Tip #35: One spoon to eat with, one spoon to play with

It's important for your baby to learn to the action of eating with a spoon when you start to feed them. I keep two spoons in the rotation, one to eat with and one to play with. For that reason, my favorite spoons are actually the Take N' Toss spoons. All parts of them are fine for baby's gums and they are a good size for a small mouth.

Source: Leader of Mom and Baby group.

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 #34: List of foods to buy organic for your baby (and you!)

We are at the stage of introducing solid food and I have heard a whirlwind of information regarding carrots and nitrates (part of the information says No carrots! Some say carrots after six months! Others say all the info on nitrate poisoning is really a concern regarding well water and very high exposure to children less than three months of age). Anyway, I decided it was time to look up the Environmental Working Group's list of the 'Dirty Dozen'..fruits and vegetables you are better off buying organic due to their high absorption of chemical fertilizers (one of those is carrots).

• Peach
• Apple
• Bell Pepper
• Celery
• Nectarine
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Carrot
  
• Pear
  

TIp #33: Protecting your baby's toys while washing

In order to protect your baby's soft toys, but clean off drool and disinfect as well, put your soft toys in a pillow case when you wash them. Even better, if you have a Boppy cover, or the like, simply zip the toys into the cover whenever you wash it.

Source: Mom's group leader

Tip #32: Diapering a supersoaker overnight

Our son has been soaking through every diaper we've tried on him overnight, from several kinds of cloth to several kinds of disposables. I hit up the Arlington Parent's e-mail list for some advice and had lots of great responses. Here's the summary:

Disposables

• Huggies overnight were the preferred brand by far
• Tip: Add a disposable diaper liner (they are similar to maxi pads). Buy plastic-free, biodegradable liners from gDiapers
  
• Tip: Tuck in the top of the diaper to stop overflow
• Tip: Buy a larger diaper (one mom pointed out with variation in lengths, they may grow out of a size before the upper end of the weight limit is met).
• Tip: Put a pull up diaper over a disposable.
  

Cloth

• The general thought was to add a doubler.
• Favorite disposable doubler: gDiapers
• Favorite place to look for cloth doublers: Diaper Lab
• Tip: Choose a fleece lined doubler for next to baby's skin, it will feel dryer longer.
• Tip: Use more than one doubler.
  

Tip #31: Babyproofing with plaster walls

Pre-1950 it was common for inner walls to be built using a lath and plaster process. Sometimes, to keep the plaster affixed to the wall boards, horsehair was used, and so now this is sometimes also called horsehair plaster and it's ubiquitous in Arlington (at least in east Arlington, where we live). If you've ever tried to attach a load to these walls (even a small load you know wouldn't be a problem in drywall), the plaster crumbles and leaves a large hole. This means if you want to attach furniture to the wall using straps, in order to keep it from toppling over on a baby using it to pull up, you need to find a stud. Studs are 16" apart and not necessarily in a convenient place for your furniture. Instead, you can use an L-bracket on each side of your piece of furniture and drill one side into the furniture, and the other into the baseboard. This will guarantee a solid connection to the wall without relying on studs. However, make sure to use caution when it comes to top-heavy items.

Pics and how-to's coming later. We'll be implementing this process soon!

Source: Neighbor

Tip #30: Remedies for cradle cap (be sure to check with your doctor)

Once you've had a baby, you'll for sure hear about cradle cap. On our baby it looked like dry skin with a yellow tint. I've heard of three takes on removing cradle cap:
1. Rub an edible oil on it and let it soak, then when it's soft run a soft comb over it (our pediatrician).
2. Do the same as #1, but don't let it soak, instead rub it off with a towel (our niece's pediatrician).
3. The same as #1, but after applying, wash the area with baby shampoo and towel dry (a mom's group leader) and then comb the flakes out the hair (if your baby has hair!)

#1 did not work for us. #2 has worked for our brother. #3 has worked for us. Make sure to check with your doctor about their recommendation. The more gently you can remove cradle cap, the better for baby's skin.

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 #27: Keeping formula/milk cold on an airplane

We just returned from our first big journey with baby..so you'll be seeing a few traveling tips we have picked up along the way....

They say to keep a baby's ears from hurting during elevation changes on an airplane, have them suck something during takeoff and landing. We specifically bought a seat for him for the most dangerous parts of the flight, takeoff and landing, and the little dude will NOT due a pacifier. So on the way up I would give him a bottle of expressed breast milk and on the way down a bottle of water. However, we had two legs on the way back and four ascents/descents, so I had to keep the milk cold. This should work with either expressed milk or formula (although with formula, you just need to get water on the other side of security before boarding..but just in case you have something ready but don't need right away...).

1. Make sure to declare the liquids, have them in a separate bag and put them through x-ray on their own.
2. Ice is allowed by FAA regulations, however, some security agents didn't know this. So to be prepared to avoid the hassle if you have one of these agents, pack ice around your milk, but keep an extra ziplock so you can dump the ice and get more ice on the other side of security. In the end I kept the ice but got more at Starbucks anyway.
3. On the plane, those little bags for motion sickness are a great way to pack a bottle in some ice (the flight attendant told me this one).

Local Resource: Car seat inspection

In the past, parents have been able to head to a local police department (of any neighboring town) and have their car seat installation inspected for safety. Unfortunately, budget cuts have caused stations to limit access to residents, or disband it entirely. Check out this article. The moral of the story, call your local department first. If they won't do it, then you can go to Children's Hospital in Boston and pretty soon Isis Maternity. See this handbook on inspection stations and tips. Also, this page contains local events for inspection.

Tip #26: Make that a replacable lovey

There's lots of advice out there that suggests (when babies are old enough ~6months) to introduce a 'transition object'. This lovey is an object of some kind that your infant will become attached to and when you put them down to bed, will help soothe them to sleep in place of you. The best advice I've heard, whatever you introduce as a lovey, make sure you can buy another (and in fact, buy a couple up front if they do get attached to it).

Source: Multiple books, newsletters, and advice of other moms (heck, I even noticed at Isis Maternity, they are selling packs of three Angel Dear lovies).

Tip #25: Alternate activities to tummy time for neck strengthening

A lot of babies hate tummy time when they are still developing the strength to hold up their heads (they get very frustrated when they can't do what they want yet!). Here are a couple of alternate activities to help them develop neck strength that you can do with them (also check Tip #12 for how to make tummy time itself less frustrating):

• Up-up-up Game: With baby lying down, hold their hands and pull them up into a sitting position. Sing "Up up up up!" and then help them to return to the ground singing "Back Dooown". When they are really young, you'll need to support their head with one hand and pull them up/set them down with the other. I've seen most need less support going up at the beginning then back down. This is also the thing pediatricians sometimes do to check upper body development.
• Assisted Airplane: It's so much more fun for baby to do tummy time when they can see mom/dad or another loved one. With you laying down, put your legs up, with your shins parallel to the floor to create a surface for baby to lay. Place baby on your lower legs and have fun! You can sing them a song, you can bring your legs towards and away from your face (stick the boppy under your head to support your neck). This is also a good way to work out the postpartum tummy. My little guy takes tours of cities around the world ("here we are flying over Tokyo, and here comes Moscow...")
• Tick Tock Cuckoo Clock: This helps development of side to side motion. With them sitting on your knee, rock them back and forth singing: "Tick tock, tick tock, I'm a little cuckoo clock. Tick tock, tick tock. Now it's striking one 'o clock. Cuckoo!" When you hit the last Cuckoo (one for one o'clock, two cuckoos for two o'clock etc.) pick them up into the air with every cuckoo.
  
• I'm a little teapot: You know this song, you can do this with them on your knee and when you get to 'tip me over and pour me out', you tip them to one side.
• Trot-trot To London: With them on your knee, bounce your knee singing "Trot trot to London, Trot trot to Dover, don't go across the bridge you might fall ooover", when you get to the over, you tip them to the side.

Sources: Various moms groups, mommy baby yoga, and experimentation.

Tip #24: Speeding up diaper changes out of the house

While on a cross country plane trip, my husband discovered a cool way to speed up diaper changes. With the diaper changing pad face up, place a new diaper and the wipes on top of it and fold it up before you place it back in your diaper bag. Next time you need to do a diaper change, just place the package on top of the changing table, unfold and voila!

Source: Super Dad

Tip #23: Line the baby bath tub with a wash/burp cloth

You can line your baby bath tub (if you use one) with a wash cloth or burp cloth to make the bath tub less slippery and more comfortable for baby.

Source: Grandma

Tip #22: Turn off your monitor when you have guests

If you're sharing a room with your baby, make sure to turn off your baby monitor when you're in the room for the night if you have guests in the house!

Source: It's a funny story....

Local Resource: Parents lists

Local parents lists are a phenomenal way of getting information about kid friendly activities, tips, advice on daycares and other various topics as well as for sale kid items and free stuff. Here are links for signing up on various lists in the Boston area.

Arlington Parents List

Boston Parents Network

Cambridge Families Group

Somerville Moms Email List

Tip #21: My favorite clothes for nursing

I was given a couple of 'hootie hiders' as gifts, which in theory are a great way to discreetly breastfeed in public. In actuality though they are usually brightly covered and my little guy loves playing with them so much when he's under them that it's more like he's flagging a jet plane onto an aircraft carrier than he is eating. Therefore, I've had to decide on clothing that I find comfortable and discreet. My favorite has become stretchy style tops (my favorite are from LL Bean), one size larger than I would normally wear and a nursing tank top. The tank top ensures all my skin is covered (in case the shirt in the back gets hiked up pretty good) and whatever skin is exposed around the boob area is covered up by the nursing baby. It was recommended to me once by a lactation consultant to use nursing tank tops and button down shirts. This didn't work for me because once I actually did it I realized I felt really exposed. Once you pull the cover down on the tank top your entire boob is exposed and a open button-down shirt won't cover it up!

Source: Personal experimentation

Wanted: Tips on what to do with a distractable baby! Since covers don't work, I don't know what to do when he rolls off the boob while eating to look around. Also, when I want/need to feed him just before I leave for work, he's often too distracted to eat!

Tip #20: Have a special toy for the diapering table

As babies get squirmier and more active, diapering gets harder and harder! Try having a special toy for the place where you change their diaper that will distract them in order to keep them still and keep them from getting their hands/feet in the dirty diaper!

Source: Mom's group instructor, hm..I think I also just read it in a Baby center email.

Tip #19: Use a mesh bag for baby socks and bra pads

Ever wonder where missing baby socks go..or maybe your bra pads? A friend in a mom's group found out the hard way that sometimes these things get sucked up over the edge of the tub in the washing machine and into the pump. You can use a mesh bag to keep all the little things in your wash from literally being eaten by the washing machine.