May 6, 2010
First, don’t take it personally! Three years old seems to be the age where children test everything–from what’s on their dinner plate to who’s going to tuck them in at night. They experiment with choices and power, often showing preferences for parents or babysitters, and loving or resisting going to school–and sometimes both! Children test out their choices to see what they can get and how they feel.
We might take a look at what each parent does with the child–they may be angling for Dad’s frequent trips to the park or ice cream store. Or if Mom’s around more, Dad can seem new and exciting. Sometimes a new sibling can alter family dynamics as everyone adjusts. Three year olds may enjoy having an activity to do nearby when Mom or Dad is busy with the baby. It’s not about changing how each parent interacts with the child, more that parents check in and talk together about what might be consistent and what’s different. In our experience parent preferences are often stages that eventually shift, and then shift again. More
December 22, 2009
We all slip into less than ideal patterns with our kids so that we can make it through the day. We’ve depended on and then had to wean ourselves from night feeding babies back to sleep, pacifiers, juice bottles, and thumbsucking to name just a few. Looking back, we realize that often the key to these transitions is letting ourselves off the hook, so we have the patience, presence and strength to get through the whining and crying we’ve been trying to avoid.
Fortunately, two year olds get over these changes more quickly than we expect, though usually we have to live through it to know. More
December 3, 2009
Ah, the crib climber. It’s hard to appreciate the pride and joy toddlers’ feel when they figure out how to hoist themselves over those rails. Their faces beaming, they arrive in the kitchen where we’re quickly cleaning before making the most out of their nap time. We remember being speechless at the sight of them. And then the dread.
The key is not to panic, scold or celebrate their accomplishment. We calmly say, “Oh, I see you got out of your crib. I’ll tuck you back in bed for your rest.” We walk or carry them back to their room. We put them back in bed, explaining, “Cribs are not for climbing. You could fall and hurt yourself. I’ll pull up the side of the crib so you are safe inside for your rest time.” More
July 8, 2009
We rely on Dax Stores for well-priced and good quality organic co-sleeper and Pack n Play mattresses. To make sure we get the right size, we’ll call them on the phone. We also order at least two wool puddle pads and an organic sheet sized for the mattress. Mainstream labels like ABC make organic sheets to fit the smaller shaped mattresses, and we often try a few different ones to find the best material and fit.
We have yet to see an organic Pack n Play. For now, we put the organic mattress on top of the hard Pack n Play pad. We follow the same routine with the Arms Reach Co-Sleeper, though for sleeping, companies are designing organic options like the Seed Organic Cradle and the Organic Orbit Bassinet. An organic Pack n Play could be next.
June 29, 2009
Yes! Lyndsey has used linseed oil and beeswax finishes on wood furniture, both worked well. She googled “beeswax finishes for wood” to find a do it yourself application. The beeswax looks really nice and brings out the natural color of the wood.
This eHow beeswax wood finish recipe is similar to the one Lyndsey used. We also love the Pacific Rim Woodworking Maple cribs which have a non-toxic hand rubbed finish of beeswax and tung oil.