RookieMoms Blog

In order to carry less luggage, we have rented a carseat on the other end of our trip a couple of times. We have not had an issue… yet. After reading the scary story that Debbie just published on Delicious Baby, I think I will never rely on a rental carseat again. READ THIS!

Yeah yeah, everyone thought we already did it. Holden told his preschool teacher in March that the Paci Fairy came and took his pacifier away and gave him a toy. Whitney thought we took it away months ago too and was amazed that Holden still naps so well.

Not exactly.

Earlier this week, we took Holden to his first dental appointment and the dentist told us to get rid of the paci. Holden promised he would but then — as evening drew near — he panicked. I said, “ok, one more night and we’ll say goodbye to it in the morning.”

When morning came, I brought in a small box that said “GOOD BYE PACI” and put the paci in. He thought I was pretty funny. Since nighttime was a full day away, he didn’t care at all. When dinner time came, I put the box in the middle of the table and we SANG TO IT: “Happy goodbye to you. Happy goodbye to you. Happy goodbye dear Paci. Happy goodbye to you.” And we celebrated with a tablespoon of ice cream.

…stay tuned for the rest of my story.

Thankfully I have bypassed the phase of new motherhood where all I can think about are my nipples. I mean, seriously people, what’s up with the “it doesn’t hurt if you are doing it right” myth about nursing?! It’s crap. It hurts. It does! For my first kid, it was excruciating for about 5 weeks. I know that was on the extreme side, but I had a really bad time with it. Like a trooper, or perhaps a fearful Berkeley mother who didn’t believe that bottle feeding was an option, I marched onward and breastfed my son for 15 months. With Baby Sis, I was prepared for the pain. It lasted a few days and it did not crush my spirit, for I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A light whereby my baby’s food supply is always ready, heated, and sanitary. And I like that. So onward I went and have logged almost 11 months of using my nipples as milk dispensers. If you told me about this 10 years ago, I would not have believed any of it, by the way.

So before #2 arrived, I bought myself every cream and soothing device available to (wo)man so that I would be prepared for the painful break-in period. Including Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, which today, I am told by Amazon.com, has been recalled. “The product contains potentially harmful ingredients that may cause respiratory distress or vomiting and diarrhea in infants.” You must be kidding.

Anyone else wanting their money back??

That’s what I think it every time I change a poopy diaper. My friend Laurie told me that while I was changing a diaper at her house and it’s revolutionized my thinking (if not my actual habits).

I think we’ve tried nearly every kind of disposable diaper disposal system and I hate them all. My preferred method is now to wrap the offending Huggie in a plastic bag then whisk the fecal diaper right outside and into the big bin to wait for it’s Thursday pick-up.

But you need to have buy in from other adults in the household for that method to work. Otherwise, you just have poopy diapers laying around — not going into the champ — waiting for their bag or their escort to the street.

Can anyone please help me?!
What works best for those offensive toddler diapers?

Our current disposal model goes like this:

• Pee diapers go right into the diaper champ.
• Poopy diapers go right outside or wait around festering.

In the boys’ bedroom, we have a diaper champ. It stinks for toddler diapers. Even with a trucker air freshener. It worked just great for those sweet(er)-smelling newborn diapers.

At my mom’s house, there’s a diaper genie. Too confusing. And those plastic sausages strike me as super un-environmentally-friendly. I already have disposable diaper guilt.

In the bathroom, we have a flip top garbage pail. It stinks like a revolving door onto a sewage processing plant.

Also in the bathroom, we have a small garbage can that we use for other bathroom garbage, but I find that if I just keep diapers in there until they bug me, it’s a pretty workable system.

Related links:
> Cloth vs. Disposable, the great debate with information on both sides of the aisle. Maybe we should all meet in the middle on g-diapers?
> Baby Cheapskate; let Angie do all the legwork for you to track down the best deals on Diapers (and other stuff!)
> Promo Code for Diapers.com: save $10 off your first order of $49 when you enter code DAISY. Free shipping over $49 is extremely fast (like next day fast).

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The good folks at diapers.com offered me a $75 gift certificate to try their service upon reading about my diaper woes. I bought some Huggies at an excellent deal and 4 tubes of Desitin for an okay price. Free and fast shipping really blew my mind. The diapers came the next day! Amazing!! Now if they could only find a way to stop the stink!!

I feel icky saying it out loud, but one visit to my house will confirm this embarrassing fact before you even ring my doorbell. Yes, we have six strollers. So, I figure the least I can do to cleanse my karma is to review them for you and save you from following down my path:

1. The bare bones snap-n-go — Whitney loaned me her Graco model and it was stolen from my front yard! So, I still consider this one a loaner and when her baby is born she gets it back. We replaced the stolen wheels with the Kolcraft Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier and it’s just great. Lightweight, collapsible, and a smooth ride to boot. My only minor complaint is that the Graco carseat does not snap into place, you have to remember to strap it down. [Our cost = ~$60]
2. The jogger — My husband actually runs Holden around in this stroller and I consider it a lifesaver. We got the BOB Sport Utility Stroller as a Christmas present the year Holden was born and it has been well worth the $0 we paid. [Our cost = $0]
3. Holden’s regular ride — we first got the Sydney Chicco C5 Lightweight Stroller when Holden was ready to graduate to an umbrella stroller because it was reasonably priced and had a sunshade. It hasn’t held up very well in my opinion but it’s not terrible either. [Our cost = ~$60]
4. The double — we borrowed the Chicco Citta Twin Stroller from Whitney one day when we had the option of a nanny-share. That was a year ago. By the time we “return” it, she will get any double stroller of her choosing (within reason) because it has not held up well. And we only use it four days a week for rides to and from the park… it’s not even getting tossed into a trunk or crammed through doorways. [Our cost (when we replace it) = ~$130]
5. The convertible double — what do you buy when your boys are 21 months apart? Why, a stroller that allows a carseat, a couple regular seats, a seated bench for the toddler, and a ridealong board… All this and a “parent tray” are promised with the Baby Trend Deluxe Sit N Stand. We were truly blessed to get this as a gift from our parents. And also lucky that (since they live far away) they don’t see the state of our porch on a regular basis. [Our cost = $0]
6. The double jogger– I found this Twinner Double Jogger for $100 on the Berkeley Parents Network and jumped on it immediately. If Alec can run one kid around while I sleep in, I can’t wait for the day he takes both of them out. I have to wait another five months for that day, but at least we have the wheels for it. We also think this will be a nice smooth around-town ride for the boys. [Our cost = ~$100]

All that being said, I have major double stroller lust for both the Phil & Teds E3 Buggy (with toddler converter kit) and/or the Valco with toddler seat and rider board. And single stroller envy for Whitney’s simple but sturdy Maclaren Quest. Oy vey.

Obviously we can’t justify any new stroller purchases at this point, but I’m still accepting donations ;-).

ps my newborn is strapped to me in his Baby Bjorn right now for good measure… so don’t get me started on his other conveyance devices right now!