Happy 4th Month, Liam!

You get cooler every day!

Daddy Has His Day

It's daddy Greg's first Fathers Day and all appropriate celebration is in order. He survived the ups and downs of Kate's pregnancy and was truly the best labor coach any woman could have. He's a real hands-on poppa and gets as big a kick out of GrandBoy Liam as anyone on the planet. Here are some of the highlights of the past four months. Happy Fathers Day, Greg!

Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Car-Seat Blues

See the happy baby? Oh, sure, he's smiling now. But once he's buckled into the backseat of the car? That smile will turn to tears. Fact is, GrandBoy does not like his car-seat. Or rather, GrandBoy does not like being strapped in, facing backward and out of what he perceives to be where the action is. Yes, he has plenty of dangly, rattly toys within grasp and a mirror with which to entertain himself, but he is not a happy camper once firmly affixed in his high-tech safety car-seat.

And he lets you know it. Anyone who's ever spent time around babies and small children knows that they have an almost infinite capacity for crying. Loudly. That 20-minute rule (that babies cry themselves out within 20 minutes) is a myth. Face it, it's the only real power they have as infants, except for their extreme cuteness. They're too small and rubbery to haul off and give you a good kick when they're upset about something. So Liam gets very vocal about being strapped into a car-seat or stroller.

True, if you drive around long enough (i.e., longer - often, much longer - than 20 minutes), he'll wear himself out and fall asleep. Then woe be to the pothole or screaming siren that disturbs his cry-induced slumber! Still, we're praying he'll get used to the car/stroller sooner or later. I don't have any particular memories of his mama throwing car-seat fits (and she always loved the stroller), but maybe I've blanked out those episodes. And, yes, she finally got used to being strapped in whenever we got in a car.

My advice is just to block out the car-crying by plugging in the iPod and letting him cry himself to sleep. Daughter and Son-in-Law will need all the help they can get when they strike out for a wedding in Connecticut in a couple of weeks. Maybe a long road-trip will help GrandBoy get used to cruisin' in the backseat, watching the scenery fly by his window. Otherwise, crank up the tunes!

Anyone have suggestions for traveling (driving, not flying) with an infant? I'm sure Mama and Daddy would welcome any tricks of the the trade before heading north.

Cloth Diaper Update

I promised to give a cloth diaper update once I saw them in use with GrandBoy last month. These are not your grandmother's cloth diapers - or even the cloth diapers available for Daughter 27 years ago. Forget complicated folding, but do expect a lot of Velcro and snaps. And wonderful colors like "Grasshopper," "Zinnia," and "Twilight," and even animal prints. No, your sweeet dumpling does not have to settle for tidy-whities in this day and age!

Cloth diapers come in all sorts of configurations - all-in-ones, diapers with insertable liners, all-in-ones that let you add in a liner for those days that need a little extra sumpin'-sumpin', snaps, Velcros, more combos. Fortunately, many retailers offer trial deals, whereby they send you a sample package that includes the many variations. We ordered from three different places, based on recommendations from friends, and the diapers arrived very quickly. (I guess they know how desperate a new mother can be.)

Daughter and I used all varieties on GrandBoy to see what suited him (and us) best. The main criteria was leakage, so the way the diaper fit our particular babe was important In the end, we had three winners: bumGenius V3 All-in-One, Gro Baby One Size, and Happy Heinys One Size.

Cloth diapers are expensive. Our particular favorites are in the $15-$17/each range, and you have to make a commitment to stock in enough to avoid running the washer and dryer four times a day. That's one little thing that GrandMary can do - go online and top up the diaper supply every now and then. And let's face it, cloth diapers don't eliminate the need for disposables, which are easier if you're going out. But the price of buying disposables - even in bulk - adds up, too, so parents will just have to decide what works best for their pocketbooks. I reckon that investing in cloth diapers really makes sense if you're planning on having more than one child. Since GrandBoy's mama and daddy hope to have a couple more, what we're spending now will make sense as the diapers are used down the line.

In the end (or should I say, on the end), the only thing that matters is what works for Baby, Mama, and Daddy. I'm not sure cloth diapers would've worked for me, since I went back to work when Daughter was a couple months old (and, no, it doesn't seem to have had a negative effect on her), and I knew she would be my one and only. Disposables were a godsend. But if you're a stay-at-home mom or at least have enough cloth diapers on hand to avoid running the washer and dryer 24/7, the diapers are wonderful.

And don't you just love the colors?