Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Zodiac Baby Lotion and Body Wash Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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One area where we have completely made the switch to organic products is with our kids’ bath supplies. We are very committed to only having natural products for washing Darah and will be doing the same for her baby sister. There are several great options on the market if you are interested in doing the same thing, but today I’m featuring a line that not only offers you organic ingredients, it also has aromatherapy designed just for your child based on astrological sign! Check out Zodiac Baby!

Since baby girl isn’t here, yet, Darah has been trying out the Taurus line of products, including a shampoo & wash and a lotion. This stuff smells WONDERFUL, yet it is not overpowering. I probably wouldn’t put it on baby for the first 2 or 3 months of her life, but after that point, I will start using it regularly for her, because it works great and smells great. The cleaning agents are derived from coconut, and the products also contain organic aloe and Vitamin B, which is evidently an ultra-hydrating ingredient. The products are also free of all that yucky stuff that you want to avoid, like parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

I do have a few suggestions for improvement, not to the products, but to the site. I would love to hear more information on the particular scents contained in each product (all I can tell you is that Taurus smells wonderful, but I can’t pinpoint the fragrance), and I’d also like to hear why those scents were especially selected for each astrological sign. That would help me better understand the rationale behind each formula! If I had a better idea of what things were going to smell like, I also might be tempted to buy additional products for myself (Virgo) and for Darah (Leo).

Zodiac Baby products are beautifully packaged and work great, too. I would definitely recommend them as a wonderful gift for anyone who likes to read the daily horoscopes!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a set of products from Zodiac Baby in your choice of astrological sign!

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(Maternity Monday) Noodle & Boo Skin Perfecting Creme Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m 28 1/2 weeks into my pregnancy. I look like I’m about 36 weeks along. Seriously. Some would probably say I look 40 weeks pregnant! I’m super short and the baby has nowhere to go but out. This is also my second pregnancy, so my body seems to be quick to remember how to expand to make room. All this is to say that I’m one round lady these days, with no hope of shrinking any time soon!

So as my belly grows, my skin is stretching. And itching. LIKE CRAZY!!! I need relief, and if there’s a chance that a product might help with stretch marks, well that’s a bonus. I actually had been using a stretch cream product that I used the last time, and it did seem to work, but it had a critical flaw: it is SO greasy! Seriously, I have to not put any clothes on after applying this stuff for a minimum of 10 minutes…way too long!

For the past month, though, I’ve been using a product from Noodle & Boo (remember the review I did earlier for their fantastic super soft lotion?). It’s called Perfecting Creme. I’m just going to be up front about the negative of this product: it ain’t cheap! A 3.5 oz tube will set you back $42.00.

Now let me tell you why I think it’s worth it.

First and foremost, it isn’t greasy! Yay! But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an AWESOME moisturizer. My belly feels so soft! It also helps tremendously with itching. And when you itch like crazy, you will do anything to get relief. This perfecting creme most definitely provides that relief.

Second, this pregnancy stretch marks cream contains a peptide compound that helps prevent and reduce stretch marks while naturally promoting the synthesis of collagen (that’s elasticity for your skin!). So far, I don’t have any stretch marks. I can’t promise that this product will keep them from appearing, but I do feel confident that it will at least help reduce their severity if I do get them.

Third, this stuff smells SO SO SO good. It made with cocoa butter and avocado oil, but if you ask me, it smells like sweetened almonds. It honestly brightens my mood when I apply it, which is a happy little perk.

I’m so glad I got to try this product. It isn’t something I would have picked up for myself, but now that I have used it, I would highly recommend it to other expecting moms. It’s worth it, and so are you! Be sure to check out the rest of their line, which includes lots of great baby skin careproducts.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a tube of Noodle & Boo Perfecting Creme! Woo hoo!

 

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Maternity Monday: Noodle and Boo Lotion Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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One thing I wish I had taken the time to do more often with Darah when she was a baby was infant massage. There’s so much research out there indicating that this is such a great bonding activity for baby and parent. I was always so worried about whether or not she was cold that I didn’t massage her as often as I would have liked. I’m going to be more intentional about giving my little one lots of touch and ski-to-skin contact this time around.

I know this is a great thing for babies, and it is also a great thing for toddlers! Darah likes to “do lotion” after her bath or really most any time that I mention it as an option. She’s actually not an overly touchy child, but she loves a massage!

I try to make sure that I have high quality, hypo-allergenic and all natural products to put on her skin, and I’ll be even more diligent about that with the baby in its first year. Right now we are testing a product that we are really enjoying. It’s called Super Soft Lotion by Noodle & Boo. It smells fantastic; like a baby! It’s made with sweet almond oil and contains natural antioxidants. I find that it moisturizes Darah’s skin without leaving a greasy residue. I appreciate that because in the winter months, I do want to get her dressed quickly after her lotion time, and I don’t worry that this lotion will get all over her clothes.

Noodle & Boo products are made to be used on newborns and babies with sensitive skin, so there is no need to worry about potential reactions. Their baby skin care products are also formulated to comply with some of the most stringent consumer production standards in the entire world (those set by the European Union and Japan). I appreciate that a U.S.-based company goes above and beyond what our own country’s regulations require. That shows a true dedication to providing the very best and safest products possible.

One other great thing about Noodle & Boo is that they aspire to help children in need by donating a significant portion of their profits to different children’s charities. I love an organization that really gives back.

Noodle & Boo has a fantastic line of products that you and your baby are sure to enjoy. I highly recommend the baby lotion as a gift for your little one, or as an extra special baby shower gift.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need winner will win a Noodle & Boo Super Soft Lotion!
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Creating Rituals With Your Children (Earth Mama Angel Baby GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Darah and I have created some rituals that we do on a daily or weekly basis, and these rituals are very important to us both. They help us bond, they help us gauge the time of day and they provide us with something special that is just for us two.

One example is that every Friday we paint our toes. First I paint Darah’s with her Piggy Paint, and then I paint my own. She selects the colors for us both to wear. She takes this event VERY seriously. Another ritual that we have is her nap ritual. There’s an order to putting this kid down, and I won’t go into all the details, but one crucial step is that she must be kissed in between when she is picked up and when she is laid down in her crib. She is quite aware of this, and puckers her lips, even if she is in melt down mode. And it is such an important moment for me, because even if I am at my wits end with her (which is sometimes the case by nap time) we have a moment where I am very quickly reminded that she is my little love and my world.

Over the last few weeks we have developed a new ritual: lotion time. We’ve been using the Angel Baby Lotion from Earth Mama Angel Baby and Darah is a HUGE fan of it. When I squirt out the lotion, I have to make a certain noise that I just can’t seem to write down (it’s more of a noise than a sound, I think), and Darah does it, too. Then we smell the lotion on my hands. She loves the smell, which is the same smell as the Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash that we reviewed last month (orange and vanilla…yum!). Then I apply it to her legs and then her arms. Darah likes to talk about how it is, “cool, cool” (meaning that is is cold). And then she takes the pump and pretends to put lotion on her Elmo, Grover and Bunny. That’s pretty much how the ritual goes. Oh yeah, and we do this during morning potty time, and sometimes during potty time right before bed. But ALWAYS during potty time. Sheesh! Little ones really value structure and predictability. The first time I put lotion on her, she was on the potty. And I suppose I did what I listed out above. And the rest is history. Darah remembered it all for the next time!

The Angel Baby Lotion is doing a great job of keeping Darah’s skin moisturized during the dry winter months. Before we go this, I was really at a loss about what to do. I could tell she needed lotion, but I didn’t feel comfortable about putting any of my products on her…there were just too many chemicals that I couldn’t even pronounce! This is not a worry I have with Earth Mama Angel Baby products. I know they use the very best and safest ingredients!

Buy it!: Earth Mama Angel Baby skincare products are all currently 25% off, which makes this lotion just $8.21. Woo hoo!