Baby’s first car seat ride!

Did you know that you can use rolled up receiving blankets in a car seat to make the fit better for baby? Aftermarket products (those not actually sold WITH the car seat) are a BIG NO NO and should NEVER be used. But handy dandy receiving blankets can be and here’s how. Remember: Blankets should not be between the baby and the car seat, or between baby and the shoulder straps at any time.

Next to the baby’s head, like this (image courtesy CarSeatSite.com):























Next to the baby’s body, like this (image courtesy Car Seats For the Littles): Note that the picture on the left is a MISUSE picture.



Or between crotch strap and baby, like this (Image courtesy Louisiana Car Seat Mom):



For more on infant (bucket) seats, check out this article “Where does the handle go?” from CSFTL or this article, called “The picture guide to car seat safety” from the Daily Momtra.

Mom's Camping Kit

We have done a lot of camping this summer. Bear and Bug just love it and they’re at the age where they’re both reasonably fun to take out into the wilderness. I saw a great idea on Pinterest and knew that with all these trips, I’d have to try it.

The idea: Mom’s Camping Kit (seriously, this woman is BRILLIANT)

The verdict: I like the idea so much, I just might duplicate it at home!

My packing list is here. Obviously, this is just one year's accumulation. Emily, at Abide with Me (where I got the idea, linked above) has a much more extensive kit. Also, what you have would obviously depend on your family, the length of the trip, specific medical needs, etc. For example, we don't really have ticks or poisonous snakes here. If you did, you might want something in case of a tick/snake emergency. But this is a starting point.

Oh, and I forgot my last rule. No one touches it but me! Happy Camping!

Extra absorbency?

A friend asked me recently if I could use a g diaper insert inside a prefold for extra absorbency at night. I didn't have a cloth gdipe insert so I used a microfiber BG one instead. It's the same size and shape but you should NOT use it against baby's skin in real life because microfiber can irritate.

In any case, the idea had honestly never occurred to me so I tried it out. It worked great! It was a little extra bulky but might save you from nighttime leakage!

(Shown here: GMD prefold, Snappi fastener, BG 4.0 insert, Thirsties Duo Snap Wrap in Ocean blue)