Bibs!!!

Today I'm writing about bibs in general, as I use a few different brands and couldn't choose one, that was a definite step above the rest!


Kushies waterproof bib with sleeves

100% nylon coated polyurethane.  Lead, PVC and phthalate free. Adjustable hook and loop closure (velcro).  Catch-all pocket.  wipes clean. 4 sizes: small (up to 12mths), medium (12-24mths), large (2-4yrs), x-large (4-6yrs). Made in Canada!



These are the first bibs I turned to when I was looking for a good bib to keep the mess away from my son's clothes!  These were the only ones with sleeves that came in that small of a size!   Since then, I've enjoyed them very much as they're easily cleaned.  I personally wash them directly in my dish water and hang to dry for the next meal (we have a few that we rotate).  I still pull up my son's sleeves before putting the bib on him, just to make sure.  The big pocket usually picks up most of the mess and I like the fit on him, as it's not too bulky and his movements aren't restrained with extra fabric and if he drops something on his self he can get it himself.  The patterns are also very cute and many to choose from (for a boy anyway).  I enjoy that it has a velcro closure, so the fabric doesn't irritate my son's neck.  We purchased ours at Lollipops and Gumdrops, a local retailer (they do sell online as well though).  These are my favorites, as they are more functional.

Bumkins Waterproof Sleeved Bib

These are Lead, BPA, PVC and Phthalates free.  They have an adjustable tie closure, they're easy wipe, machine washable and are 6-24months.  According to Bumkins, the bibs resist most stains, they have a durable yet comfortable fabric (which is colorfast - doesn't lose it's color) and have a catch-all pocket. Made in China.  Elastics at the wrists.



I bought these as a friend recommended them.  I was a bit sceptic at first, as the other bibs I had seen with elastic wrists were not waterproof, or the waterproof effect lasted until you washed them a few times (I had seen reviews on mommy FB groups).  Plus I thought these might be big on my small baby.  But she assured me that they fit great and are definitely waterproof and durable!  I can say that I wasn't disappointed! She was right, they fit because of the elastics, but I'm sure they'll eventually fit better as he grows a bit more (so it is a bit bulky right now).  And the waterproof is very effective so far!!  The catch-all pocket though is divided in two (sewn in the middle) and doesn't stay open to really catch a lot... personally!  But on the plus side, I appreciate that this bib will fit longer and that the elastics seem to protect the cuffs of the shirts better.



They also do have a lot of different patterns, which is nice to have the option.  I bought mine off of Amazon and for some reason, the different patterns have different prices, like considerable differences! So we bought a few of the same cheaper pattern!  As another friend pointed out to me just today, another downside of this bib is the tie closure.  Personally, I don't like having to tie it!!! but she was telling me that her daughter burned her neck (rug burn type thing) from constantly pulling on it at one meal! not fun!

Skip Hop bibs

Skip Hop Zoo bibs are lightweight and water resistant, catch-all food pocket, tuck away pouch, soft touch velcro. BPA, PVC and phthalate free. Machine washable. 6months to 3years.



Now these don't have sleeves, but I still love them! They're not quite waterproof either, but water resistant.  I guess I just love that they still do protect the clothes and when our baby eats something less wet-messy (crackers, rice cakes, or sticks of raw veggies), it's perfect, with the big catch-all pocket.  They have the safe velcro, which is always a plus for me, on top of being a velcro!  Plus, I love the look of those bibs! Adorable!   They can also be stored neatly in an integrated travel pouch.  They sell those at our local retailers, but we bought it in the States on a family trip!



Overall Conclusion:
I would recommend them all, as it depends your needs.  We personally use them all, but do prefer the kushies ones as it fits our needs better!

Thanks for reading!
V

links:
http://www.kushiesonline.com/Kushies-Feeding-Bibs-s/7345.htm

www.bumkins.com

http://www.shoplollipopsandgumdrops.ca/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SH11 (Skip Hop)

Love Child Organics purees

When we first started Baby-Led Weaning (BLW), like a lot of other mothers, I was wondering what we could give our son for breakfast.  The usual baby breakfast is that baby cereal that you spoon feed, right?! couldn't give that.  How about adult cereals? well... either they're full of sugar or full of fibers, which neither are very good for a baby!  So how about fruits? sure, good idea, but baby needs something more... So we came up with toasts!  I couldn't put peanut butter, so thought of making a version of jam : fruit puree!  I would make my own without sugar or anything else besides fruits (just like puree-fed babies' moms do... I would imagine!).  So not being used to always making purees, and with baby eating more and more quantities, I quickly realized that I needed something to save me on the days where I didn't have time to make the puree.  That's when I turned to Love Child Organics purees!

I had heard of them on Dragon's Den and then a friend of mine also used them a few times.  These are not only organic, but are also full of real foods with no artificial preservatives, sugars, sodium or fillers.  The pouches are BPA-free and so easy to use.  These are just as simple and as basic as it gets!  Plus, another thing I love, is that they are conscious about offering the right foods!!! They've incorporated superfoods in the different mixes, like kale, spinach, quinoa and blueberries!  I also enjoy that they have a big variety, unlike other brands that do pouched organic purees.  As well, they have a line with yogurt and ancient grains in them!  Gluten free and all! Very nice!  They recommend 8months for the ones with yogurt, but from our local dietician, it's 9months for dairy products... just thought I would mention it, just doing my due diligence here! hehe





Now, from the OT in me: I loved the pouch part! after my LO was done with his toasts, I would give him the rest of the pouch directly in the mouth and he loves the puree so much that he would get impatient, so he started sucking it out on his own! I got so excited, as he was learning new skills! hehe  He's not squeezing it out just yet, but just the fact that he can suck it out on his own (although sometimes needs a bit of help holding the pouch), is super, I think!  Since then, he seems to suck the water out of his straw cup way more easily! Awesome! Voila: here's another trick for you mamas out there to get baby sucking on a straw!

One more thing: I know this doesn't really go along the lines of BLW (Baby-Led Weaning), but when my son was sick last week and the toasts seemed to bother his throat, he took the puree fine.  From a mom's point of view, knowing that if he doesn't eat his meal, I have something to fall back on (because again, I don't have many options, as I CAN'T feed him with the spoon... not that I'm a BLW purist here, but because he refuses to be spoon-fed, ...unless it's yogurt!), is priceless! you have to choose your battles, right?!

So I personally bought some a bit ev'rywhere! Snugglebugz is a good online resource.  For local, they have them at Walmart (I think on sale right now!), Superstore, Target, etc.

Thanks for reading!
V

Links:
http://www.lovechildorganics.com/
http://www.snugglebugz.ca/brand/love-child-organics.html

Lollacup

Today I want to write about the Lollacup.  My baby being 10 months old, I realize that there will be so much more to discover about this cup and eventually write about, so I'll have to make a promise to you that in 6months to a year, I'll come back and add on to this review or adjust my thoughts to incorporate how this cup grew with our baby.  For now, I'll review the cup as far as what I've seen with our little one as well as my first impressions.  As a new mama and a pediatric OT that deals with feeding issues, here is what I think:

The Lollacup, BPA and Phthalate free, is what some call a sippycup... but with a straw.  This one in particular could be called a sippy cup, as one of the great things about it, is that it can be tilted to the side (just like a regular sippy cup) and you'll still be able to drink from it.  The weighted straw technology, makes it so that the bottom of the straw follows the liquid - Awesome!  Also, as my baby is just learning to use a straw, one of the big thing was also that it's easy to suck from, takes minimum effort (not much resistance).  Before I found the Lollacup, I had tried another company that has a similar technology and I had a hard time getting liquid out of it myself and when I would, it was just a tinny little bit... not impressed!  I felt that my baby wouldn't learn to suck from a straw this way, as it was too hard to get something in return and when he would get it, it wouldn't be enough to keep him motivated... although it would certainly work his sucking muscles!!!!! hehehe which all kidding aside, are very real and important, it's just that it's no fun for a baby to learn that way!

The Lollacup is also very cute and easy to use.  There's removable handles so you can put it in a cup holder, if needed, or keep them on for ease of use with baby.  The downside is that this cup is not spill proof like other sippy cup that you can throw across the room and not a drop will get by the tight seal! hehe For us, we just use it for water, and at meal time, so not a big deal if it makes a spill.  The cleaning of the cup and straw is also very easy with the brush they provide, as again, we only use water in it, so no big deal so far!





I have to stop right here and make sure you don't expect a baby younger then 9months old to be able to use a straw.  Some may learn this skill really early on, but usually this is learned around 9-12 months.  I personally started a little bit early (around 6 months) because I didn't want to use a traditional sippy cup (a speech-language pathologist would back me up on this, as it's not the best thing for speech to be used for too long - maybe a few months and then you need to transition). Here we drink from an open cup and with the Lollacup.  Both should definitely be practiced around this age (open cup and straw), as these skills are the ones that will make baby an independant drinker (bottles and sippy cups are only a transition stage).  Don't get me wrong, our little one still drinks his milk from a bottle, although we're looking into transitioning around 12months.  Past 12 months, breastfeeding is of course encouraged for milk, if possible and if not, the nightime milk feed can still be given in a bottle.  If you want more info on this subject, contact me, as these are of course just guidelines, and might not fit for ev'ryone! This is not meant to make anyone feel bad! We are all learning mamas here!

To get back to the Lollacup...Overall, we love the Lollacup so far and for the use we make of it.  You personally have to see what your looking for in this kind of cup and make the decision for yourself if this suits your needs!  We purchased the Lolacup at Lil' Tulip's in the States, but I've seen it on Sugglebugz website (Canadian and has lots of cool baby products).  Although more expensive in Canada, I still would buy more!

Thanks for reading!
V

Links:
http://www.lollaland.com
http://www.snugglebugz.ca/lollacup-sippy-cup.html
http://www.liltulips.com/Lollacup-Straw-Sippy-Cup-as-seen-on-Sharks-Tank_p_2089.html

My Brest Friend nursing pillow

As I'm done breastfeeding, now for almost a week, I feel a bit saddened by it and chose to write about my nursing pillow today... my brest friend, best friend, breast friend for the last 10 months!

I got this pillow second hand from a friend.  I had heard a bit about it, but no more then that. Got it for free and figured I would give it a try!  Washed it beforehand and I thought it was tough to put the cover back on, but then again, wash after wash, it still looks good, fits good and doesn't look used: this is quality!  These were my first impressions of the product... couldn't really give it a twirl more then that back then with my big belly, right?!?! hehe

As soon as we got home from the hospital with baby, I adopted the pillow and loved it.  I'm tall in the torso (shirts are usually not long enough and all that jazz), so I took the habit of using a small travel pillow on top of the nursing pillow for added comfort and support.  The only thing that was a challenge at first was getting the pillow around my waist and snapped on, with a baby in my arms!! quite tricky!! but as I'm sure you mamas out there have learned, like me: we can now do ev'rything with one hand!!! hehe so I quickly got the whole thing down to do it on my own.  Enjoyed the help my husband would give me when he was around, but I could do it by myself quick enough.  The other thing was that after the pregnancy and labor, my lower back took a few weeks to feel better and that extra cushioning in the back bothered me.  Being an OT, I was all planned on how to remove it, but not structurally ruin the pillow and so on!  Hehe But I quickly realized that the pillow in the back had a reason for being there and taking it out would give me bad posture and that the extra cushioning in the back was really helping me!! Silly me, I should've known that before!!! I guess sleep deprived and mommy brain-ed me took over!  So after a few weeks, I realized how comfortable it was and how perfectly thought-through it was made!  My husband even used it at first to get the extra support to hold our little one to fall asleep.... oh and he so often fell asleep on it!  Needless to say, it was comfortable for him and for me!





Besides the whole support pillow, they've made it so it can be practical in other ways, like a little pocket to put a few things in (for me, it was extra facecloths for spit up or any spills) and a keychain ring, where you could hang a toy, probably.  The buckle is also a quiet one, so it needs to click a few times, but doesn't wake baby up, if needed.   There's also the option of velcro on other models.  Personally, I would adjust the whole strap pretty much ev'rytime, but that's just me and how I felt I wanted the pillow to fall at that point in time!

I've tried other nursing pillows, although not a bunch, and couldn't get used to them after having used this one!  It truly worked wonders for me!  I got mine as a gift, but I saw them at my local retailer, Ana Banana.  Depending what you need the company also has one for twins and an inflatable one for traveling! Getting an extra cover might also be worth it.  We never got around to buying one...don't know why!

Thanks for reading!
V

Links:
http://www.mybrestfriend.com/products/original-pillow
http://www.anabananababy.com/products/my-brest-friend-nursing-pillow

Skip Hop Ocean Pals Activity Mirror

Skip Hop's products are BPA, lead and phthalates free, therefore, very baby friendly! This activity mirror is meant for babies with the 2 different rattle sounds and the mirror.  We bought it for when our little one was on his tummy, at first.  He loved to see himself in the mirror and hitting the crab or octopus to make noise.  It was such a powerful toy to put baby on the tummy (or to distract him to forget he was on his tummy and needed to do some work!).  After that, we used it for sitting.  I would place him sitting and put the mirror on his lap.  He would shake it, look at himself and play with the fish's tail to make noise as well.  Now that our little one is older, he plays with it in different ways, like being on all four, with the toy flat on the floor, looking at himself (giving himself kisses!) smiling or laughing, pulling the toys off of the aquarium.

I personally think this toy is so cute! you can pull the crab and octopus away from the aquarium, as they hold with baby-safe velcro.  Although I think there might be a tad too much velcro, since they can be hard to pull away and baby needs to be older to have a bit of bilateral coordination to hold the aquarium while he pulls the toy away, the concept works.  This toy grows up with the child, which I love! It's essential to have a mirror, when they are small babies to have tummy time.  They are so much more motivated and will hold the position longer.

As we know, tummy time is super important for babies and kids.  The fact of holding the head and working the upper body is beneficial for many many reasons and will help your child through his whole life! I know, it might sound like an over statement, but the lack of tummy time, leads to weak muscles in the shoulders, upper-back and neck that are very important for everyday tasks.  Also, since the muscles develop from close to the body, to further away from the body, you need to have a good foundation to eventually use your hands efficiently, hence write, use scissors and so on.  Plus, I know that you know, that I'm only naming a few things and barely touching the subject here.  The conclusion is :Tummy time is essential!  How much time you ask... well it's all relative, right?!  I use to recommend specific amounts of time and now that I'm a mama myself, realize how hard it can be to FIND that time!!! So all I can say is, try as much as you can, as often as you can.  If you're young baby gets fussy after 30 seconds, do 30 seconds many many times a day! it's definitely better then nothing and that 30 seconds will grow to be 35, 40, even 45 seconds and eventually you'll hit the 1minute mark!! Don't despair, just remember that if baby's not happy, it's not worth it! Don't force it! it's not worth it! baby's not happy, mama's not happy and stressed.  I was saying 30 seconds before, but if it's 10 seconds, it's 10 seconds! you really can't push baby if he's not happy, as he will associate the activity with crying, plus he's realizing that when he cries you take him out of the tummy position... all that is another story... just don't let it get to a crying fit!

Now back to the Skip Hop activity mirror, this is one of my go to toy and that I would definitely give as a baby shower present to a new mama.  The mirror is a must, the sweet little sounds are not too loud, the design and colors are adorable and it overall grows up with the child.  We bought ours at BabiesRUs, but Skip Hop is carried by local retailers and online retailers. I'm not sure if Ocean Pals are exclusive to BabiesRUs, but the Treetop Friends is the same and is very cute too! Enjoy!

If you have any specific questions regarding tummy time, please feel free to comment on here or go on my facebook page at : facebook.com/ergomamav

Links:
http://t.toysrus.ca/skava/static/product.html?type=TRU_product_non_us&url=%2Fproduct%2Findex.jsp%3FproductId%3D21366836&domain=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.toysrus.ca

http://www.skiphop.com/product/treetopactivitymirror.html