The big news of late is introducing solids. We are doing a modified baby led weaning (which simply means we are going straight to real food rather than starting off with purees) and it's been going very well. That said, I'm not doing a militant version of baby led weaning by any means. She often gets what we are eating or baby friendly adult foods but she will also sometimes get baby food. Essentially we do what works for us at that particular time - which is the ultimate motto for a happy parent in my opinion. The key in baby led weaning is that they learn to chew and move the food around in their mouths BEFORE they learn to swallow. Which means you have a few weeks or months of a lot of messy chewed food all over the place. I'm happy to say we've come out on the other side and she is now getting more food in her stomach than on the floor. Hooray!
In other news, she is getting more mobile by the minute. She isn't crawling yet but we are expecting it any day now. I'm not mentally ready for it at all but it's coming just the same. Anyone have baby gate suggestions that won't damage our woodwork and walls?
She is a living doll!
ReplyDeleteI looked far and wide for a good babygate that wouldn't damage our walls and would be 1 hand functional and somewhat attractive. I never found it so Ill be watching for suggestions here. We ended up installing Munchkin Loft gates and while they do fasten to the walls, they are easy to operate one handed and are pretty nice looking. http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Loft-Infant-Safety-Silver/dp/B004CL9YEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376931182&sr=8-1&keywords=munchkin+loft+gate
ReplyDeleteThanks Alyssa. I guess I dont mind the holes in the wall but I'm having a hard time accepting a hole in my bannister. Maybe I don't have a choice?
DeleteI have seen several friends very tightly zip tie a mounting board to their banister (mainted to match) to avoid fastening to the bannister. It has worked well from them and has not come loose or jiggly.
DeleteI'm only a dog parent at the moment, but still use the baby gate to keep my "furry kids" safe from getting to a basement door. My husband and I bought this pressure-mount gate found at Target http://www.target.com/p/munchkin-deco-wood-and-steel-designer-gate-safety-gate/-/A-13202374#prodSlot=medium_1_28
ReplyDeleteand we've been really happy with it. The dogs are both well over 40 pounds, so it can withstand some abuse for sure. It's one-hand functional, easy to use, blends in with our dark wood-work, and it's held up well for the daily use over a year now. I wasn't around when my husband was installing it, so I can't attest to it's ease there, but my guy isn't the handiest of men and it's still going strong. :)
Good luck on your search!
Our kiddos are the same age and I've been researching baby gates too. This one from Cardinal has come recommended from friends http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CGRSXC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER and use the clamps to avoid holes. Kiddco is also another good alternative, but I don't want to have to walk over a threshold because the gate will be installed on the first or second step.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about avoiding holes, our stairs start with a doorway, so we installed an actual chunk of fencing and will leave it up forever. I did want to add, though, to check pet stores- they carry some beautiful gates, and gates of wide widths. I'd never thought of that before my oldest started working at Petco!
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with the baby gate dilemma, too! Our little is a week or two older than A, and ready to crawl/ furniture walk as well. Our 100 year old trim work is also in the way and I'm pretty sure I would hear it cry if we were to put any holes in it. The other issue with gates is that my nephew at 14months learned how to stand on the swinging portion of the gate and leverage his weight to open it and get through!
ReplyDeleteThe same goes for design,you wouldn't take a shop that sells expensive, high-fashion clothing seriously if they operated from a run-down warehouse in some obscure corner of some distant suburb.
ReplyDeleteAbu dhabi website Design
I noticed you were concerned about drilling into the banisters. Maybe something like this would work well for the bottom of your staircase?
ReplyDeletehttp://foxfamilyincary.blogspot.ca/2011/07/installing-baby-gate-without-drilling.html
I want to do baby led weaning, too. Lexi is 5 days old now.
ReplyDelete