Splashmat Pee

Following up on my observation that babies are messy - especially since Ada started eating solids - I've been on the hunt for a splashmat or something to protect our rug and floors from her messes. I found a few that were neat. One that I really like if you want to splurge is from Mimi the Sardine and I really like it because the fabric is recycled or environmentally friendly in some way. But... I wasn't willing to drop $40 on a silly floor mat. I started using a big sheet of plastic but was worried that my little rolley polley baby would get wrapped up in it. So, I was struck with an idea. A vinyl tablecloth from Target for $6 that is enormous and covers half of my living room.

I unwrapped it last night and decided I'd put Ada on it today for some naked baby time--her favorite. And within a minute of me setting her down, she peed on the tablecloth. Then, a few minutes later, had managed to roll herself off near the edge of the mat and peed half on and half off the mat/rug. So I still had to clean up the rug, but at least it was only 50% of one pee spot instead of 2 full pee spots. Better than nothing. Silly kid.

Moral of the story: Creativity can save you a bit of money--not always for the good of the environment but it's good to try -- and can help your carpet or rug last a bit longer when you have a baby.