Recommendations, Teethers

Chew Beads!

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I recently had a birthday, and one of my favorite gifts came from my 5 month old baby. He had enough sense to pick something out for me that he could use too!

They are called ChewBeads, and they are a genius invention. My baby is grabbing everything he can find and stuffing it into his mouth as fast as possible. So this has meant wearing no jewelry in recent months.

Enter ChewBeads!

From the website:
* Beads are made with 100% silicone (similar to pacifiers & nipples)
* Soft on babies gums and emerging teeth
* Easily cleaned with dish soap & water, also dishwasher safe!
* No BPA, PVC, Phthalates, Cadmium, or Lead
* Necklaces have a breakaway clasp for added safety
* Necklaces are a great sensory tool to help your baby focus while nursing
* Bracelets are a colorful reminder of which side you’ve just nursed

A great gift idea for any baby mamas in your life!

Prevention

Green Christmas Tree

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Last year we chopped down our own organic Christmas tree.

The plan was to do it again this year, but then we actually thought about it. Realizing we have a very active five month old in tow, we decided to do the next best thing.

Buy a tree from Whole Foods, of course.

Is there anyone on the planet who does not know how much I love that store? They purchase the trees from Bottomley Evergreens & Farms– a family owned and operated farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For every tree that is cut down, two more trees are planted the following year. What’s not to love?

First we picked out a tree:

 

Then the terrific tree handler helped us prepare it for our journey home:

 

He tied it down tight:

 

And we’re off!

 

It was such a fun walk home, and melted my heart watching a three year old boy so proudly pulling his Christmas tree on his little red wagon. I wouldn’t trade that memory for chopping down our own tree any day.

 

How’s that for green?

Travel

Time To Travel with Two!

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Up to this point, we have had huge success traveling and flying with our 3 year old. I lost track of the number of planes he has been on, but I know it’s over thirty. The time has come to see what kind of traveler his 4 month old brother is, and how his parents handle flying with two kids.
I recently read a really good tip about traveling by Marcy from (Don’t Be) Too Timid and Squeamish–
“Adults, you may not want to hear this, but you need to police yourself. Don’t complain about a delay, a gruff waiter, or a cup of coffee that’s not perfect. If kids hear you complaining, before you know it everyone will be feeling negative. Keep the mood positive by keeping the complaints to yourself.”
This made me realize I spend so much time worrying about the kids that I give little thought to the person whose actions I actually have control over- mine.
So this weekend I will be practicing lots of patience and taking many deep breaths. And I’ll probably have a couple of surprises up my sleeve.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Prevention

Ask Holly: How much is too much coconut water?

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Hi Holly,

I am giving my son coconut water to drink every day as he seems to prefer it to water. (We live in Thailand so it’s available at every corner and fresh) He drinks app. the content of 1 coconut per day. I worry that he is getting too much sugar from it and if that much sweet liquid is not good for his teeth. Thank you for your answer!
p.s. besides that he still drinks milk formula

Katarina O.

Hi Katarina!

Thanks for your question- this is a good one. Technically coconut water is juice and pediatricians recommend no more than 4-6 ounces of juice a day for one year olds.

A young coconut can contain anywhere from 10 to 33 ounces of water. So try to limit your child’s intake of coconut water to 6 ounces and keep offering him plain water.

Another option is to dilute it with regular water- that way he still gets the flavor of the coconut but is consuming less sugar.
That’s great that he’s enjoying such a healthy beverage! Keep up the good work mama!