baby feeding - Stuff Parents Need

My sister-in-law asked me a few months ago if I thought traditional baby books were outdated. I had never really pondered this question before, and it gave me pause. I did have a traditional baby book for Darah. But I had to make notes in my calendar to remind myself to fill it out from time to time. While it has some good information in it, it is definitely limited. And I haven’t touched the thing in 6 months, even though it is designed to record special events for the first 3 years of life.

Since I’m a blogger, I can’t use the excuse that I’m just not much of a writer. I write every single day! So perhaps the problem is with the product, itself. A book that sits on a shelf really might not be the best way for me to record memories. I’m much more likely to read and write online than anywhere else; maybe that should be the place I go to record special memories, too!

A trusted brand for babies, Tommee Tippee, has recently launched a new web application. It is a FREE digital storybook called The Day Baby Was Born, and it is a really great way to capture all the special moments throughout your pregnancy and the days before and after the baby’s birth.

For this pregnancy, this is the route I’m choosing to take. I can upload ultrasound pics, write down notes about my appointments with the doctor and even make note of those crazy cravings I get from time to time. I’m finding it much easier to log into the site and make a quick note and I really like that the product being put together looks so polished and professional. For someone like me who will NEVER own a scrapbook, its really nice to get to have something personal that looks so great!

What I also like about The Day Baby Was Born is that it is so easy to share with others. You can use the application to create pregnancy and birth announcements for Facebook, and you can also share the memories you have been capturing with others easily. Love that!

If you’d like to see a sample of what a storybook looks like, check out this one (no, it isn’t mine, but it is really good!): http://www.thedaybabywasborn.com/pdf/tt_storybook_example2b.pdf

I’d highly encourage you to consider going digital for your next baby book. And you can get started from t he moment you discover that you are expecting! The end product looks fantastic, and it is absolutely free. Thanks so much, Tommee Tippee!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a newborn starter prize pack from Tommee Tippee in celebration of their application launch and our big news! It has an ARV of $39.99 and includes the following:

4x 9fl oz bottles, 2x 5fl oz bottles, 3x formula dispensers, 1x bottle and nipple cleaner
Nipple mimics natural feel, flex and movement of breastfeeding
Allows for easy transition between breast and bottle
Wide neck nipple for easier latch on
Anti-colic, anti-gas, advanced easi-vent™ valve
BPA & Phthalate Free
Graduations in mls and ounces
Hygiene Cap seals the nipple for travel

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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Feeding Darah is so much fun. She has hit that age where there are very few things that she cannot try. We have been lucky so far to not run into any allergy problems, so almost every day brings some new food to try. And she certainly does like to try several different things. Gone are the days when she would happily eat just one thing for dinner. I’ve pretty much always fed her more than one thing at a time, but I used to just mix up her food cubes together to make one pile of mush. I know, that’s kind of gross, but she used to happily eat it.

Notice that I said, “USED TO.” This is no longer acceptable. She wants to taste different flavors individually. I can’t really say that I blame her, but I’m challenged to provide this for her for one main reason. I don’t have a plate or bowl with different compartments for different foods that is BPA free. So I have no easy way to get her food heated up in the microwave unless I use multiple bowls at each meal (which I am not cool with doing).

If you read my posts, then you know by now that when I encounter a problem like this, I go looking for the mom in the world who has already solved it. And I found her! Blog friends, allow me to introduce Liz, and her super useful product, the Baby Banquet.

The Baby Banquet is a super cool portable feeding system for infants and toddlers. It comes with a removable tray that can be safely microwaved (because it is BPA free!). Now this is without a doubt my “go-to” feeding system for Darah. Poor Tim is constantly having to wash it! I send it with her to daycare so that she can have a really nice lunch. I can also pack a snack underneath the sectioned tray. This is a great feature, because in the past I’ve just sent a container of those puffs with her, and even though I had her name on it, her caretakers couldn’t remember that it was hers and they just fed the snacks to all the kids. I’m all about sharing, but her whole container was empty after a week, and I’m not really even sure if she got any of them since bringing snacks for her is sort of a new thing. Now I can pack away just enough for her, for the day. Perfect!

This is also a terrific tool when you are traveling with babies and toddlers. Each of the sections is sized so that it can hold a baby food jar, and of course it can hold lots of other things, too. The bottom section can hold string cheese, goldfish, granola bars, juice packs, or most anything else that your little munchkin munches on!

The Baby Banquet has honestly made mealtime easier for Darah and her parents. Thank you so much, Liz and Baby Banquet!

Buy It!: The Baby Banquet is available for purchase on the Baby Banquet website (and listen up, Target and Babies R Us, this is something you need to start selling!) for $14.99.

Edit: This giveaway is CLOSED

Win It!: Liz wants to give one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a baby or toddler mealtime makeover by giving away a Baby Banquet in your choice of blue or pink! The contest will run until June 25th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry:
Tell me your color preference for the Baby Banquet (blue or pink) AND one thing you would put in it for the child in your life!.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS, email or Google friend connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe more than one way)
2. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
3. “Like” Baby Banquet on Facebook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Be sure to check out all the other current giveaways (check the sidebar on my homepage for a list!)