Is it OK to use a playpen for our baby?

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We live in a pretty small house and at this point our baby is sleeping in a bedroom that we use as an office.  We can't change that for now, so we plan to keep things as childproofed as we can.  My mom suggested that we get a playpen, but my friends tell me that is a really bad idea. (Actually, they act as if I’m contemplating child abuse). But my mom says there will be times when I can't watch the baby every minute and I don't want to have to put him in his crib just so that I can go to the bathroom. What do you think?

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Should Our Baby Have A "Security Blanket" For Sleep At Daycare?

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Our 6-month old baby Alice is doing pretty well with sleep at home but seems to have trouble settling herself for naps at day care. We’ve read that she should have a “security object.” We’ve offered her several of the animal blankets that every other baby seems to like, but so far she doesn’t seem interested. Does it really make a difference? We want her to feel secure. What else can we do?

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My baby doesn’t want to eat!

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Our baby Grace is 6 months old. Until now she has been mostly breast fed, with a bottle or two of formula everyday. She's always been on the thin side, although she's growing. She likes nursing and the bottle. My pediatrician said to start her on solid foods but she resists everything I offer. I’ve tried cereal, fruit…
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My baby doesn't crawl

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Our ten month old is pulling himself up to standing and taking a few steps holding on. We're thrilled to see him advancing so well, but we're worried because he has never learned to crawl. A friend told us that if a child doesn't learn to crawl he may have trouble learning to read later on. Is this true? Is there something we should do?
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Is our baby eating too much?

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Our baby Kate has been eating solid foods for two months now (she's seven months old) and she loves to eat. Almost every day she goes through several jars of baby food and at least a half cup of cereal. And that’s on top of 24 ounces of formula a day. She's on the 90th percentile for height and weight and we feel like…
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