Mommy FTW

My little girl, Violet, is 6 months old and well on her way to becoming a foodie.  She’s been eating solids for awhile now – I admit I started her much earlier than Cameron.  At first I though there was no way that I was going to make food for her.  I was too busy, and certainly not feeling motivated.  But once Cameron started school I suddenly felt inspired to make her some simple purees while she took her morning nap.  I remember my pediatrician in Brooklyn always told me that feeding Cameron foods that started with ‘P’ would help keep his digestion moving (a constipated baby is no fun!) Pears, peas, prunes, peaches….  So when making food for Violet, I try to keep that in mind.  Here’s two of my recent purees with ‘P’ power -

Butternut Squash with Pears

Peel and cube one butternut squash and one pear.  Steam them till they are good and soft (20 minutes?)  Dump them in your cuisinart with some butter, if you like, and puree.  The pears bring out the sweetness in the squash, so this is a super tasty one!  It also works great with sweet potatoes for the same reason.

Frozen Peas and Beef Stock

Frozen peas are one of the few vegetables I buy frozen because most of the time, they will be better than fresh (since they are frozen pretty much immediately after picking and will remain sweeter).  Plus, who has the time or patience to shell all those peas?  Not this mom.  Heat up the frozen peas in a little beef stock (chicken would be fine too – I just happened to have some beef stock in the fridge).  I use stock instead of water to add a little extra protein to the puree – low sodium stocks are readily available, and these make a better choice for this recipe I think.  Once the peas are good and tender, dump them in the cuisinart and puree.

Pump Up the Protein

I always try to include some protein in Violet’s meal.  For breakfast she has yogurt, and for lunch and dinner I take a puree like one of the ones above and add either ricotta cheese (full fat version) or hummus to it.  These are already nice and smooth so they stir in easily.  If you like, you can throw some tofu into the cuisinart when you make your baby food.

I am excited to say that my almost 3 year old Cameron is doing great at his potty training (pee that is…. don’t get me started on poo) and he has begun leaving the house without a diaper on.  This made me really nervous because he isn’t comfortable peeing on a big potty yet, so I decided to look for a portable potty for him that I could fit in my diaper bag, or throw in the bottom of the stroller.  I found the Potette Plus on Amazon – it had great reviews, and sounded like a great solution.

I don't think Cameron would appreciate me posting pictures of him using his Potette, so here's a cute little girl I found via google.

The Potette Plus can be used as pictured above (set on the ground with an insert in, if you like – I just put mine on the grass) or you can fold the supports outward, and it fits on top of a big potty (pictured below).

Potette on the big potty

Cameron has used his both ways,  much to my delight.  He is extremely proud of himself when he is done – and so am I!  By the way, the reviewers on Amazon also said that instead of the inserts that they sell you can just put a diaper in the Potette to catch whatever falls if you are using it in the sitting position not on a regular potty.  This seems like a good idea so you don’t have to buy something specialized and extra.  The Potette does indeed fit easily in my bag.  Overall, I can’t be happier.  It gives both Cameron and I the confidence to leave the house without him wearing a diaper – and it’s so great to see him succeed and feel good about himself.

Triple Paste always comes to my rescue when Cameron is having a diaper rash issue.  It’s a bit expensive, but worth the cost!  A set of new Triple Paste coupons were just released that you should take advantage of:

$1 off any Triple Paste

$2 off any Triple Paste Cream

Earlier this week I let you know that Mommy For the Win is a year old.  Over the next few weeks I’m going to highlight some posts from the past and hopefully add some new information as well.  This first post revisit is a perfect example!

Cameron has been suffering from diarrhea for a few weeks now – nothing else seemed wrong with him (aside from the diaper rash that was being caused by all the poops!)  I couldn’t figure out what to do, and it took a call to the pediatrician to remind me of some advice she had given me in the past, and a post I had written – Pesky Diarreah and the Soy Solution.

Then, and now, Cameron had become briefly lactose intolerant.  The first time this happened, Cameron was just about a year old.  I took him off of regular formula and moved him to Soy Formula for a few weeks – magically, the diarrhea was gone!  This time, the pediatrician recommended trying Soy Milk with Cameron instead of his usual Whole Milk.  Well, he didn’t like that so much – I couldn’t get him to drink a drop of it!  Thankfully I was able to find some Lactaid brand Whole Milk.  Lactaid is milk without Lactose…. perfect!

Lactaid Whole Milk - Easy on Cameron's Tummy

Wondering where you can pick up this life saving milk?  Check your local grocer in the dairy section.  Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Locals – I found mine at Fresh Garden on Fulton.  It’s also available at Fairway (for a dollar less!)  And, although Fresh Direct doesn’t carry it – Peapod does.  And, thanks to A Child Grows in Brooklyn, I just found out that Peapod is now delivering to several zip codes in Brooklyn – 11201    11205   11215   11217   and 11231.

So, if your little one just can’t seem to shake their loose poops, and nothing else seems wrong with them – consult your pediatrician, and think about limiting their lactose intake (although yogurt is ok) for a few weeks and see if that helps.  It might just be your savior.  I saw Cameron’s first “normal” poop today for the first time in a long time.  I’ve never been so happy to see a poo!

For more information about babies and lactose intolerance, check out my other post, Pesky Diarrhea and the Soy Solution.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I know, I know – the idea of reusing a swim diaper might sound a little gross, but – it seems to work well!  Last summer a friend of mine came up with the idea, and gave it a try.  She left her daugter’s swim diaper out overnight to let it dry.  The next day there was no odor, and it seemed perfectly fine to use again.  After all, usually kids are only wearing these diapers for a few minutes, and most of the time there’s no #2 involved (I’ve yet to have Cameron unleash a poo in the pool *knock on wood*)

Save some cash, and make less trash!

So if you want to save a little cash, or you are low on swim diapers, and haven’t had a chance to order more yet, try drying them out and using them again the next day!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Recently Huggies approached me and asked me to be a brand ambassador for their Little Movers line of Diapers.  Those of you who read Mommy For the Win regularly know that I am a true fan of Huggies, so it took me about 1 minute to say “Yes!”  Part of the job description is to write a post about Little Movers.  I was wondering what I would write about – I have already done a Huggies vs Pampers post, as well as discussed my preference for their Overnight diapers and their Little Swimmers.  But, as we were on our way to our Vacation last week Huggies managed to prove to me, once again, how awesome they are.  So I decided to tell my story in case some of you are still not in the Huggies Little Movers Camp with me!

Last Monday we were all set to fly non stop from JFK to Turks and Caicos – a quick 3 hour flight.  The night before I packed my diaper bag with 3 of my Huggies Little Movers thinking this would be more than enough to last me until we were all checked in, and ready to hit the pool.  Well, that morning, the world (and the unhelpful staff at JFK) was conspiring against us, and we missed the check in time for our flight.  After a small breakdown on my part, we managed to rebook on a flight that took us through Miami, and then eventually on to Turks.  We were supposed to arrive at 9pm, assuming everything ran on time.  Our bags were checked, and I suddenly realized that I might have a diaper situation on my hands……

Cameron burns some energy and puts his Little Movers to the test.

After lunch we still had plenty of time to kill.  Cameron had a lot of energy, and I was happy to let him work it off in the hopes that he would snooze on the plane.  He had already had his diaper on since 8am, but I didn’t want to change him until absolutely necessary since I knew my supply was limited.  Cameron must have walked up and down those flat “people mover” escalators in terminal 8 about 100 times.  He was putting those Little Movers to the test!  But there was never a leak, and it sure seemed like they weren’t getting in his way despite being quite full.  I was hoping he would poop before our flight, but when they finally let us on the plane (at a very late 2:30pm) he hadn’t, so I changed him. 1 diaper down, 2 left.

Finally asleep.....

As we departed, I gave Cameron his bottle and he fell asleep quickly.  The flight was full, and he was on our laps.  I can’t imagine how he managed to sleep – he was in every extremely uncomfortable position possible, and constantly shifting.  He was going to have some serious kinks in his neck!  Despite the shifting, and having just downed 9 oz of milk – no leaks.  Go Huggies!  We arrived in Miami around 6:45pm.  I kept Cam’s diaper on hoping still for the elusive poop before changing him.  No luck.  They called for our flight to board, so I changed Cam in the bathroom.  Another extremely full diaper, with no leaks.  2 diapers down, 1 left.

We boarded the plane around 7:30 pm – and waited.  There was a lightening storm, so we were stuck.  Cam took this opportunity to have his poop – diaper change required!  And in a plane bathroom, no less.  Believe me folks, this is quite a challenge.  3 diapers down, 0 left – fingers crossed.

We finally departed Miami around 8:45pm – and arrived in Turks around 10pm.  I gave Cameron some milk to help with the take off, and some water to help with the landing.  Cam was surprisingly peppy, given that it was around 10 when we  landed.  No leaking or sagging as Cameron ran around the baggage claim area.  Eventually we ended up in our hotel room – around 11pm, 8 hours later than we expected to.  Despite my stressing, Cameron, and his Little Movers had held up to the challenge.  I put him in his Huggies Overnights, and we all passed out within minutes.  What a day!  And finally, the vacation could really begin!

Little Swimmers? Check! Awesome fun in the sun? Check!

Cameron and I had such a great time in DC over Christmas that we are going back down today.  We’re taking the train together – so I will be sure to report on how that goes once we return!

I’ll try to post while I’m gone, but in case I don’t – have a great week everyone!

Check out some great posts you might have missed to keep yourself busy:

Free Infant CPR at the Brooklyn Hospital

Reading for Babies at the Clinton Hill Library – a great winter activity

My Pediatrician’s remedy for pesky Diaper Rash

My sleep training bible – Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Baby

Dealing with a leaky diaper?  Maybe it’s time to go up a size

And check out my posts about What Cameron is Eating

Hi all!  I know some of you are new to Mommy For the Win so I wanted to highlight some of the most popular and asked about posts that I’ve done in the past.  Check them out!

Diaper Rash?  My Doctor Said Mylanta

Picnic in the Park Made Easy with the best picnic blanket ever!

Free Infant CPR Classes at the Brooklyn Hospital

FREE – Clinton Hill Library – Reading for Babies

The Books I Found Most Helpful

The What’s Cameron Eating series: Ricotta Cheese and Squash, Avocado and Banana, Baby Yogurt and Banana, Baby Mum Mums, Cream of Wheat, Peaches, Waffles, Organic Puffs, Roasted Butternut Squash, Oatmeal with bananas and cinnamon, 67 Burger, String Cheese, Grilled Cheese and Peas

I hope you find them useful!

I’ve loved Huggies Overnights from the first time we used them.  But recently we started getting some leaks.  Even though the package says that the size 3 is for “16-25 lb” babies, and Cameron was only 18lbs and change a month ago at his 9 month check up, I decided to move up to size 4’s (22-37lbs).  And now, no more leaks!  I plan to move up to size 4 for his regular diaper as soon as I run out of size 3’s.

The other day I posted about a friend who had dried out her daughter’s swim diaper in the hopes of using it again.  Well, today Cameron and I were back at Clermont pool and I re-used one of his diapers.  It worked great, and I will definitely do it again!