Teething

Pretty sure Riley Bear is teething. He's been drooling like crazy for a while now, but lately he's been really cranky. He used to entertain himself really well, so I could get all kinds of things done while he played on the floor or in the pack 'n play. Lately he wants attention constantly. He gets really loud. Not crying, just making noise that lets you know he's unhappy about something. And he's chewing EVERYTHING.

The pacifiers we had were all newborn size, so I picked up some new ones. They're actually 6 month, but he seems to like them a lot, and they're easier for him to keep in his mouth. Those help calm him down when he's cranky and needs a nap.

For the teething, I got some great advice from my Facebook friends and did a little research online. One of the things I tried was the Munchkin fresh food feeder..... which he freakin  LOVES.
It's this thing...

You put fresh fruits or veggies in it and they can munch on it and grind the food down to swallowable pieces, so there's no choking hazard. For teethers, you freeze the food first and it feels good on their gums. He had frozen grapes yesterday and he was in heaven. He won't get grapes often because we don't want him getting a sweet tooth so early, so today he'll get carrots =)

It's such a brilliant design. The handle was perfect for him to hold onto. It was so fun watching him gnaw on it, take it away from his mouth and study it, then slowly and carefully bring it back to his mouth. It kept him entertained for the better part of an hour, which made me very happy as well =) His hand eye coordination is getting so great!

Another teething trick I plan to try is the damp cold wash cloth, because he's always nipping at the washcloth that's trying to wash his face.



In other news, he's been eating rice cereal once a day. He's up to 3 ounces formula and enough cereal to make it mushy. He loves it. He insists on helping, he won't open his mouth for the spoon unless he's got his own hand on it. He's so independant! Unfortunately that makes for more of a mess. But it's cute so I don't mind the clean up.

On that note, we're on the lookout for a new high chair. The one we have is great, but it takes up SO much space and our kitchen is pretty tiny. This one doubles as a swing, so the base is a lot wider than it needs to be for a high chair. Wouldn't mind one of the small ones that strap to the dining room chair.... those are nice and compact. At least until we get a bigger place.