From the category archives:

Month 7-9

Learning to crawl

Nice to have? Crib teething rail protector

January 12, 2012

Reader Carolyn, rookie mom to Clara, sent us an email to share her enthusiasm for a crib protector. It protects baby from crib (and crib from baby!) What Carolyn said: I was always confident leaving our 4 ½ month old daughter, Clara, in her crib to snooze, until one day she bumped her teeth on [...]

Try a half-sleepover

October 24, 2011

When our kids were younger, Heather was a little bit obsessed with putting them to bed at each other’s houses in order to allow us to have nighttime plans with each other. We pulled this off quite a bit when we were rookie moms. With two kids each now, it’s not really worth the hassle; [...]

Learning to crawl

Activity #261: Throw an Inside-Outside party

October 3, 2011

Your 40th weekly challenge is to celebrate that your baby has been on the outside longer than she was on the inside! There are many fun ways to celebrate this milestone. We’ve done cocktails and sushi (pictured) and a moms night out at the hot tubs in the past. Unless you’re currently knocked up, I [...]

Activity #109: Explore all the senses

September 19, 2011

Whitney ran into my friend Jeanine outside her house. Jeanine was helping her 9-month old daughter, Pepper, touch some furry lavender sticking out from Whitney’s garden, and didn’t realize whose house it was. The girls had been going on a sensory tour of the neighborhood. Try it yourself to keep the neighborhood walks interesting: Stop [...]

Learning to crawl

Send your mate out to jog

September 5, 2011

The wonderful thing about an almost-nine-month old is that fabulous head control that just screams “put me in a baby jogger and let’s see how fast this thing can go.” Send your partner out for a short run with the jogging stroller and you can catch up on sleep, phone calls, or reading. Make sure [...]

Activity #63: Buy some new jeans

August 29, 2011

Put away the maternity pants and take yourself out to Old Navy to get some interim jeans to make you feel normal. Go with a girlfriend you trust. Don’t look at the size, just find something flattering and comfortable. DO NOT THINK ABOUT OR TALK ABOUT THE WEIGHT YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE IN THE [...]

Learning to crawl

Activity #309: Get a free 8×10 portrait

August 15, 2011

Look at my son. Sigh. This photo was taken almost six years ago at a photoshoot for my former employer who had a last minute need for a baby model. Although I am usually opposed to studio photography, there is something about it that’s easy to look at. I guess that’s why our parents took [...]

Activity #370: Go out for just dessert

August 1, 2011

I am assuming that I am not the only rookie mom for whom leaving my child to be put to bed by a babysitter for the first time was scary. My kid never took a bottle, so I pretty much had to be there for a bedtime nursing for the first ten months. This feeling [...]

Learning to crawl

Stumble into a family-friendly pub

July 25, 2011

Today’s challenge, your thirtieth, is to discover a family-friendly pub in your area and test it out. Yes, we tried this a few times. Sure, baby Julian made a frat boy of himself and booted the first time. Nobody cared! You don’t have to compromise on ambiance every time you go out for dinner with [...]

Activity #121: Upgrade your own “crib”

July 18, 2011

You probably did nice things to your baby’s room to get it ready for him. How about your own bedroom? Make a small change that will make you happy in your sleeping space. Move a piece of furniture, hang something on the wall, or get rid of a clutter pile. (I didn’t say clean up [...]

Learning to crawl

Activity #299: Pack a picnic and roll in the grass

July 11, 2011

The challenge for the day is to take advantage of a warm afternoon and feed your family outside; it’s time for a family picnic. It is so much easier to clean up Cheerio crumbs when I can just shake my blanket into the grass and leave the rest to the bugs. I like to keep [...]

Activity #96: Go swimming

July 4, 2011

Taking the baby in the pool is both scary and funny. A kid’s gotta stick his toe into the water at some point, right? Buy a package of disposable swim diapers or a reusable one, and plan your outing. This is our 27th rookie mom challenge. If you are alone, think carefully through the logistics [...]

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