There are so many diaper brands to choose from it can be confusing. When Alex was a new born we tried 3 different brands before we found the one that worked for us. I found that Pampers Saddlers work the best for keeping him dry, a lot of the other brands would leak at the top and sides.

Once he got to size 3 we switched to Pampers Cruisers and I swear by them! The cruisers are by far the most absorbent diapers that I found. Alex has still not had diaper rash.

Every baby is different so it may take going through some different brands before finding the right one. Just wanted to share what worked with Alex.

Labels: baby diapers, baby questions

Baby proofing just means making your house safe for your baby. You should go ahead and start the baby proofing processes before your baby is getting around on his/her own. In all reality, it will feel like you are always doing something in your home to make it safer for your little one. Some key things you can to do start baby proofing:

~keep ALL chemicals and medicines in a locked cabinet
~get a smoke alarm, and check it pretty often to make sure it is always working. Also think about a carbon-monoxide alarm. I got one when Alex was born, and I'm thankful I did.
~put in window and cabinet locks where needed, and don't forget the outlet plugs!
~don't leave lighters or matches laying around, put them in a safe place where they baby can't reach.
~Keep your loose change in a jar out of reach

These are just a few of the many ways to begin the process of keeping your baby safe! If you can think of any to add please do so!

Labels: baby questions, baby safety

There are some things that you can do to help make your baby's crib safe.

If you have a newborn it is recommended not to put up all the extras on the crib. None of the bumpers or extra blankets it could cause your baby to get too hot, or even suffocate. Don't give your baby a pillow until he/she is at least a year old.

Even though they make toys to go in a crib, when your baby is sleeping, you should remove them. If you have a toy that hangs from the side, just make sure that there are not any string that hang down longer than 10 inches. Also, it might be a good idea to move your crib so that it is not near a radiator or direct sunlight.

Your baby will be spending a lot of time in the crib, so why not make it as safe as possible!

Labels: baby safety

Try to eat as many meals as you can together away from the TV. This way, as your baby grows up and get busy, they will know that meal time can be family time. Also, when your baby is eating away from the TV they can focus on eating rather than the things going on around them. When they are not focusing on eating they might not stop when they are full, which can cause a hurt belly.

Labels: baby food

If you let your baby keep the passy for too long it can not only delay language development, but it can cause damage to their teeth. Also you want you baby to be able to sooth themselves rather than needing a passy.

The older your child gets the harder that it will be to take it away. Alex was a year and four months old when we took it from him. He woke up one morning and couldn't find one, so we just never gave it back to him. I think that he was young enough for the out of sight out of mind idea to work! It got hard at night when it was time for Alex to go to bed, but we got through it.

If your baby is older than that it may take a lot of patience! I was watching Nanny 911 and saw on there the passy fairy. What they did was took all of the passys from this little boy and put them in a bag and hung them from a tree. The next morning, there was a big boy prize where the passys were. It was very cool because they got the little boy excited about it and told him that all the passys needed a new home! He helped put all the passys in a bag and everything!

Labels: baby questions

On average babies age 1 to 3 year old needs anywhere from 10 to 13 hours of sleep a day. Try to make sure that they have a least one nap a day to help prevent a grouchy baby when trying to go to bed. Also if you put him/her to bed drowsy but not asleep, it will help them get used to the idea of sleeping in their own bed.

Labels: baby sleep

By nature babies are very active. Once they can walk it is almost like they are unstoppable!! That is a great thing, so encourage it! Turn off the TV and go outside. Play ball, take a walk, let your little one wonder around and explore.

If it is cold out or you just want to be inside, turn on some music and dance. With you by their side they will fell like they are on top of the world!

Labels: baby health

When you have to leave your baby at a day care or with a babysitter there are probably many reasons that you feel like you can't let go.
~Your baby can't talk so how do you know what is going on?
~Maybe you're jealous of the sitter that get to have those smiles, hugs, and other sweet times with your little one while you are working.

Something that you can do to ease your mind is to call during the day, (if your child is at a day care then you may want to ask the director when a good time to call would be) and see what your baby is going. Maybe that will help you from feeling left out.

Labels: babysitters

Reading to your baby is such a great way to bond. Also they learn so much from it. I have been reading to Alex since he was a born. Some people read to their baby while it is still in the belly.

Now I am noticing that Alex will go to his room and take a book off his shelve and "read." When people around him are reading a news paper or a magazine he will pick one up and read it too!

Add a book to your baby's day. It doesn't matter what age, but please read to your baby. Help expand their mind.

Some of Alex's favorite books right now are: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See", "What Makes A Rainbow", "The Little Engine That Could," "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" and my all time favorite, "I'll Love You Forever." That is just a few to start off!

Labels: baby learning

It is so much fun to watch your baby play in the grass! The thing is that there is actually a lot of chemicals in grass, from things like weed killers and bugs.

Some ways to help prevent this are to start getting products that are-natural so that when your baby has been crawling in the grass you wont worry as much when they put their fingers in their mouths.

Another way is to leave your shoes at the door so that you don't carry the chemicals in the house with you. If you carry garden chemicals that you carry in are stay for good because there is no sun or rain to get rid of them.

I saved the best for last! Stop mowing!!!! Really the grass that is a couple inches longer is healthier because you don't have to put as many chemicals on it!

Labels: baby safety

In general people that have a good and positive attitude are not just happier, but are also healthier and tend to do better in school!

There are some ways to help your baby develop the positive, "you can do it" attitude. When they do something well, don't just compliment them, but tell them why it is good. Point out what good thing happened because of their action.

For example: if you notice that you little one shared a toy, compliment them on it! Point out that they had fun with the new friend that they made by sharing their toy.

A great way to make sure you are doing your best to raise an optimistic baby is to have a positive attitude yourself! The glass is always half full!!

Labels: baby health

When you are searching for a babysitter or a day care there are some things to look for. When you check out where your child will be spending a lot of time and you just don't fell right about it then don't do it. You don't want to always be worried.

Ask a lot of questions!!! Make sure that whoever will be watching your child has the same answers as you do. For example, if you don't spank your child, but the sitter believes that it is okay. Or even as simple as giving candy as a reward.

If they don't believe the same things that you do it is hard to say if they will follow your rules when they are irritated.

Labels: babysitters

The 3-n-1 Rock & Play Gym is for ages 1 month to 36 months old.

It's a convertible toy that can be either in "Gym Mode" or "Rock & Play Mode." In gym mode the baby lays on his or her back and bats at the hanging toys to start lights or music. In rock & play mode the baby sits on the rocker to make the lights and music go.

It can be purchased online from Amazon with free shipping, just click here.

Labels: Recommended Baby Toy

You can purchase the Leapfrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set from Amazon.com where it's currently only $14.99 (free shipping on orders over $25.) It requires 3 AAA batteries. Batteries are included with the toy!

This fun toy introduces animal names and sounds to your baby. It can be played either on your fridge or on the floor. Your child can mix and match 25 different animals to form various combinations!

Since this educational toy can be played on the fridge, it will help keep your child entertained (and learning) while you are busy working in the kitchen.

It's recommended for children from 1 year old to 3 years old.

Labels: Recommended Baby Toy

The Graco Baby Einstein Discover and Play Entertainer is a fun toy for babies under 30 pounds and 32 inches. It actually has 9 different toys to play with while the baby is sitting in it. These toys are helpful for babies to develop sensory and motor skills.

This toy also introduces bilingualism to your child as it speaks in both English and Spanish. Click here to learn more (and to order online with free shipping!)

Labels: Recommended Baby Toy

The DaVinci Kalani 3-in-1 Crib is another crib designed to be used from birth through the toddler years. This one can even be adjusted so that it can be used by an adult!

I wrote about a more expensive model that does something similar a couple of days ago: Walnut Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib System.

While these adjustable cribs are more expensive than normal cribs you may actually save money over time since it adjusts to your child's growth unlike a normal crib (where you'd have to buy a new crib to accommodate your child's growth.) This crib lists at $399.

Click on the photo below to learn more about the DaVinci Kalani 3-in-1 Crib (it can be purchased online.)

Labels: baby sleep

The Fisher-Price Baby Gymanastics Bounce & Spin Zebra is another recommended baby toy. Alex enjoys playing on the Bounce & Spin Zebra! It's got music, "dancing" lights, and sound effects. A lot of things to keep your baby interested.

Click on the photo below to learn more about it (you can purchase it online.)

Labels: Recommended Baby Toy

Today I'm featuring a high end crib system from Stokke (by high end I mean high quality and also very expensive: $849 for this product.)

This "Sleepi System" is designed to grow as your baby grows. It's designed to fit your baby from infancy through the toddler years. It can fit your baby until they are five years old!

Curious about the walnut colored Stokke Sleepi Mini & Crib System? Click on the photo below to learn more about the product (you can purchase it online from the babycenter store.)

Labels: baby sleep

Finding a babysitter can be one of the more trying experiences for a parent. Leaving your child with someone else can be very difficult especially with some of the horror stories we've all heard about bad babysitters. That's why it's very important to find a babysitter that you can trust which is why I recommend Sittercity.com!


This service allows you to find babysitters that have passed thorough background checks and have been rated highly by other parents! All parents who use the service can rate their babysitters. Click on the banner below to find out more about this service:

Labels: babysitters

Although the ESPN Action Sounds Basketball toy is recommended for babies three and above, Alex has had it since he was just one year old and he loves it!

You can easily adjust it from 3 to 6 feet high so as your baby grows so can his basket! Whenever you make a basket it makes a sound (Dick Vitale the college basketball announcer) and Alex loves making this sound!

This is a great toy for introducing your baby to the game of basketball.

Purchase it online from Amazon.com

The photo below is a picture I took of Alex's basketball toy which we have on our porch:

Labels: Recommended Baby Toy

If you notice that your baby has stopped eating as much as he/she usually does, this is normal. babies go through phases where they don't eat as much. The first time that Alex went through this phase I was so worried about him not getting enough food. The first cause of Alex going through this phase was because it was very hot outside and he just didn't want it. Another turn to this is when you feel like they are always hungry, which could be caused by a growing spurt. It is perfectly healthy and normal for this to happen.

Labels: baby health

While we may use hand sanitizer to try to protect our children it can really be hurting them. I received an email from a close friend who had to take their child to the ER because her child licked the hand sanitizer off her hand.

This stuff can be scary, all it takes is three squirts of the stuff to be fatal in a toddler. So as a parent, when you use it, use with caution and keep it out of babies reach.

Labels: baby safety

Giving your little one praise starting from when they are born could not only make those cute faces smile, but can help them learn as well.

If you focus and give praise for the things they do right they are happy and want to do it again.
Example: "Good job! You kicked the red ball!" or as they get a little bit older, "Wow, this picture looks great! Way to stay in the lines!"

Just saying good job doesn't really say what is it they did well. Be specific as possible so they know what they are doing right.

Labels: baby learning

Ever since Alex was born we decided that we were not going to baby talk him. We talk to him just like we talk to each other. Now, at almost a year and a half, he acts like he is having a conversation with us. We just don't know what he is saying yet.

Also when he does something wrong we sit him down and explain to him what he did and why it is not okay. If felt funny at first but it works. Babies and Toddlers are so much smarter than we realize. Try it with your baby next time you need to tell him/her no. It also makes everyone feel better if they know what was done wrong.

Labels: baby learning

You may be thinking that if your baby doesn't take a nap all day then maybe he/she will sleep better throughout the night. That could back fire. They might be more likely to fight sleep at night time if they are tired, and no nap could cause them to be grouchy during the day.

One idea is to have them take a couple of short naps during the day. Another is to maybe take one long nap in the middle of their day. A well rested baby is a happy baby!

Labels: baby sleep

I will tell you that I gave him veggies before fruit because I thought that once he got the sweet taste of fruit he wouldn't want anything else. So far he isn't a picky eater.

Labels: baby food

Question: What age do you start potty training?

Alex is almost a year and a half and we haven't starting trying to potty train him yet. You don't want to start them too early, because they might not be ready. Some things that may help you decide when to start are:

*watch them to see if they recognize when they are potting in the diaper
* they have to know what you are talking about when you show them the potty, so explain it to them.
*watch to see if they are coping you when you use the potty, even if they are not really using it.

When you decide that the time is right and make sure that you take your time. Expect accidents because they are going to happen. Don't rush them to be ready, just watch for the signs that they give you!

Once we start I will let you know the method we try and let you know how it works!

Labels: baby questions

We got Alex a pool this year. After hearing about so many babies that have gotten killed by drowning we decided that after every use we would empty the pool. Also we don't fill up the pool very much. If you have a porch, put the pool somewhere outside the porch area so you can put a gate on the end of the porch if you want to leave your front door open. Accidents do happen, I have heard of many this year that have. I thought this was a pretty important topic so I thought I'd share.

Labels: baby safety

I got this information from the website www.recall.gov . I visit this site pretty often, so I just thought that I would share it with you! They have the latest recalls on everything!


Name of Product: Shape Sorting Toy Castles

Manufacturer: Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif.


Hazard: The plastic rod can come loose allowing the colored counting beads to slide off of the toy, posing a choking hazard to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: Infantino has received four reports of children nearly choking on the colored beads after putting them in their mouths.


The recall only includes castles with the following date codes: 5349, 6087, 6132 and 0906. Castles with other date codes, no date code or with a plastic rod attached with a metal screw are not included in this recall. The date code is stamped on the underside of the blue top and can be viewed through the top square shape or top “A” letter openings.
Consumer Contact: For more information, call Infantino toll-free at (888) 808-3111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at service.infantino.com

Labels: baby safety

When you take your baby out into the sun make sure you put on that sun protection! Make sure that you read the back of the bottle before applying sun screen on to babies 6 months and younger. On all the ones that I have seen is says to ask your Dr. before putting it on them.

Labels: baby health