InfoMommy Insight

Fond of the Frog Pod

2010-07-29T08:46:00.002-04:00

As a Mom, I sometimes find it challenging to find ways to effectively organize my son’s toys and other belongings. I recently happened upon the Frog Pod bath accessory by Boon Inc, and I think it’s great!

This colourful mildew-resistant green frog hangs on your shower wall, and keeps your child’s bath items under control. I love that you can store all their items in one place! The Frog Pod has a shelf on the top, allowing you to store their shampoo & bodywash, and you can hang things like a shower puff from the frog’s toes. The body of the frog is a detachable scoop with makes collecting bath toys easy as pie. Once you scoop up the toys, you can easily rinse them under the faucet, & re-attach it to the base.

The Frog Pod is wall mountable in 3 ways. Included in your purchase are 2 methods. One being adhesive strips (holds up to 10lbs), and the second being screws to secure it directly into the wall (holds up to 20lbs). The third method is to purchase the suction cup bracket, sold separately. When using the suction cup method, the Frog Pod holds 5lbs.

We personally chose the adhesive strip bracket, which we found easy to apply and has worked very well. We were uncomfortable drilling into our shower tile, so for us, this was a great option.

The Frog Pod does take up a fair amount of space (19" x 16 1/2" x 7"), and the toy storage area is a bit narrow for some toys, but most bath toys fit in there just fine! This product is versatile, fashionable and very user friendly!

This accessory is also available as a red or pink lady bug, called the Bug Pod.

The Frog Pod retails for approximately $34.99. For information on where to purchase the Frog or the Bug Pod, click here.

***This sample product was provided free of charge.

Mad for the Monkey Nap Mat!

2010-07-28T07:17:00.001-04:00

There is an adorable solution for needing a quick bed, blanket & pillow for your toddler or preschooler to nap with! Whether it’s going over to the sitter’s, spending the night at Auntie’s house, or taking a road trip, this is one item that you can’t live without. Our little guy even loves to occasionally lay on it while watching cartoons.

The fashionable Lambs & Ivy Brown Monkey Nap Mat is an all-in-one mat geared for children 2-5 years of age. It is machine washable, dryer safe, and has a write-on name tag for personalization. It rolls up effortlessly and is held together by 2 Velcro fasteners. A carrying handle is also attached for easy transport. Weighing only about 1 pound, it can easily be toted around by its little owner.

The mat itself is a polyester/cotton blend, and the attached blanket is baby soft fleece. When laid out, the Nap Mat measures 20¼”W x 45”L.

The Nap Mat is available in Brown Monkey, Pink Monkey, & Trains, and retails for approximately $24.99 in Canada.

To find a retailer near you, click here.

***This sample product was provided free of charge.

Hooter Hiders - Need I Say More?

2010-07-22T06:26:00.002-04:00

I would normally try to think of a clever title for this blog entry, but I think the brand name does it complete justice! LOL I love it!

Now, we as breastfeeding mothers should not have to hide our hooters so to speak, LOL, but some of us are more modest than others and may feel uncomfortable baring what to some may seem like all. - Enter the Hooter Hiders Nursing Cover!

If you read my previous blog post entitled "What No One Ever Told Me About Breastfeeding", you'll know that I was very shy and modest in the beginning of my breastfeeding experience. At that time, I tried several nursing covers, only to find that I wasn't really all that happy with any of them. I truly wish I had of known about this product when I was nursing my son.

Hooter Hiders Nursing Covers have a rigid neckline, which is one of the main features that sets it apart for me. The semi-circular rigid neckline allows you to have eye contact with your little one, and facilitates air flow thanks to the open neckline.

They come in a number of stylish prints, are made of durable 100% cotton and are machine washable. They also come with a stylish pouch to store the nursing cover and to keep it clean. You can easily adjust the nursing cover to sit higher or lower by simply tightening or loosening the D-ring neck strap.

This product is a lot wider and longer than most others on the market, allowing for extra privacy. This is especially great if you are a plus sized Mom, or are nursing a wee one who loves to wiggle around and grab at the cover!

This product retails for around $35.00 US, and is available for purchase online at BebeAuLait.com as well as in local boutiques. For a list of stores carrying this product, click here.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Peachy Keen Over Peachy Bean's Cocoa Collection!

2010-07-11T07:29:00.001-04:00

Peachy Bean Baby has a new organic line out called the Cocoa Collection! I sampled their fresh looking "Cocoa Avocado" hoodie, which comes in brown and bright green.

The 100% organic cotton is so soft and cuddly, I wanted to wrap it around myself! Unfortunately, the 4T size just doesn't quite cover me, LOL but I love the fabric. The material is quite thick and the hoodie has a strong, solid zipper up the front. This tagless hoodie has an adorable "Peachy Bean" label sewn onto the top of the hood and seems quite durable. After washing it, it held its shape and colour.

These hoodies are available is sizes 6 months - 4T & come in 3 different cocoa colours - Natural White, Avocado & Raspberry. The suggested retail price for each organic hoodie is $26.99.

Peachy Bean Baby is a family owned Canadian company, and their 100% certified organic products are made in India. Non PVC inks and eco-friendly dyes are used to create these adorable products, and are made under fair trade conditions.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Consider Kiddyloo for Pee & Poo!

2010-06-27T16:30:00.001-04:00

There are what seems like a million and one options out there for potty training your child, but there is one that seems more unique than others. This product is specifically for children over 18 months, and would be well suited to children who want to be like Mom & Dad, or their older sibling. It would also be a good option for toddlers who just don't want to sit on a regular floor potty. I'm confident that this potty would give most children a sense of independence, thus encouraging the potty training process and promoting self confidence. Our son took immediate interest as it was higher up and he actually stayed put on it, which he wouldn't do with other potties we tried.

The Kiddyloo Toilet Trainer is an ergonomically designed toilet reducer potty which allows your potty trainee to climb up on the toilet themselves. I must admit that my first impression from looking at the picture before I set it up, was that it could be a dangerous contraption. But once I put it together and afixed it to the toilet, I realized it is really quite strong, secures well to our toilet seat and is stable. The step & feet are non-skid and there are handles for the child to climb up safely. The seat itself is moulded for secure seating, and the front seems high enough for your little boys to prevent spray.

As I said, my initial impression from the picture made me ponder as to whether or not I'd want my toddler climbing up that high, but as with any activity or potty, they require supervision. You should always be there to help & monitor them climbing up and down, and should always supervise them while they are sitting on on the Kiddyloo or playing around it.

This product is made in France, and has height adjustments that allow it to fit nearly any toilet. The step has 2 height level adjustments and easily folds up for storage. Putting it together is also easy and simple.

The best part about this toilet trainer for me, is that you don't have to scoop, scrub, or gag when they go poo in the potty, unlike with the floor potties. At worst, you'd have to wipe the side of it with a wipe or toilet paper. Unless they had some sort of diarrhea explosion, which in that case, you'd be up creek without a paddle no matter what you used! LOL

This product retails in Canada for $60.00. For a list of stores carrying this product in Canada, click here.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Inspiration - Shine Your Light & Pay It Forward!

2010-06-25T12:29:00.003-04:00

That is what I felt the day one of my former clients asked me to be her little baby’s Godmother. Not a fairy godmother, thankfully, LOL but a Godmother nonetheless.

In my early 20’s, I used to work in a maternity home for young pregnant women, most of them in their teens. I loved that job, loved working with youth and who couldn’t possibly love all those babies! It was hard sometimes to have to hold back and be “professional” (by that I mean not get too emotionally involved) when you feel a bond with someone and feel like you can truly make a difference in someone’s life.

I remember this one client I had on my caseload who was relatively early in her pregnancy. We’ll call her “Anna”. She was spirited, opinionated and guarded, all the while still wearing her heart on her sleeve. Slow to trust, slow to truly open up and be vulnerable. Slow to really let people in. A young lady who was intelligent, passionate about life, one who wanted to reach for the sky and do the best job she could, no matter the obstacles before her. One who was “real” – a woman who stood up for what she believed in, and would let you know exactly where you stood, good or bad.

I felt a connection to her from the start, like we were one and the same. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think we were very similar at that point in both of our lives. We weren’t all that far apart in age either. I remember months after she came to live in the home, I had decided to accept a job offer for a different organization and had to say goodbye. This job was starting a few weeks before she was due to give birth. Now, I had worked with many clients during the time I worked in the non-profit sector, and never once cried in front of them, nor felt the need to. But this time was different.

I remember being in her room, and sitting beside her while I told her that I had to move on. She started crying, upset that after letting her guard down and trusting me with her life situation, I was going to leave her. I had actually felt very similar walking in to tell her. I felt like I was letting her down, knowing how hard it had been for her to open up, be vulnerable and trust someone. And in knowing that she really needed a friend and a mentor with all that she was going through in her life. I felt like I was abandoning her. I’m sure she felt that way too. So I let my own guard down, and my “professional” composure. I hugged her and cried along with her.
Fortunately, the job that I moved on to was on a social service help line, where I could receive calls from the public. I gave her my new contact information at the help line and encouraged her to call me anytime she wanted or needed to.

After keeping in touch once she had the baby and hearing about how her and her daughter (who we’ll refer to as Aaliyah) were adjusting to their new life together, I got a call one night from her at work. Lo & behold, she asked me to be her baby’s Godmother!

My first inclination was to decline, after all, in many social service settings, you try not to get too emotionally close and in some cases, it is expected of you. I had always disagreed with this, as I always felt that you can’t teach young people how to show love and compassion in healthy ways if you are unable to properly model it for them. It’s like expecting a parent to parent, if they themselves have never been parented. Sure, people learn the hard way, the wrong way, and sometimes even the right way - whatever way that is, LOL. But I think if you feel like giving a kid a hug, and you think they need a hug, give them a hug! Who doesn’t sometimes just need a hug! We’re so worried about liability these days that we forget to be human.

But my second inclination was much different. My gut was telling me to accept this honour, because I felt it was the right thing to do. And it was what I really wanted to do! I felt that I had truly touched this young woman’s life, and had been one of the few people she could rely on and trust. And I wanted to continue to be that to her and her daughter. I knew that I could follow through on the commitment to be there for Aaliyah and her mother, and I felt it was the right thing to do.

Well, that was about 9 years ago, and we’re still going strong! She is no longer a “former client”, but a dear friend! And although we don’t see each other as often as we’d like, we love to get together when we can and have deep discussions about life, relationships, things that are important to us, or that is going on around us. And share a lot of laughs too! And Aaliyah is doing absolutely wonderful, as is her mother! Anna has done a fabulous job with her and makes me very proud!

Aaliyah was one of the flower girls in my wedding and I just can’t believe how fast the time has raced by! But one of the things I can believe? Is that if you “do the right thing”, it almost always pays itself back and more importantly – forward to someone else!!

So thanks to you – Anna, and for my special Goddaughter Aaliyah for touching my life! You are both major inspirations to me, and though Anna always plays it down when I get all sappy with her about the honour that I feel to hold this special role, I know that she thinks the same! (Or at least I sure hope so! But then again, she would tell me if she didn’t! Remember I said she was “real”?! LOL) I am so very honoured that you continue to want me to share in you & your daughter’s life and that you continue trusting in me!

I am so proud of you for being you and for doing such a great job with Aaliyah and yourself! Good luck in your new business venture and know that I am always here for you guys!

The moral of this story? Pay it forward and do the right thing! The world would be a much better place if we all practiced that a little more often! And in the words of India Arie in her song “There’s Hope” - “Keep shining your light and show the world your smile!”

You can positively affect someone’s life every day just by being you!

Sunscreen On The Go!

2010-06-21T23:24:00.004-04:00

For parents who are tired of getting covered up to their elbows trying to slather sunscreen on their little ones, MD Moms has Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes to make application super easy!

These dermatologist-approved Baby Silk Sunscreen towelettes are SPF 30+, and enriched with vitamin E, vitamin B5, marine silk, aloe and oat. These lightly scented towelettes have no chemical sunscreen components and are phthalate, lanolin, mineral oil, petroleum & wax free.

Each water resistant & sweatproof sunscreen towelette is made in the USA, and contains enough sunscreen for 1 application on the average toddler.

These handy 15-pack of towelettes are great for travel or on the go activities. They are TSA approved in the USA for carry-on luggage in aircraft, and have an adhesive flap that you peel back to grab a towelette and then re-seal to keep the others fresh & moist.

Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes retail for $26.00US, and are available for purchase at MDMoms.com. Free summer shipping is on now!

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***This sample product was provided free of charge

Definitely A Great View!

2010-06-17T07:47:00.005-04:00

In an era where baby safety is at an all time high, it is great to find products that help us keep our little ones safe. I recently tested out the Summer Infant BestView™ Handheld Color Video Monitor. This monitor is one that I think is absolutely great!

This digital monitor allows you to pan & zoom in on your baby, which I found to be very helpful as our little guy moved around so much in his crib. This is also a great monitor to use if you are sleep training your child, or starting out your toddler in a toddler bed.

It can be mounted on the wall, or placed on a table top or other furniture. I originally suspected that the monitor panning would be noisy, however it is actually pretty quiet. If you place it in the right spot, panning allows you to get a view of almost the entire room, ensuring that your little one is doing just fine, and not getting into anything. The 2X zoom feature is great as well, so you can focus in if need be.

The handheld unit comes with a belt clip and a flip stand, and also has Video Sleep Mode, in which the screen goes to sleep to conserve battery power when you do not have it plugged in to the AC adapter. You would then simply press the Video On/Off button to view the video image again. The regular features of the monitor such as sound and lights still function normally when the Video Sleep Mode is activated.

Additionally, the monitor features a 2.5" display, sound lights, volume controls as well as Night Vision, which switches automatically depending on the amount of light in the room that is being monitored. You can also adjust the brightness of the video display and it comes with an Out of Range Indicator so you know if the units are too far apart.

This unit can have up to 4 additional cameras added, and has a 350' range.

In my opinion, the only downside about this monitor other than the higher price tag (it retails in Canada for approximately $299.99), is the fact that you can't video tape some of the hilarious moments you are bound to see while watching your little bundle of joy! We have already shared laughs over what we've seen!

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Hey Mom - I Pooped On Your Kettle!

2010-06-10T04:50:00.003-04:00

I think I’ve been pooped on more today than I’ve pooped all week! LOL Memories of being a child and my dad jokingly singing “Campbell’s soup makes you poop – down your leg and in your boot!” are coming back to mind…. (Settle down Campbell’s!! I’m not dissin’ your soup or any of your other products, in fact I’m a big fan of your stuff! LOL) Don’t ask me where my dad got that saying from back in the early 80’s, but it definitely sticks in your mind… (I think I’m dating myself by telling you that! LOL)

Our little guy has the runs…. And I don’t mean like a morning jog kind of runs… I mean like a full on marathon!!! Coming out the sides & running of the diaper like we’re at the Boston Marathon… And how did I find that out you ask?

Well, I was trying to get some stuff done this morning, so I opened up our pots and pans cupboard (which is normally locked) and let him go to town banging them around and laying them all over the kitchen floor. No biggie, right? Just a little noise to contend with is all I’m thinking.

We have a stainless steele kettle stored in there too, which he really likes to play with. A few minutes later he comes over to me with the kettle. I have no idea what he wants me to do with it, when I realize that there’s a little bit of rusty looking liquid on it. Just a small amount… So what would anyone assume? That maybe a little bit of water was left over the last time we used it, so maybe it got a little rusty? So I wipe it off and give it back to him.

I then pick him up and woah! – What is that liquid coming out all over me??!! And why is it yellowy brown?? OMG, he’s just pooped all over me – and why doesn’t it stink??!!! (Does it occur to me that that was poop on the kettle? No ma’am! – it was morning, so you have to cut me some slack on that one. LOL) I go to change the poor child and my husband yells up at me - “Hey Hon – I think he left some evidence down here!”

We come back down (my son with a fresh diaper and me with a whole change of clothes) to discover that in fact he had left a trail right around where he was playing with the pots! (Where’s the health inspector now?!) And then it occurred to me – OMG the kettle!

And here I was thinking he brought the kettle over for me to play with! Smart lil’ guy, I tell ya! (And for those wondering… No, I did not put the pots back into the cupboard! LOL I put them all in the dishwasher on the Sanitary cycle, which promises to sterilize what’s being washed.) And will I use the kettle again? Probably not! LOL

Handle With Care

2010-06-09T14:21:00.008-04:00

I was approached by Organically Grown Group to do a product review on their boy’s "Handle With Care" 2-piece short set from their new organic toddler line.

The shorts come with cute little pockets on each side, and the t-shirt has an adorable picture of the earth with the recycling symbol surrounding it, along with the words "Handle with Care". The organic cotton fabric of this outfit is very soft, and seems quite durable. The images are embroidered & sewn on, not ironed on, so you know the graphics will last a long time. This outfit has a tagless t-shirt (great for little ones who squirm from their tags) and launders well.

Organically Grown Group carries a heart melting array of organic infant and toddler clothing, available in sizes NB to 4T. They also carry some organic infant decor items, as well as a small assortment of organic adult clothing and accessories.

This particular outfit retails for $30US, and can be shipped via Fed Ex by either Ground, 2-Day, or Overnight shipping.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Splash Up With Your "Play Up"!

2010-06-09T14:17:00.007-04:00

Now that spring is here and summer is just around the corner, one children's toy that I really like is the Step 2 "Play Up Adjustable Sand & Water Table".

This sand and water table is very simple & quick to set up. It is recommended for ages 2 and up, comes in 2 height levels, allowing it to grow with your child. It has an adorable colorful umbrella which attaches to the table, providing for some sun protection, depending on how it is positioned with the sun's rays. It has two compartments, 1 for 10 pounds of sand and 1 for - you guessed it, LOL – 3 gallons of water!

Included with the table are some little plastic boats, a mini shovel & rake, as well as 2 little pots with holes in the bottom to entertain toddlers & preschoolers. There are also 2 removable little bridges on one end of the table which connect to a path. The path leads into the other side, so your child can drive their boat (or other small waterproof toy) onto the sand, and then back around into water.
I love the fact that it also has a securable lid to keep debris out of the water, and also to keep the local cat in your neighborhood from doing its business in the sand. You wouldn't want your little one finding any "surprises" in there. LOL

There are drain plugs on both sides, making it easy to empty out, especially when it comes to the sand. I found it to be quite sturdy and my little guy genuinely enjoys playing with it. The other plus about this table is that if you need to place it where sand would not be appropriate (because let's face it - which toddler doesn't like to dump, spill & throw things! LOL), you can fill both sides with water instead!
There are 2 things to keep in mind with this play table. First, the sand does not come with the table, so it needs to be purchased separately. Second, the umbrella is not secured underneath the table, so it is important to take it out if it is windy outside, or it could blow upwards and out of the table.

The Step 2 Play Up Sand & Water Table retails for approximately $99.99 in Canada, and approximately $69.99 in the U.S.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

Birthing Like Mary & The Baby Jesus

2010-06-09T14:14:00.003-04:00

My son recently turned 2, and on the eve of his birthday, I found myself reminiscing about the day I went into labour, and how it all went down. Taking this “stroll” down memory lane, reminded me a lot of the funny moments and some I would rather forget! LOL

Many people find my birth story to be hilarious, especially parents who know exactly what I’m talking about! I wanted a natural birth, and had hired a doula to help me achieve that goal, fully knowing that I may end up hankering for an epidural as – let’s face it – I had no idea what I’d be getting myself into!

This is how it all went down… It’s 3am and I woke up to find that my water has just broken. I could feel it starting to trickle out and just knew that if I moved or even worse, stood up, there would a tsunami-like gush of amniotic fluid. But wait! It’s 3am, do you know where your husband is? Oh yeah, I know! He’s sleeping down on the couch, where he has been for the last couple of weeks, due to my brutal hip pain that caused me to toss and turn all night long & prevented the both of us from sleeping. Now, I must admit, I am a bit of a neurotic sleeper – ok, I’m downplaying that just a wee bit. LOL I love white noise, & my husband has a general disdain for the fan that I like to blare full blast to create my white noise haven. One thing that never crossed my mind though, was that my neuroticism would soon become enemy #1. So here I am, lying in the bed, afraid to move, and wondering…. How the hell am I going to wake up my husband who’s sleeping downstairs, when I have the bedroom door shut, the fan on full blast, and nothing but a plastic bottle of lotion on my nightstand to try and carefully bang on the carpeted floor with, in the hopes of rousing him from his snoring and usual deep sleep! I tried and I tried, but do you think a plastic bottle does much of anything against a plush carpet? In case you’re wondering, it doesn’t! LOL Then it occurred to me! He might have left his cell phone on! So I called it and called it and called it until FINALLY he woke up! He comes tearing up the stairs and I yell at him: “Get me that towel that your Mom just gave us, that really big thick one in the linen closet cause you’re gonna have to diaper me with it, so I don’t gush all over the carpet!”, all the while thinking “Oh God, please don’t let her find out about this one!”
Sure enough, my husband brings me the towel and helps me diaper myself in it, (I’m sure he never pictured this on our 1st date! LOL) and then escorts me over to the toilet where I continue my “business”, or maybe it’s the baby’s “business”, but does it really matter? I didn’t have any real contractions at all for the rest of the night. I called the hospital in the morning and was told by the nurse to stay home if I wasn’t progressing, as the only thing they had for me right now was a chair to sit on. She sort of laughed, which I am sure was a result of them having a crazy shift, but it wasn’t all that funny to me! Little did I know….

So, about 12 hours later, after eating a Big Mac combo & continuously walking to hopefully help induce labour, (there was no way I was getting induced if I could help it!) we trod into the hospital to see our doctor and I was only 1 cm dilated. 1 cm? After 12 hours? You must be kidding me! She also told me that I might as well go home as they were so busy, and that I’d be much more comfortable there at home with my doula, seeing as I wasn’t really progressing. She told me to come back by 8am the next day to be induced, unless my contractions picked up before then. Our lovely doula arrived while they were monitoring my contractions, (contractions that were clearly taking a long break, and had possibly even gone on an extended lunch LOL) and then they discharged me. No sooner did we leave the hospital that they picked up. (Damn that Murphy’s Law!!) Nothing too crazy, but definitely getting stronger and more uncomfortable.

They started to pick up more rapidly and we decided to head back to the hospital. I had to go pee before we left (big surprise there!) and when I sat on the toilet I had the weirdest strongest pain and felt like I was paralyzed on the toilet. I was yelling at my husband, the poor soul, to call 9-1-1 for an ambulance as I couldn’t move or get off the toilet and I remember him yelling back at me in frustration “What do you think the ambulance is going to do for you right now besides force you off the toilet?” No matter how annoyed I was with him at that particular moment, I had to agree he had a point. So he yanked me up off the toilet until I could stand up and then that pain went away. It was the strangest thing, but it had passed and we made a run for (ok, waddle for) the door to get in the car while we had the chance!

My husband drops me off at the front door of the hospital and goes to park the car while I sit outside in a wheelchair patiently waiting (yeah, right) with my pillow on my lap that we were supposed to bring with us (I’m sorry, where are my tax dollars going again?). This wonderful old man decides to strike up a conversation with me about how he has I don’t remember how many grandchildren, and how it’s wonderful and ………….. I start thinking – “In case you were wondering Sir, I was just having a contraction and have no idea what the hell you just said, and although I’d love to chat it up with you on a good day, you may not get quite the same reaction today as you thought you might!”

Now, I realize that I’m writing a lot of detail here, but I think I need to, to really give you a clear picture of what really happened, and of course, for dramatic effect. But I promise you, it’s all 100% true!

So we head on up to the Labour & Delivery floor and are about to walk in the Assessment area when one nurse says to my husband, “You need to keep her out here for a moment as we are busy in here and will get you guys in a few minutes.” Ok no biggie…. A few minutes pass by and then another nurse comes out and asks my husband if we’re in labour. (Ya think?) My husbands says yes and then she says “Well then you should really get her in here, why on earth were you waiting out here in the hall?”. (Oooh nooo…. I think my husband is going to let her have it! But he doesn’t, and on in we go).

So I get onto the gurney (Wow, I’m so lucky, and here I thought it was going to be a chair! LOL) and they check me. Wow! Another 2 cm’s after all this time! Why so fast? Not!! We’re at a total of 3cms now and I have to go pee once again. My husband walks me to their washroom, which is down at the end of the hall and you HAVE to walk through the visitor waiting room to get there, which is fabulously pleasant! NOT! We get there and I go pee. Then, once again, when I went to get up I had that crazy pain again and couldn’t get up off the toilet. My husband got me up off it again and I remember saying to him, feeling disappointed in myself that this pain was so brutal, nothing like I had ever expected and that I didn’t know if I could do this without drugs. I had previously told him not to let me have drugs unless I really needed them and truly wanted them, not just in a moment of so called “weakness”. I had no idea until after the birth that what I had been experiencing was back labour and every time I sat on the toilet, our baby moved and his head and spine would be grinding up against my spine. This time, the baby didn’t turn back around when I got up, so the pain was brutal! He patiently walked back to the room with me, taking only a slight step each step of the way due to the excruciating pain. He told me later that it took me 30 mins just to get back to the bed because I couldn’t really walk. He also later said that while making it back to the room, he felt more and more self-conscious as the visitors kept staring at us as we took so long to pass. I’m sure they were thinking “Oh, what a whiner!”. (But you know how the saying goes – Take a picture, it lasts longer! LOL) Getting up onto the gurney was a whole other issue. Once I was on there, it was insane! My contractions were coming so fast and so strong and were on top of each other for just over an hour straight. I never had those coming and going type of contractions at that time, the ones where you have a break in between, even if “break” means only 30 seconds. The next one was coming full force before the last one even had a chance to stop peaking. Now at this point, I knew there was no way in hell I could do this without drugs, and when I asked (more like demanded) for an epidural, the nurse nicely pointed out that I was still in assessment, and until I was in a birthing suite (which were rammed and I wouldn’t be getting anytime soon), I could not receive so much as a regular Tylenol!! How nice! We’re really enjoying our stay at Hospital Hotel! Thanks for having us!!

During the time that my contractions were piling up on me, I remember my husband and my doula trying to talk to me, trying to touch me and generally be helpful & keep me on my birthing plan goals. Part of the time they seemed like they were in a far away place, off in a distant land, and other times they seemed to be so close to me that I felt like they were stealing my oxygen. All I know is that I was in so much pain from all the contractions coming at once with no break in between that I was laying tensed up on that gurney like I was tied into a straight jacket for just over an hour straight. I had been so tensed up for that period of time, that for the next few days after the birth, every single muscle in my body ached like I had just had one hell of a work out at Gold’s gym! I know at one point I said through gritted teeth, (quite rudely I’m sure) L-E-A-V-E M-E A-L-O-N-E!! I’m sure I threw in a “D-O-N’-T T-O-U-C-H M-E or two at some point too! LOL

Turns out, I had been chanting and carrying on worse that I had thought, according to my husband’s re-telling of it. I really hadn’t wanted to be that girl, you know the one that sounds like a drama queen diva type! I had wanted to do this gracefully – but what do you do when you’re backed into a laborious corner (a.k.a. the assessment bed) with no drugs and contractions piling up on top of one another? You uncontrollably let ‘er howl of course! Duh!! LMAO

My husband had no choice but to sit back and watch this crazy show progress and ended up nervously eating all my Kashi granola bars and fruit popsicles I had brought with me to keep me hydrated and energized. But I suppose he really needed the energy for what was to come next!

So the nurse comes over to check me, acting as if she was thinking “What’s all this moanin’ & groanin’ about?”. She checks me and starts saying “OMG – how did you dilate to 9 cm so fast?!”. She starts racing around everywhere, making distressed phone calls and then yanks me up with force off the bed. My husband comes back with a wheelchair for me and she shoves it out of the way and yells “I can get her there faster on foot!”. Now why on earth the assessment room is not right next to the actual birthing area is beyond me. At the hospital I delivered at, it’s sort of at the other end of the wing, accessible by a long corridor and oh yeah – how could I forget that you have to go through the visitor waiting room again as well to get there! So here I am, barefoot, dragged by the nurse down the hall & feeling like the baby’s head was going to fall out onto the floor. (As if it would be that easy! LOL). I’m not even sure if my gown was closed as we raced passed the visitors anxiously awaiting the birth of their new loved one! LMAO I remember along the way hearing the nurse say something to my husband about the Operating Room. My mind started racing and I started to think I had to have a C-Section because something must be wrong. I must have wondered out loud because then the nurse said to me that I’d be “delivering like Mary & the baby Jesus” as they had no where to put me but on the Operating Room table! Now, you try getting up onto an operation table with a small stool and make the hike up there when you’re 9 months pregnant! Never mind when you’re in labour and you feel like the baby is going to come out of you with the force & pressure of a NASA lift-off! Now, I do have to say that at some point, while I was being dragged on foot to where we’d be delivering our little “Jesus”, he changed positions again and went back to the normal birthing position, THANK GOD! (Yep, that’s me still screaming out of relief! LOL)

Just to give you a picture of what it was like in there, it was your typical sterile looking operating room, and the only person we had in there with us until the doctor got there was a different nurse (I’m sure the original one raced out of there as fast as she could to overdose on Tylenol Migraine from all the noise I had been making), my husband, and God bless her – our doula.

With some help, I eventually got my whale-like self up on there and started pushing. I love how they tell you to push longer and harder but you don’t have any idea how the hell to do it effectively. No one ever told me to push like you were having the hardest, longest and most urgent poop of you life, but then again, there probably hadn’t really been any time! Here I’m thinking you have to push with your vagina, because, well hell, isn’t that where it’s coming out? Oh no, you have to push with you’re a-hole! (Future note to self!)

So my husband, who thought he would have a nice time sitting up near my head and not having to see what the good Lord makes happen up close and personal (He had previously passed out one time after receiving stitches, so there was no way I was going to let him see this, pass out, and then have to cope with that too! LMAO), had to grab one leg and the doula had the other and had to try and force my legs back to allow me to try and come up in a semi-sitting position to try and push. Now, first of all, I’m not the skinniest chick on the block (who is anyways when you’re 9 months pregnant?) and I used to ride horses a lot, so I have some pretty strong legs. Because I was lying flat on my back on the table, I was pushing them backwards and it was a struggle to keep my legs back. Add that to the fact that most delivering women don’t appreciate having to do a set of military style sit ups without proper support just to try and get into the proper pushing position, like one might have if you slipped the orderly a $100 bill on the way in to get yourself a birthing suite with a proper birthing bed!

So here we are, all of us getting to know each other in a way we never thought we would have to, LOL and eventually I feel the craziest burning ring of fire that felt like little “Jesus” was trying to pry open my vagina/birth canal with his newborn little hands! Turns out that the burning ring of fire sensation was probably the episiotomy I had to have as a result of “failing” miserably at the military style sit-ups I so lovingly referred to earlier! Then after a few more pushes, out popped our little “Jesus”!

What a blessing it is to have a little one come into your life! Right from the get go, we were in love with him. We had spent so much time wondering beforehand whether we would have a boy or a girl, and the funny thing is that when he was lying there on my chest, it hadn’t even occurred to me what gender he was, not until our doula said minutes later, “Aren’t you going to tell her what it is?” Obviously my husband had seen what he was when he came out, but once the doula prompted my husband on this, he came out of his birth-laden stupor, and exclaimed “Oh yeah – it’s a boy!!!”

While I was getting stitched and cleaned up, I had a horrible case of verbal diarrhea. I remember at the time thinking to myself “Why the hell can’t I just shut up?”. I later found out that this is totally normal behaviour after some women birth their babies. I was chatting up the nurse, asking her how she liked her job, that her name (Patience) was fantastic, how much did my son weigh, and on and on, and on, and on! And I mean on and on! LOL Even my husband told me to hush up because I was likely annoying people! LOL But I just couldn’t stop!

Now, overall, did my son’s arrival go according to our birth plan? Well, yes & no. My doula sat back with my husband as they had no choice but to quietly watch my drug-free back labour induced hysteria, and my husband probably had a bad case of the runs he never mentioned from all the whole grain granola bars and 100% real fruit popsicles he had eaten that night. And our doula probably didn’t love the fact that she had to take off her shoes & soggy socks before going into her house to scrub them down after they had gotten soiled during the impromptu delivery that didn’t have the set up of a regular birthing room to catch all the birthing fluids. I had pictured gracefully delivering our first born in a proper birthing suite, doing all sorts of pain management techniques with my husband and doula, while I delivered our little guy naturally without the drugs. While the back labour was hell on wheels that I can’t even begin to properly describe, and hope to hell I never experience again, our little guy (being the Aries that he is) got all bossy on us when he was good and ready, and impatiently forced his way outta there in the end! And without the drugs! So did it go according to plan? For the most part! LOL

Do You Need A Chaperone?

2010-06-09T14:07:00.005-04:00

Ever feel like shopping for a car seat & stroller is comparable to shopping for a car? You go from here to there, compare this to that, and check out this price and that price. It can be overwhelming and time consuming.

Britax sent me their Chaperone Travel System to test out, and I think it is definitely worth mentioning!

This travel system has a lot of great features on it, and I found that it was great both as a system and independent of one another. I am a big fan of travel systems as I appreciate the ease of use, and not waking up the baby when they’re sleeping upon arrival at a destination, or coming home from an outing.

First off, the instruction manual had a lot of pictures in it, along with easy instructions. Setting this up out of the box, was very easy, simple & quick!

What I liked about the stroller:

•The inner seat area is quite wide, and goes up to 55lbs, which is great if you want to continue using it as your baby continues on into older toddlerhood!
•The wheels handle well on all sorts of terrain. (Ok, so I didn’t go mountain climbing with it, but I did go through a lot of mud, dirt, sand and snow, which is typical of what your average parent would deal with. LOL)
•It has a 5 point restraint harness.
•You can hand wash the material if it were to get soiled.
•It has armrests, so if you wanted to take off the snack tray, your child can sit back and relax.
•The parking brake is easy to use. You use your foot to depress the lever and it displays red if the wheels are correctly locked in place, and green once you unlock it.
•I really loved that fact that you can adjust the handle so that people of all heights can use it comfortably.
•The stroller stands on its own when closed up.
•You can easily remove the wheels when using smaller storage places.
•The cup holders in the parent tray are quite deep, which is great to hold things like narrow water bottles or tall sippy cups, which often tip over easily.
•The stroller is very stable and is not easily tipped forwards or backwards.
•The stroller has an oversize canopy to keep out harsh elements.
•It is very easy to steer with only one hand.

What I liked about the infant carrier:

•It comes with low birth weight foam in case you have a preemie.
•It has a 5-point harness.
•It accommodates babies from 4 - 22lbs, and up to 32” in height.
•The car seat base is very easy to install, which is a huge time/energy saver!
•It has an ergonomic handle.
•It has level indicators to help you ensure you have the seat in the proper angled position.
•It has an anti-rebound bar which reduces crash impact from a front end collision.
•It has True Side Impact Protection, a deep car seat with head wings which provides more protection when involved in a side impact collision.
•The car seat also has an oversized canopy.
•It is certified to be used on an airplane.
•It comes with an adaptor strap if you wanted to use the carrier with another stroller.

What I wasn’t so crazy about:

•I found the basket below the stroller to be quite shallow. While it is quite long, longer than the stroller I used for our little guy, you wouldn’t be able to put much in there that is large in size. For example, I often use my stroller to get groceries in, and can pack quite a bit of stuff in there. With this stroller, because it is shallow, it would limit how much you could put in there. But the plus side is that you could easily fit something that is long in there, so this is very subjective, depending on what you would use the basket for yourself.
•While I like the fact that the brake displays whether or not you have the brake properly engaged, I found at times when I was power walking with it, it would get in the way and my foot would hit it. That being said, my husband did not have this problem at all.
•The snack tray compartments are quite small in comparison to other strollers on the market. With that being said, most children aren’t eating their meals out of it, so it definitely serves its purpose all the same.
•I found it a bit cumbersome to fold up & open up the stroller. To close up the stroller, you have to lift up the snack tray, and then pull up a release strap in the crease of the seat. While it’s not difficult at all to do, I much prefer a simpler folding option which is much easier to navigate when you’re holding a child in the other hand. The same goes for opening up the stroller. You have to press a button that allows it to open up, and then push it into place.
•In order to put your car seat into the stroller to use as a travel system, you have to first adjust some levers at the rear of the seat, and fold up some of the material in the seat area. This is fine if you’re only using the car seat in the stroller. If you sometimes put the child directly in the stroller, it takes a few moments to set it back in place. While some other models make it easier to toggle back and forth between the 2 seating methods, it is still very simple to do.

The Chaperone Travel System comes in 3 fabric designs -Cowmooflage, Red Mill & Savannah. The suggested retail price for the stroller is $379.99. The infant carrier retails for $279.99. While this price may be high in comparison to other travel systems on the market, there is something to be said for additional safety features. In an age where speed limits are higher and road distractions are on the rise, knowing that your child will have additional protection in front end and side impact collisions is worth every dollar.

***This sample product was provided free of charge

You Bathe Your Kids, But Do You Bathe Your Dishwasher?

2010-06-09T13:58:00.008-04:00

There's a new product on the market that cleans your dishwasher for you! I recently came across a sample of this product, and think it’s worth mentioning.

The Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner is very easy to use. You simply put one puck in your detergent compartment, and one more inside on the bottom of your unloaded dishwasher. Turn it on to the heaviest cycle and the hottest water temperature and you simply let it run its cycle!

During the cycle, I could smell the lemony scent as it was cleaning, and this pleasant scent lasted for quite a few days afterwards in the dishwasher. The dishwasher was definitely fresher afterwards, but there were still some deposits at the bottom of the dishwasher near the door that had been there before. For that, I simply used a paper towel to quickly clean it up.
Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner is sold in packages of 6 tablets, which is a 3-month supply, and the suggested retail price for it is $8.99. For a list of stores which sell this product, click http://www.affresh.ca/assets/afc/en/swf/index.html#/where-to-buy.

Some likely say that it is not necessary to use this product, that you can simply utilize the hottest and most vigorous wash cycle on the dishwasher with some detergent. While this may be true, one might find it harder to really get your dishwasher clean if the Canadian government's proposed amendments scheduled for July 2010 goes through on reducing phosphate levels in current dishwasher detergents to 0.5% from 2.2%. If this is passed, the weaker detergents could potentially cause an increase in build-up in your dishwasher, therefore causing more odour. In Affresh's press release, they also say that this product is safe for all dishwashers, plumbing, garbage disposals and septic systems.

Either way, Happy Dishwasher-ing!

***This sample product was provided free of charge

What No One Ever Told Me About Breastfeeding!

2010-06-09T13:28:00.004-04:00

Here's a couple of things that no one ever told me about breastfeeding that would have been good to know. I want to share these things with you so that A) you don't think you're losing your marbles, and B) so you can be prepared for it and plan accordingly!

The one thing that would have been especially nice to know? That you will likely have an anxiety attack right before or during one of the first feeds you do in public. I can remember distinctly when mine happened...

Our son was 9 days old and we were attending a large family dinner at a local Mandarin Chinese buffet restaurant to celebrate an occasion with my husband's side of the family. I had it all planned out.... I would feed our little guy at home before we left, and then would arrive at the restaurant on time for the reservation. Our little guy would sleep and we would have about 2 hours or so before he was due for his next feed.

Everything was going according to plan...
That is until some of the guests arrived about an hour late, and we could not start the festivities without them. I started feeling anxious and panicked, wondering what I was going to do if he woke up and had to nurse him as everyone was touching him, coming down on him like vultures circling road kill. LOL In their defense, they weren't doing anything wrong. Under normal circumstances, I would have been flattered that they were interested in my son and thought he was adorable. And I should have known better than to think that you can easily wake up a newborn! But in my anxious new-mom state, all I could think about was someone waking him up, then having to breastfeed him at the restaurant. (This was obviously well before I ever became comfortable breastfeeding him in public with a blanket, no matter where I was, without having to retreat to a private area.)

Most restaurants don't have a breastfeeding room, and if you know of one that does, I want to know about it! I felt like a deer in the headlights of a Mack truck driving double the speed limit down the highway! I could not eat. I went and got food from the buffet, all the while peeking through the windows into the dining area like a crazed stalker while my husband kept an eye on him sleeping in the stroller.

The other factor playing into my panic was that I had an episiotomy during my son's birth. Only being 9 days after the birth, I still had to use the peri bottle during each visit to the washroom. I kept obsessing about how the hell I was going to comfortably spray myself "down there" in a Mandarin washroom stall! Dignity? What's that? LOL After checking out the washroom to see if there was a chair in there at the very least, (which there wasn't) I realized that I would have to sit on the toilet to nurse him. My episiotomy was still very tender and sore and going to the washroom required delicately sitting down and getting the job done quickly to get out of that awkward and somewhat painful position. How the hell was I going to do all this while nursing my son? It's not like the toilets had lids on them like our toilets at home had for me to sit on.

I remember sitting at the table feeling hot like fire & I could feel myself looking like a lunatic, probably with my eyes bulging! LOL People were jovially talking to me and I just couldn't muster up more than a fake smile and a nod of the head, having absolutely no idea what they had just said. My husband was getting irritated, wondering why I wanted to leave after only 45 minutes of actually sitting down for dinner. Not long after, we did leave, and I could tell my husband was uncomfortable leaving the celebratory dinner without even having finished our meal. (The meal that I hadn't even touched.)

Our son was still snoozing in his car seat when we got into the vehicle to drive home, & I remember my husband being frustrated with me, wondering why I was overreacting and couldn't just relax and finish dinner. I remember feeling disappointed in myself that I did not handle that situation well (or so I thought, because I am normally a confident person, and quite adaptable in a variety of situations). And I knew myself that I was acting irrationally. I just couldn't control the feeling that I had to run out of that restaurant with my son in tow and run for the hills like one of those trolls at a bingo hall used for good luck! LOL

About a week later, I attended a friend's baby shower. I had some anxiety about bringing my son there as well, as my panic attack at the Mandarin was still fresh in my mind. This time I would be completely on my own and would not have my husband with me. Thankfully I did not have to use that peri bottle anymore, but I would still have to figure out where to nurse him. I got there and was chatting with one of the women at the shower and she started telling me her story about her anxiety attack the first time she had to breastfeed her baby in public - during a wedding ceremony, when the baby woke up crying in the middle of the bride coming down the aisle!

Now, the average person would probably not think that either of these situations were a big deal. But when you're a new mom, surviving on little sleep and have whatever modesty you have left after all those internal exams, (LOL) it turns out that it is a big deal! This woman was the first person who helped me to understand that what I had felt that day was completely normal. It was official - I was not off my rocker (at least not completely! LOL) and that in fact many women experience this in one way or another! Since then, I have heard many women share their stories about reacting this way in the beginning! From that day on, both my husband and I understood better what had happened, and I grew more confident and comfortable nursing my son in public as time went on. I also found that I felt more comfortable and empowered to nurse my son in public when I was with other women, especially those who were also breastfeeding their child.

And 2 more things:

Did anyone ever tell you just how parched you'd get when you initially start breastfeeding? It felt like I had been walking through the Sahara desert for my entire pregnancy! My mouth would be so dry at times and I would get such a strong desire to drink a whole jug of juice that I'd have to get my husband to bring me something quickly to drink - and I mean quickly! The urge was so strong that there was just no way that I could wait until I was done nursing, and it didn’t matter what time of day or night it was! Parched, I tell ya, Parched!! LOL

The last, but not least important thing that no one ever told me was that while you're in the middle of a feed, you may get a sudden urge to have a bowel movement! It got to be so predictable that I had a system with my husband - I had the baby monitor beside my rocking chair in my little guy's room and would scratch it with my finger nails until my husband would wake up and come running into the room to get the baby, so that I could go and relieve myself! This happened to me almost every single night, usually around 3-4am. (Of course as a new mom, I also had the monitor cranked up to maximum volume in our bedroom, so it didn't take much to wake him up that way. He probably felt like he was waking up to a horror movie every night with a ghost scratching at the window! LOL) This is another one of those things that I thought was only my issue – but sure enough it wasn’t. People don't usually talk about this sort of thing, but really should to help other parents!

I hope that sharing my experience has helped you. (Or at least entertained you at my own expense! LOL) I urge you to share this with every new Mom or Dad, or Parents-to-be! If anyone had told us these things before I had my little guy, things would have gone a lot more smoothly!

Foggy Froggy Saves The Day

2010-06-09T13:17:00.006-04:00

Have you ever received something at the time when you needed it the most?

One of the items that I was to test out for product review was the Crane Adorable Animals Frog Cool Mist Humidifier, provided by Childish Notions. I knew it would be shipped to me in the near future and was patiently waiting for it to arrive.

This past week, our little guy was sick with a cold and was not sleeping well at night. It was like going backwards in time, to when he was a newborn and waking up every 2 hours! We were all exhausted, and on the second day of the cold, the doorbell rings! Lo and behold, is it not the humidifier! We couldn't have been more excited to put it into testing action!

Our little guy showed immediate interest in the cute froggy pictures on the box. After helping me unpack it, he squealed with delight and gave the frog a kiss and a hug, I kid you not! I don't know if he loved the adorable look of the frog, or if he sensed that this "foggy froggy" (which is what we call it) was going to ease his congestion! Either way, we took great joy in watching his reaction like it was Christmas morning! LOL
After giving the instructions a quick once over, (which were easy to read), we went upstairs to set it up in his room. One of the complaints I had about our current warm mist humidifier was that its water reservoir was too big to fit in our bathroom sink, and therefore you had to bend down to fill it in the tub. This Frog Cool Mist Humidifier has a water reservoir that fits perfectly in our standard size bathroom sink and was easily filled ergonomically. You secure the lid on the reservoir and then carry it by the handle to place onto the base. The other plus about this cool mist humidifier is that it doesn’t cause the temperature in the room to fluctuate like it does when you use warm mist humidifiers.
Now, the one downside of this humidifier is that you have to place it on a hard surface, off the ground which can be a bit challenging as the power cord on it is not all that long. It can be difficult to find an outlet that is close enough to what you're going to set it up on, and it says in the instructions that you should not use an extension cord with it. (I'm guessing because it would be a tripping hazard.)

Once it's set up, you simply plug it in, make sure the power button is on and watch the cool mist rise! You can adjust the volume of mist coming out to ensure that it rises up and is absorbed by the air so that the droplets do not fall down around the unit. This is great, as every section of the house usually has different humidity levels.

It says that the approximate running time is 11 hours on a full tank of water. We had ours running for just over 24 hours on 1/2 strength and there was still enough to run it for a few more! This is a major improvement over most warm mist humidifiers, which generally last 8-12 hours in my experience.

Now, the other thing I should mention is that although the frog design is super cute, the downfall is that it can be attractive to impulsive & busy little children who are eager to check it out and play with the control dial etc. But that isn't any different than other things around the house like the VCR, which might have an old peanut butter sandwich stuck inside! LOL So, let common sense prevail and ensure that the unit is out of reach, and that they cannot pull on the power cord.

And the best part about it is that it definitely helped clear up our little guy's sinuses so that we could all finally have a night of much needed rest! So at a time when Health Canada & the FDA (for those of you in the U.S.) recommend not giving children under the age of 6 most cough and cold medications, the Crane Adorable Animals Cool Mist Humidifier is one tool you can use to help ease their symptoms naturally and get them on the fast track to feeling better!

Crane Adorable Animals Cool Mist Humidifiers come as what we affectionately refer to as our "foggy froggy", as well as the following styles in Canada: a penguin, a cow, a duck, a pig, an elephant, a panda bear, a soccer ball, Hello Kitty (which is priced higher at approx $65.00) and as a bright red dragon! Suggested retail price for the unit is $57.99

They are available at most major and specialty independent boutiques. For a list of stores that Childish Notions specifically supplies this product to, click here.

***This sample product was provided free of charge