Toddler Tips #14: Board Book Rehab

November 27, 2013January 13, 2014Amber 11 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day-to-day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Because I want the quads to develop a love of reading, I leave book baskets within their reach within in every room where they congregate. I even keep a basket of them in the kitchen so they can peruse them before and after meals. Our “basket books” are primarily ones I picked up at garage sales and Half Price Books, or were handed down. We have our special books located on high bookshelves and we take them down only when an adult can sit and read them, most often at bedtime.

When we finish a meal, I’ll often hear Rylin’s raspy voice whisper, “book” as she signs “please”. They will sometimes sit for up to 30 minutes flipping through pages of books, examining the pictures, and sometimes even asking us to label things. It warms my heart to see this.

Photographer, Christina Childress, captured this group shot during their one year photo session. This is one of my favorite photos of the quads.

However, sometimes I’m convinced that our children are part Billy Goat. They love gnawing the edges of books almost as much as they enjoy looking at them. It doesn’t matter how closely we supervise them or how often we redirect this behavior, they are toddlers and they simply chew voraciously. At first it wasn’t really a problem aside from making books a little less attractive. After a while, their books were so tattered they’d chomp of bits of them, posing a choking hazard among other things. The first few times this happened, I chucked the worst books into the garbage. Then, our collection of board books began to dwindle forcing me to look for replacements. I didn’t want to spend money on more books I knew they’d find delectable so instead began a repair process.

Here are a few of the books with chewed spines.

To fix them, I gathered our collection of Duct tape and a pair of scissors.

Voila! These books were put back into rotation. Since the repair, they have chewed the edges a little bit, but they cannot get through the Duct tape and don’t seem as interested in Duct tape as cardboard.

My desire to repair books began when they nearly finished off our copy of “Yummy Yucky”, which is a family favorite here. What is your favorite children’s book?

Hugs!

Amber

Teaching Toddlers Thankfulness

November 26, 2013Amber 5 Comments

George and I have been working more on teaching our children virtues recently. As they communicate better and interact with each other more, being kind, patient, generous, and gracious are increasingly important. My heart melted when Mason showed a generous heart at dinner, sharing his milk with Harper.

I really hadn’t considered how to teach them thankfulness until I read a post written by my cousin at Confessions of a Pastor’s Family. Showing gratitude is important year round, but this time of year is a nice time to spend a little more time devoted to it. I loved how her family worked together to create a “Thankful Tree” where each family member wrote some of the things they are thankful for on the leaves. While the quads aren’t old enough to verbalize what exactly they appreciate, I combined our usual baby art with thankfulness. I love creating art using their hands and feet because it preserves their size at various stages of life. This year, we did the cliché hand and foot turkey. On each of the little fingers, I wrote things I believe they are thankful for (e.g. Wubbanubs, Elmo, shape sorters) as well as things we are thankful for as a family (e.g. our doctors, family, friends). In the future, I think it will be fun to see what they liked as babies and how they evolve into appreciating other things.

I realized after I snapped this pictures, I was short one item for Harper so I added "baby gates". I have now idea how we'd function without them!

I realized after I snapped this pictures, I was short one item for Mason’s pinkie so I added “baby gates”. I have now idea how we’d function without them!

Our turkeys are hanging in the art gallery frame in our playroom. I think they may live their beyond Thanksgiving as a reminder of the very blessings in our life- great and small.

While I had fun reflecting upon what our family is thankful for, that didn’t really teach the quads much this year. I took note from Jennifer and added the sign, “thank you” to our repertoire. They already mastered basic requests and “please” so “thank you” was a logical next step. They haven’t mastered, “thank you”, but they certainly understand the concept. I also pulled a small collection of books about being thankful from our library, reading them daily. Since the babies were in the NICU, I have always prayed with them. I’m not typically a “pray aloud” person, but in order to teach babies and children prayer, you really have to pray aloud. Each night as I tuck each one into bed, I pray over them thanking Jesus for our day and our blessings, then I extend our prayer to others. Even though I’ve been praying with the babies their entire life, we are just beginning a mealtime prayer. I have always liked the one Jennifer’s family says so we are adopting her version as a mealtime prayer. It is very close to the one my father’s family says, but is a little more child-friendly.

Come Lord Jesus be our guest.

Let this food to us be blessed.

Make us mindful for the needs of others, we ask in your name.

Amen.

Jennifer suggested a few books about thankfulness, but I found these right on our own bookshelf. The babies favorite is, Thank God for Puppies!

Jennifer suggested a few books about thankfulness, but I found these right on our own bookshelf. The babies favorite is, “Thank You, God, for Puppies!”

Family is always something we are thankful for, especially when raising quadruplets. We celebrated Thanksgiving with George’s extended family Sunday. We missed family gatherings last year due to lock down and it’s nice being with extended family again. His 90 year old twin great aunts really seemed to enjoy meeting the newest multiples in the family.

Our family has been blessed in many ways, and it is important that we teach our children beginning right now to be thankful for what we are given each day. What are you thankful for?

hugs!

Amber

Live Clean (Baby)

November 24, 2013Amber 1 Comment

Between our four babies, it turns out that two of them have sensitive skin. So sensitive in fact, we make our own baby wipes and laundry detergent! I never would have thought I’d be making those things, but to protect sensitive skin, it’s worthwhile. Harper has a mild case of eczema that we keep an eye on, and Sydney is prone to break outs and diaper rash if we aren’t careful. I really appreciate things that smell good whether it be our laundry or shampoo. I mean who doesn’t love the scent of fresh sheets??? However, when making our own laundry detergent and using “sensitive skin” formulas we generally sacrifice scent in the process.

When I found out about a new line of Eco-friendly, organic baby bath products sold exclusively at Walgreen’s, I was excited to try them. However, I wasn’t willing to try yet another line of the boring, unscented variety or something that would be too expensive for our family budget. I cruised into our neighborhood Walgreen’s for a sneak peek. To my delight, the Live Clean (Baby) products are affordably priced (similar to other products we buy) and had a nice light fragrance. Just like all other baby bath products we’ve used, all Live Clean (Baby) products are tear free, hypoallergenic, and pediatrician tested. I noticed that all of their products use plant-based ingredients. For instance, the first ingredients in the shampoo are water, aloe leaf extract, and lavender flower extract (those things smell lovely, by the way). They are also free of parabens, and sulfates, are vegan, and cruelty free (none of their products or ingredients are tested on animals). Based upon those things I decided the Live Clean (Baby) product line was worth a test spin.

At our house, bath time is quite an ordeal so we alternate days that we give baths. When I know it’s bath night, I often serve a messier dinner than usual, knowing a bath will follow. Oatmeal is one of my favorite bath night meals because it’s thick, hearty texture is a good way for the quads to practice spoon-feeding themselves. In the process, we usually get oatmeal facials all around, which warrant heavy-duty bathing.

On bath night, I often serve oatmeal for dinner. It provides a hearty, thick texture for the quads to practice spoon feeding themselves. But, they end up making oatmeal facials out of a good portion of their dinner.

The girls are doing a really good job with utensils and making most of the food go into their mouths. Even so, they are messy at mealtimes.

The boys eat a little more haphazardly, and often lose the privilege of bowls and spoons.

It’s pretty clear that bath products have a big job at our house, and our Live Clean (Baby) products arrived just in time! It was coincidentally bath night when our box arrived.

Our Live Clean Baby gift included bar soap, foaming wash, baby bath, shampoo and wash, lotion, and non-petroleum jelly.

Our Live Clean (Baby) sample set included moisturizing bar soap, foaming wash, moisturizing baby bath, tearless shampoo and wash, moisturizing lotion, and non-petroleum jelly.

I don’t typically make bubble baths, but the baby wash directions said to use a capful for a bubble bath so I gave it a whirl.

The baby wash created nice, thick bubbles, which Rylin was ready to explore.

The quads really enjoyed running their hands and fingers through the bubbles. It was a nice sensory activity for them.

I know that lather doesn't have anything to do with effectiveness of shampoos and soaps, but I admittedly love soap with a rich lather. I also know that sulfates generally are what create a lather, yet Live Clean Baby products are sulfate free and create an fantastic lather.

I know that lather doesn’t have anything to do with effectiveness of shampoos and soaps, but I admittedly LOVE shampoo and soap with a rich lather. I also know that sulfates generally are what create a lather, and Live Clean (Baby) products are sulfate free, yet they create a luxurious lather. I used the wash/ shampoo on the girls.

I wanted to compare the foaming wash and shampoo/ wash so the boys got the foaming wash. Guess what- the foaming wash created the same great lather!

I never tried bar soap on the babies, and was pleasantly surprised at how the bar soap also created a nice thick lather, and seemed to moisturize their skin. I believe the bar soap will last us much longer than a typical bottle of liquid baby wash, which means it can save us money in the long run.

Sydney came out of her bath feeling refreshed and chipper.

Following a dunk in the tub, I always give each baby a massage with baby lotion and use petroleum jelly to grease their hineys, creating a moisture barrier before bed. The Live (Clean Baby) lotion had a light, refreshing floral scent that I liked even for myself.

Ahhh, two clean girls ready for bed!

Voila! Two clean boys ready to hit the sack.

The true litmus test for these products came the next morning after the babies slept a solid 12 hours. First of all, my two sensitive skin babies had no problems with the new products, which means it was gentle enough for them. While the texture of the non-petroleum jelly was a bit thinner than our usual, it worked just as effectively the babies were diaper rash free the next morning. My favorite part was they smelled as if they had just taken a bath even after 12 hours of slumber. During the night, they tend to drool and sweat so most of the time the fresh bathed scent has long vanished. After using these products, my mom even noticed their hair was really soft and smelled nice a full day after bath. Amazing!!!

What measures do you take to protect your little one’s skin?

hugs!

Amber

P.S. I would like to extend a special thank you to Live Clean (Baby) for providing samples of their products for review. I received no other compensation and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The Best Gift

November 18, 2013Amber 4 Comments

A couple of months back when George celebrated his birthday, my parents gave him the best. gift. ever. an evening of babysitting. They also gave him movie tickets and a restaurant gift card, but seriously, the babysitting was perfection. It took us several months to redeem his gift, but this weekend proved the perfect time.

In honor of her birthday, my sister invited her friends to go bowling at a chic Dallas alley (a far cry from Fred Flintstone’s lanes) Saturday night. I was delighted she included us in her celebration, but didn’t expect we could attend. After seeing the invitation, George said he was game so we made arrangements to redeem his gift. Saturday afternoon, Mom and Dad headed up to our house and set up shop. Not only did they agree to babysit for the evening, but my parents also planned to spend the night. Just before we left, I snapped a few pictures of the quads with Nisey and Grandpa.

Grandpa and Nisey assured us that all would be well for the evening. Harper does not enjoy snuggling and has not slept in my arms since infancy. Apparently Grandpa has “the touch”.

We love our kids fiercely, but it was nice getting out into a social scene together. We really enjoyed spending time with Courtney’s circle.

We had trouble picking teams so went girls vs guys. I have no idea which team won, however.

Courtney and her beau, Matt, were up at the same time.

George thought it was more fun to check ball speed than to knock down pins. He and one of the guys kept trying to outdo each other. In the end, I think Anton won that battle with something like 24 mph.

Courtney and I took a cheesy sister picture, which reminded me of a middle school volleyball team photo. Notice I have super dorky bowling shoes thanks to miniature feet. I think they gave me a kid's pair.

Courtney and I took a cheesy sister picture, which reminds me of a middle school volleyball team photo. We should have put a bowling ball between us to make it goofier. Notice I have super dorky bowling shoes with Velcro closure, I think they gave me a kid’s pair.

Thankfully, no one in our group had any bowling talent whatsoever. There’s nothing worse than being a terrible bowler when you realize your company has their own shoes, monogrammed jacket, and ball (that happened to George and I once). We had much more fun in the company of equally awful bowlers. I managed a few strikes, but rest assured, there were far more gutter balls.

I felt like a teenager when George and I crept home under the cover of darkness as my mom waited up on the sofa. Unlike our teen years, Mom didn’t reprimand us for breaking curfew. Instead, she inquired about our evening and dished what the quads did. My aunt, uncle, and younger cousins stopped by for dinner with our crew. Then, the quads cut the rug with their dance moves, which apparently created an uproar of laughter. (I’m working on capturing their “moves” so I can share them later, because they really are hysterical). Once all stories were sufficiently swapped, we all tiptoed off to bed knowing that four little people would wake us all too soon.

On Sunday morning, George and I woke up around 8:00 am to an eerily quiet house. When we padded into the kitchen, we found the quads situated at the quad table as my parents fed them breakfast. And, that was wonderful!

What’s the best birthday gift you ever received?

hugs!

Amber

World Prematurity Day

November 17, 2013Amber 4 Comments

Today is World Prematurity Day-

Each year approximately 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide, with about 500,000 in the United States alone. With each passing day, we are grateful for the health of our four babies who were born nine weeks too soon. I am grateful for the medical care they received prior to birth, our delivery team, our NICU care team, and for the therapists who have helped them thrive since coming home. Each night, I kiss our children and hug them in gratitude for them moments we are given, and try my best not to take them for granted even on the most trying days. I will never forget the days we spent in the NICU, and each night I pray for families currently facing a NICU stay that they find solace and strength.

These images tell just a bit of our NICU stay.

Wires and tubes became part of our normal while in the NICU.

Unlike typical mothers, I did not get to hold my babies for well over a week. This was the moment I held Mason for the first time.

After birth, our babies were each fitted with a CPAP and bonnet to help them breathe. I did not know what my babies looked like for well over a week.

Our eyes adjusted to days of blue lights in our NICU room, helping to remove the billi from our babies’ systems.

The first time we could hold Sydney, I feared breaking her because she was so tiny and fragile.

In the days I yearned to hold my babies, all I could do to comfort them was hold their tiny bodies through portholes in their incubators.

It still makes me shudder recalling the pain Sydney endured as multiples nurses attempted to set a hair thin IV. At one point, her IV could only be placed through her forehead.

hugs,

Amber

Toddler Tips #321: Batten the Hatches

November 14, 2013January 13, 2014Amber 4 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day to day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

As soon as the babies became mobile, serious baby proofing ensued, starting with baby gates. Sometimes it feels as if we reside in Fort Knox thanks to the baby gates that effectively partition our den. We have a total of three gates- one at the base of the stairs, one between the den and entry way, and another between the den and kitchen.

When the quadlets are awake, the gates do an outstanding job of dividing the baby proof vs adult areas.

When the quadruplets are awake, the gates do an outstanding job of dividing the baby proof vs adult areas. This gate will soon be replaced with a much taller one..they’ve recently began reaching the latch and it’s only a matter of time before they finagle it open. UGH!

I’m thankful for the way we can cordon off our den, creating a mostly toddler proof room. This allows me to dart to the restroom or do a few things in the kitchen while they play. However, baby gates are a nuisance for the rest of us. They separate the dogs from their food and water and we sometimes trip over them.

One evening after we put the quads to bed, George pulled out a few bungee cords and propped the gates open. It was fantastic being able to move about our house without being blocked by gates, and for the dogs to freely drink water. Now it’s part of our evening routine to prop the gates open as soon as everyone is in bed. I also do the same while the quads nap.

After the quads are tucked into their cribs for the night, the gates are more of a nuisance for us and the dogs.

Here’s how we use bungee cords to keep the gates open.

The critical part is to always shut the gates before getting the quads out of bed. Otherwise, the little opportunists scamper into the kitchen and play in the dog’s water.

Typically, the kitchen is off-limits to the quads unless they are in the quad table. Still, all of the cabinets with hazardous chemicals or other dangerous items protected with latches. When we have fussy days, I bring the quads into the kitchen with different toys. They are rejuvenated by novelty and are thrilled to play in otherwise taboo spaces. We have several cabinets that contain things such as pots and Tupperware, which do not have latches. That does not mean I want eight hands exploring said cabinets. To keep my sanity, I use George’s bungee cords to seal the cabinets temporarily. I suppose we could bring bungee cords for when we travel to family member’s homes, or if we ever attempt a vacation.

What are some of your favorite ways to use bungee cords?

hugs,

Amber

A Generous Heart

November 11, 2013November 26, 2013Amber 11 Comments

Several months ago, we began teaching the babies a few functional signs starting with “more”. We did this because they clearly desired to communicate, but lacked the ability to produce meaningful speech. They grasped “more” quickly because they were already clapping, and we simply paired an existing behavior with a food reward. Since then, we’ve added more signs particularly for mealtime. Otherwise, they demand food and drink or refuse in a boisterous way. We value family mealtime and want our children to be polite at our table and when they are visitors elsewhere.

The second sign they mastered was, “please” but they signed “please” often and it was difficult to discern what they wanted. A lot of the time they were requesting a drink but lacked means to say that so we taught them to sign “drink”. At that point, I removed our sippy cup straps that I so treasured. The sippy cup straps were sometimes a thread of my sanity. They absolutely love tossing their cups as far as possible, and without straps I found myself hunching over countless times to fetch cups. However, if their cups were strapped to their seats and always within reach, they would never need to request a drink. I began setting their cups just out of reach, waiting for them to sign “drink”. Then, I watched for them to finish drinking and immediately putting it out of reach again. Every now and then, I am not quite quick enough before they heave a cup. This led to a natural consequence, “bye bye cup”. When someone tosses his or her cup, I say, “bye, bye cup” and let them watch me put it in the refrigerator. Don’t worry, they won’t be dehydrated- I let them have more of their drink after everyone finished eating. They’ve caught onto this routine and sometimes say “bye bye” when a sibling tossed a cup.

Aside from working tirelessly to promote good communication skills, we are teaching virtues on toddler scale. One of the most salient right now is sharing. It doesn’t matter how many of a given toy we have, they generally want the same ONE. We once had a scuffle over a blue Lego while we sat in a sea of blue Legos. That’s just how toddlers are, but we have to teach them otherwise. Thus, we are teaching them to “wait” and “share”.

I think my heart melted tonight as we enjoyed our family dinner. After taking a quick swig of his milk, Harper thrust his cup over his shoulder onto the window seat. As usual, I did the whole “bye bye cup” scene and Rylin mimicked me saying, “bye bye!” Realizing his misstep, Harper pouted and signed for “more drink”. I kindly told him that he had to wait because he threw it.

The window seat behind the quad table catches many things they toss, especially cups.

Then, Mason began signing, “drink, please.” George handed Mason his cup, but Mason didn’t drink a single drop. Instead, he handed his cup to Harper who guzzled milk happily. While we wanted Harper to learn that he can’t have milk when he throws it, Mason’s generosity trumped the usual consequence.

Not long ago Mason was taunting Harper with a raisin, but tonight he shared instead.

A similar behavior occurred a few days ago at the table. Harper began signing “more” for veggie sticks. As soon as I handed him one, he passed it to Mason who passed it to Sydney. When Mason’s hands were empty, he would sign “more, please” and repeat the whole chain. I attempted to record what unfolded, but they naturally stopped when I hit record. I’m so proud of how much they are learning lately, especially when they are kind to each other.

What melted your heart today?

Hugs!

Amber

Here are a few snippets of Rylin and Harper demonstrating some of the signs they know-

2 Days. 3 Parties. 4 Toddlers.

November 10, 2013Amber 9 Comments

In just two days, we attended three parties with four toddlers. WHEW! I’m considering pitching this to the Olympic committee as a new sport. In order to take the quadlets out for an evening, we literally begin prepping after breakfast. As soon as I finish cleaning breakfast, I check to make sure the diaper bag is stocked, and we have plenty of toys and snacks. While the quads enjoy a morning catnap, George and I ferociously shower and get dressed. After their nap, the quads are fed lunch and dressed. As I get them ready, George is responsible for loading the quad mobile. Once everything is organized, we begin the loading process. I start with the back row because it’s easier for me to slip back there while George works on the middle row. It’s expected that after at least two are loaded, someone has a foul diaper that needs attention. Once we start the loading process, the van is usually rolling down the driveway within about 10 minutes, and we are sweating profusely. Are you exhausted yet???

This weekend turned out to be a rather busy one. We were invited to a housewarming/ 30th birthday party and a shared children’s birthday party that began an hour later. Both of these parties were across town, but fortunately within close proximity to each other so we decided to make both. The next day, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmother’s house while my Aunt Susan visited from California. I don’t think we’ve hit three parties in a single weekend since college.

Party #1: Housewarming/ 30th Birthday

I was impressed that Aunt CiCi captured a picture with everyone looking at the camera with eyes open!

I was impressed that Aunt CiCi captured a picture with everyone looking (well, mostly) at the camera with eyes open!

For once, I asked someone to take a picture, here I’m with my sister and Kaylie. I always feel a bit weird when I’m somewhere with the quads and I’m not holding or chasing one. I find myself doing head counts often.

Terri loyally helps us care for the quads once a week while I go to work, and also when we have pediatrician appointments. She was so happy when they all gravitated towards her in a sea of unfamiliar faces. They know their caregivers!

Harper became Ed’s little buddy, accompanying him everywhere.

Whenever we go places with Nisey and Grandpa, Rylin seems to gravitate to Nisey who consoles her stranger danger. Somehow Rylin ended up greeting an unfamiliar guest AND she stayed with the guest for quite a while. When she spotted me, she gave the stink eye to her new-found friend.

Sydney always needs a little snuggle time with her “Big Me”.

Party #2: Birthday Party

After the quads soaked up all the attention they could at the first party, we loaded the quad mobile and followed our GPS to the next stop, my cousin, Jennifer’s house. There we were invited to celebrate the birthdays of her oldest two children. They always throw the best parties and I was so excited we were able to attend. They set up their backyard as a movie theater under the stars and screened Brave. Keeping up with the theme, hot dogs, popcorn, and candy were served.

Jennifer’s youngest child jumped right in with the quads and generously shared his toys.

Mason showed Grandpa how to tickle the ivories.

My cousin Lindsay and her cousin Julie got a little snuggle with Harper man.

Sydney loved the long hallways in the house and trotted off independently.

Mamaw absolutely adored the boys, especially when Mason crawled into her lap.

The quads enjoyed watching the birthday boy and girl blowing out candles.

Party #3

We rounded out the weekend with a traditional family Thanksgiving dinner/ family birthdays at Grandma’s house. After dinner, the quads had a chance to run freely in the front yard. They took turns noshing grass and chasing each other.

Sydney enjoyed being the center of attention and was fascinated with Cousin Rita’s braid.

Mason always gravitates to the twins, especially Michael.

When Rylin saw birthday candles she began saying “hot” and blowing.

Nisey found Thanksgiving outfits for the girls, and the boy’s Halloween shirts coordinated perfectly with them.

Our family with my grandparents.

What did you do this weekend?

hugs,

Amber

Noses Blown {BabyComfyNose Review}

November 9, 2013February 1, 2014Amber 5 Comments

With quadruplets, we have more stuffy noses than the average household. Sydney seems to think her finger is the best booger removal tool, but I disagree.

With quadruplets, we have probably more stuffy noses than the average household. Sydney seems to think her finger is the best booger removal tool, but I disagree.

When the babies were still in the NICU they had shockingly enormous boogers. I was baffled at how such tiny noses could produce such disgusting stuff. The NICU boasts a nifty device called the neo-suction where a tube is gently inserted into the baby’s nose and a powerful suction pulls the boogies loose (it’s similar to the suction used by dentists). George was so enamored with the hospital grade neo-suction he searched high and low for a home version of it. Because neo-suction is incredibly powerful, it’s not considered safe for home use without a prescription. No luck for George. Instead he found human-powered nasal aspirators online. Being a rookie mom I was totally disgusted with the notion of using my mouth to clear out the babies’ noses. I was convinced I’d get a mouthful of yuck, which was not appealing. I scoffed at them and settled for the standard issue blue bulb nasal aspirator.

I don't know it it's just our babies, or all babies, but we have a serious case of boogers. It is nearly impossible to extract a boogie without the help of Little Remedies saline. The babies and I are so happy it exists! It is difficult to see, but there is a "Rylin Shawever" label on the side of the saline. Each baby has a set of these nifty labels for the things we don't want them sharing and for bottles so we know who gets which one (they eat different amounts). They are great for just about anything because they are microwave and dishwasher safe. I ordered them from Mabel's Labels.

Just like most new parents, we dutifully used our blue bulb aspirator along with saline drops to clean out the little noses. After a few weeks, our precious bulbs lost suction and were disgusting, but nearly impossible to clean.

A triplet mama friend told me how much she loved her electronic nasal aspirators so we invested in a couple of them. They worked reasonably well, and were easy to clean.

When the babies were a few months old, a triplet mama friend told me how much she loved her electronic nasal aspirators so we invested in a couple of them. They worked reasonably well, and were easy to clean. However, they ran through batteries, their parts wore out, and lost suction in time.

Over the past 15 months we’ve had our share of stuffy noses and various methods for helping clear them. I even whipped up my own nose wipes because the quad’s noses were getting raw and irritated with frequent tissue wiping. It wasn’t until recently that the quad’s noses were truly blown. BabyComfyNose sent us their nasal aspirator to sample, and I was completely satisfied with the results.

Here’s what I love about this product:

really effectively removes even the stickiest, deep, and most disgusting boogies

a gently wadded facial tissue serves as the filter, which is super cheap and easy to replace

the bulb shape and tissue filter prevent any mucus from passing to the parent (Amen to that! My fears of getting a mouth full of snot are G-O-N-E.)

The challenge is getting a toddler to sit still for the procedure. I’ve found that our crew is a mixed bag. Harper is perfectly content with it and Rylin scampers off if she sees us coming at her with anything that may involve keeping her still.

available in three colors so siblings can have their own ( I’ve been guilty of sharing a single nasal aspirator between the quads and that is totally unhygienic. However, I hope Baby Comfy Nose will add a fourth color to their fleet because two of our kiddos have to use the same color.)

includes a mesh bag for storage, which keeps the parts together and away from surfaces (I personally don’t like boogie removal parts touching say, my counter top)
pieces are soft and easy to clean in the dishwasher or with hot soapy water

I put the BabyComfyNose aspirators in our dishwasher two ways: one in the bag with parts disconnected and one with parts outside the bag. Either way seems to work. I also think our bottle sterilizer would get the job done.

sold on Amazon for about $11 (have I mentioned how many things we order from Amazon???)
made in the USA (that is something that will make my Dad happy)

BabyComfyNose Nasal Aspirator is my new go-to snot sucker. However, I can’t toss the less preferred versions out just yet. I’m hanging onto them for when the quads are left with babysitters since we can’t share the Baby Comfy Nose.

Rylin was not pleased when I used the Baby Comfy Nose aspirator on her, but it worked very well. Bunny did a fantastic job of consoling one unhappy toddler.

Rylin was not pleased when I used the Baby Comfy Nose aspirator on her, but it worked very well once I wrangled her. Bunny did a fantastic job of consoling one unhappy toddler.

What do you think about human-powered nasal aspirators? Would you try one to help your little one breathe easier?

hugs!

Amber

P.S. I’d like to extend a special thank you to BabyComfyNose for providing us with their nasal aspirators to sample. I received no other compensation and all thoughts/ opinions are 100% my own.

Shawver Shenanigans {with bonus video}

November 3, 2013November 11, 2013Amber 8 Comments

When I review the snapshots taken in a week’s time, it’s apparent that our lives are full of shenanigans, but that is what enriches us and makes life full of JOY! It’s a clear reminder why God thought quadruplets were just right for our family. Here are some of my favorite outtakes from the past few weeks-

1. For some reason, the quads are obsessed with sticking their fingers in other people’s mouths. They think it’s hilarious. They try to put their fingers in our mouths and constantly stick them in each others mouths. It happens ALL DAY LONG. While I was enjoying an Every Girl Gourmet cooking class, George was in charge of dinner and bedtime. After dinner, Mason began taunting Harper with his fingers that were also grasping a raisin. George let the camera roll to capture the insanity. Needless to say, this didn’t end well for someone. Here’s a video of the raisin taunting shenanigans-

2. One of our friends gave the quads a mini inflatable bounce house. George and I were stoked to use it the first day we had beautiful fall weather. George set it up in the backyard to use when the quads got up from nap. Much to our dismay, they did not appreciate this new toy just yet. Three of them screamed like banshees because of the sound the generator makes while keeping it inflated. After my cousin’s kids demonstrated proper bouncing technique, Rylin warmed up to the concept and became a bouncing monkey. I think they will enjoy it more in another month or two.

3. As I’ve mentioned before, Harper loves nothing more than to crawl into baskets, boxes, or cabinets. He recently began taking the drawer out of the kid’s kitchen set. He gets frustrated when we don’t allow him to push it along our hardwood floors or if he cannot fit inside.

4. We’ve used the same Tommee Tippee silicone bibs since we started spoon feeds at six months. These bibs have been fantastic for catching dribbles, drops, and spits. I simply wash them under scalding hot water and hang them on a drying rack until the next meal. As of the past few weeks, these bibs are no longer working for Sydney. Somehow, she’s managing to get food between the bib and her clothing causing major stains. She now wears a smock type bib with sleeves that covers her entire outfit. Harper on the other hand, finds the old bibs perfect for catching food he doesn’t prefer.