Elissa

We will be flying with our baby for the first time this coming week. He is 18 months old, a good walker, and very easy going. I'm hoping for some general tips and also have some specific questions.

*Will we be allowed to take applesauce cups and yogurt through security, or do those count as liquids?

*On a road trip yesterday, our baby showed signs that maybe he's starting to have problems with motion sickness. Is there any way we can keep him feeling OK for the flight?

It's not a very long flight--just a couple hours--and we're not changing planes at all, so as these things go, it's pretty straightforward. We bought a seat for him and will be taking his car seat with us on the plane. I'm assuming planes don't have the metal things that you can just click your car seat onto, like our car does. Is that right?

Any other tips? Both my husband and I are experienced travelers and inexperienced parents, so all help accepted.

Thanks!

My 1-yr-old has had an allergic reaction to something--we're not sure what but the doctor thinks it might have been the medicine he was taking for an ear infection. The reaction started on Sunday. His last dose of the possible culprit was Monday morning. We've been giving him Benadryl, as the doctor recommended. He is still itchy and blotchy. It's hard to tell if there's much improvement.

It is normal for it to take a couple days for the hives to go away, or should we be looking for another possible cause of this reaction?

I've been feeding my baby normal yogurt for months. He likes it with fruit puree mixed in or just a bit of juice, and even just straight.

But I keep seeing the baby yogurt on the shelf at the grocery store. I'm suspicious of it--it doesn't need refrigerated, apparently, which means it's full of preservatives, and is probably loaded with sugar and artificial colors.

But my "hey, am I doing this mom thing right?" alarm keeps buzzing at me. Is there any *real* reason normal grown-up yogurt from the dairy section is bad for my baby? Or is this baby yogurt just a marketing ploy? He's almost 1, and like I said, has been eating yog for a while now.

I have an MSI Wind netbook. Last year, I completely depleted its factory battery (left it in sleep/hibernation for too long), and that battery no longer held any kind of charge. So I replaced it with one that was supposed to last three times as long.

It worked great for a while, but now the new battery lasts for less than an hour. This means the netbook is no longer useful for using on my commute (45 minutes each way on the train), or other mobile uses.

Is there anything I can do to get this battery working half decently again? I'd be happy with the 2-hour-ish life of the original, rather than the extended life it was supposed to have. I hate that I spent money on this thing and would rather not have to buy yet another battery. The replacement batteries will cost more than the computer.

Thanks!

So, I'm wondering what other parents do. When you put your baby in one-piece PJs (it's just gotten cold enough at night for my 10-month-old to want the fuzzy footed type), do you put a onesie on underneath them, or just the jammies?

I have had a whippet for several years (he's 7 now, and I've owned him since he was a puppy). He's very attached to me and has always wanted to spend every possible moment in contact with me. Although we originally resisted, it did not take long for him to worm his way onto the furniture (but not the bed).

Well, last November, we had a baby, and so the dog is not getting the attention he used to get, and I can't always let him sit with me. If I'm feeding or holding the baby, he's not allowed up, etc. We've also been taking fewer and shorter walks. He gets very upset when we leave the house with the baby but don't take him along. And when I'm sitting on the floor playing with the baby, he comes and tries to sit on my lap, which he hasn't done since he was a puppy. When he's feeling particularly restless and neglected, he will try to play with the baby's toys, but will leave them when I tell him to (and he doesn't go after them when he's alone). He's clearly jealous, bored, and lonely. I do what I can to give him love and attention, but there's only so much I can do.

I'm wondering if getting a second dog would help--if he had a friend to play with and curl up with, would he feel less lonely and generally happier? (He likes playing with other dogs.) A companion for him, to replace the companionship with me that he has lost.

Of course I would be extremely careful when choosing the new dog. I'd look for an older (i.e., not a puppy) dog with similar play style and activity level, already housebroken, etc., and one that is good with children. We'd make sure everyone gets along before bringing any new dog home.

But I don't know if it would help or just make things worse.

Any thoughts?

My 10-month old son occasionally uses a sippy cup, but he seems to need help with it. The one we have is heavy and difficult to manage, so I'm thinking of trying some different types.

What brand have you had the best luck with?

My son (6-1/2 months old; 19-20 pounds; 28-29 inches) has started having leaky diapers at night. We use the Flip cloth diaper system during the day, but have been using disposables at night just to use them up. Since his diapers started leaking, I have tried:

Flips with two inserts

Size 3 disposables

Size 4 disposables

The leaks are coming out at the waist (not the leg) on one side. It started when he started rolling around a lot during the night--he has been sleeping on the same side he's leaking from.

Any suggestions for how I can prevent this? I'm getting tired of having to change his clothes before we sit down for his morning b00b. He sleeps through the night, so a midnight diaper change isn't the answer.

My not-quite-6-month old son wants to drink from a normal cup--If I am holding him and drinking something, he will reach for the cup, put his mouth on the rim, etc. He also tries to drink out of the container I use to rinse him at bath time.

It is OK to give him a training/sippy cup every now and then? And what's best to put in it--water or formula?

He is partially breastfed, but mostly has bottles. I would continue with breast and bottle for meals, but was thinking that he might enjoy having the cup at other times. Just so he can practice. Would introducing a cup mess up his bottle and/or breast feeding?

My husband and I are thinking about going overseas in the next year or two, and I would like to see if I can get certified in teaching English as a second language, to expand my employment options.

There are so many different organizations claiming to offer the best TESL training, and they all claim accreditation (but from different orgs), that it's difficult to know which is legit, useful, and respected.

I do not have a teaching certificate, nor do I have a lot of time. The university-based TESOL programs all seem to require 3 semesters and in-classroom practicums, which won't work for me, even though I know they will give the best training. I am currently employed full time and raising my son, so this is going to have to be a weekend-and-evening type thing.

Do you have any recommendations? What accreditation should I look for? Other criteria?

Thanks.

I have a wretched cold and would like to take some basic over-the-counter cold medicine (Tylenol Cold or what have you). Just want to make sure it's OK to take it while breast feeding. The medicine box is unhelpful.

I'm picking up my mother at LaGuardia this afternoon and don't want to park and go in. Is there a cell phone lot where I can wait for her to call me and let me know she's off the plane, so I can pull around to pick her up?

I have a Medela Pump-in-Style breast pump. It has suddenly started blowing instead of sucking--not much use for pumping breast milk.

Anyone know why this might have happened and how to fix it?

Thanks.

I was talking to my mother-in-law last night (I know, I know--never listen to your MIL), and she was saying something about a new study on SIDS that shows that how your baby sleeps--stomach or back--has absolutely no effect on whether the baby will die from SIDS. According to this study, if a baby is going to die from SIDS, they will die no matter how they sleep or what else you do (blankets in the crib, etc.).

I *know* that this goes contrary to everything everyone on here has ever heard. Don't bother telling me "Back is Best," because I already know that.

I just want to know if anyone has heard about this study, who did it, where I can find news about it, etc. It seems that if it were a reputable study, it would have been all over the media when the results were published.

My babe is due in about 3 weeks, and I want to be prepared for when she comes to visit and says, "You know, you can put your baby to sleep on his stomach. He'll sleep better that way, and it's perfectly safe." Because I have every intention of putting my baby to sleep on his back.

It makes it sound like the woman tripped over something and when she stood up, was expecting a baby. Like there was no thought or activity involved at all--it just kind of happened.

Is this an old fashioned phrase that people used when any implication of intercourse was a serious no-no?

I am 34 weeks pregnant and wondering if I might be coming down with the flu (no shots available here), but I'm not sure how to tell. Everything I'm feeling is both a flu symptom and normal for pregnancy:

fatigue

stuffy nose

aches

and generally feeling hot.

I have an occasional cough, but that's normal for me, too.

I am at work so can't check for a fever.

So how do I know if I'm sick or just having a rotten pregnancy day?

My parents live about a 12-hour drive away from me. They are coming to be with us when our baby is born in December. I'm a first-time (and reluctant) mother, and my mom has said she'll stay with us as long as I need her. (I am clueless about babies and will need all the help she's willing to give.)

My in-laws live about 5 hours away--too far to come for just a day.

Up until now, we've had enough room in the house for four guests (two sets of parents), but the baby is getting one of the two spare rooms, so there is only room for one set of parents at a time.

My mother-in-law will be eager to come and visit as soon as possible after the baby is born, and I want to honor that, but want to keep my own mom around for at least a couple weeks, I think, until I get everything more or less figured out. I also find my M-I-L somewhat intimidating and judging, so am not really eager for an extended visit, especially in the early stages. Still, I know she needs to meet her new grandbaby.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to give both sets of parents access to baby, but keep my own mom close until I'm comfortable? The only thing I can think of is sending one set to a hotel, but we don't really have many decent ones near us, and it seems inhospitable to me.

How did you work this out, if your families were both out of town?

I am about to start looking for a pediatrician (due in mid-December). I plan to visit several and am wondering what questions I should ask. What's important to know about a doctor?

We're going to try using cloth diapers with our baby, but there are so many styles (pre-folds, all-in-one, pocket, fitted...) and brands that it's hard to know where to start.

What's your favorite style and brand, and why? (And where do you get them?)

My husband and I are working on registering for our unborn baby, and we're a bit overwhelmed by all the stuff out there. The list the store gives you seems to include three times as much stuff as any home could possibly hold (they want to sell it, obviously, so they encourage you to register for it). We have done the larger basics: crib, stroller, car seat, play yard, etc. and are trying to limit the amount of stuff we get.

My questions:

What did you get for your baby but never used (bought yourself or shower gift)?

What did you get in advance but wished you had waited to buy until baby had arrived?

Thanks!