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Rachel Lister's BlogPosted by Rachel Lister With the economy struggling and everyone looking for ways to save money, many moms are taking a second look at using coupons. You can save hundreds of dollars every month by paying attention to sales and using coupons on items that you need. Savings.com puts everything you need in one place and is a great way to save money on purchases at many of your favorite companies like Sierra Trading Post, Amazon.com, and more. Saving money doesn't always mean that you need to do without things that you want, you just have to be smart about it. Saving money by using coupons is just like getting a raise. In the end, you have products you want and more money in your pocket. Posted by Rachel Lister After I had kids I thought that I could not enjoy my children and have a well decorated house with italian furniture. My house was overrun by plastic toys and tiny clothes. Now that I've gotten a little bit of experience under my belt, I've realized that I can have great contemporary furniture without sacrificing function. Modern furniture is actually very kid friendly. With it's sleek design kids don't feel overwhelmed and a minimalist style leaves plenty of floor space to play. My home may never look like a model home but I definitely don't have to give up my own personal style. I like to try and teach my kids that a mom isn't just someone who feeds you and cares for you, but a real person with individual wants and needs. Posted by Rachel Lister My 2 1/2 year old is just starting to show some interest in using the potty. For several years, I ran a daycare and preschool from my home and during my time as a daycare provider I helped many parents potty train their toddlers. Potty training can be a very stressful experience for both parent and child, but if your toddler is attending daycare you have a great resource in your daycare provider. Most daycare providers have had experience potty training many children and are happy to offer advice and potty training tips when they are asked. It is possible to potty train your toddler while he is attending daycare, but it is so important that you communicate with your daycare provider about when you want to start potty training and what methods you would like to use. Related Articles Posted by Rachel Lister When my oldest son was 15 months old he started showing interest in the potty. As a first time parent, I was thrilled. I had visions of my son being potty trained by the time he was 2 years old and being diaper free for a few months before my second child arrived. Despite his early start, my son was 3 1/2 before he was fully potty trained. The birth of a new baby and the death of a close family member stalled his early success. The second time around I vowed to follow my toddlers lead. Now, at 2 1/2 my second son has finally started to show some interest in the potty. Things have been much more relaxed this time around without the pressure to potty train on a deadline. I still have hopes that he'll be potty trained before Christmas (that would be the ultimate gift for a mom), but I'm determined to be patient and let him take the lead. Related Articles Cloth Diapering Basics: How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby Preventing Diaper Rash: Keep Your Infant's Skin Healthy Ready to Potty Train: Signs that your Toddler is Prepared to Toilet Train Posted by Rachel Lister The idea of the terrible twos scared me to death with my first son, which is why I was so thrilled when his second birthday came and went without any change in his mellow personality. My second son, however, seemed to hit the "terrible twos" not long after he turned one and seems to have extended well into his second year. No two kids are alike and while some may struggle through toddlerhood, others will sail through without a problem. As a mother, you know your child best and you can learn what types of activities and situations will set off a temper tantrum. Watch for triggers and try and avoid them as best you can but make sure that your toddler knows that throwing a tantrum is not an acceptable way to get what he wants. Related Articles Preventing Public Temper Tantrums: Parenting Tips for Preventing a Public Toddler Meltdown Posted by Rachel Lister My kids are a great age to enjoy Disney Land so we packed up our family and took off for a family vacation this summer. I have been to Disney Land with a baby before so I wasn't too worried about how my 9 month old would do. He is an easy going baby and I felt prepared to tackle the park with my kids. Many of the rides are more or less train rides through scenery so I was able to take my baby on most of the rides in the park. A few of the rides required that my baby was able to sit up on his own simply because he had to sit in a seat next to me, but most of the rides allowed him to sit on my lap. Even the classic Dumbo ride allowed my baby to sit on the seat in front of me and he loved the up and down motion of the ride. The best thing we brought with us was our reusable water bottles. The saved us from buying expensive drinks and kept us hydrated. Nearly all of the food vendors were willing to let us fill up our water bottles with ice and fresh water. I couldn't have gotten by without my stroller. As tedious as it could be to unload my baby each time we got on a ride, I loved having the option to store the diaper bag and everything else we needed in my stroller and my back was much happer after a long day at the park than it would have been if I had carried my baby or used a carrier for the entire day. Posted by Rachel Lister I have mixed feelings about the reccent reality show "The Baby Borrowers". My first reaction was shock as I wondered how those parents could hand over their infants to teenagers that had little to no childcare experience. Having worked with pregnant teens who have struggled over decisions far too difficult for their age, I can see the reasoning behind the show. I think that the end result was a good one - none of the teens wanted to have a baby before they were ready. I'm positive that I could not have been one of the parents willing to hand over my baby for several days, especially after seeing the way that several of the teens treated the baby's in their care and the parents who were simply trying to help them understand what real life was like. I had my first baby fairly young. I was 23 when my son was born and while I do believe that I was ready for motherhood I don't think that there was anything that could have fully prepared me for it. Knowing what I do now about how important the first several years of life are, I'm so glad that I was emotional and financially prepared to parent a child. Posted by Rachel Lister As the oldest of 5 kids, I had already changed my fair share of diapers by the time I had kids. I was lucky that diapers never really bothered me because between three kids of my own and years of running a home daycare, I have changed hundreds and hundreds of diapers. It wasn't until my third son was born that I really considered the fact that cloth diapers were even an option. After a few months of experiementing, I was shocked to discover that cloth diapers really weren't as bad as I thought they were. I'm not ready to take the step towards cloth wipes any time soon but I'm excited that I'm lowering my family's impact on the environment and reducing our diaper bill. Related Articles Posted by Rachel Lister My 8 month old reccently started crawling and I've had to rethink many of the things around my home and watch out for new safety hazards. Baby proofing the entire house can be a huge task. I like to start with the areas that my baby spends the most time in, such as the family room, because he is still limited in how far he can go. Baby gates are vital if your baby has access to stairs but they are only effective if you remember to use them every single time. Child safety is so important but it does not have to be overly complicated. Get down on the floor and look at things from your baby's perspective. Look for any wires or cables that your baby can get to and chew on. Make sure your furniture is achored firmly to the wall and that there are no small spaces that your baby can get stuck in. Related Articles Posted by Rachel Lister Raising a baby can be expensive enough, but feeding doesn't have to be. It only takes a minimum amount of effort to make nutritious and affordable homemade baby food. When my first son was a baby, I bought jars of baby food and boxed cereal. It never really occurred to me that there was another option. By the time my third baby was born, I knew a bit more about what my baby could and could not eat, and I knew how to prepare it so that he could easily digest it. You can make baby food ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to feed it to your baby, or you can grind up whatever table food you are eating that is appropriate for your baby. I purchased a Kidco Baby Food Mill when my oldest was a baby and it has allowed me to grind up anything from bananas to chicken. Babies love to feel a part of meal time, and sharing the food that the rest of the family is eating is a great way to include them. Easy Baby Food Recipes Read More Thrifty Living Tips by visiting Thrifty Thursday. Posted by Rachel Lister Busy Mommy (BusyMommy.us) is hosting a huge giveaway event for moms to help you start your summer right. it is easy to enter. All you have to do is register for an account at Busy Mommy. Registration is free and takes only a few minutes. Prizes include: Living Home Starter Kit from Seventh Generation $50 Gift Certificate to Mastermind Toys Nalgene BPA free water bottles Saving Dinner Ten for the Freezer Menu and much, much more. Posted by Rachel Lister If you are planning to take a family holiday this summer, you probably know how difficult it can be to find family friendly hotels. The first few trips we took with a baby were stressful and complicated. We didn't know what to expect from our hotel so we ended up taking everything we might possibly need. If you are traveling anywhere that is too far to drive, the airlines make it very difficult to take everything you need. There is a great new website called www.childfriendly.co.uk that helps you find a child friendly hotel and child friendly restaurant. They aren't limited just to the UK. You can search for family friendly holidays all over the world. Holidays are a great way to create memories, just make sure that they are good ones. Get back to enjoying your vacation by doing a little planning before hand. Posted by Rachel Lister I have a VERY active toddler. He is constantly running and jumping. If I don't provide him with something interesting to do, he is sure to go exploring on his own and find something to do. More often than not, he ends up getting into something he shouldn't be. When I give him a little guidance and provide him with fun activities and projects, he is much more manageable and better behaved. Great Summer Activities for Toddlers Edible Play Dough for Toddlers Posted by Rachel Lister Play is such a huge part of a young child's life. Toddlers learn primarily through play so a trip to the toy store is much more than simply fun and games. Educational Toys can help toddlers develop social skills, learn how the world around them works, and build a foundation for formal education later on. When my son was first born I was reluctant to expose him to any television at all. As he got older, and had a greater need to be entertained, I gave in and let him watch some of the Baby Einstein videos. Even though he was watching T.V., I was at least confident that he was getting some stimulation at the same time. Every time I go to the store I see more and more electronics marketed to toddlers. Toddler Toys do not have to talk or have a lot of moving parts. In general, the simplest toys are often the best because they encourage toddlers to use their imagination. I stay away from most toys that do all the work for my toddler. Some toys don't require toddlers to do anything more than sit and watch. I'm a big fan of nearly any kind of blocks, and pretend play items such as, dolls, toy food, trains, cars, little people, and play housekeeping items. Toddlers don't often make a distinction between boy toys and girl toys. My sons enjoy playing with their toy kitchen just as much as any of their female friends. Quality play time allows toddlers to interact with their toys and imitate the behaviors that they see everyday. Posted by Rachel Lister As if parents don't have enough to worry about with all the reccent toy recalls, now vinyl bibs and diaper bags have been shown to be another potential source of high lead levels. The studies have shown that most bibs do not pose a risk to infants unless the vinyl is broken and in poor condition. The experts have a way of changing their minds about things though. Until it has been determined how big of a risk vinyl can pose to infants, it may be best to stick with some basic cloth bibs. Posted by Rachel Lister I have been lucky enough to have generally happy babies. Two out of the three were very mellow and easy to comfort. My second son, however, was a completely different story. He cried during his every waking moment and it seemed that I could do nothing to comfort him. I was willing to try whatever colic remedy I could find, but there really didn't seem to be many products available. Many mother swear by gripe water for colic. It is a more natural way to treat infant gas pain, which will hopefully stop the crying. Read More Posted by Rachel Lister A fellow Suite101 readers needs our help. This quick 3 minute survey is for a marketing class and needs a response within the next few days. Take the opportunities to share your feedback as a parent on this infant product. Posted by Rachel Lister Breastfeeding babies don't have to miss out on any fun at the dinner table. Breastmilk popsicles, or momsicles as they are often called, can help your baby to feel included at meal time and can do wonders for soothing a teething baby's sore gums. The first few experiences with a momsicle may be interesting. My baby didn't quite know what to do with it but he was very excited about it once he figured things out. Learn How to Make Your Own Momsicle Posted by Rachel Lister "Birth is a miracle, a rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business. Compelled to explore the subject after the delivery of her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to question the way American women have babies. The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal. Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?" Mom Review: The Business of Being Born The Business of Being Born is a documentary on the business of childbirth. It is an eye-opening experience that encourages women to educate themselves on the birth process and have the confidence to make the decisions that are right for them. I would encourage every woman, whether they have a desire for natural childbirth or not, to see this film. Posted by Rachel Lister When my oldest son was born I had never heard of co-sleeping and I just assumed that he would sleep in a crib. When I brought him home from the hospital, I found out that my baby had other plans. No matter what I did, he would not sleep in his crib for more than 30 minutes. Waking up every half an hour to tend to a crying baby does not make for a very good nights sleep. As time went on, I began to bring my baby into my bed to breastfeed. Sometimes I would fall asleep while my baby was nursing. When I woke up, my baby would be sleeping peacefully on my arm and more often then not, I opted to leave him in the bed. I found that my baby slept much more soundly and longer than he did when he slept in his crib. By sleeping with my baby on my arm, I was tuned in to his every movement and was fully aware of where he was at all times. By the time my third baby arrived, I viewed co-sleeping as a first choice rather than a last ditch effort to get some sleep. My baby slept through the night after two months and we were both happy and well rested. Read More: Posted by Rachel Lister When my first son was born he developed a tear duct infection. As a first time mom I went running into the pediatrician's office everytime I even suspected something was wrong. My son's infection was not bad enough to need antibiotics, but my pediatrician did recommend that I squirt a small amount of breastmilk into each of my baby's eyes to help get rid of the infection. He explained to me that breastmilk has amazing antibacterial properties. Just as breastmilk helps boost your infant's immune system by giving him essential antibodies, it can also help fight off external infections such as eye infections, skin infections, and rashes. That experience led me to research just a few of the many uses of breastmilk. The more I learn, the more I am amazed at all the wonderful things that it can do. Donated breastmilk can save the lives of preemies, many of which struggle on synthetic formula. Read More: Posted by Rachel Lister It seems like every time you turn around more toy recalls are being announced. It is a good idea to periodically check the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's website for product that may be in your home. They list all of the nationwide recalls and allow you to search the recals by company name, product category, and type of hazard. Some of the recent recalls include: Posted by Rachel Lister We have had months and months of snow where we live and my toddler is fed up with the snow. If I'm being honest, I'm fed up with the snow too. We are all ready to start walking outside, going to the parks, and enjoying the sunshine again. Unfortunately, we may still be in for at least a few more weeks of winter. What can you do to entertain a toddler who is feeling house bound? Babies are easier to keep entertained when you can not go outside. Simple interactive games keep your infant occupied when you can not get out of the house. Toddlers are a bit more difficult to keep occupied when you are stuck in the house but it can be done. Pretend play activities can keep your toddler busy for hours and are a lot of fun for you to do together. Simple activities such as water play, play dough, and art activities will keep your toddler active help you both to keep your sanity until the weather outside warms up. Posted by Rachel Lister When my 2 year old woke up in the middle of the night screaming and pulling on his ear I knew we were in for a rough couple of days. He had been sleeping through the night for nearly a year so waking up in the middle of the night was very unusual for him. After trying to comfort him while he screamed for several hours he was finally able to fall asleep and I scheduled an appointment for him as soon as I woke up in the morning. I wasn't surprised when his pediatrician confirmed that he had a bad ear infection. Antibiotics can take several days to take effect so your toddler may need some additional pain relief until it kicks in. Motrin can help relieve some swelling and ease the pain of an ear infection. Be sure and check with your pediatrician to make sure that you give your toddler the correct dose. You can heat a wet towel until it is just slightly warm and put it on your toddlers ear to ease seom of the pain. Some parents swear that the sound of the vacuum can comfort toddlers when they are suffering through a painful ear infection. Give yourself permission to ignore the non-essential things in your life for a few days while you care for your toddler. Take a nap with your toddler if he will sleep to make sure that you have the energy that you will need if your toddler has trouble sleeping at night. Read More About Infant Ear Infections Posted by Rachel Lister I'm sure most mothers would agree that one day a year to celebrate mothers is not nearly enough. It's only 9:00 in the morning and I've already changed 3 diapers. As rewarding it is to be a mother and watch my children learn and grow, I will be the first one to admit that is is a tiring job, but there is no other job in the world that I would rather have. I always look forward to mother's day because even though I have to act surprised each time, I know that I'm going to get a yummy breakfast in bed and not have to wake up first thing in the morning with the kids. Mothers Day Central celebrates mothers 365 days a year. I wonder if I can convince my family to do the same thing. I get paid in smiles and hugs, which is really better than any amount of money. It is nice to be celebrated once during the year but there are always are many seemingly small rewards along the way. Posted by Rachel Lister I have to admit that my first two children have often been given cold medicine when they have been sick. I never really thought twice about it. Recently there have been studies that show cold medicine can be dangerous for children under the age of 6. Most of it stems from the fact that it is extremely hard to give accurate doses to small toddlers and there have been several cases where toddlers have died from an accidental overdose. The companies that produce many of the popular children's cough medicines recommend that you only use the dosing device that comes with the medicine in order to make sure that you give your toddler the correct amount but for children under 2 most medicines state that you need to contact your pediatrician for the correct dose. I had heard that regular honey can be used as effectively as most over the counter cough medicine for children under 6. Honey is supposed to sooth a toddler's throat and settle down a bad cough. Since we are right in the middle of the wonderful cold and flu season now I didn't have to wait long before I got a chance to try out honey as a treatment for my toddler's cold. My toddler was much happier about swallowing a spoonful of honey than yucky tasting medicine. I gave my toddler honey right before bed and it did seem to decrease the number of coughing spells he had throughout the night. Some studies are saying now that cough medicine does not actually do anything for toddlers. My experience was that the honey did almost as much as the cough medicine did and was much more pleasant to give to my toddler. Read More Posted by Rachel Lister As I neared my due date with my third child I knew that I wanted to find a baby carrier that would be easy on my back and allow me to care for my two other children and still manage to keep the house presentable. I had tried several other baby carriers over the years and had not found one that was both comfortable for my baby and comfortable for me to wear. I asked several friends for recommendations and nearly all of them recommended buying a Hotsling. I reviewed the Hotsling infant carrier and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use and the natural position it allowed my baby to lay in while being carried. For newborns the Hotsling makes a perfect infant carrier. Toddlers will enjoy using the Hotsling as a simple hip holder. For more active use, I found that I preferred the Baby Bjorn for the extra back support and how securely it held my baby. This is helpful for walking or wearing your infant while cleaning the house. |
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