I figure this can be a general Q&A, info sharing of tips & tricks, etc, and I didn't wanna derail the pregnancy thread. So I'll start this with a couple questions on humidifiers.

What was your experience with and when did you used them? I wasn't sure if it was a safe appliance to leave on overnight, and generally I've come to trust tww posting parents over yahoo answers..

11/25/2011 7:33:04 PM

Most humidifiers are safe to be used overnight. In fact, I have only used a humidifier over night. You really need to read whatever info comes with your humidifier to verify its safety.

Personally, I have only used a humidifier during colds/sickness.

11/25/2011 7:55:20 PM

We're using Vicks cool air humidifier overnight and have for about 2 weeks now. I suffered from nose bleeds as a child and slept with a humidifier overnight often. They are perfectly fine for that. I've been using it because when sucking out one of Ryan's ever so enormous boogers, since the weather has become more dry I had noticed blood tinge in his boogers. That was how I was before a nose bleed, so I talked to our ped about it, and he agreed based on what he saw up his nose that a humidifier would help.

And we'd been using the pregnancy thread for all things baby care related...so it wouldn't have been a big deal but prolly best for a separate thread anyway

[Edited on November 25, 2011 at 10:15 PM. Reason : ]

11/25/2011 10:12:50 PM

Yeah Will started getting some congestion after the first night at my grandmothers house, think it might have been a bit dusty in the room we were in. We ran a cool mist overnight and this morning we had a field day with the aspirater

11/26/2011 9:23:32 AM

Another trick my ped showed me was use a nasal saline solution and squirt up one nostril at a time, then suck out the boogers. You get more out that way. It really helps to get em out once they've dried a bit, and some of the muck that's really back in there. Despite the humidifier, I still have to do this some mornings. Like today! Got me a big one

11/26/2011 9:28:05 AM

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/07/132743646/Humidifiers-Dont-Do-Lick-Of-Good-Helping-Colds

Quote :

"SHUTE: But an article in this week's Pediatrics says humidifiers don't do kids a lick of good. Teach, actually, agrees. Dr. TEACH: There's no evidence that use of a humidifier decreases a child's symptoms when they have a cold. SHUTE: So we're all using humidifiers even though they don't help? Sounds like we need to take a closer look at the humidifier question. Erwin Gelfand is head of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. Dr. ERWIN GELFAND (Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health): There's a lot of old wives' tales about humidified air and how beneficial it is, because I think everybody thinks that if you have humidified air, it's easier to breathe. SHUTE: Instead, Gelfand says there are lots of reasons to not use a humidifier. Those old-fashioned steam vaporizers can be dangerous. Dr. GELFAND: A big risk, but the hot ones are burns. And, you know, for kids, many kids got burned with the old hot steam humidifiers. SHUTE: The newer ultrasonic humidifiers can spread germs, mold and toxic metals. Dr. GELFAND: So you can imagine in a humidifier that those bacteria, those molds may be growing as well, and what you're doing is you're dispersing them into the air. SHUTE: Humidifiers come with lots of instructions for cleaning them with bleach and vinegar and using distilled water. That's supposed to make them safer, but we probably aren't doing a very good job. Dr. GELFAND: Most people don't get at where the water is dispersed. So even though you think you're cleaning it, you're probably not eliminating a lot of the stuff that's growing there. SHUTE: And for some people, having more humidity in the home can hurt. Stephen Teach says that's especially true for the millions of kids with allergies and asthma. Dr. TEACH: What we do know is that humidification of the home environment will encourage mold growth. And, of course, mold is a very common trigger for children with asthma. SHUTE: Despite all that bad news, doctors know that when the kids get sick, we parents are still going to turn on the humidifier. But they like us to know that everybody in the family already has a great humidifier, and it's as close as the nose on your face. Dr. GELFAND: We humidify the air we breathe, right? That's why we go through the nose. We have the hairs in the nose filter out, you know, large particles, and we do humidify the air before it goes down into the lung."

11/26/2011 9:43:14 AM

You will really thank yourself in the future if you start using saline with them when they're little. We started using saline like LK's pediatrician showed her when Silas was a baby. When he was two, the ENT put him on Nasonex and we had no problems getting him to accept us spraying it because he was already use to us using saline. He'll be 4 in January and now he's very interested in my sinus wash bottle. It'll save him a lot of hassle and discomfort if we can get him to use a NetiPot on his own.

--

Does anyone have any experience with using Melatonin in children? (My husband and I have both taken it before, so we're familiar with it in general.) Our pediatrician has us using it with our 3 year old, who never sleeps. We've been given loose guidelines -- anywhere from 300 micrograms to 5 milligrams -- and we're to experiment to find what dose will help him, if it will help him at all. We've worked up to 900 micrograms without any change. I'm considering buying the 3 mg pills (closer to what an adult might take) and giving it a shot. I'm wondering if any other parents have given it to their children, if it helped, and at what dose it helped?

11/26/2011 10:26:31 AM

^^for colds, ok. But for nosebleeds due to exreme dry nose, humidifiers definitely help with that. Which is why I use ours...he was showing symptoms just like I did (and do) with dry nose.

11/26/2011 10:45:03 AM

We used to use one. It was safe, and had an automatic sensor that turned it off when the water ran out. Just didn't really help enough, so when we downsized to the apartment, it did not make the move. We also noticed that it made our room more prone to mold around the windows.

11/26/2011 10:48:32 AM

It seems like every winter for the past eight years, we have been in a new place (military), and we always seem to buy humidifiers every season. It's a little frustrating.

We don't use them for colds, but because my oldest (now 7) had Eczema (inherited from yours truly) BAD when he was younger.

We will never again buy the ones that have the filter in them. And we use the Vicks cool mist filter free ones now. One in our room and one in theirs (two brothers, 7 and 6). We used to have one in every room and...yeah...talk about a pain. We had a Brita filter for drinking and a filter for the humi's.

A few years ago, we would run them non-stop. Now we just use them at night when the heat is on in the house.

11/26/2011 8:47:13 PM

I run one for myself on nights that my nose is stopped up to keep my throat and mouth moist. The roof of my mouth has split open several times from drying out at night. I use the Vicks Cool Mist.

11/26/2011 9:05:24 PM

Running one right now as my boys are still desnotting. It's got the auto-shutoff or I wouldn't trust it overnight.

11/26/2011 10:01:22 PM

what about Honeywell HEPA air filters?

anybody have any experience with them? do they help with anything?

11/29/2011 7:54:25 AM

I should have named the thread baby booger solutions

11/29/2011 8:12:05 AM

I don't know if they actually help the kid but they sure as hell keep the smell from the Cat's litter box minimized. That, in turn, keeps the boys out of the litter box.

11/29/2011 8:36:30 AM

My 3 year old has been having "accidents" the past two days after being completely potty trained for months. It's extremely frustrating because we feel like she's trying to get attention but we spend a ton of time and money on her taking her out and doing activities and purposefully trying to focus on her now that we have a baby.

I can't rule out her actually having accidents I suppose, but it sure seems suspicious. If she has no accidents at daycare today but starts peeing on my floor tonight then I'll know what's up.

11/29/2011 9:58:10 AM

Sometimes kids just temporarily regress after learning something new.

11/29/2011 10:03:50 AM

^^ Yeah I'd say that's pretty normal. Back when I still did babysitting regularly I feel like almost every toddler I worked with did this at some point.

11/29/2011 11:56:24 AM

We potty trained our daughter at 2y 1m, and she took just a day or two to be trained. She had 2 accidents (urine) within 10 days of the training, and she cried seriously both times, as if she was disappointed in herself or she was scared that we would be disappointed in her.

Anyway, that was it. Until just about a month ago, at the age of 2y 10m, she had a few accidents within a week, of both types. And she was quite non-chalant after every 'accident', and even looked at the puddles/messes and laughed. We never figured out why she was doing that, or if they were true 'accidents' to begin with. Anyway, they lasted a week only.

I actually said the exact same thing that ^^ said. But also said that it would be cool to one day have technology that can read babies' minds... cuz it would be so awesome to know what exactly is going on in their little heads. They are far more advanced than people think/know.

11/29/2011 1:16:23 PM

Quote :

"I should have named the thread baby booger solutions "

+1

I want to start potty training as soon as he can walk. Diapers be damned!

11/29/2011 3:19:45 PM

Quote :

"My 3 year old has been having "accidents" the past two days after being completely potty trained for months. It's extremely frustrating because we feel like she's trying to get attention but we spend a ton of time and money on her taking her out and doing activities and purposefully trying to focus on her now that we have a baby. I can't rule out her actually having accidents I suppose, but it sure seems suspicious. If she has no accidents at daycare today but starts peeing on my floor tonight then I'll know what's up."

Yeah both of my boys regressed after a few months of being potty trained. Our second son had to end up back in pull-ups since he just stopped going on the toilet for everything and we were essentially washing his entire wardrobe every other day.

It only lasted a week or so with our oldest, but with our second it lasted a couple of months. Hasn't happened yet with our daughter though and she was just potty-trained a few months ago

11/29/2011 3:29:09 PM

Quote :

"And she was quite non-chalant after every 'accident', and even looked at the puddles/messes and laughed. We never figured out why she was doing that, or if they were true 'accidents' to begin with. Anyway, they lasted a week only."

She might have just thought it was funny. Kids are weird

11/29/2011 4:02:50 PM

No accidents at all yesterday. huh. Just gonna chalk this up to weirdness and move on.

11/30/2011 8:58:18 AM

Quote :

"Kids are weird "

QFT! This should have been the title of the thread.

11/30/2011 12:31:46 PM

When did y'all start using a sippy cup? Buddy is really interested in holding cups and acting like he's going to drink out of it. I'm curious to try with a little bit of water to see what he does...but is it too early? My gut says no since he's acting it out and curious.

11/30/2011 12:32:43 PM

I would totally use a sippy cup at any time. We started Maya around 6 or 7 months because she was interested. I don't know what the repercussions of using one too early would be but I am into letting them try things like that.

11/30/2011 12:39:14 PM

Go ahead and try it out if he's interested in cups. Try a few different styles (soft straw, fixed straw, hard lip). Most of them have valves so he's not gonna spill liquid everywhere.

It's like with food, if they're reaching for your food and are curious then it's time to go ahead and try'm out. (obviously mush up the food for them if they're still toothless wonders and steer clear of choking hazards).

[Edited on November 30, 2011 at 1:20 PM. Reason : .]

11/30/2011 1:20:17 PM

Lk your baby is about the same age as mine. We haven't introduced a cup yet but she isn't interested. But with Silas, we started with a cup a little before six months because of his surgery. Go ahead and let him check it out. He may just play with it but there is no harm in it if you're supervising.

11/30/2011 1:59:22 PM

We were gonna ask at our doc appt next week about sippy cups and when water is ok to give

btw LK, Buddy is a great choice. I fought valiantly against calling ours Nugget, but I lost at the family thanksgiving gathering

11/30/2011 4:24:15 PM

I'm convinced that toddler hands are made out of the same material as movie theater floors.

11/30/2011 4:38:56 PM

^^yeah Imma make a call tomorrow to ask. It feels right and if others have started around now or shortley after i feel my gut is correct, but stomach wise I know that may be an issue for waiting.

And i like nugget! "hey Buddy" was the first thing i said to him; it stuck

11/30/2011 5:28:26 PM

It's ok to give your baby water after 4 or 5 months of age, but you need to be careful that you do not give your baby too much water. Too much water can actually be a bad thing for two reasons: it's replacing the nutrition and calories in formula/breast milk which is all your baby really needs at this point and it can mess with their sodium levels.

Personally, I didn't give my first one water this early, but he had a big weight gain issue and all of his intake needed to have caloric value.

11/30/2011 6:35:50 PM

yeah i only want to give him a little bit to see how he'll do with the sippy cup so as to not waste precious boob milk

and ew at my typo "shortley" earlier

[Edited on November 30, 2011 at 7:39 PM. Reason : ]

11/30/2011 7:39:16 PM

LKB, we used

.

Soft nipple until he learns to chew on that thing. Maya did chew holes into them eventually but it was great because we quickly transitioned to cups after. Yes, cups without lids. We never let her walk around with a sippy cup or cup so we were ok if she spilled at the dinner table.

11/30/2011 11:34:26 PM

Were used the same cups. They are great! And the speech and occupational therapists liked and recommended them if you're worried about choosing the 'right' cup.

12/1/2011 6:53:12 AM

^^ Bout how long did the nipples last once she started teething?

12/1/2011 7:28:23 AM

Those were the ones I was looking at! niiiiice for two good reviews

12/1/2011 7:44:06 AM

When did everyone start the potty training deal?

We've gotten R interested and understanding what the toilet is for. Now is just getting him to do the damn thing on it.

12/1/2011 8:34:15 AM

As a parent and someone who has worked in childcare for 10+ years, there's no magic age to start potty training. Most kids are trained between 2 and 3 years of age. Until your kid is waking up dry in the mornings and coming to you to let you know that they need to be changed, good luck because they're not going to be developmentally ready yet for potty training. If you start too early, you're going to work on it for a long time and do all of the work. That said, there's no reason not to introduce the potty and bodily functions at any age just don't expect anything.

I always start by teaching them what "pee pee" is before even starting to work with the potty. Whenever the child urinates without a diaper on (say during a bath or a diaper change), make a big deal out of it and teach them whatever word the family uses for the potty. Then you it's a matter of timing those first few times. First thing in the morning, 1/2 an hour after a snack, right before bath. . .

Potty training readiness check list:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-readiness-checklist_4384.bc

[Edited on December 1, 2011 at 9:17 AM. Reason : link.]

12/1/2011 9:08:56 AM

If you get a humidifier, make sure you clean it every couple days 'cause those things are a breeding ground for bacteria.

12/1/2011 9:49:17 AM

^ yeah I've been a clean-that-damn-thing-daily nazi ever since we started using it, with a weekly vinegar solution wash

12/1/2011 3:00:37 PM

^^ True, plus there is some serious sediment buildup in areas that could constitute a fire hazard.

12/1/2011 6:33:52 PM

so they are supposed to reduce the incidences/severity of colds/nasal infections, but are themselves breeding grounds for bacteria!

btw, the "breeding grounds for bacteria" goes for anything made of plastic which regularly comes into contact with hot/warm water, such as plastic shower heads, etc.

12/2/2011 6:05:07 AM

Frankly, the term also applies to kids.

Sometimes i think theyre nothing but big cute axolotl tanks for diseases.

12/2/2011 9:31:48 AM

In the same vein. . .

When do you keep your children home from school?

My 3 year old has a cold and an ear infection. I kept him home from school yesterday because he'd been running a fever and I was taking him to the doctor. Once we got antibiotics into him, his fever broke last night. This morning, he woke up sniffly, but feeling much better. I decided to keep him home another day since it was a Friday in order to give him the weekend to recover. But a tiny part of me feels like I should have sent him to school, maybe it's the part of me that played hookey as a kid.

12/2/2011 11:18:31 AM

Most schools have a policy of 24 hours fever-free before returning. Otherwise, in my opinion, your son is young enough that missing a day of school for rest and to feel better is probably wise, and may keep him from getting worse. If it's a stuffy nose in a sixth grader, then I'd send him to school, but at ~3, there's no reason.

12/2/2011 12:41:42 PM

So... what's the best way to turn a big box into a baby/toddler toy? No staples allowed of course. I close up one end and cut some holes in the side so they can still pass through like a tunnel but it seems like there oughta be a better way.

12/6/2011 9:28:21 AM

I'll send DROD900 to this thread cause he and his wife AlliePaige have made a fabulous tunnel out of boxes for their little girl. They call it her castle.
He also made an airplane out of a box we used to take something to their house

I also saw this on pinterest once, and I shared it with them to possibly add to her "castle"

12/6/2011 10:30:32 AM

Just to share: if your child has hip problems or is unsteady in a Bumbo Seat, you might want to try the Summer Infant Activity Seat. Both of my children sat up steadier at an earlier age with the Summer Infant Seat. The Summer Seat comes up higher around the shoulders and doesn't drop the buttocks quite as low as the Bumbo Seat.

http://www.target.com/p/Summer-Infant-SuperSeat-Activity-Seat/-/A-13299988



[Edited on December 9, 2011 at 10:56 PM. Reason : .]

12/9/2011 10:56:13 PM

I had one of those. It was missing four fairly critical screws out of the box.

You can get replacements from Lowes but none that are short enough and eventually they'll poke through.

But that's probably pretty rare, when it was set up and functioning my boys enjoyed it a lot while learning to sit up.

12/10/2011 1:51:08 PM