Bring Your Own Car Seat (BYOCS)
When you travel with your baby you may be tempted to use a rental car’s car seat. Let me tell you why this is a very bad idea:
1) They are not guaranteed to be there when you get there.
Ever read your rental car reservation details? They never guarantee that a baby car seat will be available for you. If you don’t have a car seat – You’re Stuck!
2) You don’t know what you’ll get.
You select a car seat for a reason. My wife and I bought the Graco SafeSeat (see above) because it has a great reputation and it’s safe. The first time we rented a car we didn’t get a Graco, we got a cheap piece of plastic that I will never put my son ever again.
3) You already know how to install the one you have.
Car rental agencies don’t install the car seat for you. If you brought your own you could probably install it in any car in about 5 minutes or less. But how long did it take for you to install the first time? Every car seat is different, and the last thing you want to do is waste time installing a strange car seat.
4) It’s very easy to travel with.
Car seats are very easy to travel with. Just take it right to the airport gate and check it at the gate. You’ll never have to wait for it at baggage claim and it’ll be there when you get off the plane (this works with the stroller too).
So – why leave things to chance? Always bring your own car seat!
Hidden Danger: Door Stoppers!
By the time your baby starts crawling you’ve probably covered all electrical sockets and protected all cabinets. Perhaps you’ve even bought a couple baby gates and installed them. Well here’s something no one tells you – the Door Stop.
The white tip on the door stop (see picture above) comes off rather easily. My 9 month old son pulled one off and stuck it in his mouth. They are the right size for a baby to choke on.
It’s better to be safe – secure those door stops!
Pineapple for Teething Babies
There are times when you have a game plan for a teething baby, and then there are times when that plan completely falls apart. Yesterday my son was having teething pains and he was hungry as well. The frozen teething rings were not accepted and for some reason the sassy teething feeder wouldn’t open (could have been frozen shut). The ibuprofen takes about 20 minutes to kick in and I was grasping at ideas.
Finally, I realized we had some frozen pineapple parts (core, skins, etc..) that I had saved in the freezer to use in a future tropical drink. I handed my son a slice of the frozen pineapple skin with and the crying stopped. He chewed on it for a few minutes and then dropped it.
After the pineapple he took a bottle just fine and eventually the medicine also kicked in. I just used this method this morning as well to get him to eat his cheerios.
The short: Don’t go crazy, try pineapple!
The Sassy Teething Feeder
Sassy Teething Feeder
Over the months we’ve collected a few different teething toys for our son. We found that some teething rings we too big, some too small, and some he just didn’t like. You don’t really pay attention to teething toys, until you’re trying everything to stop the crying. The Sassy Teething Feeder was the last teething toy we purchased and I’m quite pleased with it.
In times of teething pains I’ve used frozen strawberries and ice cubes in the teething feeder. The strawberries were a little messy and they worked great! Just make sure you have some Oxyclean to get the stains out. Also, we’re saving money because we don’t need to buy any other teething toys.
So.
What’s going to make your kid happier – frozen plastic or frozen food?
Get the feeder, save some money, and your sanity.
