Carrie Kirby's blog
About Carrie Kirby
Carrie mothers preschooler Nutmeg and baby Pebbles and writes when she can.Carrie Kirby's profile
Posted 2 weeks 4 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Entertainment
This toy may keep little hands off your real camera, at least for a few minutes. But of course, at $9.99, it lacks the single most mesmerizing feature of a real camera -- the LCD screen.
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Posted 5 weeks 2 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Wellness
How could a mother -- no matter how depressed -- choose suicide when it means leaving your child forever? Paula Kamen's "Finding Iris Chang" helps explain how it happened to one brilliant supermom.
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Posted 8 weeks 6 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Shopping
Training wheels are a classic part of childhood -- but do they really teach kids what they need to know to ride a 2-wheeler? Marketers of glide bikes say they have a better way.
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Posted 9 weeks 1 day ago by Carrie Kirby
Culture
Parenting magazine recently asked which candidate parents would trust to babysit their child. Obama won by a landslide. As long as parents get out to vote tomorrow, I believe the real election's results could be the same.
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Posted 12 weeks 18 hours ago by Carrie Kirby
Home Life
I always thought my kids would enjoy an Aquadoodle, and I was right. This latest version isn't exactly a major step forward, but any version of this no-mess toy will likely amuse your kids for good stretches of time.
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Posted 12 weeks 5 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Entertainment
As much as I want my daughters to enjoy a full range of toys without gender stereotypes, I just couldn't keep the girls interested in this remote control car. No wonder Tonka's motto is "Built for Boyhood."
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Posted 14 weeks 2 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Learning Tools
All my parental bias against more little parts coming into my home dissolved when I watched my girls independently spend 15 minutes or more engrossed in making a Cookie Monster (with widely varying results).
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Posted 19 weeks 3 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Wellness
It always seemed like you'd be able to lose weight just chasing around a toddler. But now you have a kid or more, and you can't seem to schedule in a workout. Here are 10 suggestions for fitting a little cardio into everyday kid life.
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Posted 22 weeks 6 days ago by Carrie Kirby
New Parents
OK, there are millions of things people never told me about this particular topic. What if I had known all this beforehand -- would I still have had kids? Yeah, but I would have definitely gotten more therapy, worn more bikinis and stayed later at more parties first.
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Posted 38 weeks 3 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Shopping
Pamela Paul's new book is a wakeup call to today's consumerist parents: Not only do our kids not need all the crap we are buying them -- it may actually be hurting them.
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Posted 43 weeks 4 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Home Life
Lazy mothers, take heart: By the time your kid is 3, they can do most activities needed for survival without much intervention from you. Yes, accomplishments vary in the first years, from the self-dressing 2-year-olds to the diaper-wearing 4-year-olds.
Still, your preparation and patience have a big effect on what they can do without your help.
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Posted 47 weeks 4 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Home Life
Staying home with babies and young children can make you stir crazy in the best of times. When the snow piles up, the kids are sick or the thermometer plummets (or, like at my house, all of the above happen), you need to take emergency measures to prevent stir insanity.
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Posted 48 weeks 14 hours ago by Carrie Kirby
Nutrition
Do you have to wait to feed your baby eggs, peanut butter and fish? There's no proven reason that waiting will help prevent allergies, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics statement. Parenting Squad speaks with the AAP doctor behind the report about the news and its caveats.
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Posted 49 weeks 1 day ago by Carrie Kirby
Pregnancy
Ten rules of the registry that will improve your chances of getting what you really need at the all-important baby shower.
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Posted 49 weeks 1 day ago by Carrie Kirby
Home Life
A new study warns that crib bumpers -- even those previously thought safe -- can injure babies. The study reviewed government data and found that bumpers don't prevent serious injuries, they only cause them. The conclusion: Cribs are safer sans padding.
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Posted 51 weeks 2 days ago by Carrie Kirby
Babysitters & Nannies
In Part II of my post about starting a babysitting coop, I look at how to set the ground rules to keep your organization running smoothly. We'll take a look at the rules from a real-life coop, and also get some pointers on how to get the group off to a good start.
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Posted 1 year 1 day ago by Carrie Kirby
Babysitters & Nannies
The babysitting co-op is such an easy and sensible concept that it amazes me that everyone doesn't have one. This post will explain the kinds of coops, how to find or establish a co-op, and options for keeping track of points. Part II will cover screening new members and setting up rules for your group.
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Posted 1 year 3 weeks ago by Carrie Kirby
Higher Education
It seems that universities and the government are finally starting to notice the force of the student loans crushing so many college graduates today. Two developments this week -- a new tuition plan from Harvard and a new law -- may ease the pain slightly.
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Posted 1 year 4 weeks ago by Carrie Kirby
New Parents
Graco calls its new product a "soothing center." I call it a very fancy and expensive swing that would probably be helpful to those with fussy babies.
Viewing it brought up a longtime conflict within myself over just how much I should rely on mechanical gadgets in mothering my babies. Somewhere between wearing my baby every second of every day and replacing myself with one of Harry Harlow's "mechanical mothers," I have found an equilibrium.
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Posted 1 year 4 weeks ago by Carrie Kirby
Babysitters & Nannies
Affordability is not the only benefit to sharing a nanny. Here's a list of more, plus a sample nannyshare agreement to get your started.
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