Tag: reading

Llama llama, MORE BOOKS MAMA!

Published on by Darlene Dee3 Comments

Dude. I can tell myself over and over that Babystar has ENOUGH STUFF, and I am totally right. But I keep buying her books.

She loves books. She ‘reads’ her books to herself and her friends. (Her friends are stuffed animals.) She reads her books to Tillie the Kitten, who seems oddly into it. She brings her books everywhere and will ask anyone to read to her. Her books ward away toddler meltdowns. Her books are fucking magic.

(Yes, I know about libraries. I love the library. I also know that if my kid likes to lick her books, other kids probably do also. I mean, duh, licking books is SO LIT. So we don’t check out board books or ‘beginning reader’ books from the library. We do check out story books from the library, but those are read TO her by an adult under highly supervised situations.)

Last week, I bought a six-pack of ‘Learn-to-Read’ Little Critter books at Costco for $9.99. We already love Little Critter, and the kid needs practice on NOT RIPPING PAGES of non-board books. At less than two dollars per book, this seems like a nice price point for practice. And — bonus! — maybe she will in fact learn to read.

toddlerreading

Then on Saturday, we bought two new board books from the last of the big box brick and mortar bookstores, Barnes & Noble, for $16.98. We also joined their Kid’s Club, which is totally free! (Their adult version is $25 so free is awesome.) You get $5 off for each cool hundred that you drop in their store (books totally add up quickly tho) and the kids get a free cupcake on their birthday from the cafe. And they probably email you some coupons and stuff, I’m assuming. Since they asked for my email address. Or maybe they just want to sell it to make some money to pay the rent since everyone buys books on Amazon these days. (Which I totally get because I could have saved $3.08 buying them on Amazon. But I like to touch books and I miss bookstores.) Either way, I’m kind of cool with it.

llamaspaceboardbooks

MAMAS AND PAPAS AND ANYONE WHO HANGS OUT WITH THE LITTLES: How old was your kids when you started checking out library books? And do you prefer Amazon’s prices and convenience or the magical experience of actual bookstores? (I like a good combo platter myself.)

RAISING BABYSTAR: $19,577.70

Hippie Homeopathy vs FDA: Controversy!

Published on by Darlene Dee10 Comments

In August, Little Miss Babystar started teething on vacation. (That kid has excellent timing.) She was crying all night and partying every day, getting six teeth AT ONE TIME in her poor little mouth. These were her first teeth ever, so she was probably like WTF IS THIS SHIT.

She hated it.

She also hated Tylenol and Motrin and any other type of pain relieving medicine. In desperation to find something that worked, I picked up Hyland’s Teeting Tablets at the Target in West Hollywood and crossed my fingers and said a little prayer and made a little offering to the Goddess of Teething. Guess what? They worked! She picked them up with her newly working little pincer grasp and ate ‘her candies’ and they freaking WORKED! I know, I know, it’s homeopathic and all, so it’s probably placebo but how can you placebo a baby? I’ve genuinely been thinking about this. You can’t, right? (Can you?!) They actually worked. Did I mention that they worked?

We ran out last week and that’s when I found out that they have been voluntarily recalled. Crap. My local Harris Teeter pulled them along with most US drugstore chains and I was freaking out and desperate so we ordered three boxes from Amazon that very day. She isn’t teething now but I didn’t want to be stuck without them during her next round of teething fun.

In the meantime, I have read many reports about the teething tablets. Hyland’s specifically, though I know the FDA has recommended discontinuing all brands. I talked to Babystar’s pediatrician about the tablets on our last visit, and she gave the ok. I have personally decided to continue using (and mildly worshiping) the teething tablets. I hope I am right. Parenting is hard. But I’m still researching. I don’t want to start a debate. But I am interested in your opinion. Especially if you have links and facts to share.

img_0946

We got a couple Halloween books too, as the tablets were one of those annoying Amazon Prime ‘add on thingys’ (technical term) so the shipping is free, but not really.

RAISING BABYSTAR: $12,493.77