Carrie too's Profile

where do you get a cable spool? Love this!

LOVE my babymod Park Lane! 19 months of use and still looks like new. Well, sort of like new since we painted the drawer at the bottom to coordinate with the room.

So I made a quick banana bread this weekend, really it's a cake, actually I got the recipe here a couple years ago. Anyway, On Sunday we each had a slice when it came out of the oven, heavenly with that wonderful slightly crisp top. I wrapped it in plastic wrap as described here because I didn't know what else to do. Today the cake is still moist and delicious, but that crip top has turned sticky, which I knew it would, but is there anyway to avaid that?

Another great source of hand-me-downs are Grandparents! Not the new grandparents - other children's grandparents. I was suprised at the wonderful, well kept toys my daughter received from her grandparent's friends. Only used when the grandchildren came to visit they were in barely used condition and so appropriate for my baby.

I concur with the theme of all of these responses, which is they love to play with 'real things' over toys. It's cliche but my 12mo daughter would much rather play with the box than the toy, so I keep a collection of boxes, caps, wooden spoons etc.. When I'm getting dressed in the morning, she plays in my closet with the lower basket of socks & stockings. I rotate her regular toys on a weekly basis to keep her engaged in them, but inevitably I reach for whether 'real thing' is handy and safe to keep her interested. My own mother always had a drawer in the kitchen that was mine as a toddler (far from the dangerous stuff) and had things like spoons and plastic bowls. My kitchen isn't arranged this way (too small), but I'm clearing out some room on the bottom of the pantry to put a basket of similar things for my daughter to play with.

My daughter's birthday falls durng the holiday season. Since this is her first birthday i did make a wishlist on amazon. I'm at work full-time and It started as a way that I could browse for things she would like/need and I could easily keep track. When hannukah got close people started askinging me what she would like and so i referred grandparents, aunts/uncles to her wish list. It said on the list & told them too, it's just a way to get ideas of the kind of things she might like, her sizes, brands etc. So far, it's been great. People didn't feel compelled to stick to the list, but she got a bunch of things that were just right for her. It made the grandparents very happy, especially since they could order online and didn't have to brave the toy stores during holiday time.

Before I had a baby of my own, I loved having my Niece & Nephew over. I kept a drawer with a few things that always worked to keep them happy. #1 Bubbles. A tiny cheap jar of bubbles is fun for all ages. A coloring book, free stickers - they just come into your life & kids love them; a plastic inflatable beach ball (just basket ball size) - instant outdoor fun. For food, a box of zoopals utensils and those tiny juiceboxes.
Admittedly, now that I have a 10 month old, my is way more fun than it was, but still I was able to keep them happy and entertained before our home turned into a gaint toy box (exaggeration).

I've fallen in love with these Bobles tumbling toys. http://www.amazon.com/Bobles-Tumbling-Elephant-Turquise/dp/B001M4SKC8
They come in various animal shapes/sizes/prices and can be mixed and matched for a wide range of ages. I put a couple on my daughter's 1st birthday wish list.

I guess the best advice is to buy things as you need them. As long as they have a safe place to sleep and the means to eat (be it bottles or boosterss), the rest you'll figure out pretty quickly. My daughter was born 6 weeks early & we were caught completely unprepared. We had a crib (had to run & get the mattress), some bed sheets, onesies and ran to buy the diapers. every baby is a little different. Some of the things I scoffed at before she was born, I worship today (the swing -she was colicy, it saved my life).

I'm not a mom of twins, but i did put a twin size bed (from IKEA) in our nursery. We have a glider too, but if I were to give one up it would be the glider. I slept in the twin bed for the first couple of months, but even now (baby is 6mo), I'm far more comfortable nursing in the bed with the boppy - more room to move around, adjust, sit cross legged, or to put baby down and grab a pillow...
We use the glider for daytime rocking, reading a story and bottle feeders (grandparents).