KatieD's Profile

Brandyn, I think your room is lovely.

I have not followed this contest, and I did not vote at all this year. But I'd have voted for these happily. They look genuine, real, and fun.

Years ago, a contestant (a "real designer" of course) created at least 3 screen names for himself to make rude comments on other finalists designs. Similar nastiness has been creeping into contests for several years, and spreading out to everything else eventually.

Try not to worry about it. Also, there are other sites geared toward real human beings instead of design trolls, when you need a change. The nasty commenting is a big part of why I, who was a member nearly since the site started, visit AT sites once/month instead of once/day.

Oh, and by doing this, grandparents have noticed all on their own what the kids gravitate towards and play with most often, what they bring along with them when we travel, what's best loved. They're pretty good about buying good stuff. And the kids are good at donating items too. (I send outdoor-appropriate toys to live at relatives who have yards and we visit every month, not things that foster bickering, just to be clear!)

My child is older, but we are using "Better Chinese." My First Chinese Words is aimed at preschoolers to early Elementary.

My 7 year old has now stolen my phone to send whales to her relatives! Very funny!

I didn't make a big deal of it with either kid, and honestly that seemed to work great. We didn't make it a power struggle. We just explained, offered underwear, and let them decide when to do it.

That meant that they both "started" potty training a good 6 months or so behind their friends, but it took one kid 2 days to be trained. It took the other kid 2 weeks. In both cases, they were done and accident-free at the same time or earlier than their peers.

We did stickers once in a while, because their friends got candy for potty attempts, and they felt this was unfair. But we didn't do the stickers with any consistency, and sometimes they just went in the bathroom and got a sticker just because they wanted one.

One day it just clicked for each of them. We also didn't use a little potty for the younger kid. We went right to a potty that's integrated with the toilet seat, so it's not another thing to put on and take off. It's a cover-potty seat-adult seat that all stack together.

I did with the younger kid make a rule that once you've chosen underwear or pull ups for the day, you have to stick with that, because in those 2 weeks or so of training, he'd switch back and forth. He'd forget he was wearing underwear and say "oh, I'm going to peeing in my pull up... uh oh, I has underwear, right?" It was easier to just have him pick in the morning and stick with it at that point.

That carrot-beet salad mentioned above sounds divine though! Might have to add that for the next flight.

I do actually think the "infant car seat" wasn't needed here though we had one. (Versus the convertible seat that works for longer. Second kid, we have one that went from newborn to booster seat age.)

Never had a bumbo or pack and play, never saw the appeal. Never had trouble with sleeping, sleeping away from home, showering, etc. either. We had places to put them down, just not pack and plays or bumbos.

My vote on least useful would be the exersaucer ginormous plastic garish things.

We have two rocking chairs though. Had one pre-kids too. I don't think it's a necessity though. We never had trouble at relatives/hotels without one.

We used a snuggle nest rather than a travel bed, and with the second child a moses basket as well. I almost bought an Eddie Bauer travel bed instead of the Snuggle Nest, but looking at them set up in the store changed my mind due to space.

Places like BuyBuyBaby or Babies R Us often have the various items set up and on display, which might be good to get a sense of how much wider a given travel bed is.

I also suspect with a zip up style travel bed like the one in the pic, it's going to be a hassle to put the baby back in after feeding, and by the time they're too big for the snuggle nest, they're also less at risk of suffocation from bedding.

I think a shower, especially something quite practical like a diaper shower, is perfect for a second or later baby.

I would go, I would take what was requested, and I would have a blast. If you are morally offended, then keep it politely to yourself, reply that you are unable to attend, and give whatever you would have given had the shower never happened--a meal for the freezer? a book?

(Oh, and I'm a cloth diaper-er as well, but I do not expect that or any other personal preference to be a requirement of being my friend).

We bought 4 big panels of brightly colored plexiglass from Canal Plastics and screwed them into the back. Solves the "stuff off the back" problem and makes a decorating touch as well!

At my office, we have a bulliten board on the back of one that's in the middle of the room. Plywood that you cover with magnetic and/or chalkboard paint would be cool in a kids room.