My Musical Toddler

It's very popular now to begin playing music for your child even while she is still in the womb, because researchers say that exposure to music as a young child helps develop the brain for math skills later in life.  I don't know if that is true, but I grew up with a piano and loved music from infancy and I was always really good at algebra.

I've been playing music for Ewan since he was an infant.  I have a Baby Einstein CD of songs for kids, 2 classical music CDs, and a Ziggy Marley CD that we play in the car for him.  His recent favorite TV shows have been Yo Gabba Gabba and Wonder Pets, which are both full of music and singing.  Recently he has started singing to himself while playing!

Uncle Billy and Ewan (18 months) on Christmas Day 2011

Listening to music with your child is easy, but what do you do for your toddler when he or she shows interest in playing music?  He has some instruments: drums, rattles, bells, shakers, an electric keyboard, and even a small xylophone, but Ewan has shown an interest in guitars from about 9 months.  At Christmas this year he was so excited to play guitar with his uncle Billy.  Billy pressed the frets and Ewan strummed the strings.  He was captivated for about 30 minutes!  That's a long time for a toddler to do anything.  Then, we had to put the guitar away because he wanted to carry it around the house, and I was afraid he would scratch it or throw it (his new favorite thing to do).  He was so upset that we wouldn't let him keep it.

My husband and I wondered: how do we go about encouraging his interest and desire to learn to play music on his own, while keeping in mind his limitations as a toddler?  We decided to buy him his own guitar.

Ewan with his new guitar in January 2012.
"Don't bug me!  I'm concentrating!"

We bought a Fender Starcaster, which is a nylon-stringed, child-sized guitar, and he loves it!  We took him to a local shop to pick out a good guitar for him.  He walked in and said, "Guitar!"  And then he ran around wanting to try all of them.  We tried out ukuleles, electric basses, and acoustics.  Joe tried to get him interested in trying out the drums, but he seemed focused on the guitars.  I steered his hands away from the more expensive ones.

I was grateful that the shop owner didn't get too annoyed with a toddler running around his shop wanting to touch everything.  He seemed excited that Ewan was so into the instruments.

Right now he just likes to strum the strings, but I'm excited that he loves the guitar and that we got him something that he can grown into.  I've heard that motivated kids can start lessons at about 5 years old.  I hope he stays motivated!

My 18 month old is not night weaned

Yes, I still let my toddler nurse as much as he wants at night.  Are you shocked?

If so, why?

I was recently in a group where mom with babies over 6 months were discussing their night weaning techniques.  I just listened to their experiences and entertained the idea that I could night wean Ewan if I wanted too.  In truth, it made me question whether I was indulging him too much.  Was I being too self-sacrificing and not setting enough boundaries for Ewan by allowing him to continue nursing a night?  Is he going to grow up thinking that he can get whatever he wants from me, whenever he wants it?

I agree with Dr William Sears that wants and needs for babies and toddlers tend to be the same thing.  A baby wants to be held and nursed back to sleep in the middle of the night?  I believe that, for him, it's a need.  An 18 month old certainly doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night, but he still needs the comfort sometimes.  He needs to know that I'm there.

Of course, night nursing is one of those things that can be stopped if the mother wishes.  Ewan would be old enough to understand that nursing is a daytime activity, if I were to decide that nursing is a daytime activity.

I don't really think that nursing is a daytime activity, though.

Biologically, it doesn't make sense to night wean.

Researchers have found that high levels of the hormone prolactin in lactating women actually help women get better sleep.  When a breastfeeding mom is awakened in the night and puts her child back to sleep with breastfeeding, she will quickly pass through light sleep and will get back to deep sleep faster than a person who does not breastfeeding her child back to sleep.

Honestly, I don't feel like I get really good sleep most of the time, but I'm a little nervous about the idea of night weaning now because I don't want to get worse sleep.

Here is how a typical night goes at our house:

7:30pm - Ewan and I go into his room an he nurses to sleep.  I lay in his twin bed with him and slip away after he falls asleep.

10:00pm - Joe and I go to bed ( We are so lame now... I can remember when we wouldn't go out until after 10pm!)

anytime between 11:00pm and 4:00am: Ewan wakes up and I go into his room, pick him up, and take him back to bed with us.  There, he nurses back to sleep and sleeps with us.

during the night- he nurses and sleeps

6:30am or 7:00am - we all wake up for the day

Nursing my toddler during the wee hours of the morning keeps him asleep!  Or at least keeps him quiet and resting so that I can sleep.  Why would I want to give that up?

Also, breastmilk is an amazing nutritional insurance policy for toddlers.  I really don't want to list all of the reasons my milk is good for my toddler, I'll just let Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC do that for me.

So, for now, my toddler is not night weaned.

Have Yourself a Very Eco Holiday

Small wrapping bag (right) and Furoshiki wrapping cloth (left)

What's your gift wrapping style? Quick and easy or detail driven? Do you love the process of making pretty packages or do you dread the last minute Christmas Eve wrapping session? No matter your gift wrapping style (or lack of), wrapping presents in cloth may be the prefect way to green up your holiday.

The ancient Japanese art of Furoshiki may appeal to those who love to wrap presents.  The Japanese love to wrap things up.  I loved how store clerks wrapped up my items when I was in Tokyo a few years ago.  Beautiful bags, tissue paper, and even stickers are a must for every purchase.  However, before World War 2, Furoshiki wrapping was a common way to carry items around.

If you want a super-easy way to wrap presents that does not require scissors, tape, or any special skills, then a wrapping bag is for you.  Just place your item in the bag and tie with a ribbon.

You don't have to choose which one you want to try, because I'll show you how to make both at the same time!

How to use 1 yard of fabric

to make Japanese Furoshiki cloth and 1 small wrapping bag.

Materials:

1 yard of quilting fabric in a desired print or color (36" x 45")

Thread in a matching color

Sewing Machine

Fabric Scissors

Pinking Shears

Pins

Iron

Project Board (optional)

Furoshiki Cloth (30" x 30" Wrapping Sheet)

Lay out 1 yard of quilting fabric.  If you bought it at a fabric store, it should be 36 inches by 45 inches.

Starting at one corner, measure and cut out a 32" x 32" square.  You should have an L-shaped scrap left over.  Save this for making the bag later.

Lay one edge of your square out on an ironing board, wrong side up, and fold up about 1/2 and inch, ironing with steam to make it stay in place.  Turn that edge up once more and iron again.  Your cut edge of fabric is now hidden.  Secure with one or two pins.  You may want to stick a pin in each corner to hold it down flat.

Turn fabric and repeat with all four edges.

Sew all edges down.  Be sure to sew into the corners to secure them.

More Crazy Toddler Nursing Habits

Before Ewan became a toddler, I had heard from others that nursing a toddler is much different than a young baby, but I had no idea of the strange nursing behavior that I would encounter from my own son.

Here are some highlights:

Tweaking my nipples
I'm not sure when he started reaching his hand into my shirt to tweak the nipple he isn't nursing on, but now he does it every time he nurses. It's not too annoying when we are at home, but when we are at grandma and grandpa's house it can get a little indecent.

High Speed Switch-Back nursing
Ewan will begin nursing on one side but then switch to the other side about 60 seconds after the milk lets down. Then he will switch back for about 60 seconds. And then switch again! He will keep switching until all the milk is gone. I guess he is trying to nurse on both sides at the same time! I've found that lying in the "Down Under" or "Australian" nursing position makes this behavior easier to accommodate.

All that matters is the mouth!
When Ewan wants to nurse, he will paw at my shirt and reach his hands in. If he succeeds in exposing a nipple, then he will position his mouth over it and latch on, without any regard to what the rest of his body is doing. This can result in some really hilarious positions! He will sprawl himself across the bed on his tummy. He will even stand on the couch and crouch down to me.

He won't let go!
Sometimes, while a mother is enjoying leisurely nursing her baby, the phone rings, or someone is at the door, or the dog wants outside. It is easy to just carry a nursing newborn with you as you tend to household business, but a toddler who is almost 3 feet tall and 27 pounds is harder to carry around. It is sometimes necessary to stop nursing for a minute. Ewan doesn't like this idea. He is not old enough to fully understand the idea that I will come right back in just a minute. I will calmly say, "Just a minute. Mommy needs to go do X." But he will grab on to my arms or clothes, hug himself to me, and suck more quickly. I would get really frustrated if he wasn't so cute when he does that.

Even through all of his nursing antics, I love nursing my toddler.

Ewan loves the Australian nursing position

Ewan's favorite way to fall asleep recently is the Australian style nursing position.  The "Australian position" is when the mom lies down on her back and the baby lies face down on top of the mom.  The baby can lie a little diagonal or straight in line with the mom.  I like the Australian position better than side lying because he likes to kick me when side lying!

When Ewan was a newborn, I would lie down on my back and he would lie perpendicular across my chest and nurse.  His feet would hang over my chest and not even touch the bed.  Now that he is 18 months, he likes to lie in line with my body, snuggle his head in the crook of my arm.  He puts one leg between my legs and bends the other knee so that leg goes across my stomach.

If he is nursing on my left side, he will snuggle his head into the crook of my left arm, and I bend my left knee to keep him from sliding off.

Also, he will sometimes flip his head from the outside (resting on my arm) to the inside (resting in the middle of my chest), without letting go of the nipple.  I've been a little worried about this new position because sometimes his head presses on my breast.  I'm nervous that it might cause plugged ducts or something.  If it is uncomfortable for me, I make him roll his head back to the outside.  He loves to fall asleep this way.  Maybe because he can hear my heart beat when his ear is against my chest.

If we are co-sleeping, he will fall asleep in the Australian position, then I roll him off of me to side lying and slowly back away to give us separate sleeping space.  Sometimes, if he wakes up during the night, he will climb back on to me.

Is Pseudoephedrine Safe for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding?

My sinuses hate me.  I am prone to severe sinus headaches if I get the tiniest head cold.  Before I had Ewan, I would just pop two Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) and two Tylenol (aceteminophen) and it would clear it up.  Now, I have to use other methods.

Pseudoephedrine is known to decrease milk production by 24% with just one dose, according to Aljazaf et al, 2003.  Wow!

The other day I woke up with a really bad sinus headache.  I could barely open my eyes and I even felt a little nauseous when I got out of bed.  It was so bad that my husband called him mom to come over and babysit while I stayed in bed a while.  I am so grateful to have available grandparents nearby to allow me to sleep in when I need to.

I took two Tylenol, which are approved as safe, and a couple of spritzes of Afrin, also safe.

My doctor told me to try Afrin, or a similar over-the-counter nasal spray, when I told him I needed a reliable method of relief without risk.  This works for me.  I rarely have to take more than one dose.

(Note on Afrin: Follow the dosage directions carefully!  Using it too frequently or for too long can cause even more congestion to occur.)

I was avoiding pseudoephedrine during pregnancy, too.  We went to Park City, Utah for a week in January and stayed in a forced-air heated condo.  My sinuses protested the dry air by giving me a headache.  I tried hot tea.  I tried a hot shower.  I tried massaging my head.  I even tried filling the sink with hot water and sanding over it with a towel over my head, breathing in the steam.   I needed this website!  I also needed Afrin.  By the end of the day, the headache went away.

Although some doctors may say it is approved, not enough studies have been done to conclusively say that pseudoephedrine is safe for pregnancy.  Tom Hale, the authority on medications and lactation (author of Medications and Mother's Milk) rates pseudoephedrine a "C" for pregnancy.  This means "risk cannot be ruled out" because not enough studies have been done.  Hale also rates it a L3 ("moderately safe") for occasional use but an L4 ("potentially hazardous") for chronic use.

The lactation ratings are probably based on it's known side effect of decreasing milk supply, not on its effect on the baby, but I'm not sure.  The study by Aljazaf et al, 2003 previously mentioned says that less than 10% of the maternal dose gets to the breastfeeding baby, even if the mother takes the maximum amount allowed for a 24 hour period.

During pregnancy, the baby will receive significantly more of the dose taken by the mother, and some researchers believe there to be a risk of birth defects in multiple areas.  Here's a midwife's discussion of the possible risks.  And here is a listing from SafeFetus.com.

I am not taking an chances, so I will be avoiding pseudoephedrine for the foreseeable future.

Click here for a list of medications and their ratings on Kellymom.com.

Visit my Recommended Books page to buy Hale's book Medications and Mother's Milk through Amazon.

Breastfeeding while Babywearing

I've been wearing Ewan since his birth.  Today, we tried a new carry position, the hip carry, and 15-month-old-26-pound Ewan nursed in the carrier for the first time. Twice!

On-Demand Feeding a Toddler

I have been on-demand feeding Ewan because experts have said that it helps a child learn good eating habits like recognizing hunger cues and not over-eating.  I have become a believer because I can see these effects when watching Ewan eat his solid food now!

Ewan loves peas!

"I need a shower!" Strategies for Bathing When You Have a Baby

Ewan and I took a bath this morning.  It's my new strategy for bathing since I'm not sure what to do with a 14 month old while I take a shower besides stick him in front of the TV, but that's not in line with my parenting style.  I think bringing him into the bath with me promotes attachment and is a fun activity.

Every time we get into the bath together he is fascinated by my nipples.  He points to them and grabs them, and then usually wants to nurse for just a few minutes.  Today, he climbed into my lap facing me and nursed sitting up while the bathtub filled.

Since Ewan's birth 14 months ago I have to admit that I have not always bathed with the frequency that I would like.  Bathing with your baby is not always an option.  Sometimes, I spritz some perfume and tie up my hair until my husband is around and I can get a shower.

Here are some strategies I have used to get a shower or bath when I was alone with Ewan.

Breastfeeding and Air travel

Air travel with a baby on your lap is so much fun!  Yeah, right.
(This picture was taken by my husband on a previous trip.)

Ewan has taken 4 trips that involved air travel and he is only 14 months old.  His first trip was at 2 months and last weekend I took a trip across the country to attend a friend's wedding.  This time, DH stayed home for work, so it was just Ewan and I.