Mom Blog and Baby Blog | Baby Bunching

what will your bunch remember?

One of the most frequent questions we are asked (besides questions regarding sleep, eating, strollers and gear) is about how to get Big Baby ready for Little Baby. There are a million and one books and tips out there for getting a child who is less than 2 ready for the next sibling. But really we must admit a two quick things on that matter 1) nothing will really prepare anyone in the household for what is about to ensue 2) your Big Baby will never remember life without Little Baby in it.

So where am I going with this post, you might ask. Well, as I flipped through my Wall Street Journal this morning an article about our earliest memories as kids caught my eye.  According to this, most people can't recall anything that happened before the age of 3 or 4. (It probably makes sense as I can't, but still makes me a bit sad.) Not only will your Big Baby never remember life without Little Baby, but apparently all the other activities that send us spinning in so many directions and the memories we try to create for our kids, could go MIA as well.

Here's what the WSJ article said:  

Researchers asked 140 children, aged between 4 and 13, to describe their three earliest memories, and repeated the exercise two years later with the same children. On average, the 50 youngest children, aged 4 to 6 during the first interview, recalled events from when they were barely 2 years old, as verified by their parents. When they were interviewed two years later, only five of those 50 children mentioned the same earliest memory. By contrast, 22 of the 61 children who were 10 to 13 at the first interview were able to mention the same earliest memory when they were interviewed again two years later.

The article isn't all gloom and doom, but it did provide prospective and definitely made me want to drive home some of the big event s and take more photos to help create the memory later in life.

I know there is more to daily parenting than just trying to make them remember kindergarten field day when they are 18. Obviously, we are rearing children and everything along the way is cumulative and they grow from the experiences, as do we. They may not remember that field day, but they will remember for a few years what happened and that I was there. And that creates of sense of self and a sense of who we as parents. But I must admit the article did just make me slump down a bit in my seat to think that from this amazing weekend we had just had filled with festivals, parties and the pool, each of my child might possibly remember one iota of the weekend (if that at all because I took no photos.)

We'd love to hear your reaction on this article and what you do to help create memories for your kids.

stroller traffic's double stroller showdown

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, the month of May is kicking our butts! And we are not exaggerating. Every morning I look at my calendar praying for June to arrive just for things to slow a bit. To offset our crazies, we thought we'd point you to the latest and greatest double stroller showdown from Stroller Traffic. OK, we admit the side-by-side comparison looks a bit familar but we love the gals over at Stroller Traffic so we're totally endorsing it. Plus, this one has lots of the new strollers that we haven't included yet.

Q/A: baby gear essentials: avoiding big gear in a small house

Today's Q/A comes from Beth on our Facebook page.

Q:  My husband and I are adopting three boys, a 3-year old and two 18-month old twins.  We are currently childless so this is a HUGE new adventure for us.  Any suggestions on what you've done that works well?  I would also appreciate knowing what doesn't work.  I would also be interested in knowing what type of baby gear works best in a small house with lots of kids.

A:  First of all, WOW and congrats!  Nothing we can tell you is going to prepare you for how much your world will be rocked - and how much you will absolutely love it!  The blog and the Facebook pages are chock-full of do's and don'ts from seasoned Bunchers, so it's worth taking the time to scroll back through the years and load up on information.

To skip ahead to part 3 of your question, you're actually in luck.  Seven years and multiple children into parenting in *very* small houses (Cara holds the record currently, with three children and 1,400 square feet), we can both say that we know quite a bit about parenting in limited space.  The good news is that with your youngest boys being 18-months old, you can bypass some of the stuff we are tempted to get with newborns and infants (swings, Jumperoos, high chairs, etc.).  

In lieu of highchairs, get booster seats strapped onto regular old dining room chairs.  There are any number of hard plastic boosters with trays and straps that are portable and travel to restaurants, Grandma's, etc. easily (your wee ones are probably old enough to even do away with the the tray and pull right up to the table).  For bigger kids, we love soft boosters.   This will allow your oldest to climb up and down independently without you having to strap in/out while your hands are full with the little ones.  

For a bunch of kids this size, a "nice to have" if you have a little corner is a children's table and chairs - both for eating as well as for arts and crafts.  My all-time FAVORITE is Ikea's Mammut line.  Hideously colorful? Yes.  But oh, so convenient.  Lightweight and easy to move/pack/store away when grown ups come for dinner.  Waterproof so you can hose it down in the backyard.  Compact so you can throw it in the back of your van and take it to a friend's house when extra seating for children is needed.   These must be the reasons that everyone we know has this set.

As a fellow mom of all boys, I can tell you that our train table gets major mileage.  But for other families it might be a workbench or a play kitchen.  Depending on your space/configuration, consider limiting them to one "big" toy (or if they MUST have several, buy them secondhand so you don't care if they get weatherized and toss them in the backyard so the kids can play there).

The most important piece of big equipment you need, HANDS DOWN, is a stroller.  With this many small boys running in different directions, you need a way to keep them tethered down on occasion, for their own safety.  We're thinking your best bet is the Joovy Big Caboose (a Sit-and-Stand with double seats and a standing board).  We *think* that this may be superior to the Double Graco Sit-N-Stand, which we're not sure can accommodate two kids sitting AND one standing.  Readers, please chime in if you know.  Biggest cons to these strollers are they're bulky (need a good-sized trunk) and can be heavy/unwieldy at times, but it is SO WORTH IT to know that you can have everyone strapped down at once, should the occasion/need arise.  

And, of course, the cribs.  You are right on the borderline of being able to bypass cribs if you don't have them already.  A fully baby-proofed room with regular beds and a gate across the door that keeps them from wandering the house could possibly do the trick.  However, if they are used to sleeping in cribs, you may want to keep them in cribs since they are already making a big transition to a new home - I would feel that out with the current caregiver.  Skip the changing table altogether (18 months is right around the age where you have to start wrestling them to the ground to change diapers, anyway).

What have we missed, readers?  

surviving the pool: 101

During my most recent trip to Austin, my very dear Baby Bunching friend Karla expressed some concerns about how to make it to the pool with her 6-month old and 2-year old. I brought along my very capable (and somewhat swimming) 7- and 5-year olds for a trial run to help her out.

Here are a few bits of advice we came up for what to expect for the pool trip:

Go when the time is right. If one of your kids still takes a morning nap, then head to the pool the minute Little Baby wakes from morning nap. Have lunch. Exhaust them both. Keep them awake for the ride home and toss them both in for a nap in the afternoon. The only trick is to know when to leave so you don't have overtired kids. Otherwise, opt for after the afternoon nap. Bring dinner and even PJs. Shower people at the pool if you want, have them fed and toss them into bed at home. Otherwise, skip the bath and call it a night.

Don't be afraid of the carrier. That's right the baby carriers. If you have a babe who's still little and a toddler who's still in the baby pool or shallow end don't worry about the swim diapers for the wee one. Put him in the Bjorn/Ergo and enter the pool. Surprise! These can actually get wet and how much swimming are you doing with a 2-year old anyway? Baby can be diapered and all (depending on your pool) and you can just wade in knee to waist deep and enjoy the cool water while toddler splashes about.

Bring a friend. We know you can't always coordinate with other Bunchers, but if you can have at least one other mom to spot you during your excursion, we promise your life will be so much easier.

Don't be afraid to pack up. During my trip to the pool with my friend of 1 hour, I saw at least 3 moms with kids come and then go. You may think you have to stay to make the trip worth it, but you don't. It's OK to bail 30 minutes in and go home if kids aren't happy. We promise.

Also, check back on previous posts about what to expect, what to bring, and great safety tips for a few more suggestions on how to make the pool fun this summer.

entertaining without losing your sanity

By Erin Brazofsky

In the past three weeks, we have celebrated Seth’s dedication, an early birthday celebration for Levi, Easter and Levi’s actual birthday. This has amounted to a large amount of planning, preparation and executing for successful events that have involved family and friends. Not to mention keeping my husband and two little rock star babies fed, clothed and happy. Let’s just say I learned much.

Keeping my sanity throughout was also a huge goal and one that wasn’t easy to achieve, unfortunately. I don’t like to give up control of things, and asking for help isn’t my best quality. That being said, here are the biggest lessons I have learned in our whirly-gig of “fun” events.

Simplicity is key. Planning lunch for both your and your husband’s families after a baby dedication? Depending on the weather, BBQ it up! Despite chilly temps and a drizzle falling, my wonderful husband grilled burgers and hot dogs in the garage (well ventilated) with my father and his brother. Everything left for me to do was easy-peasy. Chips, potato salad I made the day before and toppings took about 5 minutes to lay out. Dishes? Paper plates and plastic cups made clean up a breeze. Dessert for 15+ people? Again, keep it simple: cupcakes I made were lovingly frosted by my mom and sister while I was doing other things. Get some ice cream and self-serve. Providing dinner for out-of-town guests the night before? Order pizza and slice up some veggies and call it a day. Voila! Baby dedication/family birthday celebration complete.

Have your guests contribute to the meal. Every Easter, we host our friends who, like us, don’t have family nearby, and it is a wonderful time. To keep things stress-free for me, I ask my girlfriends to contribute side dishes, desserts or drinks to our Easter meal. Then I’m not slaving in the kitchen all day, and I get to enjoy someone else’s cooking. It’s definitely a win-win.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. So maybe you haven’t given your house a complete and thorough scrub down for a week or two (or a month, let’s be honest). You’re a busy lady…kids, husband, life… Instead of running around your house with a broom and dust pan behind every one, give yourself a break. No one will notice the dirt you see, and if you are a little more relaxed, it will go a long way for your family and friends. I was able to enjoy our crazy few weeks so much more because I allowed myself to be content with spot cleaning as needed.

Tell your husband when you need a break. You do not have to be Superwoman. He is there to help, and if he’s like my husband, he wants to help so that you don’t lose your mind. And, let’s face it; he is the co-host of these events, right? Let him help you.

So, relax, take a deep breath and remember to soak in these fun moments and times with those you love. I promise you, (and I speak from experience) it is worth it.

Erin has two sons Levi (age 2) and Seth (7 months).