katethegreat's Profile

So silly. I use a stack of white washcloths.

We have a roll of paper towels, but it is reserved for bacon grease (we don't get the newspaper), and anything that comes out of either end of the dog.

If both of us are home, one of us takes a nice hot bath (without bubbles). The other plays with our baby until the water cools down enough for her to get in. She's eight weeks old, and she loves it when I support her neck and head so she can kick her legs and swim with her arms.

When we're done playing and washing, the person in the tub hands her off to the person outside the tub.

If I"m the only one home we just shower together. I take her in with me with cooler water, and when I'm done washing her I set her on a towel outside the shower and wrap her up quickly. I leave her there while I finish my shower. She entertains herself by kicking out of the towel.

Works for us.

Sure, it's a great science experiment to do with good supervision, but not so great to make an "ornament" that stays in the house as decoration.

Why? Because Borax is poisonous and should be kept away from kids and pets.

I wouldn't roast a wild turkey whole. The flavor can be quite strong to the uninitiated. I'd do a braise or a turkey and dumplings type dish to keep the moisture in, and then roast a small regular turkey or a chicken to serve alongside.

We generally only eat the breast in my family--the legs/thighs/wings aren't the same consistency as a store bought turkey. Wild turkeys actually run around. :) Not that it's not edible or it's bad--it's just different. Those pieces, I've found, are great for stock with the carcass.

Also, you can put the breast in the crockpot with a package of knorr leek soup mix and a can of cranberry sauce and some water.

Actually, you don't need any of that at all. Kids don't need purees. What they need is for their parents to wait until they are developmentally ready to eat food. As in, they can sit up by themselves, have lost the tongue-thrust reflex, have developed a pincer grasp to pick up food, etc.

Using gadgets to hurry your child's development just isn't a good idea. Spoonfeeding cereals and purees are one example, the Bumbo seat is another.

I have severe food allergies, but I would NEVER expect a hostess to accommodate them, or my child's food allergies. That's just rude. You either eat what is served or you don't. I don't tell people that my child and I have all these food allergies. Instead, I bring food if I think we're going to need it, and we're careful, just like we are EVERY DAY in the big wide world. The oversharing of health issues is ridiculous. No one wants to hear about your allergies/diabetes/celiac/aversion to raw onions/IBS/Chron's/etc. Just deal with it.

I think it's really rude to exclude a child due to food allergies. What was that parent thinking?

I should add that we've always felt that if we decide we need a crib, there's a Target five minutes away and a Babies R Us 45 minutes away. So it's useless to spend the money when we could buy one and have it set up the same day IF we need it.

@Sophie
Sure, you may think that some parents are overreacting, but that's the beauty of the site. You get to pick and choose what YOU think is appropriate for YOUR child, unlike the MPAA ratings, which is an inconsistent rating system that allows 12 hand-picked, politically connected board members choose what THEY think is right for your child and everyone else's children to see.

Also, Up is not a kid's movie.

To the lady who lives in NYC: Do you live on the island part of NYC? You may want to rethink, if you do. An island is particularly vulnerable to food shortage, especially when the bridges are not available (in the case of no gas or destroyed bridges). Those little markets you speak of? In a true emergency those would be emptied out by looters. And what if you can't leave? Yikes!

I'd prepare MORE if I lived in NYC than in other places, not less.

I grew up in Florida. We lost a house to a hurricane in the 90s. I now live in Maine. We have plenty of storms here that cause us to lose power for days at a time. Plus, now we have hurricanes to deal with here, too.

I don't suggest that anyone go nutso with food storage--I don't, even though I've weathered a few disasters. But it's good to have some common sense--have water on hand and enough food to eat for a couple of weeks. Don't assume that you can just run to the store if something happens. If you think that's true, you're ignorant about where food comes from and how it is produced.

I disagree with the advice about the breastpump. It's my understanding that while hospital grade pumps are made to be shared/sterilized, breastpumps that you buy retail like the Pump n Style should not be shared--not even the main unit.

Before buying or using a used breast pump, please look into this issue and decide whether the risks are okay with you or not (no judgment here--I do things that other people deem risky, such as not getting the rhogam shot and co-sleeping!).