It's not easy being a new mom. Sure you have a beautiful itty bitty baby to fawn over, but you also have multiple lovely postpartum issues to deal with while being completely exhausted and overwhelmed with your new life. Still, it's an amazing time to be cherished, yada yada yada *wink* Because we know how hard it can be (if you haven't read my "It Gets Better, New Mom Edition" yet, now is the time to do so!), we are so so so excited to be throwing this MASSIVE giveaway with a $600 value jackpot of 15 of the most awesome products for new moms (with an additional fabulous prize going to one runner-up). Nothing in here is for baby - it's ALL FOR YOU, MAMA!! PARTICIPATING BLOGGERS: Before we get to listing the prizes, I'd like to take a moment to give a shout out to our co-hosting and co-promoting bloggers, without whom this giveaway would not be possible! A big thank you goes out to: Heather at US-Japan Fam, Elizabeth at Mommie De, Libby at Willy B Mum, Allison at Project Motherhood, Christine at Brunch with my Baby, Stephanie at Football Food & Motherhood, Abby at The Badass Breastfeeder, Larisha at We're Parents!?, Krista at Savory Savings, and Amanda at Coupons and Lesson Plans. And now, on to what the giveaway is really about... THE PRIZES!!! We'll be reviewing products daily and listing the link below as each goes live, so keep checking back or follow me on twitter or facebook to be kept in the loop! Our grand prize winner will receive two great big tubs of Willy B Mum's food-based homemade organic and vegan whipped body butter. This all-natural product is brand new to the market and I couldn't be more excited to be featuring it in our giveaway! Obviously it's an awesome skin care product for anyone, but it is especially great for pregnant or breastfeeding moms looking to be extra careful - you know it's not just about what you eat - your skin absorbs everything you put on it! ~See Libby's personal review here!~~ NüRoo has very generously included two items in our giveaway: one NüRoo Pocket for our grand prize winner and one NüRoo Nursing Scarf for a runner-up winner! The Pocket is an incredibly unique, useful, and comfortable babywearing shirt, while the Nursing Scarf is a total fashion-meets-function kind of accessory for any breastfeeding mom! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Who doesn't love flowers!? Teleflora will be treating our giveaway's grandprize winner (and frankly, her entire family) with their beautiful "How Sweet It Is" bouquet featuring a gorgeous array of roses, matsumoto asters, and carnations. Based in California, Teleflora has a network of over 16,000 florists in the US and Canada, ensuring your flowers arrive fast and fresh! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Our grand prize winner will receive one week of online personal training from Training Wheels Stroller Fitness. The package will include a 30-minute consultation via Skype or Facetime, one week access to their online training fitness program with unlimited coaching, and a sample meal plan. What a fabulous way to kick start a new mom's journey to losing the baby weight and feeling great! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Bravado Designs will send their Essential Embrace Nursing Bra to our lucky grand prize winner (you choose the size and color). This supportive, seamless, stretchy, breathable, wireless bra is so amazingly comfortable, we bet you won't retire it after weaning your little one!! An extender kit is also included so that you can wear this bra throughout your pregnancy as well. Awesome! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Bebe au Lait is providing our grand prize winner with one of their brand spanking new Muslin Nursing Covers! Made of premium, 100% open-weave cotton muslin, these incredibly soft, stylish, and breathable nursing covers have a rigid neckline, allowing mama (and no one else) to keep an eye on baby while breastfeeding. ~~See my personal review here!~~ Miny Moe has included their Mega Mama Nursing Pad Sampler in our jackpot. This sampler is a breastfeeding mama's dream, including 6 brands of nursing pads for her to try out before stocking up on her favorite. You'll get one pair each from 3 washable brands (Bamboobies, Itzy Ritzy, & Philips Avent) as well as 3 disposable brands (Lansinoh, Johnson's, & Nuk). FYI: Miny Moe also carries disposable diaper samplers, equally awesome for new and expecting parents! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Mrs. Patel's will be sending a $34 gift voucher for our grand prize winner to select her choices of their milk supply boosting and postpartum supporting Fenugreek Bars, Milk Water Tea, and Munch Crunch, all made from Ayuverdic recipes passed down by nursing mothers for generations in India. ~~See my personal review here!~~ CredibleCravings is offering our grand prize winner a 12-pack of their organic whole food snack bars that support the unique nutritional needs of pregnant and breastfeeding moms. Packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, and natural probiotics, these bars are healthy, taste amazing, and include no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, or chemicals. ~~See Elizabeth's personal review here!~~ Undercover Mama will send our grand prize winner a $30 gift certificate with which to shop from their great selection of nursing shirts and accessories. Undercover Mama nursing shirts are incredibly unique, offering mama a discreet way to breastfeed her baby without having to buy a whole new wardrobe. These nursing shirts are worn under your regular shirt like a tank top, but instead of having normal straps, they attach to your nursing bra for easy access to the breast, then you can pull your regular shirt up to nurse without exposing your tummy. Awesome, right!?!? ~~See my personal review here!~~ Smart Mom LLC will be contributing one piece of Teething Bling to our lucky grand prize winner. They have an amazing selection of designs to choose from. Their Teething Bling is made from medical-grade food safe silicon and the easy breakaway clasp is perfectly suited for babies who love to yank at your jewelry. It's the perfect distraction while nursing, and fun to (gently) chew on while being held in your arms. Annnnnnd it's super fashionable for mama!! ~~See my personal review here!~~ Our grand prize winner will also receive a nail polish, lip gloss, and perfume trio from Tina at Avon! New moms don't have a whole lot of time to get dolled up, but a little bit can go a long way in making you look and feel fabulous! Included in this pack is a roll-on purse sized perfume, Rare Diamonds Diamond Duo lip gloss, and Speed Dry 30 second nail enamel in On the Go Pink. ~~See my personal review here!~~ Nursing Bra Express will be sending one Pull Over Sleep Nursing Bra by La Leche League Intimates™ (you choose size and color) to our grand prize winner. Soft and totally comfy, this bra is perfect throughout pregnancy, breastfeeding, and beyond! Just pull it on, and then pull it over for nursing - no clasps or hooks to deal with. ~~See my personal review here!~~ Eepples MilkCharms are a cute and useful way for moms to keep track of their bottles, and a three-pack set will be going to our grand prize winner. Just spin the dial to set the day and time your breastmilk was pumped (or formula was prepared), and you're good to go! These MilkCharms are BPA and phthalate free, and dishwasher safe. ~~See my personal review here!~~ Vitabath knows that a new mom needs to relax and be pampered, even if it's just a quick shower with a wonderful fragrance to lift you up. So, they've included two bodywashes for our grand prize winner (you choose scents)! With scents like Asian Orchid & Coconut, Citron Leaves with Lemongrass, and Cupcake Couture Dream Pink Frosting, we think these body washes might help you get in more than a shower a week! What's more? They are free of sulfates, parabens, propylene glycol, DEA, TEA, triclosan, silicone, and mineral oils!! ~~See my personal review here!~~ So what are you waiting for?? Enter to win today!!!
(US residents ages 18 and over only please! Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before new winners are selected.)
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I've said it before and I'll say it again - a humidifier is really a must in the winter for anyone, but especially a baby! Why, you ask? I'll tell ya why... Winter is dry. Your heaters make it even dryer. When your nasal passages dry out, they become easy targets for all the germs you encounter out there. Beyond that, you might notice dry skin, chapped lips, stuffy nose, nose bleeds, and static electricity galore. To battle this, you should keep your home at about 45% humidity. You can try this with pots of water and wet towels lying about your house, or you can go the higher tech route with a humidifier. Cool mist humidifiers are recommended with kids around, to avoid the risk of burns from boiling warm mist ones. They're also more effective at relieving congestion and breathing difficulties of colds (you know, the ~12 your child will have each year!!) and croup. Relieving congestion is most important for babies who must be able to breathe through their noses in order to feed from the breast or bottle! We just got the Crane Germ Defense Humidifier, which works with cool or warm mist - awesome! The Germ Defense part comes from antimicrobial protection in the water tank that creates a germ free mist. One tank can run up to 72 hours, but I make sure to change the water every 24 hours, after running it through the night and 2 naps. The thing I love most about this humidifier is the two vents you can move independent of each other!! We have the humidifier in our bedroom, which we share with our baby, so we aim one vent at his crib and one vent at our bed. Perfecto!! It's also really quiet! While it is "germ defense" it will still breed mold if you let it, so they recommend soaking the base in a vinegar-water solution once a week. The only negative is that the power light is bright blue... I guess you can just tape something over it? :P You can get one of these humidifiers from Crane's website (or just about any retailer including Amazon), OR... Enter to win a Crane Drop Humidifier or Adorable Humidifier (as well as 8 other awesome products - $300+ value) in my Great Winter Baby & Toddler Gear Giveaway (ending December 4!) **Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.
Boy oh boy, this kid is gonna be tough to break. Mommy just might break first! Here's how the first night and the first day with nap training went... 8-8:45 PM - crying Bedtime at 8pm, cried 45 minutes and then passed out in a kneeling position up against the crib. I laid him down and he slept for 4 hours. YAY!! GOOD START!!! I go to bed around 11am, regretting this delay... 8:45 PM - 1 AM - sleeping like an angel!! 1 - 2:40 AM - crying Awake and crying for a while (I hid under the covers and he didn't realize I was in the room). After 20-30 minutes he would go silent, I would peak out of my covers and see him passed (kneeling leaning against the rail). I lay him down. He wakes up crying. Repeat the cycle about 4 times. Finally I decide to just leave him sleeping like that. At 2:40 he's finally sleeping. Ugh. 2:40 - 6 AM - sleeping 6 - 8 AM - crying Wakes and cries for half an hour. I decide maybe he's hungry so I nurse him but make sure he doesn't fall asleep at the breast (this is the #1 sleep prop we're trying to break the habit of). Put him back in his crib at 6:40 awake. He cries for another hour and a half. 8-10 AM - sleeping Glorious sleep for both of us!! He wakes up super happy and adorable, thank goodness he doesn't hate me... yet... mommy needs a coffee! after taking care of my exploding booby (the one that didn't see action at 6:30am)! haha! But now I have a dilemma. The schedule I'm trying to get him on is 8pm-8am sleep, with naps at 10:45 AM and 3:15 PM. But he just woke up at 10 AM... hmmm... so we altered a bit... 12 - 1:10 PM and 1:30 - 2 PM - crying At 1:10 he fell asleep, against the rail AGAIN but he was not getting good sleep as you can see in the video below, he kept sitting up and falling forward, in a twilight kinda sleep poor guy. But he woke when I tried to lay him down 20 minutes later. Sleep Sense says if baby wakes from a nap in less than 1 hour, try to get them to fall asleep again but if they won't after 25 minutes or so give up. Well, that's what I did at 2pm, just in time to make our 2:15pm co-op class! Somehow he was a good boy in class, there's always lots of fun distractions for him, it's only at home he's a cranky pants! 2-4 PM - awake & decent mood
4-5:40 PM - crying I was sure he would go right down for a nap after our very energetic class! But, no such luck. 5:40 PM - 8 PM - great nap!! Unfortunately, this SCREWS us for tonight... he's supposed to be going down for the night now. Instead he's waking up from an amazing nap. No idea what I'm supposed to do. This sleep training this is for the friggin birds. UGH!! I just woke him up at 8 and he was happy and hugged me super tight. I guess I'll just let him play til around 10:30pm?? In case you're new here, here's a recap of my baby's sleeping history: I read "Babywise" at 7 weeks and my little guy quickly took to the eat-play-sleep schedule. By 2 months he was a great napper and slept through the night 6+ hours, by 3 months 9-11 hours straight. I put him down awake, he sucked his thumb and went to sleep quietly. At 5 months all went to hell in a hand basket due to any combo of the following: 1) He cut his bottom teeth and promptly stopped sucking his thumb 2) We had a 1 week vacation to my parent's house 3) He developed object permanence 4) We stopped using his swaddle/sleep sack Around 7 months my sister convinced me to do "Cry It Out" and we gave it a half arsed attempt but had 2 things in our way: 1) It was summer and we don't have AC, so he got way too hot while crying. 2) He gnawed at the crib when we left him in there crying (evidence below) So, I got crib rail covers and waited for the summer heat to fade away. I found the Sleep Sense Program by Dana Obleman (more on that in another post) and decided to give it a go during my husband's next business trip (I don't want Kenzo's crying throughout the night to keep my hubby up, awwwww am I the best wife or what?? ha! Seriously though, he's such a wimp, always pulling baby into bed with us at the first sign of a whimper). In the meantime we've been co-sleeping for the past few months and he's been waking up about every 1-3 hours and cries until he gets a boobie. I whip it out and we both pass out within a couple of minutes. It's really not that bad, but it's not good (what would happen after I wean him??) and his napping has been getting worse and worse as well. We both need to get better sleep! Tonight the sleep training finally commenced! Here's a video selfie just after I put Kenzo down in his crib. Whooooo that sucked... The crying lasted 45 minutes, which funnily enough is the exact time Dana reported as the average time of first night crying on the hundreds of cases she's worked on as a baby sleep consultant. She gives the option of staying in the room with the little one throughout, or just going in to check on him and reassure him. I opted for the second method. I went in at 3 minutes, at 5 minutes, and then 10 minutes a few times. Then I felt like my going in was just working him up even more. So after the 30 minute mark I stopped going in and by the 45 minute mark he was silent. I waited a few minutes then went in to make sure he was ok and in a comfortable position. This is what I found and I almost burst out laughing!!! He was out, kind of in a twilight sleep, and kept sitting up and falling forward over and over again. Really sad actually, but hilarious at the same time. Luckily he didn't wake up when I laid him down. I'm really not looking forward to him waking up in the middle of the night... I have a feeling it's going to be rough!! I blame myself - just giving him the boob to make him go back to sleep has just made him wake up more frequently and become so dependent on me. This might be a tough habit to break! Preemptive strike against possible criticism: Sleep training with or without CIO, no sleep training, breast vs. bottle, SAHM vs working mom, whatever... #ISUPPORTYOU and hope you will support me too. We're all doing the best we can and doing what we feel is right for our families. I would love if you comment with your personal experience, advice, tips, etc. But there is no need for judgement or criticism.
If you know me, you know I love free stuff. What I like almost as much as getting free stuff is giving it away! So here ya go mamas and papas, some free stuff for your little one! Enter to win in the raffle box below. Without further ado, here are the prizes in the jackpot going to one lucky winner: Miny Moe Diaper Sampler (6 brands / 30 count) Not all diapers are created equally, and not every brand or style will suit every baby. Saving you time and money, Miny Moe diaper samplers are a great way for you to try out some of the top disposable diaper brands and find out quickly which brand is the best fit for your baby. The winner will receive this pack of 30 diapers (5 diapers from each of the following 6 brands: Honest, Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, Target, & Walmart) and can choose between size Newborn, 1, or 3. You'll also get the Miny Moe score card, which includes categories of price and eco-friendliness (both pre-scored) and allows you to rate each brand on fit, irritation, and design. does Miny Moe was just voted a top 10 baby shower gift in the Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Awards and featured in Momtrends' Baby Shower Guide!! Miny Moe Disposable Nursing Pad Sampler Not only does Miny Moe offer diaper samplers, they also carry nursing pad samplers! Our winner will receive Miny Moe's disposable nursing pad sampler, including one pair from each of the following 3 top brands: Johnson's, Lansinoh, and Nuk. Miny Moe also carries a 6-brand nursing pad sampler that includes washables as well as disposables. These breast pad samplers are great for nursing and pumping moms (and even some women while still pregnant!), so they can find which pad meets their needs in absorbancy, size, visibility, price, and eco-friendliness! Flowspoon Flowspoon is a great new baby spoon that helps baby transition from breast or bottle to spoon. It's SO much easier to use with those first solids, you know, the super duper liquidy ones that are too runny for a regular spoon but too thick for the bottle. See Flowspoon in action here. Our winner will receive one Flowspoon. MAM Start Newborn Pacifier This ultra soft silicone non-bpa pacifier has an anti-slip texture to keep it comfortably in baby's mouth, and a symmetrical nipple ideal for baby's jaw development. The curvature and textures on the shield allow for air circulation, and it's good for 0+ months! Our winner will receive one of these great MAM pacifiers! NUK Genius Pacifier This extra soft and thin non-bpa pacifier was developed by dentists to provide optimal oral development, is suitable for babies age 0-6 months, and 1 will be going to our winner! Boogie Wipes Saline Wipes (Sample & Coupon) Boogie Wipes are gentle saline wipes developed by moms tired of using dry tissues on their children's runny noses. They come in scented (grape or fresh) and unscented. Our winner will recieve a Grape scented Boogie Wipes sample and coupon. Dapple Baby Laundry Detergent (Sample & Coupon) Dapple laundry detergent is hypoallergenic and free of parabans, phthalates, 1,4-dioxane, SLS, SLES, fragrance, and dyes. It's biodegradable, made from natural ingredients, and perfect for baby's clothes and cloth diapers. Our winner will receive a sample of this great detergent as well as a coupon. Boudreaux's Butt Paste (Sample) This zinc oxide based cream can be used to prevent and treat diaper rash. With a mild smell, it spreads on and wipes off easily, and with this sample our winner can give it a try! You gotta get in it to win it, so enter in the Rafflecopter box below (US residents over the age of 18 only please)! Don't forget, you can get extra entry points daily with tweeting, facebook shares, and pinning! ^_^
Kenzo just hit 10 months, actually about 30 minutes ago! ^_^ I really can't believe how fast he's growing, it's kind of scary! Exciting, but scary. One by one his friends are all turning one year old and all the moms say what a hard day it is, full of sobbing and memory lane. I feel full of anxiety just thinking about that and it's still 2 months away!! Speaking of turning one, we just booked his birthday party - we're gonna have a joint one with 2 of his baby friends who were all born within a week of each other during the crazy week of Christmas and New Year. Of course all 3 of us moms have been sucked into Pinterest getting ideas for save the dates and invitations and decorations and food and.... Man, that thing is EVIL! haha!! Anyway, back to my 10 month old little one... he's got 6 teeth now (4 top, 2 bottom), is taking solo steps, usually about 2 but up to 5 at a time! I introduced chicken and turkey so he's no longer a vegetarian! He is really into cuddling now which is uber uber cute, he is also a big fan of clapping, waving, and most recently throwing things. Ha! He's still a monster at night (since about 6 months) waking up multiple times and I've totally been enabling him as I just pull him into our bed and nurse him back to sleep cuz it's the fastest and easiest. He's dealing with his 3rd cold in about 6 weeks, but I swear as soon as he recovers we're conquering this sleep thing!! You're in for it little dude!!! Also as one year approaches I'm having to think about the whole going back to work thing. I really really don't want to. I've got my hands in so many pies at the moment (blogging, Miny Moe, Mommy Nearest, Kidz Central Station, Eczema Company, and of course my Facebook groups Bay Ridge Baby Mamas and Bay Ridge Swappies) none of them raking in a ton of cash but together they take care of groceries, haha. But they keep me busy and my hope is that through them I'll develop the right skills and meet the right people so when/if it comes time for me to find a 9-5 again I'll have some good connections. And no one can ever say I was just twiddling my thumbs during maternity leave, that is FOR SURE!!
Kenzo is nearly 10 months old now, I know right, time friggin' flies!! But that is beside the point. He's still exclusively breastfeeding, and eating 3 "meals" a day. Meals is in quotes because they consist of about 2 ounces of pureed fruit, veggies, and meat (we only started meat last week!). He's happy with this, as am I. Who needs all the choking hazards of real food what with it's chunks and chewiness. No thanks! But... I know he is growing up and needs to develop proper eating habits and abilities, or that's what I hear anyway. When we are out and about with our baby friends, they're all snacking away on their Cheerios and Puffs, so I figured it was about time Kenzo had a go. Here he is examining the goods: I had to make sure these things are water soluble as they claim to be and so I popped one in my mouth. If did dissolve, not super fast but fast enough to satisfy my choking anxiety. So I popped a puff up on his high chair tray for him, expecting him to pop that thing into his mouth with super speed. Much to my surprise, this is what happened: Apparently, he needed some help figuring out what to do with that jumping puff. Mom to the rescue, well, more like MOM FAIL FAIL FAIL!!!! Poor guy!!!! So, yeah, I'm a bit traumatized. I know gagging is a natural reflex to protect babies and of course they'll gag on solids the first (many??) times they try them. But still, it was scary!! He is still not drinking from a sippy cup so it's not like I can be like "Oh here drink this it'll help you get it down". So if he's really choking, my only defense is flipping him upside down and whacking him on the back. A few of my mommy friends have dealt with choking babies recently and that is some scary sh!t man. EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeek. I think Kenzo will be on purees until college...
I should be thankful we made it almost 9 months without baby having even the slightest of illnesses. Don't get me wrong, I am. And now that he's come down with his first cold, they tell me it's a good thing - baby is building his immune system up! Well, I guess I can get on board with that? But you know what? I wish my baby would never get sick, like EVERRRRRRRR! He doesn't deserve to suffer. Who does? And he's breastfed, isn't that supposed to mean he'll live illness free for his entire life? Not even a sniffle, right? Oh yeah, and he'll be a genius and build much more satisfying and secure personal relationships. Hmph I guess breast milk is not ALL it's cracked up to be (it's still pretty damn awesome though!). Kenzo came down with a wicked case of the sniffles in the middle of the night last night. He was snorting and making all kinds of racket, waking up what seemed like every hour upon the hour. It was super fun, let me tell you! When he wakes up in the night (3+ times a night for the last 4 months, geeeez), I usually just pull him out of his crib, spin around, toss him in the middle of our bed (yes, his crib is in our bedroom since it's the ONLY bedroom in our apartment!), stick my boob in his mouth, and we're all off to lala land in about 5 minutes. But last night, he was so stuffed up and snotty he wouldn't even take my boob. Poor guy!! So, this morning it was off to my local/online mommy group for advice on helping little one (and me) get through his first cold. Here are some of the things that I was advised to run out and get: 1) Saline - you can spray it up the nose to moisten and help with congestion. Same idea as the neti pot I suppose, but you can't exactly get a baby to cooperate with the neti pot. You can't get me to cooperate with one either!! It was also recommended to use saline with a nebulizer, which I have borrowed from a friend but have yet to try. 2) The Baby Vac is a nasal aspirator that hooks up to your vacuum to give you some major suction power. Apparently it's sold at our doctor's office. Unfortunately our vacuum is ridiculously loud, and I fear between that and the suctioning, I will traumatize Kenzo for life!! 3) The Nose Frida is another nasal aspirator, but this one is powered by your own mouth!! Can i get a "EWWWWWWWWWW GROSSSSSS!!!!"?? Yeah, that's how I feel, but apparently those who use it swear by it!! I can only imagine the sensation as you're sucking the boogies out of your munchkin's nose. I know they get trapped in a little container and don't have a chance of actually making it to your mouth, but still, I just can't be convinced about this one! 4) The electronic nasal aspirator seems to be the perfect combo between the vacuum powered (too loud and also you have to lug out the vacuum and have it just sitting at the changing table taking up valuable real estate) and the mouth-powered Nose Frida. Unfortunately, reviews don't look so good - mostly saying they're weak and can't even suck water out of a glass. Hmmm... I might give this one a try, making sure about the return policy first! 5) A humidifier. We already have this one, but have yet to use it. I wonder if the reason Kenzo was such a snorting and grunting sleeper as a newborn was because our apartment was so darn dry. But I worry about using a humidifier because if it's not 100% clean - the device and the water - you're all inhaling the mold or bacteria or whatever else is in there. Scary... but I reckon emptying and cleaning it daily with a natural cleaner (maybe vinegar?) should be safe enough. Will have to give this a try. I've also increased our feeding sessions since the goodies in my milk can only help him fight this off. I know ear infections are quite common to accompany a cold, but Kenzo has always been an ear puller so I don't know if I'd notice the signs! And about fever... I don't know if I have the mom gene where you can just kiss your child's forehead and know they have a fever. Sometimes he feels cool, sometimes hot, but anytime I've ever taken his temp it's always been the same. I guess you go by how they're acting as well? So far, Kenzo is pretty much his same old self today - playing, whining, crawling and cruising around looking for trouble! ^_^ Hopefully he conquers this cold without much trouble!! It's really weird because when adults are sick, we usually go about our daily lives and regular schedule as usual unless we are feeling especially crappy. But with a baby, you pretty much have to cancel everything for the next week or two because they can't control their coughing, sneezing, drooling, and general ability to infect all those around them, especially other babies. So, this is looking to be a pretty lonely week of quarantine!! But at least I have this adorable dude to hang with!!
I'm been breastfeeding my little guy for over 8 months now. I'm not gonna lie, the first month or two was not easy. Whewwwwwwwwwww not easy at ALL!! But after the awkwardness and difficulty and pain passed, it has been super duper easy peasy and I feel so lucky to be able to do it. I work at home, so I have only pumped a handful of times, and I have a tiny stash in the freezer for "just in case" scenarios. Nobody told me how to store milk, I had to google the time limit, but other than that I just kinda winged it on labeling them. Here's my stash: Not high tech, and definitely not aesthetically pleasing! But, I'm not doing this on a daily basis like so many moms out there are. For those moms, I would love to introduce a really cool and cute way to label your milk (and formula) - meet Eepples MilkCharms!! You dial in the day or the hour (on opposite sides of each charm), hang it on the bottle, and you're done! No more messing around with tape or sticky notes or guessing which bottle to grab next. They're BPA/phthalate free, made of polypropylene and silicone, dishwasher safe, recyclable, and UL tested. And so darn cute!!
You can buy a pack of 3 today for $15 here, or you can enter to win a pack (along with 10 other awesome baby products valued at over $250) in my Baby Bonanza Giveaway ending Sept 18 - enter here!! And because you must be as curious as I was - what is up with the name "Eepples"?? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Do you remember that Raffi song "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas. I like to ate, ate, ate aypples and baynaynays. I like to eet, eet, eet eepples and beeneenees"? Well, that's where it's from! And now that song is stuck in your head for the rest of the week... You're welcome! lol ^_^ (For some more Raffi & Full House nostalgia, enjoy!) I waited til my lil' guy was 6 months to introduce solids. We went straight to pureed veggies on the tip of a regular baby spoon and had no issues. No tongue push, no refusal to eat, no mess! But from what I've heard, this isn't usually the case. Many moms start solids way earlier, sometimes even in the first couple of months via a bit of rice cereal in the bottle to try and get baby to sleep through the night. Others start spoon feeding around 4 or 5 months with very thin rice cereal. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to spoon feed that to an itty bitty baby who only has the instinct to suck. I guess I'm not the only one who saw a problem with that. Flowspoon was developed to help introduce semi-solids to babies age 4-7 months and help them transition from bottle or breast to spoon with less mess and less air (i.e. less reflux). The design is really unique and makes you go "Why didn't someone think of this sooner??" *Face Palm* It's literally a nipple-spoon hybrid, though it's hard plastic rather than a soft nipple, and it's BPA/Phthalate free. Even the handle is creative with it's twist that makes holding and using it super comfortable. Unfortunately at 8 months and already used to spoon feeding, my little man didn't qualify as a tester for Flowspoon, so I recruited a mommy friend of mine who was just introducing her 5 monther to rice cereal. She'd had just 4 feedings prior which were all extremely messy and not incredibly productive - she only got a couple of mini-spoonfuls in before being refused further entrance. So we were both really anxious and curious to see how Flowspoon would measure up! This precious little munchkin took to it right away. It was pretty incredible to watch her suck away skillfully from the spoon! I'm not gonna lie, there was still a bit of a mess - she would leak a bit of rice back out when mommy went for refills! But her mom was amazed by how much more she was eating than with a regular baby spoon. She thought maybe it was just coincidence, and that she was just getting the hang of solids in general, so she went back to a regular spoon for the next feeding and wouldn't you know, it was back to the teeny tiny messy slurps and then done. Switched back to the Flowspoon and success - tons of rice down the hatchet!! See for yourself: You can order a Flowspoon today for $7.95 or you can win one along with 10 other awesome baby products in my Baby Bonanza Giveaway - enter here!
Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. |
About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, saving moms time finding the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! Categories
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