The nap dilema

Even at 18 months there are still sleep problems going on. I am sure there will always be a sleep problem, but this particular one is a fun- screaming hysterically after a nap for an hour, and then cranky for the rest of the afternoon- kind of problem.

I have googled it and apparently it is a common enough thing, and babies as young as 1 years old, and old as three years old do it. I am going to try to see if putting him down to sleep earlier helps (I often get a longer nap if he goes down after 1pm, but maybe he is too tired by then). Fingers crossed for long naps and no more screaming  :)


(not Pichan, btw)

Kirkland brand wipes review

So I finally did it... I went to Costco.

I went to the Costco in Kawasaki and was actually impressed. Husband, who hates shopping, was also impressed. They have a fair range of all sorts of products, including kids toys, clothes and seasonal items (including Xmas things).

One of the big reasons that I wanted to go was to get a box of the coveted "Kirklands Signature Baby Wipes"



They come in a huge box of 900 wipes- which are 9 packets of 100 wipes in each.
They are very thick compared to most Japanese wipes. You may have read here that Pampers are my favourite wipes in Japan; so how do they compare:

Well, the size is about the same.

Kirklands  wipes seem thicker, but I am not sure if wipes this thick are actually necessary. It feel like wiping with a square of cotton, which seems a little wasteful. But, at the end of the day it is all about how it biodegrades and I am not sure if it is better/worse than Pampers. Kirklands does say on their website that they do biodegrade so good for them.

Pampers wipes have a lotion on them which is really nice. Silky smooth. It kind of works like a barrier that makes the next 'mess' a bit easier to clean. But providing I get to the 'mess' before my little one sits down, then it usually isn't a problem anyway.

They are both alcohol free, but it looks like Kirlands are paraben free. The old formula used to have formaldehyde in it but not any more. These are the ingredients: WATER, ALOE BARBADENSIS, LEAF JUICE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE, POLYSORBATE 20, CITRIC ACID, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, DISODIUM EDTA, ETHYLENE BRASSYLATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE

Pampers on the other hand have parabens and other not nice sounding things: Water, dimethicone, PG, (acrylates / isodecanoic acid vinyl) crosspolymer, phosphoric acid Na, sorbitan oleate, benzoic acid Na, methylparaben, EDTA-2Na, hydroxide Na, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, Bizabororu, tri (caprylic / capric acid) glyceryl, aloe vera juice, chamomile extract.

Kirklands come with a hard flip lid/seal on each pack of their wipes (to keep the freshness in). Pampers use a re-stickable seal. But this isn't a feature I care too much about, as I have the refillable container for the Pampers wipes, so they were always fresh.

As for price: 

On Amazon Kirklands are 3980yen for 900. Which is 4.4yen a wipe. (I will update after my next Costco visit with the Costco price, but I forgot the correct price...) 

 *** Update- Costco price is 2738yen-  so that is 3.04 per wipe, being much cheaper. At the moment they are on sale at Costco for 2188yen (2.43 per wipe)***

On Amazon Pampers wipes are 2590yen for 756wipes. Which is 3.4yen per wipe. 


~In Summary~

When I first bought the Kirklands box I regretted it. I really liked the lotion of the Pampers, and thought wipes as thick as Kirklands were a bit of an overkill. However, after learning they they are paraben free I am quite happy with Kirklands, and would probably choose them over Pampers for that reason. 

Pampers are cheaper, and can be obtained easily from drug stores and baby stores in Japan. But I think that Kirklands wipes are probably the more baby friendly and environmentally friendly, so because of that they have my vote (but only just...). 

Cow's milk.

Pichan really doesn't care for cow's milk. And really, I can't blame him. He is used to sweet breast milk, at a certain temperature and with a cuddle, so it is no surprise that cow juice doesn't do much for him. But now he is a year and five months, which means that in another six months or so I hope to wean him, and then where will he get his dairy from...

Apparently, he should be having two cups of dairy a day- or about 700 milligrams. So what can I do?

He eats yogurt- though the tubs here are small. And will have some cheese most days. Sometimes he will have a few sips of milk, but if I make him banana milk (Banana, flax seeds, oats and a teaspoon of honey) he gulps it down- I actually mix it with even more milk so it is only lightly flavoured. While I don't want him only drinking milk if it is sweetened, I figure that he has been raised on sweetened milk, and he is better off drinking sweetened (not too much) milk, than none at all.

The good news is, I have found other sources that he can get his calcium from (for more info- see http://www.babycenter.com/0_calcium-in-your-childs-diet_10324689.bc):

• 1/4 cup raw tofu prepared with calcium sulfate: 217 mg (The calcium content of tofu varies, depending on how it's processed. Check the label.)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt: 207 mg
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses: 172 mg
• 1/2 cup fruit yogurt: 122 to 192 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified orange juice: 133 to 250 mg
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese: 167 mg
• 1/2 cup milk: 150 mg
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk: 144 mg
• 1/2 ounce Swiss cheese: 112 mg
• 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, soft-serve: 102 mg
• 1/2 ounce cheddar cheese: 102 mg
• 1 slice whole grain bread: 24 mg
• 1/2 ounce mozzarella cheese: 103 mg
• 1/4 cup collard greens: 66 mg
• 1/4 cup homemade pudding (from mix or scratch): 76 mg
• 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed butter): 64 mg
• 1/4 cup turnip greens: 50 mg
• 1/4 cup cooked spinach: 60 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified cereal (ready to eat): 51 mg
• 1/2 cup calcium-fortified soy beverage: 40 to 250 mg

I really want him to have strong bones and teeth. I suppose I will just have to be extra good about giving him a varied diet. Maybe I need a meal plan...

The final 'wonder week'- Huzzah!

The final 'wonder week' (which is always at least a month long) runs from week 70 and a half, to week 75 and a half. This developmental leap was all about the world of systems. Meaning now not only can he see a pattern of things that need to be done in order to complete a task, but it means he realises that they can be done in a different order to complete the same end.

For example- it was "Let's go to the shops".Which meant- clean nappy, socks and pants, get mummy's bag, get our water bottle, close the windows, put on our shoes, lock the door.

Now he realises that we can get the bag ready before we put our socks on, and we can close the windows first.

The 'Stormy period'- aka, cranksville, was at the start of the leap this time which was kind of nice. And it was pretty bad for a while, but passed after a week or so.

His naps are hit and miss. The same with his sleeping; some nights he sleeps until 5am (then he has a quick feed before going back down again) and some nights he wakes a few times. I am hoping it sorts itself soon enough.

From my other friends, I have heard that the terrible twos also have a few month long periods of crankiness, but thankfully I feel like it is getting a little easier to deal with now that he is older.



                                

Pichan's Holiday Book

Our holiday is over now and already fading away into a distant memory. Pichan had a great time (future post of flying with a 15month old coming soon), but is super glad to be home. 

One thing I did before we left, was I made him a "Pichan's holiday" book. It is a story book filled with photos that tell the story of his holiday- from start to finish.

I included everything I thought relevant.

From the packing (and later repacking) of the suitcases

To taking trains and planes (there and back) and inside the aircraft.

To pictures of Nanna and Poppy, and their house, and the room we will be sleeping in.

I also made a little countdown night calendar in the story (top right)- the idea was to cross off one night at the end of each day so he could see time progressing- but we got distracted and didn't really pull out the book again until we were at the airport ready to go home. 

I finished the book with a photo of our house and then his bedroom so he could see we were coming back.

Did it work to make his transition easier? I thought maybe? But his reaction when he got home to his toys was one like: "I thought I would never see this again. My boat! I love my boat! Ahh, this thing! and that book!" so maybe he had no idea that he would be coming home and ever seeing his stuff again. 

Either way, it wasn't too difficult to make (just made in word, with photos pasted in it, and then cut out and glued onto cardboard, then stapled). For the trip next year I will make one again, and as he will be just that little bit older he will probably understand what is going on a bit more. 

Help with colic

So, I have realised that I never really did a colic post about what worked, and what didn't. It has been so long since those first, scream-filled 12 weeks, but I still remember it. My heart always goes out to anyone currently going through it, as it really takes away from the time you get to 'enjoy' your newborn. 


From my research, Colic is caused by gas pains, which are caused by a build up of lactose in the intestines, and not enough lactase to process the lactose, so it creates gas, and thus pains, and thus, cranky baby. 

I read that probiotics can make it better, and I think it slightly did. So, the probiotics I used were:

Nature's Way, Primadophilus, Reuteri, Superior Probiotic, Powder

http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Primadophilus-Reuteri-Superior-Probiotic-Powder-5-oz-141-75-g/4676#p=1&oos=1&disc=0&lc=en-US&w=probiotics&rc=967&sr=null&ic=10

I believe it is the Lactobacillus reuteri is the strain that you need and I have heard great things about biogaia but I couldn't get them shipped to Japan:

http://www.biogaia.com/consumer?field_bg_product_countries_tid=11&field_bg_product_symptom_tid=All

Here are the other things that I have tried and their effectiveness:

Lots of rubs/burps/leg moves . (not helpful at the time, but maybe it helps for future pains). There are lots of videos on youtube for gas pains in babies. Touching your baby is always good though.

Pumping in the morning to get rid of lactose rich foremilk and so he gets more fat rich hind milk. ( I stopped doing this, as it took a bit of time, and didn't think it was super effective for the effort involved. Maybe it helped slightly though)

Feeding him from only one breast per feeding (Meh? I did it for a while, and then didn't).

Not feeding him so much (I fed him less, but usually every two hours or so. Pi gained weight really well, so I kept an eye on that. I think this helps though)

No more dairy for me to rule out a milk protein allergy (I don't think it was, but just in case). I stopped some other foods too, but I forget what they were. Dairy was the big one though.

Lots of walks (him in the Ergo carrier) and moves to get the gas moving through his system (he LOVED walking, and after the initial struggle, he went straight to sleep). Pi LOVED it (still does), and it saved my sanity. I wore him most of the day, which was a killer on my neck and back, but it is better than a crying baby, and I hated seeing him upset. Being upright with the gentle pressure on their belly helps with the pain. I noticed it helped a lot. Pi was far less fussy when I wore him all day, but it is hella tiring.

Gripe water- 'mommys bliss', (he LOVED the taste of this. I don't know if it helps with the gas too much, but it sometimes distracted him and he stopped crying so it works that way. You need to use a lot per dose though).

'Infants friend' medicine from Australia- works a little bit I think.

I gave him a little bit of fennel tea (a teaspoon or so at a time) when his gas pains are bad (I do think this helps. I think the fennel, combined with the water really flushes out the system). Gripe water is usually ginger, fennel and chamomile, but fennel tea doesn't have the sugar.

I also ate fennel seeds so it ended up in my milk.

What does actually work...time. 

That is such a sucky thing to hear. 

11weeks and two days was when Pi stopped writhing in pain. It was so hard to watch him cry all the time. It also was the worst vicious cycle, as his pains would wake him up from sleep, so he was always over tired and harder to get to sleep, and then I would finally get him to sleep and then 20mins later- boom- pain again. He was an all day/most of the night pain/Colic. It was so hard on the little guy. He is the happiest little man now though, you wouldn't know it. I think it is the big cause of why he was such a crap sleeper though- we never had that 'sleeping like a baby' thing.

I blame Pi's tummy troubles on the doctors inducing me and giving me antibiotics, and continuing the dose while I was breast feeding- on doctors orders to complete the dose. No wonder his little belly was so screwed up. I felt so sorry for the little man. It is so hard to see them in pain!

On a side note:

Check out the 5 S's. If you can- get your hands on "the happiest baby on the block" dvd- by Dr Harvey Karp. They have some super helpful tricks. The best one (forgive me if you know this) is 'shushing' in their ear REALLY loudly. It kind of resets their inner crying button and they stop (most of the time), especially if you combine it with others (Swaddle, Shushing, Sucking (Pi wouldn't take a pacifier though), Swinging (any movement), and Side/stomach position (not for sleeping). Pi loved to be held by Husband in the "colic hold". To do it, just drape the babyhead down across your forearm. Pi liked it and I think it helped him.

To any mothers with a colicky baby out there; good luck! and just remember that it will pass.

Keeping baby cool at night.

We are kind of struggling with this lately. The temperature is rising and rising- and even though all three of us are Aussies (though Pi was born in Japan)- we don't do so well with the heat. Pi gets so incredibly sweaty... Must be all that delicious baby chub.

Before we give him a bath each night we check the weather report and see the minimum temperature. As it isn't dropping to anything under 25 most nights (sometimes it is still 28 degrees at 9 pm), we have him dressed in his 0.5tog sleep sack.

Yeah, it's girlie- but he doesn't mind :P

He wears a nappy and we have bought him a super light, gauzy onesie from akachan honpo (http://akachan.7netshopping.jp/shopping/g/g144005003)






I like the fact it is so light and breathable. You might not be able to see it, but it is like wearing a cotton mesh suit.

We also set his airconditioner onto dehumidification mode and set the temperature to 26 degrees- so it is cool, but not cold. We also have a fan going (but that is also for white noise).

I turn off the airconditioner at about 9 or 10pm, when we go to bed and it is a little cooler, and open up his sliding glass door and bedroom door so that the air can really flow through the room (when there is a breeze- when there isn't a breeze it is very stuffy). So he sleeps just with the fan on, and all the doors open. I get up at 4:30am (when the sun wakes me) and close all his curtains so that the sun doesn't wake him. It stays a reasonable temperature in there, and he usually wakes a 6:30ish.

If it ever doesn't drop below 28 degrees, then we might look at keeping his aircon on all night. Not so great for the power bill, or him to sleep in- but we can't have him sweating up a storm.

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire...

On Friday I felt really run down, and started to get a pain in my right breast. I thought maybe I was just tired after waiting with a toddler at city hall for over an hour, but by the next morning the pain was stabbing, and I felt absolutely horrible. There was also a big red patch on my breast- under the nipple.

Yep, mastitis. I really thought I wasn't going to get it at all as most people get mastitis during the first few months. I didn't have cracked nipples or anything either so at first I wasn't sure just what it was.

Pichan had a night or two where he almost slept through (I had to wake him for a dream feed at 4am, as my boobs felt like balloons about to burst). Couple that with the fact he is down to three feeds a day instead of four- and it is dropping about 3 feeds in a 24 hour period. No wonder.

Mastitis really hurts, and the thought of feeding while having a massive pain is a huge turn off. Also, I felt like I had the flu- body aches, run down etc. It wasn't great.

Thankfully I received some great advice from a lactation consultant. So I rested as much as possible, I took showers where I left the water pressure massage my boob, and I fed as much as possible. I was also advised to feed in a weird position- with me on all fours over my baby (talk about feeling like a cow). The idea was so that gravity emptied the breast as much as possible. It also felt good to feed that way as it didn't have his head pressing into the sore spot.

I was lucky in that it cleared up by the next day- so no antibiotics or anything. Which is fantastic. It was tender for a few days, but after that was all back to normal. I certainly wouldn't want to get it again, but as I don't feed entirely by a clock (not really 'on demand' though either- more of a middle ground) I must be careful. At least I know what to do now.

Hepatitis B becoming free (so I've heard)

Good news for soon-to-be-mothers in Japan. I was talking to some of my students the other day about vaccinations, and was telling how how we are following both the Australian and Japanese vaccination charts. But doing it this way means that we pay out of pocket for some- namely Hepatitis B, and Rotavirus (Hepatitis B cost us 4500yen). She hadn't had her baby vaccinated for Hep B, so at her next visit to the doctor she asked about the vaccine.

Her doctor told her that from 2016, the Hepatitis B vaccine will be covered by the government- no out of pocket expense. How great is that! I have tried to find some articles on the internet which confirms this and *think* I have: http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kabun-blog/200/207285.html


So, hopefully (and please don't quote me) Hepatitis B will be added to the list of routine, free vaccinations in Japan. Lucky you, 2016 babies.

Baby gates

With our baby boy pretty much walking now, baby safety is all important. Thankfully we bought and set up gates quite a while ago. We bought them both online and had them delivered.

We currently have two of this type:




One is sitting at the top of the stairs, and one is just outside of our living room area, which means he can't get to the stairs or the genkan. We bought these from Akachanhonpo (http://shop.akachan.jp/). They have a store about 40 minutes drive from us, but delivery was free when we ordered online. They were 5100yen each (but cheaper now- grr)

We also bought another gate of this type:




It's a step over type gate that means we can get in and out of the kitchen while carrying things (you don't need to open the gate). It's about Pi's shoulder height (but Pi is the size of a two year old). When we first put it in, Pichan screamed and hated it. But now he just accepts that he can't get into the kitchen any more. Which is great for both his safety, and because we don't need to baby proof every cabinet. We bought this from Rakuten.co.jp. It was about 4000yen plus delivery, taking it just over 5000yen

But that still hasn't stopped him from getting oww-ies. He has fallen into the Genkan twice now. They do make baby gates wide enough to cover the genkan, but with the baby gate near the stairs, he can't get to the genkan without me (both times he fell it was with me there). They were expensive to buy, but very worth the cost.

Mumps vaccination

Pichan had his mumps vaccination today and he didn't cry at all. Go little man!

Mumps vaccinations aren't free in Japan, and it isn't combined in the MMRV (Mumps, Measles, Rubella and Chicken pox) like it is in Australia. In Japan the Measles and Rubella are combined in one free shot. In Yokohama, the chicken pox vaccination is a separate shot, but also free (but not in other places, I have heard).

Mumps, however, is not. Which would explain why it is such a problem in Japan. It's 4500yen for the shot, with one shot now, and another shot in 4 years. There was a lot of vaccine in the shot, but Pichan still took it like a champ.

With all these separate shots, Pi is a little bit of a pin cushion and we still have a few more to go (just boosters though). But bit by bit, we are getting there. Thankfully my doctor is only an 8 minute walk, so it doesn't take up too much of the day.

what to wear under a sleep sack

With Summer here and the weather getting warmer (30 degrees today- blah), we have to check the weather report every night to make sure we know the minimum temperature before we select our baby's pajamas.

Pi has four different 'tog' rating sleep sacks: A 2.5og, a 1.5 tog, a 1 tog and a 0.5 tog.

We have three different brands too- Halo, Grobag and Baby Dee dee (another post on brands will come), but I am going by Grobags what to wear guide at the moment when it comes to what to dress Pichan in. This is from http://gro.co.uk/pages/what-to-wear

What to wear

Please find below a guide to what your baby should wear when sleeping in their Grobag Baby Sleep Bag. This information is for guidance only. This information is available in:  English  Turkish  Slovak  Czech  Polish  Hungarian
English Safe and sound The temperature in the room is shown by the number that illuminates. Do not place this thermometer over a radiator or in direct sunlight. Grobag Baby Sleep Bags are designed to be used instead of blankets and top sheets and you need to regularly check your baby to make sure he or she is not too hot or cold. What to wear A Grobag Baby Sleep Bag is a wearable blanket that will keep your baby at a comfortable temperature all night long. This table shows our guidance on the correct tog of Grobag and clothing to be used in different room temperatures. Short-sleeved and long-sleeved cotton body suits Long-sleeved cotton pyjama top and bottoms Gro-suit – All-in-one cotton sleep suit At the moment, the temperature is about 24 degrees when I put him to bed, but about 20 degrees over night. For this range I have him dressed in a long sleeved cotton onesie, and a 1 tog sleep sack. At the start of the night when it is warmer I have his fan going and the flyscreen door to outside wide open, but will turn off the fan and close the door as it gets colder. In winter it was really easy to select what to wear, as I had a heater in his room set to 22 degrees- so the temperature didn't vary overnight. In the peak of summer, we may turn on his air-conditioner, or have him sleep in a nappy and his 0.5 tog sleep sack. It is certainly a difficult thing, especially when you can't use blankets (Pi tosses and turns like crazy and the times that we trialed a blanket he ended up with his blanket over his head- we were watching with a baby monitor though and were able to pull it off).	Nursery temperature 3.5 tog 2.5 tog 1.0 tog 0.5 tog 24-7°C (75-81°F)       23°C (74°F)       21°C (69°F)       20°C (68°F)     Under 18°C (65°F)       Under 16°C (61°F)     Under 14°C (57°F)       This information is for guidance only. Back to top

Croup

Friday, after Pi's first nap he woke up wheezing like crazy, and coughing a little bit. After I fed him, the wheezing was a little better, but wanted to take him to the doctor anyway because he had been having soft stools for about two weeks and I was unsure if it was teething related (two molars are breaking through).

By the time I got to the doctors, the wheezing was minor, but she said his stomach was a bit gurgley, so she prescribed some medicine (probiotics and a digestive) and that was that. We had a nice day and I kept an eye on him with seemingly no troubles.

After his second nap, however, he woke up choking and unable to breathe. The wheezing was so bad and, between the coughing and spluttering, he was in quite a panic. I took him straight to the doctors again, and this time she could definitely hear it and was surprised.

They put him on a vaporiser with some medicine in it (he hated that though, and wouldn't keep it on his face), in the hopes that it would help, but when it didn't it was time to send me to hospital. They weren't sure if he had swallowed something or not and by this stage I was getting quite worried.

They called around to the local hospitals (in Japan you can't just show up to a hospital) and the second one accepted him. This one would also allow me to stay over if Pi had to stay overnight. So off we went in a taxi (I was hoping my husband could get the car- actually it ended up being an expensive hassle as we both had to take a taxi in the end because of a nurse at the clinic), and to the hospital emergency room we went.

By this stage I was trying not to panic, but the worst was running through my mind. I was finally able to get in touch with my husband who would meet us there.

When we arrived we registered with reception and then waited for our turn. It might have taken about an hour to see the doctor (though a nurse took his temperature and blood oxygen level shortly after we arrived).

Thankfully, he was diagnosed with croup. And while it is scary for a parent (and the baby) to witness their child not being able to breathe properly, at least it wasn't something major.

As it was after 7pm, most pharmacies would be closed but I was able to use the hospital pharmacy and the doctor prescribed a steroid, for him to take if he got worse.

Thankfully, child medicine and treatment in Japan is free (though not the taxi's to the hospital which was about 10000 all up).

Home we went and because of us still being scared about his breathing we set up the futon in his room, and turned the humidifier on high (it's supposed to help) and slept in there. The poor little man was having such a rough time sleeping. He usually sleeps quite soundly, but he started waking up every 30 mins, then 20mins, and then when he was waking up every 10 minutes or so we had him take the medicine. Thankfully, after that his windpipe must have opened up much more and he slept quite well in my arms. I moved him back into his crib shortly after midnight.

The whole episode meant that he only had about 7 hours of very broken sleep- usually he has 12 hours, and napped terribly the next day.

I am glad to say that the episodes after his naps yesterday were barely there at all, and he slept normally the following night. Which I am so thankful for.

Croup usually follows a small cold- but I think he was the reverse. Now he seems like he has a cold, whereas before he didn't. Though, most teething symptoms are similar to that of a cold so I suppose maybe he did have a mild cold before.

Either way, I am glad to report that he seems on the mend.



http://www.webmd.com/children/tc/croup-topic-overview

SCREAMING!!!!!

At the moment, my little one year old' favourite way to communicate seems to be to scream. He screams/squeals almost non stop all day. Almost.

He wants something to look at: scream
He doesn't want to eat that: scream
He's hungry but doesn't want me to put him down to make him lunch: scream.
It's a day ending in 'y': scream.


Thankfully there are smiles in there too, but he certainly is adept at letting me know when something is not to his liking.

Let's hope it is just a phase.

What to feed a one year old.

Pichan has officially turned one. Still not walking yet, but growing well all the same. He is a terrific eater, of which I am thankful. So that leads me to ask, what to feed a one year old?

Thankfully, all the dietary restrictions of before (no honey, no citrus, etc) are all a bit safer now (not that I will be running out to give him honey.

Apparently, according to the AAP, toddlers need about 1000 calories a day, which is made up of 3 meals and 2 snacks. Pichan still is breastfeed 4 times in the day, and 1-2 times at night, so I suppose that is a few good calories there. Plus, I am lucky that he does put away quite large meals. I am not too worried about overfeeding him as I still only feed him healthy food (the unhealthiest we go is he can have a chicken nugget from Mcdonalds, but we remove the batter). We still try to avoid the lots of salt and sugar in his diet. But he eats spicy foods like our curries and chillies, so he gets a lot of flavours in his diet.

This is a sample meal plan for a one year old from the AAP. I would love to say that Pichan eats this much, or this healthily but we try.

Breakfast

• 1⁄2 cup iron- fortified breakfast cereal or 1 cooked egg
• 1⁄4–1⁄2 cup whole milk (with cereal or without)
• Fruit can be added to cereal or on its own
• 1⁄2 banana, sliced
• 2–3 large sliced strawberries

Snack

• 1 slice toast or whole wheat muffin with 1–2 tablespoons cream cheese or peanut butter, or yogurt with cut-up fruit
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk

Lunch

• 1⁄2 sandwich sliced turkey or chicken, tuna, egg salad, or peanut butter
• 1⁄2 cup cooked green vegetables
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk

Snack

• 1–2 ounces cubed or string cheese, or 2–3 tablespoons fruit or berries
• 1 cup whole milk

Dinner

• 2–3 ounces cooked meat, ground or diced
• 1⁄2 cup cooked yellow or orange vegetables
• 1⁄2 cup pasta, rice, or potato
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk

Egg and vaccinations

Little Pichan has been getting his vaccinations like a good boy, and today it is his MR and Chickenpox. Thankfully, Yokohama gives the chickenpox vaccination for free, whereas other places (like my old town) don't.

Before Pi gets the MR vaccination though, we were told by the doctor that he has to eat raw egg.. Yuk! Not to mention I had no idea how to prepare it, so the nurses told me:

Get warm, white rice

crack an egg on top

mix through thoroughly

eat.

I would put "enjoy" as the last step, but Pichan really wasn't keen on that. He kept spitting out each mouthful until it dribbled down his chin. I don't blame him at all.

However today, I decided to try it again, but a little differently...

Crack and egg into a bowl and whisk.

Season with white pepper

toss half the egg away

add freshly cooked 'okayu' (very runny rice porridge)

stir well.

I was surprised, but Petey actually liked it. He kept opening his mouth wide for more. Maybe because of all the boiling watery okayu the egg was cooked more. Or maybe because the black pepper gave it a nice taste.

Either way, he is not allergic (I think). So off to the doctors we went. This time, they gave him the two shots at once (two different needles). It makes life much easier (instead of going every week), though poor Petey wasn't impressed with it. 

Banana goodness smoothie

Lately I have been getting into smoothies. I think they are perfect for me because they make an easy, healthy snack that I can have on the go (gosh knows Pi doesn't like letting me sitting down). Because I am still breastfeeding, I really need to get a much calcium as I can (and I am crap at that). So drinking milk kills two birds with one stone. I also pour a little bit of milk in Pichans cup with a dash of my smoothie so he thinks he is drinking the same thing (Gosh knows I can't have anything without having to share...)

Banana goodness smoothie recipe:

1 banana
150mls of milk (preferably vitamin D fortified)
5-6 ice cubes
1 tablespoon of chia/flaxseed blend.
1 tablespoon of rolled oats
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of honey

Blend until smooth.


There is goodness in just about all ingredients (except the sugar- though I need that for energy). Rolled oats and the Chia blend *may* help with milk production too.

Here are some benefits of Chia and flax seeds for nursing women.

Chia seeds have fatty oils, protein, calcium, fiber and anti-oxidants. These nutrients will help develop the brain functioning of your child. Aside from that, it will also help you to produce more milk. 
Like sesame seeds, flaxseeds contain phytoestrogens that can influence milk production.



Note: The Chia/Flax seed blend is hard to get in Japan so I buy mine off i-herb.com




http://www.iherb.com/Carrington-Farms-Ready-To-Eat-Flax-Chia-Blend-12-oz-340-g/49514

"helping"

The little man is coming on in leaps and bounds. No walking yet, but he loves "helping". He grabs the cloth that I wipe his highchair down with, and scrubs away with it. He loves sweeping with the broom. He knows/says the words "dirty", and "yukky". This morning he touched the bin, then sat down and brushed off his hands saying "yukky". Every time I take off his dirty nappy he says "dirty".

Mind you, he gets into everything. I caught him one second away from trying to eat a week old piece of chicken out of the bin. I might need to buy another baby gate....

Do I want to read that... Nope, nope and nope

One on the biggest changes for me as parent has been my inability to read any news article involving children. It just stabs me deep inside when I see a headline and think "Nope, there is no way I could stand reading that". Today's gem from BBC news was "Man rapes one day old baby".  Just, no! Mind you, it wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to read before, but now it cuts deep to a personal level.

I find even watching movies has changed for me. I can't really enjoy any movie where kids get injured, or parents die leaving the kid alone. Even the start of something as innocuous as Guardians of the Galaxy got me all watery as all I could think of is "what if that happens to Pichan".

To counter this, I will be reading a lot more happy stories, and enjoying movies where everybody lives, and nobody gets hurt... They still make those, right?



hedgehogs always put me in a better mood...

Nappy (Diaper) review: Merries vs Moony pants type (L size)

I am officially a pants convert. Pichan isn't walking yet and he hates being put on his back for a nappy change. It is usually a bit of a scream fest, and no amount of toys (unless it is a forbidden object like my mobile phone) will keep him happy if he is already in a bad mood. Using pants type nappies means I can stand him up against something, rip them off (or pull them down) and put the new one on. If it is poopy, it is still a lay him down job (thankfully the pants type nappies rip at the sides so I don't have to pull poop down his legs, or anything) but at least I only have to lay him down once or twice a day, usually.



Merries:

Cost: Babies R Us have them for 1429yen for 56 nappies about 25.5yen/nappy- depends where you buy and if they are on sale. 'Create SD' drugstore is a little cheaper.
Softness: 4/5
Rash: none
Fit: Really nice fit. The sidebands are super side, the front goes up really high (which is important if you have a boy). The back fits around the whole buttocks
Absorbency: 5/5- My LO can sleep in them. No pee leaks.
Poo leaks: 5/5- though not such an issue now with more solid poops.
Wetness Indicator: Yes
Notes: Great gathering around the legs, seems comfortable for my LO to wear. Easy to put on.







Moony Nappies:

Cost: Babies R Us have them for 1397yen for 56 nappies about 24.9yen/nappy- depends where you buy and if they are on sale. 'Create SD' drugstore is a little cheaper.
Softness: 4/5
Rash: none
Fit: I call these 'briefs' as they are a bit smaller in area than the merries nappy. The cover the bottom, but not the whole cheek. The front isn't as high as Merries
Absorbency: 4/5- Haven't tried for night use, but they have leaked twice during the day
Poo leaks: 5/5- though not such an issue now with more solid poops.
Wetness Indicator: Yes
Notes: because there is less coverage, I feel like I have to tuck my little boys 'bits' in more and adjust it all a bit more so it fits in the right places. 

Merries Nappy

 Moony Nappy (You can see it doesn't cover as much as the moony)

Merries nappy from the side                               Moony nappy from the side
(you can see the better coverage)



 Merries nappy (above), Moony nappy (below)


The winner of the two, is....... Merries.

Though I will still buy Moony on occasion, as you can only buy one packet of Merries at a time where I buy my nappies (due to popularity).

Always do it now...

I need this "always do it now" reminder plastered everywhere these days. Life with a cruiser, while not as tough as life with a walker, has its challenges. For starters, Little Pi has found the rice cooker, and the buttons on it. He is also tall enough to turn on the dishwasher and the gas cooker! The problem is, sometimes I am just a little busy with cooking dinner that I let him play with the rice cooker. Sometimes he turns it on and off by himself, and sometimes just on- and then loves it when I turn it off. The problem comes from when I think "Oh, I need to turn the rice cooker off when he is finished with it", and then forget.

Forgetting about it seems to be my theme, and the other day we cooked a full load of air in the rice cooker. Thankfully it didn't burn the house down, and there were no weird smells because of it, but it is not something that I want to have happen every day.

Crawling vs Army crawling

My little guys is doing it... Crawling properly. Since he has been seeing other kids doing it, he has been crawling like a pro. But I don't think it was just the peer instruction that helped.

You see, we have a small space (it is Japan after all) and hardwood floors. Combine that with winter and always being in socks and warm, fuzzy pants and he could very easily pull himself along. Now that spring has sprung, it is sometimes warm enough to give him some pants off time and because of that, he can't really pull himself along as quickly and has instead been crawling properly.

Perhaps it was the pants all along, or perhaps he just liked moving about like a zombie with an injured leg being dragged behind him...

Bibs- aka よだれかけ

The other day while in ToysRus, I found some super cute bibs ( よだれかけ- yodarekake) and as Pi still needs them like he needs a good nap, I bought a packet. After getting them home I realised something awesome. The special 'hook and loop fastener, aka- velcro.

Instead of having raised 'hooks' it is only a little bit rough like a cat's tounge- but has enough of a catch to stick to the loop fastener side. This, to me, is fantastic, as the traditional 'velcro' often rubs the back of Pi's neck and he gets a bit red and irritated back there.


On a related bib note. For Pi's meals we have bought those plastic bibs with the little pocket at the front (the kind that just wipe down). It is so easy being able to use them for his meals, and we have about 5 of them, as they are so handy. And cheap- as we bought ours from Daiso and Seria (the dollar stores)