A few posts I love from the past week:
Storybook Puzzle Blocks @ Mother Lode
Dr Bronner’s as pesticide control @ Care 2
Homemade Diaper Cream @ Crunchy Chicken
Important Sunscreen Info @ Enviromom
31 Monday May 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedA few posts I love from the past week:
Storybook Puzzle Blocks @ Mother Lode
Dr Bronner’s as pesticide control @ Care 2
Homemade Diaper Cream @ Crunchy Chicken
Important Sunscreen Info @ Enviromom
18 Tuesday May 2010
Posted Baby Products
inQuite honestly I have no idea, and the thought of a surprise pregnancy right now is enough to give me the hives. But Julia Ladewski, author of Work Wife Mom… Life! handles it with aplomb. She gave Green Baby Green Mama the scoop on what it’s really like with two kiddos under two. (Thank you Julia!)
Just days before my daughter turned 1.
Days before my first Mother’s Day.
The day before my daughters first unassisted wobbly steps.
I had a feeling and took “the test”. At work. I had the gut feeling and I couldn’t let it rest.
Upon seeing that 8 letter word written so clearly across the digital reader, I wrapped the test up in a tin and tied it with a bow. My Mother’s Day gift to my husband.
While I loved being pregnant and I would’ve gotten pregnant 9 months ago, it was still a surprise. I couldn’t believe I was going to be a mom of 2 under 2.
Two under two. Yikes.
Initially, the thought of having kids so close together seemed, well, practical. I mean, I’m used to the newborn stage, we have clothes, and cribs and bibs and bottles and everything else. The older child will have only been an “only child” for a mere 20 months, so hardly a chance of feeling “spoiled”.
And then, it hit me. 2 in diapers. A 20 month old in a bed so the baby can have the crib. A still very dependent toddler and a newborn. The thought of potty training? Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into??
(Sigh.)
And as 16 months have passed since the day I became a mom of two, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I quickly learned that as the baby grew, I could get them to take an afternoon nap at the same time. That was a relief just to simply have an hour (or two) to rest and have a little peace and quiet.
We transitioned from a crib to a bed at the right time. At 18 months, my daughter was sleeping in a toddler bed. She hadn’t gotten so attached to the crib that we couldn’t break her from it. 18 months was a great stage to really make her feel like a “big girl”. While we broke the bottle habit and one year old, I think this age again provides a great opportunity to show the toddler that babies are for bottles, not big kids. I’ve seen three-and-a-half year old kids still using a bottle because the parents didn’t have a reason to take it away when the child was younger and as they got older, the transition got more difficult.
Two in diapers wasn’t a huge deal for us. You’re already changing one diaper… what’s one more? The key for us… cloth diapers. Saved us tons of money. And no, the “extra” laundering wasn’t a big deal.
When baby napped or had floor time, it was a great opportunity to do crafts with the toddler, or have special one-on-one time. I also enjoyed reading bedtime stories to both of them together. Bath time is another event that is great when they can do it together. I would also set up my toddler’s meal and have her sit down to eat while I nursed the baby. That way she was occupied and didn’t disrupt our nursing time.
Having kids close in age takes some creativity. A lot of killing-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of things. And patience and love. But what Mom doesn’t need those two things?
What tips and tricks do you have for managing a toddler and a newborn?
Don’t forget to subscribe for more great guest posts!
01 Saturday May 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedHere are a couple of articles from the past week that I found interesting:
Have a great weekend! xoxo
28 Wednesday Apr 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedIsn’t my little helper cute? Last week when it was nice and sunny we planted a few of our Summer garden seeds. Right now we have 6 pots with kale, broccoli, radish, and a few other veggies that (hopefully!) we will get to eat if its not a huge failure this Fall!
Any gardening tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you Dinner Garden for the seeds!
29 Monday Mar 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedSome signs your child may be ready:
(source: building better families 2007 parent pages handout from pediatrician)
Many parents start potty training gradually before any of these signs are shown. I started potty training my daughter as soon as she showed an interest in the toilet, around 12 months old. She has been slowly but steadily potty training herself ever since. We are not completely there yet, but I’m pretty confident that she will be self potty trained by her second birthday. (She is 21 months now.) The average age to be potty trained is 2 years for girls and 2.5 years for boys.
How did you know your child was ready to potty train?
25 Thursday Mar 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedCongratulations to comment number 20 – Melissa – who subscribed to the Green Baby Green Mama blog. Please send your mailing address to lilgreenbaby at gmail dot com so we can ship your book!
Thank you to everyone who entered! A special thank you to Rebecca and Joy at Green Baby Guide for helping parents go green and sponsoring this giveaway!
*Even if you didn’t win you can still get your copy here.
20 Saturday Mar 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedHave a great weekend! See you Monday!
xoxo Green Mama
10 Wednesday Mar 2010
Posted Baby Products
inI recently had the opportunity to review a great book written by two of my favorite bloggy Mamas: Joy Hatch and Rebecca Kelley, authors of the popular blog Green Baby Guide. The duo have just released their first book – The Eco-nomical Baby Guide.
The Eco-nomical Baby Guide is truly a must read for any new Mother who is concerned with the impact of having a baby, either financially or environmentally. Chock full of advice and resources for both – this book is destined to become a reference for each stage of baby’s first year.
From the book:
Buy your copy of The Eco-Nomical Baby Guide.
You can also win it!
We are giving away one copy of The Eco-Nomical Baby Guide!
Mandatory entry:
1. Become a fan of Green Baby Green Mama on Facebook. Leave a comment below with ‘Green Baby Green Mama – Your Name’.
Additional Entries:
2. Tweet “I want to win The Eco-nomical Baby Guide from @lilgreenmama and http://www.greenbabyguide.com at http://bit.ly/babyguide ” You can tweet up to 5x per day and leave a comment here with each permalink.
3. Become a Facebook Fan of The Green Baby Guide. Leave a comment here with ‘Green Baby Guide – Your Name’.
4. Subscribe to The Green Baby Guide.
5. Subscribe to Green Baby Green Mama’s blog.
6. Sign up for Green Baby Green Mama’s email list.
A winner will be chosen March 24, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. All entries will be check to ensure validity. Winner will be randomly selected using random.org. Please include your email with every entry. We will email the winner of the prize, who has 24 hours to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed then we will pick another winner.
We will not share your email address with any third parties.
A special thank you to Green Baby Guide for giving me one copy of their book to review and give away.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for more great giveaways!
06 Saturday Mar 2010
Posted
in UncategorizedA few interesting green reads from this past week:
Have a great weekend! See you Monday! – Green Mama
03 Wednesday Mar 2010
Posted Baby Products
inSubscribe to Green Baby Blog so you don’t miss a thing!
Keeping your baby’s closet organized is no small feat. I have certainly struggled with this and I am not proud to say that there have even been outfits that she never even got to wear before they were too small! Does this sound familiar?
The other day as I was struggling to find room to hang her clean clothes I just thought about how ridiculous it was. Here is how I am attempting to control the madness:
That’s it! What works for you?
This Works for Me!