Tip #48: Make your own fruit concentrates from dehydrated fruits

In the search for how to make prune puree for adding to yogurt to aid in my son's digestive system, I found the best way to do this is to rehydrate prunes and puree, adding extra water as needed.  This turns out to be an awesome way to make concentrated fruit purees for adding to cereal and yogurt, without having to buy baby food.  To make apricots for example, rehydrate by steaming them, I found about 30minutes to be sufficient.  Next, puree them with water as needed, now freeze in ice cube trays! Now you have yummy fruit with all the fun fiber.  Because of the skins, this is definitely for a baby at the age that can handle a bit of chunkiness in their food, about 9months I believe in most cases.  When you buy the dehydrated fruit, watch for what agents may have been added (sulfates for example are often used), but in most cases you can find fruit with no additives at places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

Tip #39: Safe kitchen toys for endless entertainment

On the same vein as Tip #38, introducing new objects is important developmentally and it also ensures ample entertainment for baby. I've been introducing my 6-month old to safe kitchen toys while I cook and he hangs out in his exersaucer. It's amazing how interesting a plastic measuring cup, a funnel and a wooden spoon can be! As always, make sound judgement as to safety.

Source: I apologize, I can't remember where I heard this.

Tip #37: A wet cloth can help a teething baby

Wet a wash cloth with cool water and let your teething baby chew and suck on it. It worked wonders this weekend with our very fussy baby.

Source: Daycare provider

Local Resource: Library calendars for free literary fun!

The Arlington library (main branch and Fox branch) are fantastic resources for free children groups; ranging from reading, to music, to play. Here are links to the events calendar of local libraries, make sure to check them weekly for the schedule (I've highlighted fun infant groups that appear to occur weekly at each, there are programs for older kids as well).

Arlington
Events Calendar Here
Robbins Library, 700 Mass Ave
Fox Branch, 175 Mass Ave
Tuesdays, Robbins, 10:00-10:30, Sing-a-long (get there early to sign up)
Thursdays, Fox, 10:00-10:30, Sing-a-long

Cambridge
Event Calendar Here
Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave.
O'Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave
Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St.
See addresses for other three branches through link to library above.
Mondays, O'Neill Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Time (Stories and Songs for 0-3 years old)
Tuesdays, Valente Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Time
Wednesday, Boudreau Branch, 10:30am, Toddler Sing-Along (all ages)

Lexington
Events Calendar Here
Main, 735 Mass. Ave
Thursdays, 9:30am-9:50am, Baby Laptime (0-15mo)
Thursdays, 10:30am, Toddler Time (16-24 mo)

Medford
Events Calendar Here
Main, 111 High St.
Fridays, 10am (Oct. 2, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4), Sing Alongs

Somerville
Event Calendar Here
Central Library, 79 Highland Avenue
West Branch Library, 40 College Avenue
Tuesdays, Central, 10:30-11:00, Sing-a-long
Thursdays, West, 11:00-11:45, 'Babygarten'

Tip #29: Hold off on that stroller purchase

The carseat/stroller industry makes it really easy for parents to be roped into buying a stroller, long before they know what their needs are (on the other hand, if you buy upfront you can probably make anything work). Advice given to us, that has worked well, buy Snap n' Go style stroller for the carseat (you can get them cheap from consignment/Craigslist or free as a hand-me-down or off Freecycle). This is may be all you need for awhile since sleeping babies are best left in carseats to transfer. Then, once your baby is alert and ready for the stroller world, you can take them stoller testing to see which ones they like! In the end you spend an extra $10-$50 if you end up buying the same stroller you would have in the carseat/stroller travel system. However, if that wasn't the right stroller for you and your baby, you've saved over $100.

Source: Friend

Tip #28: A stroller toy bar can be used for more than a stroller

There are toy bars (for example check out Tiny Love's, the one we use is Sunny Stroll) that are meant for strollers but can be used for much more. Dress up and make your baby's highchair, stroller, or bouncy seat more fun!

Source: When I was complaining how expensive (and kind of boring) the Bjorn Baby Bouncer Activity Bar was, a friend pointed out that I could buy a stroller bar for much less and it has worked great!

Tip #17: Take home as much stuff from the hospital as you can

While you are in postpartum care at the hospital you'll be inundated with diapers, wipes, and other baby accouterments. The hospital throws away anything that is opened or used, so make sure to take it home with you to help get you started. The blue bulb aspirators they use at the hospital are by far better than the ones you can typically buy in the store.

Source: Friends + I don't know how many times I've seen the generic hospital receiving blanket wrapped around a newborn.

Tip #9: Sources of white noise for soothing a baby

If your baby can be soothed with white noise then you can soothe a fussy baby in the car by tuning your radio to an unused station. Experiment, apparently some babies prefer AM noise and some like FM noise.

Other ways to create white noise for home or for the car:

• Download recorded white noise tracks from ITunes
• Use the box from a sleep sheep, one mom I know removed the box from the stuffed animal so it would fit in a diaper bag.
  
• Make your own recordings of vacuums, dishwashers, showers, hair dryers, etc.
  

Source: Friends

Tip #8: Use cotton washcloths or paper towels instead of wipes

Related to Tip #7, one way to minimize baby's exposure to harmful chemicals is to replace conventional wipes with cotton washcloths (great if you already wash cloth diapers) or your favorite soft paper towel. Simply place some water on these just before using, I keep a water bottle at the changing station. There's also a lot of do-it-yourself suggestions on the web for creating your own paper-towel wipes using a little bit of oil. Just search for "Make your own diaper wipes".

If you go the simply water route and you have a temperature sensitive baby, you can put warm water in one of those coffee thermoses with the pump feature and have warm water at the ready. Always make sure water going into the thermos is less than 98degrees Fahrenheit for safety.

The bonus of cotton wash cloths is given their size one will usually do for even the largest diaper blowout! Costco carries white cotton washcloths in packs of 24 that are a great size. Then you only need to carry the more expensive wipes with fewer harmful chemicals in the diaper bag (or go the do-it-yourself route).

Tip #5: Balloons (mylar) make excellent toys

This is being reposted since I was alerted by a friend that balloons can actually be a safety hazard. So make sure you buy a balloon that is unlikely to pop and create lots of small pieces that can be grabbed or inhaled by an infant, i.e. mylar. As always, play comes with adult supervision.

Infants love watching balloons bounce in the wind. You can tie it to the top of their play mat or to their bouncy chair. Added bonus if you can tie it to a four-legged pet, then it's fun for the whole family!

Source: Baby Play, 100 fun-filled activities to maximize your baby's potential. Dr. Wendy S. Masi and Dr. Roni Cohen Leiderman, Creative Publishing International, 2001. (Pet idea contributed from personal experience).

Tip #6 - Don't be dooped when buying a crib

One tip we picked up from Baby Bargains, was to check how well a store had put a crib together. The authors heard from one reader (who worked in a furniture store) that stores would try and trick buyers into thinking the cheaper cribs were less sturdy by not fully screwing everything together well. We were disgusted to find this put into use at Jordan's furniture store. Their lowest end model had a lower, corner screw completely unscrewed (we were able to pluck it out!).

Source: Baby Bargains, Denise and Alan Fields, 7th edition, Windsor Peak Press.

Local Resource: Consignment shops in Arlington and Belmont

Since infants grow so fast, second-hand clothes are rarely well used, and so consignment shopping is a great way to load up on infant clothes. Here are a few local places to find second hand kids clothes.

Arlington

Pink Dolly
8 Medford Street, Arlington MA
Arlington Center
This shop has great deals on very nice clothes for slightly older kids. Last time I was in looking for 6-month onesies I couldn't find anything. However, I did hit a fabulous sidewalk sale this spring here..everything you can fit in a bag for $5.

Little Fox Shop: Fox Library
175 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington MA
East Arlington
This isn't exactly a consignment shop. Donations here are resold by volunteers and the money goes to supporting the Fox Library branch of Arlington, which is a great library for children. Make sure to check the hours, since it's run by volunteers the hours aren't standard shop hours. In addition to clothes this has great deals on things like exersaucers and stroller toys.

What's Yours is Mine
1185 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington MA
Arlington Heights
I haven't visited this shop yet, but heard about it from another Arlington resident with kids. If you visit let me know if you like it!

Belmont

Growing Up
443 Common Street, Belmont MA
I heard about this place from a friend who lives in Belmont. It's a wonderful little gem packed with clothes and some games and toys. We managed to outfit our boy for 6-9months for $14. We followed that up with a pretty good lunch at the restaurant across the street called Kitchen on the Common. They had seating outside (great for kids), but the service was a little slow (not so great for kids).