Sippy Cups

We had our first scare of constipation this month. Its common for babies to go through a little constipation after starting solids. Bradley's first food was some organic avacados-which we both enjoyed eating. We then moved on to sweet potatoes and then pumpkin. Everything was going smoothy (no pun here!) until I started noticing he hadn't soiled a diaper in about a week! But this wasn't too uncommon since some breastfeed babies don't need to eliminate every day. You see, breast-milk is so efficient that the body absorbs all of it and doesn't have any left over waste. Baby may strain a little or cry but poop should be soft. Normally this is the case. However, this time he was pooping little rabbit pellets. Hope this isn't too graphic! ;) He would strain and cry and only pass about a centimeter's worth of waste. So, per the doctor, it was suggested to start him on 4 oz of juice per day. I said "Great! We can practice using our cup!"

Montessori philosophy does not condone the use of 'sippy cups'-these are cups that have a lid on them to prevent spills. By pouring a very small amount of liquid in a cup without a lid you are teaching the child hand and eye coordination and cause and effect. However, for this particular instance a bottle filled with 4 oz of juice did the trick. We still practice with our little cup by putting a bit of water in it. And in the bath he is always experimenting with cups.

I am still on a quest for a weighted glass cup (might just have to order one out of a Montessori catalogue). We have also experimented in just removing the lid on a sippy cup that has 2 handles. Ironically, he seems to like the one handle plastic tea cup better.

So are sippy cups bad? No. For me, I don't mind cleaning up a few dribbles of liquid here and there-or especially since were just practicing with water now, spilling isn't really an issue. It's important for him to see and do practical life just like mommy and daddy. He longs to pick up his cup just as he do and take it to his mouth to chew on. I feel that sippy cups also encourage an "on-the-go" lifestyle-which we are not. I don't like to see kids drinking out of sippy cups and eating fast food in the back seat.

Getting ready for Spring!

This morning I saw over 9 doe and fawns in our backyard. I couldn't help but smile since I knew spring is upon us. I am a big advocate for a clean home and natural products. But how does one clean with natural products without spending lots of money? Don't get me wrong, I love supporting such company's like 7th Generation, Shaklee, and Arm and Hammer, just to name a few. However, I found that making my own was just as easy. So, without further delay here are my tested kitchen and laundry recipes:

Homemade Dish Soap

8 cups water

1 cup grated Dr. Bronner's Castile bar soap . I used peppermint becuase I like the way it smells. I have also used almond lemon. FYI: a few drops of lemon will make it an disinfectant.
(see substitution option below*)

Essential oil (optional) When I get my hands on some, I am going to start adding Thieves' oil which acts as an ANTI-VIRAL disinfectant--aka flu and cold fighter!

Put soap flakes in pan and add water. Set stovetop to medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Once soap is dissolved, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool. If using essential oil, add 10-15 drops before soap hardens. Pour into a reusable dish soap bottle.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 quart Water (boiling) (that's 32 oz if you are metric-minded)
2 cups Bar soap (grated) *8I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Bar soap. This can be found in health food stores. about $2-$4
2 cups Borax (found in the laundry aisle for under $3)
2 cups Washing Soda (also found in the laundry aisle for under $3)

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed. I did this step in a large bucket that can be bought for $1 at Lowe's.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel). I covered the bucket with plastic wrap for about an hour and voila! Perfect gel that I could pour into my old laundry detergent bottle.

So, how much does the break down to per load you ask? About .06 cents. Store bought will run you anywhere from .25-.75 cents.

My Toy Top Picks for 0-6 Months

I remember the day we brought home my son Bradley from the hospital. I won't lie, that first week was rough. At the hospital he seemed to sleep and sleep. But then something happened the 5th day or so (all a blur now) and he wanted to nurse every hour at some points. One night it seemed like as soon as I put him down he was crying out of hunger. I felt my breast and I was dry out of milk! Now what? Should I try and supplement with formula? I'm holding him and he's crying and I'm feeling so helpless so I start to sing. I couldn't think of any catchy nursery rhymes so I stat to sing "Silent Night" which was weird because it was July but maybe its because I just so desperately wanted a silent baby and a silent night. I learned a lot about supply and demand in those weeks. If yourbaby is hungry your body will produce. I actually heard once that a baby's cry can actually stimulate mother's milk and cause let-down (the process in which the milk starts to flow). I held off using a pump for at least 8 weeks too since I was advised that breastfeeding is the best way for encouraging milk production. So we breastfed and we did it often. After all, he was almost a 10 lbs. hungry baby boy! After about a week or so my husband and I found ourself saying "He's slept, he's eaten, and he's been changed (in that order. I will come back to this later), Now what?" How could we enrich our son's life during these first few weeks of his life? He was an observant baby from the beginning, opening his eyes often and looking into our faces.

By 3-4 months, right around the time of the first social smile I started introducing soft books to him. I remember that he would sit on my lap and immediately clasp his hands together as if waiting in anticipation for me to read to him. Now, 6 months later, he will bat at the pages, but soon get bored and want to stand or do something else. How I long for the days when he will ask me "Please mommy? Will you read me another book?"

....

My top picks:

1. Soft Books

My favorite are the Begin Smart books. They come in hardback or soft books (like the kind baby can drool on). What I liked about the 0-6 month series is they kept my son's interest for the duration of the book. The infant stimulation book was especially good in showing contrasting colors and shapes. We would read the books for free at Barns and Noble to determine which ones worked before we bought. Because sometimes no matter how much you want them to like a particular book, they just don't.

2. Musical Instruments

As soon as the baby can hold object in their hands give them something that makes noise! I love implementing music into our son's daily life. For example, during tummy time (which we started the second day he got home from the hospital-maily because I was a new mommy excited to play with all of these new toys!) I would play some classical music in the background. Tummy time would last as long as he was happy. Now, at 6 months, he enjoys playing with his maraca (shown in photo) and a jingle bell. Both toys are meant for older kids so its important to only provide them with these toys during supervised play. The maraca actually said for ages 2+. I looked everywhere for a rattle that wouldn't be too heavy and that he could easily grasp the handle. I just happened to find this maraca in a toy store, Brilliant Sky (and I have also seen some at local music stores).

3. Wooden Toys

Maria Montessori believed in simple organic materials for children's toys. She would have scoffed at plastic toys and 'busy lights' and sounds. When I'm out looking for my next Montessori development toy I am looking for something that safe, practical, and natural. Wood is a great material and is light weight and fun for the little one's to chew on. I found a great line of products that specialize in wooden rattles, Montgomery Schoolhouse. Right now he enjoys shaking the rattle and chewing on its edges. In the center of the rattle there are moving parts that look similar to a abacus. This is supposed to help the child go from a hand grasp (grasping things with the entire hand or that 'pawing' or 'batting' approach) to the pincher grasp, which is something the Montessori emphasizes. The pincher grasp is very useful in the future when it comes to self-feeding. Another toy, that really isn't even a toy, is a wooden comb. I give it to him while I am brushing my own hair. He mostly looks at it with awe and drools on its wooden teeth.:)

4. Cups, plates, and spoons

I am a huge fan of self-feeding. Hand any baby, who has the holding thing down, a spoon and watch how he/she naturally put it to their mouth! Bradley enjoys eating his pretend food while we have dinner. And now, at 6 months, we are starting cereal. We take turns here. Most of the time its a fight because he grasps the spoon and puts it in his mouth. The goal here is to get most of the cereal in his mouth :) Finding a spoon can be difficult since most spoons are too long r too heavy for baby. Choose one that is all metal or mostly-metal with a rubber tip (they love to chew on these). The metal adds some nice weight and makes it easier for baby. I found a nice set of plates, tea cups, and utensils. He enjoys watching mommy drink from the teacups while saying 'yum yum yum'.

5. Flash Cards

I am always on a quest for flash cards that are short and to the point. I like the pictures to be real-life or practical looking. For example, I don't need a lion wearing a safari outfit and driving a car. We really enjoy the touch and feel flash cards-they are to the point and Bradley gets really excited to feel the different textures. Its important to say the word clearly for baby and even run your finger under the word as you say it. It gets them to associate the word with reading. Another project we have been doing is making our own flashcards. I noticed Bradley staring at a wedding photo of my husband and I that was hanging on the refrigerator. So taking very large close-up shots of family, pets, and common household items-printing the word on it and then laminate. There are some nice electronic versions of this for the ipod/iphone such as "Baby Signs" (sign language cards) or "Baby's First Words" flash cards. However, at this age, all he wants to do it touch and drool on my ipod.

Different Direction for 2011

As my friends and family may know, my blog in the past has been a fun way to stay in touch, various recipes/my passion for food talk, or my former personal yoga business. Although I still cook and bake my personal yoga business is slowly starting to fade out for the time being. It was disappointing at first not being able to find a good market for yoga in the Jacksonville area. However, with my new full-time job as 'mommy' am feel like I am fulfilling my true inner-self. I still practice yoga for myself and my son but as for Erica Harris Yoga.com I am closing down the site.

With that said, I am turning to a new direction for 2011. In my efforts to keep all things simple in my life I have been doing a lot of research on the Montessori method. Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of practical information for the modern montessori mom. I feel like, as mother's, we need to take charge and go back to simplicity. I will address this in this blog by talking and sharing about topics that I am a passionate advocate for: 1. Breastfeeding 2. Organic Food 3. Montessori Method

6-Months, makes for sweet nostalgia of yesteryear

Bradley will officially be 6 months this week. One of the hardest decisions was when to start solid food. The doc said he was ready at 5 months. However, after just a few days I felt like his digestive track wasn't ready as he was getting sick after each meal. So, now that the 6-month is approaching we are carefully trying again (with success this time). We knew it was time when we couldn't keep his hands from reaching for our plates, he was sitting up unsupported, and when he started feeding himself imaginary food from his bowl and spoon. During meal time we have him sit with us with his play dinnerware set as we eat delicious food and he eats, well, air. He politely 'chews' with his mouth closed and stares with amazement at all of mommy and daddy's food.

We have been trying to incorporate a lot of Montessori methods into our daily life, and self-feeding is one of them. It was tricky finding cups and plates that were of the perfect size and weight. Most children's spoons are too heavy or too long for them to maneuver. Also, most cups (such as a teacup as we have) are too heavy or far too large requiring the child to use both hands which defeats the purpose. Maria Montessori would have suggested using all glass. However, being a modern mom I just found some 'weighted' BPA-free plastic ones. He is especially good at using the teacup, probably because he sees mommy chug down a cup of coffee every morning.

Another way we have implemented the Montessori technique is by putting emphasis on wooden toys. We found a great toy shop, Brilliant Toy's which have educational toys and a large selection of Montessori-type toys. He got him a wooden baby rattle which he is happy to chew on and hold. Soon the small pieces, similar to a abacus (on the rattle) will be even more intriguing to him. I like how a lot of the toys like this grow with him.

We started doing some early learning programs as well. Another fellow mommy has started her own company that places such emphasis, Foundations Early Learning. We rotate daily with flashcards (some store bought that are straight to the point and some self-made with real photos of Mommy, Daddy, and other family members), Brillkids Little Readers Program, and Baby Signing Time DVDs. He usually is only interested in about 10-15 minutes. As this age, he mostly enjoys direct one-on-one contact such as singing, signing or talking. "If you're happy and you know it" still wins every time with a smile or full-on belly laugh.

The Psychology major has really come out in me as I research early-learning techniques and the modern Montessori methods. I say modern because too rigid is just impracticable. Maria Montessori, for example, didn't believe in infant seats or swings. However, Bradley can only take about 10-15 minutes of tummy time before he is frustrated (he is currently in the scooting stage). So, small durations in the swing or doorway jumper is perfect while mommy is preparing dinner. Another life-saver has been the Ergo Baby Carrier so that I can get some housework done (or fitting in those ever-so-small wine shops).

Last night was a time of reflection as we went through old photos of birth pictures to present. He's getting bigger and taller every day! He's now up to 20 lbs. WOW. We often think, what was life like before Bradley? Seems like so long ago, even if was just a mere 6 months ago that I was sitting on the beach, huge belly, being asked by strangers if I was having twins. :P