Eric turned 12 months and it was time for me to think about switching him from formula to cow’s milk. A little history: he was exclusively breastfed until the age of 8 months, and then I

• Add Comment

Childproofing is not a simple task. It requires thinking and planning, some imagination, some research and inevitably costs us time, the most valuable resource of busy working parents.

I wrote a guest article for Almost Frugal with tips about childproofing and only after it went live I realized that I could have done better. One picture is worth a thousand words and showing the locks and where to use them is just as important as explaining about it.

• 6 Comments
Show Comments
Hide Comments | Add your comment
1. Great article on childproofing. This subject is always something that is a concern to parents and guardians. Another potential danger is when small children unlock a deadbolt, which leaves them exposed to outside dangers…getting lost, hit by a vehicle, abducted, falling into swimming pools, etc. Thumb-latched (e.g. single cylinder) deadbolts are the safest because they also allow you to escape in case of a fire. In fact, double-cylinder deadbots, which require a key to exit, are against most all Life Safety and/or building codes. A great product called the Lock Jaw http://www.lockjawsecurity.com helps prevent this. You might want to check it out. You can also read about it on http://www.wisebread.com that has a TRUE story on how it helped keep a child safe and sound inside.

   Comment by Brett — November 26, 2008 @ 8:01 pm

2. Thanks Brett, so far Eric didn’t manage to open the deadbolt but he’s getting smarter every day. I really don’t think that there are any locks that 100 percent child-proof. The locks are there to slow them down, really :) and allow us, parents, to catch them just in time.

   Comment by Emma — November 26, 2008 @ 8:34 pm

3. Hey I really like this post. very helpful. I would like the one for my fridge since my three year old thinks she can just get in there whenever she wants to. Can I get this at walmart? let me know.

   Comment by zjojor — November 29, 2008 @ 11:30 pm

4. I recently placed a lock like yours in our fridge and it works really great. My son is now trying to work out how he can reach the lock and open it. BTW, I loved what you did with your dishwasher, it is very creative of you.

   Comment by Infant Formula — December 6, 2008 @ 7:26 am

5. Thanks, it took me some time to find that one. Originally I had it installed on a drawer, but there Eric could reach and open it. I re-located it and on the fridge it works great.

   This can be actually another tip - instead of buying new locks, try to re-use the ones you’ve already got. They might not work for one cupboard but will for another :)

   Comment by Emma — December 7, 2008 @ 4:53 am

6. [...] presents Childproofing – locks that do work posted at [...]

   Pingback by The 157th Festival of Frugality: The Queen’s Speech Edition | Miss Thrifty — December 23, 2008 @ 10:55 am
Hide Comments | Add your comment

Question: How will you play with my baby during the day?
Reason: To see what activities she has on her list. Will she read to my baby, sing songs, play outside - or will she glue him to the TV or stick in the pram and go to shops.

• Add Comment

Assuming that most of the nanny database sites are alike, you should do 2 things to make your search more efficient: send messages to nannies you’re interested in and post your own ad so that nannies could look you up. So I have sent messages to about 20 nannies and was expecting to hear from about 5, so the website statistics said. It took me about 3 days to start getting the responses - yes, I tend to forget that not all people check their email every day.

• 2 Comments
Show Comments
Hide Comments | Add your comment
1. What To Look For When You’re Screening A Nanny

   So you’ve done a search for a nanny and you’re getting ready to conduct interviews. What should you look for when you’re screening a nanny? These three things are helpful in the hiring process:

   Be Prepared - The process of screening a nanny can be a flurry of events. You’ve scheduled times to speak with several different candidates. But before you get to the interview stage of the hiring process, be prepared with a list of what your expectations are and what you’re looking for in a nanny.

   Ask Investigative Questions - Don’t forget to dig deeper and address any concerns when you’re screening a nanny. Ask questions such as how a nanny would deal with emergency situations, how he/she views her role as a nanny, and what some of the most difficult situations are that he/she has faced working as a childcare provider.

   Paying Attention To The Details - When you’re going through the interview process, listen to not only what the applicant is saying, but how he/she is saying it. Is she giving you canned answers that you want to hear? Is he/she enthusiastic about working with children? How well does he/she interact with your child?

   Run Your Background Checks - Make sure you run background checks such as criminal histories, driving records or any others you feel necessary.
   If you are looking for more tips check out it is a great resource.http://www.nannies4hire.com

   Comment by nannies4hire — November 13, 2008 @ 10:57 am

2. [...] As promised, I continue here the list of questions for my prospective nanny - and the reasons for every question. I started it in these articles - click here to read part1 and here to read part 2. [...]

   Pingback by Working mom: get a nervous breakdown or ... get a nanny! (part 3) @ Baby-Log| Learning to be a Mother, raise a Baby and live as a Family — November 17, 2008 @ 12:35 am
Hide Comments | Add your comment

truly believe those were my only options. I was falling behind with my work, the dishes piling up in the sink, the dog was neglected, the garden was abandoned, my friends thought I left the country …you get the idea. Eric is a great kid, and he needs a lot of attention so I wasn’t making progress on anything else. The situation was getting ridiculous: when I was with Eric, I couldn’t stop thinking about the work, and when I was trying to do the work I was feeling guilty about not doing enough for Eric.

• 8 Comments
Show Comments
Hide Comments | Add your comment
1. Everyone needs extra pair of hands sometime in there life to keep it all going. I have hired nannies and they are great. Check out http://www.nannies4hire.com. We hired our current nanny from their site and love her. We couldn’t have found a better match for our family.

   Comment by nannies4hire — November 10, 2008 @ 4:01 pm

2. [...] second part of my success story about how I found a great nanny in just 7 days. You can read the first part here. Assuming that most of the nanny database sites are alike, you should do 2 things to make your [...]

   Pingback by Working mom: get a nervous breakdown or ... get a nanny! (part 2) @ Baby-Log| Learning to be a Mother, raise a Baby and live as a Family — November 13, 2008 @ 4:51 am

3. [...] for my prospective nanny - and the reasons for every question. I started it in these articles - click here to read part1 and here to read part [...]

   Pingback by Working mom: get a nervous breakdown or ... get a nanny! (part 3) @ Baby-Log| Learning to be a Mother, raise a Baby and live as a Family — November 17, 2008 @ 12:26 am

4. [...] presents Working mom: get a nervous breakdown or ? get a nanny! (part 1) posted at [...]

   Pingback by Working at Home on the Internet — November 28, 2008 @ 6:08 am

5. [...] by not making excuses and taking action to over come financial roadblocks.” Emma presents Working mom: get a nervous breakdown or ? get a nanny! (part 1) posted at [...]

   Pingback by Work From Home » Blog Archive » Working at Home Blog Carnival-113th Edition — November 28, 2008 @ 6:45 am

6. Congratulations on being able to find help so quickly and confidently. New parents and working parents sure have a lot of tough yet rewarding life adjustments to make. Another option for too-busy parents is to outsource all those other time-consuming tasks in your life: the dishes, correspondence with friends, walking the dog, etc.

   Taking those items off your plate will also free up your schedule so you can feel like you are able to spend quality time with your family. Look up personal assistance or concierge services, such as Detour Services, in your area.

   Comment by Detour Services — November 29, 2008 @ 1:00 am

7. I envy you for finding a nanny that fast. It is our main problem right now. We had changed nanny for the 4th time now. It is confusing my child. I hope I can find one that will stay with us indefinitely :)

   Comment by Discount Formula — December 6, 2008 @ 9:37 am

8. I guess that was really lucky. She is still working for us and I am very happy that I hired her. The amount of attention my baby gets from her is beyond my wildest fantasies, this is the kind of person that she it.

   I wish you best luck, hopefully you will find her identical twin soon.

   Comment by Emma — December 7, 2008 @ 5:06 am
Hide Comments | Add your comment

there is a way to predict baby’s future height based on a simple calculation. For boys, take the biological mom’s height, add 5 inches (cm) and remember that number. The boy’s height will be between that number and his biological dad’s height. For girls, subtract 5 inches from her dad’s height – she will be between that and her mom’s height.

• Add Comment

Eric was approaching 11 months mark and I was still breastfeeding. To tell you the truth I never liked it and only did it because it was good for the baby. So once the level of “mom hormones” in my blood started to decline, breastfeeding became even less enjoyable.

• 2 Comments
Show Comments
Hide Comments | Add your comment
1. Thank you for sharing this. I am having a hard time weaning my baby. I will try what you did to your Eric with my baby. I hope this will help a lot.

   Comment by Baby Formula — December 4, 2008 @ 3:29 am

2. [...] was exclusively breastfed until the age of 8 months, and then I introduced solids. At 11 months I weaned him and started giving him formula. Frankly, I wasn’t too sure whether or not I should switch him [...]

   Pingback by Switching a baby from formula to cow's milk - all questions answered @ Baby-Log| Learning to be a Mother, raise a Baby and live as a Family — December 13, 2008 @ 7:52 pm
Hide Comments | Add your comment

Did you notice how quickly they outgrow practically everything? I had a couple of months when I was shopping for baby clothes every other week - and I hate shopping.

So here is some tips I came up with to reduce the shopping and the hassle to the minimum:

• 1 Comment
Show Comments
Hide Comments | Add your comment
1. District Cotton Logo Organic Apparel … join the district mailing list, win free stuff · Organic cotton · the district blog. The District …

   Comment by baby clothes — December 21, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
Hide Comments | Add your comment