LilSugar

babysugar Diaries: Getting Baby on a Schedule

babysugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:00:51 -0700

Like many first moms, I was certain I would get my baby on a schedule right away. As soon as she made her debut, plans changed. I spoiled her -letting her fall asleep in my arms whenever she pleased and allowing her to nap as she pleased. Again, I vowed that number two would be different and I would have him following the clock. To see how that plan is panning out, read more.

Once more, my child greeted me with a face I couldn't resist and I have failed to stick to a strict timeline. Luckily for me, my first child easily fell into her own routine, but can also roll with the flow if we need her to eat earlier or nap later. As for my lil guy, he seems to be mapping out his own agenda quite nicely though we are trying to provide more structure with him. Over the last few weeks, I have tried to let him "tell" me how I can meet his needs. So far, my five-month-old boy still takes his early bird nap, a later morning snooze and a lengthy afternoon siesta. By 6 p.m., he's ready to hit the sheets and call it a night. The toughest part of the sleep battle I am currently fighting is getting him to "like" being put in his crib with eyes wide open.

Did you put your babe on a schedule?
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Excited For Your Children to Return to School This Week?

LilSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:12 -0800

Today many mamas are celebrating their tot's return to the classroom, as some parents are anxious to get back into a routine after all the holiday hoopla.

Did you do a dance of joy as you saw your lil one off to school?

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What Time Does Junior Go To Bed?

babysugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:00:35 -0700

Some parents are strict about putting their tots down to bed at exactly the same time every night. Others let their kids decide when it's time for lights out.

Since my babe is still a wee one, her bedtime is 7 o'clock. As she gets older, we'll push it back. But for now, I'm enjoying the few hours of adult time that hubby and I have.

What time do your kids go night–night?
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Were Your Friends Jealous Over Baby?

babysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:32 -0800

Ask any mom, and she'll tell you: life changes drastically with the birth of a baby. Nights out at the bars are put on hold indefinitely, and friendships often take a backseat to parenting. It's not that friends lose their value; it's that parents have a fuller schedule and more responsibilities, which leads to less "hang" time with their buds. On the "Great Expectations" episode of Modern Family, Cam and Mitchell meet their old gal pal Sally at a bar, where the threesome swigs cocktails. Whenever the couple brings up their newly adopted daughter, Lily, Sal makes inappropriate remarks, leading the dads to conclude she is jealous of their wee one. While it may not play out so obviously in real life, the clip certainly has a token of realism to it.

Were any of your friends jealous of your baby?

Jennie Garth Gives LilSugar the Exclusive Scoop - Part Two

babysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:52 -0800

In case you missed it, Jennie Garth took some time out of her schedule to chat with LilSugar about her life as a mommy of three. She answered our four lil questions and then some. Not surprising, she shot straight from the hip and revealed that she is a down-to-earth kind of lady who is keeping a good head on her shoulders while teaching her daughters to do the same. Here are some of the questions the cute mom answered for us:

In light of all of the reality TV shows following families and your stint on Dancing With the Stars, would you ever want your children to be in the spotlight on a TV show or actors on their own show?

I hope not. I would never discourage them from what they want to do but hope that they aim a little higher. Being an actor is not a bad profession by any means but the easy way out, it seems right now, is to do a reality show so I'm hoping Luca - she wants to be an actress I think but she doesn't want to tell me - that they study and learn a craft and become really, really good at it.

Which one of your characteristics do you wish your children would inherit from you?

I can do anything. I can change the oil in the car. Honestly, if it put my mind to it, I can do anything and I hope that they have that. I don't want them to just call the repair man. I want them to try to fix something first. I hope they get a hands on, get it done, I can do anything mentality.

Have you let your kids watch your old 90210 days or the renewed show?

No, no, no. Absolutely not.

Have they seen any of your work?

They've seen a couple of things. They've seen some of my work. They watched What I Like About You sometimes, but even that one was a little too risque at times. But, they come along to a lot of the charitable things I do.

To see what the hot mama has to say about being pregnant again and how she and Peter bring the sexy back, just read more.

Speaking of, how did you get involved with Smiles Across America (SAA)?

As a mother, I sort of saw an opportunity. There's inadequate dental heath care and children are not being taught by their parents to take care of their teeth. SAA goes into schools and teaches kids how to take care of their teeth and they provide them with services.

Who is your role model in motherhood?

I really rely on my girlfriends a lot. We do it together - bounce ideas off of each other. They pick me up when I'm at my lowest point and feel like a terrible mom. We talk about stuff and it helps me to continue on. I just sometimes need a pep talk.

Were you a lover of pregnancy or were you dying to get it over with?

I loved it! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Will you do it again?

I hope so! I don't know. It depends on my husband being in town.

How do you and Peter bring the sexy back to your marriage with three kids and both of you working?

We do a lot of texting and a lot of flirting by texting and making each other laugh a lot. A good sense of humor keeps each other laughing.

How has the whole Twilight craze affected your family life? Are the girls into it? Do they have crushes on Rob?

They're younger. They don't really care that much. Plus, we really instill in them that they're not goo goo crazy over actors. We try to keep them in a realistic mode. They're a little young... but I'm crazy coo coo for vampires! But, what I do and what I teach my kids to do are two different things.

Amen to that!

Are Working Moms Making Women Less Attractive Hires?

babysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:20 -0800

There's hardly a more exciting time in someone's life than when they discover they are willfully pregnant. Most mamas-to-be want to scream it from the mountain tops but there's usually one ear they'd like to shield - their boss's. Many women try to hide their expectant status until it is blatantly obvious to co-workers and their higher-ups because they don't know how their news will be received. Before she can give a due date, employers' minds are ticking: Who can replace her? Will she come back? Do we even need her? While those are all valid questions, it is often up to the childbearing woman to make those decisions, which is why some are wondering if motherhood is making women more unemployable.

The Vogue UK Editor Alexandra Shulman has sparked a debate that will leave many moms angry and others nodding their heads in agreement. Worried about Britain's maternity leave laws, she believes new mothers may be doing themselves a disservice if they take a year-long leave and then expect to return to the same benefits as before but with lower professional expectations. British designer Anya Hindmarch supports her view. She quips:

If we are not careful (and I speak as a mother and an employer), maternity leave and benefits will become too biased towards the mother and not considerate enough for the employer... In which case, it can start to work against women as it becomes too complicated and expensive to employ them. To me, it shouts of shooting ourselves in the foot.

Do you believe that longer maternity leave and flexible work schedules are working against women in the workplace?

babysugar Diaries: Vaccines

babysugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:00:25 -0700

Every parent does what they think is best for their child. With my firstborn that meant giving her vaccinations as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Perhaps two years of media got to me, or maybe it was Jenny McCarthy and all of the other parents of children with autism that made me a tad wary of vaccinations. So I will go a different route with my second babe.

To see what it is, read more.

When I met my son in the hospital, I knew I would have to make a decision pretty quickly on how to deal with his health care. As autism is more prevalent in boys, his gender certainly played a part in my thought process. I obviously want to protect my lil guy from every harmful disease while not putting him at risk for developing any other disorder. To put my mind at ease, I decided to ask my pediatrician to give my son his vaccines on an alternative schedule. While my doc agreed to my request, my pediatrician does not advise the alternative schedule because she said the child ends up getting twice the preservatives that accompany vaccines because the doses are further divided. Despite her warning, I chose to move forward with an alternative schedule. Instead of receiving six shots at his four-month check-up, my son got four and then we returned a week later to get the rest. I feel good that he is up to date on his shots even if it means extra visits to the doctor. If you want to see an alternative schedule, check out the one Dr. Sears suggests:

two-months: DTaP, Rotavirus
3-months: Pc, HIB
4-months: DTaP, Rotavirus
5-months: Pc, HIB
6-months: DTaP, Rotavirus
7-months: Pc, HIB
9-months: Polio (IPV)
12-months: Mumps, Polio (IPV)
15-months: Pc, HIB
18-months: DTaP, Chickenpox
two-years: Rubella, Polio (IPV)
two-and-a-half-years: Hep B, Hep A (start Hep B at birth if any close relatives or caregivers have Hep B)
three-years: Hep B, Measles
three-and-a-half-years: Hep B, Hep A
four-years: DTaP, Polio (IPV)
five-years: MMR
six-years: Chickenpox
12-years: Tdap, HPV
12-years, 2 months: HPV
13-years: HPV, Meningococcal

The same information is provided in the Ask Dr. Sears Vaccine Book.
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What Is Your Worst Mom Fail?

babysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:34 -0700

If mama gets one thing crossed off her to-do list in a single day, she's done a good job. Most mothers will admit it's near impossible to keep up with school schedules, the grocery list, car maintenance, birthday parties and everything else relegated to dear old mom. On last night's "The Trip" episode of The Middle, daughter Sue Heck sells enough cheese and sausage for her school's fundraiser to earn her a trip to Indianapolis. Her teacher claims Sue didn't sell anything and is therefore banned from the trip. Like any mother would do, mama Heck gives the teacher, well, heck, and shames him into letting her daughter on board. But as you will find out in the video, it's not the teacher that fails, but the overrun mommy. Typically, the teenage lass will certainly not forget the gargantuan error her mother makes.

What's the worst "mom fail" you've committed?

Join our group of Television Moms over in our LilSugar Community!

Photo courtesy of ABC

Did You Start Eating Better Once You Entered Motherhood?

babysugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:44 -0700

Before baby arrived, mama may have occasionally skipped dinner or even resorted to a liquid diet at the local happy hour. But when there's a wee one in the family, mommy's schedule shifts and often, so does her eating habits. Pregnancy usually kicks a woman's bad eating habits to the curb, giving her a head start on better food choices. When her child reaches the 6-month mark and starts eating solid foods, mum may find herself eating better than ever before. If she's making her own babe's pureed broccoli, chances are she's nibbling on the crowns, too and upping her own folic acid and iron intake.

Did you start eating better once you became a mama?

Share your favorite dishes and family foodie tips in the The Children's Table group over in the LilSugar Community!

Vaccines: Sticking With the Original Plan

babysugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:00:20 -0700

What is really to blame for the rapid increase of autism? It's something we all want to know, and unfortunately it has not yet been answered. While we nail biting parents sit and watch our children for signs of the developmental disorder, scientists, mothers, pediatricians, fathers, and advocates scramble to find the cause and a cure. Until that day, it seems vaccines will be the target of controversy.

Believing that immunizations may be at the root, some parents still choose to vaccinate their children as they would rather take a risk than have their youngster contract a life threatening disease like the measles. Others simply do not see a connection between the two and have the shots administered as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics. To see a chart of the recommended timeline, read more.

As I've mentioned before, I chose the regular AAP shot schedule for my daughter, but an alternative one for my son. Speak with your pediatrician to decide what is the best course of action for your child.