Wee Wee Pads: Not just for your pet!

A very good friend (and fellow Mommy) helped me to register at Babies R' Us before my baby shower last year. This proved so helpful for me since there were so many things I had no idea I would need! Not to mention that knowing the lay of the land of a Babies R' Us is information that will come in handy time and time again. That same friend came to my shower and brought me all the little items on my registry, including saline nose spray and mylicon gas drops, that most of my friends might not think to reach for (as opposed to those cute little dresses), but that any mom will be happily reaching for in their baby's time of need!

I have gotten great use out of most everything that I had registered for, but the items that are really worth passing on are those that I received at the baby shower that hadn't been on my list. One fellow Mom brought me a pack of Blue "Wee Wee" pads. If you've never had a puppy before, you might not be familiar with these, but they are basically large cotton squares that have a plastic lining on the back. They are meant to catch your puppy's piddles until they are potty trained. Once you've had a baby, these will be more familiar as the hospital uses similar pads when you are in labor. When I saw these pads, I thanked the mommy profusely and smiled as she explained that they were to be used as liners on Emme's changing table, but I honestly didn't think I would be putting them to much use.

Fast forward to those first days after we brought Emme home, and two or three accidents on that changing table later, and suddenly I was pulling those pads out of the closet! The pads are fantastic because they are absorbent and disposable and nice and big so that the corners can be used to wipe or cover your baby if you need a quick and handy towel. Not only that, but they fold up really tight and are easy to fit in a diaper bag or even a purse. They can be used on public changing tables and are great for traveling. Where they have been the very best is those changes in the car when there is a surprise dirty diaper; the white surface and flexibility that you can get from the cloth like pads ensure that you can see and contain any stray "contaminants"! My husband really liked having them because in those first days when he was still learning how to change diapers, he would get a lot of anxiety about getting the changing table pad dirty. Needless to say, we used every one of the pads, and were soon back at Babies R' Us, looking for some more. But here's the thing: Babies R' Us doesn't carry them! You will need to go to your local pet store to find a pack, which, if you don't have a pet, could definitely be a stop out of your way, but it is well worth it because you will use them!

One important note: If your baby is older and already rolling over, you may not be able to use these on your home changing table. We don't anymore because Emme likes to grab the corners and roll up the pads which makes things harder rather than easier!

Always put away baby's toys at night

As I was nursing my little one tonight, my mind was wandering. I was thinking about trying to solve the problem of steamed plums that came out too tart while at the same time, surveying Emme's bedroom floor and seeing all her little toys scattered outside of her toy bucket. As I looked, I remembered that a fellow mom had been to my house for a Christmas party and told me her Trick: Always put away Baby's Toys at night. She then proceeded to put all of Emme's toys in her little toy bin. At the time, I replied, "Oh don't bother, they will only all be pulled out tomorrow!" She tried to explain to me that it was a good habit to start as it sticks with your children as they get older (her daughter is now almost 3), but I just laughed and chased her out of the room. It was a party after all :)

I will admit that I am not the tidiest person in the world and I am not going to be a hypocrite and start demanding this of my child. Not that Emme is even old enough to "clean up" anyway, being only 9 months, but I don't think that was really the point. Instead of being open to her idea, my reaction was defensive. Another Mom suggested I do things differently, and I felt that maybe I was doing things wrong. But then sitting there nursing and looking at the scattered toys, I thought back to the Toys comment and let it sink in that it is a great habit to get Emme into! It would only take a minute or two to load the blocks and various little toys into her toy bin, and maybe I can build habits in Emme that could carry over to me as well. Not to mention that it is never too early to start thinking about how to make my life easier in the future! A neat child can only be a blessing :)
So starting tomorrow, I am going to put the toys rule into effect. Who knows, maybe a few months from now, I'll be able to blag (blog brag) about what a neat and tidy child I have!

This may seem like a silly trick to start this blog with, but it really defines what I am trying to accomplish. It seems like every time I hang out with another mom, I pick up some useful piece of advice that I hadn't thought of before. I too have come up with a couple tips over these last 9 months that I wouldn't mind consolidating in one place. With this blog, I can be reminded of the advice that I found especially valuable and post it as a reference for myself and all my friends who will undoubtedly follow with babies soon!

Oh, and after a little internet research, I decided to add Agave syrup to my batch of steamed plums to tame the sour edge, as several sites said it was safe for babies. I usually use grape juice but I didn't have any on hand. I just happened to have some Agave Syrup and I wasn't ready to break out the white sugar just yet. I think Emme is still a little too young!