These are a Few of Her Favorite Things

“You finally got your girl!” and “Have you noticed a difference already in parenting a girl versus a boy?” are the two things I hear most frequently when I am out with my two boys (4 years and 2 years) and my baby daughter.

While I don’t notice a giant difference quite yet (other than the obnoxious bows I have in every single color that are a daily outfit necessity for baby girl), I can definitely speak to what little miss is loving these days.

1. Her older brothers’ elaborate block creations. They do not love this. She also loves: pulling out all of my Tupperware and banging on my pots and pans.
2. Everything in her mouth. She’s a little slow on the teething front (she has one tooth). But all of the things go in her mouth. She loves frozen washcloths and anytime I wear a teething necklace (like Chewbeads).
3. The Ergo. I have this one. She loves to be close to me and, no lie, I love having free hands. She’s in a super clingy stage (see #2) and wants to be held allllllll of the time. Since I have other people that live with me that occasionally need to eat and wear somewhat clean clothing, I sort of need my hands. The Ergo is great for that. She can wiggle around and still be tucked next to Mom.
4. Her aden + Anais Muslin swaddle blanket. We have these. I am sure there’s a rule in lots of parenting books that recommend you stop swaddling your children WELL before ten months, but she sleeps so well and, although she almost always breaks free of the swaddle while sleeping, she still holds on to her blanket. They’re so soft and stretchy. I didn’t have these with the boys and now I recommend them to all the moms.
5. Banana chunks and squeeze pouches. I actually found some reusable squeeze pouches that I can wash in the dishwasher. I simply puree my own baby food (or use a little of my leftover smoothie) and stick it in the pouch. She can hold it and suck on it herself and I know she’s getting all of the nutrients she needs.

So, unfortunately, I have NOT noticed a giant difference yet in parenting a girl ten-month-old versus when my boys were each this age. It seems they love the same types of things: making messes, making noise, cuddling, and crawling for anything that could possibly be dangerous (maybe I should get on that baby-proofing?)

Kara Garis is a cloth diapering, baby wearing, semi-crunchy mama to two active boys and a baby girl. She lives with her husband in Oklahoma and loves running, cooking, traveling, reading and teaching herself how to braid. She blogs very infrequently at karagaris.blogspot.com.