Spaghetti Night Baby

Howdy M.! Please Thank your husband for us.
We are so thankful for all that our military men and women do for us and our country.

Spaghetti night at our house is probably just as bad, I'm afraid to tell ya. And our boys are almost 3yrs old and up! LOL!

Please be sure to take lots of pictures of some of his BEST messes. You will LOVE to look back at them later when he is much older. Just remember, everything you do is making memories.

I have a wash cloth or two handy on spaghetti nights. I wash up my 2and 1/2 yr old with the wash cloth downstairs first. I make sure I have all of his clothes off of him and all of the noodles off too (the best I can tell) and all but the sauce stains on his skin. Then we head up for bath time. I let him play in a little water while he soaks off. I then drain the tub and soap him up and shower him off. He usually comes clean too. LOL!

Another think I'd like to try to help you with is the job that you are looking for. After being home all day with my boys, I completely understand the need to mentally get away. I love to help other moms reach their goals. How about if you and I talk a little one-on-one and see if what I do is something of interest to you? Email me directly at ____@____.com

Take Care,
N. :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12, 8 & 2 yrs old and married to my Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs.

lucky you! i couldn't get my son to touch pasta until he was 2 or so! we were sooo looking forward to eating pastina with him as a babe and he wouldn't touch it!!!

anyway, barilla sells piccollini versions of its pasta shapes. i would feed him that instead of spaghetti, then you're not cleaning up strings of pasta off him. these are little versions of their regular pasta (fusilli, farfalle, rotini, etc.) and easy for kids to eat themselves and smaller for their mouths. i love them!

I know this is a little late, but so funny to me! My son has just decided that he will only eat ANYTHING if it's covered in tomato sauce- vegetables, noodles, meat, you name it! Try covering his lap with a large dark- colored dish towel (under the tray) and use the largest bib you have. Don't forget to roll those sleeves.This way, you can remove the dirtiness, noodles and all, when he's finished. I always keep wipes in the kitchen for his hands. Now if we can only figure out how to get the orange scrunge out from under the finger nails...

Get a hand sprayer for your bath tub/shower. That way your son can sit while you rinse him off. Good luck.

I have to agree with Kari! Definately wipe him first. I keep a tub of fragrance free wipes in my kitchen for yummy yet dirty dinners. using a wipe is great, because you can just throw it away after. I dont think you want all that spaghetti going down your drain, that could clog it up. hope this helps...

If he actually sits in his highchair and plays to that extent with his food, be sure he is wearing a lightweight bib with sleeves and keep a slightly damp washcloth nearby.

When done, you wipe his hair and face, strip off the bib and away you go to the tub.
Happy spaghetti nights for all!

I have to say, your description brings a very entertaining image to my mind. He must be totally covered. First, I'd suggest giving him macaroni noodles or other child size noodles that are easier to pick up. (I know it is fun to watch them slurp the spagetti noodles.) Then I'd suggest simply cleaning him off a little before he goes in the tub. A sleeved bib will make it easier to contain the mess, but simply wetting a few paper towels and wiping him off should be sufficient. Strip him down over the tub if you want and then scoop out the mess before you put the water in it...

I agree, saucy water is gross, but really... how much is this little man carrying with him to the tub? I think a few good wipes should get it under control. Take a wash cloth to him just before he gets in if necessary.

I would love to see a picture of him just after he eats this spagetti to see if it compares in any way to the image in my mind. It must be a sight.

Glad you found something he really likes. That's half the battle, isn't it?

Good luck.
Liz

I just wash mine in the kitchen sink. They love it.

Ok, first, I buy really cheap clothes to use for when I feed my son since he will not and never was willing to wear a bib. So I try to catch everything on the clothes first. I also use a hand sprayer in the tub to rinse him off with. I have also tried the showering/bathing together and it has never worked for me (I would love to hear from other moms how it works for them because I have another one on the way). So our bath is a combination of rinsing off and then bathing (I use a strainer first before I fill the tub with water and get all the icky stuff out first and then let the water fill up and let him play in the water). You can get them at Walgreens for like less than $5 where they have bath stuff (they also have the strainers for the drain in the same section); they are in a plastic bag type things, all rolled up (I'll try to find a picture online of something similar and send it to you). And I wash all his 'feeding' clothes separately than his regular clothes and don't even bother trying to remove the stains. I get them for really cheap on Amazon (sweatpants and long sleeve undershirts for winter and shorts and short sleeve undershirst for summer).

Also, thank your husband from the bottom of our hearts please!

As for your depression, please consider using a hypnotherapist before you try antidepressants. It has worked wonders for me with my postpartum anxiety (similar to depression but less known and talked about). I am a different person now and didn't need antidepressants or anti anxiety medication. Depending on where you live, I might be able to recommend someone to you.

If you find a job from home or something like that, please let me in on it. I am dying to do something as well so that I can get away from the poop and all for a few hours a day

Lots of luck!!!

PS, here's what it looks lie http://www.amazon.com/HPI-44100101-SHOWER-SHAMPOO-SPRAY/d... but know that it doesn't work for every faucet so take a recipt so that you can return it if it doesn't work. A hardware store would be a good place to find another kind if this kind doesn't work with your type of faucet

You have to get those little rubbery stickies to put in the shower on the ground so that you won't slip and fall when you are holding the baby to give him a bath or shower if you don't have one of those little bathtubs that Baby's R Us sells. The sticky's will keep you from slipping and falling. Also, start thinking about buying those safety first child proof locks that will keep your son from getting into chemicals in the bathroom and in the kitchen. You will be amazed at what your son will get into if you let him.

In regards to the depression, you can try a few things. Getting outside in the sun might help. If you are still breastfeeding or pumping then stay away from medicine, because you won't want the med's getting into your breastmilk and affecting the baby. If you've stopped giving the baby breast milk to help your son develop a natural immunity then consider looking at www.webmd.com if you don't want to go on base and see the doctor there. Or, you can try going to google or the public library to do some research on the subject to help you make the best decision you can in regards to your health based on your families medical history and body type. Good luck!

Have you tried just grabbing a baby wipe and wiping off all the chunks of noodles (and sauce) prior to a bath? Or even a dry washcloth if that would get a hold of the noodles better (not sure?) It would be easier to clean something like that off that all over the tub. Then when he is mostly free of spaghetti, pop him in the tub.
K.

we have the shower head that unattaches from the wall. if you stay outside the tu and he insid the tub you can hose him off and wash all the same way. noodles arent bad to play with once they arent saucy anymore as long as they arent squished in his hair...thats hard to get out.

I always clean up any solids before we go to the tub. The most effective way so far is to use a wet microfiber cloth. I bought these in walmart in the auto section and they are soft and safe for babys skin. They hold just the right amount of water to actually get stuff off instead of push it around.

Otherwise if your baby is already naked, give him a quick rinse by sitting him in the kitchen sink before going to the bath tub.

Hope these suggestions are helpful,
A.
www.snuggleandread.com

If you have a kitchen sink with a sprayer you could stand him in it and spray off all the noodles with this. If you have a garbage disposal, all the better, since you can turn it on, (of course after your little guy is tended to) and it's done! Best of luck and BTW, just my opinion, but if you still have post partum derpression after this length of time, perhaps a visiting a empathtic dr would help more than a job. Also a close group of friends whom you can talk with, have play groups with, etc. Best of luck!