Dried fruit and cereal will keep till enternity in a sealed baggie- your child may not turn out to be an eater, but they can also make pretty patterns on restauant tables.

Bring along a long sleeve shirt, or you will regularly spend obscene amounts of money on a cheap shirt from the zoo, Smithsonian,etc .

Everything must pass.

Live in the city.

Live in the suburbs.

In the end, it doesn’t matter where a happy child grows

My advice to Eric is to trust your instincts and do what you think is best for your child. As long as your kids know they are the most important thing to you, everything else works itself out.

I fought like hell to get my kid into a Ward 3 school and I would recommend that as the best option for most parents. I have friends who are on their third Charter School because the classroom didn’t live up to the Dog and Pony Show.

Do not let ANYONE fool you about DCPS schools- some of the Ward 1 schools I’ve seen are HORRIBLE and the teachers weren’t teaching ANYTHING compared to Montgomery County Schools. I know that most people here won’t believe me, so I suggest going to both Ward 1 and Montgomery County Public Schools or Fairfax County and checking out both. I have been in schools in MoCo where there were more diverse students performing much better in neighborhoods where the houses cost 10% less than Columbia Heights.

Read the NCLB scores over the past 5 years for your potential schools, educate yourself on how NCLB works, and then make an educated assessment. I have not found ANY NCLB scores that I felt were different than they should have been. Schools where 50% of the students were failing NCLB looked like they failed 50% of their students anyway!

on to the practical stuff:

4) SLING! I love slings! We used a Hotsling when they were newborn, and a Maya wrap as they got bigger. Who knew I could walk through the grocery store with a 10 month old in a sling, nursing away, while everybody just assumed she was sleeping in there!
5) we have two strollers, and it is the best decision we made. One faux jogger for long walks, metro rides, etc. And a McLaren quick folding stroller for shorter walks and bus rides. But really, you won’t need a stroller until wee one is closer to 5 months old. . . because a sling is so much easier!
6) I second the ‘don’t overpack’ advice. Yes, be prepared. But if you’re not, refer back to point number three.
7) Yep, the daycare thing can be tricky. So can the school thing. But both are manageable. There are some GREAT charters in DC – Washington Yuying, Stokes, Two Rivers, etc. You’ll figure it out when you get there.
Take advantage of all the free activities in this city, and take your kids everywhere! Museums, street festivals, parks, etc. Ask other parents you meet about good parks, good places to walk, etc. Remember that the littlest simplest things can fascinate your kids for hours. i.e. sitting under a willow tree down in West Potomac Park, looking up through the leave at a bright sky behind. . . you can get hours of joy from just this. take a picnic.
9) Teach your kids road smarts as soon as possible. But don’t stifle them. Let them explore.
10) I’m yammering now. . . so I think I’ll stop right there. Except this: TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAVE FUN!!!!

I actually love some of the little buggers. Just bought halloween socks, glow sticks, clay, paint and have saved 53 toilet paper rolls for craft projects this weekend. But really, look at all the tedious, obnoxious people around you every day – they were all once someone’s bright tot. Obstructionist republicans were once cute babies. Hitler – well, that’s always a cheap shot. . .

Yes, children are the hope of the future. They always have been. And where has that got us?

Best parenting tip I ever received – stay calm, be steady. If you freak out the kid will freak out. It is tough – but has worked for us. Congrats!