Over the years, just like a baby, Baby University has changed and gone through different stages.  It is a fantastic resource for parents to come learn, ask advice, and even share their own tips and trick.   The site has been a bit quiet recently but we’re ramping up to bring some new excitement and lots of activity to the community.

We are very  happy to announce some big changes coming to the site.

What does the future hold?
Baby University is partnering with a great software company to bring you more robust functionality and more professionally designed experience.  We will be relaunching the site next Wednesday, September 8th, so make sure to mark your calendar to come back and check it out.  On Wednesday, the site will be down for up to 24 hours as we move the data around and get the new site up and running.

What types of new additions will we have as a result?
New Design, Member Reviews, Photo Galleries, Integrated Wikis, and more.

Have some mockups?
Sure do! Check out the bottom of the announcement for some mock-ups of what the new site will look like.

What are the tradeoffs?
Change can be tough, even if it’s good.  Things may work differently than you are used to, may be placed in different places etc. While there will be some new things to learn, we believe this partnership will reinvigorate Baby University and bring you a much more rich and exciting experience.

Here are three examples of changes that could fall under the category of “tradeoff” for you.

• There is no strict BB code editor.  We will have a new WYSIWYG editor much like a Word document with some BB code support.
• “Post Thanks” will be gone for a bit, but something similar will return down the road.
• The site will no longer be ad free.  To support the new community, we will be layering in advertising.  That being said, we aim to keep it relevant to parenting.

Once again, see “What types of new additions will we have as a result?” For examples of things that will be added to the site.

Want to contribute to the blog?
As part of the conversion, we’re also revamping the Wordpress blog along with the community and we’d love to have YOU contribute!  You don’t have to be a professional writer, just a parent who wants to share his or her stories with the world.  If you’re interested, shoot over an email to babyblog@babyuniversity.com with a short introduction and what you’d be interested in writing about.

Summary
Next week, we’ll have a new and exciting look and lot of great features here on Baby University.  While there will be new things to learn, all your content will be here, your password will work exactly as it does now, and you’ll be able to jump back into the forums and the new areas of the site with ease.  We hope you’re excited!  We sure are.

Thanks for being part of the Baby University community,

The Baby University Team

It turns out that she had slowly wiggled her way to the very edge of the crib and onto (yes, on top of) her crib bumper — the perfect (and probably only) position in which the motion detector couldn’t detect her breathing.

After making sure she was really alright, my sister gently placed her back in the middle of the crib, recovered her with the blanket, turned the light out, and we walked out the door. We stood on the stair landing in silence for about a minute. I asked her if she wanted to sleep in the nursery for the rest of the night and she quickly responded that she would. We went our separate ways — me to my room, her back into the nursery — and went back to sleep.

In the moments before I fell back asleep I kept thinking about all the news stories I’ve heard of women who murder their children, for whatever reasons. I can’t fathom it. It is completely unreal to me. Hearing news of the accident that has claimed the life of Mike Tyson’s little girl wrenches my heart; there is nothing more horrifying than that.

The thought that something had happened to my neice — not even my own child — was the most terrifying moment I have ever experienced. I hope I never have to experience it again.

I’d like to address the rest of the story “Good Idea, Bad Idea” style:

Good Idea: Spending an evening at the movies with your sister.

Bad Idea: Spending an evening at the movies with your sister, and her 9-month-old baby.

Babies cry. It’s what they do. My sister’s baby cries when she’s falling asleep, because for some reason she really hates sleep. I’ve tried explaining to her that sleepy time is the best part of the day, but she just doesn’t get it. I guess experience will have to be her teacher on that one. Fortunately, since we chose to go to the 10:30 PM showing, she was too sleepy to hold out for long and fell asleep just as the previews ended and the feature began. The whole theater was relieved.

Just as a note: We had decided early on that if she didn’t fall asleep, we would leave. As much as we wanted to see the movie, we didn’t want to be those people that bring a crying baby to the movies.

Good Idea: When taking a baby to the movies, pick a late show so he/she might sleep through it.

Bad Idea: Picking a late show that you might sleep through.

We almost didn’t make it. We were sleepy going into the theater, and weren’t sure if we would be able to stay awake for the whole thing. My sister had already admitted that she fell asleep during Gladiator when it was in the theater, so I was a little anxious about that. Fortunately, though, the movie was so engaging that we quickly hit our second wind (you can read my full Star Trek review over at TotallyHer).

Good Idea: Getting a caffinated drink from the concession stand when viewing a late night movie.

Bad Idea: Getting a caffinated drink from the concession stand and leaving it in your baby’s field of vision.

My sister doesn’t let her baby drink anything but milk and water, but somehow she knows that whatever we have in our cups must be really yummy. The thing that kept her awake long past our expectations was the huge fountain drink in the cup holder between me and my sister. She wanted to touch the cup, grab the straw, and explore the cup holder. Next time I think we’ll skip the drink. Actually, next time…

Good Idea: Wait until you can get a babysitter so you don’t end up taking your baby to the movies.

That’s just a good idea, IMO.

After spending a very brief thirty minutes at the beach, with looming storm clouds rolling in and my daughter absolutely cringing anytime the salty sea lapped her feet, we decided it best to just head home.  Her Little Swimmers diaper was still dry, so I said to myself, “I’ll just leave her in that and change her when we get home.” Big mistake! We finally make it home, and I pull my baby girl out of her car seat to find that she is soaking wet from tinkling all over herself.  She might as well have been sitting there naked.  Her outfit and car seat were soaked, so for the 3rd time in 9 months we had to pull the car seat apart to wash it.  The poor baby didn’t fuss one time the whole way home, so I had no idea that anything was wrong.  If you don’t know, and I didn’t, Little Swimmers diapers work by letting fluids — whether it be swimming pool water, ocean water, or pee-pee water — flow through the diaper, not be absorbed by the diaper.  This keeps them from getting soggy and heavy like a normal diaper.  I now know that the sole function of swim diapers is to simply provide some modesty coverage for your little one as they frolic in the water medium of your choosing. Maybe they work to catch a little poop here and there, but I cannot verify that fact as I am yet to experience a swim-diaper-with-poop incident.

What’s even worse, and I haven’t confirmed this yet because I’ve been too scared to look, is that there is probably a big, fat warning label on the package of Little Swimmers that tells you they are not for holding tinkle winkle. It probably warns you not to leave your child in a swim diaper (even a dry one) after water play has ceased because it will most definitely leak all over everything. The maxi pad I had to use on her the day we ran out of diapers after an unusually poopy outing worked better.  But that’s a story for another day.

I will have learned so much by the time our 2nd child comes into the world, but I know that even then, baby #2 is sure to provide his or her own invaluable life lessons.  So, first timers out there, consider this my gift to you — a pearl of wisdom in diapering dos and don’ts. For you not-so-new moms, enjoy a good laugh at my expense.  Let it jog your memory to some of those first time “ah ha” moments of your own!

The great thing about these little parks is that they’re usually a safe place to take the kids on a hot summer day, especially if you don’t have a pool or live near the beach. They’re generally safer than pools anyway, since the water is shallow everywhere.

Unfortunately, like so many things in life, water parks do have their problems. And, like so many things in life, most of those problems are caused by other people. If you are a frequenter of such venues, here’s a handy guide to help improve your experience, and the experience of those around you, at your friendly neighborhood water park.

Don’t…

… be the mom who lets her kid(s) be the park bully. If you see that your child is imposing his or her will upon the other children at the park, including (but not limited to): refusing to let other kids play with certain elements of the park (the slide, the firehose, etc.), forcing kids to play games as they dictate, causing injury to other kids, verbally abusing other kids, and/or sniping random kids with a high-powered water gun, put a stop to it! Nothing irks me more than when there’s a bully at the park and his/her parent is sitting by letting it go on, or worse, encouraging it. Don’t be that mom.

… be the mom who shows up way under-dressed. Two common misconceptions seem to run rampant at the water park: 1) “The younger you dress, the younger you look and feel.” This is just false. Believe me, I’m telling you, it’s false. 2) “Less is more.” No. No it isn’t. Less is less. Please don’t show up at the water park with your 5- and 6-year-olds, dressed in the most revealing thing you have. This is not Ft. Lauderdale, OK? It’s the kids’ park. Seriously, don’t do it.

… be the mom who leaves wet, soggy diapers lying around. This is just gross. If your child has a dirty diaper, I promise you there are waste cans available for you to dispose of them. Do us and the environment a favor by not leaving them lying around in public.

… violate the “No Pets” rule. First of all, it’s against the rules, and we all need to set a good example for our kids, right? Second, no smell can quite rival that of sour, wet dog. Besides, what if one of the kids at the park is allergic to dogs? Please be courteous and leave the dog at home.

… be the creepy dad who comes to check out the moms. That’s right, this one is for you, fellas. If your sole motivation for bringing your kids to the water park is to hit on the other kids’ moms, stay at home. Sure, you might find yourself in conversation with “the one”, but let it happen naturally, dude. Don’t force it — we will notice, and will instantly label you a creep for using your kids to meet women.

… bring more kids than you can manage. I’ve seen this one far too often. If you know that you can effectively manage 3-4 kids, please don’t bring 10 kids to the park. Yeah, it’s a great way for kids to have a fun day together, but if that many kids want to go, bring some help with you. It will be less stressful for you and the kids.

Do…

… bring sunscreen, towels, and drinking water. Yes, there’s water everywhere, but it’s city water, and kids have probably been peeing in it. Just sayin’.

… bring a book, or something non-electronic to entertain yourself with. Just try not to get too distracted.

… play in the water. It’s OK to show up in your bathing suit (hopefully a tasteful one) and play in the water with your kids, especially the younger ones. Just don’t assume that it’s OK for you to play with other peoples’ kids.

Water parks are a great place for kids to hang out on hot summer days. Just remember to be courteous to those around you, and you’ll have a great time! What are your water park (or regular park) pet peeves? Share in the comments!

This little arrangement won’t last forever — someday I will be moving out and my neice will no longer be a baby — so I have compiled here a list of things I have learned during my time as a live-in aunt.

1. First smiles can make you cry. I was holding my neice when she smiled for the first time. We were about to go somewhere and needed to put her in her car seat, and I was shaking my head, smiling, and saying, “You don’t want to go in your car seat, do you?” when, lo and behold, she smiled right back at me. My sister was so jealous! I teared up almost immediately and cried for a few minutes before we left.

2. Blow-out poops can happen to you. I’m not a mom yet, but I already have a few “Mom Points” racked up. Among those are an incident where I realized that I had wet, runny poop all over my hands. I’ll leave it at that.

3. Babies are stronger than they look. I have a sore head to testify to this fact. Babies can pull hair fast and strong — and they have no understanding of the word “Ouch!”

4. Music and dancing are universal. This is not the first time I have observed this, but seeing my neice has reinforced my opinion on it. Children, even down to little babies, love music, and their natural response is to sing and dance along. It’s hilarious to see an 8-month-old bounce up and down and go “da da da da da da da da!” to American Idol.

5. Stinky feet are hereditary. My brother-in-law is notorious for his stinky feet (he’s out of the country right now, so I can say that with relative safety). My neice has unfortunately inherited this trait. If you have never known an infant to have stinky feet, you may be surprised to learn that they can, indeed, suffer from this. Or, rather, those around them can suffer from it. My neice has really stinky feet. Beautiful, adorable, horribly stinky feet.

6. There’s no adrenaline rush like being woken in the middle of the night by a blood-curdling baby scream. Need to go from near-death to battle-ready in 2.4 seconds? Sleep with a baby in the next room who wakes up at 1 A.M. and realizes she has been moved from Mom’s bed to her crib.

7. Not-good-with-kids people are people, too. I’m not good with kids (read: “I’m afraid of screwing up and my anxiety gets picked up easily by little ones”). I still might not be good with kids after this experience. But I love my neice (and my two nephews who live far away) more than anyone else in the world. I do have a heart!

Being a live-in aunt has been (and for the moment, continues to be) one of the most challening and rewarding chapters in my life. I have to make the most of it while I still can, and try my best to hold back the tears when it’s finally over.

First and foremost, do not panic. This is one of the biggest things. Picking up accounts, moving things around, and cashing out investments for little or nothing is not smart. In speaking with my personal T. Rowe Price representative, she suggested the best thing to do is to ride it out. Secondly, educate yourself. There is nothing worse than reacting to things when you do not have the full information. Visiting informational sites such as MSN Money or even The Motley Fool can help round out information. If you have investments, check their sites online or contact your financial adviser.

There are also a few things that you can do around the house. Budgeting is key to money management. Look for the best deals. This may require research on products, grocery fliers, coupons, and the like, but it can be very helpful in saving you money. Do not assume that because it comes from a warehouse club, such as Sam’s Club or Costco, that it is a good deal. Some items calculate out to the same price or can even be more than grocery stores. Articles such as this: “5 best — and worst — Costco deals” help to point this out.

Keeping informed, doing your homework, and being sure not to panic can go a long way in your budgeting process. Careful money management is important in tough times. With planning, education, and diligence, this process can be smooth and more productive.

The Starfrit springform pan elevates the serving of tortes or cheesecakes too delicate to be moved from the base they’re baked on. The pan has a white ceramic bottom with a lip to which a nonstick springform side attaches; it’s more stylish than a traditional metal base, so you can use it as a serving plate. The pan comes in 8-inch ($24) and 10-inch ($28) sizes, at Amazon.com.

Fat-free gravy

Traditional grease separators make it impossible to get all the flavor-packed drippings without letting some fat down the spout. The Swing-A-Way separator tackles the problem by putting the spout on the bottom. Pour your pan drippings through the plastic strainer lid and then squeeze the handle to unplug the hole in the bottom; the clear sides let you see when to release your grip and plug the hole. It costs $15 at Solutions.com.

Silicone mitt, improved

Since they appeared on the market several years ago, silicone oven mitts have been our choice for the awkward job of flipping the turkey—they go right into the dishwasher, cutting down on concerns about bacteria from handling raw poultry. But the mitts were never ideal, since they couldn’t withstand heat for very long and they made for sweaty hands. Trudeau’s cloth-lined silicone mitt update solves these problems. The comfy cotton liner, which removes easily and can go in the washing machine, makes it more heat resistant. The lined mitt costs $24 at Entertainingluxury.com.

Photos: Scott Phillips

We can all admit it. On Hallowe’en, we want treats, and not tricks. There are a few steps that you can take to make sure that your child has a safe Hallowe’en that is full of treats.

Have Safe Costumes

Whether you make or buy your costume, make sure that your costume is safe. This means that your child should be able to see clearly (even in peripheral vision), and be able to move freely. Make sure that there aren’t any parts of the costume (like a cape or tail) that drag on the ground and could easily trip your child or a friend.

Safe costumes involve common sense. Check the weather before your child leaves to make sure that their costume won’t be too warm or too cold. Change the clothes underneath the costume accordingly.

Be Bright

It takes a bright parent to make sure their kids are bright enough. If your child is going out after dark, make sure they take a flashlight. Put reflective tape on parts of the costume and the candy bag. Consider making your child’s costume a light or bright color (for instance, your daughter could be a witch in a green dress instead of a black dress). Glow sticks often make a great addition to costumes.

Take your Child

Your child might want to go trick-or-treating alone or with their friends. Suggest that you follow at a safe distance behind so that nobody will know that you’re with them, but still in eye-shot. You can even make going together on trick-or-treating part of the tradition! This also gives you a great excuse to get dressed up too.

Check the Candy

Before your child eats any of the candy brought home, check the candy to make sure that it has not been tampered with. You can let your child eat some candy while you are trick-or-treating, but only after you have checked it first. Don’t let your child eat anything homemade, such as a candy apple, unless you know the person who gave it to them, and you were present when the candy was given.

Model Safe Behavior

When you go with your children, explain how to pick the houses to visit. Go to well-lit houses. Don’t go if the light is turned off.

Walk, don’t run, between houses. Explain why it is safer to walk, and always walk on the sidewalks. Only cross the street at lights or intersections.

By following these tips you are sure to have a great Hallowe’en! Just remember not to eat the candy too quickly!

Kids’ spidey senses will be tingling with anticipation at making these creepy crawly spider bracelets. A super easy craft to make at home or in the classroom, it’s a fun idea for insect themes as well!

What you’ll need:

* Black construction paper
* Wiggle eyes
* White paper (for “fangs”)
* Scissors
* Tape
* Yellow construction paper
* White crayon
* Glue
* Pencil

How to make it:

1. Fold black construction paper in half.
2. Along folded edge, lay child’s hand palm down (midway through palm) and trace fingers with white crayon. Cut out the outline of the fingers.
3. Unfold and you’ll have a complete image of a spider with eight legs. Turn the spider over and, with the pencil, roll the legs around it – this makes the legs curl under and gives a more creepy, crawly effect.
4. Cut a one inch strip of black paper from the remaining scraps and form it into a circle for the bracelet. At the appropriate length, tape the ends together.
5. Attach the bracelet to the underside of the spider using tape or glue.
6. Glue the wiggle eyes and “fangs” to the spider’s head.
7. Cut a small diamond shape from the yellow construction paper and glue to the spider’s back.
8. Place the child’s wrist through the bracelet.

Tips:

One reader wrote: This is a fun and easy Halloween project that I did with a small group of 2- to 5-year-olds. They love tracing their hands and fingers whenever they are playing with crayons or markers, so this is simply a “twist” on an old favorite. We also talked about the number eight that day, so on the backside of each of the spider’s legs I wrote the numbers one through eight in white crayon while each child counted with me.