I like to say the recipes are Burprag’s but Toddler does most of the cooking around here.

Don’t you just love knowing the exact moment your toddler is pooping? Happily playing one second:

Suddenly concentrated on something:

I don’t know why burprag has so many blog entries about poop lately. I guess it’s the next evolution in motherhood. The entire first 12 months I spent getting spit up on. I wish I could say the change was refreshing!

There really is a burrito under this salad.

Burritos are quick, satisfying, and a great way to use up leftovers and disguise matchstick cut veggies. Kids can personalize them and you can cut them into fun “pinwheel” slices for playdates.

When I cook brown rice I always make a large batch and then freeze it in 1 cup increments. I also freeze that last piece of meat or fish, just opening the tupperwear container with the brown rice and throwing it on top then putting it back in the freezer. It only takes minutes in the microwave to defrost if I’ve forgotten to put it in the fridge the night before.

Super Power Pinwheels for Kids
For pinwheel style burritos spread the rice very thinly and evenly over most of a tortilla, nori, Greek pita or lefse (leaving the edge furthest from you free), cover that with any sauce you like (flavored cream cheese, mayonnaise or yogurt, caesar dressing, tzaziki, lemon/tahini, refried beans mixed with chili powder or taco seasoning, mango chutney, curry sauce, salsa, peanut sauce, teriyaki, etc.), then place other stuffing in a thin row horizontally in front of you and begin rolling tightly. Wet the outside edge furthest away from you with some water to seal. Now slice thinly into pinwheels. Chicken Little’s favorite pinwheel is a tortilla with mayonnaise, turkey ham and a pickled asparagus stalk in the center.

Salad Style Burritos
Burprag used to try to stuff as many veggies into burritos as humanly possible and then finally gave up on that and started building a huge salad on top of the burrito. You can use salsa as “dressing” and top with a dollop of light sour cream or plain yogurt. Eat the burrito with a knife and fork.

Burprag’s salads on top consist of raw spinach, arugula, sometimes chopped kale (ribs removed), thinly sliced red cabbage, grated carrot, cilantro or parsley and chopped fresh avocado, tomato and jalapeno. Kids love these because they can build their own.

Chicken Burritos

Use individually frozen chicken breast tenders for the fastest results, adding right to a lightly oiled nonstick pan without thawing. With the pan on medium high add chopped celery, onion, garlic, generous shake of cumin, generous shake of oregano, generous shake chili powder, sea salt and freshly grated black pepper. Cook for several minutes with the lid on the pan, until the chicken thaws. At that point you can begin breaking the chicken up and continue frying for several minutes until the chicken and veggies are cooked through and the flavors are melded. Once off the heat squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime over the filling and begin to build your burritos. Once the burritos are filled, microwave them until the cheese is melted. Now build your salad and serve.

Fish Burritos

Use individually frozen thinner fish fillets like tillapia or sole for the fastest results. Use the same ingredients and cooking method as for the chicken burritos, ommitting the chili powder. Instead of red salsa we prefer green salsa and yogurt sauce with these. If you are really in a time crunch you can microwave frozen fish sticks but that’s not Burprag’s favorite way. It’s Chicken Little’s favorite way.

To make the Yogurt Sauce:
combine 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 t dijon mustard and a pinch of tarragon, ground between your fingers.

Black Bean Burritos

No recipe here - simply open a can and drain them. Fill your burrito with whole or refried beans, rice and grated cheddar or mozzarella. It’s the easiest no-cook complete protein meal ever!

Flank Steak Burritos

Marinate thawed flank steak in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to barbecuing. For the Marinade:

1/2 cup red wine or stout beer such as Guiness
3-5 minced garlic cloves
1 t mesquite smoke seasoning
2 T brown sugar
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T dried oregano

Allow gas grill to pre-heat on high for 5 minutes. Grill flank steak 5-6 minutes each side until done. Slice very thin on the bias (against the grain).

This recipe also works with chicken breasts as long as you use a lager or pilsner style beer rather than the red wine or stout beer.

I know what you are thinking, how many poop and barf stories could I possibly have.  Or perhaps you’re wondering why I would want to post them online.  Well misery loves company, my friend.  This is a cautionary tale because I feel that I brought on “the incident” by my own arrogance.  I taunted the poop gods. So read on lest you commit the same error.

When Chicken Little was about 8 months old I hired a college student to come and watch him for a few hours a week, in part so that I could work on my website but the real reason was to avoid eating him out of frustration.  It was a much deserved break. 

One day I was chatting with Stacy and she told me that when she was a baby she used to poop in the tub.  I told her that Chicken Little had never once done that.  I laughed, nay, scoffed at the very idea. I kid you not, that very night he did it. 

Horrified, I looked around and found nothing I could use to scoop it out with.  The trick with scooping poop out of water is that you need to do it quickly before it begins to disintegrate.  In a panic, I used my bare hands.  I scrubbed them, the baby and the bathtub clean after that.

The next night he did it again.  The third night I brought a yogurt container in and sure enough he did it again.  Chicken Little continued his little practice well into toddlerhood.  At one point I bought a fish net to keep in the bucket with the toilet brush.

Since then I’ve learned not to say my kids “never do that” aloud.  I don’t even spell it out for someone.  I never thought I would be superstitious. I never thought I would be a lot of things. But then I had Chicken Little, notorious tub pooper and very nearly only child.

You know, just like a normal person does.  First I set everyone up with breakfast shake and bowls of oatmeal.  Super Why was on PBS and it’s Chicken Little’s favorite show with animation compelling enough to engage Toddler for short periods.  It was foolproof. 

I ran in the bathroom and jumped in the shower, closing the door enough to block the drafts but not any sounds of loud crying.  Sixty seconds later Chicken Little burst in.  “Mommy, did you know that P rhymes with T?” he shouted excitedly.  Yes, actually, I did.  “And they both rhyme with C?” Wow, now that I didn’t know.  “Why don’t you go see what else you’re missing?” I said “And don’t forget to close the door just like it was when you came in.”  By now all my warm air was gone.

Thirty seconds later he was back.  “Mama, I need you to help me take my shirt off, I have to go POOP!”  he sang.  I reached out of the shower curtain to help with the shirt.  My son is as quirky as a Seinfeld character.  For some reason he can’t sit on the potty with a shirt on and he hasn’t yet mastered quick shirt removal. 

Ten seconds later I heard a low “uh oh” almost under his breath.  “Mama, something just fell in the potty” he said slowly.  Cautiously I asked “what was it?”, trying to decide if I really needed to get out with shampoo still in my hair.  “It might have been a toy” he said.  “I thought the rule was you don’t play with your toys on the potty” I reminded him, thinking of the time I had to reach my hand into a full bowl to fish out a Playmobil person. 

“Well it wasn’t my toy,” he told me “so I thought it would be ok.  It was Ben’s airplane.”  (I’ve changed names to protect the innocent, and also in case Ben is reading this post.)  Realizing the airplane would be too big to be flushed I climbed out of my nice warm shower - shivering, shampooey and still hopeful that the airplane was at this point the only thing in the potty. 

But it wasn’t.   Now I’ve had my share of experiences doing hand-to-hand combat with poop, Chicken Little having been a notorious tub pooper. However, on this particular morning I was finding it difficult.  I closed my eyes and plunged my hand in.  Luckily it landed on the toy and nothing else.  I threw the toy into the sink and began scrubbing my hand and forearm furiously.  The toy I would bleach later.  

I helped Chicken Little finish up and get dressed but by then all the commotion had attracted Toddler’s attention.  I tried to slink back into the shower but I’d been spotted.  By the time I had rinsed the shampoo out of my hair the toddler had hurled at least 3 books, 2 stuffed animals and all his and his brother’s blankies in with me, not to mention that the bathroom floor and Toddler were completely soaked. 

I gave up any dreams of shaving my legs, exfoliating or conditioning my hair.  Ah yes, a quick shower.  Just like a normal person.  A mom can dream, can’t she? 

Burprag is always looking for healthy and fast dishes to feed the family as well as ways to use that mystery thing that came in the farm box. Most of this you can prepare with baby in a frontpack but Burprag DOES NOT recommend frying that way. Luckily the frying lasts less than 5 minutes so if baby is sitting up you can put him in a highchair with some soft finger food or toys. Burprag likes to give them yogurt to fingerpaint with. Fingerpainting can keep even the fussiest baby occupied while you cook!

This stir fry can really be made using just about any vegetable so it is a great way to clean out your refrigerator. You can use turkey breast, chicken breast, fish or tofu.

Sichuan Stir Fry

For the marinade combine:

2 T regular or light soy sauce
2 T dry Sherry or Mirin
1 T sesame oil
1 T cornstarch

Marinate 2 pounds meat, seafood or tofu, chopped into 1 inch pieces in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

For the sauce combine:

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 T dry Sherry or Mirin
1 T dark soy sauce or worscestershire
2 T regular or light soy sauce
2 t sesame oil
1 T chili paste
1 T cornstarch
1 T sugar
3 T minced fresh garlic
1/2 T minced fresh ginger

For the dish:

1 medium bunch of green onions, sliced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup snow pea pods
1 cup pre-washed spinach

Heat 2 T canola oil in a wok or large nonstick fry pan with tall sides on high. Add the marinated meat or tofu and stir fry 4-5 minutes until done. Set it aside.

In same fry pan add 1 T canola oil followed by the vegetables (don’t add the spinach yet), stir frying 1-2 minutes so they are still crisp. Add the sauce, meat, and spinach and cook for about one minute until it thickens and becomes glossy. Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

 One of my most favorite things is getting phone calls from people who have visited my website.  I love talking to families who are having a difficult time with infant reflux - it’s the reason I started my website in the first place.  I love giving them someone to talk to who understands how difficult what they are going through is.  I love directing them to some information that they are looking for, or didn’t even know they were looking for but will help the insanity of their home life dramatically. 

They frequently ask me if my kids ever outgrew their reflux and I confidently reply “yes.”  Chicken Little outgrew his several years ago and Toddler outgrew his several months ago or so I had thought.

Today Toddler had his 18 month check-up and got some shots, which is usually a trigger for any autoimmune disease, including reflux. He was a little fussy and fell asleep in the car on the way to pick up Chicken Little from preschool. He ate a big lunch and played well all afternoon. He ate a huge dinner and asked for a cookie. I obliged him with few pieces of graham cracker since he had eaten so well. He walked to the other room and played with the train table for awhile, followed closely by the dog who was hoping to pick up some dropped crumbs.

A few minutes later he came walking over to me and wiped his hands on my pants. I realized they were covered with something sticky, as was his stomach and his face. I took one whiff and realized he had spit up. I cleaned him up and then grabbed some paper towels to clean up wherever he had been playing in the other room.

That’s when I saw her. The dog was feverishly licking her fur, contorting her body trying to reach the top of her head and all down her back. In her zeal to not miss a single crumb she had been standing right in front of Toddler when he threw up and taken the full blast. She was covered in barf. But not a drop on the floor that I could find. Now that, my friends, is loyalty.

Forget all the baby gear - the one thing you really need in a house with a reflux baby is a dog!
 

But it wasn’t a reflux thing. 

You see, we went to Target and as we passed the $1 stand at the front of the store there was a lone Spiderman backpack with a shaft of light from the heavens illuminating it so that Chicken Little saw it right away.  After that there was no question that it was meant for him.  It was destiny.

He begged me to put it on him in the store but I told him we had to buy it first.  He begged me to put it on him in the car but I explained to him that wouldn’t be comfortable, or safe for that matter.  As soon as I opened his door he made me put it on him by refusing to walk in the house unless he was wearing it. 

The whole car ride he spent digging through the box of car toys that is sandwiched between the two carseats and finding things that would go inside.  By the time made it home he had thought about all the toys he has inside that can go in it as well. 

He ran in the house and exchanged the contents, then came back out of his room and asked me to help him put it back on again.  Then he ran back into his room and emerged grasping his Spiderman costume from Halloween.  We had to take off the backpack, put on the costume and then put the backpack on again. 

“Mama”, he said, “when I go to college I can put a real phone in here and all my books.  Then when I come home I’ll give you a big kiss.  Or maybe Toddler, I’m not sure who I’ll kiss first.” 

I laughed at first but then when he looked down to re-arrange the contents of the backpack again it hit me just like it had the first time we read The Giving Tree together by Shel Silverstein, or Brundibar by Maurice Sendak, or worse yet I’ll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.  He really would be moving away one day.  And then I cried.

As much as he is a pain in the rear I cannot imagine my life without him.  I know it will happen, in fact I want it to happen.  I don’t want him to be one of those 30 or 40 year old single guys living with his mom and dad.  Or worse yet a 30 or 40 year old married guy living with his mom and dad.  But it saddens me just the same.

He will grow up and have his own life and have no further use for me until he has kids.  And that’s the way it needs to be.  That realization is what helps me to still carry him around, even though he is 2/3s as tall as I am.  I think of that while I snuggle in bed with him to help him fall asleep, even though it means I can’t start working until 9:30 at night.

One day he will have no further need for me but today he does and I relish every minute of it.

Since potty training, my husband has been joking that the next milestone to look forward to is college but for me it’s been getting Chicken Little’s attention span long enough to read chapter books together. 

He’s never been that interested in books.  He enjoys being read to when I make him sit down and listen to a story but it’s not his first choice of things to do.

For me, however, books were my saving grace.  I knew how to read long before I started school.  Once I had mastered my letters individually I spent painstaking hours sounding out each letter, using both hands to cover up the words on either side of the one in question so they wouldn’t distract me, and closing one eye so I could really concentrate. 

They were hymn books mostly.  We spent summers playing in a park that bordered a church.  I would sneak in to escape the heat and hide in the back row with the books. 

By the second grade I was reading adult non-fiction and my mother bought me undereye concealer so the teacher would stop asking about my sleep habits.  You see, I am a bit compulsive and have always had a hard time stopping something until I have completed it.  I would frequently stay up past midnight reading. It was a bit of a disappointment to me then that Chicken Little didn’t share my love of books.

For some reason this week I decided that I really wanted to begin reading chapter books to him.  I bought a copy of James and the Giant Peach.  I also saw a series called “The Magic Treehouse” which was very short, organized in brief chapters, and had an illustration on just about every other page. The subject matter was things like dinosaurs and pirates.  If anything was going to get him interested in chapter books that was the stuff. 

We started that night on the dinosaur one.  He eagerly looked at all the illustrations and waiting anxiously for Toddler to take a nap so I could read to him.  At first he found it difficult to sit through the paragraphs of text with only one illustration to look at.  He wriggled a lot and I could tell his mind was moving on to other things.  But he stuck it out.  We made it halfway through before Toddler woke up.  At bedtime that was his book of choice.  It was much easier for him this time and he lay quietly while we finished the book.  When it was done he told me, “Mama, I just love it.  Can we read another one?”

So the next day we started on James and the Giant Peach, which is substantially longer and has fewer illustrations.  I read it aloud to him while he worked on an art project.  I read it dramatically.  When I read the part of the strange man who gives James the magic bag I made my voice creak and leaned in to him.  Apparently it was too realistic because he implored me not to read like that anymore.  But I could tell it got him hooked.

We read 42 pages that day and he is waiting anxiously for the chance to continue it.  I could not be happier.  I know we’ll have challenges in the years ahead as we transition from parent reading to self-reading but I can’t help but think if I get him hooked on the adventure and unlimited fantasies that books can create now it will only serve to motivate him.  Sort of the same way he potty trained because he felt that his superhero underwear helped him to run faster and jump higher.  Whatever works, right?

These are some quick & easy ways to get dinner on the table while increasing your daily servings of raw vegetables. These salads serve 2-3 adults as a main course.

Kale and Chard Salad

My version of a salad made by my local healthy food coop in Seattle

For the salad:

1/2 bunch flat leaf kale, ribs removed and finely chopped
1/2 bunch chard, chopped fine
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped fine
2 root stalks of fennel, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1 cup cooked wild rice (look for shelf-stable pre-cooked in the rice aisle if you are in a hurry)

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
juice from 1/2 large lemon
1 crushed clove garlic
sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Toss well

Spinach Salad

For the salad:

1 bag pre-washed baby spinach leaves
1 large handful of arugula leaves
1/2 can mandarin orange slices
1/4 cup dried cranberries
crescents cut from 1/4 of one red onion
1/4 cup plain or candied pecans

For the Dressing:

2 T honey
2 T cider vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cup olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss the dressing well with the spinach. When done add the other ingredients, otherwise the smaller things will end up at the bottom of the bowl.

Sturdy Caesar

For the salad:

1 bag pre-washed baby spinach leaves
4 stalks of flat leaf kale, ribs removed and finely chopped
1 handful of arugula leaves
1/3 cup grated parmeson or romano cheese

For the dressing combine all in food processer or blender:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
8 - 10 anchovy fillets, rinsed of oil and patted dry
1 t dijon mustard
2 crushed cloves garlic
2 T sherry or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine well then slowly pour in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive while processing until fully incorporated.
Toss the greens with the dressing well. Sprinkle with the parmeson or romano. Top with freshly grated black pepper to taste

Note: the extra caesar dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

First of Spring Asparagus and Arugula Salad

For the salad:

1/2 bag pre-washed baby spinach
2 large handfuls arugula leaves
1 bunch lightly steamed asparagus, cooled and chopped in 2-3 inch lengths
1 slice of pancetta per plate
Parmesano Reggiano (the more expensive but incredibly tasty parmeson)

For the dressing:

2 T white balsamic vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss the greens well with the dressing. Plate the greens, then top with chopped asparagus. Using a cheese slicer, shave slices of the parmeson on top of the salad. Finish with freshly grated black pepper to taste.

Roasted Beet Gorgonzola Salad

Roast the beets earlier in the day or the night before so they are cool.

For the salad:

one bunch beets, stems removed
1/2 bag pre-washed baby spinach
chopped beet greens
1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/4 cup walnuts

Using several thicknesses of aluminum foil wrap the beets loosely and bake them at 350 F for about an hour until they are easily pierced with a fork. They will juice while cooking. Once cool, peel them with a knife and cut them into 1-2 inch pieces.

For the Dressing:

2 T Sherry or white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss the greens well with the dressing and plate them. Place chopped beets, gorgonzola and walnuts on top. Finish with freshly grated black pepper.

Cobb Salad

For the salad:

1 bag pre-washed baby spinach leaves
1 large handful of arugula leaves
1 chopped hard boiled egg per person
1 poached chicken tender per person
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola per person
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 sectioned tomato per person

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
2 T dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss the greens well with the dressing and plate them. Visualize 5 wedges on the plate. Using all remaining ingredients, cover one wedge at a time per ingredient.

There really should be a PA group - Playmobil Anonymous that is.   If you haven’t started down the Playmobil road yet DON’T.  Yes, I know those people are cute with their happy faces and movable arms, legs, hands and heads.  They come with incredibly tiny and realistic accessories that keep my kids entertained for hours.  Forget about simply encouraging imaginative play - they actually create it.

Grandma started it all buy buying Chicken Little a pirate ship for his third birthday.

Never having been exposed to pirates, he really wasn’t quite sure how to play with it. But I knew. It was fun just making the crew climb the rigging up the crow’s nest, attaching Captain Hook’s good hand to the wheel, hanging one member from the rigging with the grappling hook and putting the rest of the crew down below to eat.

The problem is once you open up that first box there is a mini catalog inside showing both you and your child all the extra accessories that go with that playset. It’s suddenly not good enough that you have the excavator and driver with removable hat. You need to get the backhoe. Then you need the dump truck so that when the tractors have filled their scoopers with kidney beans from the pile on your living room floor they have somewhere to put them. Then you need to get the cement truck so that you can churn them around and pour them out. Then Chicken Little begged and pleaded with me to buy him the porta potty so the driver could take a potty break. “But if we don’t get it they’ll have accidents in their pants!” Something near and dear to his heart so of course I obliged him. But that wasn’t enough either. He cried and cried for the office so they could manage their job site. My husband finally put his foot down.

So we started on castles and knights instead.

Now almost two years later our house is swimming in Playmobil but each piece is a cherished and well-played with item. It probably helps that we have a small house so the rule is only 2 large things out at once. That keeps everything special and fresh.

Chicken Little still reads the catalogs and pines for the things he doesn’t have. We had several long discussions about how Santa knew daddy had said absolutely no jail with breakout bars for the bad guys. It was tempting to hide it under the tree and risk daddy’s secret wrath but I held true to the PA creed. I will not buy any more Playmobil, I will not buy any more Playmobil, I will not buy anymore Playmobil. Just maybe though craigs list doesn’t count?

If you are a first time parent and your infant has reflux it’s lonely.  And maddening.  Infants with reflux don’t sleep contentedly in strollers while you eat out at restaurants or get pedicures with girlfriends like other babies you see.  Not only do they cry most of the time but they frequently don’t stop crying when you pick them up and try to console them.  They have the audacity to spit up all over themselves, you, the furniture, the carpet, and your immediate (or even appoximate) surroundings.

For others with infants it seems so easy to leave the house and resume life as normal.  For you it can seem so daunting.  Infants with reflux can shatter your self confidence both as a parent and a person.  It can isolate you, even from your significant other.

 The single most important thing you can do to avoid this is to get out of the house.  Take baby steps long before your baby does.  Start with short trips even though they seem like the effort of preparation is not really worth the trip itself.  Spend 30 minutes preparing simply in order to go buy yourself a decaf latte.  If your baby spits up on you pass it off as a bad steamed milk accident.  Plan for a longer outing next time and try to meet a friend.

Each trip will build confidence that you can handle any situation with this incredibly demanding baby and help restore some of the old you.

Not convinced? If I could come to your house and drag you out I would - it’s that important! Here is a checklist of items you need to leave the house with a reflux baby:

Out and about with infant reflux.

It’s all about getting to a point where you can enjoy the dry moments.

Wishing you hugs,

My son Max is chicken little.  For him, the sky falls at least 20 times a day. 

Perhaps I packed the wrong type of cheese stick or suggested we do the wrong thing.  It could be that I put the toothpaste on for him instead of checking to see if he wanted to do it himself.  And then again maybe it’s just that it’s winter instead of summer and he can’t ride his tricycle naked with a popsicle in hand. 

First he screws up his face and pulls out his lower lip, raising his eyebrows at the inside corners.  Then he starts in wailing “Not X, I wanted Z!!!!!”.  Then he sobs so loudly, squeezing out real tears that you would swear I had just told him he needed to find a new place to live.  The sobs are so loud and last so long that you can’t get a word in edgewise. This happens pretty much all day long, although it peaks at bedtime. 

All efforts to dissuade him from this behavior have so far been utter failures.  An early behaviorist warned me that punishment wouldn’t work on his personality type, that we should be patient and he would mellow out around 5.  I’ve asked him before why he cries when he never gets what he wants for crying.  He says “I just can’t make myself stop.”

Around 19 months old he was in therapy for Sensory Integration Disorder. It seemed more like insurance-paid play time then real physical therapy but we learned some great parenting techniques and a little bit about human development. Between birth and 3 months old is when an infant learns to self-soothe. Max’s reflux was not under control until he was about 4 months old. I’m sure he learned nothing about self-soothing at all. I’ll always wonder if that shaped his personality so that his initial response to everything is to be so intensely contrary.

I know all the modern parenting books tell me that I need to embrace his personality - even Mr. Rogers says he loves my son just the way he is - but it’s not easy.   As we get nearer to 5 I’m waiting for “the change”.  In the meantime we keep continuing to nurture his loving, playful side and try to let everything else slide off. And I’m collecting some great footage of tantrums to show his future prom dates.

After having survived one very demanding son with reflux who we will call my very nearly only child, I was fully expecting reflux a second time.  This time I was prepared!  Lander was a relatively easy-going baby.  Around 3 weeks old he started showing signs of reflux and severe intestinal gas.  I had some serious medical issues when he was born so at that point he was still getting supplemental formula.  We struggled with reflux for several weeks until I had the last of my surgeries behind me and could focus on getting my milk supply up and eliminate all formula.  I then tried the elimination diet with no improvement but just by taking him off formula his gas cleared up.

Our vast arsenal of positioning products helped us manage his reflux from that point on.  At night he slept on a reflux wedge.  He was still fairly tiny so we swaddled him and tucked him into the harness without putting his feet through the holes.  It worked great!  He fed on the nursing wedge.  During the day when he wanted to be held, which was all the time, I put him in the Moby Wrap which he loved and it let me pay attention to my older son, clean the house and cook dinner.  It was great when we were out doing things as well.

I honestly believe it is in part because Lander was soothed quickly, fed on the wedge, slept on an angle and always worn in the Moby that he developed into such an easy-going boy. Here he is:

Just as with his older brother, positioning minimized his discomfort and spitups and around 8-10 months when he became more mobile and a greater portion of his intake was solids that pretty much went away too.

Max was my first son and forage into parenthood. People had told me “new babies just eat and sleep” so that is what I was expecting. Max did NOT just eat and sleep. He alternated between nursing with the suction strength of an industrial vacuum for 45-90 minutes at a time and needing to be held in the absolute perfect position the rest of the time. If I wasn’t nursing or holding him in my arms he wailed with the shriek of a banshee, earsplitting screams that sent the dog out of the house for weeks on end.

And I don’t mean he only needed to nurse and be held during the day, it was around the clock. I slept in the recliner with him for at least the first 4 months. I called him my 8 pounds of fury. Hell hath no fury like my son Max, even now.

Here he was then, quiet but crabby:

He seemed so angry that it was hard to realize at first it was due to discomfort. As with most babies, he didn’t start showing signs of reflux until he was about 3 weeks old when he began projectile vomiting. He vomited every time I tried to put him down, burp him, put him in the carseat or the sling or the Bjorn. As the weeks went on the vomiting increased. The doctor finally put him on Zantac but it did little good. I tried the elimination diet but it didn’t make a difference. We tried starting solids early but that made absolutely no difference.

We never left the house because every time I got him ready and me ready (which is nearly impossible unless you can put a baby down) then he would barf on his clothes. I would change his clothes. Then he would barf on me. Then I would change MY clothes. Then he would barf on his clothes. I would change his clothes. Then he would barf on me. I would change my clothes. I am grateful we had a dog to clean up what hit the floor because that saved me time. Then one or both of us would be out of clothes and in tears so it wasn’t even worth it to leave. Even if I made it as far as putting him in the carseat he would shriek and barf the car trip and be so upset he may not calm down even once we had gotten to where we were going.

Finally around 4 months I took things into my own hands. Rather than experimenting with other prescriptions I began researching alternative remedies. I discarded the baby carriers that he hated anyway and held him perfectly upright and close to me all the time. I learned that the left side is the best side for reflux so we started swaddling him and putting him on his left side to sleep. I made a foam wedge to breastfeed him on. I changed the way I breastfed him by leaving him on the same side until I was absolutely certain it was empty before switching but I did let him nurse as often and as long as he wanted to.

Things got better! Then when he began sitting up on his own around 7 months things got even better!! And when he started crawling around 8 months things really got better!!! He still has the occasional reflux episode (mom, food just came up my throat), even now that he is 4 years old but once we improved his positioning his discomfort disappeared and the spit-ups minimized and once his core muscles developed and he started eating predominantly solid food his spit-ups all but disappeared.

Here he is now, reflux-free but still crabby:

So really the reflux is gone but not much else has changed.