mama k's Profile

We did a fruit tray, a veggie tray, pasta salad, hummus and pita chips, and cupcakes (of course) for my son's last birthday. Kids and adults loved it. We are thinking about doing a party at the playground this year and I'm not sure I want to bring all that food with me. This post has given me some good ideas.

Keep the kid in his crib. Really. At least until he is 2yo or even 3yo if he lasts that long. Do whatever you would normally do w/ the baby and get a second crib if needed. 14 months is still very much a baby. His, and your, world will be rocked enough with the new baby. Don't mess with the sleeping arrangements too.
I moved my first into a mattress on the floor at 2yo b/c I thought that was the age to do it. Big mistake. It took us probably 6 months to get him consistanly staying in his bed both at bedtime and in the middle of the night. It was a headache and he clearly was not ready for it.

Sweet! We love play dough over here.
We aren't quiet as fancy as we just use plastic forks, cookie cutters and some Melissa and Doug rollers/stampers.

I don't buy it either.

I agree w/ KateTheGreat... It's not like these things are NEW trends. (Humans have been breastfeeding since the beginning of time. Really.)

Most of the "attachment parenting" and "green parenting" things I have stuck with were because 1) they made my life EASIER or 2) they saved us a sizeable amount of money

Sure I do some things because I think it's the best for my kids. What parent doesn't?

How are my choices somehow threatening or judging towards to others? I don't get it.

I got the travel system w/ infant bucket because I thought you pretty much had to. :) My son was on the big side and I hated lugging it and we switched to the convertible before 6 months. DS2 was a fall baby so I used it with the bundleme thing for 4 months before I got the convertible. If there is a baby 3, I will most likely skip it. I prefer using on-the-body-carriers and my kids never seemed to sleep great in them anyway.
We love our Radan carseats though and they are a great investment.

I've always been happy with our Radan carseats (by Sunshine kids). They are made to go a long way! I put my 4mo in a Radan 80 when he outgrew the infant carrier seat. My almost 4yo is still in his Radan 65 and still has one more height slot to go. (I kept him rear facing in that seat until almost 2yo.) Both my guys are tall and in the 95 percentile for height. They are also slightly cheaper than Britax, scored really well on the safety ratings and have a steel frame which makes them less bulky.

As far as strollers go, we liked our Graco ok. But we also got a Chicco stroller. It's a step up from the basic unbrella stroller as it has a basket and sun shade. It was cheap and has lasted a long time. Again, the almost 4 year old still fits in it.

I think they are funny. NOT classy in the least, but funny. :)
We use cloth most of the time so I won't be buying them though.

My kid doesn't do so well with food dyes, but I do use the sprinkle trick with "healthy" sprinkles... shredded coconut, wheat germ, crushed granola, crushed nuts... Banana slices with coconut are a favorite around here!

If I can throw in my 2 cents the knit gerber sheets I got from BRU were HORRIBLE. They discolored and they shrunk so they were next to impossible to fit on the mattress. So I wouldn't say that a big brand name = quality or even safety. (Lead in toys from China anyone?)

All that said, I have to admit I would never spend much on custom crib sheets as they get a lot of abuse. I'd put my money in the other accessories for the room. I plan on upcycling a soft, used top sheet into more cribsheets for my babe.

Check out www.NonToxicTots!

I am a small webstore and I only carry items that I would feel comfortable buying for my own kids. Many brands are eco-friendly, such as PlanToys which uses renewable rubber wood and Green Toys who use recycled materials in their toys.