Category Archives: mommy

Speaking In Third Person

I was at Target with my son, and he was trying to climb out of the basket as I was paying. I don’t even know how he maneuvered that one, but he did. I told him “Mommy said no!” The woman behind me kindly informed me that I probably shouldn’t talk down to my son as it may create self esteem issues. And I told her that falling out of a shopping cart may create brain damage issues. But I digress.
This is actually not the first time I have heard people complain about mothers speaking like that to their children. I have even read blogs about it. But what a lot of people don’t know is that small children don’t understand anything besides third person. However they refer to you is all they know you as. So if a small child knows you as “Mommy” that is the only way they identify you until about the age of two. They do not make the connection that “I” and “you” can both refer to “Mommy.” They are not even aware that “you” can refer to themselves. Hence you always have to use their name. Exmaple: “Ducky, Mommy needs you to stop that.” Seriously. Try it. If you have a very young child, or easy access to one, just say “I need you to stop (fill in the blank).” See what happens.
Yes, I am well aware that most of the language I use with my children has a “cutesy” factor to it. I don’t have to call them little nick names. And I don’t need to be known as “Mommy.” But the reasoning behind it is actually sound.

Past, Present, and Future Stuff

Before I present the list of articles I have written across the vast internets… I would like to announce Confessions from the Crib will be moving. It will be better than ever, much more user friendly, and just all around more awesome.
I am sure you are asking where I will be moving… and as soon as I get the new place fixed up you are all going to be invited. Keep checking back. Until the new site is running properly I will still be posting here and business will continue as usual. This includes my pregnancy series, and other fun stuff.
For now, I hope the following will entertain.
Is there anything you particularity want to see me cover? Any topics you care to hear my take on?

Best Baby Shower Gifts

I have had baby showers on my mind. Don’t worry Mom, I am not pregnant again. This may have to do with the upcoming baby showers I will be attending. But I attend baby showers all the time, so really it may just be the season. I mean, Spring is coming up, and that is the season for fertility. It is also the season for a lot of other stuff… but those are like five different posts that have nothing to do with baby showers , so  we will get into that later.
I have been doing my baby shower shopping (because I have leaving things for last minute). Now, none of the lovely women who will having baby showers are first time mommies, which means they already know what they want or need. They also already have the big ticket items. But nevertheless there are a few essentials that are welcome to most baby showers.
Diaper Cakes
Most baby showers have a diaper raffle, where everyone brings diapers, gets a ticket and someone wins a prize of some sort. Even if there is no diaper raffle, diapers are always welcome. A diaper cake is just a super decorative way of bringing diapers. Also, depending on what you got, you can put most, if not all, of your gifts inside the “cake” for an added surprise. If you have no idea what I am talking about, thisis what a diaper cake is.
It takes time. I remember the first few I ever made. They were horrible. I practically wanted to cry. Now, I do a pretty good job. In fact, people request them. So if yours doesn’t come out the way you wanted. Don’t give up. Keep at it. If you are nothing like me, and don’t attend 523 baby showers a year, which means you won’t have time to practice and hone your diaper cake making skills, then call me. I will do it for you (because I love you, and making diaper cakes is super fun).
Older Baby Clothes
Itsy bitsy newborn onesies are adorable. But guess what, everyone is going to be getting them for the mommy to be. She will be overloaded with tiny onesies. More than the kid may ever wear. I have almost an entire box of really cute onesies Munchie never got to wear (I am saving them for when my brother in law or my best friend has a kid… and with my luck they will both have boys that probably won’t want to wear Munchie’s pink and frilly onesies).
9-12 months baby clothes are also cute. And it will save the parents having to buy as many clothes when the child grows. Also, from personal experience, some babies are bigger and grow faster than others. Ducky was huge, and he grew very, very quickly. Some newborn onesies never even fit him. And the ones that fit stopped fitting within a month. He is five months old wearing twelve months clothes.
Bigger is better when shopping for baby clothes. Babies grow at different rates, but eventually they will fit in the outfit you got them.
Gift Cards
I love gift cards. When I get gift cards it allows me to buy all the stuff for an occasion that I did not receive. For a baby shower they are great because the mommy to be can hold on to it until after the baby is born and use it for stuff she didn’t even know she needed. For Munchie’s baby shower I received a lot of gift cards and they became very useful in her first few months. As a new mom I did not know everything I would need. And all babies are different. Just because my friends used product X doesn’t mean I will have any use for it. There is also the stuff I thought I would not need, and turns out I was wrong. You really can’t go wrong with one of these.
Boppy Pillow
You can’t have too many. I received three of these at Munchie’s baby shower. I thought I would surely return at least one because what do I need three for? Turns out, they were great, and I ended up using all of them. At the time we were living in a two story town home, so I had one upstairs by the bed for night feedings. I had one in the living room so Munchie could lay on it during the day and I could use for afternoon feedings. The third resided in my car for when we went anywhere. We are now using them for Ducky.
Make sure you get the kind with a removable cover. Babies spit up. Enough said.
Honestly, you can’t really go wrong with a baby shower gift. In the end, it is the thought that counts. And anything is usually appreciated. If the mommy to be has a registry, consult it. If not, hopefully this gift guide has been helpful.
What are some of your favorite things to bring to baby showers? What are some of the best things you received at yours?