Does anyone know of any good remedies for hiccups in an infant/baby? My daughter is 2 months old and has had the hiccups every. single. day. since she was born, and every day in the 3 weeks before she was born.

Anyone know of a super cheap digital camera that I can buy for an almost-three year old who loves to play with them? The only thing is, it has to have a display screen on it because she'll probably never hook it up to a computer or anything, she just likes to look at the pictures she took on the camera itself. Obviously, it doesn't have to have good resolution or much memory. I haven't been able to find one under about $35, but I don't want to pay that much for something that may well get broken pretty quickly. I don't think I'll be able to find one much cheaper than that, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Thanks!

My daughter will be 3 next month. Tonight we were talking about her daddy, who was still at work. She stopped for a second, thought it out, and asked me "who is YOUR daddy, mommy?" I feel bad--she put some thought into asking me that question and she definitely deserved a better answer than I gave her, which consisted of something like "I dont know, sweetie. Let's talk about your daddy again!"

The reason I blew her off is because she caught me off guard with something I had not planned on answering (though I really should have). I dont have a relationship with my father; he is not a good man. A relationship between he and my daughter is out of the question as well. I'd like to be more prepared next time she asks me about my own father though. I dont know that any version of the truth here is the way to go with a 3 year old, unless I want to depress her or help her see "family" in a negative light. I've considered glorifying my father just to appease her for the time being (the "ignorance is bliss" approach)...even though I know he's not worthy of the adoration she'd have for him, it could keep her view of family positive. Hard for me to do though, for sure. So yeah... Does anyone have any suggestions or a lighter way of explaining this kind of thing to a 3 year old?

If so, thanks!

For the past few weeks, we have had little mice in our kitchen (they never really venture out from behind the dishwasher/oven/fridge anymore because I lectured them (only kidding, I sprayed peppermint near the entryways and it freaked them out)

I am pissed because the past tenant left rotten food behind the fridge which attracted the little babies.

We have been using humane sprays (they hate mint, so mostly those). But, they are still here. I actually had a staring contest with one of them when it looked out from under the fridge to see if the coast was clear.
We plugged EVERY single hole we could find with steel wool, I have NO Idea how they are getting in anymore.

I want to get a humane trap... HOWEVER, it's FREEZING here and the park would be where I would release them. I don't want to put them out in the cold so I've been living with them until I could find a better way. (It's been so long, I've named them)

Where would I put them once caught? I live in NYC... and I can't put them in the basement because my super has a dog that likes to catch and eat them :(

Anyone have any links to cute Christmas gifts or ornaments that we can make at home for the grandparents this year? My daughter is two and I think they'd be tickled to get something handmade by her (with a little help from Mommmy and Daddy). Everything I've looked at seems kind of advanced for her age.

I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can get teff in Melbourne. It's super obscure so I'm not really expecting an answer, but any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

My daughter is 11mo (9mo adjusted) and it is getting damn right cold as it tends to do in Chicago. I have these fabulous Ugg soft-soled boots that are the right size but they keep falling off her feet!! These are $60 shoes that we received as a gift from friends whose daughter was never able to use them.

My mother and grandmother supposedly got "soft soled boots" for my daughter but they were too small actually hard soles! I explained that my daughter couldn't use very pliable thick rubber soled shoes because they were technically hard soled and she needs soft soled like leather bottom.

So my question is would you use a hard soled on your pre-walker if they were better able to stay on in the winter before you could afford a soft soled boot that stays on?

Also my google-fu is failing me due my brain being in a migraine blender so I can't find a site that explains the kids need soft soled that isn't a shoe manufacturer and that isn't giving outdated advice of how kids learning to walk need a thicker rubber non-slip shoe that is stiffer. I want to show my mom some links so she can get why I'm reluctant to take hard soled boots for my pre-walker and why true soft sole like leather is better for children's feet.

ETA: I keep her mostly in socks inside since otherwise her feet get cold but just socks won't cut it outside and she'll most likely will be walking before the need for boots goes away. When it is warmer I let my kids go barefoot most of the time. Like this summer my baby didn't wear any socks or shoes because she didn't walk and I didn't see the need.

Edit 2: Thanks all! I love the help with where to get some soft soled boots on the cheap and the idea on how to make the pair I have stay on her feet without the worry of using hard soled boots.

Anyone know where I could get long underwear similar to these

http://www.rei.com/product/770734 except that aren't so darn expensive?

I don't want cotton because when it gets wet it will freeze, and wool would not be an option because of allergies.

Thanks in advance!

Okay... so I quit eating meat for health reasons... then it turned into a spiritual thing (I kept thinking I was already depressed enough I didn't need the bad juju of dead carcus in my life also)... and then it turned into an environmental thing for me...

And now..

well..

Now I just don't eat meat because I'd feel like it was a step back instead of forward if I started to eat it again.

I'm lost. I can't even answer why I don't eat meat when people ask me, because I just don't care about any of the issues any more.

I kind of want to eat some meat again... but like I've already mentioned, I'd think of it as a step backwards instead of forwards... and I have this incredibly freakish fear that it'll burn my taste buds or my soul will burn for it. I'll feel like the biggest hipocrite EVER.

lol

Anyway.. I guess I'm writing to see if anyone has gone more than 8 years without eating meat and started eating it again. How did you tell your family you were eating meat again?

And for those who still don't eat meat, have you ever felt like you've lost you're reasons like I have? When you did, what kept you grounded in your decision to not eat meat?



I'm pregnant for the 2nd time in two years. In the first pregnancy, I didn't produce any milk to breastfeed and I'm kind of wondering if lack of protein might have been the culprit. However, the smarter side of me says it wasn't since I did produce a healthy child.

*shrugs*

Also kind of wonder if it's these new hormones are causing these weird cravings for meat. I don't really like the meat substitutes.

I'll stop ranting now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hey folks

Neat group!

I'm new to livejournal and have started a blog with easy and cheap recipes for the busy parent(s), along with whatever stuff comes to my mind that I feel like sharing about parenting, time management, kids' activities, etc.

C

I haven't been able to find Vitasoy's Chocolate peppermint soy milk this year. Does anyone know where I can get it, or if it's been discontinued?

My daughter (5) has finches. They had babies. Just now I found one of the babies dead in the bottom of the cage. I flushed it and then immediately felt bad because I didn't even think to put it in a box for a "funeral" or whatnot.

She was SO excited about it and I know she's going to ask about the baby bird as soon as she gets home from school.

Should we have an empty casket memorial or should I just be honest? This is the first pet of hers that has died that I know she's going to be devastated over.

I suck.

In desperation I picked up my first parenting book yesterday, and am trying to read it as quickly as possible. After 10 months of Z waking up every hour or so through the night, DH and I are zombies and I have to try something that isn't CIO. (because I don't care what my mother says, CIO is disgusting and I will never do that) Hoping to finish the book soon and start putting it to use.

I chose this one because I've seen it referenced several times on this list. I know the process will take time, but I just need to hear from parents that it did work for.

Will I benefit from using my kid's Mucinex, or will my infected mucus just laugh at me and multiply?

My 7 month old is having issues with forwards. He scoots and even crawls backwards great. And no one has ever accused him of being dim witted... If he sees something he wants maybe 4-5 feet in front of him, he turns around, scoots backwards until he is there, and turns around again. This is a process, because his aim isn't perfect, but it gets him there. If its under 6 inches away, he does what we have termed "the thrash and flop" where he throws himself around until he is there. If he sees something in the 6 inches to a foot range, he tries the T&F, but gives up frustrated.

I know he will eventually figure out forwards, right? Is there any way I can encourage forwards motion?

Three years ago my best friend, Heather, and her two year old daughter, Mia, came with my boyfriend (now husband) and I to visit his family. This was the first time my friend and his family met. My husband's sister had a son, Jace, around the same age as Mia. During our visit the kids were playing and at some point Mia hit Jace (as two year olds tend to do sometimes!) and my husband's sister took it upon herself to smack Mia's leg to teach her a lesson. I didn't witness her hit Mia, but I did see the the handprint that was still on her leg an hour later. To make a VERY long story a little shorter... Nothing resulted of this incident, except a lot of yelling and crying. I REALLY regret letting my husband's Father talk me out of calling the police and filing a report. So, fast forward three years later. My husband and I now have a 16 month old of our own. We live 18 hours from his family and they haven't met our son. My husband wants to take a week of vacation next sometime early next year and go see them. I am okay with going to see them, but I don't know if I can stand to have his sister around my child.

Oh, and since this incident his sister lost custody of her own two children (to their father) for leaving them home alone while going to a bar.

What do you think? Am I being overdramatic by not wanting my son to be near her or should I suck it up and let her meet him?

Hello! I am a first year MBA student at Boston University, and I am conducting consumer research on disposable diapers for a major class project. If you are the parent of an infant or a toddler in training pants, please take our short survey (which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete) at http://tinyurl.com/yehsf4j. All information will be kept confidential and is for educational purposes only. Thank you in advance!

This isn't technically vegan, but I posted something a couple days ago about nosebleeds and there were a lot of people who wanted to know the outcome because they were suffering from something similar.

I ended up going to the hosp, and sure enough had some ruptured blood vessels in my nose. They gave me blood (yeah seriously, I lost that much over a stupid nose bleed), and a ton of fluids because I couldn't keep anything down, and had to chemically burn the vessels closed. The whole ordeal was caused by a sinus infection and blowing my nose too much. So now I have to take everyone's advice and use the humidifier, steam shower, etc. But I wanted to stress to you guys (and gals) how super, ultra, ultimately important it is for us to be sanitary around people during this time of year. My Dr. mentioned he has seen things like this so often this year. It's just as bad as the flu that everyone is concerned about, and just as contagious (the sinus infection I mean, which could turn into a number of other things, mine just mutated into my horrible nose thing).

Here is where the vegan thing comes in. He said a lot of us don't have to be as concerned about vitamin c (most vegans get an ample supply), but iron and potassium are things as vegans we should be really aware of. I guess iron and potassium help aid your body in fighting off infections.

On the plus side though, he commended me for being pretty healthy (save for low iron/potassium), and had nothing but respect for vegans. He himself is a vegetarian. Neat! I got a lot of great advice about what extra steps vegans should be taking in our diets in order to help fight off colds/flus/sinus infections, if anyone wants them! But he said most importantly washing your hands and staying away from sick people is the best advice he can give (lol).

My MIL asked my husband to go down to where she lives (about 3 hours away) to help her and her husband with their business. My husband is slow with work so he totally told them yes and will be leaving Thursday and coming home no later than Sunday. We have 2 dogs (one being a puppy) and while we do have someone who will let them out, I don't want them home alone for 4 days, and kennels just aren't for us. SO, my husband is taking my daughter. Now, my MIL is fabulous with her, but they BARELY know each other and since husband will be working, she will pretty much have my daughter the entire time. I'm SO NERVOUS because I've never been away for more than one night, and I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with myself! She is 4 years old and SUPER EXCITED so that helps for sure.

I know I'm rambling but I'm so nervous and anxious. They didn't even leave yet and I'm ready for them to be home. I literally have not spent more than a day alone in over 7 years, so this should be interesting!

So, moms and dads. You have 4 days totally to yourself, and no job.

What do you do?

Has anyone here swaddled an older baby on a regular basis? My 10 month old still likes to be swaddled to sleep. It doesn't bother me, but I'm wondering if other kiddos her age usually like it.