Anna

I'm doing a paper for my sociology class about Bratz dolls. Does your daughter have any? If so, how old is she and how many does she have?

My medicine cabinet is Oak. The doors and top are solid wood, but the outside appears to be particle board with laminate, and I don't think the laminate is even wood. If I sand and prime it, do you think it will turn out OK if I paint it white?

Thanks!

Would you try to get her to drink something even if the last time youtried, she puked?

My daughter will be 1 year old next week (yay!). She has been eating finger food since she was 7 months, and is doing OK with it now. However, she refuses to eat any chunks in her spooned baby food. She will suck the food off the chunks and spit them out, or just open her mouth and let the whole thing roll out. According to stuff I read and what people say on here, I get the impression that by her age my daughter should be eating table food. My main questions are these - Is she behind in her eating development? Is there a such thing? Any suggestions to get her on track?

...and just leave one main tree to grow or should I let all the smaller trees grow into a proper grove? I don't care either way, I just want to do what is healthiest for the plant.

My daughter has so many toys already and we really don't want a ton of stuff in the house. I was thinking I would put a line in the invitation, something to the effect of "In lieu of a gift, please bring a donation for the March of Dimes" because my daughter was a preemie. Will people think this is tacky?

My daughter is 8 months old and recently discovered the dog's dish and has tipped it over a few already. My dog is a toy poodle so I can't put the dish up because she won't be able to reach it. Anyone have this same problem -- how did you fix it?

My daughter is 8 months old. She's been getting solids twice daily - with her 2nd and 4th bottles. I'm thinking giving her cereal in addition to her first bottle because I want her breakfast habit to start to get established. How old was your baby when you started doing three daily solids?

My daughter is only 8 months old but I'm already starting to think about this.

If I invite just one side of the family, that will be 17 people including us & the baby. The other side is very big and if I invite them, it could be more than 30, which seems like way too many.

How many people did you invite and how did it go?

The last time I weighed in at the doctor's office, I was 208 lbs. (94kg).

I think that number is permanently etched in my memory.

What was your highest pregnancy weight?

My seven month old daughter has a stuffy nose and she screams bloody murder and tries to push me away when I come at her with the rubber bulb nasal aspirator. I've seen a battery powered one in catalogs and at Babies R Us. Have you tried it? Is it any more gentle or work any better than the traditional?

I like to make my own baby food and my daughter is ready for more than just single-ingredient things. I've been pureeing and freezing single fruit or veggies for a couple months now. We're ready for the next step. I've looked at a few websites like wholesomebabyfood.com but I want a BOOK. Any suggestions?

I have a few prefolds that got diarrhea stained and I keep pretreating and sending them through the wash hoping that this time they'll come out nice and snowy, but the spots are still there. I inspect them for spots before tossing in the dryer and when one still has spots, I redo the pretreatment and put it in the pail to get re-washed with the next load. What do you do with your cloth diapers to get out stubborn spots and stains? I've tried OxyClean, Totally Toddler stain pretreater, Baking Soda, plus regular detergent in various combinations over the course of a few loads of diapers. We know that regular bleach can't be used on cloth diapers - what else can I try?

It's still too cold here for a clothesline, and once it warms up there's too much pollen so I don't think that will work.

Thanks!

I seem to remember my cousin talking when she was 6 months old. My 6 month old is nowhere near ready to talk. I'm not worried because I know that would be way early. I am just curious though - can a baby really talk at that age or is my memory false?

My daughter is nearly 7 months old and I am looking forward to taking her outside with me when I am gardening now that the weather is turning a bit warmer. I live in an area that has a lot of ticks and lyme disease is rampant. Do you know of an insect repellent that is safe on babies but works with ticks?

My daughter is almost 7 months old. She has a very large hemangioma that encompasses the outside part of her left eye and extends almost to her ear. It seems to have stopped growing for now, but I'm worried. (I'm a mom, it's my job!) She is being monitored by a pediatric opthamologist to ensure her eyesight is not affected, and so far it isn't. The pediatrician kind of shocked me at her 6-month appointment. We have been taking a wait-and-see approach and don't want to do treatment unless her vision is impaired, but he seemed alarmed that it had grown dramatically since he saw her last and wanted to refer me to a pediatric dermatologist. I am reluctant to pursue treatment because I don't want her to be left with scars if it might go away on its own.

If your child had/has a hemangioma, what was your experience? Did you pursue treatment? What was the treatment like? Did your child's hemangioma go away with time?

Thank you.

I get such a kick from answering, a bigger thrill when my question is chosen as best, and the few questions I've asked have yielded great information. I'm hooked!!!

My daughter is 6 months old and we said before she was born that we will have one principal rule of parenting - The Parents Always Win! I don't want to get caught up in bargaining or give up when confronted by a tantrum. We really haven't had to exercise it yet because Miss Muffett is little still.

Do you have one principal rule that you parent by?

I use Seventh Generation baby wipes and I love them to pieces. They have one design flaw. They are folded inside one another so they're supposed to pop up in the dispenser like Kleenex, but they don't. The container that 7th Gen. comes in lets the wipes bunch up or I will pull just one out and the next one doesn't come with it so I have to take the whole top off and fish it out and then seven wipes come at once. Annoying when you're holding a squirmy baby by the ankles and trying not to get poop everywhere! The generic wipes my mother-in-law bought for her house aren't folded inside each other (like Puffs tissue) and the container has a big hole so you can reach down in and get one. That kind won't work because when you pick up just one of these wipes they are folded inside each other and a bunch come at once.

Does anyone else have this problem with wipes that are supposed to pop up but don't? Do you know of a brand container I can buy for the next refill pack I open?

I just went to check on my daughter while she was napping, and she had completely rolled over to her belly. Does anyone know if it's OK now to lay her on her belly if she's going to go there anyway? I think that when she has a snotty nose, laying on her belly will reduce the risk of getting an ear infection.