We are preparing for a first birthday over here and my mind keeps wandering to the the classic film Le Ballon Rouge.
Category Archives: Baby
Baby Personal Baby ProjectKnitting
April 9, 2011 – 6:53 pm
Trends in Childcare
March 30, 2011 – 2:54 pm
I find it amazing how much childcare differs (& doesn’t) between generations e.g. the whole back is best movement. But this is well… wow. They were sold to tenement parents as a way to get their babies some fresh air.
When Kid Furniture Fits Right in…
March 22, 2011 – 9:44 am
These are perfect. They are Cosco Carseat chairs from the 70s and I think the table is a Offi Overlap table Scando table. I need to start looking on ebay. The photo is from the house tour of Swiss Miss. I love EVERYTHING about their apartment.
PS. Check out the lovely storage and foot stool.
Toy Storage – Part Two
March 15, 2011 – 4:11 pm
Option 1:
I like how this looks but it might be too deep.
Option 2:
Use what you already have! Reorganize the cabinet so you have more space! Use the bottom two shelves for toys! Move two small end tables into the room for pulling up on.
diy easy photo cubes
March 11, 2011 – 4:18 pm
After finding several photo cubes online, I decided to make some of my own. With so many family members out of town, I wanted to start getting her used to their faces & names. Using a few clear boxes (upcycled packaging), I taped inside photos from my inkjet. Super Easy! I still have two cardboard boxes left. I’ll do the same but cover the images with a stickon laminating sheet.
10 month old & Turks and Caicos
February 28, 2011 – 7:47 am
There is something magical about the baby and beach combination. Even with the remnants of the flu, we enjoyed a week of early morning walks on a white beach with a pink sunrise backdrop, baby naps in a tent on the beach, and leisurely lunches of conch while baby ate puffs. Ten months is a fantastic age. She’s learning quickly and her personality just keeps getting larger.
Turks and Caicos is a wonderful destination with baby. We stayed in the Regent Palms. The rooms were large with kitchens, the staff was friendly and the hotel was filled with little ones. The only downside was the food but we found several local restaurants nearby. Being right on the beach allowed for us or her grandparents to stay with her during nap-time while the rest enjoyed the beach or the catamaran!
I had been told that the local grocery store was expensive and understocked. Using the great packing lists from TravelMamas, I packed as if we were an army going for a month. In truth, the store carried her unusual formula (Alimentium) as well as diapers, babyfood and pretty much anything else you’d need. It was a 5 minute taxi ride away. Items were about a third more expensive but I could have skipped some of the backup items. You need a carseat to get from the airport to the hotel and our inlaws had bought baby a seat on the plane. Our new wheels for the carseat by GoGo worked flawlessly. I didnt bring an umbrella stroller but probably would next time.
Safe Baby & Mom Products (Shampoo etc)
February 28, 2011 – 6:50 am
All of this comes from the the wonderful folks at Skin Deep (EWG). Their research has completely changed the products that I’m purchasing for my family. We were spending tons of money on Mustella thinking it was the best (though they seem to be changing).
We are now using the list below. Some of them are not THE safest but brands like California Baby are easier to find than some of the other products.
Baby Shampoo/Wash
Baby Organic 2 in 1 Coconut Foam Coconut Shampoo & Body Wash (Rated Zero / Safest)
California Baby Calming Wash (Rated 2)
Wipes
Seventh Generation (Rated 1)
Sunscreen
California Baby (Rated 1)
Diaper Cream
California Baby Diaper Wash (Rated 0)
California Baby Diaper Cream (Rated 2)
*Eventually switching to MadeOn DiaperCream (Rated O)
Lotion for Mom/Dad
MadeOn Bars (Rated 1)
Bugspray
Badger BugBalm
HandSoap (Diluted in a foaming bottle)
Dr. Bronners
Hand Sanitizer
CleanWell
Evolution to Motherhood
February 8, 2011 – 9:40 am
This beautiful description of the evolution to motherhood was posted on Bloom. Go read the entire post!!
“I gave birth some time ago, but I am still becoming a mother. Bend, lift, twist. Sing, feed, bathe. Repeat. A billion times. Tell stories, clean messes, change diapers. Repeat. A zillion times. Simple actions compose the active structure of motherhood. Teach all that you know. Be your very best self. Guide, enjoy, prepare. Relax, breathe, encourage, accept. The refining process of motherhood is not so unlike the training of a ballerina. It takes discipline and conscious effort. It takes courage. It requires support. It demands faith. And stamina, to repeat the sequence, in all its subtle refining power, yet again.
Pliè, relevè. Bend, lift, twist: love, help, try. Balancing, focusing, never forgetting the mirror remains, reflecting you, your attitudes, weaknesses, failures, and strengths. It’s not a job, or a passing phase of life. Mothering is a life. And, like any human interaction, an art. Like the ballerina, changes are made somewhere deep in the core of whom and what you are, in the memory of the muscles, the heart, and the spirit. And magically, grace– kind, wise, and sure—accompanies you. It shapes every quality of your expression. As it does for all ballerinas, for my mother, my grandmothers. As it one day will for me.”
Safe Playmats
February 6, 2011 – 8:11 am
Safbaby has done some amazing research and determined there are two safe playmat companies Edusafe and Tadpole. These were the only two companies who showed their results but others have said they are Formamide free. To cut back further on any off gassing, I’m purchasing one used from ebay.
UPDATE: I should have thought of it but mats are NOT catproof. Ours is already missing small pieces. It is going to be finding a new catfree home.
