Feeding the girl, take two

Well, gosh, nice to see you again. Been awhile. Sorry about that.

We're elbow-deep in baby food over here, so thought I would just note what we are doing this time, though it's basically what we did last time. I started to explore Baby-Led Weaning, and actually really like and agree with the concept, but in the end, I feel like I don't have the time and patience to devote to it right now. Is that terrible? It also sounds counter-intuitive, as baby-led weaning seems like it should be easier, but I have to wrap my head around a whole new idea and way of planning our meals and I just don't have the mental energy right now.

So, purees it is, at least for a little while. I'm making them and am relying on my microwave, toaster oven, Magic Bullet Blender, ice cube trays and Baby Cubes, just like last time. In a moment of weakness, I bought the Magic Bullet Baby Steamer on a whim from the clearance end cap at Target. The jury is still out. I generally don't agree with appliances that are solely for feeding babies, but I thought it might be helpful to steam a little bit of our dinner to make it more Georgia-friendly. We'll see.

I'm concerned about Georgia being a more allergy-prone kid because she has the most sensitive skin, though I don't know that there is any true correlation. Our pediatrician advised starting with rice cereal, which we did, but that requires extra breast milk for mixing and, frankly, I don't have a whole abundance. Plus, Georgia didn't seem all that enthused with it, so we went right to apples. Then, peas, butternut squash, avocado, banana, pears, peaches and sweet potato. I started to wait the 3 days for each, then just moved ahead. I feel like I wanted her to have some variety? I guess I'll be a little more cautious with the more allergy-type foods. Our pediatrician advised waiting till a year or after for the really allergenic foods, but there is some new data about introducing them quickly after starting solids, which I think we will do.

And, as has become custom, a few recent articles / posts I've come across on the topic:
This Just In - Babies Eat Food from Dinner: A Love Story
And, as linked to, Our Take on Baby-Led Weaning by YoungHouseLove (read this blog all the time!)
Cooking for Hugo: A French Food Education by The Wednesday Chef - she has several posts on cooking for her young son. I think I'm late to this food blog, but I really like it in general
Feeding Baby by Bluejean Gourmet - came across this on Twitter in response to the above post. Love the innernets! This is a great hybrid version of purees and baby-led weaning, I think. She also links to a few other great posts at the bottom - Getting Started by Hellobee, and the series Cooking for Clara on Food52.

And, not food related, but kind of a nice belated Mother's Day post - from the New York Times, Baby Face.

Gear, take two

It's probably quite obvious that I don't have much time to write here. Or, really, not much of use to write about! The novelty of being a first-time mom has worn off, so I feel that much of what we are up to is familiar. I tried to keep the new baby purchases to a minimum - even easier since we can re-use all the "girl" things, but there are a few new things I'm loving that I thought I would share.

I ordered this Baby Cargo Georgi Stroller Bag not long after we got home from the hospital. (Could the name be more perfect?) I got mine at Diapers.com, but seems that it is cheapest at Target right now. It is a good size and has plenty of pockets. Doesn't hold a ton of stuff (not as much as the backpack I used with Ellen), but works as a messenger-style purse and I think will be great on the MacLaren when we get to using it. I even saw that the gals at Ain't No Mom Jeans use it from time to time, so then I felt reasonably stylish. :)

This Conair Sound Therapy and Relaxation Clock Radio kills two birds with one stone - noise machine and clock for nursing. In Ellen's room we had a digital clock plus used our iPod and docking station for ocean noise (ridiculously expensive noise machine). This isn't the greatest clock ever, but is fine for the price.

The Nose Frida snot sucker is flat out amazing. Get it, along with extra filters.

I already told you that I like the Rumina Full Coverage pumping / nursing tank, but I continue to really like it. It has more support than my previous favorite tanks, the Gilligan O'Malley Target ones. I still like the Target ones for sleeping and hanging around the house - more comfy, and cheaper!

We added a few of these Halo Sleepsack Swaddles in cotton to our pile of swaddling items. Last time we used the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe with good success, but I think this go-round their velcro was kind of worn out and Georgia could bust out of them pretty easily. I found that the cotton ones worked best - most stretchy and tight, but had to be washed frequently to keep their tightness. This sleepsack swaddle was kind of easy for Georgia to get out of in full swaddle mode, but the ability to swaddle one arm or no arms seemed to work great for us. We used it to wean from the swaddling with no issues. The newborn size is pretty short and she grew out of it rather quickly and isn't all that long of a baby, so now we use the small size.

This Fisher Price Cradle n' Swing was borrowed from a friend both times - different friends, same swing. It was a lifesaver both times. I guess you'll never know if your baby will like it, but it would have been a worthwhile investment. Hooray for generous friends! This version also plugs in, which is nice.

 And a few other things ...
- Some kind of bouncy chair, just very basic. We were gifted a MacLaren version that isn't made anymore, but it is similar to the Baby Bjorn Babysitter, just much less expensive. I just wanted a seat that would prop Georgia up while we were eating or whatever, and it has worked great for that purpose.We never had one with Ellen for some reason.
- Georgia practically lives in these Tea Collection Footies. They are a great weight for cold weather babies and wash and wear so well. I got several on major sale -they have great sales if you subscribe to their emails.
- I've commented on this before, but we opted to purchase a nebulizer machine through our pediatrician after Ellen needed it for the second time with a wheezing respiratory illness as a toddler. It has turned out to be so useful - we have albuterol on hand and can use it for both girls. We've unfortunately needed it a lot, but it saves us an urgent trip to the doctor on a weekend or whatever. So, if you need it once, buy one!
- Not to toot my own horn, but this blog has been so useful for me. I'm not saying it will be so useful for you, but the ability to look back at what I did with the first child has been great. I invariably find myself saying, "Ellen never did this!" (yes she did), or "how did we ever make this work?". It's so nice to see what we did. Not that Georgia is the same child, of course, but it's a good record. If you have your first child, I encourage you to take notes about those mundane things - it might come in handy!

And, some good old favorites that are worth their weight in gold: Medela Freestyle Pump (did you know that breastpumps are now covered under the Affordable Care Act?), Boppy, Gerber Nuk pacifiers, and Exersaucer (equivalent of this Triple Fun version - love the removable toy bar for younger babies).

Anything I'm missing?

By the by, I think there are more than 3 people who read this (my sister, mother and mother-in-law), so if you do, say hello!

All good things must come to an end

I was thinking about that quote yesterday ... and why, really, must all good things come to an end? So you can appreciate the next good thing? I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on right now, alas, can't hold on any longer. Today is my last solo day home with Georgia for, oh, the rest of my life. I love this quiet baby time. She is such a sweet, good baby and SO easy now. (Well, now that she is sleeping). I know that this, too, will end and she will become more energetic and opinionated and fun - and I look forward to that for sure - but this sweet sleepy baby stage is just awesome. (Not the newborn stage, just to make the distinction).

Georgia's school bag is packed and all of the "camp list" of items has been shipped off to a box under her crib at school. They can't swaddle babies any longer, so I'm also sending her teachers good wishes because it's going to be rough. Little G hasn't napped or slept un-swaddled in probably 2 months. If you look at the bright side, it appears we are farming out the "break the swaddle" training, which is nice. If you look on the dark side, though, I am pretty certain I will be picking up an exhausted baby from daycare all next week who won't eat and will be sleeping like a crazy person at home. In fact, send some good wishes our way, too, if you don't mind.

I'm remembering how un-fun it is to pump at work all day, but I've got all my supplies prepped and ready. I'm currently trying to formulate the best way for me to wake / shower / feed / do hair / do make-up / get dressed / pump / grab coffee / grab breakfast / kiss my loved ones goodbye every morning. I'm tempted to use a stop watch to see just how long each task takes, but I will try to resist. I did order the Rumina Hands-Free Pump&Nurse tank and so far really like it. It's an investment, for sure, but they do have a sale right now and free shipping through the end of the month. I ordered the full-coverage version so I could wear it solo under a cardigan or something and I think it covers enough to be work appropriate. I used their measuring guidelines and the size on the corresponding chart was just right. It is kind of cumbersome to get your pump parts to fit in the tank, or at least takes a little practice, but I did it one morning while brushing my teeth and putting on make-up and it worked perfectly. Huge time saver for me. Will be ordering two more ...

Sweet G also has a cold this week, shared by her loving sister, so I'm hopeful she won't get hit AGAIN when she starts school next week. Yeah, right. She is incredibly snorty and stuffy, but no fever and otherwise happy. I forgot that I had purchased the Nosefrida Snotsucker in a fit of nesting several months ago. Pulled it out today and it is AWESOME. So much more effective than the bulb syringe.

And, finally, came across this article last night while perusing my phone and pumping ... That Baby Wants to Break You Up. I can't say that I ever felt things were this extreme in our household, but the newborn stage is no joke and this summed up some of my feelings. Sleep deprivation is terrible and I can now look back and see that I've been pretty freaking tired for the last 4-5 months, with a several week period of serious lack of sleep thrown in the middle just for kicks. It is hard and makes me a difficult person to be around. Our mornings and evenings are finally pretty pleasant again and I seem to be hitting my stride during my days home with both girls. I'm much more patient and Ellen seems more calm. I will say that the silver lining of having a non-napping older child is that I can dictate when her "quiet time" begins - i.e. it starts the minute I put Georgia down for her nap. Now that Georgia's schedule is pretty predictable I have finally figured this out and it gets me (most of) an hour to myself each afternoon. Essential.

Breastfeeding, take 2

Sporadic posting, I know. That really is What I've Learned So Far ... no time for things like this!

I did want to take some time to note my experience with breastfeeding this time around because it was one of the things I was nervous about with baby girl #2. I nursed Ellen for 10 months and I'm pretty sure we had the typical course ... major learning curve at the beginning, figured it out by about 1 month, and then coasted pretty smoothly (with an over-abundant milk supply) to 10 months when I weaned her before a vacation and she was majorly distractable / disinterested.

Despite all that, it was seriously a distant memory and I could hardly fathom doing it again. I dug out my pump (the Medela Freestyle - still convinced it's the best thing around) and found that all my old pump parts were pretty grody. I was planning to order replacements, but that sealed the deal. I guess the old style of breast shields (the Soft Fit) didn't hold up over time, so they aren't available now. I ordered replacements and they come in sizes - I started with the 24mm (standard) and moved up to the 27mm after my milk came in. I have 2 full sets of parts and will have 3 when I go back to work to avoid so much sanitizing and drying during the work day. I also got replacement tubing, just because, I guess. I had everything sanitized and ready at home before I left for the hospital.

The day before I delivered I was looking up breastfeeding videos on YouTube (lame), but I didn't really even remember the terminology and such and needed a little refresher. Lansinoh had a decent video that was protected under like 3 warnings about being age 18 or older - really?

I don't remember much about the hospital days of breastfeeding with Ellen, other than the fact that she was SO SO sleepy that we spent most of her feeds trying to wake her up. I think she was latching well, though, and hadn't lost too much weight when we went home.

This time was different - Georgia didn't latch well at all and kept her tongue at the roof of her mouth. She wasn't tongue tied or anything, just more of a general disinterest in eating. I felt much more comfortable with the nurses and lactation consultants trying to help me, and I felt more confidant in what I was doing (it really is like riding a bike ...) and they all acknowledged that I was doing everything correctly, but that she was just difficult. It was super frustrating, even with my knowledge base, and I'm glad she was #2 instead of #1. I ended up using the hospital pump and pumping after trying to nurse, then giving her colostrum through a syringe on my finger or in her mouth while she was nursing. It was super annoying and very difficult to do by myself and I couldn't see how this would translate to us going home.

Over our 3 days in the hospital she showed VERY SLOW progress, to the point where we all felt comfortable going home and following up with a weight check the next day. Her best feeding was right before we left the hospital and then her weight check the next day was promising. She continued to nurse better with each feeding and by about day 5 she was totally fine - no more tube feedings or any assistance. One of the lactation consultants commented that when she had her babies (25+ years ago), no one expected breastfed babies to eat very well for the first 3 days. Now we get in a panic about it, when I think it just takes time for some babies to wake up and show interest. That certainly seemed to be the case for Georgia (fortunately).

From that point her weight gain was great and I even thought she was a better / more relaxed / possibly more efficient feeder than Ellen. She was eating 7 times in 24 hours and I was able to read or check email on my phone while she nursed, which I could never do with Ellen (needed all hands on deck). Then fast forward about 3 weeks and I had searing, toe-curling pain when she latched on. I was afraid it might be a yeast infection or something, but when I assessed the situation I realized it was just a lazy latch. She was getting milk, but wasn't latching well and I was paying the price. I did quite a bit of reading and even watched some videos (Jack Newman's site is good) of a good latch to really get a picture of what I was aiming for. I worked hard for a few days to improve her latch, which was successful, and it has been smooth sailing since then. So, in the end, it really was about 1 month until everything seemed easy for both of us.

Some tips I have learned this time around:
- Use lanolin (or a comparable product) EVERY TIME you nurse or pump. I started in the hospital and have been diligent and I haven't had any cracks or bleeding.
- Have some smallish ice packs on hand and frozen for when you come home from the hospital. When your milk comes in you will be happy you have them (cold is better than hot - that just adds to the inflammation). I would wear my nursing tank, then a zip up jacket on top to hold the ice bags in place.
- I pumped much more this time when my milk came in, which I think helped matters. With Ellen I think I was afraid to pump too much for fear it would just produce more milk. This time I bet I pumped 4 or 5 times the first day, and 2 or 3 times the second day, in addition to feeds until my breasts felt soft(er). By the 3rd day I think I was pretty much back to just the regular feeding schedule.
- While you are doing all that pumping, just save your pump parts in the fridge in a ziploc bag so you aren't constantly sterilizing and drying parts and use them as needed.  It should be fine for 12-24 hours.
- We are still using the little Medela regular neck bottles that fit on the pump for Georgia's bottles. She takes them just fine (gave her first bottle around 3-4 weeks, no issue). I sterilized all the bottles and caps and rings before we left for the hospital and bought new slow flow nipples. Nipples for regular neck bottles are almost impossible to find anymore, just FYI. I don't even think Medela makes them - I used the Green To Grow ones.
- I still pump at least once a day (usually last feeding of the day when she gets a bottle from Dad) and sometimes twice (early morning after first feed now that she is mostly sleeping through the night).
- I am on the hunt for a good hands-free pumping situation that might allow for me to get ready for work in the mornings while pumping. I have read good things about the Rumina tank and may splurge.

In the bag

Serious business today.

I need advice.

What kind of purse are you carrying these days??

I am finding myself in this strange period of not needing a diaper bag, yet needing both of my hands (and sometimes a 3rd hand) for child wrangling. I used the backpack with great success, and still do for long outings (zoo and such), but I just don't need it to run to Target.

I was gifted a very nice purse that I have used everyday for 2 years, yet it fell victim to the house renovations and has a big splotch of paint on the side. (Which pretty much just explains my life these days). The problem, though, is that it just goes over my shoulder like a normal purse, but doesn't stay on said shoulder when I am lunging for a child, or carrying 2 grocery bags and a child, or wrestling with a child in the freezer aisle.

I am definitely a 'purse' girl .. not in the sense that I care about labels or price (I'm cheap), but I carry a lot of things that seem necessary to me and I just can't swing the big wallet approach.

I was thinking a messenger / cross-body style? Or something with an option for messenger style? I don't want it to be too sporty looking. And, I need some kind of compartments inside - a huge tote bag is just a bottomless pit to lose things for me.

Suggestions? Tips? Pointers?

I'm all ears.

Some follow-up

I've been meaning to post about one of our favorite baby gear items that has made a re-appearance in our house. The Boppy!

I expressed my Boppy love previously - it was the perfect nursing accessory for us. Then after Ells was weaned, it made its way to the linen closet, never to be heard from again. Ellen pulled it out a few months ago - she had seen her baby cousin use it and wanted to get it out for her to play with. Then she asked to put it in her crib. Then I realized it is the perfect pillow!

I guess some toddlers like pillows and some don't, but she really loves her Boppy pillow. And, what's not to love? It's kind of like a baby version of those body pillows. Washable cover. Done. She was riding it around as a horse last night, too - the fun never ends.

Also, switching gears, some Dentist follow-up. I posted a few months ago about our prep for the first visit. I just wanted to say that it was wildly successful! Ellen was a great patient, so compliant, and not a peep or a tear. She even talked to the dentist about germs and sugar and plaque, for heaven's sake! We watched the Bucky the Beaver DVD no fewer than 37 times and it was sad to return it to the library. Almost 2 months later she is STILL talking about the dentist and she likes to pretend play dentist quite a bit. She still fights us on brushing at bedtime, but I'll take it!

Bag it

How are you all managing your baby bag these days?

I never really got into the 'formal diaper bag' idea ... it didn't fit our lifestyle very well. We are kind of homebodies on our home days, or our girl already has everything she needs at daycare.

My approach thus far has been to have a 'baby station' in our living room, located in a large Lands End canvas bag. (I think I've previously mentioned my love affair with these things). We have diapers, wipes, a few spare outfits, burp cloths, plastic bags - you know, all that miscellaneous crap.
It also includes our Skip Hop Pronto changer, which I just LOVE and couldn't live without.

When we are headed out of the house, I just grab our medium Lands End bag (see - told you - obsessed) and transfer whatever we need - pronto changer, spare outfit, add a sippy cup or snacks and go. This bag also serves as the daycare bag, hence the frequent packing and unpacking.

This has worked pretty well for us, but now that Girly is older and more mobile, I am finding the need for a change. I have several friends who use backpacks for their baby/diapering needs, and I've finally stolen their idea.

I just ordered the Lands End diaper bag backpack upon the recommendation of a friend.
Truly, I don't have stock in this company, but I probably should. I just love to monogram things, you know.

I need to be more hands-free these days ... chasing Girly at the zoo, or farm, or just down the driveway, doesn't work with an open-topped bag in one of my hands. Or, I hang the tote bag on the stroller, chase her, and then watch the stroller fall over.

If a second child joins our family someday, I suppose this plan will need a revision - seems you need a lot more stuff for 2 kids, and not just twice the stuff - more like 10 times the stuff.

Also, are any of you organized enough to have a 'car kit' of sorts? Kind of an emergency stash for the things you forgot or didn't think you would need? I haven't been able to get my act together enough in 19 months to accomplish that, but maybe you have some tips ...

Uncharacteristically efficient

We just started getting delivery of organic produce.

To our front steps.

Could anything be better?

I'm thrilled with Door to Door Organics so far. (If you are in Colorado, Kansas City, Michigan or on the East Coast, check them out!)

It has been great for our meal-planning, healthy-eating, and saving-the-Earth-ness. (Too far? Maybe. But, I do feel better.)

However ... to the point ... I generally hate to waste food, and I find it especially repulsive to waste organic food. I am liking our composter for the kitchen scraps, but it can be a challenge to use up every bit of the fresh fruit and veggies before the next box arrives.

So, here are a few of my new strategies:

Blanch veggies and flash freeze
I happened to be cooking some pasta for dinner, and it occurred to me that I should just use that already boiling water to cook some broccoli and cauliflower that we wouldn't get to before it went bad. I pulled out the pasta, threw in the veggies, and let it cook for about 2 minutes. I drained the veggies and spread them out on a kitchen towel on a big cookie sheet. After they cooled to room temp, I put them in the freezer all spread out. After fully frozen, I tucked them away in a freezer bag for future use. I have thawed just a few pieces in the microwave for Girly's dinner, or will likely thaw a bigger amount and mix into mac and cheese or something.

Slushy fruit soup
This sounds kind of fancy, right? It isn't at all. We had a bunch of fruit leftover from a party - pineapple, oranges, kiwis, strawberries - and it was starting to look dismal. I put it all together in our Magic Bullet and then froze the blended fruit in ice cube trays. I thaw 2-3 cubes in the fridge, or just barely zap them in the microwave. It's a good, refreshing treat and good for spoon practice.

Frozen berries
Girly loves, loves, loves berries. They do seem to spoil faster than most fruit, though. If I have extra that I don't think we'll get to, I just freeze them spread out on a cookie sheet (or even better, the plastic lid to a tupperware container or something so they don't stick). You can thaw them to mix with yogurt, but Girly likes them frozen and chopped up. A cool treat!

I'm usually not good at this pre-planning business, but it does kill two birds with one stone: avoids wasting food AND gives you quick meals for the kiddos!

Sleep props

Ok ... seeking advice.

In an effort to cut down on the 5am wakings, I am seeking any and all tips for keeping your kid quiet in their crib!

We have two loveys (fondly named "Dee-dee") that are a great comfort, but, alas, do not encourage Girly to go back to sleep. As a side note, now that she has clearly declared her preference for two particular loveys, I am ordering a spare of each while I can still find them.

In just the last week, I've started putting a soft book in her crib when I go in to check on her before I head to bed. The first early morning I think it distracted her a bit, but not so sure that it does anymore.

When is a pillow OK in the crib? She is still so wiggly and spins around in her crib all night, so she doesn't sleep with a large blanket. I can't imagine a pillow would really make much difference, but I've read testimonials elsewhere and I'm desperate, people.

In case you were wondering, the black out shades don't seem to be doing diddly squat. I'm glad I didn't invest in real shades. We've been using the ghetto fleece blankets tucked around the shades, just like frat days.

What are your thoughts on a special alarm clock that signals your kid when it is OK to wake up? There are several versions out there ... this Kid'Sleep version looks cute. I'm pretty sure she is too young at 16 months to comprehend, but I think she is smart and I also think a $40 investment in my future sanity could be warranted. If I just knew that there might be an end to the 5am wakings (before she is 17), I might deal better.

I realize that the lowest tech solution would be to let her cry in her crib until the appropriate wake-up time. Let me tell you that this is not working. We have been doing that for at least 2 weeks and she is still up 5-6 nights out of 7 at about 5:20am, and the remaining nights it might be 5:45am. It is a sad day when sleeping until 6:30am sounds like heaven.

I fear we may just have an early riser and we'll just have to get used to it for the time being. If there is an alternative solution, though, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

What's for dinner? Food.

As I mentioned, Girly decided to go on a spoon/fork strike right after we left for Hawaii. I called my Mom to check in and she said that Girly didn't like any of the food I made for her.

Umm, thanks.

More like she didn't like them served on a spoon. I had an inkling this was coming - we were having a lot of food spitting and batting at the spoon.

So, now I've gone to almost exclusively finger foods and I use a spoon only very occasionally to feed her. I should have her start to practice feeding herself with a spoon, but I'm not quite ready for that level of mess.

Breakfast has been the bigger challenge for me - I used to feed her plain yogurt and a fruit puree every morning. It was fast, easy, and she gobbled it up. I had a recipe for some pretty healthy oatmeal pancakes, so now she gets one of those in the morning, all chopped up. I made a double batch, froze them and can zap one at a time in the microwave - super easy.

Oatmeal Pancakes - 1 recipe, makes 10-12 small pancakes
1 1/2 cups whole oats
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese (small curd)
2 eggs, lightly beaten, or 1 cup Egg Beaters
splash of milk
1-2 Tbs sugar (less for baby)
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 tsp baking powder

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in wet ingredients and stir together. Puree with a stick blender / immersion blender / blender. It will be very thick and unappetizing looking - can thin a little bit with milk, but it doesn't have to be too thin. I cook them on an electric griddle at about 250 degrees. Use lower heat because they are thick and take longer to cook than your average pancake. Use about 1/4 cup per pancake. Also good with sliced bananas/apples/pears added after the first flip. Cool on a cooling rack, then stack between wax paper in a tupperware container to freeze. This is a version of a Weight Watchers recipe - can make them very low fat for yourself with fat free cottage cheese, egg beaters and Splenda for Baking. Good and filling!
(Note - I'm not really sure about the rule with baked goods and eggs. I know egg whites should be put off until after 12 months, but our Girl has had them before in other foods and was fine. If you are concerned, ask your doctor, of course!)

I don't know if it is good or bad timing to start the finger food phase at the start of Fall/Winter. On the one hand, there are very few fresh/seasonal fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, it is probably easier to pull stuff out of cans and the freezer. And, the seasonal stuff now, like pears, have to be really ripe before she can eat it - takes quite a bit of pre-planning.

I've got cans of peaches, pears, tropical fruit and fruit cocktail in my pantry - all packed in juice. It is surprisingly hard to find fruit packed in juice and not syrup. I just chop up a can or two at a time and leave in the fridge. I also have frozen mangoes in the freezer, which thaw quickly in the microwave and have a good texture. Bananas, of course, always work. Did you know that you can put bananas in the fridge when they get to the perfect eating texture and they will stay that way? The skins get super brown, but the fruit stays good.

As for veggies, frozen peas work great - just thaw a few at a time in the micro. I think only certain veggies taste good frozen - if I'll eat them, I'll make them for her. I have also been chopping up squash and sweet potatoes in a small dice, roasting it, flash freezing it and storing in the freezer. It is a bit tedious, but if you take an hour or so to make a bunch, it lasts forever. Butternut squash seems to be the easiest to chop. I just pull out frozen veggies, cover in water in a ramekin and zap for a minute.

Girly really likes beans - canned black beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, refried beans. I just rinse the beans and store them in a plastic container in the fridge. She eats them cold, cut up if big/firm, and it's easy protein. She also really likes a quesadilla with a whole wheat tortilla, refried beans and shredded cheese. She'll eat half of a small tortilla, all cut up, and I can save the other half for the next day.

As for other dairy, I've stayed away from yogurt and cottage cheese because it is so messy for now with the spitting. Fresh mozzarella is a good option, but goes bad quickly. She also likes string cheese chopped up, or shredded cheese. Whole milk ricotta is good mixed with pasta.

Mixed up pasta with some combination of veggies / cheese / meat / sauce is also good and freezes great.

As for gear, we're starting to use plates - for learning and because the lip of the plate is good leverage for picking up foods. And, good for throwing! The one drawback of the Fast Chair is that it is hard to use a place mat. We are fully past the cute little baby bibs and on to bibs that catch things. So far, I really like the Bumkins and the DexBaby brands. I plan to use one of those easy 3M hooks to hang the bibs up to dry on the side of the cabinet by my sink. If you have a nice kitchen, you may not like the look. Me? With all the bottle paraphernalia and pacifiers, I don't think anyone will notice! The bibs have really helped with the splatter on the floor, but I know you can get cute splat mats. I've also read a tip to use one of those plastic pads that go under office chairs from Office Max, or just plastic sheeting that you can buy by the yard at JoAnn.

More than anything, I strive to get my act together to plan meals that we can eat and that will also provide leftovers for Girly. Alas, the biggest challenge of them all ....

This is it - I swear

Are you tired of the breastfeeding and weaning talk? ME TOO.

Just to wrap it all up, I thought I would note those things that I really couldn't have lived without for the last 10 months.

- Medela Freestyle pump, as I've gushed over before
- Extra pump parts and breast shields - makes life so much easier
- Lansinoh milk storage bags. As I've mentioned before, these are less expensive than the Medela bags. Also, now that I am using up my frozen milk, these are for sure the easiest to thaw and transfer to bottles.
- Lilypadz! A little pricey, but SO worth it in my opinion. I've been through 5 sets! I found out pretty quickly that it was annoying to wash and dry one set every day. Two sets work much better - wash and dry one set while you are wearing the other. I just kept a bottle of dish soap by my bathroom sink and scrubbed them up before I showered.
- Gilligan & O'Malley nursing tanks from Target. I liked these the best and they are much less expensive than a lot of others. I have about 8 and I wore them almost every day for months and months and months.

Also ... a few things I've learned or would do differently.
- Weaning was sad in some ways, but the freedom is great. I scheduled a full day of fun shortly after I weaned the Girl and it was the first time I could be away from her all day without pumping. Heaven! Do something special for yourself - you deserve it, whether you breastfed for days, weeks or months.

- Our Girl will eat virtually anything and didn't bat an eye at formula, despite the fact that she hadn't had any from the time we got home from the hospital until about 10 months. I worried about it and wished I would have introduced it earlier. She didn't care, but another babe might.

- Next time, I won't be so crazy about the pumping schedule. I CLEARLY had a good enough milk supply to make it through. It is nice to use up the frozen milk to cut down the formula bill, but was it really worth all that time pumping? Not sure ... and, now I feel obligated to use up all that frozen milk, so it really isn't as simple as scooping powder into a bottle. I'm digging through frozen bricks of breast milk, thawing it the night before, mixing it with formula, on and on. The things we do for our kids ...

- My extended weaning schedule worked really well. I had little to no discomfort with dropping feedings. I thought the first feeding would be easiest to drop and the last ones harder, when it was actually the reverse. I had a lot of fullness and leaking the day or two after I dropped the late afternoon feeding, then never again. My milk supply dropped very quickly and I even moved up our schedule without any issues.

- And, my public service announcement. In my line of work I meet a lot of women who have a family history of breast cancer. If they are of childbearing age, I always tell them to be mindful of any breast lumps or changes while breastfeeding - don't chalk it up to breastfeeding when it might be something else. If a lump or change persists for several weeks, be sure to see your doctor - better safe than sorry. I have noticed several hard lumps since I've weaned the Girl - very likely blocked ducts. I worried a bit and asked my lactation consultant, and have been working them out in the shower under hot water, which is helping. The point is - pay attention to the girls, not just the Girl.

Most importantly - ask questions of anyone you can find! Lactation consultants for the technical stuff, but friends, too. I always marvel that my friends are basically raising my kid, in the sense that I would know NOTHING without them. Use the people who have gone before you - they are the BEST resource!

Omnivore

Our Girl is really eating up a storm these days! Despite a little hesitation on her part initially, she now whole-heartedly devours her meals. It brings us both great joy.

She has been eating 3 meals a day since about 7 months of age - now about half a cup of food per meal. I still have trouble finding guidelines about how much she "should" be getting, but she seems satisfied.

We are on to almost all finger foods, although she still gets fruit purees mixed in with her morning yogurt. Mainly because it is much easier for me to thaw 2 cubes of fruit and mix it with yogurt than to chop up a bunch of stuff for her to eat. I'm trying to store up some frozen plums and peaches/nectarines for the Winter months, since apples and pears and bananas get kind of boring.

I really waited to introduce meats until after 9 months, mainly because I thought it would be annoying to prepare and I thought she might not like it. I was wrong on both points.

My first meat attempt was to broil a chicken thigh and shred it very small for her. While it was very simple to cook, the shredding was irritating. I have a major fear of her choking and stringy meat was just too much.

So ... on to other recipes. I found some great ones at Nurture Baby that she really likes. I had a whirlwind weekend of cooking and made the Baby Bolognese, the Gobble Me Up Turkey, Lovely Lentils, Pork Chops and Applesauce and Vegetable Lasagna. She loves it all! And, it truly all tastes good - I would eat any of it.

Since she eats larger portions now, I froze everything in muffin tins. She can eat a whole portion of pasta for a meal, or I'll split the meat between two meals. My mother-in-law gave me a VeggiChop and it works GREAT for meat. I had used it some for fruits when she would eat them a little chunkier, but it shreds meat perfectly in small bites. A blender or cuisinart would puree the food too finely, I think, and she isn't quite ready for very small cubes.

On a related note, I am becoming much more aware of food issues as they relate to children. I love food, I love cooking and it is becoming increasingly important to me to pay attention to what I am eating and where it is coming from. I try to buy local or organic when possible, especially for Girly, and I really try to buy seasonal food (so, sniff sniff, then end of tomatoes and corn and all manners of tasty fruit is right around the corner).

The idea of "school food programs" is especially worrisome to me and something I am learning more about. They aren't all bad, but GOOD is also not a word I would use.

Here are some resources and websites that I find helpful / interesting:
Eat Well Guide: search for local farmers markets and sustainable food resources
Raising Foodies: this is a fun blog from a Dallas-based mom who is trying to get her girls to eat foods that don't come from boxes
School Lunch Talk: good updates on the status of school lunch and related legislation around the country
The Lunch Box: resources for healthy lunches - aiming to create a "tool box" for schools
Slow Food in Schools
Better School Food

Also, if you are at ALL interested in food and/or the environment, you should read The Omnivore's Dilemma. I am way late to the game on this one, but I had been reading about the book forever and finally picked it up. Truly eye-opening. I am by no means perfect when it comes to eating and the food we bring into our home. I have a serious weakness for fast food and french fries. BUT, I am paying attention and that is a good start.

Check it out

The nicest friend volunteered to lend us her daughter's old crib so our Girl would have a place to sleep at Grandmother's house while we are in Hawaii.

(Yes, Hawaii! I know I already gloated, but I'm doing it again. HAWAII!)

There weren't any instructions to put it together, and because I am anal and OCD, I needed some type of picture to show me where the 6 bolts went.

I googled the make and model to find an instruction book, and low and behold, the crib had been recalled this year.

It never would have occurred to me to check for that.

While it probably would have been fine, you just never know. And now, through a pretty simple process, I can get a brand new crib for FREE!

Something ridiculous like only 15-30% of recalled items are ever actually returned/fixed. The system to notify parents is not at all straightforward or comprehensive. YOU are the one who must be vigilant and pay attention.

Especially for the bigger baby gear that gets shared among friends, just do a quick search when the item rotates to your house. You will be protecting your baby and the ones down the line ...

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

My Current Approach

I am really having a good time planning the Girl's menu these days. Making our own baby food has been pretty simple with a little planning and I think the cost is about the same (or less) as if I was buying the organic stuff in jars.

The gear:
- Baby Cubes
- ice cube trays
- Magic Bullet
- immersion blender
I've mentioned all these before, but they really are essentials at our house.

The "recipes":
- Baby and Toddler cookbook
- Cooking for Baby
- Babyfood 101
- Nurture Baby
You don't really need "recipes", but more for inspiration. Also, we were lucky enough to get a few cookbooks as gifts. You don't need to buy them, though - there is tons of stuff on the internets.

The process:
If I spend a few hours on a weekend, I can easily make enough food cubes to last the Girl for 2-4 weeks (depends if it is a FAVORITE food or merely a TOLERATED food).

I do buy organic produce when it is "recommended". Usually this is at a farmer's market (makes me feel better about spending the money) or at Whole Foods. Our farmer's markets in the Midwest rarely have a lot of fruit, but do have tons of veggies. (I also shop at our local Price Chopper and on Tuesdays they have 10% off organic produce - ask at your store!). Also, I use some frozen foods (mangos and peas at this time, but probably more during the winter).

I bake in the oven (potatoes, butternut squash), microwave steam (carrots, peas, zucchini) and cook on the stove top (most fruits).

I fill the Baby Cubes or ice cube trays with the pureed food, lay plastic wrap over the top and stack in the freezer for a day or 2 before removing. (Last time I didn't wait long enough and the center cubes weren't totally frozen - a mess!) Then, transfer each food to separate ziploc bags and I stash all of it in the bin in the bottom of my freezer.

I really like the Baby Cubes for the convenience of sending food to school, but if I were home all the time, I think ice cube trays (1 oz. cubes) would work better. A Baby Cube holds a 2oz. portion, and I generally give her about 3oz. of food per meal (3 times a day). It is my preference to mix up the foods - generally giving 2-3 different foods (1oz. each) per meal. I don't think she really cares ...

I find that the Ziploc Snap n'Seal 1 cup containers work great for transport- hold 3 ice cubes of food for a meal. At home, I just pull out the ice cubes and microwave them for about a minute in a ceramic ramekin. Easy!

We stopped rice cereal pretty quickly - too constipating. The Girl now gets 1oz. of juice (prune apple!) each day and 1 oz. of plums each day, which seems to help move things along. Ahem. We do use the oatmeal cereal to thicken fruits and veggies now that she will take more texture.

We added plain whole milk yogurt a few weeks ago and she loves it! I was getting a little lax on introducing foods every 3 days to watch for allergies ... I was vigilant at first, but after she didn't have any issues, I loosened up a bit. (As my pediatrician said - if you wait 3-5 days for every new food, she'll be 3 years old and you will still be checking things off the list!). That being said, I was cautious with things like milk and wheat, just in case. (No problems so far). I like the little portions of yogurt - she only eats about a tablespoon at a time, so it is less wasteful to use a tiny container for a few days than to open one large container and throw it out due to spoilage.

She started eating Ritz crackers at school, so I promptly went and bought the "healthy" version of Ritz in the health food section of our store. I know, I know - my mother thinks I am crazy. Makes me feel better, though. I find that half a graham cracker is easier for her to manage and she doesn't bite off such a large chunk. Puffs and Cheerios are fine, too, but she can't quite get them to her mouth yet, so for now, just pincer practice. Big sticks of cucumber are good for chewing, but certainly require supervision if she bites off a big chunk.

On the horizon ... I am holding off on meats, mainly because I don't want to deal with it yet. I got some quinoa and lentils that I will start adding, along with some whole wheat rotini noodles. I think whole wheat couscous would work well, too. I am loading up on fruits now while they are in season.

While you may be tempted to go hog-wild and fill your freezer with purees, I would advise making smaller batches. I have lots of purees still frozen and she can definitely take chunkier texture, so I am mixing cereal with everything to thicken it up. Also, be wary of freezing larger portions of certain fruits - like plums and blueberries - that might cause a poopy nightmare. I like to mix just 1 oz. of these fruits with a couple of ounces of apples or peaches, you know, just to balance things out!

Phew.

I'm off ... my blender calls!

Convertible time!

Ahh, remember the days when this meant a sunny day, top down, wind in your hair?

Now, it means ... BIG GIRL CAR SEAT!

We are officially in the market for the next car seat. Girly hasn't outgrown her bucket, but I almost have! There are only so many more times that I can hoist that thing into the center of my back seat before I throw out my back. It's funny that I picked her infant bucket because it went up to 30 pounds / 30 inches. (Most of them do these days, but not all). There is NO WAY that I could haul her around in that thing when she weighs 30 pounds!!

Our experience with the rental convertible car seat gave me a few insights, and I've picked up a few other tips along the way ....

- We have smallish, 4-door cars. The convertible seat in the rental was placed in the center, which is ideal, but this necessitated moving up the passenger front seat so far that it was almost not usable. (And my legs are short). This simply would NOT do for our cars that we use all the time.

- The harness-tightener-apparatus is my nemesis. I never feel like it is tight enough. Britax (and maybe other companies) offer a "Click and Safe" feature on their seats where there is an audible click when the harness is tight enough. Sold!! Unfortunately, I have heard from a friend and read online that this could give false reassurance - it clicks before it is really tight enough. So, I don't think I'll opt for the $20 upcharge.

- Consumer Reports is your friend. I bought an online membership when I was registering and I just renewed. The Britax Diplomat is their top-rated car seat for 40lbs and under at this time. It seems to offer some of the best features of the Britax Roundabout (smaller / lighter weight) and Britax Boulevard (true side impact protection, easy adjustable harness).

- Britax has a new seat - the Advocate. (Seriously ... who names these things?) I have read good things online, but it hasn't been tested by CR because it is too new. It has a new-fangled side impact protection device. I, of course, want the safest car seat for my child, but this seat is $100+ more than the already expensive Britax convertible seats. Is it really justified? At this time, without more evidence, I'll say no ...

- Ask around! I polled my friends about their car seats and (shocker) read tons online. (The Huz is about to throw up his hands and buy me every car seat on the market just to get me to shut up!). Amazon, Baby Bargains, and Consumer Search have good reviews. They all are user-opinions, but I think you can get a good general overview.

- There are also sites, like Car Seat Data , that gives user opinions about the fit of a specific car seat in a specific car.

Also, worth noting, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends keeping your toddler rear-facing as long as possible - up to 2 years old. Our Girl has short legs, so we'll try to make it work.

The Britax Diplomat only goes up to 40lbs, while the Boulevard goes up to 65lbs. I think this will be OK ... most 3-year-olds are around 40lbs, so I think we'll be OK buying a new car seat at that point if needed. Plus, if we have a second child (!), we would need two car seats anyway.

Finally .... SALE! Many of the Britax car seats are on sale at Amazon through tomorrow. I encourage you to visit Hip Monkey to buy your seats - free shipping, no tax and they price match any deal on the internet. This organization donates proceeds from car seat sales to buy safe car seats for needy families. And, if you live near a USA Baby store, they will also price-match.

Safe travels!

Have Baby, Will Travel

We did it.

Survived the first plane trip with the Girl.

I know a lot of people do this sooner, or with more frequency, but it is an accomplishment none the less.

It really wasn't too bad. The Huz gave the trip down a 7.5 on a scale of 10, which I will say is optimistic. The trip home was much better (primarily due to less crying and no rental car seat).

Some tips/thoughts, in no particular order ....

- I typed up a list before I went of what needed to be packed. A) because I'm a list-maker, and 2) because packing a baby is a last-minute ordeal and I couldn't be racing around the house checking things for the third time.

- For the 3 of us, we packed two carry-ons and two checked bags. I am a notorious over-packer and it hard for me to balance all the baby contingencies without packing her whole room. Also, gotta love Southwest for no checked bag fee!

- One carry-on was solely for baby flight essentials: blanket, burp cloths, bottles, pacifiers, book, toy, diapers, wipes. Our other carry on was for items that could go overhead, but we couldn't risk losing in lost luggage (meds, BREAST PUMP, etc.)

- I gave her a half-dose of Tylenol a little before take-off. Not so much for a sleepy effect, but just in case her ears hurt.

- Pack one more bottle than you think you will need, just in case of delays. If you are breastfeeding you have a back-up, but I'm not really a public nurser and Girly is so distractible that the airport was like Disneyland.

- We didn't have any issues with airport security and bottles. I just told them I had milk and it went right through the x-ray - no questions. On that note; beware when you open your bottles in the plane. Your bag gets jostled so much that milk can spill into the cap of your bottles, and/or the milk can expand due to the pressurized cabin. Either way - we had major spillage on landing which resulted in a wet, crying mess. (Me and her).

- Use a bottle / pacifier / boob on take-off and landing to help with the ears. I'm not sure that it makes a difference which one - just sucking is good. Huz thought a bottle would be better because Girly would have a motivation to suck (FOOD), but she generally takes her pacifier, too. Our rookie mistake was giving her the bottle as we taxied out to the runway. It was half a bottle and she usually doesn't eat that fast, but she sucked it down and then we just SAT THERE. Don't give them the bottle until you are going.

- Also, warming the bottle can be a bit of an issue. Breastmilk, at least, needs to be packed in a cooler bag. Girly won't take a cold bottle, but lukewarm is OK. The first flight attendant was nasty and told us they didn't have any way to warm a bottle, so Huz stood in the airplane lav trying to warm it in the sink until the second nice flight attendant offered to get him some hot water from the instant hot tap in the back. Thanks. On the way home, Huz stopped at an airport restaurant and got hot water to-go in a styrofoam coffee cup with a lid. That worked great (be sure to pour half out before you get on). Plus, then we already had the cup to warm the other half-bottle on the plane.

- Car seat debacle! We debated what to do about the car seat ... we didn't buy Girly a seat on the plane and knew there would be almost no chance of an open seat on a Southwest flight. We had a rental car waiting for us on the other end and needed a car seat. We thought it would be a nightmare to deal with checking the car seat and picking it up on the other end and getting it installed in the rental car, so we elected to rent a car seat and Bjorn/carry her through the airports. The carrying worked fine, but the rental seat? Not so much. The manager at the car rental place was nice and helped to install the seat, but it took FOREVER and they really are not experts at car seat installation (and neither are we). It was an older model seat and we just could not get it as tight as I thought it should be. We had no choice but to go with it, but I won't do it again. For an older child with a forward-facing seat it might be ok, but I won't do it with an infant.

- The better solution would have been to buy a car seat bag and to have checked the car seat right away at the curb or airline desk (not gate check). You aren't charged to check a car seat and if you bring your own fabric bag, you can stuff a bunch of other things in there, as well.

- My last tip is to travel to a place where there are babies, because that cuts down on what you need to bring!

7 month itch

Not much to report these days ... life has settled into a rather predictable schedule. (Which will certainly change now that I've typed those words out loud).

Feeding time is much better and not so irritating. It does mess with our schedule some, but in truth, we are homebodies most of the time.

I wonder if the Girl's non-interest in eating had something to do with me. She ate great at daycare from the start, and even ate very well for her Aunt. She has never been one to be finicky about eating - she nurses and takes a bottle from me equally well. Perhaps the fact that the colored food didn't come from a boob bothered her. Who knows?

I am loving the Baby Cubes. It is perfect to pop a container out of the freezer the night before, put it in her cooler bag with bottles and send it all off to school. I am finding, though, that just one batch of food can fill up most of your cubes. I'm currently using a combo-approach of Baby Cubes and ice cube trays. One smallish butternut squash or about 3 sweet potatoes will fill up an entire ice cube tray. I pop the cubes out into plastic bags in the freezer and I can still put the cube of food into the Baby Cube container for school.

My immersion blender works best for anything I cook on the stove top, like apples or pears, or something I baked in the oven, like squash or potatoes. The Magic Bullet worked great for mangoes. (Buy frozen chopped mangoes in the freezer section instead of fresh - thaw them in the fridge and they are a much better consistency for blending). I really like to cook and all of this has been super easy and convenient thus far.

Our doorway jumper (similar to this) is proving to be nice. Girly shouts when we leave the room, especially during cranky evening time, so it is nice for her to hang out in the doorway to the kitchen while we are getting things done. She also really likes to sit in her hook on high chair and watch us - I'm loving that, too.

The next task to obsess over: Traveling With Baby. I know we are very lucky that this will be our first trip with baby in tow - many people don't have family close by and do this earlier or much more frequently. Still, lots of details to ponder ... advice???

New Approach

I'm taking a new approach to feeding the Girl.

My Parents as Teachers person suggested a good website - Ellyn Satter. I admittedly haven't read all her books, but I like what I see so far and her philosophy makes sense to me. In a nutshell, her advice focuses on helping you to raise your child to be just the person they were meant to be (which may or may not fit the "ideal" that you have in your mind). A lot of this has to do with a division of responsibility - there are factors you are responsible for as a parent, and there are also factors your child is responsible for. Each of you has to do your part. At the very basic level, there are feeding responsibilities and activity responsibilities. Trust your child to do their part with eating and moving and they will grow up to be healthy.

For us, for now, this means that I am responsible for the what and when of feeding, and the Girl is responsible for whether and how much. If she only takes a few bites and then doesn't act interested, we are done. I put the spoon just in front of her mouth and wait for her to open her mouth to show me she is hungry - I'm not chasing her mouth around trying to shove food in.

She eats great at daycare - TONS more than she eats for me at home. I don't know why, but really it isn't important. She is learning to eat and practicing a new skill. If they can help us with that, so much the better. I am not battling with Girly to eat - we are still having fun. And, I always want mealtime to be fun, family time - NOT a struggle.

For the first meal of the day today, she gets an "A".

Also, worth noting, is that you should seek out your local Parents as Teachers - type group in your local school district. I think most districts around the country have a similar program. They start home visits around 5-6 months of age and come every other month until age 3. It is a free program and I see it as a great resource. Some people may think that the service only benefits inexperienced or low income families, but that just isn't true. While I may know more about child development than the average bear, I most definitely do NOT know it all and I like having an objective assessment of how the Gal is doing. Plus, at least in our school district, you need to start the service with your first child if you want to participate with subsequent children (not that there are any of those on the horizon). Finally - call early to get on the waiting list. I called at about 8 months pregnant and it took until she was 6 months old to get a visit.

A few more gear tips:
- We are practicing more and more with the Tilty cup and I think we both like it.
- Get a stack of baby washcloths or small kitchen towels dedicated to wiping baby's hands and face while feeding. Going through paper towels is wasteful and the bib just doesn't cut it. Colored is even better because those sweet potato puffs stain.

Things we're loving these days

We have lots of favorites now at 6 months ....

We've just started with the eating and it is going well. I actually found that it is a great advantage to have a daycare kid when it comes to this - the Girl's teachers have fed hundreds of kids and really helped get her going on the cereal and got to a pretty thick texture pretty quickly.

I think we'll move past the cereal pretty soon, or at least cut way back. That is another nice thing about waiting to start solids until 6 months - she mainly needs the cereal to practice with texture and once she tolerates thicker cereal, fun foods here we come!

I signed up for a great baby food email at Baby Food 101. It is free - you just tell them the date that you will start cereal and they send you a weekly email with a baby food recipe and an adult recipe to use the leftover food!

She is loving the Gerber Puffs! I wouldn't have really thought to add these so soon, but our pediatrician said that about half of kids will tolerate some dissolveable snacks at 6 months and to give it a shot. These dissolve so quickly and it is a fun game to fill cranky time.

The Bumbo is finally serving a purpose! It is great for feeding right now - quicker and cleaner than the high chair.

I did order the Inglesina Fast Chair and am quite happy with it. Also worth noting, I ordered it from Chit Chat Baby. I initially ordered it from another company and went back and forth because it was back-ordered in most colors. I wanted to get it quickly and randomly found this company through Amazon. The customer service was great and I got the chair in about 3 days and no tax and free shipping!

I bought a big pack of Munchkin Spoons at Target. Of course any spoon will do, but the point is to buy several. They are great for baby to hold while you are feeding them!

I am, unfortunately, not loving the Boon Squirt. I had such high hopes for this little thing, but when I took it out of the package it had the worst, god-awful, diarrhea plastic smell. Do you know what I'm talking about? I washed all the pieces in the dishwasher and left them out to air day for days. It still smells and I can't even consider putting food in it.

We got an Aden and Anais sleep sack and it is great! A good friend gave us the Aden and Anais swaddle blankets, which work so well and are super soft. This is the perfect, lightest weight sleep sack for those warm months.

Also, just a simple thing, I really like the inexpensive 5-pack Gerber short sleeve onesies for jammies. Our Girl is just outgrowing the 12 month size and the 18 month size is still a little big. They are lightweight and don't have any snaps or uncomfortable zippers. She always wore footie sleepers when it was cold, but her room is too warm for that now and this has been a good, cheap solution.

I also love "the bubble". I didn't even know this type of romper had a name, but it is great for the Gal. Little baby dresses are so cute, but they end up over her head and in general disarray. This is like a dress with leg holes!

Our favorite toys are still Sophie the Giraffe and the ever-popular Exersaucer. The rings are also great fun!

Here Comes the Sun

While I love the idea of a sun tan, in reality, I'm not much of the pool type. When I worked full time I only rarely spent a weekend day at the pool - too much to do. I also don't really tolerate the heat, and because I am so pale I can't stay long - it is a vicious cycle.

Now that I am home a few days during the week, though, and I have a little baby dolphin, I'm sure we will be off to splish splash around in the near future.

I'd heard a general rule about not applying sunscreen to little babies until after 6 months, but the American Academy of Pediatrics does say to use it if there is no other option. I think it is just common sense - a new baby probably shouldn't be in the sun long enough to think about needing sunscreen.

I asked our pediatrician at our 6 month visit - he recommended at least SPF 30, broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) and PABA-free. His feeling was that a lot of "baby sunscreens" are just marketing tools and that there was nothing special about them, but some babies will have sensitive skin and need a special formula.

I found a great sunscreen review at Safe Mama. Their list is extensive and products must be free of parabens, phthalates, and other stuff that is hard to spell. TruKid was their favorite product. It looks like TruKid has lots of great natural skin care products for kids, but I think you can only order through their website.

Being outside also means BUGS. Here is the Safe Mama list for bug repellents. I found the Burt's Bees one at our local HyVee in the health food section.

Safe Mama also has other lists about safe baby wipes, and dishes and stuff. I believe in safe products for my child and safe products for our environment, but sometimes it is a little much (even for me) and I start to go crazy. I currently operate under the philosophy of, "if it is a similar/reasonable price and I can find it without much hassle, I'll get it." Baby steps ...

Don't forget about eye protection! These Frubi Shades are pretty cute and functional.

Sun clothes can be a good option, too: Baby Sunwear

I also worked with a pediatric dermatologist who recommended a product you can wash into your regular clothes that makes them sun protective - Rit SunGuard.

I'm just trying to do what I can to protect her skin while I'm in charge. Before she becomes a teenager and runs around in a bikini with boys. Ugh.