I’m not saying I’m going to do a “Works For Me Wednesday” post every week, but I’m feeling opinionated helpful today.

First up: Pacifiers! None of my children have ever taken a pacifier. I’ve narrowed down the reason to be that I spend more time trying to build up a good milk supply and avoid nipple confusion than I do trying to get an artificial nipple into their mouths. Since I don’t take my newborns anywhere for the first few weeks, and generally try to do nothing, I have no need of a pacifier until they are old enough to look confused when I suddenly jam one in their mouths. This results in much gagging, choking, and spewing.

Then I found this little jewel at Whole Foods Market:

And it works! Not perfectly, mind you, but if for some reason I need her to suck on something, she’s taking it pretty well. I still have to hold it in for her a bit, but she doesn’t ever ever choke on it, and I don’t have to worry about weird plastic residue going into her system. The thing is 100% allergen free rubber. Don’t have a Whole Foods? (Bless your heart!!!) Get one here.

See?

Moving right along, because I need to work out before my kids get up.

Hand Towels.

I use to pick up the hand towel in the downstairs bathroom fortyleven times a day. It’s a little half bath and it gets used all.day.long. The kids not only potty in there all day, but also use that sink for handwashing before and after meals three times a day, not to mention tooth brushing after breakfast (which I promise I’m going to start doing…uum… tomorrow).

Anyway. If you ever happen to be at a red neck church bazaar, or the thrift store, keep your eyes out for these handy things from the 70s:

A little crochet work has been attached to the top of an old kitchen towel and a button holds it in place over my round towel holder thingy. (This would also work with a towel bar, but not with a hook, because it could just slide right off the hook. Kids are smart like that.)

Long enough for my kids to reach, and they can’t pull the stinkin’ thing off! Voila! (That’s fancy for, “Check that out, ya’ll!”)

Because I’m a little eclectic, I love that it has retro butterflies on it, and that sassy orange splash of color also forever associated with hippies just makes me feel happy.

Eventually I might make some with newer hand towels and better choice of yarm (Ooooohhhh….I could do an organic set. So soft!) But for now, the ones I have keep Ezra from wadding up the hand towel and saturating it in the sink, and everyone else from throwing it on the floor for all eternity.

And I’m happy.

Edited to add: Thanks Michelle, for the link to the towel topper patterns. All you crafty folks, get em here.