Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Advise Wanted (With Random Photos for the Grandparents)

Yes, the photos are just because. I know Caitlin's grandparents check daily to see what she is up to, so here are a few random photos from this weekend.

Now, onto the questions...



Question #1:Do any of my mommy friends have advise on how to get Caitlin to brush her teeth? This has become a nightly battle. (Mornings too, but the Irishman gets to do that one on his own!) I read somewhere to try two toothbrushes - one for each hand or one for her and one for me. I tried Elmo toothpaste in a flavor she should like. The last two nights I at least got the brush in her mouth....progress! It is still a battle though. We've tried having family tooth brushing time. We've tried watching an Elmo You Tube clip about him brushing his imaginary teeth with his imaginary toothbrush. We are at a loss! She would much rather brush the toilet. (ick!)



Question #2:The Irishman and I stopped some woman in Target to ask her about her double stroller. As it turns out she didn't speak English and she had to call over her older daughter to translate. Our simple question turned into an ordeal! (I'm hoping Meredith can help me with this one because looking at her blog she seems to have tried just about every style there is and I know she speaks English!) There are so many styles and options when it comes to double strollers. Caitlin will be about 20 months when her brother or sister is born. Thoughts? Experiences?



Question #3:Does anyone have any experience with babywearing with an older baby? We have a trip planned that involves a lot of walking. The Irishman loved the Baby Bjorn, but she has just about outgrown that. Any suggestions for another more 'manly' carrier good for a toddler?



Question #4:
We have the big ultrasound March 21. I'm going to put up the poll on the side again. What do you think...boy or girl?

8 comments:

sheri said...

On the teeth - Two ideas. One - try it in the high chair. I know how that baby girl loves to eat! Sometimes, we have had better luck with Daniel sitting still if he's already in a place he's used to sitting still (stroller, high chair, car seat, etc.). It's not such a weird thing to be still and open your mouth if you're already sitting still. Two - try it in the tub. I'm pretty sure Ms. Shamrock loves her bath. If she's happy about being in the water, maybe she'll oblige!

No ideas for you on the baby wearing and I've only used my double jogger twice. I'll have more feedback for you on that in three weeks or so.

And I'm guessing boy. Just a hunch, but that's my thought!! Can't wait to see the results!

Rachel said...

Teeth -- we just bribed to stop the nightly tooth brushing meltdown. Add an extra book at bedtime, sing a special song, etc.

Double Stroller - Many moons ago, I kept Meredith in her Graco stroller, and just kept Russ in the sling for the 1st 3 months. After that, we bought a Combi similar to this one: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3955997. We still use it, and its gotten plenty of wear. It is 34 inches wide, so it gets in most doors (when they are wide open), but not like the long version.

Older Child Babywearing -- nope. We just used the stroller, or ran around after the child.

Boy/Girl -- I am awful about this. So, I'll say Girl (which means you have a better chance at having a boy)

Hope this helps and that things are good!

Lindsay said...

On the stroller, we LOVED the sit-and-stand stroller, I think by GRACO, but I think a lot of brands make them. Caitlin might be a little young for that though, but in the future, it's worth the money!

Thyra said...

Teeth - we're getting into the same issue now, so I'll be checking out the suggestions.

Strollers - our will be 16 months apart so I've been looking at an inline double. And I really like (only from pictures and options) the Contours Optima Tandem Stroller (comes out in May) or the Contours Options Tandem II Stroller.

Baby wearing - the Boba carrier is for older kids (1-4), has foot straps and can be worn front/back. We haven't really tried ours yet with the weather, but Ella didn't seem to mind it when we tried it out in the house.

I'm going with BOY.

Anonymous said...

The only advice I can help with is the baby carrier. I have an Ergo carrier. I got it when my daughter was 6 months old. She has been a big baby since about 3 months - Up in the 90th percentile. This has been a GREAT carrier for us. If worn correctly, which is very easy, you shouldn't have any discomfort. She is now almost a year, at least 25lbs and 30in and we still wear her. It has a front, side and back carry - She loves them all, as do I. I've known people to carry their 3 year old with this carrier.

They run about $110 or so... But it was worth every.singly.penny IMO. And honestly, I haven't ran across someone who has NOT liked the Ergo after they tried it. If you go to www.babysteals.com & look in their archives - You may be able to snag one for much cheaper, but the prints/colors are limited.

Jessi said...

I second the Ergo carrier. When we went to London, we used that instead of the stroller most of the time. The back carry works well with older babies. My husband wore him too!

Deff check out babysteals archive as well as their facebook fan page. People are reselling stuff all the time. I love the ergo!

We brush Jules' teeth in the tub. Just a quick brush. For the nights we don't bathe (we get really dry skin here), I sit him on the sink and let him hold it. But he likes to do it, so really, I don't have any advice.

I'd love to hear what others say about a double stroller too. Not that I'm in the market for one yet, I have been thinking about what to do.

Anonymous said...

There is also the Mei Tai, similar to the Ergo. They have ones that you tie, but they also sell those that have straps like the Ergo. It is also good for little babies as well, and more comfortable that the Bjorn and other baby carriers I had tried.

http://www.babyhawk.com/

I prefer it to the Ergo only because it is less bulky, but has the same benefits.

Agate Lake Girl said...

Q1 - Rylee still has issues with brushing her teeth. Sometimes she's really into it, other times not so much. She likes helping brush our teeth & brushing her teeth in the bath.

Can't be any help with Q2 or Q3.

Q4 - I'm thinking... another girl. :)