Natural Diaper Rash Remedy

My poor little boy had a nasty diaper rash (which I think came from putting too much bath soap in his bath the other night)

So after doing some research, this is what worked for us.

Warm bath with some oatmeal (I put a handful of oats wrapped up in some cheesecloth and held under tap as I ran the bath)

Towel dry. Attempt to use blowdryer on the affected area (he didnt really care for this part!)

Spend some diaper free time to let the air flow on affected area. (I let him wander around & play in the bathroom while his sister had her bath. This is fun for him because I dont let him play in the bathroom normally and clean up would be easy for any accidents - after awhile of that I laid a towel on the livingroom carpet and put some snacks and his drink there)

Apply a natural diaper rash remedy of a blob of olive oil shaken with a few drops of water.

**I am not a doctor so take this for what it is worth! **

In the summer (or if you are very worried about accidents in the house) the child could go diaper free with some loose airy shorts on. This would help prevent any "spray" and keep grass & dirt from getting all over his sore area if outside.

My Homemade Teething Toy

Okay, this is obviously not something that could ever be put up for sale but it will serve its purpose for my little guy :-)

Naturally, my teething boy doesnt like the expensive teething toys I have purchased. He loves to chew on the silicone bracelets that many companies and organizations advertise or fundraise with.

I gathered several of these bracelets, plus some other random things (key chain with nylon strap, ribbons, a braided leather bracelet I dont wear, and one Gumby) and tied them together. Its not fancy but it occupies a few minutes of his time (I hope this will entertain him on our upcoming long flight) and gives him some chewing delight.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Baby

Hmm, what to get for my 7m old little boys stocking...
Here are some of the ideas Ive come up with.

Rattle

Socks

Bib

Stacking Cups

Board or Cloth Book(s)

Baby Cookie

Sippy Cup

Tube of FP Little People

Balls

Mega Blok accessories

Blocks

Teething Toy

Spoon & / or Fork

Plate or Bowl (with special design or personalized)

Upcycling Formula Cans

Once that baby starts on formula you will end up with MANY empty cans. They seem like they should have some great new purpose since they are a sturdy container with a nice plastic lid.

(Wipe clean with a wet cloth and thoroughly dry)


So here is a collection of ideas I have found.

1. Storage of dry cereal or crackers or packaged snacks.

2. Toy Storage - keep similar toys in each container with a picture or label of contents on outside of can. (Ex. polly pockets, animal figurines, marbles, rock collection etc.)

3. Arts & Craft Storage - Great storage for all the crayons (or markers or scissors etc) or for the foam stickers that come in a plastic bag and need to be restored in something else.

4. Piggy Bank: Cut a slot in lid with exacto knife. Voila!

5. Toilet Paper storage: holds the spare role of toilet paper perfectly. Outside of can could be decorated in wallpaper or scrapbook papers to coordinate beautifully with your bathroom.

6. Hair Accessory Storage: Decorate (have your child help) and store those multitudes of ponytail holders & clips!

7. Nuts, Bolts, Screws (etc.) Storage: Get that garage or shed organized!

8. Office: Use in a drawer at your desk to keep some plastic cutlery, tea bags, granola bars, etc. to have on hand when needed.

9. Office2: Keep your collection of spare pens, pencils, highlighters from cluttering up the drawer by being in the can.

10. Tea Bags!

11. Use as a gift container for items such as baked cookies, homemade hot cocoa mix, brownies, fudge, spiced nuts, bath salts or any other gifts that will fit!

this container was decorated by my daughter and we kept her Halloween treats in it (on top of the fridge)

Big Sister Present

My daughter will be a big sister in 6 months and have been doing some thinking on a gift for her from her little sibling.

Have to head to the dollar store and see what they have for inspiration but here are my thoughts so far...

Container: Fancy purse (use for dress up later)

Contents:
Bag of candies (quite a treat as she doesn't get much candy)
*Special Notebook (will add her name to cover with puff paint & sparkles)
Special Pen (purchase a fancy pen and add ribbons to end)
*Stickers
small baby with tiny accessories

I saw on another blog where their 'big sister' was older and so a disposable camera was amongst the items - that would be very neat to see their perspective!

Other Moms also mentioned that they purchased something larger that would help keep their child entertained once at home with baby - ie. play kitchen, playdough set, baby doll w/ crib, stroller, etc.

Gift to Baby:
I also plan to have my daughter help 'purchase' a gift for the baby - probably a small stuffed animal and rattle - that she can help wrap and give to the baby. Perhaps she'll feel extra special playing with the baby with the items she had given him/her.

* Making your own Stickers & Special Notebook *
Stickers: Print clip art out on a 81/2 x 11 label sheet or on the smaller labels.
Notebook: Layer several papers (I like to alternate a few coloured papers with white). Fold either horizontally or vertically depending on the size of notebooks you want. Staple in several places. Cut your notebooks out!

Bath Toys when staying at someone's house

Don't pack bath toys if you're staying over at someones house. You can probably raid their cupboards and find some neat stuff. (basically the same stuff I like to have my daughter use for playing in the sink full of bubbles)

Such as:
Funnels
Measuring Cups
Spoons
Measuring Spoons
Sieve
different sizes of tupperware

Create some bubble fun with homemade bubble solution and the above kitchen items!

If it's something they don't normally get to play with then they would probably be intrigued.

ALSO: Shaving Cream! Spray some on the bathtub wall and let them draw!

Airplane Travel with a Toddler - Items to Pack

We recently took a trip to Mexico with our 18m daughter. I worried and worried about how she would be on the flight and where we were staying. She amazed us all at how great she was but I think it was partially due to my organization and preplanning of what to bring for her.

This is what worked for us:

• Gift Wrapped stuff (even if the items aren’t new)


• Small animals in a zippered wallet


• Books


• Stickers & sticker book


• Crayons and small notepad


• Fingerpuppets


• Magnetic Sketch Pad


• Paint with Water book and qtips.


• Stacking Cups (this was great for bathtime, beach, or airplane)


• Small Baby w/ blanket & bottle


• Lots of snacks in various baggies & containers


• Play Cell Phone


• At our destination I also purchased some cheap sand toys which I left there since they take up precious space and are easily replaced.

The trick is to have many things and don't bring them all out at once. Some items were in my carry on and others were in the suitcase to be played with later.

Here's some of our items we took -->


A month before our travels, I put away some of her favourite toys & books so that it would be fun for her to see them again.

I also set aside a number of books and couple toys to play with on the car ride to the airport (we have a five hour drive to get to a major airport) as I didn't want to dig out the plane ride toys and have them lose their appeal.

Since we were travelling with my parents, I also asked them to pack a small item or two in their carryons. This was fun for her to discover what Grandma & Grandpa had in their jacket pocket or purse.

* Be careful with small toys on the plane as they are easily dropped and then rolling down several seats ahead. I didn't let her play with anything that I would be upset at her losing.

On a previous flight with her (at 10m), she was in the dropping-game stage. I tied ribbons on to her toys that we would use on the plane so that I could hold on to them while she played (such as her phone, rattle, etc.)


Other Needed Items:

• Soother (brought a spare as well) with soother clip to keep from dropping on icky floor


• Small blanket for naps


• Sippy Cup with water


• Spare outfit for her


• A ziploc with diapers, cream, change mat, hand sanitizer and extra baggies (you don't want to bring the whole diaper bag to that cramped washroom)


• Wetwipes


• Anything you couldn't live without if luggage was lost - for us that was her sheepskin as that is what she sleeps on and is her comfort items.

(funny how my carryon used to be filled with all my stuff but now may have one item of mine)

Items I packed but didn't need (on this particular trip):
Toddler Harness - her legs weren't strong enough to walk for long periods and wasn't yet in the streaking-away stage.

Stroller - we brought an umbrella stroller but didn't need it. We brought a Hiking Backpack for her which got lots of use but wasn't sure if the stroller might be needed sometimes as well. I don't think we used it at all other than in the airport.

and of course packed more clothes than needed as she spent her days in a swim suit or diaper and washed a few items along the way.

It was a great memorable vacation. She had so much fun playing in the sand & water, can't wait for summer to come!