Just Sharing: The Yellow Wallpaper.

Photo courtesy of: isabel@isabeltalsma.com and deviantart.com

I thought that as a side note to my recent post about Postpartum Depression I would link to a great short story about the topic.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper in 1891 after suffering herself from depression. After seeking advice from a physician she was told to, "live as domestic a life as far as possible," to "have but two hours' intellectual life a day," and "never to touch pen, brush, or pencil again" as long as I lived". The cure, known as "the rest cure" drove her crazy. Gilman said that she "came so near the borderline of utter mental ruin that I could see over".

It's a great story and I hope you'll give it a read if you never have before - and of course if you ever find the time.

The story is a little disturbing but as Gilman put it, "It was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy".

Here is the link to the story but if it fails you can always find it somewhere online.

The Organic Toy Box.

I'm on the fence about organic toys. I guess if you have the money to spend, might as well air on the side of caution but is it really necessary to pay the extra money for an organic toy? Unlike food that we ingest, toys are just for play. I think the makers of these products are cashing in on new parent paranoia and our ability as affluent first-world consumers to spend a ton on the best products for our babies.

That being said, unlike older children who use their toys for their intended purpose, baby toys do spend a lot of time in the mouths of our little ones. So I do feel better when Babe is gnawing on an organic toy. Or at least one that I know isn't covered in lead paint.

Surprisingly Babe (at only three and a half months) is already quite pleased with her first bath toy. She loves his squeaky noise and soft squishiness and she giggles when I squirt water on her tummy. This Lanco rubber duck is made with natural latex rubber, is hand-painted with non-toxic paint and is biodegradable. It's eco-friendly; PVC free, BPA free and Phthalate free.

These dandelion organic rattles are really simple but really cute. The stuffing is filled with fibers made from corn. They are washable and feel like a soft washcloth - perfect for Babe to gum on. One rattles and one squeaks and the duck has crinkly hands, always a hit with Babe.

This doll made by Peppa is one of my favorites. The dolls are made of 100 per cent cotton which is dyed with AZO-free dye and they are stuffed with sheep's wool. The company claims the wool absorbs scents easily allowing the toy to pick up familiar smells such as home or mommy. They can be easily washed and have no parts to choke on so Babe can suck on it all day. The toys are fair trade too. Mostly I just think it's cute.

Babe loves this elephant rattle that she got as a present from her grandma. It's made by Franck & Fischer and is made with 100 per cent organic cotton yarn. It's washable and safety tested. Babe can easily hold onto this toy. In fact, it was one of the first that she could hold and she can shake it really well.

Wooden toys and teethers are all the rage right now, but I have some lingering concerns. Considering how porous wood is are wooden teethers really safer than plastic for drooly little babies? I would think that wood could harbour a lot of bacteria. But according to the companies that sell wooden toys and teethers the untreated wood is naturally anti-bacterial and non-toxic. There sure are a lot of cute wooden toys out there for kids, but I still prefer plastic teethers that have passed Canada's Consumer Product Safety regulations or toys made from silicone or non-toxic rubber for younger babies. Also wooden teethers are a little hard for my liking. Not necessarily for the mouth but for accidental bonks to the head by uncoordinated little hands.

And last but not least - everyone's favorite: The Sophie Giraffe. I've nannied for years and I swear every baby has one, and now Babe has one too. At $20 it's fairly expensive for a teether/baby toy but the price hasn't stopped everyone from buying one. I gave in and bought one too because I figured instead of buying a bunch of cheap plastic teethers I'd be better off buying one high quality, completely non-toxic toy. Sophie is cute, made from 100 per cent natural rubber and coloured with dyes made from food. She has lots of little nubs for Babe to chew on and best of all - she's tried and tested - having been around since 1961.

This Sucks: another sucky symptom of breastfeeding.

My boob is shrinking. And no, I don't mean boobs plural. I mean boob - singular! I think I'm losing the milk in the one.

It took awhile for my milk to come in after Babe was born. Probably because I had a cesarean. After a few days I caved and supplemented Babe with formula because she was losing so much weight. I also started taking Domperidone (a medication that increases lactation) to get my milk flowing and I rented an electronic pump from the hospital.

Eventually my milk came in, Babe was latching well and all was fine.

Until I woke up one morning and only one breast was full of milk - and twice the size of the other. Uh-oh. I thought in my exhausted haze I must have mistakenly nursed only one side all night. I really don't know what happened, maybe that was it. But for all the extra feedings I directed at the small breast it never fully recovered. And as the hours turned to days Babe became less and less interested in nursing on the "runt boob" and finally began refusing it altogether.

So I took up pumping the runt. And drinking a ton of nursing mother tea, which contains Fenugreek (a herb purported to increase lactation). But it was too late. While milk shot from my other breast like water from a hole in a hose, it would only occasionally drip from the runt. I would pump and pump and not even cover the bottom of the bottle. This lack of production combined with the embarrassment of my now lopsidedness (as if a new mother doesn't have enough body issues to contend with) drove me to seek out help from our local health nurses.

I didn't get the answer I was looking for. Instead I was told that it's quite common for a woman to have one breast which produces less milk. Sometimes one will dry up completely.

I thought, SHIT! I'm only a few months in and this tit is quitting on me? This is a team effort guys. How is one breast supposed to tow the line? How am I supposed to walk around town with my extra 20 pounds and uneven breasts? They don't even make bras that come in a B and C cup, do they? Do I buy both sizes and cut them up and sew them back together as a lopsided pair? Then do I try to sell the reverse pair on Craigslist or something? If this is such a common concern of breastfeeding moms maybe I could start a business making and selling two cup size bras.

But I wasn't ready to accept defeat. Haven't I sacrificed enough? I still had half a bottle of the Domperidone so the nurse said I could try taking that again.

It seems to have worked a little. I have more milk in the runt than I did before and they're getting closer in size again. Now Babe will nurse for a couple minutes on the runt before she gets frustrated. I'm trying to always give her the small boob before she gets the big one.

I tell her she needs to eat her raisin before she can have her melon. It's a new rule in our house.

Seashell Slide Decoration.

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is low tide walks on Hornby Island. I like finding Moon Snail shells at the edge of the water. The broken ones are cool because the inside spiral is so smooth and shiny. I imagine they are tiny slides for tiny sea creatures. When I was pregnant I put one aside to make an ornament for Babe.

I was originally going to use Guatemalan Worry Dolls for the children on the ornament but while hunting for some in my favorite antique/junk store I also found these little white angels.

I had envisioned a mexican style ornament with the worry dolls. But I couldn't find any dolls that had outfits that resembled bathing suits so I decided to just paint the angels. And rip off their wings. I hope breaking the wings off plastic angels isn't terrible karma.

I painted bathing suits on the no-longer-angels and painted water down the middle of the slide (inside of the shell).

I then painted some flat toothpicks brown and broke them into tiny pieces to make the ladder, which I glued on the side.

I finished it up by threading some string through the center, gluing the children onto the slide and hanging a teardrop bead off the bottom.

It's a cute ornament for Babe's bedroom, Christmas tree or whatever and it was super easy to make.

Just Sharing: The Still Face Experiment.

So I have been attending this baby bonding group that is hosted by Reproductive Mental Health at Women's Hospital. It's a good way to meet other new moms and learn about the importance of positive interactions with our babies and healthy ways of dealing with the problems that new mothers face i.e. frustration, exhaustion etc...

At last week's class they played a short video called the Still Face Experiment by Dr. Edward Tronick which demonstrates how babies are directly effected by our moods. The video shows how easily a baby can pick up on our emotional cues and how these cues influence their mood and behaviour.

After watching the video you can sadly picture how damaging a lack of love and stimulation could be for a child. It's a really interesting video. Check it out.

Best Buys: stuff we like.

So Babe is now three and a half months old and I thought I would just quickly make a post about some of our best buys i.e. things that have saved us at some point so far.

Toys.

This is Mr. Rat a tat tat. Babe loves him, I don't know why. We get a lot of strange looks when we're out for our walks with him. People don't think a rat is a very cute baby toy, but Babe doesn't care. I got it at Ikea for under five dollars.

Nature Bear. I think it's actually called Fisher Price Peaceful Planet Soothing Sounds Bear, but I call him Nature Bear. I bought this bear almost 10 years ago for the baby I knew I would have one day. I'm not sure if it is still available but I know most toy stores sell a version called a Sleep Sheep which comes in a travel size as well. Both are great. Nature Bear also has a little light on his tummy which completely mesmerizes Babe.

The Lamaze caterpillar is a big hit with Babe. She can stare at it for ever and loves to suck on his legs. He plays music, rattles, crinkles and has different fabric colours and textures. And on the flip side are measurements like a yard stick. I also use it to prop Babe on her side when she is laying down. I think they are about $25.00, not sure.

Toys on a string that vibrate when pulled. Babe loves them and they are pretty cheap. Possibly the best buy yet. Babe used to hate the car and having someone sitting in the back with her pulling on the vibrating toys was the only way to keep her quiet. This bee was $9.00 and worth every penny.

Books. Hard. Cardboard. Books. We read to Babe every night and she really enjoys it. These baby books are always on special at local bookstores.

Bedroom.

I wouldn't get any sleep without our Angel Care monitor. The monitor has a sensor pad that lays under the mattress and senses Babe's nocturnal movements. If she stops breathing the alarm on the monitor sounds. For a paranoid mom like me the monitor lets me sleep in peace. Some people say these types of monitors are more trouble than they are worth because they sometimes sound false alarms. I haven't had a false alarm yet. And for me I'd rather have a few false scares than the alternative. I nannied for a family that had one a few years ago and ever since then I swore that I would buy one when I had a baby. Absolutely wouldn't trade it in for a regular monitor. It's expensive though - I paid $150.00.

Also the frog. It's the cheaper version of the Twilight Turtle. I can't remember what company makes this but I bought it at Walmart. It plays music, nature sounds and a heartbeat/white noise sound. And it also projects stars onto the ceiling. Babe loves the white noise option and watching the stars. It turns itself off after about 10 minutes. It cost usabout $25.00.

The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. After the first few weeks Babe wouldn't sleep in her bassinet or her crib. She would only sleep beside me. While I loved having her close I couldn't use the Angel Care monitor I mentioned above if we were sleeping in the same bed. Plus I didn't sleep as soundly if she was in bed with me because I was worried about smothering her. So I searched Craigslist and found a family that was selling their co-sleeper. It's the best. Babe thinks she is in bed with me but being on her own surface allows me to use the sensor pad. She is still close enough to reach out and touch or roll over and feed in the middle of the night. And if I have to pick her up and bring her into bed with me I can do so without disturbing her too much. It also saved us space because there wasn't enough room for three of us in the same bed. I loooove this thing. Babe hardly sleeps as it is and my life would be crap without it. It also converts into a playpen. I bought mine used but I think they are about $200.00 new. Prices vary by model.

Babe looooooves this Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium. It attaches to the side of her crib, plays music and water sounds, lights up and the fish swim. It's really soothing and Babe can stare at it for quite awhile. Even though she isn't sleeping in her crib yet I do use it as a safe place/playpen during the day and the aquarium buys me time to make lunch, throw in some laundry etc. Definitely a good buy, especially since ours was a gift. I think they run about $60.00.

The Butterfly Baby Head Support Pillow is an Anti-Pressure Pillow and was a gift from friends. We actually don't use it in Babe's bed but we do put it under her head during the day when she is laying around on the couch or the floor. It's supposed to decrease the pressure on the back of baby's head which helps to keep that pesky flat spot away. Hey whatever works. My doctor told me we only have the first five months to keep Babe from getting a flat spot and that if she got one the special helmet or whatever that fixes it costs $5000.00! I'm sticking with the pillow. Again, I don't know that it is safe for sleeping. Babe doesn't use it at night. I don't know what it costs.

That's it for now. In another few months I'll post our new favorite items.

Happy Valentine's Day.

I was hoping to make some cute Valentine's Day crafts for Babe but of course I have no time to do it. I guess I'll have to save the ideas until next year.

So today I'm just posting a couple pics of Babe in her Valentine's Day sweater. It was a gift from my aunt and uncle in Alberta and I saved it for today.

We went out for dinner tonight and Babe was entertaining a big table of couples. They loved her. One of the couples gave her a long-stemmed red rose.

And here is a Valentine's Day present from Grandma. It's two little jewelry boxes. One that will hold a lock of her hair and one that will hold her first tooth. I've seen many versions of these all over but I loved this one with the little horse and carriage design. How cute is it?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Recall Panic.

photo courtesy of Bumbo.

As a nanny I used the Bumbo seat and I always thought that it was great. So of course I wanted one for my baby.

They are so expensive here in Canada but luckily my girlfriend who lives in the states got me one for a baby gift.

I have been so excited to try it out. I've just been waiting for Babe's neck and back to get a little stronger. The product recommends waiting until three months and now that Babe is three and a bit months I've been sitting her in it for a few minutes each day. I keep my hand near her head for support because I think three months is a bit liberal and parents should probably wait a little longer. My baby still isn't strong enough in the neck and back to sit in it alone or for longer than a couple minutes. But in my opinion it's great for older babies.

However the other night I was searching online to read what other people said about starting to use their Bumbos and I found out that they had been recalled in 2007. Here is a link to Health Canada's recall info (2008).

They were recalled after babies were injured from falling out of the Bumbos and off of high surfaces. Parents were placing their babies in the Bumbos on counters and tables. I've been in restaurants where I have seen this occurring (the Bumbos on tables, not babies actually falling out - they aren't dropping like flies at restaurants across the country).

So should I panic and try to unload this thing on an unsuspecting parent via Craigslist? No. I'm happy with mine and I'm looking forward to using it more.

I think it is important to be aware of any risks associated with a product but it is also equally important to realize that many of the injuries associated with this product are the result of improper use and inadequate supervision. As with anything we purchase for our children it is our responsibility to be informed on its proper use, its ingredients, its restrictions etc...

It is important to know that babies can wiggle out of the Bumbos and fall. Because of this risk Bumbo states that the seat be used only on the ground. The company chose not to install seat belts or other restraints on the product and merely recalled the seats in order to place a warning sticker on the chairs.

Maybe I'm being too judgemental but it never occurred to me that the chairs would restrain a baby. All you have to do is look at the thing to know it isn't restrictive. It has no bloody straps or ties people! I certainly wouldn't have placed a baby I was babysitting on a counter while I made dinner and I didn't need a warning label to tell me that.

I think recalls need to be taken with a grain of salt. Baby products and practices change so quickly almost everything that was once made for babies has been recalled or changed. RIP walkers and drop-side cribs.

It's not just products. Up until last year swaddling was highly recommended. Books like The Happiest Baby On The Block touted swaddling as a saving grace for cranky babies and exhausted parents. But when I delivered Babe three months ago the hospital had signs everywhere warning against swaddling and our health nurses are now saying it increases the risk of SIDS. I still swaddle Babe at our doctor's recommendation (she didn't even know about the new swaddling rules).

And vaccinations - what gets combined and what gets given when, is constantly changing.

Recalls are a good thing. Certainly products that pose a significant risk even when the directions are properly followed should be taken off the market. Remember the poisoned baby formula? Or all the toys that have been painted with lead?

But recalling every item that ever caused an injury is over the top. There are children all over the world playing with all sorts of "dangerous" things. I bet there are thousands of kids that at this very moment have rocks in their mouths.

I'd wager a bet that waaaay more children crack their skulls by falling off playgrounds than out of Bumbos. Does this mean we should tear down all the playgrounds. Maybe our kids should just sit in the middle (because the middle of anything is the safest) of the school yard playing with foam pool noodles. But I bet somewhere a kid strangled himself with one of those. And they certainly can't play with balls. Those things are deadly! Recently a Toronto school banned them.

What is this world coming to?

We've become a society of overly indulgent, overly paranoid parents. And we've been so inundated with warning signs that we almost don't think for ourselves anymore. Using the Bumbo, just like any other product, requires a little common sense.

In the past I used it to allow a baby to sit comfortably and engage easily while we played with older siblings on the floor, not as a device for strengthening weak muscles or as a high chair.

Although the Bumbo is no longer under recall and still available there is information that indicates that babies have been injured recently and while using the seat on the floor - again because they can wriggle out and fall over. So maybe don't sit it on a hard floor either? Or just make sure to have an ice pack in the freezer.

If it turns out that the seat is dangerous even when used properly then I guess it'll go the way of the walker - but it would be a shame. All of the proceeds generated from the South African product go to the care and support of under-privileged children.

If you are still worried about the Bumbo's track record the nearly identical bebePod seat has safety straps.

PS: On a side note, doesn't it look like they took the hair off a guy in a shaving cream commercial and glued in on a baby in that photo? That baby has a lot of hair.

Amber or Wood?

Babe has started teething. Don't get too excited. There aren't any little white buds bursting through. Teething can be a long process. She drools everywhere and is chewing so hard on her hand that I'm afraid she may gnaw it off altogether! She is also so uncomfortable that she is waking up every hour or so throughout the night, which I'm not enjoying.

So I went out in search of an amber teething necklace. Now, I am very skeptical about the effectiveness of this little accessory. But what the hell? I'll give it a go. I am however mildly concerned about the safety of these necklaces.

The necklaces are supposed to work by releasing Succinic Acid from the amber into the skin. Succinic Acid is used in various medications such as sedatives and antiplegms. There is a lot of doubt that this seepage is even possible (here's a great blog post about this) never mind at all beneficial but parents all over the world swear by it and amber has been used medicinally for hundreds of years.

I was mostly concerned about the safety of having a necklace on my baby. It seems a little foolhardy to put any jewelry on a baby, especially a necklace, which could pose a choking or strangulation hazard. The amber necklaces usually have a knot between each bead to prevent it from exploding beads all over the place. And the clasp is designed to break before it chokes. Still I wouldn't leave it on an unattended baby and I also wouldn't leave it on all night.

When I went to buy one today two things happened: First, I found an amber anklet for Babe. This immediately relieved my fears of strangulation. Yay! And if it does break while I'm not looking, an anklet is further away from her mouth than a necklace is. This extra distance might buy me a few more seconds to notice the disaster before Babe gets the beads into her mouth. The second thing was that the store I bought it from was also selling Hazelwood teething necklaces, which I've never heard of.

Amber Glow Teething Anklet

Apparently Hazelwood absorbs excess acid through the skin. People use these necklaces for ailments such as eczema, heartburn and migraines, and baby ailments such as diaper rash and teething.

I couldn't decide between the two so I bought both to try. Here is the website for the brand of Hazelwood necklace that I purchased.

Both types of necklaces are designed to be used 24 hours a day and according to the seller's websites the more of it that is in contact with the skin the more beneficial.

Pur Noisetier Hazelwood Necklace

I however will not be leaving either one on Babe for 24 hours. Partly because I don't think it's safe for her to wear them while we're sleeping and partly because if they do in fact work I'm uncomfortable with them emitting anything into her skin in large amounts or over long periods of time. Just because it's natural does not mean it is safe!

Breaking the 24 hour rule may mean that I won't see the benefits that other parents have seen, but I'll let you know how the trials went and which I prefer.

If you've tried either and found success or failure post a comment below.