Mommy-Inspired Inventions for ages 0-5 months

Sometimes, during feedings and night time walkabouts, I fantasize about inventions I'd build if I actually had engineering talent...

Have Baby Will Travel - Episode 2: What To Pack For Flight

After 20 hours of flight, here is a list of what I found most useful (and what I wish I had):

1. Two Toys (remember your Boogin Head clip!)

2. One Book - something with lasting power like "Mother Goose for Babies"


3. If your baby eats solids try the Boon Squirt Baby Food Dispensing Spoon. I have a friend with one of these and it's the coolest thing ever.

4. A change of clothing


I'm a HUGE fan of Carter's terry cloth sleep n' play footed pajamas. They are warm and breathable.

Avoid fleece as it will make baby sweat (mine wore this one with stinky consequences)

5. An extra bib and an extra burp cloth

6. Changing pad and one diaper + three wipes for every hour projected

7. Pacifier
Tova doesn't use a pacifier, but when the plane started to descend and she wasn't hungry enough to eat she was clasping onto her binky like they were old friends.

8. Iphone Games
Don't forget to download a few preschool apps to keep her entertained when you can't leave the seat. These especially worked well when people were getting on and off the plane and we were stuck for 15 minutes.

Here's a link to some freebies:
http://www.babygamer.com/online_games/free/toddler/toddler_iphone_ipod_apps.htm

9. Plastic ziplock bag 
You'll need a place to stash those vomit soaked burp cloths

10. Gas drops, Nasal Aspirator, Saline, Tylenol with dispenser, Alcohol wipe, Band-aid 
If something is going to go wrong, count on it going wrong a mile up. Be prepared!

11. Baby Blanket
Not a huge blanket, but the small kind that drape over enough for privacy when you breast feed. I had some guy stare at me unabashedly while feeding my girl and I was very happy to have something bigger than a burp cloth to protect my modesty... perv.

12. An extra shirt for yourself
My wee one threw up aaallll over me during the first flight - like it pooled in the area between my shirt and nursing bra type amount. It wasn't the big stain that embarrassed me but the awful smell of stale milk. The memory makes me gag a little.

And make sure the bag itself is washable so you don't have to burn it after you arrive. A teenager on my third flight threw up on mine - yeah, my luck is good like that.

Have Baby Will Travel - Episode 1: Germs

It's been a while, but I'm back from vacation with the family in Michigan. And while seeing family is awesome, traveling with a baby is not so much.

I'm going to harp on the plane a bit, because family is wonderful and not as likely to man-handle your child as the act of traveling itself.

Germs is the subject of this entry. I've always been careful when traveling. Not OCD careful, but I wash my hands often, never sit on a toilet seat, peel off my clothing and burn it after reaching my destination - you know, the normal things a normal person would do. But your whole perspective of the outside world changes when you travel with a child.

Suddenly the world outside of your home is oozing bacteria. Fellow travelers are plague-infested zombies that want to lick your child's face and then sneeze on you - it's awful. And don't even get me started on how filthy airplane seats are - mine was sticky - STICKY! And then you're sharing air with 100 other passengers - g-d knows what illnesses they carry and I'm sure as heck none of them are covering their mouths when they sneeze or wearing a face mask when they breath!

And then there's my child. MY angelic wonderful can-do-no-wrong baby. She's perfect in every way, and has never had an illness/cold/infection anything in her life. She is pure and healthy. And I've got to subject her to this situation? Forget my worries about ear trouble on ascent and descent - I'm worried she's going to get Ebola because Mommy didn't wash her hands well enough in the terminal bathroom. Or maybe a Burger King employee didn't wash his hands before dishing out my fries and we're both going to get it! Argh! Panic!

So I've devised a few ways to keep your precious commodity a little less germ-prone while out and about.

1. Keep your toys close
You know those Boogin Head things they sell at the pharmacy that you attach to her pacifier and then clip onto her sweater? Use that to attach to a toy so it never touches the filthy disgusting floor.

This is her favorite toy by the way and I'd HIGHLY recommend! (Target)

2. Moist towelette?

They're safe enough to use all day to clean her hands and yours every time you touch something questionable.

3. Cover the changing table in paper towels before you lay down her changing pad
Honestly, the very worst fluids produced by mankind is on those things and I doubt they get cleaned very often.

4. Use the stroller cover
I have the Britax-B-Agile stroller and it comes with a canopy on the car seat and another on the stroller. These completely cover baby in the rain. Use it in the airport to shield your wee one from the disease-ridden paws of strangers. If anyone asks, "hey, who's in there?" you can say, "sorry, she's sleeping" and roll away at break-neck speed.

The rain may drip in but bacteria won't

5. Hang around in empty terminals
While on a layover in Vegas we found a terminal that had no flights coming in or going out - a rarity! We were allowed to go in and hang out for our 3 hrs. Baby got some sleep, daddy got a nice view of Luxor with his angry whopper, and mommy got to do yoga on a freshly shampooed carpet.

6. The nose has it
It may be an old wives tale or it may not - but I followed a friend's advice and put a drop of my breast milk into baby's nostrils once every hour. Not only does it keep her from getting all stuffed up with dry boogies but it's also supposed to disinfect (or maybe not disinfect but at least protect) the nose from storing bacteria and viruses. I'm no scientist and I don't pretend to be smart about these things, but I did it and one week later my baby is cold/virus free. So it doesn't hurt.

7. Don't throw the meds out at the exit
If you're traveling to see family, chances are you'll be seeing more wee ones. If they're school-age (as my nieces are) they may be carrying their own little treats to share with others. Ask them (or their parents if they're too young) to wash their hands before holding baby. And if they already have colds don't be afraid to quarantine your child as best as you can. If they're good family they won't judge, and if they're bad... well... maybe you should make different travel plans next year.

Traveling is WAY worth the hassle!

Cry Baby, Cry Baby!

It's been 4 months and I'm feeling pretty confident about my mothering skills. This is a short list of things I know I do pretty well:

• Breast feeding (baby and I cried together the first month trying to master this one)
• Folding diapers so small I can fit 20 of them in my little wastepaper basket
• Catching drool before it hits the carpet
• Anticipating where spit up will fly (or which area of the shirt it will land on) based on a burp
• All the lyrics to "The Wheels on the Bus"
• How to hold and bounce her with one arm - this is Major!
• How to get all the filth out of those wee little neck folds
• Not panicking when I see vomit seep inbetween floorboards
• The proper position to hold her while racing to the changing table and hearing the dread swish sound
• Holding my breath for 45 seconds while I clean up what caused that swish sound
• How to make my baby happy

This last one is my biggest achievement. Through illness, vaccinations, naked time when the heat is out, and the big scary bathtub I know how to make my girl smile - even laugh - when times are tough. But the one place I can't seem to make her happy is in her crib at bed time.

I've scoured the Internet and have been appauled by batshit crazy articles. One "expert" on babycenter went to so far as to say, "when infants are left to cry themselves to sleep, they are forced to conclude that they are not lovable enough to engage their parents' desires to comfort them." Are you friggin' kidding me? My 4 month old only speaks in gibberish and can't close her fingers into a fist when I'm trying to get her hand through a sleeve, yet she's cognitive enough to deduce that my not picking her up as soon as she cried means I'm witholding my love from her for philosophical reasons? The Internet really is a melting pot of morons (myself and readers excluded, of course). Don't believe me? Read this idiot's entire article at http://www.babycenter.com/404_are-we-damaging-our-baby-by-letting-him-cry-himself-to-sleep_2644.bc and do your best not to try punching her through the screen (it will only hurt your screen and she'll still have her day job).

So here's my routine - and I've been sticking to it!

• 9:30pm - Tova finally settles down and gives a yawn
• 9:32pm - Jammies
• 9:34pm - 2 books (sometimes 3 if she's comfy)
• 9:40pm - turn out the light, turn on the nightlight, and settle in for a final feeding - you know the kind where you gaze into one another's eyes and hold on to each other a little tighter knowing it will be a whole 9 hours before you're in one another's arms again...
• 9:50pm - she's not yet fallen asleep but those eyelids are droopy enough to make a basset hound jealous
• 9:51pm - carry my sweety gently to the bed, give her a final little smooch and lay her down on her ba-

WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Yeah, she's the picture of perfection until her back touches the mattress and then she's a banshee trolling the house for souls and eardrums. So what do I do? I lean in and give her a kiss, stroke her cheek and make sure she sees me looking lovingly at her through the retched shrieks. I tell her I love her and back out of the room. I let her cry for 5 whole minutes at which point I walk back in and pick her up. She immediately ceases screaming, holds me tightly and nuzzels into my neck. I give her a kiss and big hug and tell her I love her. I gently set her back down and Waaaahh! It all begins again. I back out of the room and let her cry for 10 minutes at which point it stops as suddenly as it began. I peek in and see her sucking her fist and 1...2...3...4... it's fallen to her side and she's asleep.

She will now sleep all the way until 7:34am (yes, it's that exact).

It all looks great on paper, but when it's happening I feel like the world's worst parent - really neglectful and horrid and deserving of many warts.

I'm hoping it will get better, that she'll cry less as time goes by and realize that I am right outside the door and ready to spring into action. She will learn that she can soothe herself to sleep and gain great confidence (and great sleep) from the experience. But that shrieking, like she's been stuck with a pin, it eats at me when it's happening.

I know I'm doing a good job though. I know because at 7:34am when she coos into the monitor and I walk into her room that before I say good morning and sing her the good morning song she's got her feet in her hands and looks my way with the biggest smile she can possibly give. It makes rainy Portland mornings a lot sunnier.

Coke Balls

My friend Amanda served this up at our most recent mama's group and I Have to share it with the world!

Coke Balls (or "Sweet N' Sour Meatballs"):

Turkey Meat Balls - cooked and crispy

Equal parts Coke and Ketchup - I did 1 cup each

Mix ketchup and coke in saucepan and heat at low for 20 minutes. Add in cooked meatballs and simmer another 10 minutes.

Enjoy with mashed potatoes or veg.

Thoughts on Children's Music

So I got this fab swing for Tova on Craigslist. Not only does it swing so hard it can throw her 12 feet across the room (get your pillows and trajectory calculator ready!) but it has lights and music. So I get her in and switch it all on one rainy afternoon. The lights should have been what got her attention, but no, it was the music that got us both down in the dumps.

It wasn't so much sad as it was inapropriately epic for a child's toy. We're talking progressive rock meets Yani type epic.

And then there's her jungle mat. It's all a big rip of Dora the Explorer - there's even a monkey with boots - not red ones - but big Uggy looking ones 5 sizes too big for a monkey. When you play the music on this mat you're thrust into a foreign nightmare where hip congos and maracas furiously shake out french classics. 5 seconds in you want to suffocate yourself with a Beret full of refried beans - it's awful!

So it comes down to two questions for me:
1. Who reviews/approves this crap? Honestly? Is there no quality control between the drawing board and the distributor?
2. What kind of strange horrible people create this music for a living? I'm reminded of that great SNL sketch that captures 5 minutes in the creation of a meditation cd. I imagine it would be a guy alone in his home studio who's balding on top but letting it all grow out down the back with a willowy white silk shirt on just jamming out passionately to his newest twist on The Itsy Bitsy Spider. What I wouldn't give to NOT be a fly on his wall (and I'm sure he has many).


I'm going to leave you all with a Good Buy. Best mobile ever with best songs ever - and I don't mean creepy good, I mean you can have it on loop all day and you it won't leave you trying to cut your ears off with a dull knife:

Tiny Love Soothe N' Groove Mobile from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Love-Soothe-Groove-Mobile/dp/B005VDX2RO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351897203&sr=8-1&keywords=tiny+love+soothe+n+groove+mobile

Squash Soup

I recently saw a similar recipe in a parenting magazine and had to share my own version. What I love about it is that it tastes great for both you and baby - much better than the yuck-fest you get from baby food jars. Just remember to share with the wee one and not hog to yourself!

Winter Squash Soup

Butternut squash peeled and cut lengthwise with seeds removed.

One large sweet potato quartered.

Olive oil

One quart chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

How to: brush squash and sweet potato lightly with olive oil. Cook for 35 min at 375 degrees. Remove and chop both into big chunks and add to boiling chicken broth - simmer for 10 min. Place everything in batches into food processor and purée. Pour back into pot and add cream and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with your favorite dark rye or pumpernickel bread.

Good Buy Baby: Best Baby Brands

It's amazing how much clothing your wee one can accrue in 4 months. After two checkups she's been labeled by her doc, "the most average baby you could hope for." And that's good in terms of clothing because having a kid in the 50 percentile for both height and weight means clothing sizes mean exactly what they say. Well, this isn't exactly true. So 4 months and 2 'Pass It On' events later I've compiled a list of best baby brands. Keep in mind this is unscientific, unsponsored, and based entirely on my experience alone, so take it as you will. But man what I would've given (or not given according to my wallet) to have this list sooner!

Ariel's Best Baby Brands 2012

General Overview:

CARTERS: true to size, good material, well cut and sewn, durable, no shrinkage after dryer
GAP: true to size, good material, well cut and sewn, no shrinkage after dryer
VITAMINS BABY: at least one size smaller than size shown (I buy 6 month and it fits like a 3/3-6 month), fabric ok, sewn for long thin bodies, shrinks in dryer
BABY GRAND: true to size, soft material that stays soft after continuous washing but flimsy material - more for fancy playdates than warmth, fabric pulls open between snaps (exposure of baby's legs and diaper), no shrinkage
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: true to size, good material, well cut and sewn yet fabric between snaps on legs stretch open to let cold air in, very soft and pretty clothing for all occassions that wash well and don't shrink
GERBER: true to size, bad materal (like itchy and full of fabric balls after on wash bad), cut and sewn badly on legs, zipper sewn badly and causes twisting of material and what I call "leg suffocation" from material pulling tightly around leg
CUTIE PIE: true to size, ok material, cut and sewn ok, fabric pulls open between snaps causing exposure, no shrinkage
SPASILK: true to size, super soft material, well cut and sewn, durable, no shrinkage after dryer
LITTLE ME: at least one size smaller than size shown, ok material, fabric pulls between snaps


Ariel's Best Buys:

CARTERS: best overall quality and bang for your buck. I love love love the Sleep n' Play outfits and have had to fight other customers at Marshalls for these when they come in. Also, rely on Carters for super soft bath towels and wash cloths that last and last.
SPASILK: again, awesome Sleep n' Plays which are all you want to put your baby in for the first month.
GAP: Best outfits for people who have the money to buy Gap anything for their kids. Honestly, I wish I had the dough to spoil my child with Gap gear!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: best clothing for visiting grandma, hands down

          
Spasilk's oh-so-comfy bodysuits                   Carters Just One You       First Impressions - does that come in mommy size?


Ariel's Worst Buys:

GERBER: Poor baby Tova has had her circulation cut off more than once in these outfits, and don't even get me started on the poor quality of their burp bibs. I mean really, come on, you can't use something just a little softer for my baby's drooly-grin? I used one to attack a lazy booger and I swear it took the outermost layer of her skin clear off. You could get rug burn draping one over your shoulder!

                 
                Beware these onesies!                     Maybe if I buy their socks the material will file her nails for me

Good Buy Baby! Leg Warmers

It's October and it's getting cold, but not so cold that baby has to be in a sack of fake fur (or whatever monstrosity they're trying to pedal at the store... if I wanted my baby to look hairy I'd have mated with an ape!)

The cold brings with it all sorts of trouble. You can't just put baby in a body suit because then she'll be too warm once you enter the store - and have you ever tried getting her out of snowpants in a shopping cart? Or the age-old dillema of going potty. By the time you get the bottoms off to change her diaper she's too hot up top, too cold down below, and has a jumpsuit the size of a pillow holding her back up in the kind of yoga pose you wouldn't dare try at home.

And then there's that October weather that turns from freezing in the morning to hot as heck in the afternoon. This is the weather I'm focusing on today. You bundle up baby and by the time 1pm rolls around you're both sweating and you've got to decide who gets to lose the long sleeves first while the other cries. Some pals at my playgroup (and I mean MY playgroup, babies get to entertain themselves) donned some pretty fab items last month that I finally got around to purchasing this week: Leg warmers for baby. We're talking Flash Dance leg warmers like the kind we rocked in middle school.

                                                       "This cow goes 'Moo-La-La!'"

These things are great! They are one size newborn to toddler and that means baby's entire leg is covered all the way to her onesie. And they're not just for girls, I've seen some rad stripes and sports themed themed leg warmers for wee guys too. And the best part? You don't have to strip them off for a diaper change. That's right, baby's legs stay toasty.

I highly recommend "My Little Legs." They come in a variety of colors or you can get a 4-pack for $20 on amazon. They are thick, durable, warm, and wash well. Tova is currently donning animal prints. These leg warmers can also be used on baby's arms if she's wearing a short sleeve and needs a warm-up.

Instant Halloween Costume - Awesome!

Eat Your Greens! Satay Spinach

While pregnant I was told more than once I needed to get my iron up - and that already included an iron supplement! I love vegetables as much as the next person (can you sense the irony) so I needed to find a tasty way to do so and spinach was the answer.

Spinach is one of those wonder-veggies - it's dark green, delicious, and super versatile. And you can't argue with it's ability to clean you out. So here's a recipe that's quick and good enough to serve at a dinner party.


Satay Spinach

When cooking spinach remember it shrinks waaaay down when it's cooked. So I start out using 3 bunches of spinach, or 4 huge handfuls if you buy fresh in the bag (like I do from Costco).

Heat olive oil to high in a large pot then lower temp to medium

After thoroughly washing spinach add it one handful at a time to the pot. Be careful because the oil may splatter at first from excess water on the spinach leaves. Load it all into the pot then cover and let the leaves cook down for a few minutes. Drain out water.

Add 2 garlic cloves diced and mix into leaves now leaving uncovered.

Add a huge hunking over-the-top spoon full of peanut butter. Allow it to melt and mix in.

Butternut Squash Fries

I love fries any way I can get them. October starts squash season and that means the best fries of all - butternut squash fries! Much like sweet potato fries these take half the time to cook and taste just as sweet (if not sweeter).

What you need:

1/2 a Butternut Squash peeled, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

How to do it:

Put fries into pan and stir in olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. I never bother flipping half way because it lets all the heat out.

They won't be crispy unless you separate them nicely (which I never do). I like them soggy, so I just load 'em on and put 'em in.

Enjoy with grill fare or late at night as a snack.

Baby Boom for the Blues

From time to time I get down in the dumps. I love my wee one, but I miss my career too. Will I be able to go back again someday? Am I missing out on more training and trends than my colleagues? Can I ever catch up?

Then I see a movie at 2am that makes me feel so much better - smart women have been making the same tough choices since the beginning of time. And so many of the biases we get from others and ourselves remain the same.

My 2am movie last night was Baby Boom with Diane Keaton. I remember watching it with my mom when I was young and thought it was very funny then. But watching it with my husband last night was therapeutic for me and very informative for him.

"See! That's how people talked to me when I was interviewing - like I was either too fragile or mentally occupied by baby to do a proper job!" And that applied to interviews for everything from administrative positions to cashier gigs at local book stores.

Some things never change. And movies like Baby Boom help me to laugh about it instead of cry.

How To Make Your Towels Smell Better

I avoid my garage at all costs. This is due to a number of reasons:

-it's dark and creepy
-it smells like stray cats
-it's cold
-the cats run in there every time I open the door (answer to reason 2?)
-there's no place to set the baby down... etc.

This means laundry sits for longer than it should. With clothing you can fluff it up in the dryer and it's no problem - but for towels it's another story.

The result? Awful, smelly towels - like the kind you remember from summer camp that sat out wet all night in a dank cabin. Or like the hand towels grandma kept under the sink with all the moth balls. It's the worst. So how do you fix it?

Add three cups of white distilled vinegar to your next wash. Just load in all your towels, put three cups of vinegar into the prewash drawer, and run it on on the "soak and spin" cycle once. Leave it there for an hour afterwards to let it set-in (a great way to buy time and avoid the garage until the husband comes home and checks it for ghosts). Then add your regular detergent and wash as usual.

Done. Awesome.

3 cups: plus soak and spin

Discussion: Removing Milk Stains

Has anyone found a good method for removing those permanently nested milk stains from your cotton shirts?

Good Buy Baby - Breast Pads

So you're home from the hospital bouncing baby in hand and your milk has come in - yay! Once the pain of fullness goes away (it will) it's time to start thinking about how to keep that fabulous miracle food from permanently staining all of your clothing (it will).

I've tried several different types of nursing pads both disposable and reusable. Not every pad is perfect and you'll have to change multiple times a day until your flow becomes stable (2-3 months). I highly recommend Johnson's Nursing Pads during those first 2 months. They hold an insane amount of milk - really. And they are solid, meaning they don't bunch up and twist about in your bra. They maintain their shape which makes them easy to remove during feeding/pumping, and put right back in again for multiple uses. And best of all? No itch! Those Lansinoh pads are always in stock in the drug store, but beware! They will make you itch and have enough packaging on each pad to stuff a mattress.

It's 3 months (for me anyway) and you've got your flow under control. You want to do your bit for the environment by cutting down on disposables (which I still use at night). I recommend Charlie Banana washable pads. I got mine on Amazon with my diaper order (Amazon has great prices on diapers!). They're perfume and dye free for sensitive skin like mine, super soft, and won't make you itch. At night just hand wash them in the sink and let them dry for use the next morning.

You're welcome retailers.
 

How To Make Your Carpet Smell Better

When I go to play groups I'm always mucho impressed when someone comes in with a hand-made quilted play blanket. But then there's the rest of us (i.e., me) who were born without the ability to sew a straight line much less piece things together in a string of consistantly straight lines and come out with something you can use and possibly even display with pride at the end of it - whew! And if I'm lucky enough to get an hour to myself during the day I'm not going to spend it at my sewing machine... if only...

So instead I use towels and the carpet. But what happens when your carpet starts to get that awful smell? You know the one that's a perfect blend of feet, cats, dogs, spilt milk... etc? Well, Ross doesn't always have animal print rugs in stock and I don't always have the dough for it - so what do I do?

Baking Soda.
Yes.
Baking Soda.

Take a box and sprinkle it generously all over your carpet at night just before you crash. Take a broom and sweep it over the rug so it gets deep down inside. Leave it in overnight and ignore it for as much of the next day as you can.

When baby's asleep or willing to sit tight in your front pack get out your vacuum and run it over a few times.

Now get down on your hands and knees and take a big whiff... go on... nice huh?