Gymboree Classes

September 1, 2010 By arieanna Leave a Comment

Today we began our first session of Gymboree play & music classes. We signed up for the Level 3 Play & Learn class, which fit best with our schedule. The class features play as well as some songtime – there is, however, another class focused solely on music.

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The level 3 class focuses on teaching babies to play together, to learn balance and co-ordination, and to enjoy interactive play. Some of the activities we did today included circle time songs, sliding side-by-side with another baby, passing the ball, climbing ramps and doing some walking against this fantastic inflated tube – it was the most Aiden had ever walked!

Some of the class became overwhelming for Aiden – lots of other babies can sometimes make him want to go off on his own to explore. That’s ok though – the class was very open to letting babies do what feels best for them.

Filed Under Aiden, Play, Vancouver
Tagged With activities, gymboree, play, west vancouver

The Case Against the Bumbo

August 31, 2010 By arieanna 6 Comments

You’d be hard pressed to find a baby who doesn’t have one. It’s sold in most specialty baby stores. It’s so well marketed, you’d think it was a ‘necessity’ item like a crib or a stroller. It’s a Bumbo. And you probably don’t need it.

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The Bumbo is a moulded seat that helps your baby sit upright without the need for straps. The product is marketed for babies aged 3 months to 14 months. The website touts the product as being for “hands free baby care”… seriously, can I sign up for that? Cause I’ve never had that, Bumbo or no Bumbo.

We didn’t think we’d get the Bumbo, even though everyone had one. We held off. But then our doctor suggested it would help Aiden learn to sit. So we almost felt like bad parents for not getting a Bumbo. We caved. He HATED it. Max use was about 5 minutes, and at no time could I just let him sit there without giving him toys. He hated being confined and it wasn’t long before he learned to push his bum up to get out.

Then there’s the size – being made of moulded foam, it really does have a max baby size. I think the 14 months refers to a pretty small baby. Aiden can still fit in his Bumbo, but most of the time it sits collecting dust in our livingroom. Sometimes we pull it out as a way to feed him if we have guests over, but he hates it. We have the play tray too, but that thing is impossible to get on.

I think there’s the case to be made for the Bumbo. If you have twins, for example. Or if you have a really chill and mellow baby. If your baby doesn’t mind sitting in one spot for a long time, maybe he’d like a Bumbo. Does he like the bouncy chair or swing? If so, chances are better he’d like the Bumbo. But if your baby, like mine, is a mover and needs to be doing different things all the time (even when he can’t), then don’t think he’s going to enjoy being in a rigid chair like the Bumbo.

So, hold off on this ‘necessity’ or borrow it from a friend. Get to know your baby – I’m pretty sure you’ll know if the Bumbo is his kind of thing or not. And trust me, he’ll learn to sit just fine without it.

Filed Under Gear, Reviews
Tagged With Gear, review, shopping

An Open Letter to the Manufacturers of Baby Products

August 30, 2010 By jessica 4 Comments
Z with toy

Here is Zayden with one of his Easter basket presents. It didn't even make it through the whole weekend.

To Whom It May Concern:

If you claim that part of your product can be  removed for cleaning, it should not take a full-grown adult 45 minutes to dismantle it in order to do so. On a related note, babies are messy.  Why would you make a baby product with a fabric seat, cover, etc. that cannot be removed for cleaning? Furthermore, why make a product with little nooks and crannies where drool, spit up and baby food can collect?

For those of you who make clothing for infants, please note that the average new parent does not employ an array of servants to do their laundry. We do not have time for baby clothes that need to be hand washed, hung to dry and/or ironed. Babies squirm a lot, making them hard to dress, so we would appreciate wider neck holes and generous waistbands that can be easily pulled up over a diaper. And we’d especially love it if you could come up with designs for socks and shoes that stay on baby’s feet for longer than 3 minutes.

Until they are much older, babies like to play with their toys by banging them on the ground, smashing them together and chewing on them. Please make toys that can stand up to this kind of abuse. And for those of you who make the toys with the music, sound effects and flashing lights that babies love so much, we’d appreciate a volume control option. And maybe you could coordinate your efforts so that your toys play more than the same 5 nursery songs (I have seriously had “Old Macdonald” stuck in my head for 6 months). We’d also like to see more bath toys without squirt holes so that we didn’t have to worry about mildew and bacteria growing inside.

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Zayden chews on the straps of his highchair, which are almost impossible to remove for cleaning.

Also consider how fast babies grow and how we will use these products. When the average baby will weigh over 25lbs. by his or her first birthday and it is considered safest for children to be rear-facing up to 30 lbs., why make an infant car seat that only goes up to 22lbs.? Why make a convertible car seat that renders the front passenger seat essentially useless when it is installed in the rear-facing position (unless you own an H3 or a spacious minivan, you  know what I’m talking about)?

I could go on. Don’t get me started on pricing or impossible to follow assembly instructions or the marketing of products that are essentially unnecessary as baby essentials. Just get real already.

Sincerely,

A Frustrated Mother

Filed Under Rants
Tagged With baby products, cleaning, Clothes, frustrations, Gear, impractical, practicality, safety, Toys

Splash, Splash at the West Van Aquatic Centre

August 30, 2010 By arieanna Leave a Comment

Aiden loves the water. He’s been through one cycle of swim lessons and is registered for his second starting soon. However, we try to give him opportunities to play in the water, when we can. He has a little wading pool outside, though mostly he just wants to crawl in and out of the water. When we go to Whole Foods in West Vancouver, we like to give him a few minutes to splash in the fountain:

On Sunday, we took our first family trip to the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre. I don’t have any photos of our trip, but it was fantastic!! The pool facilities are fantastic – really open and lovely. The pool is kept warmer than most pools, and is treated with ozone as well as chlorine in order to minimize the use of chlorine.

As far as amenities goes, there is a section for toddlers that has shallow water for them to climb around in, as well as a little slide and some water spouts. They had out a series of toys during the family swim time as well.

The big feature of this pool (aside from the waterslide) is the “lazy river” – a series of currents that you ride on a tube (or in a suspended floatie for babies) taking you in a circuit around the pool and through a small section of “rapids”. We went through many times with Aiden, who was surprisingly happy to lounge in his floatie.

Great pool and a great way to spend a Sunday morning!

Filed Under Community Resources, Play, Vancouver
Tagged With activities, Aiden, swimming, water, west vancouver

Baby Skin Products We Use

August 30, 2010 By arieanna Leave a Comment

We wanted to be sure that the majority of products we use on Aiden would be free of toxins and as gentle as possible on his skin. After spending a lot of time researching, we selected these products:

If you want to find baby skincare products of any sort, I highly recommend giving a search over at the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Just because products are natural or organic doesn’t always mean they meet the standards you want for your baby!

Filed Under Gear, Reviews
Tagged With products, review
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