If only I had known ...

As I was scrubbing the dried yogurt off Ladybug’s high chair, I was thinking how I wished someone had pointed out the impracticality of its super-padded seat.

Yes, it’s so comfortable that Ladybug actually falls asleep in her chair. And it’s so cute with all of its little fishies swimming every which way.

But the ripples that make the seat uber-soft are also great hiding places for Cheerios and shredded cheese – much to the delight of our cat Attitude as she waits for the crumbs to fall to the floor during cleaning time.

That got me thinking to what else I wish I had known. Thinking back over the last year, these things jumped to mind:

10 feet between the changing table and the bathtub without a diaper might as well be 10 miles – or longer if you have carpet.

Backrest pillows work great for propping up babies who haven’t learned to sit on their own yet. Just make sure they have a removable washable cover, especially if you have a master blaster.

Terry-cloth changing pad covers exist for a reason. I always figured wiping down the uncovered changing pad with a Clorox wipe after each diaper change was more sanitary – that is, until Ladybug had the squirts that leaked into every crevice of the flower-decorated vinyl cover.

Sometimes I think there ought to be a class for this stuff.