tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52973692590287469512024-03-13T11:59:14.795-07:00New Mommy 411New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-44789410615806697742011-12-06T09:54:00.000-08:002011-12-06T10:18:31.600-08:00Behavior: 1,2,3 MagicI am not sure if I have mentioned this book before, but I was a teacher before I had children and had not problems controlling my class. My son stumped me as far a behavior. My daughter is doing the same thing now. I started this books method with my son at around 15months and my daughter is 23months and I have been doing it again. I have found it to work very well for us.<div><br /></div><div>My daughter has recently started saying NO to everything that I ask and taking her clothes off after I dress her. I use the 1,2,3 method and she knows I mean business. My son used to do dangerous things, like climb onto tables and jump off the couch arms. It worked for that as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>1,2,3 Magic by Dr. Thomas Phelan</div><div><a href="http://www.parentmagic.com/">http://www.parentmagic.com/</a></div>New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-36524741302828784892011-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:002011-12-05T10:05:55.138-08:00Interview with Mark Cuban about his new book, "How To Win At The Sport Of Business"<span><div><i>I recently interviewed Mark Cuban about his new book. For those of you who don't know Mark Cuban, he is a self made billionaire. He is a hard working, creative, entrepreneur. He is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, chairman of HDTV cable network HDNet, and owner of Landmark Theaters. </i> </div></span><span><b><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div>Many mommies who want to start a business are struggling to make ends meet</b><br /><b>but you argue in your book, that some of the best businesses took little</b><br /><b>to nothing to start. Why do you encourage entrepreneurs not to wait for</b><br /><b>financing to start?</b></span><br /><br />Because effort is always more important than cash.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">There are many young moms who are just beginning their lives and can relate to<br />you when you said you were sharing a small apartment with 6 people and<br />sleeping on the floor. How can someone keep their eye on the prize when they’re<br />living on Ramen noodles?</span><br /><br />Who cares how you are living today? I loved every minute of living in<br />that dump. The low rent and utilities and eating Mac n’ Cheese all<br />the time allowed me to afford the startup of my business. Instead of<br />paying myself much, I could put it in to<br />my business.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You knew Michael Dell of Dell Computers before he was the Michael Dell.<br />What can you say about being nice to people on the way up?</span><br /><br />It's a whole lot easier to be nice to people than not to be. There are<br />times when you have to be tough, but a smile not only goes further,<br />but it makes you feel better about yourself as well.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You encourage entrepreneurs not to hire a public relations firm, Mark. How did you get the word out about your eBook?</span><br /><br />I tweeted, posted on Facebook, [used] Google Plus and responded to emails. Nothing more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">One of my favorite parts of your book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, that completely broke my heart was when your ex-secretary robbed your first company of over $83,000, leaving you only $2000 after a year of work. If there are moms out there that have lost everything,<br />what advice do you have for them to pick themselves back up?</span><br /><br />Keep working. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because it won’t do any good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Looking back, destiny seemed to lead you from one opportunity where you<br />would learn a life skill to another. Do you believe in fate or luck and<br />how much of that has to do with hard or smart work?</span><br /><br />There were a lot of things I didn’t write<br />about. So, it’s not necessarily<br />a direct jump from one skill to another. Starting and running a<br />business can be a lot of long hours. You just have to get after it and<br />not let up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You were seemingly unfocused and not sure about what you want to do when<br />you were younger. What advice do you have to parents who are worried if their<br />child will ever be somebody?</span><br /><br />No amount of<br />worrying is going to change things for them. They have to<br />figure it out for themselves. At some point, it is theirs to do or not<br />do.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where can we get a copy of your eBook, How to Win at the Sport of Business?</span><br />Anywhere eBooks are sold: Amazon, BN.com, and sites that support independent bookstores too.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-77393048251698495932011-11-25T07:31:00.001-08:002011-11-25T07:32:03.089-08:00TwitterI just joined twitter! I have no idea how to use it but will figure it out as I go. Come see me on twitter too!New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-58672022621457302682011-11-25T05:53:00.000-08:002011-11-25T06:09:42.893-08:00Moving from the city to the burbsMy husband and I really expected to raise our children in NYC and thought we were going to live a very happy life there. We both grew up in one of NYs 5 boroughs and planned to stay in the city forever. We had, what we thought the perfect situation, 2 kids, 2 small dogs and a 3 bedroom apartment just off Central Park. We had everything we could ever want and we were in the worlds best city (as far as we were concerned). <br /><br />Then our kids started to grow. Our son was 4 and in a private preschool and our daughter was on her way to joining him. As happy as we were we felt like we were always trying to keep our son still, contained, restrained, etc... Yet we continued to look for a private preK and plan for next year. We went through the whole process got into a new school and the night before we were to send in the deposit check we changed our minds. We just felt like this was not going to be the best move for our family. Especially our son. Everyday our daughter would nap for 3 hours and he would be stuck in waiting for her to wake up. He was playing like a normal child and we were shushing him so he did not wake his sister. Was this really how we wanted him (both of them) to grow up?<br /><br />We put our apartment up for sale and it sold very quickly and we found a great house in a town very near NYC. We moved for the start of this school year. Our house is very nice, but we do miss the super! The neighborhood is spectacular but its not the upper west side! The neighbors are great, but you always have to say hello! Bottom line, the move has been good so far. The children, over the moon happy!!! The parents adjusting!!!<br /><br />The town we moved to seems to be all transplants from the city. That gives us encouragement that we will love it here. I have been told that it is lonely for the first year while you make friends and that you really have to put yourself out there to meet people. I have been trying to join a lot of thing to meet people, but my kids keep getting sick, (maybe new school new germs). I do feel a bit lonely. However I am encouraged because I have found out that I am not the only one. And when I do miss the city, I hop in the car with the kids and visit an old hang out. I also make regular playdates with old friends in the city so some things do stay the same.<br /><br />More to come on adjusting to the burbs...New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-78155144848783272302011-11-25T05:47:00.000-08:002011-11-25T05:53:22.939-08:00SpeechJust like the speech pathologist had said, my daughter started talking very well in the last few months. I am so grateful not to have to add another chore to our week by having to go to speech. But I would have gladly done it to allow my daughter to become all that she should be. I find her walking around the house most days naming things and when she doesn't know what something is, she is pointing to it saying, "This is...?" and I have to answer her. Its funny and can get a little annoying all at the same time. We feel very bless that this has all worked itself out.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-55540051940439008082011-10-17T17:37:00.000-07:002011-10-17T18:57:46.727-07:00Interview With Anna Deskins<a href="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/15894685-3d7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/15894685-3d7.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">Your children's book, The Adventures of Smitty looks magically. Tell us about it</span>.<br />Anna--It's the story of a magical island of little creatures called Smilies and the mischievous little main character, Smitty. He's such a naughty boy. Haha! All the moms and kids I've shared it with have been giving me such a wonderful reaction. I cannot believe it. I have to tell you how excited I am to finally have a life-long dream come true. Writing The Adventures of Smitty was really about finding a story that I would want to read to my children at night. It has to be exciting but not scary so that my two daughters can go to sleep. Basically, I was looking for that perfect blend to read to my kids at night and decided, "Why not try writing my own?"<br /><br />We've had a lot of changes in our life recently, so I want to make sure that when I put my daughters to sleep that they feel safe. I have short chapters because I know how busy we moms are but if you can just sacrifice 5 minutes at night reading to your kids, it makes a world of difference. Your kids will never forget it. And although we're running around the whirlwind of life, our kids grow up so fast, and that time that we'd rather finish watching what happened in our favorite soap opera instead of reading to our kids will never come again. I hope that The Adventures of Smitty and books like it help moms do exactly that.<br /><br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">And it's only 99 cents this week. That's what I love about it. Now, You are recently divorced. How have you been able to continue writing when going through such a change?</span><br />Anna--Yes, it is by far one of the most challenging points in my life. To see a marriage you thought would last forever to not last forever was difficult for the two of us. I really learned a lot about myself and most importantly, it's brought me closer to my daughters. I think that's what really motivated me to finish this children's book no matter what. When you're going through changes in your life like this, you need something to hold on to. There's a part of you that wants to prove that you can make it, that you will be a success even if it's not with the partner you originally imagined building a life with. I had to keep writing, for my kids. I want to show them that they have to keep strong, no matter what.<br /><br />We as women, as moms really need to stick together to support each other and our dreams. We're living in an age when I think we're finally realizing, although we want love, the men in our life aren't the answer to everything. We have to stand up on our own two feet and keep going. True love will happen, but until then, we have to keep moving forward. Our children depend on us and we depend on us.<br /><br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">In addition to being a children's book author, you're also a small business owner. How do you juggle taking care of two daughters and at the same time running a business?</span><br />Anna--Yes, I am a fashion designer and have a retail store. Any type of creativity is what I'm passionate about. That's why writing The Adventures of Smitty was so important to me. Let me tell you, running a small business in today's economy isn't easy especially when raising two girls at the same time. But somehow, it seems someone's watching over me because my dreams are coming true no matter what. To have that many moms glowing about my children's book, means so much to me. And I know my girls are proud.<br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">When do you ever have time to write?</span><br />Anna--You mean, in between laundry, running a business, chasing my girls around the house, cleaning the house, and flying back and forth from Miami to New York? Haha? That's one thing I've learned, when you really want to do something, you find a way. Things fall into place if you just go for it and that's what I want to encourage all the moms who are reading this right now. Whatever your goal is, you can do it. Don't let the challenges in your personal life stop you from going for your dreams. Just go for it and it's almost magical how things fall into place.<br /><br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">Where can we get a copy of "The Adventures of Smitty"?</span><br />Anna--Right now, it's available online by going to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94655 You can also visit my website: http://www.AnnaDeskins.com where you can read more about my writing process, my recommendations for other books and my own adventures in Mommyhood.<br /><br />I'm so grateful for your support and the support I'm getting from so many wonderful moms who dream of writing children's books one day too. Writing The Adventures of Smitty has been such an emotional experience for me, a true journey as I was going through so many changes while writing it. It's truly been a blessing in my life. It, along with my daughters, and that guy upstairs have really pulled me through a challenging time.<br /><br />Me--<span style="font-weight:bold;">Thanks for the interview, Anna. And let's go out and support a fellow mom by getting a copy of The Adventures of Smitty today. I know I will!</span>New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-33854706887862923552011-08-18T19:18:00.000-07:002011-08-18T19:30:29.754-07:00Newborn Waking To FeedingA good friend of mine had a baby a few days ago. She asked me how to wake her new born up to feed her. I immeadiately thought of the friends episode wham Rachel woke her baby and she screamed for hours!
<br />But in real life and you have a new born, you sometimes do have to wake them.
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<br />I was told from my mom, who is a pediatric nurse, to wake the baby during the day and not at night for feeding. She always said the baby would wake at night if it was hungry. My kids were always a healthy regular weight and always ate fairly well.
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<br />Another friend of mine had very small children and she was told to wake them for the first few months at night.
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<br />So ask your doctor what they recommend.
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<br />But as far as how to wake them, I was always successful feeding by: unswaddling the baby, tickling their feet a little, taking them out of their nice little comfort zone. That made my children a bit more awake and they would eat.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-73768733715405946632011-08-18T18:39:00.000-07:002011-08-18T18:51:12.611-07:00I Am Not A DoctorI basically received a hate mail letter tonight from a doctor who, I feel, clearly did not read my posts or personal description correctly. I am not a doctor! I have never said I was an expert! I am offering my opinion based on my own personal experiences as a parent, things I here from other parents and advices I have been given from my children's doctors. I do recall having said in verbal posts, "Ask the expert!". That's not me!
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<br />I started my blog as a reference for myself to document what I am learning and what I have learned. Some people have seemed to enjoy reading it and find some of my experiences helpful. All people are different. Different things work for them. And if even 1 person finds 1 bit of advice that I have offered based on my life helpful, then I consider my posting a blog instead of just keeping a journal a success.
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<br />So if you don't like me, that's fine.
<br />If you think my advice based on the things that I have done stinks, so be it!New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-60617344774728147072011-08-14T18:30:00.000-07:002011-08-14T18:44:22.329-07:00Waking At Night, around 20 MonthsBoth my kids did this and it took weeks to fix! This is when I started the clock that turns green with my son and I just ordered it for my daughter. My daughter just started waking up at 4am every night and telling me that she is, "Done!". She wants to get up for the day and I a, not having it. She goes to bed about 7:30 pm and thatbis not enough sleep for her, I can see she is still tired when I go in to her and she needs to sleep. She is so strong willed and stubborn that she will stay up for at least and hour yelling all done and the she falls beck to sleep untilm7:30-8am. I end umpired and annoyed!
<br />If your baby does this, I think, based on my own experiences and the experiences of my friends, you need to just stay strong. Come up with a plan that works for you ( Ferber etc...) and stick with it. My life is stinking right now because my daughter is in the mist of this. I am spending my days pointing out everything that's green and yellow so that when the clock shows up she will get it. My son did. I pray that it works for her.
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<br />Kids change all the time and decide that they want to take control over certain situations. We as parents have to show them that we are boss and that they have to listen to our rules. Now it is sleeping when you are supposed to sleep, later it will be borrowing the car or abiding by a curfuw. It stinks! But don't give in and get up, you will have problems even longer. Don't give in and bring them in your bed, you will be creating an issue that will last even longer.
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<br />Best of luck, what doesn kill you will only make you stronger.
<br />New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-82663777436738102932011-08-14T18:10:00.000-07:002011-08-14T18:29:30.010-07:00Speech After Ear Issues (Tubes/Fluid)My daughter has had tubes since December of 2010. She had both ears 100% filled with fluid from the end of October 2010-December 28, 2010. When she had the fluid in her ears she was hearing very little, if at all. She gained no language skills when her ears had the fluid in them, and my pediatrician has said that she does not recomend going with fluid in the ear longer then 3 months because language development is so high at this time. My daughter got tubes on December 28, 2010 and within 2 weeks had 10 new words. The only issue that I had was many of her words that she used often, she was leaving the endings off of. And she still does this. For example, she says "mil" instead of "milk.". I finally had her evaluated for speach in May, (she was about 17 months) and the speech pathologist told me that was normal. She should continue to gain words at a rapid pace and that if I was still concerned to have her looked at in the fall at about 22 months and that would look at her progress. She has continued to learn new words but she still does not finish the same words that she did not finish before. She does not speak in sentences but in 2 word phrases. My son was speaking so well and she seems a world away.
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<br />Long story short, they are 2 different kids. I was concerned and had it check out. What's going on is not like I experienced before, but it is of a different normal and I am going to have to get used to it.
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<br />When you (the parent) are unsure about what you are seeing. Get it checked by the expert and listen to their advice. You are the best advocate for your baby and you are the only one that can help them succeed in life at this point. Just do it!New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-72979018860586292412011-08-14T18:03:00.001-07:002011-08-14T18:10:45.725-07:00More About TubesI took my daughter to the ENT for a 6 month check up after her tubes. The doctor told me that her tubes were still in and looked fine. I was excited to here this. Then the doctor told me that I needed to come back in a few months for another check up, that the tubes should have fallen out by then. I was shocked to here this! He proceeded to tell me that tubes generally only last about 9 months at the longest. This was shocking news to me since I just automatically thought that we would get at lest another winter out of this set of tubes, since they were still in. Now I am quite stressed about that fact that we are heading into this winter, chances are, with no tubes. And to top it off we just got to the beach and she has another ear infection, her third since the tubes were put in. New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-31375163242799459102011-07-18T10:43:00.000-07:002011-07-18T10:50:21.651-07:00Strep in a BabyBabies can get step as young as 16 months old. Especially if they have an older sibling. Often parents mistake the symptoms for things like coxsackies virus.<br />My daughter got strep at 17 months. I thought it was teething because she had a low grade temp of 100 for three days. She was very irritable but again she is like that when teething as well. I was so surprised by this. My daughter was also up a lot at night from her throat hurting. I even thought maybe it was her ears.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-77019425191591489912011-07-18T10:21:00.000-07:002011-07-18T10:36:40.591-07:00Book Review- "Carla and Leo's World of Dance"I have never done a book review before, but recently, I was emailed and asked if I could review Carla and Leo's World of Dance, by Agatha Relota. This book is educational and motivating all at the same time. At first I felt that the book was written for children about the age of 10 or older. But then my four and a half year old asked if I would read him the book. Agatha Relota has a way of telling facts about each location of the world that is both interesting to an adult and simple enough for my young son to understand. And then she explains how to do the different dances that go along with each area of the world, like the Tango is from Argentine. My four year old was so interested in this book that he made me try each dance with him and look up each country on a world map. Very appropriate for a ten year old, when read in stages also excellent for a child as young as four. I rate this book 4 stars!!!New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-39630061132837479212011-05-05T15:02:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:23:43.739-07:00TubesSo now your child has tubes. What does that mean...<br />Basically, the ENT is making a small hole in your child ear drum and then inserting a very small plastic tube that will allow fluid and mucus to drain out of the ear and into the nose. Now your child will not have the pressure in their ear, even if they have an infection and they will not have the hearing loss from the fluid build up.<br /><br />The ENT told me that I would see discharge if my daughter had an ear infection again after that. I went running to the doctor when her sheets were wet, probably from sweat p, because I was not sure what it would look like. <br /><br />Well let me just tell you it s usually 150% obvious when your child has drainage from an ear infection after tubes. A lot of children don't even get infections after tubes. Some do! When they do, you can just look in the ear with your eyes and see dry crusted stuff in the ear. Sometimes after a nap it can even look like wet liquid snot. Once my daughters ear was such a cesspool of snot that 10 q tips didn't do it justice. So when I used drops nothing happened because they were just sitting on a bed if mucus. I had to take her to the ENT to have her ear suctioned then we could use the drops. Imagine if she didn't have those tubes! She didn't even cry at night when she had this infection.<br /><br />Another time she had a bad cold and when the doctor looked in her ear, it looked like one if the tubes had fallen out. The tubes can fall out as early as three months but usually last a few years. The tube had not fallen out it was actually clogged with dry mucus. Again we had to go to the ENT and he used drops to liquify the mucus and suction her ear. Again she was not waking in pain.<br /><br />They tell you that it is ok to swim with tubes. And it is! But just be aware that when the ear gets water in it through the tubes at certain angles, for some children, it can cause a moment of pain. Just watch your child and assess your own situation. Mt daughter takes swimming lessons every week and she is fine with it so far.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-5477414980819257372011-05-05T14:30:00.000-07:002011-05-05T14:45:10.428-07:00More on Ear Infections & TubesApparently when children get a bad ear infection their ear is filled with mucus and fluid. Often the antibiotic gets rid of the mucus and any other yuck stuff in the ear but does not dry all the fluid. It can take up to 3 moths for all this fluid to drain and leaves your child more susceptible to additional ear infections.<br />Fun times!<br />While your child's ear is filled with fluid (either 100% or parochially) they have some hearing loss and are pretty much hearing like they are underwater. When a chid is very small and has this fluid for 3 months they can often end up with a speech delay. Imagine you not hearing for 3 months. <br />Sometimes an ENT will elect to put tubes in you child's ears if the fluid never drains. Sometimes they will not. My children's pediatrician likes to have a child get tubes if they still have fluid after 3 moths because that is usually a sign that the fluid will never drain and she does not see a reason in having the child suffer. The fluid can cause pain and again can cause a speech delay that can be avoided.<br /><br />My daughter had 100% fluid filled ears and ended up getting 8 ear infections in 10 weeks. We did tubes at week 11. It was the best thing ever!New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-30832795918770944312011-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:002011-05-05T14:28:45.201-07:00Ear InfectionsWell my life had been taken over by ear infections in the fall and moved in to bronchiolitis in the winter/spring. Lucky me!<br /><br />Let's start with ear infections first. And start simply.<br /><br />Apparently we all have tubes in our ears that run from the ear to the nose. As we grow our heads grow and the tubes tilt. Babies tubes are usually quite flat. When we blow our nose, the mucus comes out these tubes into a tissue. Babies cant blow, and we usually use something to suck the mucus out. But we can't do this as often as we would blow our nose. So often times children that have the tubes with very little tilt, end up with an ear infection.<br />You can tell your child has an ear infection because they usually are good in the day when they are upright, then after just a few hours of sleep are up most of the night because of pressure build up in their ears from laying down. It feels like they have been on a plane and their ears will not pop. Usually the child gets a fever along with the earache. Often they will pull on their ears. They can get an infection in 1 ear or both. You cannot see it on your own and usually need antibiotic to get rid of it.<br /><br />Some ways to help relieve the pain for your baby is drinking a bottle or sippy cup. The sucking helps the child to swallow and makes them feel better. A pacifier actually is not good for this. I ended up giving my daughter her cup in bed with water when she was really bad and it would help her go back to sleep. There are also homeopathic drops you can try. Some people love them but I did not have much luck. Also you can try tilting the crib mattress so the head is not so flat. I put towels under the mattress. This was helpful when my daughter was sleeping in the right direction. But we all know babies move around a lot.<br /><br />My very trusted pediatric ENT said pacifiers, smoking and drinking bottles in bed can all add to causes of ear infections.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-79281182829884246042011-02-13T19:11:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:16:35.482-08:00UpdateI am so sorry that I have not posted in months. My daughter basically has caught every illness that my son has brought home from school. Long story short, she had 8 ear infections between October and December, we did tubes the end of December. Then she has had one stomach bug or cold after another.<br />I will get back into this very soon. I learned a lot and have a lot to share.<br />I hope everyone is well.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-30854374539707109132010-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:002010-10-02T17:15:52.162-07:00Exersaucer VS. Jump-A-Roo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKfKWCBDj_I/AAAAAAAAABE/OXswgQxv28Y/s1600/41WhbA8nemL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKfKWCBDj_I/AAAAAAAAABE/OXswgQxv28Y/s200/41WhbA8nemL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523605947840434162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKfJqHNJJjI/AAAAAAAAAA8/62LfJWHYLfQ/s1600/41-CRLJFABL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKfJqHNJJjI/AAAAAAAAAA8/62LfJWHYLfQ/s200/41-CRLJFABL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523605193319065138" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> The Baby Einstein Exersaucer VS </span>The Rainforest Jump-A-Roo<div><div><br />I have both and like them both. However, I have started both of my kids with them between the ages of 5 months and 6 months. They both seem equal at this point in time. Both do an equal job.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Once the baby learns to jump, the Jump-A-Roo seems to be a favorite of parents because it tires the baby out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that my daughter is 9 months old, she will still go in the Jump-A-Roo but will not let me put her down in the Exersaucer. I think because she can't move around except for the circle. Many of my friends tell me the same thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So If you have to pick one, (because they are both pretty large), I would go for the Jump-A-Roo!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have the brands above and am pretty happy with my picks. I tend to like the full jumpers and not the ones that go in the doorway because they have toys. There are a lot of brands and they are all similar. </div></div></div>New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-88518577418118410202010-09-28T18:25:00.001-07:002010-09-28T18:43:16.427-07:00My Award!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKKVlhaLu_I/AAAAAAAAAA0/K_lt-jH9ogQ/s1600/onelovelyblog1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKKVlhaLu_I/AAAAAAAAAA0/K_lt-jH9ogQ/s200/onelovelyblog1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522140564965538802" /></a>I never really win anything but turned on my computer yesterday and discovered that another lovely blogger gave me an award. I have to send this award to others in the future (so I really have to spend a bit more time blogging and reading).<div>Thank you so much!</div><div>I feel like I write this just to keep these ideas fresh but it is exciting that I may actually be helping someone. </div><div>I received the award from </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>http://myadventures-in-mommyland.blogspot.com</div><div>I could not find her button to paste it on my site. So check her out!</div>New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-75367737802249541682010-09-28T18:15:00.000-07:002010-09-28T18:22:43.885-07:00Beaba Baby Cook<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKKTyn6uTKI/AAAAAAAAAAs/M5f3fppG8TM/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQQovgrfRWo/TKKTyn6uTKI/AAAAAAAAAAs/M5f3fppG8TM/s200/DownloadedFile.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522138591027678370" /></a>This is the best thing ever. I made fun of everyone that had it because I thought I had no time to actually make baby food. This machine takes less time then actually cooking! It has actually come in more handy for my toddler because he does not want to eat his veggies. I can steam just about anything and mash it into his pasta and he is eating it.<div><br /></div><div>My baby is the worst eater I have ever encountered. I literally just throw whatever we are eating into this machine and steam it for her. Then I chop it into little pieces. You could bled it and the food comes out great but my daughter will not eat any blended food.</div><div><br /></div><div>You should buy this if you have kids!</div>New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-30778291533149508142010-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:002010-09-02T12:51:35.346-07:00Thumb SuckingA mom recently asked me if I had any advice on thumb sucking. I did not have much to offer her, so I decided to do a little research on this topic. I came up with a few OK articles and 1 product based on many reviews, that looks like it works.<br /><br />(You can buy all of these on amazon.com)<br />Mavala Stop- this looks like it may actually work<br /><br />Thum liquid- the reviews don't look that great<br /><br />Thumbusters- your child has to wear this and I know mine would never. So I don't see this being a very good product.<br /><br /><br />A good book to read to your child is "the Berenstain Bears & the Bad Habit" by Stan & Jan Berenstain<br /><br />Good luck to those of you that want/need to stop this behavior.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-30285761950318416042010-09-01T12:11:00.001-07:002010-09-01T12:24:10.095-07:00SunblockAll babies can use some type of sunblock. Even with sunblock I would still not put a really young child in direct sun for a long time. <br /><br /> New babies under 6 mons of age can use clinque sunblock that you buy in a department store. It is one of the few gentle enough. <br />Babies over 6 mons can use any baby sunblock that is for babies. Make sure it says tear free!<br /><br />I found blue lizard to work the best for my toddler, even in the islands during the winter. He didn't even get pink cheeks, in the direct sun all day.<br />I also love the neutrogena spray sunblock for my toddler and the California baby sunblock stick for his face.<br /><br />For my baby I used clinique this summer and sometimes babyblanket. I like the clinique stick on her face and I also used the California baby stick on her as well.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-10440235438528398682010-09-01T11:53:00.000-07:002010-09-01T12:10:21.344-07:00Diaper RashSo for the last month my family has all taken a turn having an awful cold. Each one of use has needed antibiotics for it. It sucked!<br /><br />Along with the cold my daughter had had a small diaper rash. She had this from teething I think. I learned that when you already have a diaper rash from teething and you go on antibiotics, this usually makes the rash about 100 times worse. Almost like a woman's yeast infection. The original rash had small circular dots, which is usually a yeast type of rash because teething changes the ph in urine. You can use lotrimin (the athletes foot cream) for this.<br />After the meds my daughter needed a prescription diaper cream that did not work, and then a burn cream called silver nitrate to clear the rash and it still took a week.<br /><br />The moral of the story....if your child gets a diaper rash that has spots seek lotrimin, if it doesn't clear up in a few days, see a doctor.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-47521803815575125792010-08-13T12:19:00.001-07:002010-08-13T12:30:47.850-07:00BurpingI have always burped my kids by tapping their backs like any other typical mom. My son burped so easily and when my daughter came along she did burp but it took a bit longer.<br />One day my mother fed my daughter as we were talking and then went to burp her. She hadn't burped after 5 minutes so my mom (without saying anything) just started rubbing my daughters back. She did this by holding her like she would if she were going to burp her normally (over the shoulder), then she firm but gently ribbed my daughters back up and down. She burped in less then a minute!<br />I had never thought of burping this way before. Apparently it works very well for my daughter and she always burps very quickly this way.<br />I felt like a light bulb went on and that I needed to share this as soon as possible.<br />I hope it helps someone whose baby is a tough to burp also.New Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5297369259028746951.post-65773746235648582072010-08-03T12:13:00.000-07:002010-08-03T12:33:56.794-07:00PacifierMost babies use them and they are so hard to give up!<br />I recently has my daughter give up her pacifier (at 7 months) She did pretty well. I took them all away on a Saturday morning because she woke up every hour of Friday night looking for one. That is crazy! No sane person can live like that. More importantly, it is now one less thing for me to remember before we leave the house. She only had a meltdown for her first nap without it. She cried for an hour. The second nap she cried for 5 minutes. And, that was it.<br /><br />For my son, we got rid of them at 11 months. We used to put ten in his bed and he would always find one. There was even a time when he would fall asleep with 2 in each hand and and 1 in his mouth. Awful! One day we went to the pediatrician ( who thought I should have gotten rid of them around 4 months), and she mentioned me still allowing him to use one. She also mentioned the longer I waited to get rid of it the harder time I was going to have. So that day at nap instead of handing him a pacifier I handed him a lovie, swiped the pacifiers and walk out of the room. He fell asleep just fine for 2 days. Then on the 3rd day at 3am he had a 1 hour and 30 minute meltdown, then it was all over.<br />He is 3 1/2 and still sleeps with the lovie! I don't care if he wants to take it to college with him. LolNew Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658087630016259235noreply@blogger.com2