Josiejo's Profile

The fuchsia and chartreuse against the neutral background are so lovely. And I have been looking for a tree decal exactly like that for ages. Can you please post the source?

My daughter (now 4) tried the smaller travel/toddler pillows beginning around age 2 and we could never find one that felt just right. We bought IKEA's "pillow pocket" (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80131375), which is basically a fluffy pillow cover about the thickness of a light comforter with a zipper on the side, and that has worked great. It was nice and flat to get her used to using a pillow and allowed a way for me to add my own stuffing once she was ready for a taller pillow. She's just about done with it and now wants a "real" pillow.

So cool! And if there are concerns about wasting water, this could easily be put on top of the lawn so the run-off would benefit the grass. Kids might not be able to use the bikes that way, but it would still be loads of fun.

I had considered getting the Antilop changing table for a very small shared girls (ages 1 and 3) bedroom, but in the store it seemed gigantic, and frankly, a little bit unattractive.

Instead, I am considering using the IKEA "Norbo" drop-leaf, wall-mounted dining table (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30062572) with a changing cushion attached with velcro. When I am done using it for diaper changes, I will lower it and so the girls can use it for an activity table in their room.

As for safety, anything that is wall-mounted is only as safe as the wall it is screwed into. As long as it is securely mounted to wooden studs and not used improperly, it should be fine, in my opinion.

Great advice about not cooking with your kids every night. What a beautiful and useful blog! Hurray for my fellow Berkeley mom. I'm now a subscriber.

I love the aesthetic of this home. Very calming indeed. But it seems counter-intuitive that it would be easier to find things in an all-white home. If anything, finding something white among lots of other white things seems difficult.

I couldn't agree more, abbygraykit! All of this toy-oriented PC-ness is pretty funny. Loosen up, people. A well-timed episode of Word World is a life saver and allows my curious, active, book-crazy preschooler some much-needed downtime every day. And come on, can't a baby fall in love with a Fisher Price music table as well as the pots and pans in the kitchen?

The inseparable sheet idea is terrific! For middle-of-the-night crib sheet changes, I find that placing alternating layers of sheets and waterproof pads on the mattress is handy. (Mattress, waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet, etc.) If the baby gets sick, just remove the top sheet and waterproof pad to reveal the next clean sheet underneath. It's a good way to store extra linens too, right on the bed!

Love it! I have yet to assemble my Kura bed for lack of inspiration about the bottom space. This is just the idea I needed. My daughter, 3, shares a room with her baby sister too. The bed warns not to let a child under age 6 use the top bunk, but do any parents out there let younger ones sleep up there? It seems pretty safe to me. How old is your daughter, Anna?

We have a two-bedroom house and two daughters: an almost 3-year-old and an 8-month-old. This is far from ideal and *definitely temporary*, but for now, the girls sleep in the bedrooms, and my husband and I camp out in the living room. Our pediatrician said it's normal for babies to wake up hungry until about 9 months old, so we are waiting for that magic moment when she doesn't need any milk at night and can sleep through on her own. Until then, the three of us sleeping in our tiny bedroom is just too disruptive for all. Our baby knows we're there, and it's torture for her when she wakes up and we don't go to her. By herself in the bedroom, she has learned how to fall asleep all alone from being totally awake at bedtime, and also to find her way back to sleep when she wakes during the night (except when hungry...). Once she can sleep through reliably, we plan to move her into her sister's room and reclaim our bedroom. Again, not ideal, but we are looking at the larger picture of getting her to be a really solid sleeper on her own, and so far, it seems to be working.