Archive for the 'Work & Family' Category

Big News for Nursing Mothers…

Published on February 18, 2011 in Baby Gear, Breastfeeding and Work & Family. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

It’s not often that something crosses my desk at work that readers of purebebe might find interesting, but last Thursday something did…

The IRS has announced that breast pumps and breastfeeding supplies will now qualify as a medical expense under the tax law.

So what does this mean for you?? It means that you can now use flex spending or medical/health savings account dollars to purchase breast pumps and breastfeeding supplies, i.e. breast pads, nipple shields, etc. And for those who do not use or have FSA dollars, the expenses would be eligible for the itemized medical expense deduction. To qualify for the medical expense deduction, you’d have to incur expenses above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income but when you take into account other expenses of pregnancy and delivery incurred during the year, it may not be hard to get there in some cases. This ruling is effective immediately and can be used on 2010 tax returns, according to the IRS. More information is expected to be published in the IRS publication on medical expenses: Publication 502.

For years, the IRS deemed breast pumps to be feeding equipment and not medical devices, but ask any nursing mother and she’ll tell you that the benefits of breastfeeding are not solely for nutrition and that the need for a breast pump is not solely to feed her baby (can you say engorgement??). Time and time again, studies have shown that breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits for infants, including providing immune-boosting antibodies and reducing the risk of SIDS and other illnesses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants for the first year, but as we wrote previously only 43% are still breastfeeding at 6 months and 22% at 12 months. A number of reasons are to blame, but returning to work is a major obstacle for many women. As many as 45 to 50% of women return to work within the first 6 months of their infant’s birth. A breast pump can be a significant expense, but it is also a necessity for a working mother who wishes to continue breastfeeding. This move by the IRS, in conjunction with earlier legislation passed by the government requiring private spaces and break time for working mothers, is a big step in the right direction.

Speaking of the earlier legislation, I’ve learned that the Department of Labor (DOL) who is responsible for enforcing the break time for nursing mothers law is actually seeking comments from working mothers as it considers how best to help employers and employees understand and implement the requirements of the break time for nursing mothers law.

The DOL has received a number of requests for guidance on the legislation, and as a result has issued this request for comments which does also include some guidance. The guidance primarily addresses considerations in determining how much time a mother might need to pump as well as what constitutes adequate space, and while I think they’ve offered some great guidance for employers and employees in an office environment, the DOL acknowledges that their guidance is lacking and has identified the following specific areas where they are seeking input:

  • To what extent rooms adjoining a bathroom or a locker room would be considered acceptable private space for pumping – the guidance highlights concerns about bacteria in wet environments such as a locker room making such a space possibly inadequate.
  • In a non-office environment, to what extent offices, closets, or other shared space arrangements could be considered adequate.
  • Creative solutions for employees not in the typical office environment, i.e. employees on the move such as bus drivers and mail delivery employees; employees in retail, restaurant, construction industries; employees located off-site at client locations – The DOL would like examples from nursing mothers of accommodations that have worked for them so that they can share such ideas with employers seeking guidance. In situations where an employee is located at a client’s office, the DOL believes it is still the employer’s obligation to ensure the employee has a space to pump and should make arrangements with the client for the employee.
  • How best to address notification by employees to their employers of the need to express milk. The DOL does give employers the right to ask an expectant mother if she intends to pump in order to inform her of her rights and to be prepared to make any adjustments needed to comply with the law.
  • What kind of information and resources would be most helpful to employers as they seek to comply and to employees as they look to exercise their rights under the law

The Department has established a website that provides a compilation of resources that employers can use as they develop workplace lactation programs: http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers

If you have experiences or thoughts you’d like to share, you can submit your comment here – but hurry, comments are due by Tuesday, February 22nd!

Personally, I plan to submit a comment suggesting that they also consider the needs of a mother who may be required to travel for business, and how hotels can or should be required to accommodate nursing mothers away from their children on business. I recently encountered a hotel that was not at all helpful, but more about that in another post.

- Jasmine

Related Articles:
CDC Issues Breastfeeding Report Card for 2010
When Duty Calls…Traveling Away From Your Breastfed Infant
10 Tips for a Successful Start to Breastfeeding
Got Milk? Maintaining Your Milk Supply When Returning to Work
Miracle at Birth: Mom’s Final Goodbye Brings Life to her Child

When Duty Calls…Traveling Away From Your Breastfed Infant

Published on November 11, 2010 in Breastfeeding, Travel and Work & Family. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

 

© NatUlrich - Fotolia.com

It’s never easy to travel away from the little ones, and last week I found myself away from my darling kiddos for 3 days and 3 nights. It was the first trip I would take away from my youngest who is still breastfeeding. Fortunately, I don’t have to do it often, but traveling away from a nursing baby presents a number of challenges, the first of which is making sure she has enough milk while I’m away.

For over a month in advance of the trip, I prepared by adding an extra pumping session in the evenings in an effort to accumulate extra milk and freeze it for the time that I’d be away. Ideally, morning is the best time to add an extra pumping session as your supply is stronger then, but my daughter wakes early and usually sneaks in a feeding at 5:30 am and 7 am before going off to daycare so that wasn’t really an option for me.

After accumulating all the milk I thought she could possibly need and then some just in case, the next challenge became figuring out what to do while I was away. Ideally, I wanted to be able to pump while I was away, freeze my milk, and return home with it. I didn’t want to wait to freeze it until I got home because I wanted to preserve it at its best. However, I would be attending a 3-day seminar with workshops running from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm with the typical 10-15 minute morning and afternoon breaks and a hotel room a mile away from meeting rooms with no freezer. Aargh. When would I pump? Where would I pump? How would I freeze my milk?  Would I have to pump and dump, or would I be able to return home with my precious liquid gold?

When I arrived at the hotel, I asked the front desk what accommodations they could make for me. They offered to store my milk in the freezer at bell services and suggested that I talk to the conference organizers when I registered the next morning. There were no mother’s rooms available in the conference center, so the organizers would have to assist me in finding a private space. I dreaded the potentially awkward conversation should I have to address a man, but thank goodness the organizer was a woman…and she must have been a mother too because she was all over my request. I had approached her confidently and kindly and indicated that, because there were no mother’s rooms in the center, I would need a private space to pump milk for my infant at home, and she immediately insisted that I see her whenever I needed a space and she would make a room available for me. Phew!

What a godsend – each time the sessions broke and at lunch, I sought her or her assistant out, and they immediately cleared the speaker-ready room for me and stood guard at the door (no locks!) for me. As an extra precaution, I’d find the outlet furthest from the door, turn my back to it, and pray no one would walk in on me.

I kept a soft-sided cooler in the freezer at bell services. Each morning, I’d pick up the freezer gel packs that I had left there overnight in order to keep my expressed milk cold during the day. At lunch time and in the evenings, I’d stop in and drop off my milk to be frozen. I came to know the folks at bell services very well.  By the end of my trip, I’d managed to pump at least 5 times a day, including mornings and evenings in my room. When it came time to leave, my next challenge was figuring out how to get home with my precious frozen milk.

I had to leave the hotel around 3 p.m. for a flight at 6 p.m. that wouldn’t get me home until nearly 10 p.m. – 7 hours I had to keep my milk frozen. Yikes! During my trip, I’d transferred my milk to Lansinoh milk storage bags and laid them flat in the soft-sided cooler for freezing. I then bagged them all together in large ziploc bags squeezing out as much air as possible, placed them back in the cooler with a freezer gel pack, and stuffed clothing in the extra space within the cooler to eliminate any remaining air pockets. The soft-sided cooler then went into my checked luggage (the cargo space is cooler than the main cabin), and when I arrived home it was still frozen solid. Success!!!!

In addition to my frozen breastmilk, I did also travel with about 12 oz of expressed breastmilk that I was not able to freeze before traveling home. I carried it on the plane with me in the Medela carry case with a frozen gel pack, and it also made it home cold!

More importantly, though, I was back home with my little girls.

If you’re going to be traveling away from your nursing child, here are a few tips for maintaining your supply and returning home with your precious milk:

1) Call ahead and find out what accommodations are available. Ensure that a refrigerator will be available in your room at a minimum, and find out about options for a freezer if you plan to freeze your milk. If you will be attending a seminar, contact the conference organizer to ensure available space if necessary.

Don’t be shy. Be upfront with people about your needs in order to provide milk for your baby. People will be quite helpful if you explain. There is a freezer somewhere in the hotel – don’t be afraid about asking to use it. I read online of one mom who had her milk stored in a meat locker once! The sooner you can get your milk into a freezer, the better. Dr. Lawrence at breastfeeding.com suggests that you limit refrigerator time before freezing to 6 hours max. Refrigeration slows down enzyme activity, but doesn’t halt it.

2) Bring along your breastpump and battery pack, milk storage bags, freezer gel packs, and a soft-sided cooler. Milk storage bags can be laid flat for freezing allowing you to conserve space and eliminate air pockets which can contribute to thawing. I prefer Lansinoh bags because they are thicker than some others, and they have a double zipper seal. Gel packs will keep your milk colder than ice. A soft-sided cooler will allow you to more easily fit it into your luggage.

3) Pump often to maintain supply and prevent clogged ducts. Stay hydrated as well. It’s easy to get dehydrated while traveling which can affect your supply. I bought an extra water bottle before boarding each plane and made sure to drink lots of water and avoid carbonated beverages while at my conference since I wouldn’t be able to pump quite as often as my daughter would have nursed.

4) Check frozen items in your luggage, and insulate them well. Check with the airline in advance, but most airlines should allow you to check frozen items and gel packs without restriction. You can always declare it at check-in just as a precaution. Make sure it’s labeled as well in the event your luggage gets inspected. The nice thing about Lansinoh storage bags – they’re labeled “My Mommy’s Milk”. As I mentioned earlier, insulating well eliminates air pockets which would otherwise contribute to thawing of your milk. You can carry on frozen items, but the cargo area of the plain will be colder than the passenger cabin.

5) Breastmilk is allowed through security in reasonable quantities. You are allowed an exception to the 3-1-1 rule for breastmilk, however the TSA website isn’t specific as to when you are traveling without your child. The CDC says breastmilk is exempted regardless, though, and recommends that you travel with a printed copy of this webpage to prevent any problems. I have never had a problem getting through security with breastmilk, freezer gel packs, or my breastpump when traveling alone, but be prepared to possibly have your breastmilk tested at security.

6) Look for family bathrooms at the airport should you need to pump while traveling. Unfortunately, I was not able to find one at my terminal, but I’d pumped just before I left for the airport and was able to manage until I returned home.

If you have any other tips or experiences traveling away from your nursing child or transporting your breastmilk while traveling, please leave us a comment. We’d love to hear it.

-Jasmine

If you enjoy reading PureBebe, please tell your friends and click on “Sign me up!” under “Email Subscription” on the right rail of the screen. By subscribing to our emails, you are telling us that you dig our site and want to read more of our healthy baby news and topics!

Related Articles:
CDC Issues Breastfeeding Report Card for 2010
10 Tips for a Successful Start to Breastfeeding
Got Milk? Maintaining Your Milk Supply When Returning to Work
Miracle at Birth: Mom’s Final Goodbye Brings Life to her Child

Jump-Starting the Workout Routine After Baby

Published on November 1, 2010 in Activity and Work & Family. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Courtesy of Ms. Phoenix, Flickr

Since my husband and I joined our gym last June, I am ashamed to admit that I had only been twice – until last week. We have been running once or twice most weekends. But, that has been the extent of our exercise regimen since our second daughter was born over a year ago.

Last week I ran out of excuses. After quitting my job, I had no more reasons to avoid the gym. So, on Monday, I went to a 9:30 am weight lifting class. On Wednesday and Friday morning, I went to a 5:30 am cardio class. By Friday afternoon, I could hardly stand up or sit down. Every muscle in my body hurt. That being said, I felt more energized and alive than I had felt in ages.

If you’re looking to jumpstart your workout routine, below are PureBebe’s tips for getting back in the saddle after the birth of your baby:

1) Find the time.
I know, insert laugh here. If the only time you have all week to work out is during the weekends, set aside time for yourself. Or, workout before the kids wake up in the morning or right after they go to bed. If you don’t have access to a local gym, there are really good workout DVDs out there. Some of my friends rave over Jillian Michaels’ DVDs.

There are also quite a few organized workout programs today for mommy to do with baby. For example, both Baby Boot Camp and StrollerFit offer programs for mommy to workout alongside baby or babies in the stroller. Many of my friends have participated in the StrollerFit class for years and rave about it! To find a StrollerFit class near you, click here. An added bonus to these organized “mommy and me” classes is the ability to meet other moms with similarly-aged children.

2) Find an “accountability partner” (i.e. a workout parter).
My accountability partner lives on the other side of the country. She and I have similar lifestyles and schedules (we’re both moms who work out of the home). We check in every week via email and Facebook, and discuss our workouts and progress. An accountability partner can offer support, encouragement, and well, accountability. If I know that someone is going to be asking me how my workouts were for that week than I’ll be less likely to press ‘Snooze on the alarm clock. ;)

3) Set realistic goals/benchmarks for yourself and your workout partner.
By realistic, I don’t mean follow The Biggest Loser’s weight loss plans. Unless you have trainers and doctors working with you on a daily basis, don’t expect to lose 15-20 pounds per week. Work with your doctor and/or workout partner to set realistic weight loss goals. If you need some guidance here, you can always reference WebMD’s “5 Ways to Set Sensible Weight Loss Goals.” If your goals are unrealistic or too aggressive you risk setting yourself up for disappointment. I always tell my mommy friends that it takes 9 months to gain the weight, give yourself time to lose it.

Goals can also include training for an event, like a 5K race or a mini-triathlon. A few months after the birth of my first daughter, I started training for a marathon. Ten months after she was born, I ran my third marathon. Now, I’m no Paula Radcliffe – I definitely didn’t achieve my personal best marathon time – but I finished.

4) Attend classes at your gym and/or work out with a friend.
I realize that everyone gets their motivation from different sources, but I found that working out with other people both motivates and inspires me. Sometimes all it takes is seeing other people working hard or to feel like part of something bigger, to get the ball rolling.

Now, let’s get moving ladies and gents! Do you have a favorite workout routine? Are you thinking of starting one? We’d LOVE to hear from you!

Related Articles:
Is Your Child’s Vitamin Healthy?
The True ‘Cost’ of a Gallon of Milk
Are You What You Eat?
Is Our Food Making Us Sick? The “Unhealthy Truth” About the U.S. Food Industry

To Quit or Not to Quit, That is the Question: A Working Mom’s Thoughts

Published on October 20, 2010 in Family Time and Work & Family. 19 Comments Tags: , , , .

Courtesy of 'My Silent Side,' Flickr

Do you ever get the sense that life is passing you by? That you get so busy during the days that the days turn into weeks, which turn into months and all of a sudden when you finally come up for air everyone is another year older?

I know you mamas out there can relate. When you’re used to being 100% put-together and then throw in a couple of kids, relentless responsibilities and a full-time job, personally, I feel like I’m never caught up with anything. These days I’m always a couple of days late making birthday phone calls, and forget about the birthday cards – those average about a month behind actual birthdays.

Sometimes on a Friday night I realize that my 2 year old daughter has a 10am birthday party to attend the next morning and no gift to take. Or like last Friday when I was talking to my father-in-law on the phone and realized that we missed his birthday that week. Or when I get to my 2 year old daughter’s daycare and realize that it’s ‘Show and Share’ day and we forgot to bring something from home for her to show and share (and then see her friends carrying their favorite toys and books into school for show and share).

The weekdays are all about getting home and getting ready for the next day…making dinner, giving the kids baths, doing laundry, cleaning bottles. Two words for ya – Survival Mode.

So, I quit my job.

I have come to the conclusion that life’s too short to constantly live in the fast lane. I found a part-time consulting gig that will give me the flexibility to work from home, spend more time with my kids during the week and work more on PureBebe.

And did I happen to mention that I will be working from home? ;)

After 4 1/2 years of shlepping to/from my current job, I’m both excited and nervous about what’s around the bend. Certainly I have some major multi-tasking in my future (like running a load of laundry while taking conference calls in my slippers), but I also know that I will have more time for baking cookies with my girls and lazy afternoons at the park.

Many of my friends say that I’ll get ‘sucked into’ the hectic working life again and that “part-time” will become “full-time.” But I beg to differ. My goals for the next year are to remember more birthdays on time (I never said I was perfect!), to help my kids pick out the coolest Show and Share toys ever, and to take each precious, slipper-wearing day one at a time.

-Heather

Me and my 2 year old having some summer fun

Have you ever thought about quitting your job? Or, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, what factors led to your decision to stay at home? We’d love to hear from you!!!

If you enjoy reading PureBebe, please tell your friends and click on “Sign me up!” under “Email Subscription” on the right rail of the screen. By subscribing to our emails, you are telling us that you dig our site and want to read more of our healthy baby news and topics!

Related Articles:
The (Im)possible Task of Juggling Work and Family
Release Your Inner Mom Guilt: Research Shows Working Doesn’t Harm Your Baby
Is Your Infant College-Ready?
10 Things To Do With Your Young Kids This Fall

Got Milk? Maintaining Your Milk Supply When Returning to Work

Published on August 16, 2010 in Breastfeeding and Work & Family. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Courtesty of Raphael Goetter, Flickr

After nearly twelve months of nursing, nine of which were while working full-time, (and spending $0.00 on formula!), I am officially transitioning my youngest daughter to whole milk. I have spent an entire year fantasizing about this day, and now that it’s here, I am sad. I will miss laying in bed cuddling with my baby and the closeness I feel with her during such a short time in her life.

Last week when we wrote 10 Tips for a Successful Start to Breastfeeding, one of our loyal readers asked us for tips on maintaining milk supply after returning to work.

But before we can offer suggestions on maintaining and/or increasing milk supply, we’d like to help you diagnose any issues you might be having with your milk supply. We have referenced KellyMom’s website for our tips below. And if you’ve tried something that works for you that we don’t have listed below, please leave us a Comment!

Possible causes for a decrease in output
• You are not using your hands while you pump. Starting when your baby is a newborn, express breastmilk with your hands. Women who hand express milk within the first few days of baby’s life produce more milk (watch this video of Dr. Jane Morton for details and tips). I have always had a tremendous supply of milk (pumping up to 20 oz during one session) and now I know it’s because I have expressed breastmilk by hand -early on- with both of my babies.

• Your pump may need to be replaced or need new parts. If your breastpump is more than 1 year old, and you use it frequently, the motor may be wearing out. To understand the type of pump you need, you can read about pumps here.

• Are you using the right parts for your breastpump? Sometimes switching to a larger pump breastshield (the funnel-like attachment) can make a difference in pumping comfort and/or output.

• Decreasing the number of pumping or nursing sessions will lessen your demand and thus your supply.

• If your baby has recently started solids, baby will take in less milk and thus your supply will naturally decrease. You may not notice this change until you pump.

• If you’ve recently started hormonal birth control, your milk supply can decrease.

• Ovulation and menstruation can affect your milk supply. To read more, click here.

• Strict diets, dehydration, lack of rest, stress, sickness and medications can also decrease milk supply.

• To read more, see the article Hidden Hindrances to a Healthy Milk Supply.

How to Increase Output
• Looking to increase your supply by as much as 50%? Watch this video of Dr. Jane Morton describe how you can get up to 50% more milk production after 15 minutes of pumping.

• Nurse as often as possible when you are with your baby.

• Add a pumping sessions during the day and during the weekend.

• Try nursing right before you leave baby and immediately after you return from work. Make sure that your care provider does not feed baby a bottle right before pickup.

• If your baby has started solids, have your care provider offer solids, and only/mainly breastfeed when you are with baby.

• Try “reverse cycling,” or nurse your baby frequently when you and baby are together (usually at night). Then your baby will consume less milk when you are separated from each other.

Galactagogues
• Many working and pumping moms recommend eating oatmeal to increase pumping output. Snacking on protein-rich foods during the day and drinking water every time you pump or nurse can help increase output.

• Many moms have been able to increase their milk supply using fenugreek or other herbs, either on a short or long-term basis. Using herbal supplements is most effective when combined with increased nursing/pumping. Make sure to consult your doctor before incorporating any herbal supplements into your diet.

To subscribe to Purebebe, click on “Sign me up!” under “Email Subscription” on the right rail of the screen.

-Heather

Related Articles:
10 Tips for a Successful Start to Breastfeeding

Release Your Inner Mom Guilt: Research Shows Working Doesn’t Harm Your Baby

Published on August 3, 2010 in Work & Family. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Courtesy of Romana Correale, Flickr

I couldn’t help but be drawn to this article from the Washington Post titled “Study: Working mothers not necessarily harmful to child development.” I’m a full-time working mom, and from time to time I have mom guilt. I recognize that this subject can be highly debatable amongst working and stay-at-home moms (newspapers have dubbed this “mommy wars”). That being said, I think that both situations have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. Moms on both sides of the fence should withhold from judging, and instead, focus on how to be more supportive of each other. Let’s face it, being a mom can be extremely challenging – why not show a little bit of love?!

Afterall, stay-at-home and working moms are more alike than they realize. Most importantly, we all want to spend quality time with our children.

I would like to know what activity (routine or otherwise) that you love to do with your child every day? Please leave a comment above!

As for me, my favorite activity is to cuddle with my girls after books, and before bedtime. These are my most prized moments every day.

-Heather

Related Articles:
The Impossible Task of Juggling Work and Family

Fantastically Funny Friday – Dad Life

Published on July 16, 2010 in LOL Moments and Work & Family. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

In lieu of the weekly Friday funny quotes, this video was forwarded from Jasmine’s hubby, who says that this video is “a little too close to home.” ;)

As my own husband asked while watching the video, “who says that dads can’t be sexy?!”

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did! For those mommies who submitted quotes this week - thank you, please keep ‘em coming! I promise to post them next week.

Keeping the Peace a Mile High – 6 Tips for Traveling with Baby

Published on June 21, 2010 in Family Time and Work & Family. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , .

When my firstborn was five months old, my husband and I decided to travel to Chicago to visit his sister. It was our first “big trip” since the birth of our daughter and we were excited to leave the constant rhythms of our daily lives and venture to one of our favorite cities in the world.

So when we boarded the plane and the smiling flight attendant took one look at my baby and said “Oh, great!” under her breath, I couldn’t help but cop an attitude. How dare she judge my baby and automatically assume that she’d be a nuisance on the flight?!

When I passed her, I looked her in the eye and said, as plainly as possible “I heard that.” With a shocked look on her face, she said “heard what?” In response, I said “you know what I’m talking about and I really didn’t appreciate that.”

I was relieved to have spoken my mind, but was emotionally charged and red with embarrassment at the same time. What if my baby misbehaved? What would I do?

For the next 1.5 hours of the flight the flight attendant constantly “checked on” us to see whether we “needed anything.”

I certainly wasn’t shy when I was thirsty or needed a pillow.

(And just for the record, despite a two minute long cry before takeoff, my infant was perfect the entire flight…but I digress) ;)

That being said, before our trip I read several articles about how to travel with a baby. If you have a trip with your baby planned in the near future, please see my tips below to ensure a happy baby, happy parent and happy fellow passengers.

1) Arrive early.
Nothing is more stressful than running down a packed airport corridor with a baby in your arms. Been there, done that and despite a giggly baby in your arms, there’s nothing fun or relaxing in it for mama or papa.

2) Bring plenty of extras.
Make sure to pack plenty of bottles, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, toys and snacks. Think like a Girl Scout – be prepared.

3) Bring a pacifier or bottle for baby during takeoff/and landing.
Have you ever noticed that your ears pop during takeoff and landing? Adults know what to do to relieve the pressure in their ears, but babies unfortunately do not. Therefore, make sure to bring something (a pacifier, bottle, sippy cup or snack) that will encourage your baby to suck. The sucking motion will relieve the pressure in their ears.

4) Take advantage of the advantages.
Sounds funny, but after returning from a cross-country trip to San Francisco yesterday, I was amazed at how many folks traveling with young babies did not board their planes early. I can completely understand boarding later with a toddler (I would have mine doing laps around the airport), but when you have a young baby, there’s no need to wear them out. Board early, get settled/organized, and accept the help when people offer to help you with your bags or fold up that stroller.

5) Bring plenty of toys and activities.
If your child is old enough, bring along a portable DVD player and a coloring book with crayons. Also, when we travel with our kids we bring along new toys that they’ve never used before (i.e. we “shelve” a few gifts every birthday and holiday so that we can stagger the introduction of new toys throughout the rest of the year).

If your baby is under 12 months, bring teethers, a sippy cup with water, teething biscuits, and several rattles, books, and other toys. I have recently discovered that one of the best forms of entertainment for my 9 month old is a snack trap cup with Cheerios inside (see my previous post “5 Toddler Products I can’t Live Without”). She will happily work on getting those Cheerios out of the “trap” for at least twenty minutes.

6) Stick to your normal routine as much as possible.
I understand that this is impossible under some circumstances, but we do try to plan our travels around our children’s needs. Every parent knows their children the best. For us, we know that our children do not fall asleep in the car during their normal bedtime. In fact, we discovered during our last roadtrip, to NYC a couple of weeks ago, that our eldest daughter resists sleeping until it’s dark outside (THREE hours past her normal bedtime). Ugh, I’m exhausted just remembering that evening.

That being said, wherever we stay we try to mimic our bedtime routines as much as possible – pajamas, teeth brushing, prayers, book readings, light music, kisses.

And usually this translates into a happy (and well rested) baby, and a less-frazzled mommy and daddy.

Foodie Baby? Sprout’s New Organic Baby Food

Published on June 13, 2010 in Food and Work & Family. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I have once again hit the stores in search of tasty, organic baby food (see previous post here for a review of Earth’s Best new Gourmet Meals). I was pleasantly surprised to find Sprout’s new Organic Baby Food packets at my neighborhood Harris Teeter. For $1.19 per 3.5 oz. packet, I decided that I’d splurge on trying yet another new “interesting” baby food. After all, the packaging displayed beautiful photos of delicious-looking food and the Ziploc pouches offered a nice alternative to the traditional glass jars and the hard-to-close-once-opened plastic containers.

One thing to note here is that I would love to bypass processed baby food altogether and make everything from scratch that I put into my child’s mouth. However, since I work full-time, I have to supply my 9-month old’s daycare with baby food for days when she’s not able to consume whatever is on the school’s menu.

Before I gave each of the baby food variations to my 9-month old daughter, I tried them out for myself. And, just for the record, I get absolutely no money, samples or kickbacks for writing these reviews.

Pasta with Lentil Bolognese

Mom-tested:
Although I’ve never had Pasta with Lentil Bolognese in a restaurant before, I thought this flavor was extremely tasteless. I also detected a vague after-taste that reminded me of canned Chef Boyardee. The back of the package states “I am proud to share these home-cooked flavors with your family…I created this recipe to give our future foodies a taste of one of my favorite Italian dishes.” –Founder & Chef, Tyler Florence

If this Pasta with Lentil Bolognese tastes like one of the Founder’s favorite dishes, you certainly wouldn’t find me in one of Chef Tyler’s restaurants.

Baby-tested:
After spitting out this baby food five times in a row, I decided that this $1.19 would go straight to the dog’s bowl.

Peach Rice Pudding

Mom-tested:
Once again, I found myself running for something to cleanse my palate. The peach rice pudding was extremely tart and lacked the sweetness that I was expecting. The consistency of this baby food also struck me as odd – it reminded me of the curd-like look and feel of refried beans when you first open the can.

Baby-tested:
My daughter took about five spoonfuls of this baby food and scowled and grunted the entire time. In fact, a table full of strangers sitting next to me started to laugh and said “mom, I don’t know what you’re feeding her – but she definitely doesn’t like that!”

This expensive packet of baby food was once again very much appreciated by our dog.

Roasted Pears & Apricots

Mom-tested:
This was by far the best baby food out of the bunch. The food was very sweet, with just the right amount of tart. The only strange thing about this variation was the consistency. Unlike the other two food types, the Roasted Pears & Apricots was as runny as a normal Stage 1 jar of carrots baby food. Although my daughter liked it (see below), I probably won’t buy this very often because I prefer feeding her the vegetable-based baby foods over the fruit-based options.

Baby-tested:
My daughter lapped this one up and even made a “mmmmm” sound while she ate.

Since I’ve had a much better success rate with Earth’s Best Organic variations (non-Gourmet), I’ll likely stick to those.

As always, please let me know your thoughts if you’ve tried these baby foods or if you’re aware of any other new organic baby foods – I’m happy to serve as the guinea pig!

Ying or Yang at Naptime?

Published on June 9, 2010 in Family Time, Parenting & Discipline and Work & Family. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Every day for the past six months, my husband and I have held our breath when we walk into our 2 ½ year old daughter’s classroom at school for end-of-day pickup. Her first words when we walk through that door indicate whether our evening will be blissful or utterly miserable.

Who would have known that hearing the words “Mommy I took a nap today” would be so relieving?

When she utters these words, our pleasant evenings consist of discussing each others’ days while we eat dinner, laughing, joking and singing. In fact, “tinkle, tinkle, little star” is a regular dinner guest at our house.

And then there’s her yang.

When she doesn’t take a nap, sheer pandemonium breaks loose from the second we step out of her classroom and lasts until we close her bedroom door for bedtime (my hubby and I do rock/paper/scissors to determine who “gets” to put her to bed on these special occasions).

On really bad days, she’ll scream or cry the entire trip home in the car – for twenty excruciating minutes.

I don’t have any special “recipes” for how to get through this stage or any particular advice (if you do, PLEASE send them my way!).

I can only hope that her ying takes over tomorrow and that the nap Gods visit her at approximately 12:15 pm.

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