Its not every day a truly eccentric plush shows up at our door. And Poilodos the Sheep, a member of the Deglingos designer plush line, is absolutely unique.
The crazy Deglingos, crafted in France, are made from nearly 50 different kinds of fabric and string, which makes them not just fun to cuddle with but fun to touch for the youngest of children, who love to explore by touch. With 9 absolutely unique animals available, my favorite is Hikos the Hedgehog, though the kids are pretty partial to their new buddy, Poilodos. Included in Dr. Toys Best Toy list of 2008, ours is an “original” size, measuring about 10 inches. Also available are Giant sizes, Baby products. Find the collection at Oompa, where shipping is $4.95, spend $65 and you’re order ships free!
Bringing Many Smiles: Poilodos the Sheep
10% off Hooter Hider and Bebe Au Lait at Baby Bella
I recently caught wind of the latest prints and patterns from Hooter Hider and Bebe Au Lait. They are adorable! And as someone who lived under her Hooter Hiders through nursing, I’m envious of all of the current nursing Moms who can use some of the hip, new patterns.
I’ve said it dozens of times before and I’ll say it again – I’m a modest person and I really don’t know that I would have nursed so successfully, for so long, and in public without my Hooter Hiders. Every nursing Mommy should have one.
I checked out some new patterns from the Baby Bella store – you can check them out too and you can use coupon code “mommies” to receive 10% off your Bebe Au Lait or Hooter Hider purchase.
Think Pink With Boon
Have you seen Boon’s line of feeding items? They are all so cool! From the snack ball to the ergonomically shaped sippie cup, bendable spoons and drip catching bowls – these items are all fun, functional and fabulous looking. Plus they are now available in pink.
This week is the best time to shop for these items at Boon because now through the 31st, Boon is donating $1 from every purchase to breast cancer research. Enter code pink08 for an additional 10% off your order.
Here’s a little video clip of our favorite Boon feeding implement – the Squirt babyfood dispensing spoon. It makes it easy/clean to feed baby anywhere, anytime (including on the couch with daddy!) and is a real conversation starter when out and about with your baby. We get more comments about this spoon than we do about our pimped out Bugaboo!
Got [bump]?
There is nothing worse for the ole self-esteem then when you are in your late first trimester or early second and your belly doesn’t yet scream “pregnant.” In fact, to the outside world, it might be saying “too many doughnuts” or “time to lay off the beer.”
And, if you’re like me, you carry super-low and your pregnancy is more total-body, where everything seems to expand.
So that’s why I was very excited to find [bump]. It is a hip maternity line created by a mom of three, so she’s been through the whole “is that a bump or a pot roast?” phase.
[bump] stands for baby under manufacturing process and it says so right on her clothes. The lettering is printed strategically on your baby bump. You can choose from shirts, tanks, pants and, new to her line, dresses. I tried the black long-sleeved [bump] dress over yoga pants. When I dropped off my son at preschool, a mom who’ve I’ve seen every day since September looked at me and said “You’re pregnant?” You can bet I was happy for my [bump]!
The clothes are made from baby-soft cotton. Also new to the line are some new [bumps] embellished with crystals, such as the symbols for peace, love & [bump.] The sayings are also fun – who hasn’t wanted to shout “hands off my [bump]“?
And don’t forget the dad! He can proudly wear his “sympathy [bump]” or ‘[bump] daddy” shirt.
Enter MWS10 for a 10 percent discount.
Thanks to Beaba Babycook I’m a Baby Gourmet Chef
“Tonight, my pretties, we’ll be serving up a cous-cous and cauliflower coulis, with a hint of yogurt curry, followed by an apricot pear rice pudding”
Sound far fetched for an eight month old? Not when you have the Beaba Babycook! This wonderful device cooks and purees baby’s food for you, so quickly and easily it’s almost unbelievable.
Lets get one thing straight. I am a capitol “L” Lazy chef. Anything over five minutes in the microwave and two pots to wash and I am thinking maybe I should order out. Or save it for a special occasion. Like a party. Which I would probably want to have catered come to think of it… I’m more of a cupcake decorator than a dinner maker. I frost. I sprinkle. But I don’t like to toil in the kitchen.
However I do like fresh and healthy food. I am making an effort to serve mostly organic items and plenty of fresh veggies to my family. We’re even growing some of our own. I just hate that part about preparing them. Almost as much as I hate washing up afterwards. Dear sweet doomed veggies…They do look so pretty in the fridge before they spoil though!
I guess you can see why the idea of preparing baby food never really progressed past the “idea” phase for me, in the past. My poor kids were stuck eating flavorless jarred foods with the “treat” of organic home delivery every once in a while. You haven’t lived till you’ve had organic sweet potatoes (with a price tag that rivals that of the finest beluga caviar)delivered to your doorstep on dry ice.
I won’t be shelling out anymore. Because the Beaba Babycook is easy enough even for lazy old me. The hardest part of using it is peeling the organic potato. Seriously, this is what takes the longest and makes the most mess.
The Babycook steams and blends foods in one baby safe, BPA-free container. You just fill the steamer reservoir with a little water, pop the steamer basket of (peeled and cut up) ingredients into the blending container and set the dial to “steam”. It takes less than 30 seconds to do this. You are then good to go check your email, take a shower, whatever. Ten minutes later (or a little longer if you want to enjoy that shower) you come back and the Beaba Babycook is done steaming and has automatically turned off. Simply blend the steamed food, maybe adding a little liquid till you get the right consistancy. Viola! Baby food done! Again, less than 30 seconds.
Clean-up is super fast as well because there is just the one small container and steamer insert to wash.
Using the Beaba Babycook I am able to create 4-5 servings of a healthful meal for my baby in less time than it takes to go to the grocery store and purchase a jar of the pre-made stuff. At a fraction of the price. Who knew that making my own baby food would be the ideal solution for a lazy gourmet like me?
Freed from my fear of drudgery, I am really enjoying coming up with creative and healthful food combos for my baby. I enjoy pulling appropriate ingredients from our family meal for him to eat. I actually taste his food and it is good! Nothing at all like the gross stuff in the jars. My son has yet to turn away from a homecooked meal. Poor thing was traumatized, however, when my mom offered him jarred food at a recent visit. She ended up steaming carrots in the microwave steamer and mixing them with applesauce in her food processor. I’m just glad I did not have to clean up!
Please note: You don’t have to tell anyone (including my mom) that it’s ridiculously easy to make baby food using the Beaba Babycook. Let them think you toil because you are so eco, hip, pc, creative, earthy, super-mama genius-y. I won’t rat you out if you don’t tell on me!
‘m not sure whether I should jump for joy or throw a royal tantrum that I did not have this wonderful device for whipping up baby food when my other three kids were cutting their first teeth. It’s not inexpensive but it definitely pays for itself in savings when used regularly. It’s a fabulous investment in the long run and one you will continue to use into the toddler years as it is perfect for making those sneaky “purees” that are so popular for health-i-fying your daily meals.
Purchase your Beaba Babycook at Giggle. Check out weelicious for homemade babyfood recipes and inspiration.
Haba blocks for the holiday season
We recently had my favorite (and only) professional photographer over to take pictures of our family for our holiday cards. (Dina Rose, by the way, for all you locals in the Philly area. Email her – she’s amazing and gives a discount to Mommies with Style readers so mention us if you book.)
So you can only get a 5 and 2 year old to sit still and smile for so long. I was looking for something to hold their interest for a short while more to take some candids. I pulled out this Haba Sakrada Building Blocks set from the closet, where I had stashed it as a Christmas gift. Not only did they love playing with it while she snapped more photos, but they played with it for hours after she left and are still playing with them today.
Blocks just don’t get old – especially well constructed ones that are built to last years. There are endless possibilities. Check out this set which is fun and colorful and comes with a few building suggestions, as well as other Haba toys on the Petit Baby website where they came from.
Use coupon code MWS10 (not valid on sale items) to receive 10% off your order.
Let’s Get it Started…with StartUp Princess
Have a great idea and no idea where to start? Or maybe you have already launched your dream business but are feeling like you could use a little advice and working-mom strategy from someone who has been there and done that? It can be so hard to get that from your regular peer group.
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Anderson from StartUp Princess. She hosted an informal gathering in my area and I was so honored to meet and chat with Kelly and other entreprenuerial woman including Debbie Savage of Baby Emi Jewelry, Carrie Lundell of This is Me keepsake journals, Jamie Dadant of Circle of Sentiments Jewelry and photographer Kathryn Le Boye.
If you are looking for a little sisterly support and inspiration in your entrepreneurial ventures you should definitely check out the Startup Princess website. You may even want to consider attending their conference next month.
I felt extra lucky last night as I won the drawing for a massage. And if there is anything a mompreneur can use, it’s a little stress relief!
Karito Kids – These Fabulous Dolls have International Style!
Move over Samantha and Molly, there’s a new kid in town. She’s pretty, she’s smart and she’s even web savvy. She’s the newcomer from the Karito kids doll line– a blond surfer girl from Australia, named Piper. She’s just beautifully made, with incredibly high quality craftsmanship and a kind expression. She has won the hearts of both me and my daughters.
Piper joins pals Gia from Italy, Pita from Mexico, Lulu from Africa, Zoe from the USA and Ling from China. The six girls make up the Karito Kids collection. What an exciting group! Each doll comes with a storybook and a passport. The passport is a good thing – these dolls are so gorgeous (truly heirloom quality) that your daughter is not going to want to go anywhere without her. The stories are inspired as well. The mysteries and adventures are a fun way to give your girl a little peek at what life is like for kids like her in other places.
But perhaps what is most unique about these dolls and their beautiful website is that a portion of the proceeds for each doll sold goes to charity. Not just any charity though – Karito kids gets your child involved in the process, allowing her to choose the charity that she’d most like to support. My daughters really thought long and hard before choosing and took the time to learn about all the children’s charities that this wonderful manufacturer supports.
Karito Kids also host an online forum where you can further explore the world of your doll, play games with other kids, learn more about kids in other parts of the world and learn about ways to make a difference and improve the world for kids everywhere.
Karito kids dolls are special because they aim to teach kids respect for the world we live in, and to expand their horizons to embrace foreign lands and foreign cultures. However… This did not stop my daughter’s from making the observation that their “other” 18 inch dolls were very jealous of Piper. She’s just a little taller, more international, intriguing and in the words of an 8 yr old, “cooler”. It was a bit of a problem see, cause now everyone wants to play with and hang out with Piper and the other girls are jealous.
Check out the Karito Kids website to learn most about the dolls, to order and to find a retailer near you. Piper has already influenced Gia to move in with us as well. From the frequent requests for more Karito company (“Piper wants to have a sleepover with Ling and Lulu, Mommy!” ) I have a feeling we may be seeing some more of her friends this holiday season.
GIVEAWAY: $75 to spend on Alli’s Originals
Another great giveaway for you all to enter this week is from Alli’s Originals. This stuff is so gorgeous – she makes personalized, hand-stamped jewelry. Great gifts for Mom for the holidays Dads so take note!
One lucky Mommies with Style winner will win a $75 credit on the Alli’s Originals website. To enter, simply subscribe to our weekly newsletter by subscribing through this link. You’ll then be entered to win, plus you’ll receive our weekly newsletter – full of deals, coupon codes and review features. And, you’ll be entered into all future newsletter giveaways – which we have often. (So if you’re already a subscribed member, sit back and do nothing other than hoping we call your name!)
This contest will run until October 27th. One winner will be notified after that day.
Didn’t win but must have an Alli’s Originals necklace? Enter code “ao 10% 07” at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase.
Advertorial: Brick House Paperie
The following is a paid Advertorial from Brick House Paperie:
Tis the season to shop at Brick House Paperie. Our stylish holiday collection will set you apart from the rest this holiday season. Featuring brand-new, exclusive designs, our original collection includes modern and traditional holiday photo cards, holiday birth announcements and party invitations.
Find unique and personal gifts like custom placemats and personalized stationery. Brick House Paperie offers individual customization, photo options, fast turnaround and top-notch customer service.
Get a jump on the holiday season and choose a greeting that’s sure to be noticed. Start planning a New Year’s party early or start planning ahead for a spring baby announcement. We offer many pre-ordering options including pre-shipping of envelopes.
Visit Brick House Paperie today use coupon code MWS10 at checkout for 10% off through December 31, 2008.
ENK Int’l Children’s Club Show Part 5 – Floatmini, Zinnias & Sole Kool, Mullins Square and Kaos! Recycled
We’re winding up our coverage of the ENK International Children’s Club Trade Show with some terrific finds.
I flipped over Floatimini’s cute extra- girlie swimsuits. Designed by Sehee Kim and Eric Chang, the bathing suits were really funky and different. Sizes run from from 6 months to 8 years.
I’ve been a fan of Zinnias Inc. for a while. They make amazing tye dyed clothes, which do not run in the wash. They’ve been eco-friendly for 15 years, using low impact dyes. They’ve partnered up with Jill Green, to dye her cool footwear, formerly under the Kool Kicks label. Most of their groovy shoes come in kid’s and women’s sizes, but their tye-dyed canvas sneakers are available in toddler sizes. How cute are the tye-dyed soft lunchboxes? .
Mullins Square makes such fun animal towels. Their hooded towel ponchos are great after a bath or a trip to the beach.
Kaos! Recycled actually recycles concert t-shirts and cuts them down to kids’ sizes. Some turn into cute dresses like this and this.
Add these to the “why didn’t I think of that?” list
This one might be at the top of my list. Teaching a 5 year old to tie shoes is not easy. And as frustrating as it is for you or me to teach him, its even harder for him to remember all the steps and get his fingers to manipulate the skinny laces “just so.”
So Wendy Welling came up with an absolutely brilliant way to help t7ers learn to tie. Thread on her Tie Buddies to keep laces looped, and give children something bigger to grip than a wishy-washy-flippy-floppy lace.
Apparently, Kindergarten teachers agree, this is a necessity for my 5-year-old! Use code “MWS08” for a 10% discount.
A Peek Inside Mom2Be Trade Show
Today I spent a few hours wandering the aisles of the Mom2Be Trade show with fellow Mommies With Style writer Cheryl. We oohed and ah’ed over some of the latest new gear & attire from new companies like Heart String, Mom and Spawn, Modern Me, Belly Cravings, Bug & Pickle, More of Me, Mommy on the Go Diaper Bags, Mayrons Good Baby Natural skin care, Baby Bums, Mae Lee Diaper bags, and Manny & Simon. We also caught up and talked shop with some of my favorite companies – Sakura Bloom, Baby Hawk, Nine Moons, Larrivo, Gitta Bags, Aden & Anais, Ingrid and Isabel, Lauren Kiyomi Maternity and Blueberry Diapers. It was an amazing array of vendors, with some of the hottest and most innovative gear and goodies for moms and babies with style. Here are a few pictures from the show – expect more info & reviews of these companies in the weeks to come!
New Coupon Code from Utterly Yours
Utterly Yours has offered Mommies with Style readers an exclusive coupon code for 10% off any of their products through November 30th, 2008. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion/discount. Use code: UYMS1008.
Original Review:
The Utterly Yours Breast Pillow ($21.95), which was designed by a mom, is a way to "lift" yourself up. Its designed for large breasted women (like myself) and moms who need a little "support". The way you use it is simple. Hold the pillow in your hand, compress it with your thumb and forefinger, position it under your breast and release. Click here for an illustrated diagram.
I am pleased to report that this product really gave me support – and my hand back! I no longer had to prop myself up when I used the Utterly Yours. I usually use this with a great nursing pillow (I am loving Luna Lullaby’s Bosom Baby Pillow) – you can never have too much support! The Utterly Yours Breast Pillow is designed to be used it while sitting position, but can be used while in the lying down nursing position.
It is small enough to fit in your diaper bag and reasonable enough to get a couple. The cover is washable – but the pillow is not.
There are 4 sizes – determined by your pregnancy bra size (small is for cup size C and D, medium is for E (DD) and F), large is for G and H, and x-large is for I and J).
Shop Utterlyyours.com or click here to find a retailer.
Family Talk – Free Shipping
Yesterday, I wrote a review about a game called Family Talk but did not include a code for Free Shipping. To take advantage of this offer, please use MWSFMT at checkout!
Naturepedic Mattresses are the Healthy Natural Choice
Last year around this time we had something terrifying happen. Our then three year old son had a sudden severe asthma attack. Without any family history of this, and no real way to explain it other than an environmental trigger, I started paying very close attention to our household cleaning and furnishing choices. Suddenly everything was suspect.
We were already pretty green in our choices of household cleaners and paints. My son was sleeping in a room with hard flooring, in a toddler bed with a vinyl coated mattress. I had always thought of this mattress as hypo allergenic, considering it was sealed.
But when I started to do a little research on mattresses I was shocked to find out that the mattress he’d been sleeping and napping on for the last three years, was anything but healthy. Sure it fit tightly in a crib and promised firm back support and met fire retardancy standards. But the safety ended there and the dangers from that mattress, once I discovered them, were shocking!
What I had not know when I purchased that mattress was eye opening. I had no way of knowing that the petroleum based polyurethane foam inside, used to provide that “ergonomic” support, was likely to off gas toxic chemicals into the air my baby breathed. For 10-14 hrs a day, every day of his young life. Polyurethane foam is cheap to produce, which is why it is so popular in the mattress industry. Unfortunately it is also very flammable, which is a problem because there are safety standards legislated for children’s mattresses. No worries – we have chemical fire retardants for that. Unfortunately these may be even worse for your kids than the foam.
The toxic cocktail of common chemicals used on polyurethane foam in order to meet fire retardancy standards is nasty stuff and it has its own off gassing issues. Such chemicals have been banned from use in Europe.
And as if this was not bad enough, the pvc cover designed to keep the foam from absorbing any bodily fluids, had it’s own off-gassing issues. Here I’d thought that buying a new mattress was the wisest and healthiest thing I could do. It turned out a used mattress would have been safer, as it would not have been off gassing as much as a new one. As I read on I was more mortified, and more depressed. It was shocking to me that the infant mattress industry was so unregulated and that the regulations that existed seemed more concerned with meeting the demands of inexpensive production, than actually protecting our babies from harm.
After much research I came across Naturepedic. This is a company that meets these problems with standard crib and children’s mattresses head on, without compromise. Naturepedic does one thing and does it well. They make healthy organic mattresses for babies and kids (and adults too for the record!). What impressed me most about Naturepedic is that that they not only address health and environmental concerns but also go the extra mile to make a product that is non allergenic and has innovative functionality. They literally don’t cut corners – as evidenced in their new, truly square crib mattresses. Where others save time and go around a curve, Naturepedic refused to take a chance of a child slipping into a crack in the corner of their crib. So they pioneered the best fit for a crib mattress, with square corners.
Naturepedic crib matresses are made exclusively from natural non allergenic materials. Their fill is a combination of supportive coils and organic cotton. They do not use any wool or latex due to the potential allergenic qualities of these materials. As a parent you should know that these other organic choices may not be the most healthful for a baby/childs mattress! Studies have shown that prolonged and/or frequent early exposure (such as nightly sleeping on these materials) to these materials has been linked with people developing wool and latex allergies.
Standard crib mattresses are covered/waterproofed with vinyl/pvc that contains pthalates. Naturepedic’s crib mattress covers are made of organic cotton and mattresses are sealed with non toxic, non off gassing, food grade polyethylene. Their particular sealing process also makes the mattress dust mite proof, further enhancing their non allergenic status. One other terrific and innovative feature of my son’s twin size Naturepedic mattress is that it is a “2 in 1″. One side of the mattress is sealed with polyethylene for waterproofing (a good thing for toddler’s bed!) and the other is not coated, for when he older. This allows me to simplify my bedmaking and avoid using vinyl/pvc products under the sheets to protect the mattress.
I cannot say with any authority that my son’s asthma was caused by his crib mattress but I can say that since we have put him on a twin size aturepedic mattress, he has been able to discontinue his use of daily asthma meds and we definitely have noticed an improvement in his symptoms! We all sleep sounder at night knowing he is on a safe mattress. He’s not old enough to comprehend this, but he is old enough to tell me how much he loves his “new bed”. I can vouch for the comfort – I have to be careful not to pass out with him while we read a bedtime story!
Our infant son is now sleeping on a Naturepedic crib mattress, and not his brother’s hand me down. While these products are almost double the price of typical non organic crib mattresses they are a worthwhile investment, much more so than a fancy/cute bedframe, for us. Consider this: the cost of one month’s worth of asthma meds, is about the price difference between a standard and a healthy crib mattress. Some things are just not worth skimping on. I only wish I could travel back in time and get my older son this mattress sooner. It’s hard to imagine buying anything else, knowing what is in standard crib mattresses. It is an issue that I predict we will be hearing more about in the months and years to come – much like we have started to learn about the dangers of bisphenol-a in standard baby bottles over the past yr. Don’t give yourself anything to regret – do your research before you invest in a crib mattress!
Naturepedic mattresses meet strict Greenguard organic certification standards and are approved by the Healthy Child Healthy World Organization. Read more about them at the Naturepedic website.
