We Dissected a Disposable Diaper

We opened a disposable diaper after soaking it with loads of water.
Did you know that it contains thousands of crystals that turn into gel when wet?
Yes, very interesting technology that allows our babies to feel dry, even after loads of pee.

We also did some research and found out a few positives and negatives. Needless to say, many positives can be listed about disposing nasty dirty diapers! It also keep babies dry, avoiding rashes.

Now the negatives, besides the obvious knowledge that disposable diapers are not environmentally friendly. We found out that the crystals are made of super absorbent polymers, which turn into gel when wet. If the diaper breaks open and ends up on baby's skin or mouth, the gel can cause gastrointestinal and skin irritation. So, never leave it for longer than 3 hours!
Another interesting negative is the fact that babies on disposable diapers take a much longer time to be potty trained because they don't feel the discomfort of wet pants. Interesting!

Preverbal Communication

Dedicating time to communicate with our children is one of the wisest moves we can make. Studies have shown that dialogues help babies understand the world, and develop their communication process with other people.

A recent study published by the New York Times reinforces the benefits of communicating with young babies and toddlers by using gestures, vocalization imitation, laughter and facial expressions. At this early age, kids understand far more that they can say.

Speech experts recommend to "Talk while doing things and going places. When taking a walk in the stroller, for example, point to familiar objects and say their names. Use simple but grammatical speech. Expand on words. For example, if your child says 'car', you respond by saying: 'You're right! That is a big red car.'"

For more information, logon to The New York Times.

Guide for Baby-Safe Bottles

We think that breast milk is the best feeding option for babies. However, if you need to use bottles, for breast milk or formula, the Environmental Working Group released a guide with interesting bottle best practices. Below are key points:
- Use clear silicone nipple: latex rubber nipples can cause allergies, and can contain impurities linked to cancer.
- Use glass bottles: plastic bottles can leach the toxic chemical BPA into formula or breast milk. Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked with a 7 or PC.
- Don't use plastic bottle liners: it can leach chemicals into formula when heated.
- Use filtered tap water: if you choose bottle water, make sure it is fluoride-free.
- Choose powered formula: toxic BPA leaches into liquid formula. Powdered formulas don't have BPA.

For more information, vist ewg.org

How Many Strollers can One Child Have?

It never seizes to amaze me how much money new parents spend unnecessarily on strollers (and on baby gear in general!). Have you ever thought about the number of strollers per child in this country? Even during recessions you still see parents buying one stroller for short and another for long walks, yet another for a run, and an additional, and portable one, to leave in the trunk.

When the second baby comes, the shopping spree restarts for double versions. In total, by the time the second child hits her fifth birthday, there are about eight to ten strollers parked in the garage. And the cars are parked outside, of course!

When we had our baby, my husband and I decided to adopt the buy- on-an-as-needed-basis rule. We were surprised by how much gear we actually didn’t need! Brands start overwhelming parents with massive marketing from the moment you go to your first obstetrician appointment. By the time I was five months pregnant, we had already received four containers of formula and several $5-$10 coupons through the mail. A massive marketing to doubt our decision to breastfeed! Any class or seminar your register becomes part of a quite desirable industry mailing list.

Anyway, back to strollers, we bought one for all situations, a real all-terrain type with large wheels and tires to handle both snowed and rainy pavements, and another one a few days before our first international trip. We knew we were going to spent long hours connecting, and the umbrella stroller came in very handy to navigate through airports.

Every time I go to stores like Babies R Us, I amuse myself analyzing what people are buying. Hard to believe that devices such as a baby wipes warmer can make it to the store, and be sold! Waste of resources….

Enough Packing for a Trip

Both my husband and I have traveled the world, for business and leisure. Having a baby required some adjustments into our schedules, but not enough to stop us from enjoying new international experiences! Our son Lukas went to Australia with us when he was 8 months old, and then to Brazil at 11 months. We have also taken him to several domestic trips. Soon we are heading to Europe, and Brazil again. Before his first birthday his passport had already been stamped in a few continents.

The trips definitely required some serious preparation, and a lot more equipment! Good times when we used to travel with carry on luggage only. No more….well, it is really not that difficult. Gotta be organized!

Having an umbrella stroller has been very helpful to navigate through airports and destinations. Also, bringing some comfort food items, such as cereal or Cheerios, can be a huge plus while the little one is getting acquainted with different food. Lukas eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, which generally can be found anywhere. The food preparation is really the main difference.

Another item that has been very valuable is a diaper changing mat. I bought a large piece of fabric that is water proof on one side, and cushioned on the other. It has allowed us to change his diapers pretty much anywhere (see picture at a park in Sydney). Many countries lack the convenience of public restrooms’ changing tables. Sometimes the stalls are so small that you can barely fit yourself in there.

Through our trips I have compiled a helpful check list of items to pack for carry on and checked luggage. Some of my world traveler friends help me add to this list with their personal experiences too. You can find the check list posted on the section “Useful Links” in this website.

I think that exposing your kids to other cultures is one of the best experiences you can provide. Even though they might not remember the actual trip in the future, some key learnings will stay with them forever.

Relax, be flexible, and enjoy the trip!