Savvy Snack Cup

My goal this summer as we traveled thousands of miles was to keep the vehicle as undisgusting as possible. When you have a toddler who is interested in finger foods and who will need more "refueling" than the big people in the caravan, it means you have to have snacks on the road. I get grossed out by all the left over ickys that make their way into the crevices of the car seat, floor mats and just about everywhere when eating in the vehicle is involved. So I "discovered" these great snack traps! I found them at Babies R Us. It's a plastic cup with a rubber lid that has slits (kind of like a drink cup top where the straw goes). You put the snack in, the child reaches through the slits and pulls out one-ish item and the rest are "trapped" in the cup. Even if it's turned upside down and shaken, the contents won't come out! This is a life, and upholstery, saver! They work fabulously! We've used them for Cheerios, goldfish, honeymaid bees, all the gerber finger food stuff, craisins just about any small, dry finger food can be used in these cups. I bought them for travel, but now that we're home, our boy usually gets his afternoon snack in them as well. He's toddling now around the house, and keeps that cup clinched firmly in one fist while the other digs out the yummies. It keeps the house clean and him occupied while he snacks.

Six by Seuse

"One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" "Thing one and thing two" "Fox in sox on Knox in box." Who can imagine growing up without Dr. Seuss? We bought this book for our son's first birthday because we like Seuss in our house, and this volume has some stories in it that I'd actually never read before. Horton Hatches the Egg is pretty hilarious! Reading is an important part of our daily routines. Right now our little lad is still most interested in his board books, but he LOVES reading time. We can read the same book 4 times and it will STILL be just as interesting. Read with your munchkins! It will make all the difference to them. It's great bonding "quality" time with your kids. PLUS they get a great appreciation for reading, and that's something you just can't put a price tag on!

Crib Jumping

A friend of mine recently had a terrifying experience when she walked into her 6 month old son's room to find him straddling the crib rail! Fortunately she managed to catch him before he fell. Probably every mom has "horrors" of her child climbing the crib and falling over the other side. I've heard several moms with stories about their little ones who could climb out of the crib before they were 9 or 12 months! Scary thought for several reasons. One, even if the little folk can work their way over the top of the crib rail, chances are they aren't going to be coordinated enough to come down the other side safely. Then two, and maybe a little selfishly, we mommies would like them to stay contained so that we can get some sleep! Here are a couple tips on keeping your tot safely in his bed. First, take OUT the bumpers! I've read/heard lots of times that while they make a great baby room accessory, they really are dangerous. They pose a suffocation hazard for small infants, and then they morph into steps for bigger babies to use to climb. If you DO use them, once your little one can pull themselves up, it's time for the bumpers to go. One trick that I've used with our son all along, was kind of just an accident. You've heard about the sleep sacks before, we've used one with our baby since he was able to roll over and swaddling no longer worked. They come in heavier and lighter fabrics for different times of year. It's great not to have to worry about him not being covered. However, they also have an added perk of keeping your baby's mobility limited enough that climbing out of the crib is practically impossible! I like them too because without crib bumpers they keep those little legs from getting caught up in the crib slats. So many great pay offs for one little practical product. I'd suggest using these, especially if you have a little monkey living in your house!

The Spillproofest Sippy Cup

Just about every brand of sippy cup has been tested and tried by real live moms out there looking for one that really doesn't leak. They all SAY that they don't leak and are spill proof, but most of us have discovered, the hard way that the cup doesn't always live up to it's boasts. I have brought up this topic with several seasoned veterans of the sippy cup world. One mom has 5 kids that have had to go through these cups! So far the consensus has been unanimous (amazingly enough!) that the Platex brand has the best nonleaking cups. I personally went through a couple different brands before settling on the Platex brand as well. They are great! I use the insulated ones for milk and the 'regular' for juice and water. They don't leak even when left upside down on the vehicle seats or the carpet! My son gets a kick out of looking at the fun pictures on the sides too. One of the best things about them is that they are BPA free, so you don't have to worry about scary chemicals getting into baby's drinks!

Parenting Weekly

There's a website I get updates from weekly, go figure. It's called parenting weekly, and while I don't read every blurb that they send it might be something you'd be interested in. Just go to parentingweekly.com and sign up. You can always unsubscribe later, if you find you don't like it. Sometimes it's just nice to get an e-mail to remind you your a mom.... as if the little people in your home don't do that. :-) Maybe it's just nice to know there are other moms out there too.

Picky, or bored?

Try this scenario: Toddler is hungry, mommy fixes his version of "gourmet" meal, once in his seat being offered the delectable dish on a spoon, he balks. Hmmmm... Picky eater? Possibly, but maybe he's just board with the routine. Our toddler is NOT picky. I know this because I've seen him eat just about anything. I've also seen him shake his head and turn up his nose at the very things he was finding so yummy a short time before. My solution, try something different. NOT a different food, you really don't want to encourage picky eating. Use a different utensil. Sometimes if I offer him food on a "big people" fork rather than his baby spoons he'll gobble it down. Try a different location. Even if our little one is completely full, he'll gravitate toward anyone with food in a non dinning room location. Even if I'm just sitting in the rocker eating my oatmeal after he's had his, he will come and ask for some. Let them do it! Once they reach that stage where they can feed themselves, even though it's often more messy, let them feed themselves. They LOVE the sense of independence and will usually eat more that way. Some kiddos truly are picky, and for those you might have to use other tactics, but if the small one is just bored, some of these tips will probably help.

Catch the Mess!!

Dinner and movie night! So much family fun! Well, it was easier, in a way when our family was just 2 adults who can usually keep our food on the plate. But it's so much more fun with our baby now! He loves to watch movies with mom and dad during dinner even if he's usually "DONE" before either of us or the movie. The problem though, is that I don't particularly enjoy cleaning the remains of his meal off the carpet. At one point we had this plastic thing that I'd try to tote out and put under his seat, but it was bulky and difficult. Finally one day, brilliance struck. I simply walked to the linen closet and pulled out a colored towel. It fit wonderfully under the high chair, and had enough coverage on both sides to catch the occasional fly away. Plus when we were done I just folded it up, took it out the door and shook. The dog really enjoyed picking up the extra treats, and I just tossed the towel in the washer. Perfect!