angorian's Profile

We just used a $3 soother clip.

We took our 1 year old to Paris and had a Maclaren umbrella stroller and Ergo. It was a good combination. The metro has a million stairs and the cars are small. I found it easiest to just fold up the stroller. We mostly walked anyway as we were staying in a fairly central location. The Ergo was the best way to get decent-length naps, but that's probably pretty dependent on the specific kid.

As for kids' behaviour in restos, we took our daughter for lunch at a Michelin-starred bistro. Lunchtime is my recommendation if you want to go somewhere fancier. We were complimented that she was very "sage" (which translates more to well-behaved in this context), but we also take her out very regularly, bring small toys, and the minute she gets at all disruptive, one of us takes her outside. Don't expect high chairs or changing facilities in general.

I would suggest that you try to find non-baby items where possible so that you can re-purpose later. We used a pail from the hardware store as a tub and then moved on to a large tub trug, which doubles as a laundry basket. The dresser as change table is a common one. Using old tea towels or hand towels for burp cloths and so forth. Buying baby-specific items tends to be much more expensive and then those items can't be easily used for other things if your baby doesn't need or like them.

We didn't have room for a rocker/glider, but we have an AGEN rattan armchair from IKEA with a nice fat cushion in the seat and one for the back, and it's surprisingly comfy with these additions. It has a very small footprint compared to pretty much any other armchair. I'm really glad we have something to sit in for bedtime stories and for nighttime why-won't-you-sleep snuggling. I would recommend it if you're space constrained, but if you have enough space, then something that rocks would be nicer.

I'm with the other commenters that this is airport-souvenir-shop kitsch, with the exception of the HBC blanket. It definitely would have been nice to see some actual Haida, Tlingit, Inuit or other indigenous people's artwork. Other things I'd have included would be some antique wooden furniture from Ontario or Quebec and some glass fishing floats.

You can try a late-night trip to the potty when you are going to bed (e.g. around 10 or 11) and that may help him get through the night.

I think this is all pretty cute, but these party posts are kinda seeming so "over-produced" for kids parties ... it's like the martha-stewart effect where now you're expected to have the inside of every cupboard be visually appealing. I'd be more interested in party activity ideas than in things that look nice in a photo and maybe appeal to the parents attending, but don't add much for the kids.

Rather than having to switch the whole sheet in the case of a spit-up, we have a receiving blanket tucked over the area where the baby's head is. Much smaller to wash than a fitted sheet and you're likely to get a bunch of them as presents anyway.

I something similar awhile ago and wrote a tutorial on the process for the IKEA Stefano chair. It's incredible what a difference a change in fabric makes!

The handles kind of look like they impede the use of the legs or neck, which are perfect for the baby to both grip and gnaw on.