Q. My husband and I have just moved into our first two story home. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a baby on the way, so this is taking alot of getting used to. I have purchased baby gates to keep my toddler downstairs/and off of the stairs as I will not allow him to be upstairs by himself. I have moved most of his favorite toys downstairs into our living area so he can play throughout the day. So pretty much his room is for sleeping only. I am delivering my baby by planned cesarean, and I am worried about how the stairs are going to affect my getting around once I get home. I need some ideas on how I can keep our trips upstairs to a minimum. I know that we will have to go up atleast 2 times during the day for naps and getting dressed, and of course bedtime. So at bedtime, I am thinking of gating the top of the stairs / or my sons room until morning. Any other suggestions for living in a two story home with small children?
A. In addition to the safety precautions you are taking with baby gates and all, I would recommend some of these tips that I did when were living in a two-story with an infant.
1. Keep a stash of feeding supplies upstairs for nighttime feedings. Maybe a refrig and a bottlewarmer for breastmilk or liquid/pre-mixed formula. Or pre-measured bottles of water and pre-measured baggies of powdered formula and a funnel. Whatever you need upstairs to keep from having to go back downstairs during the night.
2. Keep an entire changing/dressing area downstairs. This would include a couple changes of clothes. Whatever you need during the day, keep a set downstairs as well as upstairs. I would even recommend trying to get the kids to nap downstairs in playpens or cribs if practicable for you.
As for gating the top of the stairs, for safety reasons I would suggest gating your older son's room instead of the top of the stairs. You would not want you or your husband falling over the gate and down the stairs if you had to evacuate the upstairs in an emergency. And be sure to use plenty of nightlights in the halls and baby's room!
1. Keep a stash of feeding supplies upstairs for nighttime feedings. Maybe a refrig and a bottlewarmer for breastmilk or liquid/pre-mixed formula. Or pre-measured bottles of water and pre-measured baggies of powdered formula and a funnel. Whatever you need upstairs to keep from having to go back downstairs during the night.
2. Keep an entire changing/dressing area downstairs. This would include a couple changes of clothes. Whatever you need during the day, keep a set downstairs as well as upstairs. I would even recommend trying to get the kids to nap downstairs in playpens or cribs if practicable for you.
As for gating the top of the stairs, for safety reasons I would suggest gating your older son's room instead of the top of the stairs. You would not want you or your husband falling over the gate and down the stairs if you had to evacuate the upstairs in an emergency. And be sure to use plenty of nightlights in the halls and baby's room!
Any tips on travelling with a toddler on long flights?
Q. I have a long journey planned on my next vacation with my 1.5 year old. A fourteen hour flight followed by layover and then a 6-7 hour. We did not opt for an exclusive seat for him either. Any tips?
A. Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
How do you disinfect toys and such with clorox?
Q. What's the mixture? How much of clorox and what else?
Do you need to rinse the toys off after the clorox?
I know these may sound like stupid questions for some people, but I honestly don't know. I have just been boiling water and sanitizing that way.
Do you need to rinse the toys off after the clorox?
I know these may sound like stupid questions for some people, but I honestly don't know. I have just been boiling water and sanitizing that way.
A. I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years plus I organize toy cleaning sessions for the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms at our church. If you are just wanting to keep the toys clean that typically just your child uses at your home then one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. For toys that are not dishwasher safe or too large than you can just keep them washed with warm soapy water and rinsed well afterwards. Disinfection for normal home use really isn't needed, but if your child has been ill (especially with anything stomach related) or has had a playmate over who has put toys in her mouth or showed signs of illness than you may feel better to disinfect them. This is the method I use for my daycare toys and what we do at our church: First, wash hard surfaced items in warm soapy water (we use regular dish soap - Dawn) either in a dishpan or with a cloth. Use a scrub brush for exceptionally dirty items and on toys with crevices. After washing, rinse with lots of clear water to thoroughly remove soap residue. In a large container (I use either a dishpan or a mop bucket), put 1 gallon warm tap water. Add 1 Tablespoon household bleach to the water than add the toys to cover. Allow to sit in the bleach water a few minutes than remove and let air dry at least overnight. Discard the bleach water after use. It is not toxic to drain systems and can be dumped down the sink or toilet. Many people are nervous about leaving the bleach water solution on the toys, but bleach breaks down very quickly and returns to it's original state of salt and water and the chlorine evaporates, leaving no residue. For large toys not able to be immersed, place some of the bleach water in a spray bottle and spray on then let air dry. Most infant chew toys are top rack dishwasher safe and I wash all my infant toys this way as well as bring home the infant toys from church to wash through my dishwasher. We keep an empty dishpan on the shelf in each of the rooms where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have care and classes. After a child has used a toy or has put one in their mouth, the care givers/teachers place the toy in the dishpan. Someone comes through once a week and either takes them home to run through their dishwasher or we have the instructions and supplies to do cleaning and disinfecting with soap, water, and bleach. ETA: I would just like to add that while bleach does make a good disinfectant, as with everything, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive use of products such as disinfectants, anti-bacterial products, and hand sanitizers has been strongly linked to the development of bacteria and viruses that are resistant to normal treatment. There are good germs and bad germs. These products do not know the difference and kill both the good and the bad. If you feel you must disinfect, do so with caution and in moderation.
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