Spring Cleaning at the MetaHome

I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning lately. Purging the old and unused from closets, cupboards, and bins. I guess you could say it's time to finish the nesting that I didn't have time for before MetaGirl came along.

Here's my basic to do list, but use your own judgment for your list:

Food:

• Toss all old unused dry goods that are rarely used like certain flours and corn meal. As far as I'm concerned, food like dried pasta and beans have an infinite shelf life.
  
• Check old nuts, which can get stale, and and dried fruit, which can lose freshness.
  
• Toss anything that has expired or just plain looks funny.
  
• As for replenishing, I won't bother getting more until I need it.

Clothes:

• Pick out everything that's looking old and sad and either (1) toss or (2) save for messy jobs (e.g., painting or spring cleaning ;-)
  
• Pick out clothes that don't get worn. We all have those things that we thought we'd wear, but never do. Why fool yourself? It's time to pass it on to someone who might actually get to use it.
  
• The kids have clothes that no longer fit them. They went into one of 4 piles:
  
  • Pass on to someone who can use it
    
  • Hold on for sentimental value (I really want to make something like this blanket one day)
    
  • Hold on for MetaGirl
    
  • Toss - too worn or stained to pass on

As for passing on clothes, I'm in a situation where I don't have room to hold on to such clothes indefinitely, and I don't know of anyone who can use them now or in the near future. So at the advice of a friend to has done this a few times, I participated in a local consignment sale that's held twice a year. They require a minimum of 30 items, so it motivated me to clear out some big and bulky items (e.g., bouncie chairs, bumbo). The most important factor was that I wasn't donating something to the Salvation Army in hopes that someone would benefit from the items. I priced them very reasonably, and when they sold, I knew that someone would appreciate, and hopefully love the stuff as much as we did. I had a terrible time parting with some items (I can't tell you how many pictures we have with one of those bouncie chairs), so I really wanted to know they wouldn't end up in the dumpster.

Toiletries:

• Anything unopened can be donated to pretty much any shelter (e.g., homeless, domestic violence, teen shelter for runaways).
  
• Opened products are much harder to find a home for. MetaDaddy says it's tacky, but if I have shampoo or lotion that I will never finish, I feel guilty throwing it away. It seems so wasteful! But if I could donate it, I would clear it out, thus leaving us with less chaos in our bathrooms. I called around, and domestic violence shelters seem to only accept unopened items (including sample and hotel sizes). However, homeless shelters are willing to take either (they really seemed to want lotion). Call first to be sure the shelter accepts your donation.

And when you're done, get out that label maker and put all the good stuff back. Stand back and behold your handiwork :-D

Update: More tips on Spring Cleaning from AP: A spring guide to help you clean out the clutter

Humidifier Options

I'm looking for a good method to reduce the dry air in our bedroom. I keep waking up feeling like I swallowed sand. And MetaGirl, who sleeps in our room, has been waking up congested. It's time to just bite the bullet and get one.

Ahhh...but which one? The research begins. I found this comment jammed with great information.

Does anyone out there have any good experiences with humidifiers?

Plastic Free Toddler Dishes

After spending so much time looking for dishes and cups for MetaBoy that are not made of plastic, I ended up settling on bone china. It's strong and considered chip resistant. I don't know if this is true, but we tried it anyway. We have a couple of flat-bottom bowls, plates, and a couple of mugs. And so far, MetaBoy has been great. Nothing thrown, chipped, or broken (at least not yet). Mind you, we didn't offer the dishes to him during his "throwing" phase. Back then, we would hold the dish and feed him. We then let him feed himself, and we haven't had any incidents. He bangs his silverware on the rim of the bowl, but eh...he's two.

I was worried that the mug would be too difficult for his little hands to handle, but he was a pro the first time he used it (at around 2 years). I'm annoyed I didn't introduce it earlier! We have have a single handle mug, and a double handle mug, and he can use both without a problem. So we don't have any kiddie plastic dishes or cups, and I'm glad we're at a comfortable place with that considering the talk about BPA has only gotten more serious (see the EWG for more info). I will get a few sippy cups for MetaGirl once she's ready for them, but she won't spend much time using them if I can avoid it.

If I was still on the hunt for a plastic-free alternative for mealtime, I would seriously consider a stainless steel set like this one. It's nice to see that more options are slowly becoming available to consumers.

Boo to plastic!!

Teething: Sophie the Giraffe

MetaGirl has been teething for a bit now, but nothing yet. She's drooling like a faucet and putting everything in her mouth, including toys, fingers, other people's fingers (ew, MetaGirl...ew).

So I walked into a toy store looking for Christmas gifts last month, and the sales associate asked me if I knew about Sophie? I thought "that's odd that she's asking about my friends." Well, she meant Sophie the giraffe. That is, the little rubber giraffe that teething babies love, love, love to chew on. It's soft, easy to handle (that long neck is superb), it squeaks, and it's made of all natural, non-toxic ingredients. MetaBoy loves Sophie, too. A bit too much sometimes. "Please give Sophie back to your sister!"

It's a great gift idea if you know anyone with a teething baby.

Note: I was reminded of Sophie when I saw this ridiculous thing today. Who would buy this?!? And at that price?!? Holy moly.

Patagonia Toddler Clothes

This Patagonia vest reads well and looks stylish, but the heck we're spending $70 on a vest for MetaBoy that he'll outgrow in no time. It's made from recycled materials, and is fully recyclable in turn. It's also probably made well enough to last for years. What's the point of that with a toddler? If they make it slightly less well made, can I maybe get a discount?

Britax Frontier Booster Car Seat

When MetaGirl was on the way, we decided to reserve MetaBoy's car seat for her and upgrade him to a new one. After much research and help from a little birdie with much experience on the topic, we chose the Britax Frontier Booster Car Seat.

• Britax is a great brand that seems to consistently work on improving the safety of their car seats. We trust the brand.
  
  
• The seat has a five-point harness seat and can be used until he's 80 pounds, or up to 100 pounds as a booster seat.
  
  
• MetaBoy can easily climb into and out of the chair, which was impossible in his old car seat (Britax Decathlon Convertible Car Seat).
  
  
• It's so much easier to buckle than the Decathlon. I wish we had gotten it so much sooner.
  
  
• It has cup holders, though he doesn't use them. They seem to be a bit awkward at his age, though he might appreciate them when he's older.
  
  
• On the down side, I've read some people's comments that the seat is quite hard to install. MetaDaddy installed it and said it wasn't too hard at all. Maybe he just knew the trick, engineer that he is. Me? Well, there's a reason I didn't install it. And there's a reason that when the printer stops working, my reaction is "help, help, help!!"

Overall, we're quite happy with the seat. We currently have both seats in my car, which means that if we're each taking a kid, only MetaDaddy or I can go out. We've decided to get a second seat for MetaBoy to put in MetaDaddy's car. It's important to me because if he and MetaBoy go out, for example, I'd like to know that MetaGirl and I can go out too in the event of an emergency (e.g., we're out of chocolate). Besides, some day she can move into that seat, so it's a preemptive purchase.

On that note, I saw that BabyCenter has a sale on Britax car seats. I was going to buy it there, but at MetaDaddy's suggestion I decided to check Amazon's prices. It turns out that they have the same discount. And while my experience in purchasing and returning items with BabyCenter has been pleasant, as Amazon Prime members, we get free two-day shipping via UPS. BabyCenter ships via FedEx Ground, which is terrible when it comes to home deliveries and customer service (not to mention this). I avoid them at all costs.

If I had the wherewithal, I'd consider buying from Hip Monkey. They have a price match guarantee (they say to email them a link to the lower price and they'll match it), free shipping, no sales tax, and 100% of the net proceeds go to The Kyle David Miller Foundation to help purchase car seats for children in need.

Never Buy from BabyAge.com

So, I'm closing in on 37 weeks. About time to start nesting, n'est pas?

The crib we have for MetaToddler converts into a toddler bed, so he'll be keeping that one. We'll need a new bed for our new Wee one, which we'll call M2 (as in Meta 2) for now. Thought about Wee 2, or W2, but that seemed to close to Wii...which might confuse some people (you know who you are).

Anyway, I order the crib online at www.BabyAge.com. I've heard of the site in a few places, they've been around for a while, and I know they sell through Amazon, so I thought "why not." Free shipping, no tax, and the crib retails for the same price everywhere. Once I placed my order, I saw a strange pop up message that requested more information in order to fulfill my order. I click on it, and it requested the last four digits of my social security number and my year of birth. That screams alarm bells, but I'd already placed my order at that point. I decide to ignore it and see what happens.

The next day, I receive an email message asking that I call Baby Age in order to provide some information before they can complete my order.

Grr.

I call, but I'm already annoyed. Sure enough, they ask me for my social and year of birth. I ask them why they need it, and they say that this is risk management because I'm making a large purchase. *Just the other day I stopped a fraudulent order by doing this* blah, blah. I say "I'm not comfortable providing that information. Are you saying that I can either provide my private information or cancel my order?" He said "yes." So, I canceled my order.

Duh.

I then called American Express, and they said:

1) I was right to not provide the vendor with that information.
2) Vendors can ask for things like the security code on the card or your zip code, but not your SSN or year of birth.
3) BabyAge already put a charge through on my card, so keep an eye on the card to make sure they cancel it immediately.

Unfortunately, when I found out that the charge had been put through, it was too late to call Baby Age again. However, I will follow up with them to assure they have canceled my order and refunded my card. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that the credit will not be a problem. That said, American Express has been great when dealing with shady vendors and/or charges in the past, so I'm expecting them to be just as great this time :-)

Of course, after the fact I search on Google and find they make a practice of asking for credit card holder's social security number. How is this not phishing? Baby Age didn't have this info to verify it against my answers. How is this managing risk? After providing this info, they would have had my name, address, phone, email, credit card, last four of my SSN, and my year of birth. What else would they need to steal my identity? After all, American Express only asks for the last four of my SSN in order to access my account history.

Hopefully you don't have to deal with any vendors like these, but always be on the lookout for people who ask too much information. Never, ever give out any digits of your social or your year of birth, which is harder to get than the day and month of your birth. And never provide any information to people who call you. I once had Aetna call me to verify who I was. I asked them "I need to verify who you are first!"

Duh.

Shopping on Etsy

I just love trolling Etsy for fun and new things. It's like eBay, only for handmade stuff. I think I'm more mesmerized at the thought of actually making stuff. I like crafts, but I'm not crafty by any stretch. I lack the motivation to try, really. I still haven't finished the scarf I started way, way, way back when it was still cool.

In any event, a few things I'm keen on these days.



Flirty Aprons - Doesn't this make you just want to bake something tarty?

Reusable Produce Bags - Maybe you already have your reusable large bags in order, but what about the bags to put your many onions, potatoes, and carrots? Obviously, Etsy has something for that. They come in a set of 3, and in sizes of small, medium, large, and extra-large.

Bang! Bags - I ordered one of these bags for a few reasons.

• It's very reasonable ($20 including shipping when I purchased it).
  
• It's handmade in Argentina, which means it's also shipped from there. While my *green* pursuits would keep me from happily ordering something from so far away, I also like supporting small business pursuits, especially in a country so near to my roots (i.e., Chile).
  
• I wanted something small and light to carry MetaToddler's various necessities in. This hardly weighs more than a t-shirt, but it's nice and sturdy.
  

The bag is very light, fun, and colorful. Sometimes, we all need a bit of color, no?

My current system:

• purse with everything I need, plus Cheerios and baby wipes;
• a mini-diaper bag (diapers, wipes, rash ointment, change of clothes);
• the Etsy bag with a couple of small books, sippy cup, jacket, wipes, spoon, and bib
  

I always carry my purse, I leave the mini-diaper bag in the car for emergencies, and I have the Etsy bag ready at all times (though I might add an orange or banana at the last minute), and take it if we'll be out for more than an hour (i.e., ready for emergency entertaining and feeding). As a result, I don't carry a huge bag, nor am I generally ever short of necessities for him. Though as he gets older, the number of things needed to entertain him increases. But for now, food still does the trick :-)

That Lovely Baby Smell

I'm borderline obsessive about washing my hands. I need to have them clean, and if I think I might have touched something suspicious (e.g., shopping cart), I really want to wash my hands...quickly.

I obviously wash them after certain things baby things like changing diapers. We use Mustela products (e.g., barrier cream), which smell wonderful. Not sweet or of baby powder...just baby fresh and clean. But I wash and scrub my hands afterwards because...well, you know why.

So when I've finished and forgotten about the diaper and I'm off eating lunch, I'm conflicted. My hands smell of Mustela. I know I washed very, very well, so I know my hands are clean. However, I can't help but be reminded of where my hands where not-so-long ago.

Around the Internet: Green Topics

How do we reduce our energy consumption? How do we redue our waste output? How do we keep ourselves happy while keeping our environment happy? Is there a happy compromise?



MORE GREEN

Tax Credits and Incentives on Green Upgrades - Various tidbits of information on rebates, tax credits, exemptions, and discounts on:

• buying higher efficiency or more green appliances and building products
  
• choosing a more energy-efficient or disaster-resistant home
  
• making your existing home more energy efficient.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiencies - "DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency." If you've been thinking about getting a tankless water heater or solar panels, find out which incentives you qualify for.

Green Quiz - Find out if you're daily life is sustainable. If not, find out what you can do to change little things that make a big difference.

LESS WASTE

Plastic Bags from Baby Toolkit - I've said it before, so I won't bore you with my feelings on plastic bags (and here). I'll point you to hers :-)

Baby Donations - If you have baby stuff and toys that you no longer need, don't throw it all away. Give it to a friend or neighbor. Within certain guidelines, you might also be able to give it away to a non-profit. There are organizations that will accept such donations for needy families. After much research, I recently found Baby 2 Baby in Los Angeles; I feel much better about donating baby stuff here because I know it will go to a family who will truly benefit from something we no longer need. You might also consider a domestic violence shelter, homeless shelter, or other such places in your area where baby items are in short supply.

What Kids Truly Need from No Limits Ladies - Such great insight. Don't buy your kid another toy until you think about why you're doing it. That is, talk, listen and communicate with your child. It might be that s/he really wants more of you, not more of Mattel. For that matter, evaluate all of your relationships and ask yourself if you're buying unnecessary stuff resulting in wasted resources (e.g., water, oil, transportation) because you need to, or because you don't know how else to cope. Save a dollar & a tree; get a hug & a smile.

Garbage Toting - Marketplace's Tess Vigeland decided to carry around her trash around with her for 2 weeks. She figured she didn't throw away much, so how bad could it be? 10 days in, the smell had her waving her white flag. However, she learned a lot, as did her readers. One of her best questions:

"When it comes to recycling, there should be national standards for what's available to citizens. It's mind-boggling that I can recycle something in Southern California that someone up north can't... and vice versa.

I know these things are decided by local governments and sanitation districts. And recycling is expensive. But there's got to be a solution to what really is an issue of inequality. People who don't have access to good (easy!) recycling programs are stuck sending everything to landfills."

Car Seat Safety

In the state of California, kids have to be in a car seat until age 6 and 60 pounds. Here's a chart to check out your state's seatbelt laws by age and weight. I don't remember ever having been in a car/booster seat as a child because it wasn't the law back then. In fact, I remember being allowed to sit in the bed of our pickup truck. It's amazing how things have changed. By all accounts, if I was a kid today, I'd be 12 before allowed out of my booster seat. I'm crossing my fingers for our wee little MetaBaby.

When we were debating car seats before MetaBaby was born, we did all sorts of research and just got more and more frustrated and confused. By all accounts, despite the huge range in prices, there was little that made us think more money meant more safety. More important, cheaper seats are not more dangerous. However, at some point we took a step back from the infant seats and began to research convertible seats. We knew the convenience factor of infant car seats was undeniable, since no one wants to wake a sleeping baby.

Here was our reasoning:

• The more you move a car seat, the more opportunities there are to bump, bruise, or otherwise damage it. This might interfere with the ultimate goal of the car seat as a safety device.
  
  
• Because the convertible seat is one unit, as opposed to two like the infant car seat, it seemed safer. Less parts to click together when securing, or break in a collision.
  
  
• As a small person, it seemed like carrying around 10-15 lbs, plus the weight of the baby, was enough to do some potential damage to my back. I have enough back problems as it is.
  
  
• Our goal was to wear our baby as much as possible. If we went out with him, we would put him in a sling. Keeping him in a car seat promoted less baby wearing.
  
  
• It's not necessarily good for a baby to be in the same position all day. Having a convertible car seat forced us to move him around more. That is, we were less likely to leave him in the seat just because he fell asleep.

We finally decided on the Britax Decathlon. When we first brought him home at 9 1/2 lbs., it felt like he was swimming in it despite being well secured by the additional cushions included with the Britax to accomodate infants. He soon filled it out perfectly. At no point did we regret our decision for the car seat, and we would definitely make the same decision again. We even saved a bit of money since we did not have to buy a second car seat once he outgrew the infant model.

Personally, the safety of car seats is something I take quite seriously. I've seen baggage handlers at airports toss car seats onto conveyor belts. As a result, I would never consider checking a car seat a safe alternative. As with anything, once it leaves your sight, you can no longer be assured of how it's being protected. My concern with the gruff treatment of car seats stems from the following information from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Q: Can I use a car safety seat that was in a crash?

A: If the car safety seat was in a moderate or severe crash, it needs to be replaced. If the crash was minor, the seat does not automatically need to be replaced. The NHTSA considers a crash minor if all of the following are true:

The vehicle could be driven away from the crash.
The vehicle door closest to the car safety seat was not damaged.
No one in the vehicle was injured. The air bags did not go off.
You can't see any damage to the car safety seat.
If you are unsure, call the manufacturer of the seat. See the resource section at the end of this handout for manufacturer names and phone numbers.

As I consider the safety of car seats, I can't help but wonder about the infant safety on public transportation. I have considered public transportation, but I don't see how I'd feel safe without a car seat for MetaBaby. Per Babycenter, car seats are not yet allowed on public transportation because there is nothing to secure them on, though they are still a relatively safe method of transportation.

Overall, buses and trains are very safe forms of transportation; because of their bulk and weight, they absorb much of the force of a crash. Still, it can be unnerving to think of bringing your child on a moving vehicle without a protective seat.

I confirmed that Los Angeles' MTA and Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus do not have a method of securing a car seat to any of their buses (or trains), nor do they have any plans to accomodate them in the futute.

Geeky Bib

I found this precious little bib on Etsy, and guess what! I couldn't help myself.

• It's large...covers up any unsightly stains.
  
• It's very absorbant...great for those "bonus" drool days.
  
• It's super stylish...did you get a close-up look?

There Was a Crooked House

This right here makes me consider trying the whole "childhood" thing again.

Hmmm...on second thought, maybe I'll just play with MetaBaby's stuff.

The ridiculously cute Kid's Crooked House.

Via Thingamababy

...we could sell our condo and move into a...wonder about the property taxes...insurance...does it come with a garage...

Shopping Cart Cover

People keep asking me about our shopping cart cover, so I figure I'll post about it.

As I've gotten older, I've become more of a germophobe. So when MetaBaby came around, I wasn't keen on exposing him to certain things, such as shopping carts. I really wanted a cover for the seat in the shopping cart, but a friend pointed out that his kids never wanted to be in the shopping cart, so for his purposes it was a waste of money. I realized that even though I wanted a great and perfect cover, it might be a waste of money if our energetic little lad didn't tolerate being in the shopping cart. That said, as he started teething and putting everything in his mouth, I knew that he'd just suck on the handles, railings, etc.

I looked around at covers, and they ranged from about $20 to $108, and everything in between. Since I didn't know how long we'd get to use it, I went for the cheapest option.

It's very basic. The elastic trim allows it to stretch to fit over the shopping cart seat at various stores, including Costco, Albertson's, Trader Joe's, and Target. However, it doesn't fit the seat very snuggly. As a result, when I put him in and latch him in with the cover's harness, he's still not very secure because his movements are enough to wiggle the cover out of place. That said, he can't chew on the shopping cart, which is the reason I got it to begin with.

In summary, if you go for this cheaper option:

• Your baby will be protected from whatever grossness that shopping cart has been through.
  
• There is not a lot of padding on this cover, so if you're baby can't sit up well without support, you should probably wait to use it or provide alternate padding of your own.
  
• This model has a tiny pocket for stuff in the front, which is accessible to the baby. However, I find it too small to put anything in it. Even if I could, he'd end up dropping it because of his current inclination to test gravity.
  
• Some covers provide loops to hook toys onto, thus preventing the aforementioned testing of Newton's law. This one does not.
  
• Some covers provide a storage pocket on the back that hangs into the cart. This one does not.

The cover has worked out pretty well for me. I started using it pretty early. He was about 18 lbs at 3-4 months, which made it really hard on my back to carry him in a sling. Once he was stable enough to sit up, I started using the cover and added a little padding of my own (blanket on either side) to keep him protected if he managed to topple over. I don't mind not having a pocket for storage of toys because I try to travel light. However, I do wish there was a loop/hook on it sometimes so he could play without dropping every-single-thing. As for the safety problem, I would prefer something that fit on the cart a bit more snuggly, but it's actually worked out fine. I just don't separate myself from him. That said, I can't imagine separating myself from him in the store, anyway. If I had to do it again, I'd either buy the same one again or this one, which looks like it might secure onto the cart better.

For other ways to keep your baby safe and protected, take a look at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association's (JMPA) list for Baby Safety Month. That said, isn't every month "baby safety month"?

Lead Found in Baby Bibs?

I hadn't heard about this lead scare yet.

"Toys “R” Us halted the sale of vinyl baby bibs at its stores nationwide yesterday and offered customers refunds on perhaps more than a million bibs after tests confirmed that at least some of the Chinese-made items are contaminated with lead."

Per Toys R Us and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the bibs are only a safety concern if they are "so worn out that pieces could break off and be ingested."

The tests were paid for by the Center for Environmental Health (CHECA), which was instrumental in pushing for the voluntary recall. The lead level was apparently not high enough to warrant a federal violation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

I don't see how any level of lead in a baby's bib is tolerable. My son goes soaks several bibs a day with his drool, and don't get me started on the chewing. He chews everything and anything he can find. And with his razor-sharp teeth, he's gnawed through more things than I thought possible; I don't see him stopping at vinyl.

So, if you have any vinyl bibs, check the label for Koala Baby, Especially for Baby and Disney Baby labels.

Laundry Tip - Wash Fabric Toys

My son has been dealing with teething issues for months. So ya, he drools a lot. And ya, he likes to chew on anything he can get into his mouth. He likes fabric toys, which I'm happy enough to give him. However, some say that they're not intended for washing (e.g., plush rattle dolls like those found on Tiny Love activity gyms). Well, the whole *soaked in saliva* thing is enough for me to toss it in the washer, though I let it air dry. They come out in perfect condition, ready to sop up any new drool. So I now wash all of his fabric toys, and if one doesn't survive (which hasn't happened yet), I'd sooner toss it than harvest bacteria. I'm just saying.

We've also gotten great use out of a set of books I found at Costco by Soft Play ($10 for 2 cardboard, 2 cloth, 1 waterproof). He destroyed the cardboard ones in minutes...literally, minutes...with drool...ever-powerful drool. But the others are in great condition.

Dads as Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur.com has an article on the creative side of dads. Being at home with a child makes you re-evaluate all of the little things you never used to care about...laundry detergent, toilet cleaner, toothpaste. Having to change habits and routines to accomodate a little one, a parent can accidentally stumble into brilliance. Mom's have been doing this a lot lately. But now that dads are spending more time raising their kids, they're starting to show off their clever side, too. Furniture, cleaning products, are medicine flavorings are mentioned.
Hey sweetie...got any good ideas yet? Or do you need a few more daddy-baby days?

Toy Recalls 2007

The NY Times reported that of the 24 toys recalled for safety reasons to date in 2007 in the US, all of them were made in China. The number seems possible since 70-80% of toys sold in the US are actually made in China. In fact, given the soaring number of recalls over the past few years, the article states that "China today is responsible for about 60 percent of the overall product recalls, compared with 36 percent in 2000."

Given the overload in federal systems that oversee quality for this kind of stuff, it seems like consumer groups have been working overtime to pick up the slack.
"The toy industry in the United States is largely self-regulated, as the Consumer Product Safety Commission has only about 100 field investigators and compliance staff nationwide to conduct inspections at ports, warehouses and stores - not only of toys, but all consumer products."

Yikes!!

After some thought, while it seems highly unlikely we'll be able to completely avoid toys made in China, I'll be watching out for their construction. Right now, my son puts everything in his mouth and gnaws...so painted toys are the best to avoid. Going forward, we might consider a something else is best avoided. Hopefully, manufacturing regulations will tighten as Chinese authorities consider the loss of business they face. Consumer dollars, or lack thereof, are the loudest way to express distrust and anger with toy makers.

Sippy Cups are Big News

Sippy cups are in the news today.

Was the TSA tough on a mother traveling alone with her toddler, or was she just rude? The NY Times reported that a woman traveling with her 19 month old was stopped by the TSA for having water in her toddler's sippy cup. Beyond that, the story's a bit more vague.

The TSA says she was rude and unhelpful. "A TSA report said Emmerson told an officer that she was a Secret Service agent, flashed her credentials and said she was exempt from the ''stupid'' policy restricting liquids on planes. But Emmerson denied that she flashed her badge, saying the video footage shows her digging in her luggage for identification."

The mother says they harassed her."Emmerson said an officer threatened to arrest her after the water spilled, telling her she was ''endangering the public.'' She said there was no place to dump the water near the security area, and that she was worried when her son started wandering away from her."

Just to clear up the story, the TSA actually posted the video online. I don't know if it clears much up, so as far as I'm concerned, it's a lot of heresay. What I do know is that this was all started by water in a toddler's sippy cup, and per the video, she was detained for no less than 10 minutes. It's nice to know our tax dollars are paying for moments like these. My question: if a toddler can drink the water, how dangerous can it be?"

************************************************************************************************************
This one's a good reminder to taste what your kid eats and drinks. An Applebee's server filled a 2 year old's sippy cup with a margarita instead of the requested apple juice. An honest mistake, I'm sure. Since we haven't had the need to order anything for our son when we go out, this hasn't been a thought. However, going forward, we'll be sure to be cautious of what he's actually getting.

Diapers on Amazon

Amazon is great for diapers and other such baby supplies. We use Seventh Generation diapers which comes to $41.99 per box of 160 diapers, or about $10.50 per package of 40. I set up a monthly subscription which gets us an additional 15% off, bringing the total to $8.92 per package of 40. Even better, Amazon reminds me then automatically sends me a box every month. If I were to decide that I needed them less frequently, I can change frequency of the subscription. So it's cheaper, more convenient, and no more last minute diaper runs.