Stuff Parents Need

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

My Favorite New Baby Gear Product: The First Year’s Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I’ve been swooning over a new product in our home. Would you believe that little Layah, at just 3 months old, has been in a high chair for a month now?

I’m guessing you are a big confused.

First let me make sure nobody thinks that she is eating solids, yet. Nope, not at all, and she won’t until she shows sings for readiness (I’m guessing that will be around 5 or 6 months old).

But she absolutely has a place at our table. And she LOVES to sit right there with us at meal time. We are really enjoying it, too. So how can she sit in a high chair when she can’t even sit up on her own?

Well, she’s got The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat. It is designed to hold little ones from birth all the way through four years of age! It literally grows with your child, which gives it so much bang for the buck. Layah is currently in the most reclined position which is quite comfy for her, and she is safely strapped in using the five-point harness. We don’t yet put the tray on when she’s in there, and that leaves her more free to move her arms and legs around.

This chair has 5 positions (2 height adjustments and 3 tray positions). Additionally, it converts into a booster chair for older tots.

Also, this feeding chair takes up SIGNIFICANTLY less room than a traditional high chair. This is such a nice feature in our home, which is extremely tight on space in our eating area. All we had to do was give up one of our chairs around the table and strap the feeding chair on it. We are most definitely going to be selling the old high chair we have tucked away and will be using this system until she outgrows a booster.

Want to hear the best part? This feeding chair is just $39.99! That’s over $60 less than we paid for Darah’s high chair, and we are going to get SO much more use out of this one! It honestly never occurred to me to put a young infant in an elevated chair with the rest of us at meal times, but we all really enjoy it; it makes Layah feel even more a part of what we do together as a family.

The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Seat is currently on sale at Amazon and can also be found online at Babies ‘R Us. I’m absolutely delighted with this product and would strongly recommend it as an affordable and very convenient alternative to a traditional high chair.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win The First Years Deluxe Reclining Feeding Chair!

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

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

 

Quick and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Back to School!

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We have one more week until Darah goes back to school as an official pre-schooler! My eyes well up with tears at the mere thought of it!

Darah won’t be staying at school for lunch, so I don’t actually have to pack one for her, but I still have to have a lunch prepared for her when she gets home every day. I work as hard as I can on the blog and on grading work for my college class I teach, so I don’t really have much time to devote to preparing a lunch. I need to rely on more convenient options so that I can spend as much time as possible working before she gets home.

But like most moms, I don’t want my need to go for convenience to eclipse my desire to provide healthy food for my child.

Earth’s Best has got some great products that are absolutely perfect for the mid-day rush, and if you are packing a lunch, they work well in a lunch box, too!

Darah has been enjoying the Earth’s Best Sunny Day Snack Bars at lunch time and as an afternoon snack. They are naturally sweetened cereal bars filled with real fruit. They come in strawberry and apple flavors, and have Big Bird and Grover on them, which delights my little preschooler. I’m delighted by them because they are the right serving size for smaller tummies, and they provide big doses of calcium, iron, zinc and six B vitamins.

The other item in my pantry “lunch box” is Earth’s Best Kidz Organic Apple Sauce. Did you know that conventional apples are one of the “dirtiest” items of produce? The amount of chemicals from pesticides that is found on them is absolutely astounding. Going organic when it comes to apples is a very good idea, even if it is one of the only fruits for which you pay the higher price. I especially like having these individual servings of applesauce on hand for days when we might be out of fresh fruit. Darah can still get a serving of something healthy and delicious when I’m overdue for a trip to the store!

I do try to keep a specific box in my pantry for lunch staples that I can easily grab to help supplement the meal with minimal effort on my part. That is really essential so that I can be confident that I can pull lunch together for her in 5 minutes every day and not find myself spending 30 minutes of my work time in the kitchen scrambling to cook something. It’s a strategy that has served me well, and I highly recommend it!

Here are some other things I keep on hand for a healthy and quick lunch for Darah:

  • baby carrots and ranch dip
  • blueberries
  • strawberries
  • bananas
  • whole wheat crackers
  • slices or cubes of cheese
  • yogurt (I usually buy plain and mix in a little organic jam to sweeten it)
  • round and thin sandwich bread (it’s the perfect size for a younger child’s sandwich!)
  • peanut butter and graham crackers for a dose of protein
  • hummus

I’d love to hear what your go-to lunch and lunch box items are. Sometimes I get in a rut and love to be inspired by what other parents are doing! Please share (and remember…comments on this post earn you extra entries in the Earth’s Best giveaway I’ll hold in a few weeks)!

Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such, I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Silk Duvet from Nordic Comfort: Review and GIVEAWAY ($414 VALUE!!!)

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I have a down comforter on my bed. I’ve had it since Tim and I got married, and I absolutely adore it. It is SOOO comfortable and I typically sleep very well with it.

Except for during the summer. My beloved comforter usually has to come off the bed for the hottest months of the year because if left on, I often wake up in the middle of the night sweating. Yuck!

I’ve recently had the opportunity to try out a new kind of comforter that uses a special silk fiber called SilkFX and it breathes so beautifully that sweating at night, even in August, is a non-issue! And you’ll still be kept toasty warm in January, too!

Nordic Comfort is the company behind this revolutionary new fiber, and it provides even more benefits than traditional silk duvets. The fiber is still 100% natural, but it has been refined to reach its maximum potential. It can absorb more moisture, better regulate the temperature, and it does a great job of rejecting dust mites and bed bacteria.

And here’s a benefit that all parents will love: SilkFX is MACHINE WASHABLE!!!! This is such a huge selling point for me! I go to the dry cleaners MAYBE once a year, so having a duvet that needs to be taken there to get cleaned is not attractive. Being able to throw it in my washing machine when something gets spilled on it (hello, I have kids in this house…it’s gonna happen!) is a major plus.

Here’s another benefit of using a silk duvet over other materials: it helps with allergy problems! There are all sorts of microscopic bugs and bacteria that LOVE to hang out on our beds and sheets, and if you suffer from allergies (like I do), your bed might actually be making you sick! Silk is a naturally anti-allergic material and all those nasty germs and allergens DO NOT LIKE IT! So by having a silk duvet, you are helping your body stay healthy! It never occurred to me that my bedding might be contributing to my bad allergy problems, but it actually makes a lot of sense, as it is fairly common for me to wake up congested, and then feel fine a few hours later.

Darah is the lucky person in the house to have a silk duvet from Nordic Comfort. She’s been snuggling up with the twin Superior Silk duvet, and she loves it! I have actually spent a bit of time with her lately in her bed (she just gave up her pacifier at night time and has needed some extra comforting). A few days ago, I accidentally fell asleep in her room with her, and when I woke up under the comforter, I have to say that I felt REALLY comfortable. Not too warm, not too cold. JUST RIGHT! She has the year round version of the silk duvet, and it is absolutely perfect for the weather here in Tennessee, which is mild for most of the year.

I’m really glad I fell asleep under the duvet, because now I want one for my room. When you consider the allergy benefits, the washability, and the temperature control it provides, I can see this positively contributing to my overall quality of life.

I’ll be honest with you, these are pricey. The silk duvet in a twin size is 199 euros, which is roughly $244. The duvets are also shipped from Europe, and the shipping fees run 49 euros, which is roughly $60. So we’re talking about spending $300 for a twin duvet. No doubt about it, that is steep.

BUT

Based on my experience with the product so far, I believe that it will last for MANY years and provide exceptional comfort as well as exceptional protection from allergens and bed bugs. Remember that you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping…this is an area where investing in quality pays off. I am starting to save my pennies so that I can get a Superior Silk duvet for my bed. It might take a little while to get the funds together, but as someone who is currently waking up really hot and who frequently has an unexplainable runny nose in the mornings, I know it will be worth it!

Take a moment to check out the great selection of silk duvets and maybe add one to your holiday wish list. I’ve got one at the top of mine, for sure!

Win it!: And now for the really fun part: one of you is about to win a FULL SIZE Superior Silk Year Round duvet from Nordic Comfort! It has a retail value, including the shipping cost, of $414!!!!!

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

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

Win a Year’s Supply of Organic Candy RIGHT NOW!!!

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Candy, Candy Candy! Who doesn’t love Candy! But have you tried organic candy? What would you do if you could have some delicious all-natural candy right at your doorstep? Introducing YumEarth!

YumEarth is a brand of candy produced by YummyEarth. Everything YummyEarth makes is certified organic or all natural, gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, and has no chemical colors, artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. This is why they are the #1 organic company in America! The company was founded by two dads to share healthier treats with their kids and are proud to share that each serving provides 100% of daily vitamin C. It has been called “The Best Lollipop I’ve ever tasted” by Today Show Food Editor Phil Lempert, YumEarth Organics Lollipops come in eight mouthwatering flavors: Very Very Cherry, Too Berry Blueberry, Strawberry Smash, Sour Apple Tart, Pomegranate Pucker, Razzmatazz Berry, Mango Tango and Wet-Face Watermelon. Featured as the “Snack of the Day” on the Rachael Ray Show, YumEarth Organics Gummy Bears have the quintessential texture of a traditional gummy bear with unique mouthwatering flavors: Pomegranate Pucker, Strawberry Smash and Sour Apple Tart.

YumEarth Candy is now available at Target! That’s right, you have the option of buying the candy online or at your local store! Check this list to see YumEarth Candy is available at a Target near you. To celebrate the release of YumEarth Candy at Target, YummyEarth is sponsoring a giveaway of a YEAR’S WORTH OF CANDY to one lucky winner!

Enter on the rafflecopter form below! This giveaway is open to the US only. You are entering to 12 bags of YUMEARTH ORGANICS LOLLIPOPS and 12 bags of GUMMY BEARS. Must be 18+ to enter. Giveaway closes on August 21 at 11:59pm est. Only one person per household/IP address may enter. You only need to enter the giveaway on one of our blogs. Good luck!

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Paper Culture: Simply Stunning Stationery For You or Your Littles

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Darah had her very first birthday party last week. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We had a great turnout and had lots of laughs at the splash park. It was a terrific way to bid summer farewell as we get ready for the next school year.

Since Darah’s friends came bearing gifts to her party, we sat down to write our thank you notes and express gratitude for all the kind gestures, and also for friendship. I was so glad that Darah had her own personalized stationery for the notes. I think it added a nice touch!

I asked my BFF a few months ago if her little ones had any personalized note cards yet, and she said that they didn’t but that she could really use some, especially for her 4 year old. Being the fabulous Aunty that I am, I set out to find the perfect cards for little Livy.

Let me tell you about Livy. She is a firecracker. She is confident, creative, full of joy, and she LOVES to use her imagination. I needed something extra special for her, and I definitely found several great options that were unique at Paper Culture.

I have looked at a whole lot of kids’ stationery over the past 2 years, and there are many wonderful options at various stores online. But I will say without hesitation that Paper Culture has the very best selection of stationery for kids. They have designs that are very unique, that speak to many of the unique traits of our children, and that don’t box kids into the standard pink and blue, princess and sports fan type of stuff.

When I originally went through their selections, I probably picked out 6 different options that reminded me of Livy. Ultimately, though, I went with a rocket ship, as Livy LOVES to learn about space, and to pretend that she’s an astronaut. It’s only fitting that her cards should reflect that interest! It’s what makes them “so Livy!”.

One of the elements that is very unique about this notecard set is the fact that the back is just as lovely as the front! Since the back of the card is dark blue, it would be difficult to write on, but since this card is for a younger child, that’s probably ok, as the notes will usually be short.

I also think that the box the notecards came in is really nice. It’s definitely gift-ready if you are purchasing these for someone else. And it comes with a note about how a tree was planted as part of your purchase. Very cool!

I am very impressed with the quality of the products, and I will definitely go back to Paper Culture in the future when my girls run out of stationery and need some more. The prices are on the high end ($2.59/card if you purchase 10, and the price goes down the more you buy), but the quality is unparalleled.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products through the Global Influence campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

How to Transfer VHS Memories to DVD: YesVideo

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I’m assuming that most of you out there are old enough to have videos from your childhood and teen years still on VHS tape. My parents got a camcorder in 1987 and we have at least 12 years of videos tucked away. When I got married, I took a few of those tapes with me to keep as my own. They mostly included high school choir performances.

Tim and I got rid of our VHS player at least 3 years ago. It was so coated with dust that we realized it was just taking up space. And at that point I knew that converting tapes to DVD was a possibility. I would get around to doing it someday.

And finally that someday arrived! I worked with YesVideo to turn 3 of my choir tapes into DVDs, and I cannot emphasize strongly enough how very glad I am that I did it.

Just this past week my BFF came to visit. She was in choir with me, and I found that to be the perfect opportunity to break out my new dvds. We laughed so hard as we looked at our ridiculous choir uniforms, our hair dos, and even remembered some folks we hadn’t thought about in years. We also found ourselves singing along, remembering the songs we were taught some 13 years ago (wow….that just made me feel pretty darn old).

I’m absolutely delighted to have these memories available to watch again. While I don’t anticipate watching them on a regular basis, I definitely will pull them out when I’m feeling nostalgic. I’ll also really enjoy showing them to Darah and Layah when they are older. Leslie and I actually joked about how I could break out my old show choir routines in front of Darah’s friends when she is in middle school and how mortified she would be. Just the thought of that cracks me up. Yup…I’ll be doing that! 🙂

I know you have some old VHS tapes gathering dust in your home. It’s time to give them new life as dvds! YesVideo is really quite simple. You can place an order online and then print a mailing sheet and ship off your videos. OR….you can drop off your videos and place your order at one of over 34,000 different locations! There’s almost certain to be a drop off business near you!

The next step is to sit tight and wait patiently while YesVideo works their magic. It took about 3 weeks before my videos came back. I got my old VHS tapes back and I also had 3 new dvds! Each dvd was packaged with its orginal VHS tape so that I’d know what goes with what. If you place your order in the store, your order comes back to the store and you can pick it up there.

And here’s what makes YesVideo even more awesome. Your videos are also available online in a private, secure account, that you can share with others. That means that you can post videos online for your friends and family to see! One of my videos has some footage of my 16 year old brother as a 2 year old…that will be getting posted on his facebook wall in short order! 🙂

My parents still have their VHS player (way to hang on, ‘rents!). I will be giving them back the choir tapes since I now have my own copies! I’m also going to encourage them to start making the switch over to dvd so that our childhood memories can continue once the old VHS player goes the way of the buffalo.

I spent a total of $60 getting 3 tapes converted. I think it was worth the price, especially since I can also share the videos with people online.

I definitely recommend YesVideo. I found their process to be easy, their final product to be high quality, and their customer service to be stellar. I would trust them with my cherished childhood memories again! AND…I have a discount code for you! YesVideo Coupon Special – Get 20% Off your entire first order by using Coupon Code: 20TR at YesVideo.com. Bring your favorite memories back to life!

I’d also suggest keeping up with YesVideo on other social media outlets, like Twitter, Facebook and their blog. They post discounts and great tips on these sites!

Disclosure: I received a $50 credit to YesVideo to help cover expenses incurred reviewing the service. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Make a Statement with Poli-Baby Onesies: GIVEAWAY!!

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Every single time I go to the gym (which is the only time I watch live television), I am bombarded with campaign commercials. In case you are living under a rock, it’s a presidential election year, which means that voters are paying closer attention to what is happening in politics and are getting ready to voice their opinions with their votes.

Don’t let your little one be left out of the discourse! Poli-Baby is a site created by siblings Sarah and David that offers onesies with political messages, though perhaps the specific messages have more to do with the world of babies than the world of American politics.

I appreciate the dose of humor, as politics in America can be, well, just so infuriating! The economy is in the toilet, for example, but at least I can smile at Layah’s cute onesie that states “It’s a Teddy Bear Market.”

And I really love the National Rattle Association onesie, too! I also love that this company uses onesies that are made in America, and eco-friendly water based inks.

We all have different political views, and even though certain viewpoints make absolutely no sense to me, I celebrate the fact that we are each entitled to them. That’s part of what makes America such a great place. We have the freedom to believe what makes sense to us, and to engage each other in discussion in an attempt to find some compromise.

Let your baby start to take part in the conversation, even if it starts with reforming day care instead of health care. Gotta start somewhere!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need winner will get the political onesie of their choice from Poli-Baby!

EDIT: Rafflecopter is currently having some technical difficulties with the giveaway code. If you don’t see the entry form but only see a link, click on the link and it should take you to the form. So sorry for the inconvenience! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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

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

How I’m Getting the Stink Out of Laundry: Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator GIVEAWAY!!!

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Ok, so my stinkiest laundry is definitly cloth diapers. Let’s just be open and honest about it…I’m washing material that has pee and poo on it. It doesn’t get much more stinky than that!

And I have a new washer and dryer set. I got the fancy front loaders that I’ve been oogling over for probably 6 years, now. They sure are nice.

Unless you have really stinky laundry.

And then they are sort of terrible. They use so little water that if your clothes really need to be rinsed very thoroughly over and over in order to get fully clean, you are hard-pressed to figure out the right “formula” for getting your laundry truly clean.

Every time I wash cloth diapers, I feel like a sorcerer, concocting an intricate spell the requires great concentration and a bit of luck to pull off.

I’ve added all sorts of different detergents and other potions to my routine, and I’ve tweaked the wash cycles, soil levels and spin speeds I use again and again. Just when I think I have it all figured out perfectly, the stink returns! It’s a never-ending battle.

But Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator has now been added to my routine. I did some online research to see if others have had success with this product. A few folks out there are reporting good results, but for the most part, I think people haven’t really tried it, yet. Nobody wants to be the one who goes first and have something mess up all her diapers!

Well, I stepped up to the plate and decided to just go for it. And I’m so glad I did! Febreze works by capturing the odors that are in the water during the wash and when your water leaves the machine, so do all those trapped odors!

Here’s my method:

I add 1/4 cup of Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator directly to the detergent section when I run my first quick rinse of the diapers. I add another 1/4 cup of the product along with my detergent when I do my long wash cycle. My diapers come out smelling nice and clean, and so far, they aren’t stinking as soon as they get soiled (which is a sign of a diaper that wasn’t fully clean). I can’t promise that my diapers will never stink, as I’ve only been using this for about a week, but so far, so good!

I also like that the scent of the product is very light, and won’t interfere with any other scents that may already be present in your detergent. I happen to prefer unscented detergents, but if you have a favorite product that smells delightful, Febreze will not interfere with that smell. In fact, your laundry may even smell better as the scented detergent doesn’t have to work as hard to mask odors!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Febreze odor eliminator kit!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Control the Drool Without the Dropcloth: Underbib Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m so excited to be sharing with you yet another clever invention by a mom! It’s called the Underbib and here’s why I love it.

All babies hit a period of of infancy when they become drool monsters. Layah is currently in this stage, and that means that we go through 3-5 bibs every single day. They all get SOAKED with drool! She hasn’t yet developed the ability to know how to swallow her saliva, so it all just comes running out of her mouth.

Bibs are plentiful around my house, so my problem isn’t with having enough. What irritates me is when I have her all dolled up in a really cute outfit, and then I have to cover the whole thing up with a bib that probably doesn’t even coordinate with the outfit.

I know, I know, there are bigger problems in life. But I’m telling you, this grinds my gears!

That’s why the UnderBib is so clever. It is a bib that is put on using magnets, and it is actually designed to go UNDER your baby’s outfit. That way, baby’s skin stays nice and dry and your cute outfit isn’t covered up! 

See the magnet clips around the top of her dress? The bib is actually under her dress! If your child also likes to try to take off her bib, the UnderBib can help with that, too. She won’t even know it’s there!

The bib is also able to be work on the outside of the outfit, if you’d prefer that the outfit not get any drool on it, either.

Super neat, right?! This is another one of those, “Why didn’t I think of that?” ideas.

The UnderBib is available for $14 or you can score a package of 2 for $25. Oder here!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an UnderBib!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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