The Mom Crowd

Do you have a craft specialty?

I don’t really have one except cooking–unless you call picking up and rearranging toys on a daily basis a craft. I recently took up knitting because here in our seminarian community it seems like everyone knits. Not that I am the kind of person that does something just because everyone else is doing it! It is just that I have a goal: I want to learn how to knit wool diaper covers (for cloth diapers). What better way to learn than to be surrounded by lots of other people that do! Wool diaper covers are great because they are water resistant, antibacterial and antimicrobial, they breathe, help prevent diaper rash, and don’t need to be washed as often as other cloth diaper covers. But they are expensive. Wool diaper covers are anywhere between $25-40+ and you need at least 2 of them to switch between during the day or night. I will also need a few different sizes as the baby grows which means I could easily spend a fortune over $100.

When I found out that it only costs about $6 to buy the yarn yourself and knit a diaper cover I was ecstatic! I thought, “Hey! I’m a smart lady, surely I can figure this out!” I love the idea of picking out some fun colors of yarn to knit with. I had a friend come by and get me started on the basics of knitting and purling and then I was left to my own devices. Well, I then decided that whoever invented knitting was someone wanting to torture people by making them feel stupid a genius.

Knitting is kind of hard. It is definitely an art! I know that many of our grandmothers know how to knit and somewhere along the way knitting became something only for old ladies. Knitting is an art that is coming back into style. If you go to the craft store, or even Target for that matter you can find little cutesy kits for knitting cool, funky scarves.

I found some free wool soaker patterns online and started following the directions to make them. I also found out that my desire to be perfect right away at everything new I try is a little unrealistic. Apparently I need some more help. I went to the half-price book store last night to see if they had Knitting for Dummies and perhaps one other intro to knitting book. I found all kinds of interesting books for knitting. I saw a book on how to knit clothes for punks, for babies, for kitchy items, pillows, sweaters and the like.

I have some practice yarn and right now have been practicing when I get a chance. Now that I have the very, very basics down of knitting and purling I am finding that the motions of knitting are relaxing. I can easily see how people get hooked on knitting. No pun intended.

I like thinking about how I will feel when I finish making the diaper soaker–although at times I wonder if Graham will be out of diapers by the time I figure it all out. There is something satisfying at making things with your own hands and providing for your family–and saving a bundle of money!

I have learned that you need a few things to start knitting:

1) A friend who knows how to knit because it is hard to learn everything from a book

2) A book to refer to for a picture how-to and any other questions

3) Knitting needles

4) Yarn

5) Patience

In case you are interested in learning how to knit here are some helpful links:

www.knittinghelp.com

www.knitpicks.com

www.knittingpatterncentral.com

Do you all have any crafts that you are good at or learning how to do?

My friend Staci put one of her daughter’s headbands on my daughter while I visited her. I instantly loved it, because it was super cute and it fit Ace’s head. The headband is from Bugalug Baby. Their headbands are two sided ribbons and have a clear, soft plastic toggle that adjusts the size of the headband.

What I honestly love most about the headband is that it stayed in my daughter’s hair the entire day, including a trip to the zoo. She never pulled it off her head once. She is constantly pulling out the smaller barrettes that I use. Also, I think it is easier to notice if she drops the headband rather than a barrette, because it so much more obvious it is gone.

I had a difficult time finding a headband or a bow for Ace’s Easter photo. I looked at Kohl’s, Babies R Us, and Target and I never saw anything like this. I ended up getting a bow at a boutique baby store, because the headband I liked at the store was eleven dollars. The headbands at Bugalug Baby are eight dollars a piece which seems to be about the going rate for these type of accessories.

One thing that I also like about the headband is that it also looks cute in my hair. So I am ordering two that I would like to wear myself and share with my daughter. I get twenty dollars a month to feed my baby shopping habit. I know what I am going to spend my twenty bucks on this month.

When I told Bugalug Baby that I was going to mention them they graciously offered The Mom Crowd readers a 10% off promotion code! Just use the promo code “MCR10″ when you are checking out.

By the way, they also sell the coolest barrettes too.

A friend of mine recently sent an email asking a few moms for our input on car seats and stroller systems. I didn’t even know that car seats fit into strollers until I registered at Babies R Us. Luckily there was a very knowledgeable customer assistant to inform my husband and I on all the safety features. We ended up choosing the Graco Safeseat in the color we liked best. Also, the stroller that is paired with the seat has rubber wheels. I have been grateful for the rubber wheels when I use the stroller at the park. Even though we didn’t know a lot about car seats when we registered, we are happy with our Graco Safeseat.

How Do You Choose a Car Seat?

Babycenter.com says, “All car seats currently on the market meet the U.S. government’s stringent crash- and fire-safety standards, so any car seat you buy new is technically safe. (The same isn’t true for secondhand car seats or car seats purchased more than a couple of years ago, which may have been designed to meet outdated standards or may have been damaged in an accident or been recalled for safety violations.)”

I knew that we wanted more than one child, so we bought a new car seat in a gender neutral color to be used multiple times. We were very blessed that my old office gave me a gift card to buy our seat.

More in depth help with choosing a car seat:
Buying Advice (Consumer Reports.org)
Car seat safety: How to choose and use a car seat (BabyCenter.com)
Choosing a Car Seat: What You Need to Know (ivillage.com)
Carseat Buying Guide (Car-Safety.Org)
Car Seat Ratings (ConsumerReports.org)

Child Seat Safety

“Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% (less than 1 year old) and by 54% for toddlers (1-4 years old) in passenger cars.” according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts 2006.

There is a scene in Tyler Perry’s movie “Why Did I Get Married?” where Janet Jackson’s character is expressing her guilt on why her son passed. She explains how she was in a hurry, she thought that she had buckled her child in the correct way, and she had to swerve on the road and got into an accident. This scene haunts me. Every time I buckle in Ace I slow down and make sure that she is in her seat properly. I have heard of other mothers that have been in a hurry and something terrible happens. No matter how tired we are or how late we are, making sure that our children are buckled up safely takes priority over everything else.

More statistics on child seat safety:
Statistics on Car Seats from CarSeatSite.com
2007 NSUBS Results on Booster Seat, Child Restraint and Seat Belt Use
Car Safety Seats and Transportation Safety on American Academy of Pediatrics
Consumer Reports Car Seat Update from October 2007

Seat Installation

According to SeatCheck.org, “While 96 percent of parents and caregivers believe their child safety seats are installed correctly, research shows that seven out of 10 children are improperly restrained.”

What are the most common child safety seat installation mistakes? (from SeatCheck.org)

• Not using the right child safety seats for a child’s size and age;
• Not placing the child safety seat in the correct direction;
• Incorrect installation of the child safety seat in relation to the vehicle’s air bags;
• Incorrect installation and tightness of the child safety seat to the vehicle seat;
• Not securing or tightening the child safety seat’s harness and crotch straps;
• Improper use of locking clips for certain vehicle safety belts;
• Not making sure the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly across the child when using a booster seat; and
• Using a defective or broken child safety seat.

Locate a Child Safety Seat Inspection Station in your area:
Child Safety Seat Inspection Station Locator

How do you know when you are supposed to use the right car seat?

There are four basic types of car seats: Infant-only carrier, convertible seats, toddler booster seats, and booster seats. McKenna had the opportunity to interview Ms. Elaine Bobbey an Executive Officer for Evenflo at a recent Baby Expo in San Antonio, TX. In the video Ms. Bobbey explains the different types of car seats and what age you should use each one. She advocates that a child should use a seat until the age of 8.

More detailed information about the types of car seats:
Types of Car Seats (ConsumerReports.org)
Graco’s Guide for First Time Parents
NHTSA Video, “Not Sure Which Car Seat to Use?”

Car Seat Recalls

Car Seats are important for the safety of our children and we need to be aware if our seats have been recalled. To find out if your seat has been recalled you can look at the list on SaferCar.org.

How did you choose your car seat? How would advise anyone buying a car seat for the first time? What type of car seat do you use?

Alicia Johnson at Marmalade Ink sent me a free kids stationary pad to try out that has Isaac’s picture and name on it. When we opened it both Ewan and Isaac were very excited about a notepad that had Isaac’s name 0n it. Isaac just started writing his letters so we have used it a few times to get him used to writing inside the lines.

Isaac is always stealing my notepads so he loves having one of his own (and so do I). The paper is of good quality and I love, love, love how you get to pick a picture to put onto the notebook. There are several colors and themes to choose from. You get 25 sheets for a little over $30. I think it is a great gift idea for kindergarteners or preschoolers.

They also sent me a sampling of birthday invitations and baby shower announcements. Marmalade Ink is very creative and I loved the designs they offer.

If you have a kid that loves to write then this product will probably have them writing thank you notes and stories before you know it! For moms on a tight budget this might be a little on the expensive end. Sometimes creativity comes at a higher price!

Our newest sponsor, Baby Cakes, has graciously offered you, our fabulous reader, a 10% discount code to be used at her super-cute online store. Baby Cakes offers fun and trendy baby gear, accessories, apparel, and toys for babies and toddlers. To receive 10% off your order use Promotion Code “momcrowd” at check out. This offer is good through June 1, 2008.

Here are a few of my favorite items from her store. Please click on the photo for more information!