Day Trip Packing Tips—Part II

In our postings, we explored day trip packing tips for a trip to the zoo. Today we’ll venture off to the pool or beach with your tots! Whoo hoo!

1. Water bottle - filled (freeze half full and then fill to the top) 
2. Basic first aid kit
3. Camera 
4. Hand sanitizer 
5. Beach towels 
6. Snacks! 
7. Hat- keep the sun from beating down on your head! 
8. Sunglasses 
9. Sunscreen- this is important! Remember to reapply often. There’s nothing worse than a painful sunburn. 

3 Main Emotional Components of Transitional Objects

In our last three posts, we explored the psychology behind transitional or comfort objects and learned quite a bit about Dr. Winnicott, a pretty cool (and sassy!) pediatrician and psychotherapist who researched this topic in the 1950s. In our last posting in this series, we’ll explore the three main emotional components to this amazing phenomenon. This is only a summary; and a very general overview of what is actually truly fascinating and deep psychological aspects of development—we learned a lot in reading these materials and plan to include what we’ve learned here in the Sassy Baby toy development stages. Let's explore why babies use transitional comfort objects:

Transitional Objects—Uses

In our last two posts, we explored the origination of the term “transitional object” and some of the foundations of Dr. Winnicott’s research. As a refresher, transitional objects (also referred to today as comfort objects) are those special items babies and toddlers (and some grown-ups!) associate special meaning with.

In learning more about the research and writings of Dr. Winnicott, we learned that it is the use of the object that he focused on rather than what the object actually was. In other words, some children have a pacifier, some a blankie, some a soft toy—yet most use these self soothing capacities in a similar manner. We also learned the connection between the transitional object and the mother's breast stressing the smells and textures babies gravitate to.

Transitional Objects - What & Why?

In our last post, we learned where the phrase “transitional objects” originated, and a little bit about Dr. Winnicott, the pediatrician/psychoanalyst who coined the phrase in the 1950s. As a refresher, a transitional object is a material object such as a blanket or soft toy that a baby or child associates a special connection.

Dr. Winnicott studied babies between the ages of four and twelve months and noted that these babies would often become attached to an object to which they associated “primordial” significance. Primordal means “characteristic of the earliest stage of development”. The babies would manually manipulate or stroke, suck or otherwise self soothe with the object. These objects were also very commonly a necessary object for a child to fall asleep. As an aside (a One Sassy Doctor safety disclaimer) this was the 1950s; when safe sleep research and the understanding about soft toys and bedding hadn’t originated.

Mom Balancing Act: The Holidays Are Coming

It’s only October and we’re already planning for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays coming up! Ahhhh!

In this post, we’re going to explore mommy’s balancing act, how mom does it all. This time of year is, personally, the most frantic for me. With the kiddos in school, work in full swing, a billion birthday parties (two sets of twins…) and the holidays coming up, each day seems like it flies by. One Sassy Doctor still struggles with balancing it all, but along the way I’ve developed some effective strategies.

Healthy Sassy Smiles! Information About Healthy Dental Development

Wow, is this One Sassy Doctor’s husband obsessed with our kids having good teeth. Perhaps that’s because his late father was a dentist. Or perhaps he knows how healthy teeth create healthy smiles and reflect a positive projection into the world. Well, I married him for his glowing smile, so I suppose he’s right (lucky guy…).

Anyhoo … with tooth decay being the primary dental problem among children ages 2 to 5, we’re fortunate that it can be completely prevented! If we encourage healthy dental habits starting from the baby years (sassy baby years, if I may…), this will help foster positive habits and the healthy glowing smiles we want to see when they are all grown up.

Here are some One Sassy Doctor informational tips on healthy dental development—starting from birth!

One Sassy Doctor’s Interview with Speech Pathologist, Ms. Anne Freilich, M.S., C.C.C. Licensed Speech Language Pathologist

Speech and language is the pathway I entered the world of developmental toys & feeding products—and how One Sassy Doctor was conceptualized. My little guy has speech delay, and during a session with his speech pathologist, I came up with the idea for the U-Play™ Mat. So, the connection between writing this blog and interviewing a speech pathologist feels very natural. As a pediatrician, I really did not understand speech delay and development until faced with this as a parent. Language and speech development have become a special interest for me since, and I’m super excited to bring you this interview today!

Imitation is the Greatest Form of Flattery

It’s ridiculously cute to see a little one imitating mommy, daddy or an older sibling. It’s even cuter when the imitating is just a little bit “off”—for example, my daughter said “in the meantime”, and her little brother later said, “You are going to go into the mean time. Mommy why is time mean?”

Some little ones even imitate themselves!

And, believe me, my little one is certainly imitating my dramatic flair in this shot!

Juicy Advice From Our One Sassy Doctor

When it comes to juice, I draw a line in the sand. I am not the perfect parent (believe me!) and faced some juice challenges when my sons’ daycare served juice. So, this advice is not coming from someone who never gave her kids juice. My kids are heavy water drinkers, but have tasted juice (preferably watered down) at birthday parties and at daycare during meals only (and I limited it to once a day). However, none of them had a dose of juice until they were three years old. Not a taste. We made sure to stick to breast milk, formula, whole milk, lower fat milk and water at the appropriate ages.

Go-Go-Go in the Car, Sassy Style

We’ve posted all about car seat safety in the past here on the One Sassy Doctor blog. Now we’re going to go into how to make car rides, the longer ones, more enjoyable for you and for your little one.

Here are One Sassy Doctor’s tips for a fun, safe and chilled out car ride:

Playground Safety: Dr. Jen's Take on the New York Times Piece

A repost from www.playthisway.com.

As a pediatrician with a sub-specialty in child abuse, and a mother of two sets of twins, I read the New York Times article Can a Playground Be Too Safe? with significant concern. In this piece, John Tierney explains the history of New York City’s playgrounds and safety. Specifically, regarding a 10-foot-high jungle gym in Manhattan near his childhood home, he explained that as long as he was the parks commissioner, the monkey bars were going to remain in place. This was despite researchers at the time, who cited accident statistics and the importance of safer playgrounds. Fast forward to 2011, and this article, in accordance with Mr. Stern’s 1990’s edict - critics saying that playgrounds may “stunt emotional development, leaving children with anxieties and fears that are ultimately worse than a broken bone”.

Wow, do I disagree.

Toddler Play & Fun Tips

A repost from www.playthisway.com.

It’s not easy to be alone with a toddler all day long, but you can spice it up and still stick to the routines that are so important to children. Here are Dr. Jen’s tips on toddler play, fun ways to engage with your toddler more, and some ideas on toddler activities!

Dr. Jen's Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children

Summer time means more water play! One Sassy Doctor wants you to hear loud and clear: Water can be a lot of fun, but safety should be number one! (A rhyme, remember, bear with my goofy sense of humor!)

Here are Dr. Jen’s Tips for Water Play & Safety with Children:

Dr. Jen’s Tips for Dealing with Stranger Anxiety

This is a repost from www.playthisway.com.

An 11-month-old is in the peak period for stranger anxiety, and it’s a challenging phase. And it will end. As my grandma, my mother, and now I like to say when we face many of life’s challenges, “This too shall pass.”

Here are Dr. Jen’s Tips for Dealing with Stranger Anxiety:

Liquids vs. Solids: How Much & When?

A repost from www.playthisway.com.

Figuring out exactly the right amount of milk/formula intake for a who's starting solids (and when that curiosity kicks in!) can be challenging. An 8-month-old baby is well into solid soft foods and probably will start pincer-grasp self-feeding within a short period of time. A baby at this age may start “weaning” herself from a more liquid diet to a more solid one, which is a natural part of development. Every step babies take in the eating category is a step toward more independence. Further, the fine-motor skills she's learning will lead to self-feeding.

Here’s Dr. Jen's handy way to think about volume of liquid nutrition for a child who has started solids:

Do’s and Don’ts of Properly Storing Breast Milk

A repost from www.playthisway.com!

The thought of a freezer overflowing with breast milk sounds like a dream come true to a new mom. Having nursed two sets of twins myself, I’ve been there—double time! If you’re fortunate enough to be facing this embarrassment of breast milk riches, you should definitely know the 5 Do’s (and Don’ts) of proper storage. So here goes:

1. Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness When handling breast milk, make sure you are working in a clean area and wash your hands (well). Also make sure that you are using clean containers/bags for expressed milk storage. If you’re storing your milk in re-usable nursing storage bottles, pick one of these options: use a microwave steam sterilizer, wash with hot soapy water, or run them through the dishwasher. 
2. Forget About Those Ice Cube Trays Use hard plastic bottles specifically designed for storing breast milk, with a screw cap or tight fitting lid; or use heavy plastic bags designed for breast-milk storage. Store milk in amounts that make sense for your baby’s age and the amount he or she may drink in one session. For example, you may want to store 4 ounces per container for your 2 month-old, but 6 - 8 ounce s per container for your 4 month-old. 
3. Chill Out In the fridge, breast is BEST within 24 hours of refrigerated storage. If you refrigerated your milk more than 72 hours ago, throw it out. 
4. Freeze Ease If your freezer is attached to a refrigerator (the kind most of us have in our homes), milk is good there for one month. If you have a deep freezer (am I dating myself here to say like the kind in Sam’s Butcher Shop on the Brady Bunch?), you can store breast milk up to six months - but it’s best to use it within 3 months. Make sure to keep milk at the back of the freezer where the temperature is coldest.
5. Quick Thaw McGraw To thaw for frozen milk in advance, put in the fridge for up to 24 hours. For immediate usage, you should place frozen milk in a bowl of lukewarm water. Never (ever!) use a microwave to defrost or heat breast milk or formula, as heating is uneven and may result in scalding your baby’s mouth. Once milk is frozen and defrosted, do not refreeze it.

Dr. Jen’s (Grandma’s) Chicken

In my last couple posts, I mentioned how much my family loves my chicken, so I thought I would share the recipe with you!

Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken (4 to 6 pounds) preferably with a pop-up thermometer! 
• Salt & pepper 
• Fresh thyme (bunch) 
• Two soft lemons cut in half 
• 1 head of garlic 
• 10-15 whole carrots, peeled with stems cut off
• Large sweet potatoes or yams peeled 

Baby's First Foods

These are some fun initial foods for baby, some may surprise you! Remember please (please!) that these foods should be pureed—super duper pureed—soft MUSH.

From More Mush to Mostly Mush!

From the age of 6-9 months to 9-12 months, your baby will go from just starting solids to feeding mostly solids and hopefully a well-rounded diet with plenty of colorful options. Your baby’s breast milk or formula intake will decrease over this time period to about 3 or 4 8-ounce bottles (or nursing feeds) a day. One Sassy Doctor’s favorite feeding game was the good old fashioned airplane with a splash of train tunnel and race car for my little boys. Making meal time fun is a great start to healthy family eating habits!

Breastfeeding

I’m going to share some personal information here, maybe TMI (too MUCH information) for some readers, but I want you to feel comfortable that I’m no white coat perfectionist doctor—I’m a normal(ish) parent like you, realistic and sassy. (Get it?)