Tips

Childproofing for your Creative and Adventurous Little One

To truly childproof you will need to think like your child. It is not enough to just install some plug blockers and doorknob covers. For little ones with less mobility and less personality this means you need to get on the ground and crawl around and see into what mischief you can enter. For toddlers and preschoolers you have to think about what attracts their attention and curiosity. Some things will be universal and others may be particular to your child. Perhaps shes an avid climber, or he is an aspiring chef. You may need to look-out for potential makeshift step-stools and other tools that your little genius will invent. My mother brought this to my attention in an email she sent me today. She writes:

“When visiting overnight, after 2-year-old Leelee goes to bed, I always want to peak in at her, she has a way of getting stuck and tangled in things.

A few months ago when they visited here, she slipped her body between the two pipes that make up the bed rail (top) and the bed base (bottom) of a youth bed but which didn’t have the netting attached after the last time it had been used. When I told her dad about it he said he had already seen her do that. I was so alarmed to see her stuck like that! She had been calling out (not crying) and they say let her “talk” it out and she’ll go back to bed. But she was wearing the bed rail like a flattened holla hoop with a bed attached. We pulled her out and thought that we could fix things so it wouldn’t happen again but it did: right away. Then we tied a bumper around those rails and she couldn’t do it. Then last week she got tangled in chords on the floor and something else got her foot stuck while she was playing in the bed room. I had bettered secure all the chords from now on.

But here’s the worst one: It reminds me of years ago when we were staying over your grandma’s. Hannah (about 2 1/2) and I had to share a bed (you had the other bed and Ida was in a pack ‘n’ play.) Then I woke up in the morning with the long tie from my nightgown tightly wrapped around Hannah’s neck! Sheesh! I told everyone about it so that it wouldn’t happen to someone else that way. Who would have thought about it? Earlier that day I had bought that nightgown and thought it was great. Later I tied it in back and went to bed. But then in the night the tie made its way from around me to around her neck. She was fine, a little surprised only when I woke her up shreeking in whisper.

What happened to Leelee was this. I was putting sheets on her bed and she had gone into the hall to climb on a stationary bike. She had managed to climb up onto a low flat spot where she could sit and straddle the bike, like she was riding it. Then she began to call out and I thought she was just frustrated with her new climbing spot. She would yell when she couldn’t get something to work and I saw her in my periferal, thinking, I’ll go help her down in a second if she doesn’t figure it out. Then I really looked at her and she had slipped her neck between two pipes that make up the handle for the stationary bike. They are separated just the width of a neck. About two feet up from where they start, they open up and become the handlebars, allowing her neck to drop in when she stood up on the flat spot. The thing is she wasn’t even sounding distressed, just calling for help as though she needed help getting down from a highchair.

Now, we are of course getting rid of that bike but are waiting for the soon-to-be yard sale. You can bet if anyone wants to buy it I”ll tell them to watch out for that. It should not go to a house with small children!

Please look around your house at everything you might have that is dangerous. Can you imagine that if Leelee had let her body slip off the bike and lost her footing (there was still a foot of room to lower herself before the floor). She could have broken her neck!

What made me think about it today was that all day on the radio I was hearing about the recall of drop side cribs. We still have two, maybe it’s okay to get rid of them and use the pack n plays. After all it’s just a visit at Grandma’s. Let’s hope a safe one.”

One of my son’s pediatrician’s once described Lex as a “moving target”. This analogy could not be more fitting, except for the shooting part. The aim that was hitting a bulls-eye last month or last year might not even land in the outer ring today. Childproofing is no different. Just because we ambitiously childproofed they home with Lex started crawling does not mean that it is any where near adequate for a four-year-old that knows how to start up computers, open up hot water faucets, and turn on the dishwasher.

Having said this, no amount of childproofing will substitute for regular adult supervision, instruction, interaction, and correction. Teach safety. Reward safe choices. Observe problem solving and attention-seeking behaviors. Regularly check on your little ones; as they grow they need more alone time, but they need to be checked on as well.

Advice for Traveling with Infants and Toddlers

When Lex was 10 months old we took him on a plane to see my in-laws (4 hours by plane non-stop, 1 hours by car). 1 month later, for Thanksgiving 2007, we took him to see my parents (another flight with 1 connection, 1.5 hours by car). Then for Christmas we took him to Disneyland (I should write an article about that); it was another flight, nonstop going and 1 connection coming back). After those 3 months of travel Lex completely stopped napping outside of a crib, drinking milk (EleCare formula, dairy allergy) during the day, and my wife was freaking out all of the time. Lex hasn’t traveled further then Costco for the 13 months since then. In March 2009 he gets his wings back as he and I are going to visit my family in Arizona again.

A Moving target

Looking back I want to tell myself that Lex was going to stop napping outside of a crib and drinking his formula except before bed anyway. As his pediatrician often reminds us, he is a moving target. This is true and therefore it makes it very hard to draw conclusions about cause and effect. I would just recommend that you keep this in mind first.

Circumstantial evidence

I really don’t want to dwell on what we did wrong. My wife and I agree that traveling every month for three months was the main issue. After the recent and many changes in Lex that I observed following Christmas 2008, during which we stayed home and had no visitors, I feel justified in saying that it is entirely possible that 13 months ago Lex really was going to change core eating behaviors and have a few hunger strikes whether or not we had traveled. What if I blamed his beginning to walk on the travel and the familial encounters? It would be just as logical. Don’t tell my wife I just said that.

What went well? Quite a bit!

Lex slept through the night almost every night that we were away visiting. Even in strange beds, pack-n-plays, surroundings, humidity levels, and environment smells, Lex slept through the night. He also napped very well, in his bed as he did at home. Lex was actually quite happy during the days. He didn’t complain too much on the airplane flights or during the latter long car rides. He played quite well and even tried different table foods and ate surprising portions of them.

Easing the stress of actual transit to and from

Reducing the stress that traveling can cause your little one will pay-off during transit, while at the destination, while sleeping, and during the recovery back at home. Here are list of the things we found most helpful:

• Toys:

  Bring some portable favorites and you must get some completely “new-to-him” toys as well. You don’t have to buy new ones, you could borrow or go to a thrift store! Clean them well if you do. Also a good suggestion is to hide away favorites a week or two before the trip then bring them our at dire moments and you will be so glad you spent some planning and preparation time on this. Only bring washable crayons and get the new triangle shaped ones with three sides to prevent rolling off of surfaces. Lauri makes a travel tote that includes some well traveling toys for toddlers.

• Snacks: Bring a variety and even some new ones. Consider candy. Traveling is already different enough that maybe the worst you will do is cause your little girl to think that she gets tasty candy if she travels.
• Nose Drops: Traveling often leads to dry air. I think it has to do with the air conditioning. Anyway, train you and your little on on these ahead of time. The “Little Noses” brand is very good.
• Ear Pressure Management: Swallowing is essential here. Delay a drink until descending is a good strategy and then help make it last. With a baby you can use a medicine dropper to serve up juice or his favorite electrolyte beverage.
• Pain Killers:Get one of those dosing syringes (Oral Medication Syringe 1 Tsp (5 Ml) with Dosage Korc). If you can get the one with the little blue cap for the tips you are set. Before large changes in elevation appropriate doses of Tylenol helped Lex be more comfortable.
• Books: Get some new ones if you can and bring some favorites. Really I can only repeat the same advice that I offered for the toys.
• Videos: Laptops make great portable DVD players, especially if you can get your video in file format and just run it straight from the hard disk without having to swap discs. I highly recommend this if at all possible, but I highly discourage video pirating. Don’t do it. Bad Kharma is not going to make your trip go better, that is certain. I really wish that they would start selling the file version of a video along with the video disc. I would pay extra for that!
• Carriers:
  

  My wife talked me into selling our Baby Bjorn and getting an Ergo Baby back when Lex was just 8 months old. I am so we did that! Ergo Baby does not market as well or have placement in major baby stores, but it is a superior product. During travel it is better then a stroller as well and in fact I think it safer and definitely lighter (if you end up hauling your little one in your arms regardless).

• Drugging: I had heard that a dose of Benadryl would help immensely during airplane travel. Well, it seemed wrong and I should have trusted my gut. We didn’t test this with Lex ahead of time. The drowsiness he felt while in the air just made him more upset. Some swear by this, but I don’t.

Our tricks for helping our little one SLEEP WELL in a strange place

With a lot of planning I think you can bring enough of home with you to help your little one sleep through the night. Let’s break this down in a list:

• Sight: get the light level as close as possible to that of his room. Think about the source of light as well position and brightness. You would be surprised how much you can arrange some furniture, closets, etc. in a hotel to make things more homey. My Lex is used to total darkness at night so we eliminate all glowing clock radios and we even bring our excellent room darkening curtains (from Wal-Mart, dark brown, not cotton, trimmed with some kind of beads, but the best room darkening curtains by weight/volume hands down) to help. And those 3M Command adhesives and their hooks with some clothes line can create a curtain rod anywhere you need it.
• Sound:

  White noise is a beautiful thing and it can be your ally. We got our son used to sleeping with a 1.5 hours long ultrasound recording of blood flow in the womb. We played it through an iPod and some portable speakers (I will try to link some products later for better reference). We brought this and then later we added a noisy air filter to help drown out other noises that were present in the new environment. A noisy air filter is and excellent tool as it replaces foreign sounds with a familiar one while it also cleans the surrounding air and encourages circulations

• Smell: We changed Lex’s crib sheets a few days before the travel and then we brought the sheet and pillow cases with us. We put these on his crib and we DEFINITELY brought his favorite bedtime props (including backups) such as down feather pillow, stuffed goat, and Gerber burping clothes. While away try to use the exact same laundry detergent for his bed linens and clothes if necessary. If not mandatory, don’t wash them.
• Touch: The same bed linens helped the bed feel like home. Also we event brought his little memory foam topper to help it feel even more familiar. Wearing the exact same bed clothing helped a lot too.
• Touch – Temperature:

  Temperature variances can cause huge problems for your little sleeping beauty. I highly recommend getting a remote thermometer setup for use at home and DEFINITELY while away visiting. These things are amazing and they will enable to you know the temperature near your little one without disturbing her sleep. You we feel so empowered and prevent disturbing sweaty wake-ups in a blink of an eye! Learn what your little one’s best sleeping temperature is at home and make that temperature happen while away. You will love the results, the sweet peaceful uninterrupted sleep. Also many of these report humidity variations as well, if you want to take environment control to the next level. Honestly, this is one of my FAVORITE “baby purchases” and I need to write more about it in another article. Do you and your little one a favor, get this and use it at home and on-the-road. You will not regret it.

• Taste: It goes without saying, but where possible try to make sure your have the brand of formula, juice, water, whatever. Even if he can’t have this all day, save it for night time. And of course bring his sippy cups and/or bottles.

Routine, routine, routine

As much as possible you should try to replicate your routine and rituals for bedtime, naptime, and meal time if possible. Not only will this help your little one know what to expect and feel more comfortable, but it should result in better sleeping and eating. It will also help retain these routines during a very exceptional time and in a very exceptional location. Even if you don’t have much of a routine at home, you probably do have certain things you do or say each time before these events and you should try your hardest to make these same things happen.

You’re not fooling anyone

I must say that in none of these “techniques” were we trying to fool Lex. We were trying to help a strange place feel more familiar and therefore contribute to a safer and more comfortable state of mind. I think all of this took more planning and very little execution while traveling. The pay-off was well worth it. Of course, getting your child used to these things so that you can use them during travel to bring some of home with you means that you may establish props and routines that you might have to sustain or wean from when you get home.

A sincere request

With my trip with Lex less than 2 months I would like to get as many suggestions as I can on how to make the trip easier on him and on me. Please leave any suggestions in the comments on this post. Lex and I will appreciate them all and I assume your fellow readers will do the same. Many thanks!

Baby, Infant, Toddler, Parenting Freebies

I have been hooked on FatWallet.com since 2000. Over the years it has probably saved me hundreds of dollars directly and even earned my at least a thousand through miscellaneous offers. Anyway, the value of FatWallet was never stronger than when we were preparing for Lex’s birth. I found a forum topic there titled “Baby Freebies” that was invaluable.

It seems that the topic was not maintained in the last year or so and so it fell into FW’s archives. Since I wanted to share it with you all I decided to revive it. Hopefully I will have the time to see it through to complete up-to-dateness; however, I expect that my fellow FatWalleters (and perhaps even some of you) might help build it back up.

Please check the new FW topic titled “Official Baby and Early Parenting Freebies Thread (revived)“. Already there is a list of at least 10 freebies for parents and parents-to-be to request.

Nighttime Routine Suggestion: Hum the Same Tune

Something about Japan that always puts a smile on my face is that many stores play “Auld Lang Syne” when they are closing. When my son was very young and I started to give him his nighttime bottle routinely I decided to augment his bedtime routine a little more by humming the same tune each time there was only one tune that seemed appropriate.

1.5 year later Lex’s mother and I still hum “Auld Lang Syne” to him as he drinks down his final bottle (yes, a bottle still, but it is his only one all day long, promise!). I’ve written about the miracle of routines, but this one is particularly miraculous.

Nighttime Routine Humming Switches Gears

At least once every two week Lex is over-tired or just plain cranky. I tell myself each time that even though he is jumping out of my arms just as we get his night-clothes on and reach for the bottle, that I should give the rest of the routine a try. As I start to lay him back on his “feeding pillow” and place a simple “burping cloth” over his forehead (other parts of his nighttime routine) I start humming “Auld Lang Syne”. Then, by the time I bring the bottle to his mouth, nine nights out of these ten cranky nights Lex switches gear completely and calmly drinks down the bottle. When done he immediately goes willingly to his crib and we don’t hear from him for the rest of the night.

Step Up as a Responsible Father

If your child has a nighttime routine that you don’t know 100% then step up as a responsible father. Learn it and reinforce it. If you feel the routine could be enhanced I recommend adding a hummed tune, possibly always the same one. We’ve had wonderful results. Lex was a terrible nighttime sleeper once, but now I barely even remember those nights and I partially credit the routine and “Auld Lang Syne”.

Should I Floss my Toddler? Sure, why not!

My wife started this many months ago when Lex showed serious interest in her flossing activities. She took standard mint-flavored waxed Johnson & Johnson floss and gently threaded it between some of his front teeth. Lex really enjoyed it. I think it was a combination of putting something new inside his mouth, having someone other than him putting it there, and the minty-fresh taste.

Establishing a Flossing Habit = Priceless

Now months later, if Lex sees one of us flossing he asks to be included through his usually extended hands, grunts, and tip-toe stance. It is too cute to resist and honestly why should I resist it. If I am gentle with the floss I am doing the the same great thing I do when I brush his teeth. I am helping create a positive habit. It may not actually clean his teeth much, but the lifelong benefit of establishing the habit is invaluable and she might enjoy it any way. And honestly, my wife has pulled out some scary chunks of meet a few times, so there is an immediate benefit.

Responsible Fatherhood Initiative

As a father trying to become just a little more responsible I recommend that you introduce this either as a discussion topic or as part of your child’s teeth cleaning routine. If it sticks you’ll have taken some great steps toward responsible fatherhood and if it doesn’t then at least you tried. I don’t recommend letting him play with the loose floss or the floss container (choking hazard and massive wasted floss warning).

The Mother of all Diaper Changing Secrets

OK, I was really getting tired of the out-loud cracks and definite unheard secret remarks regarding the number of wipes that I needed to change a poopy diaper. I couldn’t defend or explain why I seemed to always need at least one additional wet wipe and often more than my wife, mother-in-law, and pretty much any mother. I felt that maybe somehow I was always getting the worst and messiest offenders and they were getting all of the little tiny nuggets. However, the truth was that I missed their biggest secret.

Tip for Dad: Wipe first with the diaper itself!

Yes, that is right, those in the know of changing poopy diapers always use the diaper itself, regardless of how full it is to take the first and messiest swipe at junior’s little stinky present. Try it. At first it seems strange, but then you realize that your knuckles have never been better protected from this the messiest of swipes.

Motivating my daughter to eat healthy

With all of the sugar coated food the supermarket has to offer, will my two year old daughter ever eat brocholli? I’ve found that involving her in the process of buying and making the food makes all the difference. When she helps pick out the carrots at the grocery store, she is excited to eat them when dinner time rolls around. Also, we grow a small garden, and when she can watch the fruits and vegetables grow, and has to wait for them to mature, she is excited to pick and eat them. She was so excited about peas that she eats them shell and all.