Moving on to Solid Foods

It's hard to believe, but my little Boo is already on solid foods! You've heard me say before that every baby is different, and in our family, that couldn't be more true than when it comes to solid foods. My doctor recommends starting solid food at around 4 months of age. He recommends we start with cereal and move on to purees later (more on that later). Jack turned 4 months old in October of 2007, so I bought some cereal, washed the spoons and bowls I'd gotten as shower gifts, and tried to feed him. Below is a photo of the result:

HE WASN'T READY.

Not, by any means, that my doctor was wrong. Jack wasn't ready for solid foods at 4 months. And he wasn't ready at 5 months. He was a full 6 months old before he could keep down solid foods of any kind. Before that, any time I tried to feed him cereal--or even those little "puff" things--he projectile vomited. His little system wasn't ready and I wasn't going to make myself and him sick by forcing something on him that he wasn't ready for--so we waited.

Bailey has been a different girl all together. She took to solid foods like a duck to water right at 4 months. From her very first feeding, she followed the spoon with her mouth and had no trouble swallowing like Jack did. I always knew she was brilliant.

I started Boo out on baby oatmeal from the Gerber Company. Jack never really cared for the rice cereal even after he was able to swallow it. My friend Christy recommended the oatmeal and both my kids have loved it. I like to use cereals from the Gerber Company because it has the iron and DHA/ARA supplements that my doctor recommends. Most formula feed babies never need an iron supplement, but cereal is a good place to add an iron supplement to your baby's diet if you need to. There are also iron drops out there, but that's another story for another blog.

Tips on Tuesday

In honor of my friend's Sue's due date being this week, here's a photo-related tip for mamas with new babies.

Every month on the day he was born, we took a picture of Jack in the same spot next to the same toy. It was so fun to watch him grow and change throughout the year. In July, CVS has a free photo book deal, so we had these pictures turned into a photo book for us to keep. I love to look at it and watch my boy grow--Jack likes to look at it too! We've done this for Bailey as well--maybe you'll get to see her pictures in March!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months6 months7 months8 months

9 months10 months
11 months1 year!

Never Do This!

I'm pretty sure "Tips on Tuesday" should simply say this week:

Never do this!

But my kids sure had fun :)

What dangerous things do your kids do--or maybe something YOU did as a kid? Leave some comments & let us know!!

Top 10 things I love about bottle feeding

10) Efficiency. I have my system down. Read about that here and here
9) Ability to share feeding duties. Not that I always share :) Read about that here
8) Sharing on this blog with all of you.
7) Dr. Brown's Bottles. Read about them here
6) The "for recreational purposes only" state of my body ;)
5) My ability to easily feed my baby in public. Read about travel here.
4) The support I've received from my husband, mother and doctor. And getting into a good "battle of words" with a closed minded person.
3) Holding Boo's hand while she eats.

2) Knowing exactly how much my baby eats each day/meal.
1) Knowing that my babies are fed the best that I can possibly feed them and that they are healthy and loved.

Thomas Paine

Take a look at this article from Medline Plus.

This article really made me think. It suggested that because there aren't a lot resources out there for bottle feeding moms (true) so women turn to friends and family for advice (awesome) and sometimes get bad/wrong advice that can be harmful to babies (yikes).

I try to be careful about being too bossy here. I try to encourage readers to talk to their doctors and use their best judgment. But more than anything, I think readers should use common sense.

So here's a little common sense:

1) Measure your baby's formula right. Really read that can the first time you use it and make sure that you're mixing correctly. Not doing so can result in your compromising your baby's nutrition.

2) Don't prop your baby's bottle. Hold your baby when you feed her. Just because you can prop the bottle up on a pillow doesn't mean you ever should.

3) Don't put cereal in your baby's bottle. There are dozens of reasons why not to, but the two biggest are that it's a choking hazard and that it teaches the baby to eat more at a time than she needs.

4) Never put your baby's bottle in the microwave. EVER.

5) All formula is regulated by the same FDA. Generic brands will save you a bundle and your baby won't know the difference.

"I Love You" Massage

We've been talking a lot lately about constipation--a lovely topic, I know! I promised to share with you what I call "The Jean Bryant I Love You" massage. This massage is another great, natural way to get things "moving." It can be especially helpful if you're out and about and don't have any other supplies with you.

Start by laying the baby down on a soft surface in front of you. On the bottom-right side of her tummy, lightly massage your way up to her ribs, kind of like making an upper case "I."

Then, starting back down at the bottom-right side of her tummy, massage up to her ribs, then across the top of her tummy, kind of like making a side-ways "L."

Next, start back down at the bottom right side of her tummy, make the "L" again, but this time, continue to lightly massage down to the bottom-left side of her tummy, kind of like making an up-side-down "U."

Get it? "I" "L" "U"
I Love You.
I thought it was clever. It makes it easy to remember.

Jean is our wonderful friend who also happens to work as an RN in the maternity ward at our hospital. She suggested this massage when Jack was "backed up" way back on "day 4" of his life. This, along with taking his little legs and making them "run" (just be easy, though) is a great, natural way to help babies who are too young for apple juice. A little water never hurts to try, either :)

Tips on Tuesday

It's Tips on Tuesday again! What's your tip for this week??

Here's my tip for this week. It's really several tips all rolled into one. Enjoy :)
This used to be my "Children's Museum" bag, but lately, I've been using this "pared down diaper bag" a lot. Here's why:
Before my son was born, I purchased this 2007 Vera Bradley baby bag. I don't recommend this particular bag, but, as you can see here, they've made a lot of improvements to the bag since the time that I bought it. That always happens to me. Ask me sometime about my Nikon Coolpix. The new Vera is really nice, though and if you're looking to spend a bundle on a diaper bag, this is a good one to get.

Tip # 1: REALLY check out a diaper bag before you buy.

After Bubby was born, we purchased this bag. I actually bought it to be Matt's "daddy" bag, but we ended up carrying it with us everywhere because the Vera was so big and bulky. If I had known how much we would use this bag, I would have gotten something cuter.

Tip # 2: Having a big bag and a little bag is really nice. I kept them both stocked with their own supplies when Jack was little and we were able to grab and go quickly and easily.
The grey bag would never do for my new baby daughter, so Matt's aunt bought us this pink version of it. Having 2 bags works really well, because Bubby and Boo don't always go to the same place.

Tip # 3: 2 kids = 2 bags I don't have 3 kids, so I couldn't tell you if you'd need a third with 3 little ones. My kids don't even go to the same class at church, so having 2 bags works really well.
I have to mention this bag, too. My sister-in-law bought us this bag when Boo was born. It's great because it's everything that my first Vera wasn't. Fits 4 bottles on the sides, plenty of room for 2 sets of diapers, plenty of pockets etc. for all my stuff. It's great for day trips or any time that I know I'm going to be out of the house for more than about 3 hours.

Whew, it took me a while to get to my actual tip. Again, here it is, the "pared down diaper bag." In it you'll find 1-2 diapers for Boo, 1-2 diapers for Bubby, a sample container of wipes that I refill, a baby wash cloth, a disposable paper mat, and a disposable paper bib. I can throw this, a bottle, and a formula dispenser into my purse and we're off! I copied this off my friend Melissa when she visited a few years ago. I throw it all in a bag that a set of onesies came in--it's great because 1) it's free 2) it's reusing and 3) it has a snap.

Tip #4: This bag works for going to the grocery store, the Children's Museum, the outlet mall, on walks, or anywhere that I don't want to have to deal with a big, bulky bag. If I know we're going to be gone all day, sometimes I'll take Jen's bag and this one and refill it as needed.

This works for me partly because I know my kids. They seldom spit up or go through their diapers, so I pretty much know that I don't need to take a chage of clothes. Also, we tend stay in town for as many of our needs as we can, so if things get really messy, we'd probably go home to clean up anyway. Anyway, this works for me!

Tip #5: It's okay to have a bunch of different diaper bags. If you think this is crazy, you should see my purse collection :)

1,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometime yesterday, my blog passed it's first little milestone. My "ticker" ticked off it's 1,000th visitor at some point yesterday afternoon. I'm thrilled! I would have never thought that we'd cross 1,000 visits so quickly.

So, congratulations to us. Whether or not you agree with everything on this blog, people are definitely taking notice. Here's to the first thousand and many more to come :)

Guest Post--Christy's Story

Bottle or Breast…YOUR choice is the best.

My name is Christy and I am a busy mother of four children. I have two girls and two boys (in that order) and they range from ages 5 ½ years old to 3 months. If you’re doing some math…that means I’ve been pregnant, nursing, or sporting a bottle for over 6 years. My story is not one in support of breastfeeding or bottle feeding but more one to urge you to do what is best for you and your family.

My first child, Jaci, was slow to take to nursing. She and I were new at everything and didn’t quite make the hook-up initially. I had some help from a lactation consultant after about a week and things improved. I had PLENTY of food for her and she quickly beefed up after dropping some weight. I refused to bottle feed her during that first week because I felt pressured to stick out the nursing. I was engorged, she was starving, and we were both in panic mode. Once we got things on the right track we didn’t run into anymore problems. That is, until I had to go back to work at 6 weeks. I decided I didn’t have the extra money to buy or rent a breast pump and truthfully I was embarrassed to nurse around other people and in public. I made the quick to formula bottles in a week (too fast to wean but that’s another lesson learned the hard way) and we never regretted it. We switched from formula to whole milk and vitamins at 10 months because she was too beefy.

My second daughter, Carli, was born 2 years later and was nursed until she was roughly 10 months old. While she would take a bottle she would have nothing to do with formula so I broke down and bought a pump. I pump to and from work in the car (yes, on the interstate) and during my lunch break. It was a miserable 9 months (I went back to work at 6 weeks again) but as a mother, I did what I needed to in order to have my baby healthy. We switched her to whole milk and vitamins at 10 months also. Mind you, with both girls they were off bottles when we went to whole milk.

Then came Troy 2 years later and he was quite a handful from the start. While I had quick recoveries with both girls I had an emergency c-section with Troy and struggled after returning home. We did not do well with nursing and I quickly developed mastitis. I was treated with four different antibiotics in the first three weeks and really struggled to keep things together. I wanted to nurse my new baby to build that bond I had with my girls but couldn’t even hold him to my shoulder to burp him because of the pain of my breast infection. So, we quit. Already in terrible pain I quit cold turkey (again, not something I recommend) and we went straight to formula bottles. He thrived, I healed, and the world was right again. I have no regrets. I went back to work at 8 weeks.

Now we have Luke, just 18 months after Troy, and he is a bubbly boy that loves his mommy and the bottle, too. I nursed him exclusively for the first 3 weeks and then began one formula bottle during the day. We are now at 2 formula bottles and nursing 4 times a day. This meets the demands of my work schedule which will resume in 5 weeks. I started Luke on formula bottles long before it was necessary but now can go on shopping trips, visits with friends, and lunches without having to worry about nursing in public. This has always been an issue for me!

I know there have been studies done that show breastfed babies are “healthier” than formula fed babies. I have no proof of that. In fact, my children have chronic ear infections and with the exception of Luke, have all had ear tubes at least once. Jaci had her first set at 11 months, Carli at 13 months, and Troy at 20 months has already had 2 sets. So…regardless of breast or formula if your child is going to get sick, it is in my opinion that they will.

Also, I know there are many people out there that argue that a mother is providing the best brain developing nutrients if she breastfeeds instead of formula feeds. My oldest daughter Jaci has been reading and doing basic math since she was 4 and my daughter Carli is already spelling basic words at 3. Does this mean bottles were better or breast was the influence? No. Parenting and proper stimulation is the influence. Paying attention to your children and giving them the chance to discover and be independent is the influence.

Lastly, I have found that it doesn’t matter if you bottle feed or breastfeed, a baby will sleep through the night on their own schedule. I was told a breastfed baby will take longer to do so but have not found that to be true. All my children have slept through the night by 4 months of age regardless of our feeding choice.

So, there you have it, my 2 cents. Feed your baby however you can. Feed them on a schedule, feed them an appropriate amount, and love them to pieces. You can’t hold them too much. Believe me…I have tried.

What kind of formula?

The three most common words to appear on this blog are....

anyone?? I need hands here, people.

Oh, wait. School doesn't start for another month and you guys are NOT my students :)

The three most common words to appear on this blog are....ASK YOUR DOCTOR!

Seriously, you need to ask your doctor about what kind of formula he or she thinks is best for your baby. My doctor recommends Enfamil Lipil. The stuff's expensive, but there are ways to get it on the cheap.

The first is to register with the company. The easiest way to do this is to register at Babies R Us, Motherhood Maternity--anywhere like that. They'll contact the company for you, and voila, free samples and coupons.

One way to score the coupons that's probably slightly less than honest is to pair up with breastfeeding mama and steal her samples. My lovely sister-in-law gets the samples and the coupons and she's generously shared them with me & Boo.


The best way to save money on formula, though is to join Sam's Club. You can purchase "a can and a half" of Member's Mark generic Enfamil formula for around $15. This is cheaper than even the Parent's Choice Brand at Wal-Mart. The great thing about gernics when it comes to formula is that they are all regulated by the FDA, so they are totally safe. Translation: Your baby gets the exact same formula (check the label, they're identical) for about half the price--sometimes less.

How do you save money on formula? Let us know!

Tips on Tuesday

It's Tips on Tuesdays again and I'm hoping for a little more "audience particpation" this time!! You are ALL great moms and I know that you are doing great things with your little ones--SHARE! If you don't think you have a tip to share, complete this sentence and send it in:

I'm an awesome mom because....

It doesn't have to really be "your" tip, either. I stole this one from a magazine last summer. Here's my tip, it's another Bubby-related one, but it will work for just about any age child:

If you have a crab, put it in water.

When the kids are fussy, get out the baby pool, bathtub, or, in this photo's case, the watertable. Heck, if push comes to shove, get out the garden hose. On a really bad day, we'll drive to my mom's and get in her pool. Let him make a play and mess--it's just water!! For us, water play = happy kids. The added bonus? Water also tends to make kids verrrrrrrrrrry sleepy!

What's your tip this week??

Poor Miss Boo

I hope that this post comes off as being less "advice-y" and more as "this is what we're going through" because those are my intentions--again, I'm not a doctor, and you should always talk to yours.

My little Boo girl (as we call her) is just not......pooping. There's just no nice way to say it. We've talked about how formula tends to bind babies up here, but I after those "day four woes," little Bubby never really had any problems. It's my understanding that bottle fed babies should, like most adults, should be pooping about once per day. Now, having said that, every one has their own "schedule," so please don't blast me if you only go once every three days or only on Wednesdays or something like that.

I was concerned about not being on a "pooping schedule" and about the fact that she wasn't going every day, but more than that, my baby seemed uncomfortable. She was fussier than usual. She wasn't enjoying tummy time as much. She just wasn't herself--and the longer she went without pooping, the worse it got.

Unhappy baby, unhappy mama :(

I could tell something was just not "right" with my baby. So I did what I advise you to do in just almost every post--I called my doctor........after I talked to some friends and I called my mom. And looked it up on the internet. Some friends had experienced similar problems and had success switching to a "gentle" formula. I had a sample of such formula thanks to the Money Saving Mom, and was all set to give it a try. But when I asked my doctor, his answer surprised me. He really wanted me to stick with my regular formula--telling me to switch to the gentle formula if I thought it was absolutely necessary, and even at that, only to use it for a month. His preferred method of "unbinding" my daughter was to use a little apple juice (about 1 ounce in 3-4 ounces of water) because he didn't want her to lose the benefit of the Lipil that's found in the formula--and pregnancy and breastfeeding supplements--that he recommends.

I've ALWAYS believed that if you bother to ask a person's advice, bother to take it. We've added an apple-juice bottle (again, one ounce of apple juice in 3-4 ounces of water) and that seems to be doing the trick. She's definitely more "scheduled" and my sweet, happy girl seems to be back.

More than anything, I think YOU will know if something's not right with your baby. If she skips a day every now and then--especially if you've just started cereal or introduced a new food, if she's teething, etc--that's probably fine. Sometimes it takes a baby a few days to adjust to a new experience. Best of luck!


Oh! Quick sidebar: How do I buy apple juice for my baby without it going bad before she can drink it all? Well, since Bubby doesn't drink apple juice (more on his eating habits later), I bought little teeny juice boxes. I can get about 2 days out of it before it goes bad and I can get 8 juice boxes for about $2. That's a better bargain for me because it will last for about 16 days--way longer than a huge bottle would.

A Surprising Statistic

According to Pediatrics, a medical journal,in their October 2008 issue, at 3 months of age, 61% of babies are formula feed exclusively. Of the remaining 39% of babies that are breastfed, approximately 34% are supplemented with formula.

A little math later, we have approximately 74 babies out of 100 receiving formula through a bottle for some or all of their nutrition after 3 months of age.

I guess this statistic shouldn't be so surprising. Off the top of my head I can name about 7 different bottle companies and at least 4 big formula companies, not to mention generics (we'll get to that later). Surely there wouldn't be that much stuff out there--not to mention all the advertising dollars spent for all that stuff--if there wasn't a market for it.

More than anything, I want to offer this statistic to any bottle-feeding mom who feels like a failure or feels like she gave up. I want to let you know that you're not alone out there. I know there were times after my son was born when I felt like (or was made to feel like) less of a mother because I didn't--couldn't--breastfeed. Breastfeeding works out really well for some families, and for others, it doesn't...and that's okay.

My husband found himself in a "battle of words" with a former friend this week. The woman said that she'd been to my blog and "disagreed with basically EVERYTHING in it." Clearly, she hadn't really read my blog that closely because I'm fairly sure that I never said that bottle feeding was better than breastfeeding or that anyone should give up breastfeeding to bottle feed--just that it was the only option for my family and that I wanted to offer support and information to other bottle feeding families becauseI felt like there wasn't much out there. This woman made us feel like if we couldn't breastfeed, we should just let our babies die of starvation. I'm sorry, but that's discrimination. It frustrates me that there are people out there who feel like if you don't breastfeed you're not as good as them--I guess it just seems like these are the only people doing the talking.

So, there you go--I bottle feed, my kids are happy, healthy, and loved. I'm not better or worse than anyone else. And I truly, truly hope that if I had been able to breastfeed, I would have never had that "I'm better than you" attitude that SOME (not all) people do.

Cow Appreciation Day 2009

Today's post won't be about bottles--but it will be about another thing I love.......free food!
Last year, Bubby and I participated in Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. You can check out our photos here. Basically, if you dress up like a cow, you can get a free meal--yes, sandwich, fries and drink--for absolutely free. Little did I know on Cow Appreciation Day last year that I was about to find out I was pregnant with my second little calf!!
This year, Melanie, our friend who's visiting from Germany, Matt, & Boo girl joined Bubby and I for fun, free food and festivities. We had a great time, scored some free food and got some really funny looks as we were driving.
The food was great and the service, as always, was impeccable. I have to say, we were quite the hit--especially Miss Boo in her "Next Year" cow onesie and cow ears with bow. Mel and I also sported cow wrist corsages. I am especially proud of my husband for getting into the spirit of things and dressing like a cow--complete with black nose! To quote Matt, "I look ridiculous. Free food, though. Free food." He also did a great job of protecting Jack from the man-sized cow wandering around Chick-Fil-A :)Ah, another great Cow Appreciation Day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a girl who REALLY needs a bottle.

Tips on Tuesdays

"Tips on Tuesdays" is a new idea for my blog. On Tuesdays you can post a comment or a link to your own blog with a mommy tip--it doesn't have to be related to bottles or bottle feeding, it can be anything that will make our lives as moms easier.

My first mommy tip is this:
Two year olds are tough. They're demanding, irrational, and can be really fussy and grumpy. Some days I'm a great, patient, sweet mommy. Other days.....I do the best I can. On those days when I'm feeling impatient or Bubby is extremely fussy and grumpy I put him in these overalls. It's really hard to be irritated with him when he looks so cute! My cousin said she does the same thing on "those days" with her daughter, only she uses piggies.

I love the idea of "Tips on Tuesdays" because regardless of how long you've been a mom--2 days or 22 years, you can share a tip with us!

Guest Post--Bottle Feeding Breast Milk

This post comes to us from my dear friend Carrie--yes, I have a friend named Carrie. When she first started attending our church I asked someone, "Have you seen Carrie?" The lady I asked looked at me like, "Oh, she's lost it." :) Anyway, this is Carrie and her precious girl's story. Enjoy.


During my pregnancy, I had every intention to breastfeed. It's natural, healthy, always available, and my biggest selling point – FREE. My daughter was breastfed. At least in the sense she did drink breastmilk, but she almost 100% received it in a bottle.

Carrie feeding her girl in the NICU

My daughter was born three weeks early via c-section due to low amniotic fluids and the fact she was breech. She ended up staying in the NICU for eight days in order to regulate her blood sugar the nurses and doctors wanted to record her intake every three hours. When a child feeds at the breast it makes it harder to record the nutrition in ounces.

I began pumping the evening she was born. I pumped every 2-3 hours for the next several days only to receive a few cc’s of milk. I would draw it up in small medicine-like syringes and have her drink it. I supplemented with formula for those first few days. At five days old, my milk came in. I continued to pump every 2-3 hours even at night and my daughter began taking breastmilk in bottles.

Breastmilk from a bottle.

I did try to breastfeed. The nurses did finally allow me to try in the NICU, but my girl wouldn’t latch on. I had very little success in the hospital, but I told myself it would easier at home. I would be more comfortable and I could relax a little more.

I went home continuing to pump about every three hours. By the time she was three weeks old I already had an abundance of “extra” milk in the freezer. At my peak I had 144 bags with 6 ounces of milk in each bag in the freezer. That equals to 864 ounces of breast milk.

I know the idea of pumping 6, 7, or 8 times a day can seem daunting, but in reality it wasn’t. My daughter was a breast fed baby who was fed like a bottle-fed baby. My pumping and feeding schedule for the early months 0-4 was as followed:

6 am pump and feed (pumped around 10 – 15 ounces of milk)
9 am pump and feed (pumped at least 5 ounces of milk)
12 noon pump and feed (pumped at least 5 ounces of milk)
3 pm pump and feed (pumped at least 5 ounces of milk)
6 pm pump and feed (pumped at least 5 ounces of milk)
9 pm pump and feed (pumped at least 5 ounces of milk)
12 pm feed
3 am feed

Pumping took between 10-20 min. I pumped between 35 – 40 ounces a day. My daughter never took more than 25 ounces of breastmilk in a day. That satisfied her. I know some will say that is not very much, but I could never get her to take anymore than 25 ounces. Bottle feeding only took 20 – 25 minutes. Many breastfed babies easily take 40 minutes to breastfeed at the breast. As you can see from my daily schedule I only pumped during the day. My body adjusted and produced more than enough breastmilk during the day to feed her for a whole 24 hours. Eventually the 12 and 3 am feedings became only one feeding and by around three months old the night time feeding disappeared.

I loved my breast pump. I would say it was the one manmade possession I couldn’t live without. I have the original Medela Pump and Style. It pumps both breasts at the same time.

I feel there are benefits to breastfeeding in a bottle. I like numbers and I like knowing exactly how much my daughter would eat. My daughter slept through the night long before the traditional breastfed baby. Dads can easily participate in the feeding process compared to traditional breastfeeding where mom is the feeding source 24 hours a day every 2-3 hours. I received a lot more sleep than the traditional breastfeeding mom. I also think sleep = good. I never had to try to discreetly breastfeed in public. I had a lot of soreness and pain after attempting to feed at the breast. I’m sure I was doing it incorrectly, but I had very little support at traditional breastfeeding. I did see a lactation consultant once at a support group. She didn’t approve of my “breastfeeding in a bottle" method. My mother (who gave up breastfeeding me at two weeks old and didn’t even try with my younger brother) thought I had the best of both worlds (breastfeeding and bottle feeding). Pumping wasn’t much of an option in 1982 (when I was born). Manual breast pumps were the only options and they weren’t very effective.

I continued breastfeeding in a bottle for 9 ½ months. She took formula in her bottles for approximately 10 weeks. I don’t know if “Breast is Best.” I have never done the research. I bet if we had a room full of grown women we wouldn’t be able to pick out the ones that were breastfed and those that were bottle fed.

Carrie & her daughter, Mother's Day 2009

Formula Woes

It's not all sunshine and roses with formula. If you'll check your can, regardless of the brand you use (more on that here), you'll notice that your baby is getting about 1.8 mg of iron per 100 calories of formula. I think you'd have to have a masters degree in mathematics to figure out how much that is in ounces, and how it compares to the 18 mg of iron found in a traditional women's multi-vitamin, but all I know is, it's a lot.

Your baby needs a lot of iron, but unfortunately, when your baby is getting that iron from formula, it's not always easy on the tummy. I've never claimed to be a doctor or a nurse, so please keep that in mind as you read on.

Since my babies were both formula fed from birth, I did notice a trend between them. When they're about 4 or 5 days old--and have been formula fed that whole time--they get a little, um, bound up. Both of my kiddos did right about day 4. All I can say is that it's sad and it sucks and they cry and they bring up those tiny legs and you can tell their tummies (and later bottoms) hurt.

With both my babies it lasted about a day. With weensies, it's hard because there just aren't a lot of options. For us, both times, pushing through that "day 4" drama and sticking with our same formula worked really well. I gave my babies a little water through a bottle and did the Nurse Jean "I love you" massage (more on that here).

Bubby never had any other problems with the formula binding him up again, but Boo ran into some trouble at about 3 months. At that point, a little apple juice (1 ounce in 3 ounces of water) did the trick nicely. My sister-in-law has also had good luck with cayro syrup. As always, talk to your doctor.

Yeah, I might be talking to you.

This post won't be dealing with bottles, but if you have a baby, know someone who has a baby, are getting ready to have a baby or are thinking about having a baby any time in the future, you may want to take a look.

My kids HATE their car seats.

Well, now that he's turned around, Bubby tolerates his car seat--as long as "Joy Joy" is playing (I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart--WHERE?). But the Boo girl, whooo boy! She does not like her car seat. Bubby didn't either until we turned him around. There are so many babies out there who love their car seats--who fall asleep as soon as that engine is running instead of screaming as though they were being chopped up into tiny little pieces......I've always envied these parents. Parents who don't dread car trips of any length, parents who can have a normal conversation in the car, parents who don't have to worry that if they were pulled over by the police the policeman would think that the child had been brutally kidnapped.

But then I started to notice something--a lot (and I mean A LOT) of babies are not being stapped into their car seats appropiately. Maybe that's why my babies scream and others don't--they aren't being securly buckled in.

Before we go any farther, I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "Maybe she's strapping those babies in too tight." Go here and look around. There should be no more than one finger width between your baby's collar bone and the strap.

ONE FINGER WIDTH.

I saw a baby the other day that I could get my whole wrist between it and it's car seat strap.


When Miss Boo was born I got cocky. This was, after all, my second baby. I knew how to use a car seat--I knew how tight to buckle her in. So, before we left the hospital, when the nurse asked me if I wanted to try to put her in myself, I was just sure I'd get it right. I'm a teacher, after all. I was going for the gold star. I buckled in my little princess good and tight for her first car ride and stood by proudly as the nurse checked my work. She smiled and said, "Good job. Better than most, in fact. But it's still not tight enough." I was flabbergasted. How could I have gotten in wrong?? I'd JUST read an article about car seat safety days before she was born. But it wasn't tight enough--and a too loose car seat is a risk I'm not willing to take with my babies. Their lives are too precious.

So what's the big deal?? According to CarSafety4Kids.com, one of three things could happen if a child is not properly stapped in:
1) The child may be ejected from the seat.
2) The child's body may contact something inside the vehicle causing severe injuries.
3) The child's body may slam into the harness straps causing internal injuries. If there is slack in the straps, the child will be thrown into the straps at the speed at which the crash occurred.

I guess my children's safety is worth a few tears!

**IMPORTANT**The information on this site is intended for educational and discussion purposes only. Please see a certified child passenger safety technican to ensure that your child is safely buckled into your car. Seriously. I might be talking about YOU.