parent hacks

links for 2007-10-11

• Picky Eaters? They Get It From You - New York Times
  Food for thought. (Thanks for the link, Mary Wells.)

Parent Hacks: The Jumping Monkeys interview!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing with Megan Morrone and Leo Laporte for the Jumping Monkeys parenting podcast, and it was like chatting with friends. Thanks for having me on -- I had a great time!

(The previous episode featured Moxie of Ask Moxie, and the one before that featured the DadLabs dads. Great folks all.)

Elimination Communication: what's it like to go diaper-free? Talk amongst yourselves.

Despite most of our basic parenting assumptions, diapers aren't a given. People all over the world have guided babies through the toilet learning process with nary a Huggie in sight. Call it what you will -- Elimination Communication (EC), the diaper-free baby, whatever -- the notion of forgoing the whole cloth vs. disposable choice is appealing indeed.

But how does EC fit into modern Western parenting? What's it really like? How do you take your baby to the grocery store? What if you're a working parent? What if your house has wall-to-wall carpet? What if your baby starts communicating with you while she's strapped into the car seat, you're on the freeway doing 60, and you forgot to pack an extra outfit?

Several Parenthackers have commented in past posts about their experiences with EC, but we've never had an official tell-all. So here we go -- please share your elimination communication wisdom. I'm not asking for how-tos (see resource links at the end of this post), but rather what real-world advice you'd share with someone curious about how going diaper-free really works.

Resources:

Books:
"The Diaper-Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative" (Christine Gross-loh)
"Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene" (Ingrid Bauer)
"Early-Start Potty Training" (Linda Sonna)

Web sites:
DiaperFreeBaby.org
Mothering.com Elimination Communication forum

links for 2007-10-10

• Unclutterer: Organizing gift wrapping supplies
  Or start saving the Sunday comics pages...that's our favorite wrapping paper. That and kid art.

How to switch from disposable to cloth diapers? Talk amongst yourselves.

My previous post about the impending Huggies price increase begs the question: why not just opt out of disposables altogether? Why not switch to cloth diapers?

I have no bias toward a particular diaper choice; as with most parenting decisions, there's more than one right answer. We used (note past tense! Huzzah!) disposables with our kids, but many friends have insisted that cloth is, for the most part, just as easy, cheaper in the long-run, and more comfortable for the diaper-ee.

And so Parenthackers, I'd love to hear your cloth diapering wisdom. You, more than anyone, will have smart advice for parents considering the switch. Do you use a diaper service? Diaper covers or all-in-ones? Disposables while on the road or at night? Disposables when they're little and cloth when they're older?

I'm not suggesting we debate the relative merits or environmental ramifications of cloth vs. disposables -- rather, let's hear your practical advice about how cloth diapering actually works in your family. Give us the real poop, as it were!

(Of course, another choice is to opt out of diapers completely. We'll talk about the diaper-free baby, aka Elimination Communication, tomorrow, so save your comments about that till then.)

Huggies and Pull-Ups price increase in Q1 2008

Good timing on the money-saving post about using Amazon Subscriptions for diaper and wipes orders; turns out early next year Kimberly-Clark plans to increase prices by 4-7% on baby care items, including Huggies diapers, Pull-Ups, and Goodnites. So stock up on sales (I'll keep an eye out for those Amazon diaper promotions). Thanks to the Hengsts for passing along the tip from PR Newswire.

Related:
Generic diapers: good enough for your baby?
How to switch from disposable to cloth diapers? Talk amongst yourselves.

Dry erase marker on the bathroom mirror: an all-purpose noteboard

It's cold season again and, right on schedule, we're all sniffling around here. So was Tiffany and her family, and here's how she kept track of all the medicine doses:

My entire family was sick last week (me, my husband and our 16 month-old son) so there were countless medicines to keep up with. I kept track of the different medicines and the times they were last taken by writing a huge note directly onto our bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker. You can’t miss it when you walk into the bathroom and it easily wipes off with a tissue or the hand towel – you don’t even need Windex. Now I keep a marker in the bathroom all the time (for those little revelations you have in the shower) – when we’re not sick I write myself little reminders: “pick up diaper cream” etc.

Seems like an ideal way to communicate with a teenager as well.

Related: Track medicine dosage right on the bottle

Chinese soup spoons help toddlers feed themselves

Anything that helps toddlers feed themselves -- and not their laps or the floor -- is a good thing. From Laura:

Tis the season for soup! While recently eating soup at a japanese restaurant with our toddler, we discovered that he is able to handle the asian style spoons much easier. I think this is because the bowl of the spoon is relatively deep with steep sides and the handle is short, so it's easier for him to get a spoonful of soup from the table to his mouth without dumping it on his lap!

Absolutely! Asian soup spoons are usually ceramic, but one can find inexpensive and unbreakable stainless steel spoons at Asian and Indian markets (and Amazon, of course).

links for 2007-10-09

• Baby Toolkit: Apple-tizing: Slice Up Something Tasty
  Hey! This is how I slice apples! Way quicker for the grownup, way easier to eat for the kid.

"I Spy" keeps kids awake in the car

Here's how Jennifer keeps the car drowsies at bay:

Thought I'd share: My kids (2 1/2 and 4 yrs old) fall asleep very easily in the car. Sometimes it's a good thing, but sometimes they fall asleep during 15-20 minute drives home, which then interferes with their nap schedule. I can never quite transfer them to their beds without waking them up and then they are crabby the rest of the day from not getting enough rest. My latest trick in keeping them awake is to engage them in a game of "I spy." We all take turns "spying" on objects on the road and guessing what the person is spying. They are completely engaged and it works every time.

For us, I Spy also solves the inevitable sibling sniping that goes on in the back seat. Rather than engage in endless refereeing (and, in so doing, pay attention to behavior I'd rather ignore), I yell out "I SPY..." and suddenly the whining stops and everyone's playing.

What are your favorite in-the-car activities?

Mesh tops hide nursing leaks

Shannon's practical fashion tip for nursing moms:

As the (leaky) nursing mother of a 2 1/2 month old, I've resigned myself to changing myself to pretty much only wearing black in public and always packing an extra t-shirt so that I don't sit around with huge wet spots on my chest.

I recently bought a double layer mesh top to wear to a party, and couldn't resist wearing it for a test run the other day (sometimes you just need something to make Wednesday a little special, eh?) -- of course, the inevitable leak happened, but I was surprised when the wet spot was dry within ten minutes! I'm reminded of the hiker/cyclist refrain that "cotton kills" (because it takes forever to dry after getting wet). I imagine any "wicking" top from an outdoors-type store would work just as well, but there are some very pretty (and patterned, double bonus!) mesh tops in department stores these days.

Anyone else have tips for hiding the leaks?

links for 2007-10-06

• The Kinder Studio
  These folks turn your kid's art into an actual matted, framed art piece, digitally reproduced onto either archival paper or stretched canvas.
• Coinstar/Amazon deal
  Coinstar's having a promotion till 11/4: use a Coinstar machine to convert at least $30 in cash and change into an Amazon gift card (counting's free) and Coinstar will send you an additional $10 Amazon gift card. (via their PR person.)

Underwear over a diaper helps kids feel "big" during night training

Gordon's 3 year-old son came up with this potty training hack all on his own:

Since my son associated wearing underwear with being a big boy (and had made the daytime transition pretty smoothly), he didn't want to wear a diaper at night. He (and his parents!) also didn't want a wet bed. So he put his underwear on over his diaper, and after a couple of dry weeks, the diapers went away.

Browse the Poop. Pee, Potty, etc. archive for more potty training hacks!

Never run out of diapers again: Amazon Subscriptions

Michael uses Amazon Subscriptions to save money on diapers AND desperate last-minute trips to the store:

I’m relatively new to Parent Hacks (and parenting for that matter)… but we have started using Amazon Subscriptions for ordering wipes and diapers….we have found that the product is generally cheaper than the stores, plus there is a 15% discount with the subscription, and free shipping – delivered straight to your doorstep. Still working through the timing, but it works well for us so far…

And if you haven't already, check out Baby Cheapskate -- Angie's always on top of all the great deals!

links for 2007-10-05

• Sweet Juniper! : The first test
  Another beautiful post by Dutch (aren't they all?), this one pondering a world free of "genetic flaws."
  (tags: parenting)

FM Fall Shopping Guide: Home is where the heart (attack) is

In my latest FM Fall Shopping Guide post, I lament my ongoing struggle with housework, and the nagging feeling that my home is rarely my retreat.

Lots more good stuff, including Amalah's hilarious admission about her toilet paper issues (how does she manage to make toilet paper funny?) and a post by Danielle of Celebrity Baby Blog on the Kaboost, a nifty plastic pedestal that turns any regular dining chair into a high chair.

Cookie sheets rescue food dropped from the high chair

Rob's good-sense feeding hack:

Our little guy is just starting to self-feed things like peas, etc. that we spread before him at meal time. However, most of his food ends up on the floor. So to reduce this waste we now put a cookie sheet on the floor under him that catches about 90% of these dropped morsels so we can reload his tray.

Wax paper would work as well and is disposable (a pro or con depending on your perspective). Past hacks have also suggested old vinyl party tablecloths as highchair mats, I wouldn't think they're as easy to clean.

links for 2007-10-04

• Scribbit: Announcing the Winter Bazaar
  Weekly round-up of seasonal activities, decorations, crafts, recipes...be sure to drop by Scribbit each Wednesday.

More good toy deals to be had at Amazon right now

Amazon's got some good deals on toys right now, so if you're the stockpile-the-holiday-gifts type, it's worth a visit. A few of my favorites, all on sale for over 50% off:

Brilliant Basics Ready Steady Rider: That thing isn't tipping over. No way. Ideal for young toddlers

Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse: I grew up on something similar. Hours of fun, great for coordination.

Connect Four/Guess Who: Two games teachers and parents love for their simplicity, fun and brain workout.

Bath towel "bolsters" help baby sleep without rolling over

Melanie would love your weigh-in on her hack:

My son is 7 months old and he is constantly waking himself up at night and rolling onto his belly, then crying till I come in and roll him onto his back again. After a third sleepless night in a row, I had an idea how I could help him. I am submitting this both because it works, and also because I'm interested in feedback as to what other parents think the pros/cons of this kind of solution would be.

What I did was take 2 bath towels, rolled them up to make 2 sausage shapes, and put those under his crib sheet (over the mattress but under the sheet so he can't actually touch it or get tangled in it at all). I spaced them just wide enough that he can lay comfortably between them on his back, but he can't roll "uphill" to either side, as it were, to end up on his belly. He slept from 5:30 am till 8:30 am with this, plus two naps for about 2 hrs each (usually he wakes up around 7 and has hour-long naps).

Seems fine to me, but then I'm way past the baby stage and am already forgetting the finer points of infant sleep (or lack thereof, as the case may be). Your thoughts?