March 2007

Alec occasionally laments that we were not more laid-back with Holden as a newborn. Lucky for him, we have the chance to try a second time at being cool and groovy with baby Milo. By virtue of this little guy being the second-born, he will undoubtedly get less obsessive attention, but is that really the same thing as learning to chill out and let some things go?

Spend one hour with me trying to manically juggle the happiness of my sons and my husband and you will not accuse me of being too laissez-faire. But I do like the intention of this article on ModernMom.com: How to be a relaxed parent. Since I’m only two weeks into this whole mom-of-two thing, I do believe there’s hope for me yet.

Whitney can use all parts of an old ratty tee-shirt to create adorable baby clothes, which is pretty good Berkeley karma.

Well, I’m gonna talk to you about granola in case there’s any lingering doubt about where we live (maybe next week we’ll talk about extended breastfeeding and/or tie dye).

The day that I was asked to review the new Nature Valley Cereal, I was nearly nine months pregnant and had (literally) just broken apart four Nature Valley granola bars and poured milk over the crumbles in lieu of cereal. It felt like fate.

The cereal includes teeny weeny granola hexagons intermingled with flakes and oaty bits. I think it tastes pretty good; my husband (whose more of a granola connoisseur) said it tasted great.

If you’re a fan of granola and flaky cereals, it’s totally worth a try!

Although I promised myself I would buy nothing for my baby girl fetus until April, I saw a Daily Candy offer for a brand called Kule and decided I couldn’t resist. This simple red cotton tank top will be perfect for my July 4 (approximately) baby. I clicked through, eager to open my wallet. When I saw the price, however, I threw up on myself and closed the browser.

Buy your own red tank top for just $68 at http://www.kuleshop.com/products/product.aspx?id=96311&gender=28

My beloved pal, Whitney, sent me this awesome suggestion for tinting my nipples now that they are “part of the public eye” and all I can say is, “Yikes!”

According to the article, Benefit Cosmetics sells Benetint as a nipple tint (inspired by rouge and lip stains).

“Women want nipples to be pert and fresh-looking, and this shade makes them appear that way,” Benefit spokeswoman Alison Haljun says. “For a long time, the idea of a ripe, rosy nipple has been considered appealing and alluring.”

So, I have to wonder if cracked and sore holds any allure?

Yes, I was already in my final week of pregnancy when this book landed in my lap, but I truly wish I had it all along. And I’m so glad it will live a useful second life with Whitney.

During my first pregnancy, I was very happy with the level of depth and detail in Your Pregnancy Week by Week, and though I still have that book on hand, I never felt the need to pick it up this go round. Why not? Well, because I got the regular Babycenter.com emails and I was generally too busy to bother with anything other than complaining, resting, and tending to Holden.

Enter The Pregnancy Countdown Book: Nine Months of Practical Tips, Useful Advice, and Uncensored Truths. It differentiates itself by being small and bite-sized and totally honest… sorta like our site tries to be. I was very happy to read some true-life bits of wisdom heading into labor and delivery and pleased that the countdown continued past the due date (because it Sucks Big Time when you keep waiting but your Countdown Book has finished).

I learned, for example, why trying every trick in the book to self-induce labor is a stupid idea. In brief, if your cervix ain’t ready, painful contractions are not very productive.

I highly recommend this book for a pregnant friend for her first time or if she’s already chasing older children. Or for your pregnant self.

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WIN THIS BOOK! Send an email with your due date in the subject line to moms @ rookiemoms.com by midnight on Friday March, 30. One person will be randomly selected to receive a free copy of the book.

My Kindergarten teacher emailed me and asked me to spread the word about this event. If there’s anything I can do to help decrease domestic violence and increase awareness of the danger of guns, count me in.

The Alameda County Domestic Violence Collaborative (ACDVC) is pleased to announce its first training seminar of the year. This year’s first topic:

GUNS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
[click to continue...]

One of my character flaws is too often assuming that I’m smarter than other people. Sometimes I’m like an arrogant 12-year old who thinks my mother’s advice is the stupidest thing on the planet. I was just that cocky when I began reading Good Kids, Bad Habits by Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD.

This book, written in partnership with the Real Age® folks (who make the online quiz that lets you find out how old your body is based on how you treat it), reminds us that there’s no time like the present to instill good, healthy habits in our children. Of course, I already knew this.

The book begins with a quiz and then offers follow up chapters for each of the topic areas. Icons help the reader focus on the areas that are relevant to the age of their child, such a rattle for 0-2 and a backpack for 10 and up.

The nutrition chapter felt pretty basic to me, which is what contributed to my snobby attitude. I live in Berkeley, where the organic food culture is so strong that you could receive a public nuisance citation if spotted eating a bag of Doritos on the sidewalk. And my son practically eats nothing but superfoods, stuffing his face with blueberries, avocadoes, and sweet potatoes everyday.

Plus, we always wear seatbelts, don’t smoke, take him to parks every day, and didn’t let him watch TV until he was two. Why, I don’t need this book. I should score a perfect 10 on the quiz that kicks off Good Kids, Bad Habits.

Whoops, let me check the math again. This can’t be! I only got a 6?!

The valuable lesson here is that healthy habits span a number of categories, and there are so many ways to model them for your children that we all have room to improve. Even though my household does pretty darn good on the food front (Eat Up: Creating Healthy Food Habits That Will Last a Lifetime), other areas in which I found some useful tips:

• Activity Level: Getting Kids to Play More than Video Games
• Hygiene: Convincing Kids that Being Clean – Teeth to Toes – Is Worth the Effort
• Mental: Teaching Kids Good Homework Habits (ok, this one’s a little premature for my family)
• Emotional: Routines that Build Up Your Child’s Self Esteem
• Safety: Habits that Keep Kids from Getting Hurt
• Physical: Staying on Top of Your Child’s Health

The pressure is on, people. Dr. Trachtenberg says “The healthy habits that are established now in many ways can predict your child’s health and life expectancy.” I know she’s right, and I do like the emphasis on habits rather than actual health because it gives us a chance to establish new ones. I walked away with my own list of easy actions I can take to improve my behavior:

• Wash hands upon arrival home, not just before eating and after bathroom use
• Make sure to show my son that I enjoy running around, playing active games (Ugh, do I really have to? I’m five months pregnant!) I think this one will be even more important when my daughter-to-be is a toddler.
• Incorporate my son into food preparation more – especially after he reaches three years old.
• Facilitate more dinners with all three of us eating at once.

Although none of these are earth-shattering revelations, the point is that creating good habits helps us avoid taking shortcuts that seem easier at the time. Modeling healthy behaviors for our children makes it easier for them to choose the healthier path; rather than viewing these behaviors as chores, they simply become routines.

And, like Dr. Trachtenberg, I plea to all you parents, do not encourage the Clean Plate Club. This is not a healthy approach to eating! Kids under four know to stop eating when they are full. We don’t need to train them to overeat. I thank my mother for never asking me to eat more than I wanted. (Apparently she did know what she was doing.)

This book is not a sit-down-and-read-it-all-at-once, but rather a reference to check in with from time to time. Put it on your shelf next to Gardening for Dummies and pull it out a few times a year to remind yourself how big your job as a parent really is.

> Take the Real Age Healthy Kids test online.
> Buy Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children on Amazon.com.

If you’re totally new to this parenting thing, then you might not yet be aware that there actually are some techniques that can reduce crying in your newborn and help you all sleep a little more. Jami at Burrito Baby, Inc, has pulled together the best of the best resources for reducing colic and improving sleep. She is selling them in bundles, so that you can get everything you need at once.

But the great part about Jami’s idea is her Burrito Baby parties. Sounds sort of like a scrapbooking or Pampered Chef party, but I am pretty sure the information imparted at these “sleep clinics” is way more valuable. If you don’t already know about swaddling and shushing, you must learn now! If you are still pregnant, note that this is not usually a standard part of prenatal baby care classes. Take a few minutes to learn more.

It’s not totally clear from the web site if you are at an online store, an information resource, or a parenting community. If you have any questions, Jami would like to answer them personally. She says, “My goal is for moms to understand that this is a site where they can ask me any sleep question they like and I will answer. They can receive guidance they probably aren’t receiving anywhere else and purchase tried and true sleep aids to help them establish healthy sleep habits in their infants.”

You will certainly find other swaddling blankets, and can even make one yourself if you have the time, for less money, but for those who are feeling desparate (and who isn’t when they wake up three or four times every night?), consider a bundle of solutions from Baby Burrito. Also a great new parent gift.

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This is a paid review of Baby Burrito, Inc. RookieMoms will occasionally post such reviews if we believe they are helpful to our readers, and we will always be honest. That’s what a review is, after all.