Saturday, February 27, 2010

Baby 0.5 - The Nappy Test

In these tough economical times I've strayed from the ever reliable Huggies to test out some cheaper brands. Not that I'm a nappy snob but in the past they have been the one brand that has survived anything an explosive babies bum can throw at them!

So this time around I went with Babylove, the brand that has even been advertising the Poo Poo Pouch to catch even the nastiest of poos.

http://www.babyloveclub.com.au/?Poopoopouch

Well here is my unofficial review.

It's been 4 days so far and I must report that the Babylove's did not live up to even a wee let alone an explosive pumpkin fuelled diarrhoea!

Day 2 hubby had Baby 0.5 laying on his lap and all of a sudden had a warm sensation on his leg........ say no more.

Day 4 today and my poor unsuspecting brother looked down whilst cuddling Baby 0.5. We were outside having a BBQ and he thought he spotted a stray spot of dip on his leg and then on his shirt .......... well it WAS pumpkin but not the type mixed with pine nuts that goes with a nice cracker! Thank god he didn't lick it to see what it was!!

Now my brother gags at the smell, sight and even thought of baby poo so to find himself wearing it was very unsettling for him. It was of course hilarious for us as he stood frozen with fear trying not to gag and holding our poor baby girl out at arms length as he begged us to rescue him.

So from the men in our family it's a big FAIL for the Babylove nappies. Time to go back to the Huggies!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Technorati Claim

NDZ7DC3QV44H

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Toddler 2.9 - The final stages of toilet training

Toilet training, one of the longest and toughest stages I think we have had to go through with our little boy.

So far:

Step 1 - Using the potty ✓

Step 2 - No nappies during the day ✓

Step 3 - Using the toilet ✓

Step 4 - No nappies at night ✓

However there is another step but I'm not sure if it's really Step 5 or if we've missed it along the way.

Step 5 - Knowing when you need to go to the toilet without being told

So after washing endless amounts of mini undies we decided to try and encourage Toddler 2.9 to use the toilet on his own without us prompting him. In the past stickers have worked so we went down the well trodden path. Toddler 2.9 and I drew a lovely picture of a pond with our crayons and for that pond we have lots of frog stickers to put on it each time undies are dry.

Our Busy Little Pond


Day 1 - Wet undies 4 v Frog stickers 1
(hmmm maybe stickers just aren't enough this time?)

Day 2 - Wet undies 2 v Frog stickers 5
(still lots of prompting by us but a few "Mummy I need a wee" moments).

So my washing load so far is decreasing slightly but I'm not sure if I'm really teaching Toddler 2.9 how to know when it's time to go to the toilet. I've explained he might feel it in his tummy or his doodle (he often grabs himself just before he does a wee) but is he really getting it?

It has at least given us Toddler Gold moment when this morning I asked if his undies were wet or dry and Toddler 2.9 responded "they were dry as a bone Mummy!" (Courtesy of his visiting country grandma!).

Will the frogs win over the wet undies? Any other ideas how I can do it?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

From Boobs to Baldness

There are plenty of books on pregnancy and babies too but once again there are little secrets I think they keep so we still have babies. During my last pregnancy I managed to tick a lot of those boxes and now 5 months since our beautiful baby arrived I'm still finding more fun things to make life interesting.

Here's just a sample of my checklist, how does yours compare?

Pregnancy - diabetes (no chocolate!), pubic symphsitis (crippling pain every time you walk), back ache, iron deficiency (even more tiredness), swollen ankles, endless peeing, inability to sleep, severe reflux and heartburn, restless legs, braxton hicks contractions for 2 weeks, heart palpitations and of course explosive boobs (I'm talking 16DD and not in a good way).

Post baby - pelvic infection (leftover placenta in my uterus), blocked milk ducts (ouch, ouch, ouch!), leaky boobs, the worlds weakest pelvic floor, second degree tearing and the stitches to show for it, more sleep deprivation, insatiable chocolate cravings (ok that I can handle), back ache from pacing the floor with a crying baby and just this week my hair  has started falling out in big chunks, and more hormone changes are giving me oily skin and hair - love it!

Of course it all adds to the wonder that is mother nature and it is probably a miracle we even survive childbirth. Even with all of this excitement there's one last little trick that is played on all of us, hormones! These are special hormones that make all the bad stuff just fuzzy enough in our memories so that we'll be brave enough to go through it all again and again.

After the tough time I've had, even I have already had more than one thought about baby number 3.
I know I'm crazy and it's definitely not time yet, but compared to my list above there are countless pluses to having kids. Here's two big reasons below.



What was the toughest thing you went through with your pregnancies or early days with bub?


Thursday, February 4, 2010

World Worst Mum???

We all have our fair share of mothers guilt at the best of times. Then there's always something in the news telling us something else we're doing wrong to scar our kids for life. I'm just waiting for a study that shows watching the Wiggles will turn your children gay!

Based on all of this criteria I quite often fall into the category of what they call a "bad Mum". Of course in reality I'm just like most other Mum's and doing the best job I know how. And whether my kids grow up wearing multi-coloured skivvies or even gay, they will know I love them no matter what.

But finally there is a time when I do actually agree with a media label of Worlds Worst Mum. You know who she is, the woman who got her 5 year old drunk enough to blow 0.09!!!

http://www.news.com.au/national/victorian-mum-gets-son-5-totally-drunk/story-e6frfkvr-1225826103320

What the?? I know being a parent is tough and confusing but come one lets get back to basics.

Rule 1: Don't let your kids play with knives or matches

Rule 2: Only give your kids milk to drink, not White Russians!!!

Probably an equal offender though is the judge who gave her a suspended sentence, even though she had been in court before. Should the kids be taken away or are they really better off being with their Mum?
(The mother) told police she "just wanted to have a drink with her son because he likes his alcohol"
I would hate to see any kid get put into the red tape of foster homes but where do you draw the line? Lets hope next time it's not more alcohol, or god forbid more serious drugs and of course that's if anyone even knows about it!!

What do you think should happen?