Mobiles
 

We took some of the stuff back and exchanged it for the same things in bigger sizes. This was especially effective for the stuff that came from childless friends (and most of the baby clothing was), because they tend to be a little clueless about putting together the fact that the outfit they bought the kid shouldn't fit him at 11 months. If they actually remember what they bought at all.

Mobiles
 

Also, the infant seat fits nicely in the bedside co-sleeper. This worked out surprisingly well during the holidays, when we would go to parties (at which she always sleeps soundly) and get home late. She'd stay conked out in that thing until 3AM or so.

("It's a baby, in a bar.")

Mobiles
 

I was more implying that it might not be expected that I would have anything nice to say, particularly w/r/t stuff for babies.

Mobiles
 

Jogging stroller, maybe.

But how is that umbrella stroller really 10x better than the $20 one?

Especially if you tend to do things like leave strollers in the trunks of rental cars/cabs. :rolleyes:

Genuinely curious. I always found my nephew's stroller a complete pain in the ass to fold, carry and push. But perhaps that's because I wasn't used to it.

Mobiles
 

Oh. I am defensive. Because I do feel guilty for being so sick of receiving useless gifts.

Allergies
 

Why the fuck should I care? The peanut allergy kid will have to learn to avoid peanut on her own anyway- right? That kid will either learn to not go near nuts at the mall, or he'll die. My kid bringing PB&J or almonds is actually the best tough love anyonw could give the poor kid.

Allergies
 

Once I was in a bar in Georgia where they served peanuts in the shell, and everybody threw the shells on the floor. It was expected. Kind of a rustic, down home thing. Is that what malls in Detroit are like?

Mobiles
 

Think of it as an opportunity to give some scrawny little meth baby a nice outfit.

Mobiles
 

I'm glad you post on this board.

Mobiles
 

Is that sarcastic?

Mobiles
 

I think the Martinelli umbrella stroller was only about 100 bucks. And it's orange. Or rather Marigold.

I can fold it and unfold it with the Braznette on my hip. I can push it with one hand.

Oh, and did I mention that it is orange?

Mobiles
 

next to me, fringey might be the most insightful m&d poster. I was voted most helpful, but we never heard who was second. Fringey is more helpful than say, Atticus or Ty. RP is probably 3rd which is impressive for a newber.

Mobiles
 

Does it suck to go to a college whose main color is appropriate one day a year?

Better than burnt orange I suppose.

Mobiles
 

Hmmm. I've never seen a $100 Peg Perego. I thought you meant something like this:
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg...._1879_34072462

http://www.barebabies.com/pegpeplp3mts9.html

Allergies
 

so you were able to walk out of the bar and didn't get your ass kicked? No, that's not how someone like you would find most places up here.

Allergies
 

I vaguely remember some chain Texas-style restaurant who lovingly took up this affectation. Texas Roadhouse, or something. Is this what we have to look forward to in the Era of Vince?

Allergies
 

I suspect the parents have a case of some sort, but agree that damages are more likely to be measured by costs incurred (medical and other) as well as any other damage or suffering caused to them or their daughter.

For public schools, some attention to state statutes will be needed. There are often specific rights for children with disabilities, and this sound like a disability, but it usually takes some pressing to get your rights recognized and usually the rights have to be invoked through a process. There are special "advocates" who often help familys, who may not even be lawyers but may be adept at marshalling all the reports and the like needed to make the school system pay attention.

Mobiles
 

No.

Mobiles
 

Is that sarcastic?

Allergies
 

I know of 2 restaurants that serve PB & J as old-style comfort food for PBR drinkers like the C-man. How is that acceptable?

Allergies
 

My apologies for attempting to be helpful. I believe you can find a few ways to distinguish the restaurant and either the public or private school. Let me know if you need hints.

Allergies
 

dim-fuck. take your conlaw drivel to the PB. I'm just trying to point out the kid won't be able to go into public at all, so why not just start to get her used to it by home-schooling. I mean because there's some allergy kid in my kid's school I can never send them with PB&J sandwiches? Huh?

Allergies
 

You know, low level allergies can cause irritability. Did you have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch today?

Allergies
 

My kids' public school bans peanut butter, as do many others. I suspect many others will tell you their schools do as well.

Where have you been? Huh?

Baby stuff
 

Infant seats: for both kids we've started out with an infant seat, then switched to a convertible when they outgrow it. For Thor, that will be this weekend, at age 5 months. If you have small babies, you can use it longer, but only until they reach the upper weight limit for the seat (20 or 22 lbs, depending on the model), or their head reaches an inch from the upper edge (which may or may not correspond with when they reach the recommended height limit for the seat). I did a lot of research before buying Thor's bucket, and ended up with a nice Graco Snugride, one of the spendier ones with the Gracopedic foam. I've been quite happy with it, and I'm sure my sisters will be as well.

Hard-core baby wearers decry ever taking the baby anywhere in the bucket, but for brief errands that may take place during naptime, it is unwieldy but convenient. I will miss that when we switch Thor to the Roundabout this weekend. On the flip side, he'll be easier to carry in my arms than in the bucket.

Convertible seats: I'm a big fan of the Britax seats. We have a Roundabout that Magnus used, and the 40 lb weight limit got us to about age 4 (he's on the tall side but rather skinny). If I were buying a new convertible now, I'd probably go with one of the higher weight limit seats like the Marathon or Decathlon. Magnus is now riding in a Britax Husky (which was just renamed the Regent), which will keep him in a five-point harness until at least age 8. The thing we've found with the Britax carseats is that you really get what you pay for. We also have an Eddie Bauer High-Back booster that we use for traveling and riding in other people's cars, and it's just inferior in every way.

One note for hand-me-down carseats: pay attention to the original date of manufacture. Carseats should generally not be used longer than six years from date of manufacture, and should be outright destroyed when they reach the age of 10. I'm pretty sure this is because the plastic degrades over time.

High chairs: definitely wait to purchase until you can try them out with the kid. We eliminated a couple of the ones we were considering that way. We will be using Magnus's Prima Pappa for Thor, but if I were in the market I might get something like the Stokke Kinderseat.

Strollers: I like the Zoopers. Again, I'll be using Magnus's Buddy for Thor, but if I were in the market I'd probably opt for one of the models that replaced it, which have a swiveling front wheel.

Baby clothes: One word for getting rid of the surplus (assuming you don't have family to hand down to--my sisters are completely set, especially if they have boys): resale. If you don't already know the good resale shop in your area, you should find it. I've found a number of really cute outfits nwt, and have also had really good luck with things like Sunday shoes, which frequently get outgrown before they get outworn. They're also good for equipment and toys.

Miscellaneous equipment: If you've got the space, you should plan on getting a bunch of different options (but not necessarily new--hand-me-down and resale are great, especially since you don't know what will work best for your kid). We have a swing in the dining room (Thor doesn't like it as much as Magnus did), a SuperSaucer in the breakfast room (this is a big hit with both kids--Magnus used it from 4-9 months and we expect about the same for Thor), a bouncy seat in the master suite (he's less into this as he's becoming more mobile), and a floor mat/play gym in the attic family room (the Tiny Love b/w one).

Whew. I need another bonbon.

tm

Allergies
 

I've been doing some research into childhood food allergies lately, and most food allergies are outgrown. So, Hank, they're not likely to be as much of a problem beyond grade school.

tm

Allergies
 

Out murdering children with peanut butter.

Mobiles
 

Thanks!

Mobiles
 

Is this sarcastic? The exclamation point makes me wonder.

Allergies
 

my kids' school wouldn't let my wife bring red and green M&M to the Holiday party, and she's fucking tribal so don't try and pull your more-PC shit with me. Thing is, she could bring peanut M&M as long as they were the right sort.

Mobiles
 

No. It's perky. See? This is what I am talking about, where people have a hard time believing I can say anything nice.

Allergies
 

How about Santa with a great big knife through his jugular?

Mobiles
 

2. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you are the second most helpful poster here- as a precautionary tale- but still.

Allergies
 

depends. did a rabbi do it in a humane manner?

Allergies
 

But I don't think you could teach a 4 year old to look at something and know whether the ingredients include egg or nuts (i.e., learn to not go near nuts). But....you're right - the child probably will be exposed to nuts/eggs at some point and she just may end up like the 14 year old who died after kissing a guy who had peanut butter a few hours earlier. I guess the parents can only try their hardest to delay that moment as much as possible. I think it all comes down to: just because one child has a severe allergy to peanuts, should the rights of other kids to eat peanuts at school be taken away? But is it really so extreme to prohibit peanut butter and jelly at public school? Seems to me, kiddos get out of school pretty early and can chow down on PB&J's then (but don't ruin your dinner!).

Anyhow, thanks for the input everyone and I did not know that many schools are peanut butter free. I'm still looking for some advocacy group for child allergies on the internet. I would think that would be a great resource.

Thanks again.

Baby stuff
 

I'm pretty sure it's because the car seat manufacturers want to sell more car seats. It's like the breast pump people who say you can get AIDS from a used breast pump. total bullshit. HIV won't survive more than a few hours outside a body, so there's no way that a pump sitting on someone's shelf is going to contain communicable diseases.

As for child seats, I'm also not persuaded that you need the full-on 5-pt harness up to age 8, let alone age 5 or 6.

Allergies
 

de nada mi amigo. and I apologize (though I'm hardly at fault) for the Balt and Captain trolls and their attempts to turn the discussion away from the positive- always remember they have to live the lives their posts hint at.

Baby stuff
 

Well, a lot of carseats get recalls, too, and the longer it's been around the more likely it is to have one of these. Also, carseats, like bike helmets, must be replaced if they've been in a crash. Or don't you believe in that, either? I will keep using my Roundabout beyond its expiry date because I know exactly where it's been (my car or my basement) and that it hasn't been exposed to any extreme temperatures (as are most carseats left in closed cars in sunnier climes).

As for the five-point harness, it's not a matter of need per se. But after seeing his behavior in a belt-positioning booster (ie., not always or even often sitting with the belt going across his body the way it's supposed to), I decided I'd feel better with a more secure seat. Well, that and I'm lazy, and he can buckle himself into the Husky whereas I'd have to buckle the belt with a booster.

tm

Baby stuff
 

I didn't say ignore recalls, but if manufacturers are saying "replace older car seats because chances are we haven't made you aware of our recall" then something's wrong. As for crashes, of course, but the statements don't specify anything relating to crashes--after which one should replace a 1 day old car seat too.

BTW, bike helmets and car seats are fairly different in the way they protect the occupant. A bike helmet is designed to cushion impact directly, by dissipating the blow through the styrofoam and shattering. A car seat is designed primarily to restrain, not cushion a blow (the padding is for comfort). That's what the car frame is for. If you're relying on the car seat itself to protect your child from a smash, your child is going to lose every time. So, unless the straps have worn out, or the plastic is set to break where the straps hold against it, the only problems from degradation of the seat are comfort.

Helpful Advice From Hank
 

I remember when my kids were in soccer leagues at 7 or 8, and it seemed real important for them to score and beat the other guys, and I was always careful to yell really loud to remind them.

Now my kid refs soccer games for kids that age. I was watching him do it and saw the parents yelling at their kids, and it seemed obviously nuts- they're little kids just running around- let them have fun. My behavior was wrong back then- you should not make the same mistake.

Once your kid is my kid's age and a great basketball player then it becomes important to yell again.