Random Little Things (April 2011)

★After I clean Natalie's face and hands after a snack, I'll often use the wipe to clean up other surfaces in the kitchen. While baby wipes won't kill germs like other kitchen cleaners, they will take all sorts of sticky ick off your table, counter, and stove top. Its a quick way to get a little bit of cleaning in which also saves me from wasting cleaning supplies.
★A couple tips on putting up a little girl's hair. Don't get the rubber elastics (unless your daughter the coarse hair they are made for). While they stay in place better and are a good size, they pull horribly when you take them out. Instead, get the fabric coated ones. When you go to put the hair up, try brushing it into shape with a damp hair brush. It will help it stay as you put the elastic in. Lastly, try a heavy distraction, such as eating or a video to prevent head turning or other struggling.
★We had lots of trouble with real tooth brushing at first. The combination that's worked best for us so far is: using training toothpaste, brushing while she is brushing, and letting her brush some, too. In the morning, I let Natalie brush while I brush holding her on my hip so she can look in the mirror. In the evening, we often brush as she sits in the tub. My husband brushes first, then she gets to brush second. We also call it "getting the spots that were missed" when we switch brusher.
★Speaking of teeth - My pediatrician has nagged me twice now (12 month and 15 month appointments) about going to the dentist. I started to feel guilty and looked into it. Or dentist won't take her. There was only one dentist on the list from the pediatrician's office within an hour from us that took more than state insurance, and that office didn't take kids until three! So, unless you have a serious history of dental problems or suspect a problem, don't stress about the dentist until your child is at least two.
★ The hospital said to file Natalie's nails rather than cut them for about a year. Last night she howled while Mike tired to file her toe nails. When he finally gave up and used the nail clippers, she didn't make a peep.
★ If you have a pair of slippery shoes or socks, try making grips with puffy paint. A mom at story time recommended it to us, and it worked awesome! This was particularly useful since Natalie has small feet and could fit in shoes meant for non-walkers.
★ Always have pockets! At first I needed them for tissues for spit up, but now I have many more things to put in them, such as chewed apple skin, have used tissues, dropped teddy grahams, and various toys and objects I need to hide or carry.