Sunscrean vs Sunblock

This is the blurb I was talking about. I got this from one of the baby boards I read...

PSA: Sunscreen
It seems everyday someone asks about sunscreen. So I thought I would give my 2 cents since well skin is my profession. I am a dermatology Nurse Practitioner and have been practicing dermatology for 12 years thus I see children and adults everyday in regards to skin, skin cancer etc and this includes being in the know in regards to the safety of sunscreen.
First let me start by saying there is a big difference between Sunscreen and Sunblock
Suncreen is 100% NOT safe for infants under 6 months old. Honestly I would never put sunscreen on my child at any age Period. Sunscreen is a chemical blocker that use simply gets absorbed into the top of the skin in a chemical thus reflecting the suns rays and not allowing them to penetrate. These chemicals however are not safe for infants.
Sunblock is a Physical sunblocker which is 100% safe from the day your child is born up to the very elderly. Sunblock is a product that literally creates a shield on the top of your skin and get absorbed and will block out the harmful rays.
Many companies Mislabel their products calling themselves sunscreen and sunblock interchangebly. You need to look for the active ingredient.
Avobenzont; Homosalate; Octisalate, Octocrylene and Oxybenzone, : ARE CHEMICAL BLOCKERS aka Sunscreen. NEVER use this on your child this is what pediatricians do not want you to use on your children.

Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide as the active ingredients is a PHYSICAL BLOCKER and this is absolutely safe for your child at birth. As noted with the American Academy of Dermatology. THe active ingredients are actually pretty much the same as diaper rash paste.

The key is putting it on 30 minutes before going outside. Physical blockers need time to get absorbed into the top layers of the skin. ALso you must reapply every 2 hours of continuous sun exposure. Long sleeve shirts, wide brim hats and sunglasses are also recommended. They sell bathing suit coverups and bathing suits with a UV protection.
Recommended Sunblocks by the AAD are as Follows:
Neutrogena Sensitive Skin
Neutrogena Pure and Free
Blue Lizard
California Baby
That is pretty much it and its a short list. Most of the issue with sunscreen and babies origionally came from PABA however that is rarely if ever used. The use of chemical sunscreens nowadays can cause your child to develop a contact allergy.

All this being said, I have also read that after 6 months you can use any kind of sunblock...but I figured he is so small, that even though Blue lisard is more expensive, he isn't going to be using a lot of it so it kind of evens out. Plus, I like to use the Neutrogena stuff because it isn't so greasy and that is expensive, and my skin doesn't even count ;)

mel

"Hey Hey Hey, We're going to the beach!"

That is the song that my family always sang as we headed to the beach. And it was always a contest of who could see the ocean first! I have such great memories of family beach trips and hope to make new memories with Todd and Molly!

Speaking of beach trips...Molly's first trip is this weekend! I have a 'college' reunion this weekend at Wrightsville Beach. The reason 'college' is in quotes is that I am actually the only one that didn't go to the same college as everyone else. I went to Salem but the group of people I consider my 'college friends' actually went to Wake Forest. I'm excited that Amanda and Tom are part of that group so Molly and Hadley get to experience the beach together!!!

I talked to our pediatrician and he said that although sunscreen bottles say for ages 6+ months, that it is perfectly safe for babies 4 months or older. He recommended Water Babies or Aveno. If your baby has sensitive skin you can ask the pharmacist for Blue Lizard. No prescription needed but it is behind the counter.

In preparation for the beach, I bought this infant cabana from OneStepAhead. I have practiced opening and closing it and think that once I use it a few times it will really be a breeze.

I also got a baby pool to take out onto the beach. Our pediatrician recommended putting one under the cabana and filling it with ocean water. I'm not sure that our cabana will be big enough so I got the baby pool that has partial shade. Hopefully Molly and Hadley will love it!Amanda, he also assured me that Molly will probably eat plenty of sand and that's ok!

Molly has a cute new swimsuit to wear and I will post pictures after this weekend!!!!

-Emily

4 months!!!! (a few weeks ago!)

Molly turned 4 months a few weeks ago. I took pictures that day but have been a slacker when it comes to posting. I made a mistake when I took the pictures. Normally we do morning pictures when Molly's 'morning smiles' are present but that day I waited until too close to bedtime. As you can see.....huge mistake:

Talk about an angry baby!!She finally calmed down a little but still seemed somewhat insulted that I wanted to take her picture!

By the end she wasn't so mad but I didn't get any smiles that she is so famous for.

I have definitely learned my lesson that when it comes to Monthly Montage picture taking, mornings are key!
-Emily

I need a nanny cam

My day has seriously started me thinking about nanny cams. I know that I am very fortunate to only have to go back to work for 2 days a week right now. That being said, I HATE leaving Isaac with a sitter. Luckily, Adam comes home early for one of the days, and we have the younger sister of a family friend watching Isaac the other day (for only 4 hours.) When I say younger, I mean that she is 24, a college graduate and has had infant experience before---or so she says. I don’t know who left their baby with this moron for too long because I come home to a crying and screaming baby who is dressed in a full on sleeper with socks and she says they just got back from a walk. It’s 90 degrees here in Charlotte today. The poor kid is sweating through his clothes, and she wonders why he’s fussy. She said he didn’t go down for his nap, so she decided to put him in the stroller to walk outside after she decided to play dress up with my baby who was perfectly happy in his onesie. I’m calling total Bull S**T on her claim that he refused to nap. This is a kid who eats and sleeps like clockwork. He loves his crib, loves his mobile, and pretty much you turn on a cd with white noise and he’ll sleep for up to 2 hours in the afternoon. Is she really trying to tell me that just for the 4 hours I leave him on Wednesday he rebels and refuses to sleep? I’m calling it. Bull S**T. She then says he was SO fussy when they got back from his walk (probably because his walk was hotter than hell, and she wouldn’t let him go to sleep) that she wanted to feed him again…so she takes the bottle that had 2 oz left from his last feeding, 3 hours ago, and proceeds to try to feed him basically sour milk. Of course he spits it all up over his long sleeve sleeper. Now, if you know me, and even if you’re just getting to know me through these blogs, you probably know I am a VERY organized and detailed oriented person. I leave a list and instructions for everything. It’s not like I just told her to do whatever she wanted with the baby. She was told exactly what to do, and refused to follow my instructions. I only have 2 more days with her watching Isaac, but I’m debating just bringing the poor boy to lessons with me. All my clients say they would love to see him, and even though I hate the idea of him in a car seat for so long, it may be safer than having this complete idiot watching him for even more day. I know this post probably makes no sense, but I just needed to vent. It’s not that I think my way is right or wrong, but it is MY way, and I get to choose how someone takes care of my son. When she has her own kid, she can decide how she wants it done. I’m paying her though to do it my way, and right now I’m so pissed I just want to call her and tell her to not bother coming next Wednesday. Grrr.

As soon as I picked him up, by the way, he just fell asleep on my shoulder. All he wanted to do was sleep. I guess our whole sleep/eating routine will be off tonight. Just when we hit the 11 hour mark, it’s going to all be messed up. ~Andrea

lots of stuff to process

So, I hope you ladies are all doing well. I cannot believe so much time has gone by since we first made our introductions. Andrew is now almost 7 months old. He is sitting mainly by himself, and loves eating. We eat stage two solids twice a day now with oatmeal mixed in, that way he can get used to food with texture. We have cut back slightly on his bottles per the doctor's orders to get him down to "average range" (we were giving 40 oz a day and now it is more like 34). He is wearing 6-9 or just 9 month sizes now, and at our last visit he was 27 inches and 17 lbs 3 oz! I have begun seriously looking at convertible car seats. Our plan is to have him rear facing for 2 years...but we will have to play that part by ear. If you are curious why, you tube rear facing vs forward facing. Basically we are trying to cut down our chances of internal decapitation...scary business. I think we are going with a Britax Boulevard CS. Any ideas what you guys are thinking in the future? I wasn’t really prepared to be looking for one so early, but Andrew will outgrown his infant seat in two inches! He is growing up way too fast.

Ok so now on to what has been on my mind the past month. At Andrew's 6 month appointment we had to do an evaluation for his milestones thing, just like we did for his 4 month appointment. Well, he did very poorly for his fine motor skills. Basically what it boils down to is that he isn't playing with toys. He laughs when we play with toys in front of him. He can hold them if we give them to him. But he is not actively seeking them out or putting anything in his mouth except for his hands. I have been a little concerned with the idea that he isn't interested in toys up until now, but mainly because I didn't know what we were going to do with teething hit and he had nothing to comfort himself. But the doctor is concerned because most of his milestones are based on "toy activity", and if he doesn't play with toys on his own, we don't know if there is a problem.

So she referred us to baby physical/occupational therapist. We met with her this past Friday for a general “let’s get to know each other” appointment. We learned a little more about the program and what is going to happen if we need to proceed with therapy. Monday we had a hearing and vision test done. I didn't realize you could do a vision test with children this young, but apparently they check his tracking and check for astigmatism, which most children have at this age. Andrew passed his hearing with flying colors. It was so cute to see his reaction in the sound proof room as different toys lit up and began making noises, along with random speakers making sounds. As for is vision, they are a little concerned mainly because both his father and myself are basically blind. So we will have to get that recheck in 6 months. My poor baby is probably going to need glasses. I always knew it was going to be in his future, but just thinking of a one year old wearing glasses makes me kind of sad. So I have been looking around for baby glasses in my free time. If anybody knows a cool site, let me know.

Anyways, our next appointment is our actual evaluation, but that isn't until next week. We have been trying to get more play time in on the floor so we can be fully prepared for what the evaluation is going to tell us. It is hard to fit so much into a day. We don't get home until 5:15/5:30. Then we have to eat solids, and squeeze in bed time bottle. He is usually in bed by 7:00. So that leaves us about an hour and a half to do feedings, hard core feeding, and a bath. I am running out of time. I know you are probably thinking...just push back his bed time, but believe me that isn't going to work. He is cranky if we mess up his schedule, and it makes bed time a struggle. Not to mention the doctor said since we are waking up so early, he needs to be in bed no later than 7...

So there it is, I know there isn't any real information there, but hopefully we will know something more by next weekend. And there is a big chance that this is normal for Andrew, and he will do it in his own time. In that case, the therapist will give us some exercises to work on so we aren't left hanging...only time will tell right now. I will leave you guys with our latest family picture. This was taken at my brother's wedding at the beginning of May.

Just in case you thought your night was bad tonight, this will make you feel better . . .

Last night Tom asked me if he could go to a baseball game tonight. I said "Sure, I can handle the baby." Joke's on me. This is a recap of my night: Baby started crying for dinner an hour earlier than usual. I made her oatmeal, but it was too hot to eat so we had to wait and let it cool. That made the baby REALLY mad. Baby is now screaming. I gave the baby her bottle while she was waiting for the oatmeal to cool so that she would stop screaming. She drank 3 oz. and then threw up the entire amount she had drunk--it was all over her, all over the floor and all over me. Now dinner is delayed even more because I have to clean up the mess. Baby is screaming again now because dinner is delayed. Gave up on oatmeal for the night and decided to just fix her a new bottle since she threw up the one I gave her before. No bottles clean. Dinner is delayed again. Baby is still screaming. The throw up and the screaming were really not normal for her, so I decided to take her temperature while waiting on the bottle. First thermometer reading was an error message. Had to take her temperature again. No temperature--great. Baby is still screaming at this point, but the bottles are clean so I can make her a new bottle quickly. I start feeding her the bottle and all is good. Then the dog starts acting like he is going to throw up. What a night!!! Baby is in bed now, dog is okay, and I am doing absolutely NOTHING for the rest of the night!

--Amanda

Mother's day

So I have a lot to let you ladies in on, but it will have to wait until after this weekend...But in the mean time I was wondering how your very first mother's day was.

For me it was spent at my mom's house at a cookout with all the local moms in my family. We had my mom, grandmother, my aunt, my sister and me! Andrew just had his 6 month shots, so he was less than pleasant, but as soon as we got back to our house he was as happy as could be...i think he just is a home body.And Joey did amazing for my first mother's day gift...he got me pearl stud earrings and a new pair of sneakers I have been eyeballing (Reebok Easytone, much more comfortable than I thought they would be, and actually look like regular shoes vs Sketchers version)...he really tried hard to make that day special for me!

Hope everybody had a great day and cannot wait to hear about it!

mel

So, babies are fun!

The silliest things make you feel accomplished when you are a new mom. You never quite know if you're doing things right until you start to see that tiny thing you brought home from the hospital turn into an adorable, mischievous, smiling person right before your eyes. This past week as been one of incredible progress for Isaac, and I'll say, for ME as a mommy!

The first big thing that happened last Thursday, was Isaac rolled over for the first time, and followed it up quickly with his second time! It was incredible to watch him figure it out, and I wish I had the video camera closer to catch it. It was so special though that both Adam and I were there to see him do it for the first time. He just rolled over and then gave us the biggest smile ~ probably because we were cheering so loud for him! It was adorable.

We're also experimenting with our sleep habits, and we've had some success! Isaac is actually a great napper, and goes down like clock work 3 times a day at the same times. Unfortunately, they were either always on his tummy (under supervision) or swaddled. Well, since going back to work 2 days a week, we've had some issues getting the nanny to actually duplicate our success. I don't trust her to supervise the way I would if Isaac is on his tummy, and I know it sounds silly, but she just doesn't swaddle Isaac the way he likes to be swaddled. Not napping just 2 days a week has really messed up the poor boy's sleep schedule at night. In a desperate attempt to get our boy back on schedule, we're trying to just swaddle with one arm, and we've had success today! I think the biggest difference has been getting a white noise cd that lasted the entire length of his nap (longer if I loop it.) We have one of those aquariums attached to the crib, and we LOVE it, but the ocean waves turn off after only 10 minutes. Isaac would always wake up as soon as the waves go off. Now with the cd (a .99 download from Amazon,) we have continuous noise for the duration of his naps. So far so good. His naps aren't as long as they were (usually between 1 1/2 - 2 hours) but I'll take 45 minutes to an hour right now if it means we're on our way to getting rid of the swaddle and napping with the sitter.

Isaac has also discovered his hands, and of course how good they taste! He'll just sit in his bumbo sucking away at his hands and drooling everywhere. Hopefully, since he's getting more and more control of his hands, he's close to getting rid of his startle reflex. We've also introduced the walker, though he's NOWHERE near being able to use it as intended, the big tray is nice to put all his toys on now that we're close to him being able to grab. Plus, it's the perfect place for us to read or sing since he loves watching our faces. Overall, a good week! I can't believe how fast he's growing and how quickly he's learning new and fun tricks. I think our next big test is when I take Isaac on a 12 hour car trip to visit his grandma and grandpa in Memphis. Adam can't go with me, but I have a good friend who is willing to suffer through a long car trip with an infant. We'll see how it goes! ~ Andrea

milestones!

It's official...

Laine can sit up all by herself! It's amazing how much like a "big girl" she looks when she is sitting playing with her toys as opposed to lying on her back or tummy. I was very excited to reach this milestone, but now I know that crawling is not far behind... YIKES! Anyone done any babyproofing yet or are we all putting off and pretending that our babies will never be mobile?

She is still REALLY enjoying her experience with solid food. So far we haven't found anything she won't eat! She is coming up on her 6 month well-appointment (!!!) so I am hoping to get a little more guidance as too how much to feed her and when. It seems like she's willing to eat anything I give her!

Also, Joe managed to catch this gem on our Flip camera... priceless.

Solid Feeding Necessities

We started Hadley on baby oatmeal about 3 weeks ago, and I think we are going to move on to baby food this weekend because she loves eating like a big girl and she is getting bored with the bottle. I have decided to make my own baby food, so I thought I would share some of the products I have found that seem to work:

1. Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat: We originally got a Graco High Chair, but it was one of the ones that got recalled recently, so we took it back to the store. Several of the moms in my neighborhood had this Fisher-Price Booster Seat for their babies and loved it. We have been using it for Hadley now for about a week, and we love it too. It is a booster seat, so it straps to a chair instead of being free standing. It works on just about any chair. It is also sturdy. Some of the high chairs I looked at were really wobbly. We just make sure this is hooked to a sturdy chair and we put the chair back against a wall or in a corner so she can't wiggle it too much. The other moms that I talked to that had this booster seat also use it when they travel or go to restaurants. It folds up so that it is easy to travel with. It is also all plastic, so it is really easy to wipe clean. The tray is dishwasher safe too, but we usually just hand wash it.

2. BabyPro All-in-One baby food maker: This baby food maker was only $69 at Babies R Us. It steams and purees the food, and the steamer and puree containers are both dishwasher safe. I used it over the weekend to make squash, and it was really easy. If you are on a tight budget, I think it is a good alternative to the more expensive Beaba (which is $130-140). The only differences I can tell are (1) it has two containers (one for steaming and one for pureeing), instead of one like the Beaba (so there are two containers to clean--but this is not really an issue because they fit in the top rack of the dishwasher easily) and (2) It does not have a defrost function. We already had the BabyPro bottle warmer that also fits baby food containers, so we just defrost them in the bottle warmer. We've actually used the bottle warmer more for heating her oatmeal than we ever used it for heating bottles.

3. Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers by One Step Ahead: I found these online at the One Step Ahead website and Amazon.com. I originally bought some flip-top containers at Babies R Us, but I had to take them back because the lids would not stay closed. The One Step Ahead containers have screw-on lids so the lids stay closed, and they interlock for stacking in the freezer. They are also 2 ounces (not like the 1-oz ice cube trays), so each container is a full serving. They come in sets of 12, and I bought three sets. They can be put in the freezer, microwave (or bottle warmer) and dishwasher. Since the lids screw on, I think they will also be easy to travel with when we go out to eat and around town--although for long trips, I am planning to just used store bought baby food.

--Amanda

Pseudo Cough

I have read that one of the symptoms of the beginning of teething is a minor cough due to the excess saliva production. Well, Hadley is definitely starting to show symptoms of teething, although I can't see any teeth actually popping up yet. I don't think that will happen for at least another month or two. But in the meantime, Hadley has discovered that she can make the coughing sound any time she wants to--not just when she needs to cough. It is her new favorite sound, and I don't think she has caught on to the fact that we can tell the difference between her real coughs and her fake coughs. Does anyone else's baby have the pseudo cough?

--Amanda

Mesh Bumper

Hello moms!

I hope you are all gearing up for our first Mother's Day tomorrow!!!! I'm interested in hearing what all of the Dads do to celebrate us!

I was wondering if any of y'all have gotten and used a mesh bumper for the crib. I have been going to Molly's room in the morning and her face is a little closer to the bumper than I would like. Any feedback?

-Emily

First Tumble--Uh Oh!

Hadley has decided that she can sit up on her own--except that she can't quite do it yet. I've been propping her on her boppy and another mini boppy so that she can be more upright because she likes to sit up. Except that is not quite good enough for her. I was sitting in front of her taking pictures of her, when she surprised me and pushed off the boppy to try to sit up on her own. But since she can't do it yet, she tumbled forward onto her face. Caught me off guard, but she didn't seem to be bothered by the tumble. She was able to prop herself on her arms for a few seconds though--long enough for me to snap the pictures above.

Molly

Well, for a while it seemed that Molly forgot how to roll over....but today she did it 5 times! Hopefully she'll keep remembering! She's not yet rolling back to stomach but she has found her side.
She had also been refusing to take a bottle but that seems to have ended too. Todd found out that Molly will no longer take a clear nipple, she will only drink from one of the ugly tan colored nipples. Weird child.
And she is back to sleeping 11-12 hours at night without waking up at all. For a week or so she starting waking up 1-2 times in the night hungry but I'm guessing it was just a growth spurt.One of my friends gave us some toys for Molly. One was the jumpy thingy above. Molly just loves it....for about 2-3 minutes....and then she screams. So I don't think she's fully ready for it yet but I give her a minute or so to enjoy and then take her out. She is so strong though! Our small townhome is being over run with toys! Hopefully she'll enjoy what we have and I won't have to crowd our home any more, at least for now!
-Emily

Quick Question

Why is it that maternity leave ends right as the baby starts getting fun and sleeping really well? I am not happy about going back to work...even if it is only part time and I really wish plan B would kick in. Plan B in our case is the lottery by the way. I will miss my little boy!!! ~Andrea