From A Cup

I just had to share this photo.   Now that my son is on solids, I give him some water (no more than 4oz a day) after his meals.   Well at first he couldn't figure out how to get the water out, but once he did there was no stopping him.  Good thing it was leak proof cup.  I'd love to see your photos.  Feel free to share and I will post them.

On the Move

It's what moms like to be proud of, yet the day they dread.  The moment your baby is mobile and won't stay where you leave them.   Days of watching them lay or play peacefully by themselves is over once they realize they have the ability to go where they want.

My son went from sudo crawling....doing the inch worm, the battle crawl on his knees and elbows and rolling in every which direction to get around for about a month to full on speed crawling and pulling himself up to standing in a week at 7 1/2 months.  Yikes.  Its so fun to what him develop, but I definitely need to keep my eye on him.  While I babyproofed the house last month  I still had things lying around...remote controls, plastic bags, some loose cords, magazines.  Now it's time to get serious and take a good look at the house.

Here's a link to Home Safety Tips from my babyproofer.