PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[gailrmv]

hello there!
I posted a while back (before the thread split) asking questions about day care. Most of the people who replied I think are active on this thread, so I wanted to let you know how it turned out. First off thanks everyone who shared their experience with me. So, after lots and lots of thought, I am working part time from home through the fall and then will be a SAHM for a while. The job I have now is not my dream job, and it is not giving me enough mental stimulation, social interaction, career development or compensation to really make it worthwhile to put him in daycare. When he is a bit older and ready for preschool, I hope to resume my career part time with a more interesting job. I know that is hard to find, especially in this economy, so I thought long and hard about my decision. The timing is good with work because the project I work on is wrapping up this fall anyway. I had planned to get staffed on a new project, but instead told my boss that I want to finish up this project and then will resign. He was glad that I am going to finish the project up, and is fine with me working part time from home, as long as work gets done. So, I'm short on sleep and "me time", but I'm able to be home with DS during the days. It's going pretty well! Even though being a SAHM is very challenging on some days, and sometimes I feel like "I went to college and grad school for this??" most of the time I am really happy with the choice.


And now a question for you all about naps. So we are following the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book and things are going very well for night sleeping. I also read Babywise, No Cry Sleep Solution, and am reading Baby Whisperer right now, following HSH,HC most closely. Luckily the experts seem to agree on some things! My son is 3 months old and exclusively breastfed. He has a loooong feed around 7 pm, followed by a story and lullaby, then sleeps in his crib. Sometimes he has a hard time settling down and I do BF him more in that instance. This may be a bad habit, but it seems like nothing else works to calm him down and he may actually be tanking up for his long sleep stretch, so I don't mind feeding him. He is not sleeping thru the night yet but goes to sleep pretty well and then is up 1 or 2 times in 12 hours for a quick feed. I'm pretty happy with his night sleeping.

Trouble is naps. We do eat-play-sleep (or EASY) during the day. I am putting him down in his crib at the first signs of drowsiness, and trying to keep him up for no more than 1-2 hours at a time as suggested by most of the experts. But, he fights and fights having a nap in his crib - or else sleeps just 10 or 20 min and wakes up screaming. I am OK with letting him cry a little bit, but he just gets himself all worked up and does not seem to settle himself down at all. Then it is time for the next feed and he hasn't had a nap. My mom said I was the same way as a baby, and slept very little during the day.

I can get him to nap quite well in his swing, though, or in the stroller while we're walking. If we stop walking, or I stop the swing, he wakes right up screaming. I know the motion is a bad habit, but I've tried and tried for still naps in the crib and am just not having success. I;ve decided that naps in the swing are better than no naps at all, but do you all think I am setting myself up for bad habits? Any suggestions?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Took Tessa to the pool today. She is crazy in the water. Dunking herself, blowing bubbles in the pool, trying to doggie paddle...plus she goes up to all the kids and moms and say hi. She even asked a few moms to pick her up

Of course none of them minded. Then took her to the gym and she RAN to child watch and threw herself at the door. She couldn''t WAIT to get in and play. But of course when I went to pick her up she came running (and screaming) towards me again. Guess she *might* have missed her mama.

Burk, sorry your hours are screwed up! Can they change it?

MrsS, she runs and screams (happily) it is so funny. Jake will get passed it.

Puffy, it is SO nice she climbs into the car seat! I am bad with the baby book. I guess I use this as my journal.

lili, T has started to eat again but is EXTRA picky lately. J sounds so freaking adorable. Yay that your boobs are yours once again!

Q, I think we are FAR off from PT. I had a blast in SF. It was good for me.

Bobo, take your time. My list is long too!

I am thinking teething too. It is NEVER ending! Good luck on the move!

Curly, my birthday was nice. Load those videos! The car seats can be killers but it DOES help she will get in there herself.

Jas12, did you get a black dress yet? Yay for your little sister! Good for her!

TGal, glad your meeting went well. Your boss seems awesome. Thinking of you today.

snlee, yay for 9 months of surviving! Sounds like D is doing great! T didn''t have shots during her 9 month appointment either. Post pictures of your new house. Sounds amazing! What plans do you have for D''s b-day party?

 

[puffy]

qt B is totally loving his baby again, funny what a few new toys will do for a kid. haha. i''m actually almost 14 weeks now. they dated me 1 week ahead when i got my NT scan done. it''s so crazy....14 weeks!! how are you feeling? hope things are going ok with you and the family.

bobo haha, little B is so funny!! B tied to climb over the baby gate once but he actually used on of his push toys to stand on then he fell down and NEVER tried it again. instead, he will just ask me to let him in and promise to be a good boy, which most of the time he is. i''m doing pretty well, thanks for asking. have you gotten more packing done?

curly how are the girls doing? i definitely want to find out the sex of baby, but DH might want a surprise, and there is no way that i can find out and not tell him or accidently spill the beans. we''ll see though, but i am pretty sure i will find out.

jas12 YAY for your little sis!!! how is Co doing?

lili how is J doing? i''m so glad that she is taking to milk, may not be much but at least she''s taking it. i hope she has been cold free. like i was telling curly, i want to find out the sex, well put it this way, i WILL find out the sex. haha.

snlee YAY for your new house!!! are you still in the same area? we still have to meet one of these days, i want to see D. it''s been so long since we''ve seen the kid. sounds like he is doing very well. i''m sure he gets himself into plenty of trouble rolling around. B had a blood test and honestly, he cried and screamed, but it was worse for me than it was for him. he totally forgot about it after it happened, except for when he was saying he had an ouchie and was asking for kisses.

tandogmom glad to hear that he is doing well at night. do you follow a routine in the afternoon as well, give him a paci? i know some moms here use pacis for sleep, B never took to it, but it seems to work for some. and honestly, at 3 months, i would let him nap in a swing while it''s in motion. or maybe you can rock him until he is super drowsy and then lay him down and see if he can settle himself. i hope you find something that works for you and him.

tacori i only put things in the baby book whenever i have time, and i really like doing stuff like that...weird, i know. i do his baby book, and i have made a scrapbook for his 1st year of life and am working on another for the second year. sounds like T had a wonderful time at the pool, she is such a funny girl. when other people want to carry B, he looks at me first to see if it''s ok. haha.

burk how are you and T doing? hope you guys are doing well.

things have been so nuts around here. B is sick AGAIN with a terrible cough but he doesn''t seemed too bothered by it. then of course he got me sick and now i''m just coughing like crazy. DH is sleeping in the guest room so he doesn''t get sick. and the weather has been so wonderful that all B wants to do is play outside and i just want to be in bed. oh well, kid wins every time.

 

[mrssalvo]

hi mommies-almost done with all the unpacking. my hubby has been so busy (which is a good thing) that he''s not around to help and Jake is just into everything so I can only do house work etc. while he''s asleep. anyway, almost there!!

tgal-i don''t have any real advice on how to get amelia to drink milk. Jake just drinks the soy. my sister''s daughter does not like regular milk at all though but will drink soy milk. But, Amelia''s been drinking milk out of the bottle right? I guess if it were me, I''d just keep offering it to her. My ped. says babies past 12 months don''t really need anything to drink but water. I would probably just try to make sure she''s getting protein and dairy from other sources until her milk consumption increases.

tacori-so cute about T at the pool! she''ll be and early swimmer for sure.

jas12-yay for your sister. how''s co doing? is he walking at all? are you guys getting to swim?

tandog-i''m glad you found a workable arrangement.

puffy- i can''t believe you are 14 weeks! not long at all until you find out if B is going to have a brother or sister!!

snlee- that is great news about the house!

lili-yay for successfully weaning!!

qt and bobo- hope you all are doing well....

gotta run, lily wants pig tails in her hair.....hope everyone has a great day!!

 

[Jas12]

Mrs--yes, we are getting to swim everyday. Co is like jake and tessa and absolutely loves the water--fearless dives into the waves. He hates the cold and the lake is *not* warm so i am surprised he''s into it. I am so happy it''s warm and the weather has been nice. Love being outside.
No, not walking. I really do think it''ll be a couple more months

He just seems to have no interest. He practically run-crawls and then stands to get what he wants so i don''t know what will make him want to walk somewhere?? My mom thinks i should have him checked just in case his hips are wonky etc. but he was a late crawler too so i think he''s just on his own time-line and i won''t worry for a few more months!

Puffy--Co is great thanks. still talking a mile a minute. His latest is his alphabet. He has most letters down pat and is totally obsessed with letters....on boxes, on shirts, license plates, whatever. I was putting sun screen on him yesterday and heard him say "sssss" and sure enuf he was pointing to the S on the bottle. This is all grandma''s doing. She spends hours upon hours playing with him while i am at work and she loves to show me what he has learned when i go to pick him up.
You need to start posting belly pics!! Sorry to hear you are all sick--urrgh. I just got over a cold too. What''s with that? it''s ummer for goodness sake

Tacori--my sis bought me a black dress in Vegas last week. Similar to the one i posted with the sweetheart top. Haven''t tried it yet--hopefully it fits. She has amazing taste so i trust her judgement. I am sure T will be an awesome swimmer--having the confidence is half the battle, and she certainly does!

Lili--Yay for having J weaned

I guess i should bite the bullet and get it done too.....

 

[lili]

More later, but just want to say...

I can''t believe Co is already doing the alphabets!
I''ve been saying....all those nutrients and energy been going into that magnificent brain of his.
Walking will just have to take a backseat for awhile

 

[puffy]

jas12 Co sounds like he is doing wonderfully!! that''s so cute that he does the alphabets, good job grandma!! B does the alphabets now too, FINALLY, after forever of teaching them to him. but he isn''t too crazy about them, he''s more into numbers. that''s great that he loves the water also and has so much fun in it.

mrsS YAY for almost done unpacking. how is jake doing?

today is so nice out, and the sun came up super early...like before 6, and B must have thought it was time to get up. he does that, once he can see the sun or any light outside, he is up and ready to go. he came running into my room at almost 6. OH BOY!!! but luckily i talked him into sleeping for a bit longer. i was so not ready to be up before 6.
have a great weekend everyone!!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 6/26/2009 3:42:45 PM
Author: lili

I can't believe Co is already doing the alphabets!

I've been saying....all those nutrients and energy been going into that magnificent brain of his.

Walking will just have to take a backseat for awhile

ditto this. Jake has 3 words, well four if you count uh-oh. mama, dada, and up....so impressed Co knows his ABC's!!

puffy-Jake gets up every morning at 6:00 like clockwork. it doesn't matter if I put him to bed at 6:45pm or 9:00pm he's up right at 6:00. how I wish he'd sleep to at least 7:00. You should take a nap when B does if you can!!

ETA: just though of another Jake word....hello, he'll say hello and put his hand to his ear when he hears a phone ring....okay so he's got 4 words

 

[snlee]

QT, thanks! I don''t think we''ll go to Disneyland until D''s a little older. I hope we can hang out again soon though!

BOBO, thanks! Hope the move went smoothly! What did you do to your new house and how long did it take? We hope to finish in a month or so.

TACORI, thanks! We don''t have any big plans for his birthday. Probably just have close family and friends over for a BBQ and cake. That''s awesome that Tessa is so comfortable in the water. Glad you had fun in SF! Sorry I wasn''t able to make it to the GTG. Hopefully next time you''re here we can meet up.

PUFFY, thanks! Yes, we will still be around the same area. We definitely should meet up. Just let me know when you''re free. How did they do B''s blood test? Through a vein in his arm or hand? Did B have to take any extra vitamins? I hope both of you feel better soon!

MRSS, thanks! so glad you''re back home and with your family! Yay for being almost unpacked! I hate packing/unpacking. I am dreading it!

JAS12, wow I can''t believe Co knows his ABCs! That''s awesome!

 

[TravelingGal]

LOL, it''s so funny with the April babies how they develop so differently.

MrsS, thanks for the tips on milk. And even though I swear I''ve heard words from Amelia, I can''t be sure, so right now, I think I''ll keep with the fact that she doesn''t say much at all. Cognitively, she is awesome at understanding when I say "No" and actually obeying, so I guess I am happy with that, ha.

Jas, doesn''t surprise me that the kid knows his alphabet! SmartyCo! Amelia won''t even say ONE letter, however she will sing the song up until the letter G on KEY using just "da". It''s perfectly pitched sometimes, so that even strangers recognize the song. That''s as close as she''s gonna get for a long time, I think!

Well, my girl is a water baby for sure. We headed down a kiddie lagoon earlier today and she loved it. Fearless when it comes to water...just charged right in...I thought she was going to keep going until she went under. Unfortunately it was cold and she started shivering, and then was so upset when I got her out of the water. Kept going in and would not just play in the sand. Oh well!

 

[Loves2Laugh]

Hi Ladies!

I was reading about the Munchkin straw cups TGal and Lili commented about and was curious which one specifically you guys had gotten? (I saw on BRU''s website two types) I just got the Munchkin sippy cups with the handles/silicone top and if the ones with the straw are going to work better I''ll take these back and get the other. Parker is almost 6 months and I figured since he''s so interested in our water when we drink from a straw I''d try and start early with a little water in a cup with lunch and dinner. Thanks!!

 

[sasa]

Thanks Tacori, little B is teething too, I can see 4 teeth popping out at once. Poor little guy.

puffy, your boy is smart, know he''ll get hurt and won''t do it again. Unpacking is a pain, I can''t find anything.
Need to baby proof the home because that kid is running around and bumping into things like crazy. Hope you and B are feeling better.

Jas12, Co is so smart! little B talks a lot but I can''t understand most of them

thanks snlee, We did the whole kitchen with new cabinets, new appliances and tile floor. Move the laundry from the kitchen to the garage.
Bamboo flooring for the dining area and living room. two bathrooms. new paint thru out the house. It took about a month and a half to complete the remodeling

Loves2Laugh, little B love his straw sippy, maybe let Parker try the one you bought and see if he like it?

 

[mrssalvo]

loves2laugh-Jake uses the straw ones.

tgal-it is so interesting to me to see how the April babies are developing differently. it''s funny b/c I didn''t really pay attention to it with other kids so I like seeing the progressions/milestones with our little ones. and I can promise they will all be walking/talking etc at the same level in the not so distant future. My sister and I were even commenting how big the 6 weeks difference b/t her daughter and Jake used to be so huge and now it''s hardly noticeable. developmentally they are at about the same level and they will even out even more as time goes by.


bobo-poor little B with all the teeth coming in at the same time. jake''s got 3 popping through too. they have all broken the skin now and don''t seem to bother him at least.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Have we ever discussed bug spray? Are any safe?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 6/27/2009 5:23:28 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Have we ever discussed bug spray? Are any safe?

tacori, I don't think so, but I always use the skin so soft from avon. they make it in the form of wipes so it's sooo easy to apply to little ones and worked great. it has sunscreen in it too which is a nice bonus. I'll admit to not doing a ton of research on it though.


oh and ETA on my previous post that I didn't pay attention to the development of *my own* kids the way I'm watching it with Jake, my niece and the other April babies..

ETA: okay so I just looked it up and it was apparently cleared for children in 2005. not recommended for babies under 2 months though...
here's what I get...


http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?pf_id=33985&from=search&find_spec=repelent&camp=200914&dir_delivery=1&rep_delivery=1

 

[Burk]

Hello mommy friends! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I haven''t been around much because I have been feeling pretty much terrible and if T is down for a nap so am I or I''m in the bathroom.

Also had a lot going on with our new house stuff...long story short we are on a MUCH longer time line than we had originally intended.

Oh, and DH thought we should give T a break from her allergy meds (he wasn''t convinced she actually had allergies or that if she did the meds were working and he HATES meds).....after 3 days her allergies went crazy. Poor girl is sneezing like crazy, has itchy eyes and is clearly congested. We went through an entire box of kleenex today. Poor girl. Hopefully now DH understands you have to do the meds every day in order for them to work and we can keep her from feeling like this again. Okay. Enough about us....gonna try and catch up now.

 

[Burk]

mrss~Thanks! It''s looking like I''ll still be teaching afternoons, but now 11:45-3 which is better. I can handle that.

puffy~Bed rest was just precautionary after my stupid day....not that it was the best bed rest since I had T.

The weather has been a bummer. It''s been close to 100 every day with over 50% humidity. HOT and sticky. I try and take her out in the mornings but it usually doesn''t get her through the day. Today was at least nice and we went to my brother''s baseball game which she loved! I can totally relate to throwing food to the dog. T thinks it''s hilarious. Some days I feel like a short order cook because I''ll offer her like 3 different meals before she''ll actually eat something. Better be a phase!!

lili~Congrats on weaning!!

I''ve been taking it easy. I realize I was stupid. My players didn''t realize I got sick but were happy to hear me say it was pretty hard (but that they should still go hard because they wouldn''t die

).

QT~Thanks. I feel pretty crappy. 24 hour MS with a crazy 17 mo old is NOT fun. How are you feeling?

sbde~Thanks!! Hope you had a great vacation!

Bobo~I have been taking it easy. MS kicked in full gear this week so I couldn''t work out hard if I wanted to.

Are you living in the new house now?

Be back with more....

 

[Burk]

Tgal~Tayva went through the phase where she would only drink water from her cup too. I kept offering milk and eventually she took to it. Now she loves her milk. Glad your meetings went well!

janine~Yay for Chloe!!

curly~I don''t know if overachiever or idiot describes my Tuesday morning activities.

Done with sprints while preggo...and maybe forever! I''m looking forward to some Lily and Lucy videos on FB!!

Jas12~I feel pretty awful. MS came on strong this week, which is the exact same time it did with T wo I tried to mentally prepare myself, but nothing can prepared you to feel hung over every day. Boo. Anyway, sounds like you house is coming along great. So fun. We''ve had some issues (weather along with other stuff) and we''re probably not going to get our hole dug for a while. Hoping to be moved in by May. It''s all for the best, but sucks since we were hoping to be moved in for the holidays. I''ll have to live through you guys.

Yay for your sister! So fun for you to help out with the ring, too!

snlee~Yay for new house!! So exciting.

TanDogMom~Glad you figured out your work situation! As for sleeping in the swing-T did until she was almost 6 months old for naps. She always slept great at night in her bed (10 hours at 10 weeks) but had reflux and so I was okay with the swing because it was upright and didn''t push it. She kind of just transitioned on her own. I think that he''s young enough that you don''t really need to worry quite yet...especially if he''s sleeping in his crib at night.

Tacori~So cute that Tessa is such a social butterfly asking other moms to pick her up. And so fun we have all these water babies. I wish we could have a PS baby pool party. They''d all love it!! My T loves the water, too. She also loves people watching at the pool. Funny.

Jas12~Holy smarty pants Co with the alphabet!! Too cute! We may need a video of that on FB!

L2L~Every kid is different with sippy cups. All the babies here love the munchkin straw ones, but my T doesn''t want anything to do with them. You may have to try a few before you find one that works best. Good luck!

 

[puffy]

burk so sorry that you are feeling like crap!! rest all you need. you poor thing. i never really had ms too bad with this pregnancy, but when i did have it, i felt pretty crappy already, so i can''t even begin to imagine how you feel. hope T feels better from her allergies. that poor girl..a whole box of kleenex?? her poor little nose and itchy watery eyes.

snlee when they did took B''s blood, it was from his hand, which i actually think was easier for them cause i was able to hold him still without him trying to break free, whereas if they used his arm he was able to move around pretty well still.

mrsS my goodness, 6 every morning and you have 2 other kiddos, you ARE super-mom!!!

tgal amelia sund slike she loves the water as well. kids and water are so cute together, except when they refuse to get out and throw a big ole fit.

bobo unpacking sounds like it is painful!! i HATE to unpack. hoping you get the child proof stuff done so little B can roam around without getting hurt too often. other than the packing, are you guys settling in ok?

another SUPER hot day here, where i wanted to stay inside cause it was so much cooler, but that didn''t happen. it was funny though when we went outside, B almost instantly said "too hot!!" and started to fan himself and me with his hands. haha. he''s still coughing but not as much, he sounds like he is doing better.

 

[sasa]

THanks MrsS, I was wondering why little B was such a pain in the a** lately and was wondering if he is teething,
but he won''t let me look at his teeth. Finally got a peek of his teeths couple days ago and was amaze there were so many teeth
popping out. The biggest one in the back have broken the skin so I think he is ok for now.

Tacori, I saw a bug balm on this website and I want to give it a try. linky

Burk, poor u, hope the ms go away soon. Sorry to hear about Tayva''s allergies, I guess your DH just don''t want her to take too
much medication. I''m living in the new house now, busy unpacking and fighting off the ants. Any good tips for getting rid of ants?
puffy, we''re settling in ok, still getting used to the new house. The only pain is there are a lot of ants in the new house and we
don''t know where it''s coming from. But I don''t want to spray any chemical in the house so it''s a battle with the ants everyday.

 

[Jas12]

Tacori--i was wondering about bug spray too--our local farmers market sells all natural stuff, but i don''t know how well it really works?! Bug spray with deet is heavily promoted around here b/c we are surrounded by bush and have a higher (but still tiny) risk of west nile--but i don''t want to use the stuff on Co. I am interested if ppl have experience with alternatives

 

[janinegirly]

hi ladies,

We had C's 9 month visit last week, and I have a few questions as a result. First of all she's doing great, but still super petite (except the head!). Weight is 16.5 lbs, height 27", and head 17.5". Doctor is a littlel concerned about no standing..does anyone else have experience with a baby that hasn't stood at 9 months? I'm talking about supported standing. We will be doing an ultrasound to be extra cautious, but I'm hoping she's just taking her time. To me she's doing great..crawling and exploring so much every day!
Oh and the shots were awful...my LO just does not handle them well. She screamed for ages ... hard, and then the blood test--she was just crying without sound b/c she was so tired. I was not too happy with the blood test..I didnt' want to do it and they kept saying the babies don't notice it (!), and then when it came to it, it took ages and now she has a big bruise on her arm. I hope this is normal. This test was for lead, which I do think is important to check for--but seems like not every doctor requires it.

Anyway, I was wondering if you moms could let me know recommended diapers/formula for the next stage? C has been in Pampers Swaddlers since birth, and I'm guessing Cruisers are next? But when I checked out the reveiws, quite a few people said they changed the design (liner now not mesh) and weren't too happy. Are Baby Dry's a better option if I stick with Pampers?

And with formula, I noticed there is "Next Step" (for Enfamil)--do I really need to change formula now that she's 9 mos? Forgot to ask the doc. And is cereal still an important part of each meal--C is starting to decipher b/ween foods, and let's just say she's realizing cereal is not so fantastic .

And lastly, what do you ladies do with babies who are starting to pull themeselves up in the crib? (C is doing this to her knees). I know to lower the mattress but she still peers through the bars and can pull herself up, and the issue is she bangs her head on the crib edge in the process of trying! The bumper doesn't help since she pulls it down and it's too low anyway. I'm guessing it's just a phase till she learns..

Sorry for all the ques, but you ladies are the best resources!

 

[february2003bride]

Date: 6/27/2009 5:23:28 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Have we ever discussed bug spray? Are any safe?

We use California Baby bug spray and we''re very happy with it! http://www.californiababy.com/natural-bug-blend-bug-repellent-spray-6-5-oz.html

 

[Burk]

puffy~I was really hoping that since every pregnancy is different I wouldn''t have as severe of MS with this one....no such luck. The one thing that helps is mrss suggestion of coke. Weird. I feel so horrible because there are some days I don''t even want to think about getting off the couch, much less get out of the house to do some of the fun things I planned with T this summer. I''m getting better about just pushing through. Is B feeling better? Are you feeling better? Hope so.

Bobo~I''m not holding my breath about the MS going away....had it until 17 weeks with T!

DH hates medications and I agree but I think she needs to stick with this one. She''s already feeling better. Sorry about the ants. The only thing I know of is chemicals??

janine~I have no experience with not standing, but I guess better to check it out and be safe than sorry? Just precautionary I suppose. I wouldn''t worry. As for diapers, I started using Huggies when she grew out of the Swaddlers...cheaper and work great. I know some of the other mommies use Pampers and I''m sure they''ll chime in. I don''t think it''s necessary at Chloe''s age to do the Next Step formula. I would def. stick with the cereal at least 2 times a day. Good nutrition and since she''s petite she can use all the calories she can get. T still has baby oatmeal for breakfast sometimes. If she doesn''t like it, I would just mix her fruit in with it. Or, if you haven''t already try oatmeal. And the pulling up in the crib, she''ll just have to figure out. Did you already lower the mattress? Hope some of that helped!

 

[TravelingGal]

Janine, regular enfamil is fine, IMHO. Don''t need next step.

Re: standing. Amelia didn''t really stand and cruise until she was a year old. (1 year, 2 weeks for the cruising). She is still not standing on her own. The PT says she is fine. Definitely in the later range for these things but the key is that she keeps progressing. Keep in mind Amelia didn''t crawl properly until she was a year old!

Pampers Cruisers, I like them a lot. Try a few brands and see what you like. Just buy smaller packs when on sale until you find what works for you both.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

real quick. I am behind as usual but baby dry are much THINNER than cruisers. They are the same price per package but b/c of the thickness you get more diapers with baby dry so they are cheaper per unit. I prefer cruisers.

Thanks for the bug spray info. Poor thing has bites all over her.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Hey mommies with toddlers! James will be 1 on Thursday so I''ll be joining you (officially) very soon. I am so excited for my little guy and party plans are in the works.

Re: Diapers - we like the Pampers Baby Dry but have switched to the Cruisers now that James is more mobile. He seriously speed crawls and the tabs on the Baby Dry''s kept coming loose

So far so good with the Cruisers.

Re: Switching formula - James has been off of formula completely for nearly 2 months now (with the pedi''s blessing). He drinks regular whole milk and likes it. I see no need to use the Next Step formula unless your doc recommends it.

Re: Bug spray - we don''t use any on James. If he''s going to be outside for a long period of time we make sure he''s covered and watch him like a hawk. We live in the woods so we gotta be careful.

Re: Sunscreen - we use the Neutrogena baby kind for James and like it. We apply it on his entire body before taking him outside - we even put it on his head since he doesn''t have much hair

Re: Standing in the crib - we lowered the mattress to the lowest setting but James still pulls up too. We no longer use the bumpers either. Eventually he learned to watch his head! He is just sooo tall! He loves to stand up, grab onto the rail and jump up and down while "talking". Very cute.

Re: Walking/crusing/standing - James was late with some milestones - i.e. didn''t sit up or roll over for the longest time and I think he was around 8 mos when he started crawling. He can stand with assistance and cruises all around the furniture. He''s taken 2 unassisted steps (!) but I think it was a fluke. I''m not at all worried about it - pedi said sometimes big babies take longer to get to these milestones because of being big (more weight to move around).

I hope everyone is doing well - I only skimmed through the last two pages.

 

[curlygirl]

janine, sounds like Chloe is doing well. I posted Giant Lucy's 9 month stats on the other thread. She's a beast! Which shots did Chloe get today? Lucy didn't get any. She'll have to go for the lead test after she turns one and that sucked with Lily so I'm not looking forward to watching them draw blood from her arm. I don't have any info on not standing but I honestly wouldn't think that's a big deal.

For diapers, we use Pampers Cruisers. Lucy's been in size 3 for a while now. No problem with them, although they are expensive. We had tried the Baby Dry ones with Lily but they leaked so we stuck with Cruisers for her too. But some people really like the Baby Dry.

As for formula, don't buy into the marketing machine. Stick with the regular Enfamil, no need for Next Step. You'll be moving her on to regular milk in 3 months anyway so just keep giving her the usual stuff. In terms of cereal, I'm not sure how important it is for her to have it but since she's so petite I think you should try to give it to her at least twice a day. We let them give it to Lucy at daycare and they generally mix it with the jars of food because they are too liquidy, but at home I really don't give it to her. She's also a total chowhound and is eating basically everything we eat now and baby cereal is NOT on my menu!!!

If she's standing up in the crib, there's really not much you can do. Make sure you lower the mattress as far down as it goes and let her learn the hard way that it hurts to keep bumping your head!!

 

[janinegirly]

Thank you for the quick responses. I will try Cruisers first--I always knew they came highly recommended, however recent reviews say they changed the design (no more mesh to keep skin dry) which had me second guessing.

As for milestones, thanks for sharing your experiences Tgal and Diva. I remember Tgal's posts on this, so will have to look back. I'm not so much worried about C being a bit behind, b/c she always progresses steadily(rolling to crawling backwards to crawling forwards and pulling to knees) but I am having concerns over not standing supported. When I pull her up and force her to put weight on her feet, she sticks her butt back (not standing straight) and then buckles. Hopefully this u/sound will put concerns to rest, but otherwise I hope she'll piece it together. Are those walker toys (Fisher Price walker musical toys for example) a help at all? I know the giant alphabet foam mat was a help for crawling--it caught her attention and the slippery surface made it easier!

Thanks again all.

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 6/29/2009 1:39:33 PM
Author: curlygirl
janine, sounds like Chloe is doing well. I posted Giant Lucy''s 9 month stats on the other thread. She''s a beast! Which shots did Chloe get today? Lucy didn''t get any. She''ll have to go for the lead test after she turns one and that sucked with Lily so I''m not looking forward to watching them draw blood from her arm. I don''t have any info on not standing but I honestly wouldn''t think that''s a big deal.

For diapers, we use Pampers Cruisers. Lucy''s been in size 3 for a while now. No problem with them, although they are expensive. We had tried the Baby Dry ones with Lily but they leaked so we stuck with Cruisers for her too. But some people really like the Baby Dry.

As for formula, don''t buy into the marketing machine. Stick with the regular Enfamil, no need for Next Step. You''ll be moving her on to regular milk in 3 months anyway so just keep giving her the usual stuff. In terms of cereal, I''m not sure how important it is for her to have it but since she''s so petite I think you should try to give it to her at least twice a day. We let them give it to Lucy at daycare and they generally mix it with the jars of food because they are too liquidy, but at home I really don''t give it to her. She''s also a total chowhound and is eating basically everything we eat now and baby cereal is NOT on my menu!!!

If she''s standing up in the crib, there''s really not much you can do. Make sure you lower the mattress as far down as it goes and let her learn the hard way that it hurts to keep bumping your head!!

hey curly! She got a Polio shot and Hep B. The Hep B was because she never got it (slipped by between us moving and switching docs). Lead test blood draw was not fun, but let''s hope the results come back clean to make it worth it. The houses we''ve lived in up till now are all old, so I do want the reassurance.

And I had a feeling that Next Step was marketing, thanks for confirming . I''ll keep on giving her cereal...although she''s getting really good at turning her head away! She does love yoghurt and avocado which are very fatty, but then not as many vitamins as cereal seems to have.