No, we haven't tried the mirror. She just looks cramped and complains a lot. It will be a long time before she reaches any limits on this particular carseat.

We're not going to turn her around, I just wish we could.

10/28/2014 7:53:28 PM

I understand completely that desire to turn her around. Will be time before you know it though.

[Edited on October 28, 2014 at 7:57 PM. Reason : ]

10/28/2014 7:57:11 PM

Beethoven I totally talk the whole time about nothing in particular. He loves it.

10/29/2014 7:55:19 AM

We found a piece of hard plastic in Jack's ear yesterday that looked like it game from an action figure. Later it dawned on us that it might be his tube finally coming out. I googled it and sure enough that is what it was. I always pictured them being longer and thinner.

Not his but this is what it looked like but with ear gunk on it

11/3/2014 8:34:48 AM

My nephew's fell out a few months ago. It was so teeny! He was about 1.5 years old for reference. Until I researched them for myself I had a completely different idea of what they were. I though they would be as big as the eustachian tube or ear canal, but it is just a tiny little tube stuck in the ear drum.

11/3/2014 9:25:49 AM

Just FYI, if anyone is in the market for a BOB stroller, REI members get 20% any item through 11/23. Brings the Revolution SE down to about $295.

11/16/2014 10:28:21 AM

TIFU by trying to convince someone on Reddit that "occupants seated in the center had an injury risk 43% less than children seated in either of the rear outboard positions" doesn't mean the side seat is a death trap.

11/22/2014 9:14:04 PM

Actually if you can get a more stable (less wiggly) Install on a sideboard position with the latch system it is safer than a slightly wiggly install with a belt in the center.

11/23/2014 4:23:36 PM

Yeah, that's pretty much my problem with the whole thing. That and the misrepresented statistics. Someone posts a car seat question every few weeks and inevitably the OP is worried, scared, or--in the most recent post--terrified of the side seat.

The 43% comes from a journal article abstract; the actual article is behind a paywall. I did find another article by the same authors and with a little back-of-the-envelope math figured out moving a car seat from side to center reduces serious injuries by about .71 per 100 children in an accident. Not nothing, but not quite as spectacular as 43% implies. That includes correctly and incorrectly installed car seats, so it does work out safer on average. To your point, a correctly installed side seat is safer than an incorrectly installed center seat. Center seat isn't an automatic no-brainer.

Mostly I hate the fear-mongering. If you're going to be terrified of something, it should be whether or not your kid is buckled in correctly, and whether or not you drive like an asshole.

11/24/2014 12:51:50 AM

I was part of the car seats for the littles Facebook group. Had to leave. No matterms what you do you are being judged.

11/24/2014 9:19:43 AM

my wife is going to start staying at home next year around the end of April - our daughter will be 15 months and we plan to have a second in the near future

any tips to make the transition easier - more for her than me? current plan is for her to stay at home until the kids are in school

11/24/2014 10:25:31 AM

I enjoying nannying another child part time. I bring in a little income and it keeps me from going crazy. I also found a group of other stay at home mom's and we have regularly scheduled playdates.

11/24/2014 11:19:29 AM

I don't know if you have a YMCA near you but it has been amazing for me.

They offer 2 hours of daycare per day. I believe we pay $60 a month and that includes my YMCA membership and Henry's daycare. You have to stay on campus (you can't leave and go to the grocery store, etc) but it is 2 hours a day that you can get some peace & quiet.

I take him in the morning and sometimes I get a workout in but other times, I just sit in their lounge and read a book or magazine. I can also take a shower there as well. When Henry was an infant, I would take my showers there instead of at home.

Henry is 2 years old and I've stayed at home with him since he was born.

11/24/2014 11:42:22 AM

Omg. I hate the 30 minute edit rule. My post up there is filled with errors.

11/24/2014 6:57:10 PM

The community college where I live offers free parenting classes. We play, sing songs, arts & crafts, etc. It's really just a playgroup. The actual parenting class portion is the teacher talking during snack time. I haven't heard anything I didn't already know, but the discussions are occasionally good and it's nice to see adults during the day.

11/25/2014 6:14:22 PM

Our Y has the 2 hour rule but also has another watch program where you can drop them off & leave for an appointment or to run errands for up to 2 hours too. Not sure how they differ but the drop off thing is new within the last 6 months or so.

11/25/2014 9:21:01 PM

is it standard to buy gifts for the teachers in daycare?

12/12/2014 2:45:14 PM

As a former daycare teacher about half bought gifts.

We didn't beat the kids whose parents didn't bring us gifts or anything but we sure appreciated it. We got mostly little 5 or 10 dollar gift cards to local coffee places and we got travel coffee mugs, yankee candles, chocolates, homemade goodies.

12/12/2014 8:32:33 PM

Around here it is standard. The teachers at Parker's daycare float around, and she's only been in the room she's in now for a few months (so she spent the majority of the last year with other teachers)...so I make big boxes of christmas treats & take one to both rooms. Sausage balls, cookies, fudge, etc. That way it doesn't really matter if there's 2 or 4 teachers, they can all share. And they've been SUPER appreciative of homemade goods the last couple of years. Everything is gone by the time I pick her up in the afternoon.

She does have one teacher who really goes way above & beyond for her, repeatedly, and continues to do so even though she was her infant room teacher (Parker's 2 classes above that now). So I usually get her a small gift card to Target or somewhere. We also hire her to babysit during my office's xmas party, so I pay her super super well as kind of a xmas bonus too.

12/16/2014 1:38:31 PM

Amber necklaces, do they work?

12/20/2014 11:13:10 PM

Any stroller recommendations or warnings?
How about the video baby monitors?
Anything you would buy again or recommend?

12/26/2014 3:51:41 PM

We use an amber necklace during the day and switch it for an anklet under his jammies at night. We have no idea if it is working but it isn't hurting him. I feel like he drools more when we forget to put it on but I really don't know.

I use a Britax B Agile stroller and I like it. Mother in law got us the whole travel system. I won a Summer 3D lite unbrella stroller that is great for a lightweight stroller. Did full days at Universal Studios and it was great. I got a used Baby Jogger City Mini Double for work and I like it ok. The front wheel lock slips in to the locked position all by itself, which is annoying.

We have a summer infant video monitor and I love it. We can pan and zoom and the video can be turned off so it is just audio. We originally got a drop cam but the alerts every time he moved annoyed me. He is a wiggly sleeper. Several women in my mommy group have a foscam and they like them.

12/26/2014 8:47:17 PM

Great recommendation. My wife went and played with one, and now...

1/12/2015 6:34:18 PM

Quote :

"Amber necklaces, do they work?"

better go for some healing smoky quartz crystals. they lead to less dinosaurs.

[Edited on January 12, 2015 at 8:52 PM. Reason : d]

1/12/2015 8:51:39 PM

2^I'm thrilled with mine.

1^ Don't forget to charge it on the windowsill in the light of the full moon.

1/13/2015 10:26:07 AM

Jack (3) has pink eye. Getting eye drops in has been a nightmare. hopefully it gets better.

4/1/2015 8:31:57 PM

Didn't you guys just have abother one? If your wife is breastfeeding see if she can squirting some breastmilk in there every once in a while. It is supposed to help.

4/1/2015 9:50:52 PM

lol weird. Never heard of that. I had to ask the wife if I was reading that right. That would probably be more difficult than the eye drops though.

4/1/2015 11:31:42 PM

I never tried that, but it is supposed to be the cure all for a lot of different infections.

Pink eye stinks though, good luck!

4/2/2015 9:19:56 AM

Every parent we have talked to, including the Dr. said they had to hold their kids down kicking and screaming to put eye drops in. That makes me feel a little better.

4/2/2015 9:55:21 AM

Hmm. I must not have proofread that well, but yeah, squirting milk in the eye can help.

4/2/2015 6:53:38 PM

Quote :

"Amber necklaces, do they work?"

good lord do we really have college educated people believing in magic amulets?

4/3/2015 9:38:47 AM

^look if the internet says it works it works.

just like...

Quote :

"Hmm. I must not have proofread that well, but yeah, squirting milk in the eye can help."

4/4/2015 2:12:39 AM

How long should we expect our two month old to be extra cranky post two month shots? She got them on Monday and has been pretty difficult today and last night. She slept hard the day off and was pretty relaxed yesterday but she is just not having it lately.

4/8/2015 8:38:07 PM

Generally feeling bad/cranky, probably 1-2 days. Can run a fever or develop a small rash as long as 7-10 days later.

With my little girl, she was always fine the first few days after, then would get upset and fever/rash at the 7 day mark.

[Edited on April 9, 2015 at 7:08 PM. Reason : ]

4/9/2015 7:07:31 PM

Quote :

"good lord do we really have college educated people believing in magic amulets?"

Quoted for emphasis.

4/9/2015 11:51:54 PM

I can't believe Americans believe in some crystal stuff... that's straight Asian/African.

Breast milk can definitely help with eye infections, there is definite science behind that.

Quote :

"Every parent we have talked to, including the Dr. said they had to hold their kids down kicking and screaming to put eye drops in. That makes me feel a little better."

We went through the same when she was 3 and I used to feel horrible as I would be holding her down screaming, and every time a drop fell on her face she would scream even more. Then one day when it was time, she said she wanted to do it herself. She walked over to the carpet, lay down, and did it herself, and as the drops fell in her eyes or elsewhere on her face, not a peep came out of her, she did it so calmly. Try that!

Sure, she ended up using a lot more as her aim was off, but who cares about!

4/10/2015 2:35:57 AM

Quote :

"I used to feel horrible as I would be holding her down screaming, and every time a drop fell on her face she would scream even more."

torturing kids huh? awesome.

[Edited on April 12, 2015 at 12:29 AM. Reason : ]

4/12/2015 12:29:06 AM

trolling me huh? awesome.

4/12/2015 1:52:36 AM

Quote :

"good lord do we really have college educated people believing in magic amulets?"

I feel like it's closed-minded to just categorically write off everything that hasn't been scientifically analyzed/vouched for. it's perfectly possible that there are truths that are simply beyond the reach of rationality.

believing that there has to be a scientific explanation for everything is dogma, imo.

4/12/2015 7:45:03 AM

And copper/magnet bracelets improve both your balance, strength, and memory....

4/12/2015 8:26:53 AM

Sure...why not? Not saying I believe that, but I'm not going to reject the possibility.

It's no more outlandish an idea than, say, that lighting a plant on fire and inhaling the smoke will help you concentrate/work harder.

4/12/2015 8:57:06 AM

Some of the old wives tales are worth a try, simply because parents can be at their wits end and just want anything to work! Who cares if it's proven? As long as it's not going to hurt the baby, what does it matter to give it a try?

We didn't try the amber necklaces, but we were never that desperate.

4/12/2015 7:42:14 PM

Quote :

"As long as it's not going to hurt the baby"

I'm with you here, but often times these BS remedies do put babies in harms way. Putting a necklace on a baby is a strangulation and choking hazard. That's real and tangible danger. This is not a good tradeoff for the hope that a magic aura from an amber necklace will somehow ease the pain of teething.

I get that parents often get to their wits end with the struggles that come with babies. My daughter had colic and screamed for 16 hours a day. It was absolutely a horrible 6 months of non-stop screaming, so I know what's its like to be the parent in that situation. We did try to find out everything we could about it. People suggested all kinds of ridiculous remedies, and science doesn't yet have much understanding about what causes it or what it really is, but what is know is that it passes within a very specific timeframe.

Teething isn't an illness and it will pass. Lacking mental toughness and basic critical thinking is no excuse for a parent to risk a baby's safety.

[Edited on April 13, 2015 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

4/13/2015 1:18:39 PM

I don't know if anyone reads this anymore......

I know some who is pregnant and they really have no money...I buy pallets and have things I am willing to trade for....

Household items: glade wax melts, air wick candles, shampoo, deodorant, etc.

Currently have for trade: (all of this is new) leap pad games, tag reader books, fisher price grand piano, little people christmas musical train, flip flops most sizes, super hero stuff, princess party favors, and lots of other random junk.

Seeking
Pack and play
0-6 mo neutral (last appt. The little booger was hiding themself)
Car seat (unexpired)
Bouncy seat

4/27/2015 12:28:04 PM

When is she due? We have a 3 month old boy and we should have some old clothes available soon. I'll have to check with my wife to see if she had plans for them.

[Edited on April 27, 2015 at 1:54 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2015 1:52:45 PM

If this existed when my daughter was little I would have gotten it

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11803484/Bedtime-phenomenon-scientist-develops-book-to-send-children-to-sleep-in-minutes.html

It is an amazon bestseller, and the first published-on-amazon book to reach that status.

8/22/2015 1:34:22 AM

I ordered the book. Henry used to fall asleep quickly but now that he's older, he's become more vocal at bedtime.

I also want to see what happens if I read it at nap time. Henry hardly naps these days.

8/22/2015 8:49:56 PM

^ great!

For anybody with a daughter who already has a social media account or a cellphone.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3195230/Man-reveals-easy-pedophiles-prey-teen-girls-social-media-luring-three-homes-parents-watch-horror.html

Pretty crazy. Stupid girls.

8/24/2015 5:48:56 AM

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130107110538.htm

Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests

Very eye-opening, and a must-read for all current and future parents. Very short.

The research was presented at a symposium at Notre Dame University, and you can see the video of that here:

"Are we violating evolved, expected caregiving and does it matter?"
https://notredame.app.box.com/s/2mhbxl2oykrs7vzohspa

And download the whole slide deck as a pdf:
http://shaw.nd.edu/assets/85258/narvaez_violations_of_expected_care_use.pdf

9/30/2015 12:05:34 AM