ichiban's Profile

We bought the Hape Gym for our baby. I tried to find the Ikea one, because I agree that it's more reasonably priced, but no luck. Is it not manufactured anymore?

The Hape gym was a huge success with my little boy. He lay underneath it when very young and slowly was able to bat at the toys with more and more dexterity over time. It entertained him for long periods of time and gave me a lot of freedom. Now, even though he's developed enough to play comfortably on his belly and prop himself up, he still likes to push himself up and reach at the toys. One of them has a mirror underneath, another a bell. He loved it and I enjoyed having something around the house I thought was beautiful.

I'm no die-hard wooden toy devotee, though. We also got an ugly plastic jumperoo - used from Craigslist - once he decided he loved standing and bouncing all the time. But even at 20 weeks now, he'll sometimes revisit the old wooden play gym. I do wish there were simpler, more nicely designed jumperoo type things. And I believe there IS a way to have something colorful and stimulating for baby without having stickers and cartoon characters and a horrid mishmash of colors that make the adults want to puke.

I agree that there should be more reasonably priced, well designed, not ugly wooden gyms out there, though.

Where is that pretty crib sheet from???

Oh my God! So worth it just to see all the little girls with ears and whiskers on! Adorable!

I was obsessed with Cinderella as a little girl. What I remember really being drawn to, though, was the fact that she was very kind and that all the little animals loved her. I remember wanting her to become real and be my friend. The princess part was secondary. Just riffing on what others said about the laudable qualities in these princesses that can sometimes be emphasized.

I'm wondering if you might find some inspiration looking at Montessori rooms. A lot of the priorities - quality sustainable materials, no clutter - seem a lot like yours. I'm planning my upcoming baby's nursery and am tentatively planning on giving the Montessori floor bed a try after the beginning months, when the infant will be in our room. I like the idea of completely foregoing the crib and investing in an organic futon that can just go on the floor. I figure, if it doesn't end up working, I can always run to Ikea for the crib. But I also like the idea of storing and rotating toys, using natural containers like baskets to hold baby toys, and the use of natural woods in the room.

Am I wrong, or are you guys posting a lot less frequently on the family page? And with more fillers (like this one) that aren't really related at all.

I have no first hand experience, but might not a short term incentive program help? As an adult who has a hard time forgoing the instant comfort of a treat for the future benefit of being more comfortable in my jeans, I'd think a 3-year-old might have a hard time being motivated solely by her future dental health (especially when she's got comfort so conveniently at hand).

What about thinking of a treat she'd be super excited about, that she could do/get in 3 weeks to a month's time (or a treat for every week)? Then you could create a chart and give her a star for each day that she manages to avoid the thumb (maybe build in some wiggle room for rough days and backsliding).

She could choose the colors for the chart, pick her big treat (or set of treats, spread out), put the stickers on herself, etc.

Without an incentive she can understand, why should she stop?

Looks like Target has some fun looking polka dotted and striped sheets. Just don't look specifically in the kids' section.

What a beautiful, orderly, welcoming space!

It seems you could go with white, pale yellow, or robin's egg blue...or even a great pale gray, depending on your taste and the decor. I'd paint it all one color, though, because it doesn't seem like it'd be helpful to break it up. That looks like one of those spaces that would even be served by having a light floor or rug that's a similar color to the slanted walls and ceiling.