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There are SO many baby carriers out there and if you don’t know what is what and for what stage of babyhood, it’s hard to know which to buy (or put on your baby registry). What worked for me was:

1. One-piece SLING style carrier for BIRTH TO 2 MONTHS. This is before they can hold their head up. Also, I heard they aren’t supposed to be carried vertically for too long at this age, because it puts too much weight on their neck and spine. Hot brands: Peanut Shell, Hotsling, Sprout Pouch. I don’t really like the ring slings because they are bulky and slide if you’re carrying it too long.
2. BABY BJOURN for 2-4 MONTHS. It’s easy to put on, compact and fits their small bodies pretty snugly. They are ready for this carrier only once they can hold their heads up by themselves because their spines need to be able to support the weight of their bodies in an upright position. The ERGO with infant insert or Butterfly BECO would work for this stage too, though I haven’t tried those yet. I only used the Bjorn because I had one as a handmedown.
3. ERGO or BECO baby carrier when they get a little heavier. These two baby carriers distribute baby’s weight in your hips so you can carry them for hours without wrecking havoc on your shoulders/neck/back. The Ergo is awesome, and I borrowed my friend’s one until she needed it back for her second kid. That’s when I got the Beco because 1) it has prettier patterns and 2) it folds up more compactly to fit in your diaper bag, stroller or when traveling. It’s like $30 more or something. Sorry, I don’t have a pic of my Beco yet.

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What_Baby_Carrier_and_When.zip (223 KB)

Our neighbors have to put in their earplugs from 7-10 pm every night, because Cole has been “exercising his lungs.” He has been having colic in the evenings. He wants to nurse, but he gets mad when the milk comes out, fidgeting, sputtering and crying. It’s an, “I’m in pain!” cry—you the type. Nothing consoles him—not standing, rocking, swaddling and he’s uncomfortable in any position. Last Saturday I stumbled upon these homeopathic drops for colic. It comes in these sterile single dose vials, like refresh eye drops. When Cole is in one of his fits and nothing is working to soothe him, I’ll drop one of these into his open (crying) mouth once every 15 minutes. The most I’ll give is 3 in a night. It seems to work—helping him to burp and settle temporarily.

Boiron Homeopathic Medicine Cocyntal for Colic Symptom Relief Single-Use Doses for Infants, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 2)

Other things I’ve found that help:

1. Burp him really well all day—make sure he burps several times after every feeding
2. Make his last big feeding in the late afternoon
3. Pump before bedtime so that he doesn’t get too much milk, but he can still suck
4. Breastfeed him sitting up, where he is sitting almost totally upright
5. Offer the pacifier if he’ll take it
   

Last night was the first night he didn’t cry too much. But it never fails—as soon as I say, “I think his colic is over,” we’ll have the worst night ever. So I’ll keep my expectations low and the colic drops handy.

Evan had major cradle cap at 5 weeks old. It started out as just dandruff, but eventually covered his whole head with a thick crusty layer of waxy puss. Shandis had mentioned to me that this organic shampoo totally cleared up Addison's cradle cap. So I bought it online to have on hand if Cole should get it. As soon as the white flakes appeared in Cole's dark black mane, I busted out the shampoo. It's called Lil' Sprout moisturizing shampoo by D'Organiques. Original Sprout 2 in 1 Baby Shampoo & Body Wash 12 Oz I still don't really know if Cole would have gotten it as bad as Evan, but if he would have, then this shampoo is his saving grace. It smells awesome anyway, and I feel good about using it on him instead of the Johnson and Johnson's head-to-toe that I used to mindlessly buy when it would go on sale at Longs.

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No_white_flakes_on_these_shoul.zip (3.58 MB)

Cole woke up with a bright red rash on his cheeks one morning--I suspected it was from all the cheese I ate the night before (Evan had a similar reaction to dairy at around the same age). But I didn't want to start using steroid creams on Cole like I did on Evan. That's when I remembered that a girl from Stroller Strides had told me about Weleda Calendula Baby Cream. She got it at Down-to-Earth, but I ended up finding it at Whole Foods and picking it up there. She said it's good for any rash and that it's the only thing that clears up her son's diaper rash. This is an all natural baby cream made in Switzerland. It contains Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax and certified organic Calendula, which is the magic ingredient. No artificial preservatives, colors or fragrances. It cleared up the rash in about 2 applications.

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At our friend’s daughter’s first birthday luau last Saturday, there was a lady doing facepainting on the kids by hand. She did it with such ease and speed that I thought she must be a professional painter or something. But she said, no, she just does this for a living. Her name is Lisa Starr Tong, Confetti’s Fabulous Face Painting, http://www.confettionthego.com / 754-6591. I got her business card to kick start my vendor-search for Cole’s first bday party, which is a mere 45 weeks away.

Balloon Monsoon was there as well, and of course Evan asked for a spider. It was so cool-looking that he didn’t even care that it wasn’t red and blue. Http://www.balloonmonsoon.com / 455-3186

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First_Bday_Luau_Vendors.zip (268 KB)

I walked into Green Time at Manoa Marketplace thinking it was a store full of environmentally-friendly products for tree hugging consumers. Wrong. It’s a misnomer—the ESL owners either aren’t aware of the implications of “green” in the modern English language, or it was a ploy to lure unsuspecting people like me in there. Anyway, their hot sellers are these cute plush animal rugs (brand is Bestever, made in China). Donna gave us a giraffe for Cole, which is what made me check out the store. He loves it.

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Green_Time_has_nothing_to_do_w.zip (471 KB)