What the jicama?!

On a recent visit to my sister and brother-in-law's house, we lined up our three kids for lunch. My brother-in-law, an excellent cook and avid foodie, laid out a variety of foods in front of my daughter, and my niece and nephew, including long slivers of jicama. I watched S with amusement, knowing jicama was not going to fly with my picky eater.

S exclaimed, "apples!"--which, by the way, she also sometimes won't eat--and bit the end off one of the jicama slices. Crunching slowly, a look of betrayal washed over her face and she started fake-crying until I extended my open palm beneath her mouth. So long, jicama.

This isn't a new move for us. S has rejected a number of other foods in just the same way, including blueberries, carrots, and--get this--french fries. What toddler doesn't like french fries??

"Fine," I said. "Focus on your sandwich." That's my current game plan: trying my best not to make mealtime a battle, hoping that one day S will be more adventurous on her own. But I couldn't help but watch with envy as both my nephew and niece--3 and 5 years old, respectively--gobbled down their jicama, and their peaches, and their deli meat, and more. Beside them, S looked bored as she poked at her pb&j.

So, I have to ask... why me? How did I end up with a picky eater? My husband and I both love a variety of foods--and lots of it. So how did we end up with someone who most certainly does not?

I know that it's part nature, sure. But I also fear that we went wrong somewhere along the way. S used to be in a very low percentage on the weight charts and so we bent the rules, letting her return to the table after getting down and letting her snack on the go. Plus, we hedged our bets with what she would eat more of--piling more noodles than broccoli on her plate. We don't worry about her weight as much now, but along the way, we've created some habits that are hard to break.


So what does S eat, you might ask? Well, she definitely has specific tastes. She likes oatmeal with honey, cottage cheese with kashi cereal on top, lo mein noodles, watermelon, bananas, and of course, the usual toddler fare like chicken nuggets and goldfish crackers. Her favorite, though? Burritos. I have to admit, I got the biggest rush of mommy pride the first time I saw S eat a burrito the size of her head. Amazing.

But everything else? Not so much. So I guess we need to keep trying. In fact, the experts say you need to introduce a food at least seven times to a child before they decide whether they like it or not... but I'm a bit lazy, and that's a whole lot of jicama.

Starting solids

Ah, the magical time in an infant's life when they get to try solid foods. Parent’s first glimpse into the minefield that is Feeding Your Kid. Also known as the third item (behind breastfeeding and sleep training) on the list of things about which parents like to judge each other. Our baby girl is starting solids this month and boy does that bring back memories.

Mommy says rice cereal is good for my complexion

The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend only breastmilk (or formula) until 6mo. In 2005 they changed their position to state that complementary foods could be introduced between 4 and 8 months, depending on the particular infant. If you ask the internet when you should start to feed your baby solid foods, you will be given the conflicting advice to either start between 4-6 months or wait until after 6mo. Also, if you don’t start before/wait until after 6mo you are ruining your child, you heartless monster.

We started our older son on solids shortly after 4mo. Our pediatrician recommended it, our son did fine. Around 5mo I attended a “make your own baby food” class at a breastfeeding resource center near my home. Out of around 15 parents there, I was the ONLY one who was (or who had admitted to) starting solids before 6mo. During the introduction portion, when I said we had started solids at 4mo on the advice of our pediatrician, the guy next to me actually laughed. At me.

WOAH there, Daddy McJudgypants. Who, by the way, has brought 10 month old baby McJudgypants to a class that runs from 8-9:30 pm. Oh yes, I went there. I am not only a better parent than you, but also a better parent judger. You may be a heartless monster but I am a better heartless monster.

See how quickly these things can escalate?

I was really upset after this class, both by the jerk next to me and because this really hammered home for me that no one knows what the heck they are doing. With the exception of a few key issues (e.g. don’t shake your baby) we are all making this up as we go along. As a new parent, I wanted a definitive answer about everything. What do you MEAN I have to decide if I am ruining my child by letting him cry or by not letting him cry? How am I supposed to make that decision with no experience and everyone giving conflicting advice? What if I make the wrong call and then I am the heartless monster?

How am I going to justify my parenting decisions when someone accuses me of doing the wrong thing?

I have to say that for me, it is only with the luxury of time and experience that I have gained the confidence to brush off implications that I am making parenting mistakes. It was great for me to watch our friends with kids make different parenting decisions than we did. What do you know, their kids are fine. Huh. Perhaps the mom who lets her kid watch a bit of TV to unwind isn’t a heartless monster after all. Twenty-five years ago my mother in law mixed rice cereal into her babies' bottles the night they came home from the hospital. She loved her kids just as much as I love mine. I expect in another twenty-five years our kids will be advised to feed our grandbabies only avocado mixed with space-seaweed starting at 13.5 weeks exactly. These decisions are important, but we can only do the best we can with the information we have at the time.

My advice to new parents* is do the best research you can, and then go with what you think is right. You are the only one in charge, and if you are actually worrying about these things chances are you are doing a great job.

Besides, the people who question your decisions probably only let their kids play with gender-stereotyping toys and don’t buy organic grapes. They are totally heartless monsters.

*please humor me and pretend you asked

The Laptop Lunchbox

I recently purchased the Laptop Lunchbox for Little C's daily lunch. The Laptop Lunchbox comes inside of a case which looks very much like, well, a laptop case, complete with a zippered front pocket and long shoulder strap. The case is insulated, which keeps lunch from spoiling when left at room temperature. The actual lunchbox pops open and contains four individual containers, sized appropriately for child-sized portions. Two of the boxes contain lids and are perfect for storing yogurt or soups. The other two containers do not have lids. I worried the food inside these boxes would spill, however the lid of the entire box fits tightly, so contents inside stay put. There is also a small container for dips, dressings, or spreads. The Laptop Lunchbox comes with a stainless steel knife and fork, as well as a 12 ounce water bottle.

The Laptop Lunchbox is reusable, recyclable, and dishwasher safe (top rack only). The containers are BPA and lead free. The Laptop Lunchbox kit, which contains the lunchbox, case, water bottle, and a user's guide, ranges in price from $36.99-$39.99. Although this is more expensive than other lunchboxes, the Laptop Lunchbox eventually pays for itself since it reduces the need for individually pre-packaged food, which is generally more expensive than buying in bulk. The reusable containers also eliminate the need for disposable plastic containers or plastic bags, thereby reducing waste that winds up in a landfill.

The small containers inside the lunchbox are also sold individually, which means we can replace the containers I will inevitably lose, without having to re-buy the entire lunchbox kit. My daughter is nineteen months old and the Laptop Lunchbox is perfect for packing her lunch and snacks for daycare. I really like the small containers because it helps determine an appropriate portion size for a child.

Should you purchase a Laptop Lunch kit, you will receive a user guide, which contains nutritional information, recipes, and tips for packing fun, creative lunchboxes. The user's guide is slightly sanctimonious in tone, preaching the importance of substituting tofu for ground beef and eating a plant-based diet. Despite the subtle self-righteous tone throughout the book, the user's guide does contain helpful information regarding child health and nutrition.

Thus far, I am pleased with my daughter's Laptop Lunchbox. I ordered the Pink Passion kit, which is adorable and makes packing lunch somewhat enjoyable. While washing the containers is certainly not my favorite daily task, I remind myself washing containers is better than creating lots of trash every day. The Laptop Lunchbox is available at http://www.laptoplunches.com/ and Amazon. If you pack a lunch for your little one every day, I recommend giving the Laptop Lunchbox a try!

Family Eating - Take Two

Here are some more ideas that you can hopefully add to your repertoire. At first glace, all these things may be a little bit "nursery," but I think we've found some ways to make them a little bit more interesting for the grown-ups as well.

• Mexican: I love tacos, but I just feel like they require way too much chopping and way too many bowls...yes, I'm the laziest person ever sometimes. So I've tried to simplify. To my ground beef (or chicken), I'll add a can of diced tomatoes, frozen corn, and some black beans. Everyone gets more veggies and I just have to open things! Since even kids will eat iceberg lettuce, I always serve that along side with a dressing made of thinned out sour cream, avocado, and a few spices (kind of like a green ranch...you can use the Good Season's packages for the dressing on lazy days - most days!). I drizzle the sour cream on the tacos too. My 10-month old just gets the meat and veggie mixture, plus the avocado.


• Soup: As I mentioned before, my kids won't eat soup, but will eat everything in it. And in the winter, I can easily make a pot on the weekends and then have it for later in the week. Minestrone is good with zucchini, white beans, and kale - make it with beef broth, pancetta, and red wine and it is especially hearty. Chicken broth plus noodles (or barley if it works for your kids), plus lots of carrots, peas, and celery is very kid friendly. They get the veggies, protein, and starches picked out of the soup. If it's a pureed soup, I'll pull some out for them before I blend. With some bread and a piece of cheese, it's a decent meal. Although my kids haven't fallen for the trick, a lot of kids will "drink" soup out of a cup or suck it with a straw as a "warm" smoothie.


• Pizza: We make a lot of homemade pizza these days, as it's always a crowd pleaser. I try and buy the whole wheat crust. My husband likes his with sausage and ricotta. I like yellow pepper rings. I typically slide a layer of spinach underneath the cheese. During the weekdays, you can make quick mini pizzas using naan or English muffins. On pizza night no one gets salad or extra veggies...I figure homemade pizza, that's virtuous enough.


• Macaroni and Cheese: Not from a box. I promise (although we do eat that often enough. I like to reserve the boxes for lunch. Even when I'm lazy, I feel obligated to cook for dinner). I'll typically make a mild cheese sauce myself and then mix with the small shells or any of the mini-pasta shapes...as those are the most similar to the ones in the box that the boys like. My husband I will crumble feta or blue cheese on top and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. It makes it surprisingly sophisticated. Last week we had it with peas (mixed in) and roasted purple cauliflower. It looked like a Dr. Seuss meal, but it was a hit.

One more day of tips (add yours to the comments!) and then some favorite recipes.

The "Fun" with Food

We've been lucky - S has always been a pretty good eater. We've had our ups and downs, but she's at least tried most things we've put in front of her. She used to eat like a house (no pun intended.) now she is mellowing out in her consumption amounts. She'll still try new things, but we've learned putting them to the front of the meal is our best bet - usually in the 2nd slot. Give her something tasty and familiar for the first course and then on to the new item, which may or may not be summarily rejected.

And as a 15-month old, she is now in the land of exerting her will. If she doesn't want it, she is most certainly going to let you know it - either with an emphatic shaker of her head, a swat of her hand, or an out and out "No." So, really, she doesn't leave you guessing. When she's done, she's done.

Unfortunately, we've also come into the "let's throw food on the floor" time. Despite every attempt to tell her "No" (forcefully, gently, you name it) she thinks it's a game, breaking into a huge smile when you tell her no. She'll happily eat, but when she hits a certain point, it's all about how much can be mashed into little pieces and then systematically dropped on the floor. It really used to bother me (though thank god we have hard wood floors- I couldn't imagine carpets!) but this weekend we've made the decision to just ignore her, hoping the novelty of the reaction will wear off.

Moms - are you running into the same thing? Any tips or tricks?

Mealtime Madness

Since we began feeding Marlo solid foods around 5 months, there has not been a food she has tried that she didn't like. For breakfast she had organic french toast sticks dipped in apple butter with a side of strawberries and oranges, for lunch a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on multigrain bread) with a side of cottage cheese, for dinner we had pieces of chicken with avocados and beets on the side. I like to think that is a well-rounded day of eating for a 13 month old!

My problem is not getting her to eat, as she eats a lot. My problem (one of them) is the absolute disaster area that is left after every meal. She is a mess, I am a mess, and our surrounding area is a mess. 

mid-scream after a turkey dinner
conditioner was applied

About 3 weeks ago she started to throw her food. I took this first as a sign she was done, but no, it just seems to be something she likes to do. And my girl has an arm on her. From her highchair that is attached to the kitchen table, she can whip food on the floor around her up to about a 5 foot radius. It isn't something that she gets amusement out of either - she doesn't throw her food and then laugh, she throws it and then looks at me with this look that says "yes mother, I like to throw my food. Now you clean it up and deal with it and let me express myself..."

As you all know she wears a helmet, and around mealtime I like to take it off and let her head breath for a few minutes. Another reason I like to take it off is because Marlo has a habit of rubbing her food on her head. That's right, it's like she is putting VO5 hot oil on every meal (not that I have ever done that :). So if her helmet is on, it gets all over her helmet, which isn't easy to clean...BUT, if her helmet is off, it gets all up in her hair. This she thinks is hilarious. She gets her hands all fooded up and then puts both hands on the side of her head, and closes her eyes and rubs away with a big smile on her head. I am guessing it feels damn good to her...who knows. 

Click at bottom of post to view video

Another problem we have been dealing with for months now is her feeding our always-begging-for-human-food-dog Ellie from her high chair. When it is mealtime, Ellie is right there sitting at her side, and Marlo is happy to give her scraps. Now, she isn't dropping it on the floor for Ellie, she is actually holding out her hand with food in it, so that Ellie licks her hand and eventually gets the food. Again, this is high comedy for Marlo. So, I am constantly saying no! stop it! and cleaning off Marlo's hands, but occasionally the dog-licked hand goes in for another piece of food and makes it into Marlo's mouth. Which should gross me out more than it does, but I guess I am used it by now.  

And then there is the screaming...whenever we are out to eat as of late she is constantly screeching just to hear herself and get a reaction from us. Also considered very funny to a 13 month old. 

And finally there is the dropping of the sippy cup. She takes a sip and either bats it off the tray with her hand and sends it crashing to the floor, or holds it out in her hand, looks at me with that aforementioned look and drops it on the floor. Fun game for everyone but Mama. 

I end up being a mess due to the food thrown at me, the hands wiped on my pants, the milk dripped on me, and the hands in my hair when I bend over to pick up the mess on the floor. 

Maybe I should get her a job in a salon as a shampoo girl. 

Click here to view this video

No Bottle for Baby!?! Help!

by Mama G

This is a plea for help!  If it does not work, I may never be able to leave my son for more than 3 hours at a time!  (And the thought of that makes me very stressed – Mama needs some time out with the girls.)

The problem is four and half month old Baby C has stopped taking a bottle.   He’ll take the plastic nipple into his mouth, take 3 or 4 sucks, and then realize it’s not the real thing.   This is when he lets his displeasure be known by writhing, flailing and all-out screaming.

It wasn’t always this way.  Baby C had his first bottle at 3 weeks old, courtesy of his dad.  I had done all sorts of reading about breastfeeding and bottles before Baby C’s big brother was born, and 3 weeks old seemed like the magic number.  Not too early so as to cause any nipple confusion, but not too late, when the baby has become more set in his ways.  It worked like a charm the first time, so we figured why change anything the second time around.  Unlike his big brother, who was somewhat reluctant to take the bottle at first, Baby C took to it right away.  I did some pumping each day, my husband did a bottle each night, and I felt a huge weight off my shoulders.

Then life got in the way.  With a highly active 20-month old and a newborn, there just wasn’t much time for pumping.  It was just easier to breastfeed than bottle feed.  Somehow, one bottle a day became one bottle every other day and then one bottle a week.  Without really noticing, suddenly it had been several weeks since Baby C’s last bottle.

Now I am desperate to re-introduce the bottle.  Any other mom’s out there who’ve had success at this?  Please share your story.  I’m ready to try anything at this point!

The other option is to forgo the bottle altogether and go straight to a cup.  My toddler’s sippy cups just seem so big though, and I am having a hard time imagining how that would work.  If you started your baby on a sippy cup early, do you have any recommendations for brand or type?

I’ve got dinner with the girls on the calendar for December 11th and would like to have peace of mind that Baby C will get some milk, from any source except my boob, if needed!

If You Give a Toddler a Cookie...

by New Contributor Mama S

We stared at each other from across the dinner table.  For the past 20 minutes my daughter had been switching emotions at a speed that in an adult would probably be the hallmarks of some sort of bipolar disorder, but that I have learned are quite normal behavior for a 2 year old.  “Hannah,” I said, “if you want a cookie you have to finish your dinner.”

We’ve never really been desert people, which is probably why we’ve gotten this far without ever encountering this standoff before. Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I both like sweets, but not in a way that we crave them enough to have them on hand. If they’re there, we enjoy them. But we generally don’t have them around. So it’s not from any tooth-saving philosophy that my daughter has had limited exposure to them. She’s had ice cream on the Cape, and oatmeal cookies, and I’ve had a stash of organic lollypops on hand to keep her occupied in the cart as I dash through the supermarket. But they’ve never been a part of our daily dinner routine.

This past week though, Grandma came to visit. And one of their activities was baking cookies together. Sugar cookies. With orange icing (for Halloween). So now we’ve found ourselves with a Tupperware bin full of these (admittedly, awesome) cookies long after Grandma’s departure.  We’ve been having them after dinner the past several nights and with the exception of one meltdown early on when we had to explain that one cookie was enough we haven’t had any problems. Until tonight.
We had pasta for dinner; something I can say without hesitation is her favorite food.  She’s been known to ask for it for breakfast. But tonight she ate about two pieces of bowtie pasta, put down her fork, raised her hands triumphantly above her head and exclaimed, “all done!” and then “I want cookie.”

Snazzy Sassy Feeder Bag

Sassy Feeder Bags

I just have to share how much I (we) love our Sassy Feeder Bag. What is this contraption you ask? Well I will tell you!

This unique little doodad allows your baby to taste and eat fruits, veggies, you name it without the worry of choking. You just cut up whatever food you like, shove it in the bag and twist on the handle and the baby sucks away at the foody goodness. We have mostly done just fruits (peaches, pluots, bananas, watermelon, apples) but you can really stick anything you want in there.

It doubles as a great teething soother as well if you put frozen things in there (we have tried frozen watermelon).

I do have to mention that it usually ends in a big sticky mess (especially with watermelon and juicier fruits) so I just usually take off whatever Baby M has on and let her go to town and get messy. It is terribly fun for me to see her face when she tries a new delicious fruit and becomes a crazy mess.

The great thing about this version, made by Sassy, is that in the top part is a little built in ice pack thing that you can stick in the fridge so that it keeps the food fresh when traveling with it.

Weaning

This is probably the least interesting topic on this board, but I swear it has promise! Part of your life is about to be returned to you! I was a happy breast-feeder for 13+ months, but I was very happy to be done. I was working full-time and I was more than happy to say good-bye to my pump. Here are some quick steps to an easy weaning experience.

• Take it slow. It took me about 2 1/2 months to go from breastfeeding/pumping six or so times to a day to being completely done. I was petrified about getting mastitis, so I gave my body plenty of time to adjust. I dropped one nursing session a week. If my body still felt full during the time of my dropped session, I'd wait an extra day or two (e.g., the nursing session I dropped was at 3 pm and my next session was at 6 pm, if I couldn't make it to 6 pm comfortably, I'd wait a few more days before dropping the next session).
• Shorten sessions before dropping. This is harder to do if you're actually nursing vs. pumping, but it still can work (consider feeding your child before you nurse and make sure there is a cup of milk ready when you pull them off). If you normally nurse or pump for 10 minutes, start by shortening the time nursing/pumping to 8 minutes. Drop 2 minutes each day until the session is only a minute or two. Depending on how long you typically nurse, it might take a week for you to get down to a minute or two. You can go ahead and start dropping a new session at the end of the week or stay as is for another week, giving your body extra time to adjust. I found I didn't need to shorten the sessions when I was still nursing/pumping 4 times a day, but once I was down to just 3 sessions, it felt more comfortable to shorten before I fully dropped it.
• Provide your baby with other entertainment. It's easiest to drop the mid-day sessions first, because typically you can distract your baby during that time - a fun activity, a special food, or even just a bottle of regular milk or formula. Just keep things moving and don't give them any indication that nursing is nearby - that is, keep your shirts on ladies.
  
• Feel free to keep nursing just one or two sessions for a while. If it's easy to nurse your child to sleep or you like the comfort of early morning nursing...do it. You can easily do those two sessions for months and wait until your child loses interest. When you're ready to drop these particularly snuggly sessions, be sure to be extra patient and provide lots of extra soothing. Even if your child is taking a sippy cup during the day, you may want to provide a bedtime bottle for a few extra weeks just to make the weaning process easier. I was able to transition without the use of a bottle...two days in a row we had late dinners out (shocking, I know) and my son fell asleep for the night on the way home. After that, we just gave him a sippy of milk at dinner and called it a day.
  
• Cabbage leaves and ice work. So do tight bras. Cabbage leaves in the freezer are even better. When you get to the point that you're ready to drop the final session, go as long as you can. When you feel really uncomfortable try to hand express some milk in the shower or pump for just a minute or two to relieve pressure. You may need to do this occasionally over the next few days to fully finish the process.
• Enjoy your energy. I felt a HUGE surge of energy in the days after I fully weaned. And I never gained any weight. I think if you take the process slow, your body adjust. I'm convinced that when I nurse, I store fat for the winter...at least that is what I tell myself.
  

Here is a sample schedule:

Week 1: Nurse/pump 6x a day
Week 2: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 5x a day.
Week 3: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 4x a day.
Week 4: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 3x a day.
Week 5: Shorten mid-day session by two minutes each day. At the end of the week you should be only nursing/pumping 2x a day.
Week 6: Continue nursing/pumping 2x a day. Begin using cabbage leaves and ice.
Week 7: Shorten one session by two minutes each day. At the end of the week you should be only nursing/pumping 1x a day. Continue with cabbage leaves.
Week 8: Continue nursing/pumping 1x a day.
Week 9: Shorten last session by a few minutes each day.
Week 10 and on: Pump ONLY when you feel uncomfortable.
When you're done: Celebrate. With a BIG drink. Burn nursing bras, pumps, etc. Cry at state of your boobs, but celebrate the fact that at least they are yours again.

More information here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/

Eating Peas in Style (Chicco Hook-On High Chair)

Last weekend we introduced our daughter to solid foods, and therefore were finally able to use the Chicco Hook-on High Chair I received for my shower back in October. A lot of things I registered for I wish I didn't (Fisher Price Zen Rocker, the Ergo carrier), and there are somethings I regret not registering for (the list is too long), but this high chair has been a truly pleasant surprise!

I originally registered for it while we were still living in our small condo in South Boston, where we didn't have any room for a normal sized high chair...or for the three of us and dog for that matter. We are now in a much larger house, so I toyed with the idea of getting an actual high chair, but figured I would give this one a go first.

It took my husband all of 30 seconds to assemble the chair and another 30 to hook and tighten it into place at the end of the table in the kitchen. It definitely gets the "easiest to assemble" award for any baby product we have purchased to date. I then snapped the tray table in place, dropped my daughter in and we were off and running.

Because it turns 360 degrees I was able to turn her about 45 degrees and pull my seat right up close to her face. She is still a little small for the seat, so I simple placed a burp cloth rolled up in between her legs so that she sits back and upright in the chair. I don't know whether it was the rice cereal of the comfort of the chair (or both) but she was happy as a clam.

We never had any luck with the Bumpo: every time we put her in it she whined and arched her back in attempt to get out of the torture chamber we call the Bumpo. We actually learned in one of our classes that the Bumpo is in fact not ergonomically correct for babies sitting position, and that it is pretty normal for a baby not to like sitting in one. But my peanut could sit in this high chair all day. If I have dishes to do, or laundry to fold, I just sit her in it and put some toys on the tray and she entertains herself easily. And if I am on the computer I put her in the chair and swivel it around 180 degrees so that she is facing me.

I love that we don't have this big bulky high chair that we would have to move all over the kitchen, and that doesn't get in the way. And the gray and yellow pucci-esque pattern is adorable too.

I highly recommend this product, not only to people looking to save space, but to every one out there!

The Happy Spitter: Part 3 - the tale of the Playdoh Poops

I know it has been a while since the last post - I apologize as my life is upside down right now with my move. I promise more frequent posts next week once we are settled!


As you all know, and I have mentioned countless times on the blog, my daughter is a "happy spitter." She spit up when she was on breastmilk, and has ever since we switched to formula since 16 weeks (she is now 22 weeks). I am not talking little dribbles out her mouth, I am talking a faucet of regurgitated liquid over the period of an hour after each feeding. Needless to say we do a lot of wash in our house, and are big fans of bibs.

Anyhoo - we are now on our fourth type of formula in 6 weeks. In the beginning we put her on Similac Advanced, which she was on at the hospital, just because we had an abundant supply left over from the first week we brought her home - thank you Costco! I then did some research into formula's that are made to help curb the spitting up, and found Similac Sensitive. This we tried for a can's worth, and it made no difference. So I called the doctor's office and they recommended Similac Sensitive RS, which contains rice starch. After three full weeks on this, I saw no change in her behavior after feeding. This was even in addition to the Zantac she is on, as she was diagnosed with Reflux. (I should mention that the Zantac does relieve the pain she used to be in during feedings, but it does not help with the spit-up situation. )

Last week I was at my wit's end...does she have a milk allergy? Is there not a formula out there that can help with this? Should she be in a different medicine? Shouldn't this be getting better the older she gets?

After many conversations back and forth with the nurses at my pediatricians office we decided to try one last formula before putting her on a soy based fancy formula. Enter Enfamil AR. We started her on this last Tuesday, and the only real difference we saw was in her poops! I was shocked when I was changing her diaper and no longer did I see the creamed spinach we were used to, but there lay a clump of what I describe as very light yellow Playdoh!! I couldn't help but break into laughter as I screamed for my husband to come see this hysterical object that lay in my daughter's diaper. She didn't seem bothered by the change, and from the research I did online I found that it was completely normal when switching formula to see these types of poops.

A week went by with the Enfamil, and besides the clay poops, nothing else had changed. I again called the doctor yesterday and they convinced me to try one last thing before switching formulas again: adding one teaspoon of Beechnut rice cereal to the bottle for every ounce (6 ounces - 6 tsps of rice cereal), and to up her dose of Zantac. Well, it has only been 12 hours and three feedings since we started this, and I know it takes days to prove that things are actually working, BUT we are spit-up free for now!

I will keep you posted as to our progress in the next week, but keep your fingers crossed that we have finally found the cure. Also, next week we are going to start some solid foods so I will definitely post about that adventure!!

Playtex Drop-in Debacle!

We introduced formula to our daughter a few weeks ago, and after trying three difference kinds (while feeding her frozen breastmilk the majority of the day) we decided on Similac Sensitive RS. In order to see if it actually worked, and curbed her spit-up/reflux as advertised, we decided to just feed her the formula for a week and see how she reacts.

The first 3 days of our test were miserable. She seemed more agitated than normal, the feedings were longer as she struggled to take the formula down. She was still spitting up massive amounts of chunky fluid during and after each feeding - so much so that I was worried she wasn't keeping anything down.

And then one night my husband went to prepare a bottle in the kitchen. "When you put the water in here do you measure it on the side of the liner? Or the side of the bottle?" he asked.

(Now since day one we have been using Playtex drop-ins, per the advice our our lactation consultant. We have also used the Playtex Vent-Air bottles because I thought they looked cool, and happen to get a free one somewhere. Since we started using the formula though we have used the Drop-Ins solely as they are 8 ounces to the Vent-Airs 6, and were easy to mix the powder formula in. As for the actual liners, we have used Playtex brand, Target and most recent the generic brand at Rite-Aid that specifically say on the box "Use with Playtex Drop-In Bottles") Cut back to the conversation the other night...

"I use the numbers on the side of the bottle...and fill it up to the 6 with 3 scoops of formula...why do you ask?" I enquired.

"Because there are measurements on the side of the liners too, and they don't match up to the ones on the bottle," he said.

I rushed in to the kitchen (because I was baffled) and we did an experiment. We poured 6 ounces of bottled water into the Vent-Air bottles and then poured it back into the Drop-In bottles. What was 6 ounces of water in the Vent-Air was actually at the 8 ounce mark on the side of the Drop-In Bottle!!! The markings of the liners were actually correct, and the 6 ounces of water lined up with the 6 ounce mark...so it is the liner bottles that are incorrect. We then got out my liquid measuring cup in the kitchen and confirmed that the measurements on the outside of the bottle are indeed wrong.

So this entire time we had been giving her 3 scoops of formula with only 4 ounces of water, a concentrated mix of liquid, which was making her terribly uncomfortable. Ever since this revelation feedings have been significantly easier...I wouldn't say like night and day, but she does not struggle to take down the formula like she had those few days on the concentrated mix. She still spits up, but we have just come to grips with the fact she is a happy spitter.

So the moral of this tale is that if you are using Playtex Drop-In Bottle System, please do yourself a favor and measure the water outside the bottle to make sure you are using the correct water to powder ratio!!

Wholesome and Homemade

by Guest Blogger Mama R.M.

Caitlin’s introduction to solid foods did not go according to plan. After days of rejection, followed by days of constipation, followed by more days of rejection, I worried Caitlin would subsist solely on breast milk. Forever. Considering this scenario unacceptable, both for baby and for myself, I persisted in my efforts to introduce solid food. Despite my earnest attempts, Caitlin refused everything, other than a swallow of oatmeal here and there.

In the midst of Caitlin's food rejection phase, I met my friend Jess for lunch. Jess has an eleven month old baby who loves food so much he cries after finishing a meal. I asked my friend for the secret to her success. She asked, "Have you tried making your own food?" Seriously? My husband and I are lucky to eat peanut butter and jelly for dinner, how can I find the time to cook baby food? Life with a new baby leaves little time to do anything extra, especially for a working mama like myself. But, after my conversation with Jess I was curious.

After I got home from lunch, I burrowed through my pantry until I found Williams-Sonoma's Cooking for Baby (a gift from my foodie mother). After brushing off the dust, I skimmed through the first section, "Wholesome and Homemade." The first lines read, "Do you eat a lot of jarred, canned, or processed foods? If the answer is no, then why should your baby?” While I occasionally enjoy a bag of Cheetos, I generally steer clear from the aforementioned food no-nos. I value healthy, nutritious food and I hope Caitlin will sooner or later do the same.

For my first attempt, I made sweet potatoes. The recipe was surprising simple:

Sweet Potato Puree

Use 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prick sweet potatoes with a small knife and place on a baking sheet

Roast until wrinkled and tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 45-60 minutes. Let cool.

Halve sweet potatoes, scoop out flesh from skins, and puree flesh in a food processor until smooth. Add water, breast milk, or formula to thin sweet potatoes to a consistency your baby can handle. As baby gets older and can eat thicker purees, mash some or all of the sweet potato with a fork.

To store, refrigerate cooled puree in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or fill ice-cube trays or other containers to freeze for up to three months.

So simple, and even better, the 45-60 minute roasting period allows me to catch up on DVR, paint my nails, or even take a nap without guilt.

Later that evening, I gave Caitlin sweet potatoes along with oatmeal for supper. Amazingly, Caitlin ate an entire 2 ounce serving of sweet potatoes, more food than ever before. Caitlin's acceptance of my homemade sweet potatoes was so satisfying, so gratifying. Then and there, I became hooked on homemade baby food.

Since then, I’ve made applesauce, carrots, peas, turkey, and plenty more sweet potatoes. Caitlin enjoyed everything, except the peas. Can you blame her? Peas really only belong in a chicken pot pie. Cooking for Baby contains lots of nutritious and delicious recipes (Asparagus Risotto, anyone?) organized by age. It also describes the nutritional value of each food and gives great suggestions for yummy finger foods and snacks.

As a working mama, time management is a constant challenge. To keep a supply of homemade food at the ready, I usually make a batch or two over the weekend and another batch on a weeknight after Caitlin goes to bed. Especially for Baby, sold at Babies R Us, makes individual food storage containers that are freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Each container holds two ounces of food, just enough for one serving.

Homemade baby food does take a little more time than opening a jar, however I am fully invested (by that I mean, obsessed). First, homemade baby food is economical. Two sweet potatoes, which make ten servings, cost approximately $1.68. On average, ten servings of jarred sweet potatoes cost $9.90. With the money saved, you can upgrade your tall latte to a venti! Twice! Second, homemade baby food allows mamas to use super fresh, in-season ingredients. Finally, making homemade baby food provides a perfect excuse for postponing less desirable chores. “I am too busy to scrub the toilet or iron because I am preparing nutritious, wholesome food for my child.” Nobody will argue with that line of reasoning!

The Happy Spitter: Part 2

A few months back Mama S wrote a post entitled "The Happy Spitter." This was before I joined Mama-dom, and of course never thought my baby would have this problem. Oh was I wrong. Not a meal goes by that my little munchkin doesn't spit some back up: sometimes just dribble out the mouth, and sometimes like she turned on a hose. But the great thing about it - she is not phased by it one tiny bit!

When she first started doing it so consistently I was driving myself mad by changing her clothes 5 times a day, and doing load after load of laundry filled with onesies and burp cloths...but then my husband made a life changing suggestion - "why don't we use one of the hundred bibs we have in the nursery?" While they might cover up all those fabulous outfits her grandmother has purchased for her, they are truly a clothing saver (see giant bib on happy baby on right :).

And as for burp cloths - anything that is technically labeled "burp cloth" is a waste of our time. We have come to use only receiving blankets as burp cloths due to the sheer distance this little one can spit up. We still have about 15 of those blankets that you get at the hospital (yeah, we stole a few more than were offered) and they come in handy daily during feedings at our house!

So the point of this post? I guess...use bibs if your kid spits up...and little burp cloths are for sissies.

Fast Food

Is it just me or is feeding your baby the single most frustrating, anxiety ridden, and concerning thing about having a child? After Mama J’s most recent post, I started thinking about how hard each stage is and how each stage offers its own unique concerns.
Currently, with a 15 month old in my house, I struggle to find healthy interesting foods for her to eat without having to spend my entire day in the kitchen. While it is always best when you can give your child the same thing you make for yourself, a lot of times that is not realistic. Below I have listed some of my favorite ready-made foods that work in a pinch when I need something fast and healthy:

1) Dr. Preagers: You can find this brand at Whole Foods as well as many other main-stream grocery stores. I am a huge fan of the broccoli and spinach pancakes – basically a potato pancake with broccoli or spinach mixed in. These taste fantastic, can be cooked up in about 15 minutes in the toaster, and are a great way to sneak veggies into your child’s diet.
Dr. Preagers also makes a GREAT veggie burger that packs some good protein in it. Cook it up in the same way you do the pancakes.
2) Whole Food Wild Salmon Burgers – WAIT! Before you say that your child won’t eat fish, I promise you that these don’t taste anything like fish. They have all natural ingredients and can be fried up on a skillet in about 10 minutes and are packed with the “good” fats that help with brain development.
3) Anne’s Veggie and Bean burrito – These organic burritos are packed with beans and veggies. Stick it in the microwave for 1 minute, then open the burrito and dump the contents onto the plate. Throw the burrito away and put the filling back in the microwave for one more minute and add a bit of cheese. Then stir. This makes a fantastic, mushy, yummy mess that is easy and fun and is mushy enough that it doesn’t pose a choking hazard (and, no, it is not spicy).
4) Thin sliced American cheese – this is a trick I learned from my mother. Go to the deli counter and ask for white American cheese sliced “paper thin”. You have to be very specific about the fact that the cheese should be really, really thin (so much so that it is hard to separate the pieces). This cheese will melt in your child’s mouth as soon as they take a bite so you can give them a whole slice of it which is fun for them to hold and eat but does not carry any choking risk. Also, whenever I am in a pinch I throw it on a piece of bread and melt it in the toaster – this is a huge hit at my house - just toast it up and break it into small pieces.
5) Sick of crackers? Try ultra thin mini rice cakes by Paskesz.. These feel like crackers and are crunchy, but don’t have the salt that many crackers have. You can pick them up at any big grocery store and are a great on-the-go snack.


Those are my “fast-food” suggestions. I would love yours if you have any!

Breastfeeding Diaries: To Pump, or Formula feed - that is the question! (UPDATED)

8 weeks ago I shared with you all my breastfeeding story, and told you I would check back in with you in two months for an update...The long and the short of it? It never worked.

For 5 weeks we followed the directions of the lactation consultants, but Marlo and I just never clicked, which in turn got me frustrated and led me to the decision to give up trying and strictly pump milk and bottle feed. I will be the first to admit that I didn't give it 100 percent effort. Since I had to use a nipple shield to get her to latch at all it took me too long to get the shield in place, and try over and over to get a good latch. She would get frustrated that she wasn't fed quickly enough and paw at the shield until it came off. Even if I had her little arms pinned down she would put the shield in her mouth and pull it off. So I began trying less and less frequently until I threw in the towel.

I continue to pump 6-7 times a day, so she is still getting breast milk, but mama is starting to feel like a cow. I call it "going to work" when I pump, because right now my job is to feed this little baby. With all this pumping has come 3 yeast infections (thrush) which thankfully I haven't passed to her as she isn't officially breastfeeding. The APNO I originally claimed to be a lifesaver stopped working for me, and I was put on Nystasin, which is also a topical ointment, but one typically given to the infant with thrush. It seems to clear up in the redness and burning, but I am sure it is just a matter of time before it comes back. And on top of that I now am getting these tiny blisters on my left nipple - righty has been in the clear thus far. Apparently it is skin that is growing over the milk ducts and clogging them. I discovered them after lefty produced about half of what righty did one night. I now have the lovely task of popping them by forcefully squeezing my boob between my hands...I do get some sick satisfaction out of it - like popping a zit.

I am also getting severe pain in my boobs when my milk comes back in after pumping. I was told by my doctor and lactation consultant that this is because I produce such a large quantity of milk (I actually pumped 6 ounces out of each boob the other night). Good times.

Lately though, everyone keeps asking me how long I plan to pump and bottle feed Marlo, which has gotten me thinking about what my options are. Really there is only one - start her on formula. For some reason, with that choice comes a whole slew of guilt. Why should I sacrifice my babies well being for my selfish reasons? I have had to cut broccoli and citrus out of my diet because it was making her uncomfortable when I gave her my milk after eating it myself...is that such a big loss? What are a few hours a day of being uncomfortable if I am doing what is best for my baby?

But then I get selfish and think about the freedom that comes with giving her formula. No more changing tops and bras due to leaky boobs, no more nipple pain, no more of being a slave to the pump and having to wake up in the middle of the night to get relief. I wouldn't have to worry about drinking too much wine or what I was eating...sounds glorious!

But then I think about the cost of formula, and how we have saved so much money the past 8 weeks by feeding her breast milk. Her spit up doesn't smell, and neither do her diapers - and that would all go to shit (ha). And the 5 additional Weight Watchers points for breastfeeding are an added bonus...BLERG!!

How does one make this decision? How did you make the decision as to when to switch your baby to formula? Was anyone else pumping and bottle feeding? I would love to hear your stories/comments below...I need help Mamas!!!

I was given this link to a great article about weaning from pumping, and wanted to share: http://www.exclusivelypumping.com/2010/01/02/weaning-from-the-pump/

Thar she blows!!

The past couple nights have been rough. While I don't expect my 4 week old daughter to sleep through the night, I would expect her to grant her loving parents at least 2 hours of continuous sleep at a time. That is all I am asking for little one!

For the last 5 nights in a row Marlo has been going through somewhat of an eating-as-much-as-I-can-get-and-staying-up-all-night binge. As new parents, we figure, if she is hungry and wants to drink 4 ounces of breastmilk, she must need it! I wouldn't want someone to tell me that I couldn't eat a forth piece of pizza if I was still hungry after 3 (yeah I know, I need to go on a diet)...

So our little 4-week early peanut has been waking up at least every 2 hours and housing a bottle each time...what am I saying "waking up"? She doesn't sleep! After drinking down the milky goodness and keeping her upright for 15 or so minutes after feeding, Marlo falls asleep in our arms. We then proceed to put our little angel in her bassinet by the bed, where like clockwork - just after I get comfortable in bed with my pillow just so - the grunting starts. The grunting is accompanied by what we call "staccato" breathing. As well as the back arching, and the gurgling sound. Not exactly what you want your new baby to be doing. Needless to say this leads to me freaking out, and picking her back up in my arms...where again she would get comfy cozy and fall right back to her angelic sleepy mode. Not ideal, but at least I can get a few minutes shut eye in a seated position until my arms go numb, at which point I try to put her back in her bassinet, and the grunting begins again.

I should also mention that before the past couple nights, every time she would eat she would proceed to take a giant poop in her pants (what my husband likes to call "a big dump"). We started to notice that she wasn't pooping as often as she had be, so we figured something might be going on in her belly area.

So for four nights straight she basically slept in either of our arms, on my husbands chest, with me in our glider, or even between us in bed on the Boppy pillow (yes I know there is a big label on there that says SLEEP with a big X through it, but we got desperate!). I figured it was time to call the pediatrician!

Christine, our fabulous Nurse Practitioner at the doctors office, told me that what I thought was acid reflux was probably a bad case of gas, because each feeding was not accompanied by a large spit-up, AND this was primarily happening at night, not all day long (I am writing this at 9 AM and I just want to mention that Marlo is asleep snug as a bug in her upstairs bassinet - gotta love my little nocturnal vampire baby!!). Christine then gave me a list of a few techniques we could try with Marlo: pedaling her feet while she is on her back (like you would doing bicycle sit-ups), giving her a warm bath before bed (making sure her belly is in the water), increasing tummy time to 20-30 minutes a day (which meant doing tummy time in the first place for us, as we keep forgetting to do this), and finally giving her some long belly rubs (always my favorite thing to have done when I am gassy!).

We proceeded to try all of the above - and all she absolutely loved (especially the warm bath). But that night she still became Princess Fussy-Pants (daughter of Queen Fancy-Slacks and King Cool-Britches). The next morning (yesterday) I figured I would call my lactation consultant to see what they thought about the situation. After telling her how much Marlo has been eating, and guesstimating that she is about 7 pounds, she told me that we are overfeeding our daughter! Now, I don't know who to believe because the doctors office knows how much she is eating and didn't mention the overfeeding to us, but we were open to trying anything, so yesterday instead of giving her everything she could eat, we cut her off at 3 ounces. If she was still hungry after the bottle, I brought her to my breast for a little "dessert" (still don't have the breastfeeding thing down - see previous post :). This seemed to work, and we capped her off at 3 max all day long...

Fast forward to 8 PM, that night...the peanut is fed, the big humans are finished with their steak dinner and enjoying a glass of wine, the pooch all curled up in between hubby and I on the couch - one happy family. Baby is on daddy's lap, legs are being bicycled...and then it happened. My beautiful, sweet, eflish daughter turned into old faithful. Now, I have heard of projectile vomiting, but this was like nothing I had seen before. Marlo blew chunks all over my husband, the couch, and yes, the dog! Being out of the danger zone on the other end of the couch, I stared in amazement at the seven pound baby that just tossed her cookies all over everything, who was just lying there, acting like nothing happened. The pooch was so shocked that she got hit by friendly fire that she jumped over my husband off the couch and fled the scene of the crime (she ran into the kitchen where she proceeded to lick herself clean - gross but hysterical). I couldn't stop laughing at the whole situation, and thankfully neither could my husband - vomit covered and all. How could something so small create such a gigantic mess?

We then drew a nice warm bath for the exorcist baby and cleaned her all up (not once did she cry or fuss about the whole experience), as well as my husband. After a good swaddling and some time in the vibrating chair, she was good as new. And when I say "good as new" I mean that we actually got a stretch of 3-4 hours of sleep last night! I know, I am still in shock...it is amazing how refreshed we both feel.

As my husband said "she just needed to exercise that demon in her belly, I guess?!" Fingers crossed we get some sleep again tonight...

Happy New Year!

Breastfeeding Diaries: Pre-term babies = an uphill battle

While I was pregnant people would always ask me if I planned to breastfeed my baby. I have friends that were big advocates, and others that formula fed their babies, so I was getting opinions from all sides. I figured I would give it the old college try - I knew it was supposed to be the best thing for both the baby and myself, and heard that it came naturally, so why the hell wouldn't I give it a try! I read as many books as possible about breastfeeding, talked to friends about it, took a class on it, watched videos, researched online - for some reason I was more nervous about breastfeeding than I was about giving birth, so I wanted to be as prepared as possible.

Cut to the hospital after giving birth to my baby 4 weeks and 2 days before her due date. When the nurse asked "do you plan to breast of bottle feed," I of course said "breast." After a quick trip to the NICU, our baby girl was whisked down to our recovery room to being her rooming in, and when she arrived she was a hungry hippo. The new nurse that was tending to us brought her to me and said "here you go, she is ready to feed." And then stage fright set in.

As I held my tiny 5.5 pound baby in my arms I started to freak out...OK, what hold do I do? The football? The cross-cradle? Remember what the photos in the book looked like. Deep breaths...they said to relax...deep breaths. Do I put a pillow behind my back? Right boob or left boob? Shit, how do I get her to open her mouth? Is her body aligned correctly? Oh my god my boobs are huge! And her mouth is so teeny - this will never work! She is starting to cry, crap - I am going to cry...

So I looked up at the nurse and said "I have no idea what I am doing!" To which she responded (now she was not the nicest person, and thank god we only had her for an hour before the shift change) , "You just have to get her to open your mouth and shove your boob in there." THANKS!! I knew that much you dumb bi-atch.

After what seemed like an hour of failed attempts to get my little girl to latch on to my Dolly Parton-esque boobs, the nurse said we needed to feed her right away and was it ok to just give her formula...Shit...Yes? I don't want her to starve?!?

Thus began my uphill battle with breastfeeding my little girl.

The nurses explained to me that with pre-term babies (35-37 weeks) they have yet to develop the correct sucking technique needed to breastfeed, hence the use of the very fast flow nipples on the bottles they were giving her. They also do not have the ability to open their mouths as wide as need be in order to get and maintain the correct latch needed to successfully breastfeed. So basically I was not going to be able to breastfeed as planned for a while...

While at the hospital I met with two lactation consultants who put me on a plan:

- bring the baby to breast every time she is hungry

- attempt to get her to latch on

- if no successful latch after 10 minutes, bottle feed (with formula while I was not yet producing milk)

- then pump for 10-15 minutes

This plan lasted about 10 days - and in those 10 days I developed the most painful red ring around my nipples. I am talking on a scale of 1 to 10, my pain was a 9 every time I pumped, so I had to take 3 advil about 30 minutes before pumping, and still I was in tears and doing my Ugai breathing...I was about to throw in the towel, but my husband kept telling me that we should contact a lactation consultant to get some help. I couldn't handle the pain anymore, so I put a call into a woman that came highly recommended by a friend - Dot Norcross (of Newton, MA).

Now when I think of Lactation Consultants, I tend to picture them like I picture Doulas and Midwives - kind of crunchy hippies, older, gray hair, soft spoken, shop at Chicos and wear patchouli - and they might be practicing witches. Don't ask me why, but this is what I thought (no offense to anyone - totally my own opinion of course!).

Dot runs her small business out of her lovely Newton victorian house, and employs a group of the kindest elderly women on her staff. I felt like I was going to see my beloved grandma and her friends...we were greeted at our car and whisked into the "pink room" where we sat in chairs that were straight out of Grandma's Home & Garden. After a quick discussion about the birth, pregnancy and time at home so far, it was time for the "whip out your boobs" portion of the program.

As I was undressing in "grandma's" living room, I explained to Dot about the severe pain I was feeling around my nipples. As soon as the girls were out for her to see she looked at me and said something of the likes of "wow - you must be in terrible pain!" Turns out that I had a build up of yeast around my nipples that was causing the pain and swelling. It was due to a combination of not having the correct size flange for my pump, and the fact that I was taking medication for the cold I was battling. Who knew that there were different size flanges for breast pumps?? I did not of course! So she fit me for larger parts and called in a prescription for APNO (all purpose nipple ointment) to my OB...already I was feeling a little relived about the whole sitch.

Once we got into the latching and feeding portion of the consultation, Dot told me bluntly "with the size of your nipples, and the tiny mouth on your daughter, you are in for an uphill battle." Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but kind of what I expected to hear. She then introduced me to the trusty nipple shield - a tiny thin piece of silicone that fits over your nipple and resembles a nipple on a bottle. Well with the nipple shield in place, and a wave of her wand, Dot was able to get my little-mouthed girl to latch on and go to town. My eyes immediately welled up because I was so excited that it was actually happening (and I was in the second worst pain of my life - first being giving birth with an epidural that didn't work, of course). There was a light at the end of the tunnel!!

I don't want to give away all of Dot's secrets but we learned so much from her; what type of bottles we should be using, the correct way to hold them, the right way to burp our little baby, etc. All things we were doing wrong! And how were we supposed to know?! We came out of the 2 hour long consultation with a plan, and feeling so much better about the whole situation. With the combination of the nipple shield, the correct breast pump parts and the APNO, I was so much more positive about our breastfeeding plan.

Dot estimates it will take us about 2 months to get to where I can breastfeed my baby girl without the shield and stop pumping as much, so I have that date marked on my calendar. So come February 9, 2010 we will if Dot was able to work her magic for real, but for now I need to stay positive and think happy boob thoughts!! Stay tuned...

It's a diaper bag! It's a booster seat! No, it's both!

A dear friend of mine just came back from a vacation in Europe with her 2 year old and husband. She emailed me immediately because I had to spread the word about this fabulous new product she toted with her on their family vacation.

Meet the Hoppop Diaper Bag/Booster Seat!

"It is the greatest invention ever - especially for travel (we used it extensively for our Europe trip). But also just on a normal day because the worst is going to an unplanned restaurant outing (because you don't make it home for lunch) and having to leave a restaurant because there is no high chair. Perhaps you will have a nice sedate child who will sit calmly on your lap or a chair without straps, but our spazzy jazzy needs his own seat with straps in order for everyone else to have a pleasant meal!"