The Latest Addition to the Family
I've given birth!
Well, figuratively. I've got a new site up and running called
Philadelphia Moms. I've been posting for a few weeks now, but there's lots more I need to do with it.
For one thing, I can't for the life of me figure out how to get widgets or buttons on the site, including a site meter. Granted, I haven't spent more than two minutes at a pop trying to figure it out either. I'd like to increase the readership, maybe get involved with BlogHer, advertising. Who knows? Maybe I won't have time for any of that and it'll just stay as it is.
But what I realized is there's no good site for moms in the city. No real resource on what do to with yourself on maternity leave. Most of us city moms are stroller bound and when you've got a newborn it's overwhelming to figure out which places are stroller friendly. My goal (which may be unattainable, depending on how much time I dedicate to developing the site) is to create place where moms in Philly can come, get information or ideas and maybe even have exchanges. I'm open to any and all suggestions. There's people out there who are a lot better at this than I am. Feel free to link to this new site if you're reading.
Who knows where it's all going? But check it out.
Labels: baby, baby style, hippie-dippy, parenting
Nicer Than Most of My Furniture
While Rolo certainly has his share of some "blinky, blinky" toys as I call them, we try to ensure that he also is exposed to good old-fashion toys that require thinking, imagination and lack...characters. As in Disney, Sesame Street, Cars, etc. He's too young, of course, to really buy into any characters (though he does seem to have an affinity for Elmo) but I figure there's no need to get him hooked too early either.
The three blinky-blinky toys that he has and plays with on a regular basis are:
LeapFrog Learn and Groove TableFisher Price Musical StageBaby Einstein ExersaucerUp until recently, he'd play with each of these nearly every day. But alas, the onset of crawling and cruising made the exersaucer less than desireable and for some reason the stage isn't being used as often either. But he still loves his LeapFrog table and that's okay because there's lots of educational components to it.
However, for his birthday, I got him the no-frills
Haba Discovery Wagon. There's no blinky-blinky, but it's sturdy, attractive and probably better quality than that Ikea shit sitting in my living room. Which reminds me. I really should buy new furniture.
Oh who am I kidding? I also got it because it'll look nicer sitting in his room than
this.
Labels: baby style, random
Footwear, But Not for Me
Ever since my friend Kim sent Rolo a pair of
Robeez sneakers earlier this year, I've been in love. They're cute, they have soft soles and, best of all, he can't get them off. But with the warm weather upon us and the requirement of his daycare that children wear closed-toe shoes, I ordered Rolo
these a few weeks ago. I can't say they're the cutest sandals out there, but at least his feet can breathe. Because this kid? He does NOT enjoy being hot.
Anyway, I got the sandals in brown, because...well, isn't that the color that sandals usually are? The fact, though, is that Rolo wears a lot of blue, and depending on the outfit, the brown sandals look sort of funny, kind of like they don't match what he's wearing. I know, I know, doesn't brown match everything? It would seem not. So I'm actually contemplating getting the
same sandals in navy blue. What do you think? Too much?
In other shoe news, I also just ordered
these, because, c'mon, how could I not?
Labels: baby style
I'm So Cool
So the Born Free bottles I use are featured on
Cool Mom Picks, one of my favorite websites. They tout these as having a venting system that reduces gas, but Rolo started using these when he was older and past his gas-issues, so I can't speak to that. Although, I think those gas-reducing vents, along with the Dr. Brown's version, are more or less crocks of shit. Dr. Brown's is considered the pioneer of gas reduction but while using those bottles Rolo was still as gassy as a drunk after a hard night on the town.
But I digress. I like the Born Free bottles so much that I got Rolo one of their sippy cups and it's definitely his favorite cup so far.
Labels: baby style
Stuff I've Learned
I've recently been compiling a list in my head of all the products I love and don't love since Rolo's been born, and I thought I'd post it:
Stuff I Could Live Without-the
Dr. Brown's microwave sterilizer=total waste of money. Yeah, it makes things easier when you first sterilize the bottles when the baby comes home. But then you never really use it again.
-the beloved
Vera Bradley diaper bag. I have two of these and I thought it was what I wanted. In practice, it's an awkward diaper bag. It's lightweight, which is a pro, but I've found that I need a bag that goes across my chest.
-things with hoods. It can be seriously difficult to find baby jackets that don't come with hoods. Hell, even many sweaters and some shirts come with hoods. Totally annoying. Here are the instances in which your child may need a hood: 1.) if the seasons are changing and it's warm, you're not bringing a hat, but if it gets breezy, you'd like your baby to have some protection or 2.) it's the middle of the winter and your kid is going to be outside for a long period of time (i.e. a parade or...something), wearing the hood over a hat. Other than that, no need for a hood. I think one coat or snowsuit and one sweater with hoods are plenty. If the child is not yet sitting up on his own, it means the hood either has to be up when the child is in a car seat or stroller, or if the hood is down, he's laying on it uncomfortably.
-the
Boppy pillow. While I'm a big fan of a couple of the other Boppy products (see below), this one was kind of a waste. I've used it occasionally to prop Rolo up on the floor or on a bed, particularly for tummy time. But as a breastfeeding aid, it didn't work for me (for the short time I was actually nursing). It would always slip away from me as Rolo nursed and would require constant readjustment. And since I was trying to actually get Rolo to successfully latch on, this distraction was annoying beyond belief. I've heard that a similiar pillow, My Breast Friend, (sorry I can't type that without gagging from the cheesiness) is better because it straps to you, preventing the slipping.
Stuff I LOVE:-
Britax Diplomat. It's one of the safest car seats out there, and Rolo really likes it (well, other than getting strapped into it). It's almost the same seat as the Britax Boulevard, just a smaller version. The Boulevard is HUGE, and when rear-facing, almost always requires moving your front seats up. My plan is the use the Diplomat, and possibly, if we ever have another kid, to get the Boulevard for Rolo (who would be forward facing by then) and use the Diplomat for kid #2. Anyway, they are pricey, but of all the things parents plunk down hundreds of dollars on, I think something like a car seat is a much better value than, say, fancy bedding. The car seat could save your kid's life. Know what's going to happen to that fancy bedding? Your kid is going to urinate on it.
-
Born Free bottles. I finally broke down and got Rolo BPA-free bottles. Although I'm still using the Dr. Brown's for day care right now, the Born Free seem to work really well. Plus the parts are easier to clean than the Dr. Brown's.
-
Stuck On You labels. Seriously, these things stay on the bottles, no matter how many times you wash them (although admittedly, we hand-wash bottles, no dishwasher) and they are much cuter than having to write your kid's name in permanent marker on bottles and sippy cups for day care.
-the
Zoomby blanket. We got this as a gift and we used it instead of one of those
infant carrier muffs. It kept little Rolo super toasty warm.
-
side-snap shirts. Gerber's and Carter's both make these and some have cute little designs on them. For a summer baby, I thought these were great. Rolo wore one of these and a diaper to bed many a night.
-
sneaker socks. Need I say more?
-The Boppy
swing and
activity mat. We're still using both of these, although, the swing's days are numbered as Rolo is just getting too big for it. I've heard people complain that the swing isn't "bright enough", as if I suppose, babies only like swings that scream colors at them. I happened to love the muted tones. Rolo spent many a morning deep in conversation with "his bees" (which hang from the swing). More importantly, he took many a long nap in that thing. The activity mat we used from the time he was about 4 weeks old and he's still entralled with it.
-pacifier tethers, like
this one. Not only good for holding a pacifier, but also for attaching lightweight toys (like toy keys) to the kid so they don't wind up on the floor when out in public.
I'm going to try to post periodically about kids' products I use. Not that my reading audience, all 3 of you, is interested in that. But, whatever, this site is about me. No, seriously, keep reading.
Labels: baby, baby style, parenting, Rolo
