Do you have a humidifier in your kids room? When is the last time you cleaned it?

If you’re anything like us, it’s probably not been cleaned in a long time. And that’s not good.

Lily’s humidifier was a year old and I don’t think we ever cleaned it. We only use it in the winter and never thought twice about it. Turns out, it was supposed to be cleaned weekly. Weekly!

We ended up turning it off until we could get her a new one. Just turning it off seemed to make her sleep better. I could have been coincidence, but then again, you never know. It could have been blowing bad stuff into the air too.

If you have a humidifier, then I’d say check the instructions to see how often it should be cleaned. Then clean it or turn it off.

Do humidifiers cause our kids to get sick? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

With Lily having a runny and crusty nose, she has a tendency to try to either wipe away some of the snot away with her hand, or pick off the crusty parts. She doesn’t yet understand that her fingers are not to go up the nose.

But it’s a really good question. Why are they the same size if they don’t go together?

Why are fingers and nostrils the same size? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

The day after that, Christi got sick. If we would have had any other family members, they’d have gotten sick too.

That begs the question, will we always get sick when our little girl does?

I’m not ready for being sick once a year, or more. I like my once every few years thing that I’ve been lucky to have.

What’s your take? Do you get sick every time your kids do?

Will we always get sick when Lily gets sick? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Where is Lily?

We were told from day one that blankets couldn’t go in the crib for safety reasons. Of course, if Lily was swaddled in a smaller receiving blanket, than that was ok.

The sad thing is, we got lots of nice blankets for shower gifts and even home-made ones! They’ve been used, but never for sleeping.

So when is it ok to put a blanket in the crib?

Lily is old enough, and smart enough, that a blanket shouldn’t cause any safety issues. At least I don’t think so. If she doesn’t want it, she’d just toss it out of the crib. Of course, then she’d wake us up to come get it so she could do it again.

As it gets colder out, we want to make sure she’s warm and comfortable. We want to start covering her up, but don’t know when is the right time to do that.

When did you start putting a blanket on your baby?

When can we start putting blankets on our baby? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Looking for something good.

When Lily turned one, did that make her a toddler? Or what’s that age is it when they no longer considered a baby?

I don’t think I’m ready for a toddler. I like my baby girl.

Toddlers seem bigger, more independent and I’m not ready for that. I like my little girl who’s completely dependent on me and who thinks I’m amazing.

And don’t even start to tell me they grow up fast. I know that but don’t need to hear it.

I guess just need to enjoy today, worry less and take more pictures.

When did my baby girl become a toddler? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Eating an early birthday doughnut.

Lily’s first birthday is less than a week away now. However, we aren’t doing anything too special. I mean she’s one, she won’t know what’s going on.

One year is a big milestone and we are going to have some cake and the grandparents over, but won’t go all out. When she’s older, and knows what a birthday party is, then we’ll have a lot more going on. But for a one year old, is the party really for her, or is it for the parents?

Maybe we should think of it as a ‘we survived the first year of parenting’ party.

I’ve heard of other people throwing big parties and doing all sorts of festivities and was wondering what you did.

FYI: Lily ate maybe two or three bites of that doughnut. Dad had a few bites and a lot of it ended up on the ground.

What did you do for your babies first birthday? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Now that we are about to embark on a vacation, we have a hotel room to think about. Baby proofing is hard to do though when you don’t even know what it looks like.

One good idea that was shared with us was to bring painters tape and tape over the outlets so little fingers don’t get in there.

Looking around the internet I found obvious answers like look for cords that should be tied up, look for things on the floor or under the bed, and make sure the TV is stable. I think there has to be other creative tips out there.

Have you had to baby proof a hotel room? What did you do?

Can you baby proof a hotel room? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

You are getting sleepy.

As I was putting Lily down tonight, she was doing her normal routine of eyes wide open, fidgeting, and not really wanting to go to bed. So I tried hypnotizing her… sort of.

Basically I told her she was getting sleepy. Her eyes were heavy and she waned to drift off into dreamland. I kind of added a bit of a song to it too; even though it wasn’t very well thought out.

A few minutes later, her eyes were closed and she was asleep. I swear she went from awake to asleep in two minutes. This I hadn’t experienced before; well not this fast of an awake to sleep change. My wife says she does that every now and then though.

So now I’m working on a sleepy hypnotism song so that, if it did work, I’ll be more prepared next time. I just need to make it rhyme as I like songs that rhyme.

I’ll post my song tomorrow or in a few days so be sure to check back.

Humm, maybe I should turn it into a book and make millions! How does one go about making a children’s book?

Ok, now I’m just rambling.

Can you hypnotize a baby to sleep? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Flying

In just a few weeks, our family is headed out on a vacation to San Diego California. Where as Lily is pretty easy to travel with, this will be her first time on an airplane and we’re all a little nervous.

Have you flown with a baby before? Any advice?

So far, here is what we have:

• Try to book around their nap time if possible to help them sleep on the plane.
• Take food so they can eat during takeoff and landing to help with the popping ears.
• Take foods & liquids that will make it though airport security.

That’s about it so far. I’m not too worried about flying with Lily as she does pretty good on road trips and what not. She also loves to watch people. However, since its our first time taking a baby on an airplane, that in itself is a bit nerve-racking. That and she has no place to crawl around and play.

Any advice or tips you can share about flying with a baby would be great.

Looking for tips on flying with a baby. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

We still have the same routine, but by 8:30 she’s still wide awake. Same goes for 9 and 10. She just has no desire to go to bed.

She also has no desire for Dad. If I try to put her to sleep she just cries and cries. She doesn’t like me at all. Mom on the other hand can hold her no problem. Lily will sit on her shoulder, suck her thumb and just relax. She won’t fall asleep, but she’ll act like she is.

I’m not sure what’s with this new phase but I’m not a fan. I liked our bedtime of 8 and out by 8:30 schedule and I’d like it back.

Whatever phase this is, it can pass.

So, is there a night owl phase? What’s going on here?

Is there a night owl stage in babies? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

There are so many things to worry about when you have a baby and keeping your figure is one of them.

Somedays it feels like I’ve put on about 20 pounds.

Be honest, does this baby make me look fat?

Does this baby make me look fat? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily is now sticking her hands down her throat and gagging herself. It’s like she’s trying to catch her tongue or something. Actually, it’s kind of gross and I’m not fond of her gagging herself.

It reminds me of someone having bulimia, however Lily hasn’t caused herself to throw up yet.

Now we need to figure out how to stop it. It’s not good for anyone, as far as I’m aware, and it’s one of those things we’d just prefer she didn’t do.

One piece of advice we have heard is to put lime juice on her hands so when she tries, it tastes bad and she stops. Granted, we need to make sure she’s not going to rub her eyes as that would not be good.

Has your kid ever tried to catch their tongue or gag herself? What did you do to stop it?

Lily has started to gag herself and it’s not cool. originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Every morning we get up, get dressed, have a bottle and then I put her on the floor to play. She sits in a little fenced in area with plenty of room and toys and hasn’t had any issues until lately. Now, she’s gets all upset and cries.

I can even be sitting a foot away from her and it doesn’t help. If I do pick her up, she’s fine. If I carry her around, she’s fine. When I take her out and put her in the car seat to go to daycare, she’s fine.

So I don’t get it? I’ve just tried letting her cry and she use to get over it, but now she just keeps crying like it’s the end of the world.

It’s not like we use this area to punish her, it’s actually the opposite. It allows her to move around and play without being in harm’s way. It’s freedom; basically.

I’m not sure where this attitude is coming from, but I hope it passes on sooner than later.

Any ideas on why she might be having an attitude problem?

Where did my baby girl get her attitude? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Recently she’s been having diarrhea and many dirty diapers. Yesterday I changed three in the hour she was up in the morning. Usually I change 1 and that’s just the one wet one from overnight.

Then at daycare she had about 5 more. They are diarrhea like and gross and it’s concerning us.

She still eats well, sleeps good, and is pretty happy. She’s a bit more crabby than usual, but not a whole lot.

We think it may be teething, but aren’t sure. Can teething cause something like this?

It’s our first time worrying about her really being sick and we’re concerned. If she’s still having issues tomorrow, we may run to the doctor to be safe. Especially since we are to go on a long car trip this weekend.

For now we’re just monitoring her and making sure she gets plenty of fluids as dehydration is a big concern that we’re hearing from family and the internet.

I’m sure she’ll be fine, but I don’t like my little girl being sick. Nor do I like chaining multiple dirty diapers, and an outfit, all before 8am.

I think our little girl is sick! Or can teething cause diarrhea? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Today is my wife’s first Mother’s Day. I went back and forth on a gift, as I wasn’t sure what to get.

Since the gift is supposed to come from Lily, and she’s not old enough to decide, what does a dad do?

I thought of all the typical gifts, like jewelry and what not, but wanted to get something that they could both enjoy. It actually was a hard decision and it really shouldn’t be.

Just wondering what gifts other dads get mom for her first Mother’s Day, or any Mother’s Day for that matter.

What gift do you get mom for her first Mother’s Day? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Lily In Cat Cube

At what point do I have to start to worry about screwing my baby girl up? Is there really any reason to worry?

Lily is almost 9 months old and she’s moving, exploring, and there are lots of things that Lily does that I can’t help but laugh at.

Like when she plays with the cat cube. It’s lightweight and has holes in most sides that she can easily fit in, and she loves it. It’s challenging, it’s fun and, once she’s out, she can toss it across the room. It was never intended to be one of her toys, but I’m not about to take it away.

She also likes to crawl a lot, and when she runs into something, it has to move. If she runs into a cat, she pushes it with her head until the cat moves out-of-the-way. If she crawls into the cupboard, she keeps hitting it with her head waiting for it to move. After a few times, I pick her up and move her. I mean she has to learn eventually right?

When she makes funny noises, or mouth bubbles, we make them right back. We want her to learn to talk, but that doesn’t mean she can’t just make noise either.

We encourage her to do just about anything, within reason of course. It’s about learning, growing, exploring and just having fun.

I know that her mind is a sponge, and I’m a bit worried about that, but what’s the worst that could happen? Her turn into me? Ha ha. Oh

I think there are parents who worry too much and then there are those that don’t worry enough. I hope we are right in-between and I think there is no reason to worry about screwing Lily up. We’ll worry about that when she’s a teenager.

At what point do we start to screw up our kids? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

What do you mean? Do people really go around saying that they’ll babysit when they don’t really mean it?

In my mind, if you offer to babysit, I’ll put you on the list of people to call. If you don’t really mean it, don’t say it and get my hopes up.

Just sayin’.

Do you suppose they were sincere about babysitting? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

Actually this happened last week. First Christi got something, and then passed it to me. We were worried about passing it to Lily, but there isn’t much a parent can do; is there?

Yes, we washed our hands often and took precautions where we could, but it’s not like you can avoid the baby. She still needs that one to one attention and we can’t leave her alone.

Lucky for us, Lily didn’t get sick. That could be because she may have given it to us first, but still. What’s a parent to do when they get sick and don’t want to pass it on down?

What’s a parent to do when WE get sick? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

After a minute or two I went in to check on her and she was definitely asleep. I touched her head and she jumped a little, but never changed positions or looked up at me.

After that, her scared little cry went away and she slept good the rest of the night. But it was so sad.

Can babies have nightmares? Or is there a logical reason for why it may have seemed like she was having a nightmare?

Can babies have nightmares? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com

I just spend the last half hour trying to get Lily to sleep. She usually goes down well, but not so much tonight.

She was tired, we could tell. When I held her and bounced her, she’d fall asleep in 5 minutes or so. Then I’d put her down in her crib and as soon as she touched that crib mattress, her eyes would pop open and she’d be wide awake and crying. I’d then pick her up and have her alseep in my arms less than 5 minutes later.

I did this four or five times before she finally decided to stay asleep in the crib. As I write this, I’m hoping she doesn’t wake back up. I’m also hoping she’s down for the entire night.

Now I know that the comfort of mom or dad is unmatched compared to any crib, but she seems so out in my arms that it amazes me how easily she wakes when I try to put her down.

Why is it babies sleep so good in our arms but wake when they touch the crib mattress?

Why do babies sleep so good in our arms but wake when they touch the crib mattress? originally posted at http://www.twistermc.com