babybugs1980

My 2 and a half year old son (yikes, almost 3 in a few months!) has decided that he is going to call me Mom instead of Mommy. He's also started it with Daddy as well. Both my husband and I feel that he is way too young to be calling us just Mom and Dad yet (plus we aren't ready for him to act quite that grown up!!). It's hard though because of his cousins he sees regularly and that talk (ie are all older than him or aren't developmentally delayed) are saying Mom and Dad and most of the children's programming he watches they refer to parents as Mom and Dad. We're being a bit forceful with him, not responding to Mom or Dad and reminding him that our names are Mommy and Daddy. Just curious, is this just a passing phase to tough out and in a short while I will hear him calling me Mommy again or should I just let it go and chalk it up to him growing up way faster than I want him too? How old were your babies when they stopped or are they still saying Mommy and Daddy?

I have an entire pack of size 6 diapers (44 of them) plus a few in the diaper bags that I no longer need. None of my friends around me have children who can or might be able to use them (my son is the youngest). I could put them up on Free cycle but it's not very big in this area and the local shelters and charity places won't take them because the bag has been opened (retarded policy).

Was wondering if maybe there was another use for them that I haven't thought of. Any suggestions of what to do with 50 some odd size 6 diapers?

Just wondering if there was a better pooper scooper method. I have the little bags that work great when the poop is frozen/solid but I still manage to drag the handles in dog poop once in a while which is annoying. I've used those spring loaded plastic pooper scoopers but I have no outside hose to clean it off with and with my yard so uneven, sometimes it won't get the smaller pieces.

So has anyone out there come up with the perfect pooper scooper method yet?

We are being over run with toys and running out of spots to keep them so they can be put away in the evenings. Regular toy boxes all seem to small and leave no options for the larger push/ride on toys. What has worked for you? Pantry? A second entertainment unit? Storage ottomans? I'm trying to stay away from giant plastic totes since this is going in my living room so I want something kind of nice but not extremely pricey. Ideas please!

My almost one year old son has gotten very, very good at climbing up on the couch and chairs. I however am a nervous wreck that he might fall off (and he has a couple times). At what point after your toddlers learned to go up, did they learn to get down on their own?

And yes, I do try to "show" him/help him to get down on his own most of the time to help him learn. I'm just curious about the length of time it takes most babies to learn this skill.

Where do the wires go on the solenoid? We have the large black wire and the red wire, both coming from somewhere (battery) in the car that need to be reattached to the solenoid. Forgot to label them when they came off. Anyone know how they go back on? Red on top, black on bottom? Reverse? Both to one post?

yes we have a Hayne's manual - can't get the Chilton ones around here :( but it's description doesn't help.

TIA!!

I returned to work 2 weeks ago, Daddy is staying home for a couple months. He is great with our boy and I am not worried for his immediate safety and I know he is eating and clean and looked after. However we are currently having 3 main issues:

SHOES - Daddy keeps him in shoes all day long, and not the soft soled ones I spent a fortune on but the hard soled Doc Martin look alikes because he likes the way they look.

BOTTLES - wants to wash them in the dishwasher. Most of mine are BPA free but I have a few older/cute ones that probably aren't. So far I have kept him from this by doing the bottles myself.

Nap time with the bottle in the crib, falls asleep with it. Daddy doesn't take it away.

I have talked to him, told him the risks, shown him the relevant websites, begged him, bugged him, nagged him.

Does anyone have any tips on how they got their hubbies to see the importance behind these issues? I'd hate to have to do a huge all out fight with tears and screaming just yet!!

Today I learned that when playing peek a boo (my 8 month old's favorite game in the whole world right now), if I said a random word instead of boo after about 10 times he would be laughing so hard he was crying and I had to stop in order to let him catch his breath! We've also learned that he thinks that staple guns are hilarious when Mommy is using them and anything that Mommy puts on her head, whether an actual hat or not is enough to make him fall on the floor laughing.

So I was wondering what things make your little ones laugh so hard their belly's hurt? I'm curious because I want to see what else I can do that will get my guy to scream with delight.

I know we all love to brag so I thought I would ask, what has your baby achieved in the last week or so?

My guy will be 8 months old on Wednesday and in the last week or so he has

learned how to wave hi and bye

has begun the dabodobee consonant sounds instead of the multi pitched ahs

restarted with the happy screeches after spending the day with his 1yr old cousin who does them constantly

has learned to land butt first instead of head first when he topples over while standing.

learned how to turn the musical turtle toy on

plays peek a boo by ducking behind the top edge of his playard and then popping his head back up.

has fallen in love with the remote control

now for everyone in the Eastern time zone - GO TO BED it's 11pm, your baby will be awake in a few short hours - sleep. YA will be here tomorrow!! LOL

My son has just blown my mind. He is in his playpen, hanging onto the edge and walking back and forth, hand over hand. When he is crawling on the floor, anything high enough to grab onto and he's trying to pull himself up. Help, I am not ready for him to be walking yet! He's too little, he's 7 months, heck I wasn't ready for him to crawl!!

Do you ever feel like your little one is just growing too fast? And for Mom's of older babes, how long between the walking using something to support him to letting go and taking off on his own? Would it be worth it to get him a walker toy (I've noticed most say 12m+) or should I just let him be? Where can I get him a helmet and body pads? (Just kidding on that one, sort of)

I've found part of having a baby that is growing and learning and curious is having fun with new stuff! Today's new adventure is with food, we are trying kohlrabi. It's currently cooking on the stove and smells like cabbage (which it should because it's part of the cabbage family). I love trying new foods with my boy, the faces he makes are priceless!

We also try to go somewhere new at least once a week, whether it's a new store, a friends place, walk through the neighbourhood, etc...

New toys, I try to pull out a few "new" things from the toy box every week and put away some of the things he doesn't have an interest in.

What kind of new adventures do you enjoy having with your little ones? What are you doing today to stimulate your little ones love of learning?

I swear sometimes I live in this strange cross between Roseanne and Marge Simpson LOL. (please don't let my boy be like either Bart or DJ!!!)

Just curious, if you had to compare your mothering style to a TV Mom, who would it be?

Is pretty much how my 7 month old woke me up this morning. The surprise was he could pull himself to a standing position in his crib all by himself. Of course this also meant he was able to grab his lamp and try it pull it in there with him to chew on! (Thankfully he only managed to pull it off his dresser which is what woke me up). So tonight his crib mattress gets lowered!

When did you lower the crib mattress to the bottom position?

What's the newest thing your baby amazed you with, something that you didn't think they were quite capable of doing yet?

Well I finally broke down and got out the playpen since my boy can crawl across the living room almost faster than I can run!! (I knew we picked the nickname Chase for a reason LOL). My son is fine in there for short bits but why do I feel so guilty? I know I have to put him in there or in one of his other toys to keep him confined when I leave the room but I still feel bad about "locking him up". Do other Mommies feel the same way or is the play pen a life saver for you?

Note - he is currently in there and does not want to come out. Why do I feel bad about him being there when he is obviously happy?

My almost 7 month old just adores rap. I mean he can be in the middle of throwing the biggest fit and throw on some 50 cent or Eminem (sp?) and he transforms into this happy ball of energy that just wants to bounce.

I HATE rap. It's Daddy's fault that he has ever heard this music. I am currently sitting here wondering if I own earplugs as I have the music playing since it does make my son happy. I think what bother's me the most about rap is the lyrics. Anyone know where I can get some intrumental rap? Or recommend some baby friendly rap?

I've been slowly baby proofing the living room area since he started getting on his hands and knees and rocking. Today was the first day he started actually being able to pull himself forward instead of pushing himself backwards (I am so proud of him!!). Was just wondering for those who have done the baby proofing was there something you forgot to do or did do and it wasn't necessary?

so far all drawers and shelves in his reach are empty/toy filled. The coffee table is being replaced with a safer one

access to vertical blinds has been eliminated

cords off the floor, tucked away

Of course once he starts walking/pulling himself up we have more to do but am I missing something? He can't get under any of the furniture (except coffee table), I have gates for the stairs... hmmmm gonna be a busy weekend spent on my hands and knees and not for the reasons I'd rather be on my hands and knees! (get your minds out of the gutter!!)

My MIL is upset that my hubby and I didn't have a family party to celebrate the fact that today is my son's "6 month birthday". I'd never heard of this and think it's a bit silly. Did any of you celebrate it with your children?

I fear that my washer has developed a very healthy appetite for my 6 month old son's socks. Is there an easy way to get the agitator out to rescue them? I remember my Dad taking the washer and dryer apart periodically to rescue lost items but the washer my Mom had was drastically different than the one I have.

TIA!

that turned out to be absolutely nothing to worry about? We just saw a cardiologist today because my pediatrician said she heard a very loud and disturbing heart murmur at my son's last check up. The specialist said there is nothing wrong with my boy (thank heavens!). How many have had to go through the worrying and fear about a possible medical issue and then had their pediatrician be wrong?

Please note, I am not mad at my pediatrician, I'm grateful she took prompt action based on her observations, I'm just more grateful she was wrong this time. I'd rather have a paranoid doctor than one that didn't investigate and be proactive.

At my son's check up the Doctor heard a heart murmur so we're going for an ultrasound next week. I know most of the time heart murmurs are benign, especially since he is growing and acting completely normal and hasn't been the least bit sickly. However as a Mom I am understandably a little worried!

How many here have babies with a heart murmur and it's nothing to worry about?

They told me to give him a full dose of Tylenol before taking him for his test so he is sleepy for it. I know my son, that is not going to work because as soon as he is in a new place he is wide awake to check it all out. How do I get him to stay calm/not move too much? What did you do if your child has been through this?

Thanks!