psychobabble's Profile

The giraffe print is awesome...so many cool details. I can't believe you made the birch trees. One talented artist mama!

Here's my favorite balloon-ish art--we have it in my daughter's room: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62603003/book-girl-art-books-can-take-you?ga_search_query=books.

I love my glider--a hand-me down from friends. We don't use it to rock our daughter at all, but it is a wonderful comfy chair to nurse in and read together. I barely used it for the first 6 months or so--I would nurse my daughter mostly in the family room or wherever. But then she started to get distracted by other things going on and would pop on and off, bite me, whatever. When I switched to only nursing in the chair, it became more peaceful and sweet. We still only nurse in the chair, and it has a feeling of a ritual about it now. I also think that has helped a lot in slow weaning (down to morning and night) because she doesn't expect that she can pull on my shirt during the day or wherever--if we don't go the chair, it doesn't happen. Good luck choosing what is right for you!

I feel mixed about TV for my daughter and in general. I grew up watching a LOT of TV (4 to 5 hours a night), and it definitely did not hurt me in terms of school performance, social life, physical health, or reading ability. I had a happy, social childhood and was extremely successful in school. I got into and attended one of the very top universities in the country even while watching 4 or 5 hours of TV a night in high school (I even--gasp--watched TV while doing my homework!). I also read (and still read) a ton--I think I just have a voracious appetite for stories.

On the other hand, I also developed an eating disorder. My type A/perfectionist personality is probably at the root of the eating disorder, but I have to say that the hours spent looking at skinny actresses in TV shows and commercials certainly did not help my body image. I am much more concerned for my daughter taking in poisonous messages about beauty and gender roles than I am about screen time in general.

Everything on TV is in some way an advertisement--trying to tell us that something is wrong with us, that our life is not and will not be complete until we buy their product. I hate this message and see how it leads to feeling unfulfilled and "never enough." I want my daughter to be able to enjoy great TV just as I do--and to take part cultural conversations about the latest interesting stories out there, but I don't ever want her to learn that she needs to change her looks or buy a product to find what's good in life.

For now, my daughter is 13 months old and hasn't watched any TV, and she loves books more than anything. I don't even know how we would fit it into our busy days! As the years go by, and she learns to ask for it, I'm planning to take it a day at a time, talk about it together as much as possible, stay mindful about how it affects her and us as a family.

Lots to ponder...thanks for the question!

We used the bjorn bouncer, which was attractive and our baby loved. We also used this swing, the Fisher Price little lamb: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018Z6910/ref=asc_df_B0018Z69101846529?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0018Z6910. It was, to me, the least offensive of anything plastic, and I found it really sweet & cute-looking (I love any baby stuff with animal ears). I actually felt really sad when my kiddo outgrew it & we had to put it away! Good luck!

Where did you get that amazing mushroom dollhouse?

Those bins are gorgeous!

I love all the artwork. Bleubird Vintage is one of my most favorite blogs--what a sweet, inspiring family!

I just wanted to say that it is totally normal to feel this pre-baby freakout about the nursery. It's nesting hormones. It doesn't mean you aren't going to be a relaxed & loving mommy! Lots of good suggestions above. Good luck!

we just put that exact decal up in our baby's room! it looks beautiful! it is a transfer decal, so it's not really like a sticker & would be hard to peel off. they advise using a hairdryer to heat it before it will come off. also of note: it is really challenging to put up--make sure you have a bunch of friends to help! also, the stars are really light in color--they don't even show up on our gray wall. good luck!