Stroller Madness

With this post, I’m hoping to spare some city parents out there from the same stroller purchase mistakes that I made. Maybe not so applicable to suburbanites…

We started out so promisingly. When C was an infant, we used the Graco SnugRide 32 Infant Car Seat, which doubles as a stroller if you buy the corresponding stroller frame. Efficient! Besides, I never understood the idea of buying another fancy stroller to push around your infant since I spent most of my time walking around with C strapped on to me Ergo-style. We loved our Graco SnugRide.

When C was around 4 months old, we graduated to the Rolls Royce of strollers, the EasyWalker. What I failed to realize, since I made the mistake of buying it sight unseen, was that it pretty much took up the entire square footage of our NY apartment (or at least the hallway: see pic above), and it was around as heavy as an actual Rolls Royce. So while C may have loved it, the hubby and I, not so much. (I’m also looking at you, Bugaboo and UPPAbaby Vista.)

So then we moved on to an umbrella stroller, the Maclaren Volo. 8.5 pounds!!! A dream! What I failed to realize was that it would have been nice to have gotten a stroller with a reclining seat, as C oftentimes fell asleep in her stroller, and nothing’s more heartbreaking than seeing a kid’s head lolligagging to one side as s/he sleeps.

By now, the hubby was somewhat frustrated with all of my stroller acquisitions, and so he limited me to a budget of around $150 for the next stroller. So between the Maclaren Triumph and the UPPAbaby G-luxe, I opted for the latter. The seat reclined back farther, the sun canopy was more expansive, and an attached cup holder for my morning joe sealed the deal. The only problem now is that the straps seem somewhat short with all of C’s winter gear, which doesn’t bode well for next winter. Sigh.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have just opted for the City Mini (not the Elite version!) and have called it a day. It seems like the perfect hybrid of luxury stroller and umbrella stroller. But it’s heavy (26 pounds???), and if weight is an issue, perhaps the Maclaren Quest, which comes in at 12.2 pounds.

Man, I cannot wait until it doesn’t take C half an hour to walk half a block…

Getting Back in Shape :(

I’m not normally a Gwyneth-hater (and, gasp!, I think she’s actually quite talented — though she should probably draw the line at acting), but I was somewhat exasperated by her “every woman can make time” comment about working out. She can apparently work out with her “kids crawling all over the place”. That’s a nifty trick, and I wish I could do so as well. But I guess it’s easier when you have a full-time nanny and a chef and a personal trainer and space (space!) and and and…But again, I’m not about Gwyneth-bashing. Of late, I’ve actually started to agree with her.

Here’s the reason:

• http://www.yogaglo.com/

What a discovery!!! For $18/month, you can practice yoga just as you would in a yoga studio but in the comfort of your own home. You can choose from an infinite number of classes, organized by duration, style, level, instructor, etc. Right after I’ve dropped C off at daycare, or when C goes down for a nap, I just set my mat down, and I’m good to go. The classes are wonderful and as challenging as you want them to be. Highly recommended.

I’m not going to lie and say that I’m in tip-top shape. But that’s not yogaglo’s fault. If I’m not in awesome shape, it’s because of my daily indulgences at the local bakery/pastry shop. And now that I’m pregnant again, all bets are off. (Insert croissant into mouth. Exit.)

Educational Videos?

So Dr. Berman, the author of Superbaby, claims that all videos and TV of any sort are detrimental to kids and their development and recommends that we ban kids from watching them until they’re at least 3 years old. Agreed that plopping your toddler in front of “SpongeBob SquarePants” for hours every day may not be the best idea in the world, but I have to wonder if all videos, in limited doses, are necessarily bad for kids.

The hubby and I terminated our cable subscription, so C can’t watch the latest episode of “American Idol”, but we do have a couple of educational videos that we’ve let C watch since she was an infant, and I have to admit that the results have been impressive. We started off with the “Your Baby Can Read” series (http://www.yourbabycanread.com), and while they were working and C was starting to “read” — or at least recognize the words and what they signified — by 12 months, I found the production quality of the videos to be infuriatingly poor, and the word selections were oftentimes odd. The videos would drive me nuts, so I stopped putting them on for her. Having said that much, the supplementary materials — flash cards and books — are great, so maybe worth the investment anyway.

We were simultaneously letting her watch the Preschool Prep Company series, and the results were astounding. I like how methodical and well-thought out the videos are, and the cartoon graphics are simple, memorable, and adorable. If C knew her colors, shapes, letters, and numbers as a very young toddler, I give Preschool Prep most of the credit. Check out their website here:

• http://www.preschoolprepco.com/h/i/index.php

I mean, am I creating a future ADHD candidate by letting C watch these videos? Who knows? But I figure that as long as I’m balancing the video-watching with real interactive playtime, it’s a risk worth taking. And besides, the dinner doesn’t cook itself.

Foam Mat Brouhaha

So this one just slayed me. For C’s play area, I had bought those cool interlocking foam mats, and she practically lived on it for the first year of her life. Then comes news from Europe that Belgium and France had banned them because of toxic formamide emissions.

• http://www.papalogic.com/fail-foam-puzzle-floor-mats-pulled-from-the-market-in-france-belgium/

Reluctantly, we threw our mat out and got a cotton rug instead. Sigh. Now comes news that not all is lost! Safbaby has been testing various brands, and a couple of brands are actually formamide-free (including the brand that I just threw out, EduShapes…boo)!

• http://www.safbaby.com/the-latest-updates-on-toxic-formamide-in-foam-puzzle-play-mats-plus-chart-of-manufacturers

Anyway, now I have to figure out whether the foam bath toys we have are toxic, but in the meantime, I’m not going to give in to paranoia. Time to play!

Baby Bjorn v. Ergo

For any new or soon-to-be moms on the market for carriers, debating between the Bjorn and the Ergo, hands down: Ergo. When I was doing research for carriers, I came across a lot of evidence that the Bjorns — at least the older models — were just bad for babies and their spines. Here’s a pro-Ergo discussion, that references the issue of baby’s health.

• http://www.myfavoritebabycarrier.com/comparison_baby_bjorn.html

The Bjorn is also just terrible for mama’s/papa’s back. The previous models lacked lumbar support for parents, so after a certain weight, it was just murder on parents to lug their kids around in Bjorns. Bjorn has since come out with the Comfort Carrier, but it’s more expensive than the Ergo, so why bother? Having said that much, if you do end up going for the Bjorn Comfort Carrier, just note that one of the features it touts is the ability to wear your kid facing out, a la classic models, which just goes back to the issue of the kid’s health.

Anyway, just my two cents!

Alternatives to Conventional Diapers

If you’re reading this post, I’m going to assume that you agree with me that conventional diapers are incredibly toxic (not to mention murder on the environment). Or if you don’t agree with me, the links below explain why I feel that way.

• http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2010/05/28/f-disposable-diapers.html
• http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/475-toxins-in-disposable-diapers-dioxin-and-sodium-polyacrylate.html

So the question is, what to do? Cloth diapers and gDiapers are a nightmare and too labor-intensive for me (though I know moms who use them successfully). I’ve been using Seventh Generation diapers in the meantime. But I just found this blog entry, so I may be switching back to Nature Babycare.

• http://tryingtobegreener.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/product-review-seventh-generation-and-nature-babycare-diapers/

Granted, they’re more expensive than conventional diapers, but I’d rather not skimp when it comes to C’s health. I’d rather give up a manicure here or there. :)

Diaper Rashes

Around a year ago, C had a diaper rash that was so bad, our ped recommended Lotrimin. While I was a bit hesitant about applying a chemical cocktail on my baby’s bum, I figured it was a necessary evil. So a week into the “treatment”, I realize that she is not getting any better. And I’m getting more and more panicked about applying this toxic cream on C’s poor, red butt. So in desperation, I took to the internet and realized that I should have tried an alternative method first. The proposed solution: tea tree oil and olive oil.

Literally, within 2-3 days, her diaper rash had completely healed up, and now that I’m using this homemade concoction instead of the usual wipes/diaper cream combo, C HAS NEVER HAD ANOTHER DIAPER RASH.

Here’s my solution:

1. Buy two 3 oz. spray bottles.
2. In one bottle, add water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar.
3. In the other bottle, add olive oil, and add a bit of tea tree oil (around 20 drops, maybe?). The stuff is strong, and I wouldn’t recommend applying it directly on the baby’s bottom. You need a carrier oil. Hence, the olive oil. (Don’t use mineral oil.)
4. To clean baby’s bottom, spray the vinegar solution around the diaper region and then pat dry with a towel.
5. Then spray the oil solution and rub around liberally.
6. That’s it.

Obviously, for poops, I clean off with wipes, first.

Cheap, easy, and good for the skin!