Shoes for the chubby piggies!

I love the infant and toddler stage. They are so meaty, I just want to squeeze them to death! I love, love, love See Kai Run and Pediped brand shoes. They have soft, sturdy, and flexible rubber soles which are great for new walkers. The insole, for sandals and covered toes shoes, is breathable leather and we have never had any issues with stinky piggies!!!

Accessories and Supplies

Here is minicoop almost at 19 months. She now understands that she can make decisions and have choices. She loves accessories, choosing which shoes to wear, and which coat to take!!

Here are some of the newborn items that we felt were a must when we first met our little boss.

-100% cotton, button up, outfits. It is more comfy and easier to use button up outfits since they don't have much neck support. They also have sensitive skin, so we tried to stick with breathable, soft 100% cotton material.

-Remember not to use dryer sheets with your baby's clothes. That could also cause your baby to have an allergic reaction.

-Try using regular laundry detergent on a load of clothes. If you see a reaction, try Dreft baby laundry detergent. We ended up using Dreft because she has a mild case of Excema.

-Speaking of dry skin, newborns and infants do not require daily baths. It will dry their skin out. Their skin is sensitive since the "tough" layer of their skin has not developed yet. Test the bath water with your wrist. It is more sensitive than your hands and fingers.

-To combat severe dry skin we used Eucerin Aquaphor. It comes in a tub; looks and feels like thick petroleom jelly. As Sophia got older her skin as less sensitive, like many babies, so we switched over to Cetaphil® Moisturizing *Cream*; nongreasy; we also use it on us! Love the whole line!

-Cotton blankets: Register for different sizes, different thickness, and multiple blankets. You will find out that you can't have enough! For your car(backup), babysitters' house or daycare, and extra for laundry.

-Baby monitors: We were given the Evenflo Whisper Connect. But the best part was, Aunt Victoria and Uncle Keith were generous enough to buy the extra monitor. That has come very handy! The set works very well.

-Changing table: This is a must! It will save you from backpains and help you avoid stains. Make sure to purchase a table with comparments to optimize space.

There is so much more to share! Aunt Cindy is generous enough to babysit tomorrow, so The Coopers get to go have happy hour with our friends!! Adult socializing without kids is far and few in between. We are trying to find that balance between being parents and a couple. But, it's refreshing to see that we still love being around each other after 19 months of diaper changing :)

Preventing Diaper Rashes

Too funny! Last week, Sophia grabbed the tissue paper out of my hand and wanted to wipe herself! She is learning to "pat, pat" her hands dry. It's amusing she is understanding what I'm doing. Maybe she is ready for potty training! Not looking forward to accidents though! Ugh.

Here is a collection of what we try to do to stay on top of diaper rashes. We have learned that it does not take much to create a diaper rash. Staying on top of it will pay off in the long run. A special thanks to my Mom, our daycare teachers, and our pediatrician for all of their advice and tips. A special recognition to Simon, "Daddy", for all of his due diligence and care.

-Daycare is expected to change diapers, at a minimum, every two hours. We follow the same schedule at home, with regular checks in between. Of course, soiled diapers are changed as soon as it is detected.
-At 18 months, its cute to be able to ask Sophia to take my hand and follow me so we can go change her diaper.
-After bowel movements, we wipe her diaper area with wipes(unscented has less ingredients and chemicals) and then wash the area with baby shampoo & water.
-Before a new diaper, we make sure to use a bit of toilet paper to pat her dry.
-Next, apply ointment (after each change).
-Moisture(from sweat or dirty diapers) causes the rash or infections. The acid from the soiled diaper is another reason.
-We like using unscent ointments like Boudreaux's Butt Paste or Triple paste diaper cream. Don't treat the cream like lotion. Apply it liberally. It is to provide a barrier to protect your baby's skin.
-Summer heat, car seats, too many layers, and the baby's sweat are other culprits for rashes.
-Consider using cloth diapers.
-Make sure the diaper is not on too tight (gives breathing room). Airing dry is very beneficial (naked time!) and it's a good opportunity for a kodak moments!
-We wash her diaper area every morning during her first diaper change.
-Using a lot of bubbles in bubble baths or taking long baths can cause infections. This is more of an issue for girls. Our pediatrician recommends for us to stick to 5 minute baths. Or, avoid using bubbles every night.

Happy Changing! Cheers to nake time!

Books, Vietnamese, and Thumbsucking!

I find it fascinating how Sophia and many toddlers thoroughly enjoy music and studying books of all sorts. I love watching her take her time to select her night time reading. Sometimes, she will sit quietly, suck her left thumb(always left thumb) and listen to us read word for word. On other days, she would rather flip through the hard cover pages like she's speed reading. As she is holding a book (or junk mail), it's held close to the face, her eyes beam this cute look of intensity from concentrating.

It is impressive how quickly she remembers new words. For that reason, I make it a priority to speak a lot of Vietnamese to her. It has been useful, since Simon is learning at the same time :)

Here are a few newly purchased books that will be going into our collection. This time the theme was focused on the Vietnamese language and thumb sucking. We are taking baby steps to help her wean off her thumb sucking. I will make sure to share more books that we have from her favorite readings (such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See).

--Ten Mice for Tet! - Pegi Deitz Shea ; A book to help Sophia learn about the Chinese/Vietnamese New Year celebration.
--Thumbuddy to Love: Ballerina Sue - Andrea Wulfing Van Ness
--Sing 'n Learn Vietnamese (English and Vietnamese Edition) - Hop Thi Nguyen; This comes with a CD; includes common toddler songs.
--Which Animals Suck Their Thumbs? - Kimberly Selzman

If the stories are simple, we use the book for the pictures and I substitute the words with Vietnamese words.

To a new year full of new stories!!! Cheers!

Infant Tried and True Supplies

We felt very loved with all of the warm gifts and memorable baby shower hosted by the Tran Sisters. I am very excited to all of the new mommies out there. I hope you will find this list helpful. I will continue to add to my Baby Best Practices and Supplies list. Stay tuned!

When we put our registry together, it was driven by a lot of online research and consumer reviews between target.com, amazon.com, babierus.com, Consumer Reports magazines, walmart.com.

The following items (in not particular order) are supplies that have been tried and true for our family. They kept our little boss happy! Happy Baby = Happy Mommy = Happy Family :)

We received a lot of compliments on these socks! I wanted these before I was even pregnant!Trumpette Mary Jane Box Set. They also have long hoses. More importantly, they stay on! Various baby boutiques carry them. We had a registry on Amazon.com, Target.com, and Babies R Us. Becareful, they do run a bit small. Don't wash in warm temperature. Minicoop had "cankles"..still does :p. We love them so much, we ordered mulitple sizes.

Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium
We own two different aquariums from FP, but they have very similar functionalities. We had get one a second one for the daycare crib . We love this one because it comes with a remote control. It doesn't look impressive until you turn it on. Minicoop was very mesmerized by the moving algae, lights, fish, and music. The music volume has mulitple levels and it's very soothing. The light is a bit on the bright side, but you can simply avoid it by not putting the baby too close to the aquarium. During naps and overnight, make sure your rotate baby's body and head position to avoid major flat spots. Minicoop is 18 months now and she still likes to listen to this on a regular basis. The funny thing is, she is now old enough to know how to push it on and off herself! The most precious thing is when we first witnessed her sitting up and pushing the button for the first time!

BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier
One item I would not skimp on is a quality carrier. We used this for walking, outdoor events, taking that baby to the mall, basically anytime when you need two free hands. You want the carrier to be easy to put on. The material needs to be washable and breathable to help you and the baby stay cool. And of course sturdy and adjustable for Mom, Dad, and a growing baby. The particular model that we purchased does not seem to be available any longer. But, I highly recommend comparing the various models to your lifestyle http://www.babybjorn.com/




Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe - Lights&Music
We love this particular activity center because it has music, a lot of detachable animals where you can rearrange; the size is perfect; easy to open and collapse. The mirror is great for the baby's development and amusement. We used this for play time, tummy time, and quiet time. The mat is machine washable. Creatively, since it's a zoo theme, it also has crunchy and squishy ear flaps to play with. This was the easiest time to take pictures of minicoop, since she was not so mobile back then! This toy also travels well.

How to accident-proof your kids

Very informative article from Aunt Melissa! This was taken when Sophia was 12 weeks. Click on me and join my deep thoughts.

Baby Best Practices and Supplies

Our run on list of useful supplies, tips and tricks!! Some relates to time saving tips, and several comments highlight our favorite products.

*We built out our baby registry with the help of the internet. We would look for TOP RATED items on Target, Amazon, and Babie-R-Us. We also leveraged Consumer Reports. We have been very satisfied with everything we've purchased. It was fun since we were able to do everything online... any day and any time. We didn't have to worry about going back and forth to the stores.
*We tried and reserved the first month for family visitors. That helped with the level of traffic to give us personal time with our baby. We also coordinated "open house" half days to allow blocks of time for friends to come by.
*In my 2nd trimester, I made a list of everything I think I would need for us and the baby's first 6 months. Two months prior to D-day, we cleaned out our baby registry and had every we could have purchased to help my recovery process. That was truly a time saver. It also eliminated a lot of back and forth to the stores. We kept receipts of everything. It also eliminated a lot of stress with logistics, since we didn't want to take a newborn out in public when we didn't have to. Simon could have ran some errands w/o me, but it was nice for him to focus his time on getting some shut eye or being a Daddy instead of being a errand boy!
*The Le Leche League (LLL) tanks work well to layer with sweaters, etc since they are thinner.
*The Fisher Price aquariums work very well as part of Sophia's nightly routine. It has water, floating bubbles, and music. We have one for daycare and one for her crib.
*During her naps, we place her in various spots with noise so she doesn't not become sensitive to TV/a crowd/music ,etc.. and it seems to have worked out well. She can sleep anywhere!
*With our Iphones, we have downloaded music, nursery lyrics, various visuals from free applications. This has helped up learn songs, lyrics, and keeps us mobile. We have also recorded the music from her Fisher Price aquarium. This will save us if she has trouble falling asleep when we are traveling.
*If you use a humidifier, ensure that it's a "cooling mist" one. I understand that the "warming mist" can cause ear infections.
*After we brought Sophia home, it was so helpful to have our family help cook meals and freeze meals for our future use. It enabled Daddy to take care of Mommy, in turn Mommy to be healthy to breastfeed Baby.
*Trial size anti-bacterial bottles have been handy in cars, baby bags, rooms, etc.
*Oxyclean detergent is awesome for poop stains!
*I love the Medella night nursing sleep bra. Comfy, functional, and supportive!
*The Comfy Kangaroo tank tops are cute and also very functional for nursing. They work well to wear as a single top.
*Look for manufacturers and sign up for free milk samples if you plan to use formula. Also, take advantage of the free samples from the hospital.
*Daycare supply labels. Cute, colorful, dishwasher and machine wash safe! http://www.mabel.ca
*Niki, our friend swears by the effectiveness of the automatic aspirator. The brand is BebeSounds. It's battery operated and easy to clean.
*We love using damp cotton balls instead of wash cloths for her adorable face. It's not as harsh and can hold more water.
*I use "My Brestfriend" pillow to help support that baby for nursing. To me, it's more firm than the Boppy. You can also walk with this pillow. Funny image, but very useful.
*Burp cloths (2 dozen or more) - we use a lot and have a lot in the laundry! We keep a few in each diaper bag, by the crib, by the bassinet, in the living room, and a couple in the car. You won't have time to run to a different room when accidents happen.
*Wash cloths(1 dozen) - We have a clean pile as her facial cloths and another pile at hand when we need to do spot cleaning for those blowouts. We also keep a few in each diaper bag.
*Simon has a diaper bag and I have another bag as backup.
*Diapers - We went through 5 newborn bags. Pampers run smaller than Huggies. Pampers seem to have softer material.
* Size 1 Diapers(1 to 2.5 months old) - We project to go through a total of 5-6 large bags of size 1 diapers.
* Size 2 Diapers(2.5 to 5 months old) - We also project to go through 6-7 large bags.
*The Graco light weight stroller is fabulous to use with the infant carrier. It is at least half the weight compared to the regular Graco stroller.
*We couldn't live w/o the changing table. It has spared our backs! If you change diapers on the bed or the floor, make use of a large beach towel for those crazy projections!!
*The mini carpet steamer has saved our carpet when we have projectile you know what!
*We require several blankets (5 or more) for different rooms, stroller, diaper bags, bassinet.
*Babies should not be moved into the "Big Kid" bed(removing rails and going to day bed) until they are 3 years old.
*Several (at least 3) washable changing pads (to protect the actual fitted cover) is a must have! It's cheaper than buying several fitted covers. The pads are also great to use when we want to air dry her(helps prevent rashes).
*We have cut up thick, disposable napkins and have using them to dab and wash her mouth after each feeding.