Rookie Moms

Even if this isn’t an activity you’ll do today, you might find yourself on an airplane sometime this year. So far, Holden has flown cross-country at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and now 7.5 months. Each time, Alec and I worked as a team to cover the travel-parenting duties, so I have yet to fly solo.

The hero of this story, therefore, is my friend Beth, who flew to Chicago from Sydney, Australia alone with her 6-month old, Alice. She is the master. She shared some of her best tips with us:

• How to plan ahead
• When to consider drugging your baby
• What to do with your free hands

Make 2 lists. Start a week in advance so you can jot down those brilliant things you remember at random times. One list is Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s stay realistic. Bubble blowing is not something that you can build your whole day around, so take them with you in your diaper bag and pull them out whenever you need a distraction.

Bubbles are in the toy aisle of drug stores and can be a fantastic surprise for your baby. If you are lucky enough to find an older child nearby, ask her if she would like to show the baby how bubbles are blown. Then sit back and watch.

Do you find mashed avocado a little bland? So does your baby. Try to add a sprinkle of cumin. Now it’s really baby guacamole - yum!

Holden literally went from ho-hum on avocado to gobbling it up when I did this (and he’s been rather consistent about it since). Some of my mama friends said they added a bit of lemon juice too, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Many paint-your-own-pottery places know how to help you get cute baby footprints on plates, mugs, etc.

We made trivets (the cheapest pottery available was a flat tile) at Brushstrokes in Berkeley. Paint everything you want on your piece while baby sleeps (or friend holds him) then do the feet and race out the door, because he’s likely to be pissed off.

At least that’s how it was with us.