Mommy FTW

Recently I was talking to a friend who is 7 months pregnant and I asked her what she was using on her baby belly to prevent stretch marks.  She said she had just run out of what she was using, and was thinking of trying something else.  That reminded me of an amazing product I used when I was pregnant with Cameron which another mom friend had recommended to me – L’Occitane Shea Butter.

This product, while not specifically marketed as “stretch mark cream” is, I think, the best thing out there for the job.  Most stretch mark creams have shea butter in them, but this stuff is 100% pure shea butter!

I knew from my own experience this stuff really works(I didn’t get a single one *knock on wood* for next time) but I wondered why shea butter actually helps prevent stretch marks so I asked my friend Google!  Here’s what I found out:

Because of its high concentration of non-saponifiable fatty acids, shea butter has a moisturizing and healing effect on the skin. The lipids contained in the butter are highly beneficial to the cells found in the epidermis and promote skin healing and improvement. Shea butter works well to improve the skin’s elasticity, thus enabling it to stretch with greater ease.

Sounds good to me!  You can buy this cream on Amazon.com, on the Sephora website, in Sephora stores, or at L’Occitane stores. It is a little pricey, but I would say that not getting stretch marks is worth it! One 4.9 oz tin will most likely get you through the whole pregnancy.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I know, I know – the idea of reusing a swim diaper might sound a little gross, but – it seems to work well!  Last summer a friend of mine came up with the idea, and gave it a try.  She left her daugter’s swim diaper out overnight to let it dry.  The next day there was no odor, and it seemed perfectly fine to use again.  After all, usually kids are only wearing these diapers for a few minutes, and most of the time there’s no #2 involved (I’ve yet to have Cameron unleash a poo in the pool *knock on wood*)

Save some cash, and make less trash!

So if you want to save a little cash, or you are low on swim diapers, and haven’t had a chance to order more yet, try drying them out and using them again the next day!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I’ve mentioned before that Triple Paste is my go to diaper rash cream when Cameron is having a little “situation” down there.”  But, as many of you know, that quality doesn’t come cheap!  Recently I decided to use a creative approach to get the last little bits out that my fingers couldn’t quite scoop…. A rubber spatula from the kitchen worked miracles!  I was able to get every last ounce out of the jar with no problem.

Triple Paste is expensive - so don't waste any!

By the way, check out my article about making Triple Paste easier to deal with (a little heat goes a long way), and if you need some coupons for Triple Paste, then call them at 1 800-533-7546 and request some coupons to be mailed to you!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

It’s hot and the sprinklers are on at the local parks – But I some toddlers (including Cameron) are a bit water shy. If your little one is a little nervous about getting wet – here’s a few things you can try.

Cameron stages a ball rescue at Camel Park

I will often take one of Cameron’s favorite toys (his blue car, a ball, or doll stroller usually work well) and throw it in the sprinkler. Most of the time he will go and get it. Once he’s been in the sprinkler once, he seems to get over his fear (at least for the day). Warning – if your child is stubborn you might end up having to retrieve the toy yourself… or you can try and convince another kid to get it for you.

Another method I use is to hold Cameron and we run through the edge of the sprinkler together. Be sure to take your cell phone out of your pocket before you do this! Again, once Cam has gotten wet he seems to get over his fear.

This last method I saw a dad use with great success. He dared his 2.5 year old to run into the Camel Park sprinkler and tag the center of it. Who can resist a dare? After his first trip in, the little boy was soaking wet in 2 minutes.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Ok – I’ve done a lot of searching to find Cameron the right sippy.  I’ve stumbled upon a new option that I saw another mom friend using.  It’s a CamelBak bottle in a kids size (.4 Liter).

A great sippy for water!

It doesn’t leak, and Cameron loves using it.  It’s also BPA free!  I ordered mine from Amazon – they have lots of colors and patterns to choose from.

I’ve given Cameron pancakes before, but one day at the playground one of my mom friends whipped out some mini (silver dollar sized) ones in a container that she had kept for snack time.  What a brilliant idea!  It’s great for the kids because they can hold them in their hands and run around and play while they snack.

Pancakes, not just for breakfast!

I make my pancakes with the Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix which is available on Fresh Direct.    The directions for the pancakes don’t call for an egg, but I add one anyways.  I also use melted butter instead of oil, and add a touch of honey for sweetness.  I haven’t gotten too advanced yet, but I am thinking adding strawberries, blueberries, or bananas would be good, or if you want to go the hidden vegetable route, perhaps some pumpkin puree.  So next time you make pancakes for breakfast, make a few extra little guys to tote around as snacks.  Yum!

I asked the Fort Greene Babies and Fort Greene Kids Yahoo Groups for some more advice on entertaining Cameron on the plane, and I wanted to share with all of you the suggestions that other moms gave me.

Pop up books – one mom claimed that she entertained her toddler for 4 hours with this pop up book!  Sounds pretty good to me.

Magna Doodle – I often forget about those “old school” toys, but I thought this was a great idea.  It’s all the fun of crayons, without the potential mess and wasted paper.

Mr. Potato Head – another “old school” toy that sounds like it would be lots of fun for a plane ride.

A Toy Airplane – The only time I took Cam on a flight before he was deathly ill and much younger.  I think this time will be much more exciting – and having a little plane there for him to play with might be the cherry on the sundae!

A puppet – Cameron has a book called “Mouse in the House” that has a little mouse puppet which he is obsessed with.  So I think a puppet for a plane ride is a fantastic idea.

Those crappy toys you get with your happy meal (etc). – One mom says she saves all these little toys and breaks them out on the plane.  If parts of them get lost – who cares!  Sounds like smart thinking to me!

Many moms echoed the suggestion of playing movies and videos, the necessity for lots of snacks, and also how important it was to have a change of clothes for the child (and yourself, if you can fit it) in case of disaster!

And, with that – I’m off for the week!  I’ll come back and report on how the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort was……… But for now, some much needed vacation.

Have a great week!!

Our vacation is less a week away (!!) so I’ve been asking my fellow moms for advice when it comes to entertaining a toddler on a plane.  None of these are exactly groundbreaking ideas, but maybe some of these them will be helpful to you.

Stickers – lots and lots of stickers! – Cameron is really into stickers lately, so this idea made perfect sense to me.  We’ve been getting them after our weekly visits to Trader Joe’s and Cameron will spend the whole walk back sticking and unsticking them to his pants and anything around him.  I went to Target and picked up a bunch in the Stationary and Scrapbooking sections (on the first floor near the greeting cards).  We went for the truck and farm stickers, but there’s a big assortment.  I also ordered some Melissa and Doug stickers off of Amazon.  I got a pad of paper (also from Target) so that the stickers hopefully end up there instead of all over the plane.  I also plan to bring crayons.

Cameron picks out some stickers at Target

A new toy – I’m going for something blinky that involves batteries.  I haven’t quite picked out something yet, but I’ll keep you posted as to what I end up with.  But, I plan to keep it totally secret until we get on the plane, that way it will be all the more exciting.

Videos – I ordered a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD – It is Cameron’s favorite so I am hoping it will buy me at least an hour or so.  I went for the Dancey Dance Bunch, but I’m pretty sure any of them would do.  Cameron doesn’t seem to mind watching them over and over again.  I also have some Baby Einstein.  Cameron loves Baby Wordsworth, and Neighborhood Animals.

iPhone – Peekaboo Barn is still Cameron’s favorite iPhone App, but he also loves just flipping through the photos (most of them are of him) and pressing the buttons in general.

Snacks – lots and lots of snacks.  I think we all know that there isn’t much food on airplanes anymore, so don’t forget to pack an arsenal.  It was also suggested to me to try lollipops.  This isn’t something I would normally give Cameron, but when it comes to keeping a toddler quiet on a plane, I’ll go for pretty much anything.

Non-Refrigerated Milk (yes, they make that!) – I actually plan to bring this for not just the plane, but the vacation in general.  You can get it on Fresh Direct (it’s called Farmland Lil’ Milk Stay Fresh Whole Milk).  By the way, they also have 1% and 2% if your little one is no longer on Whole Milk.

Other Passengers – Cameron loves to make friends.  Hopefully some of my fellow passengers will be interested in making friends back!  If so, I plan to use them for as much entertainment as possible.

Books and Puzzles – Just like his videos, Cameron can play with his puzzles and books over and over and not get bored of them.  He also really likes his touch and feel flash cards.  I think I’ll stick with his most favorite ones (tractor, firetruck, dog, cat, ball).

Any of you mommies out there have other ideas to share with everyone?  I can use all the help I can get!

Cameron enjoys toast – peanut butter toast, french toast – but sometimes you need a change.  So when I was at Trader Joe’s recently I picked up some of their whole wheat “British muffins” (English muffins) and some tasty toppings.

I’ve been toasting them lightly and putting hummus on (per my pediatrician’s recommendation), or some peanut butter and honey.  I was even thinking of Apple or Pumpkin butter (though I haven’t gotten to those yet).  Another mom also told me that her toddler loves the cinnamon raisin British muffins.  Next time, I’ll give those a try!

On Tuesday Cameron and I headed out to Clinton Hill Library (380 Washington Ave) for Reading with Babies, and a break from the rain. When I got to the library I saw a sign posted that there wouldn’t be any story time until March 2nd, and that they were showing a Sesame Street movie instead. I was a little disappointed, but I wanted to check out the Children’s section of the library anyways because I had heard it was a nice place for kids to play – story time, or no. Indeed, I was not let down.

Cameron plays with the bead maze

There was plenty of space for Cameron to roam around, and a few other babies there. So many books were at his level, and I didn’t feel bad about him taking them off the shelves himself and taking a peek at them (I just followed him around and put them back). There were also a few toys for the kids.

So many books to choose from

Overall, it was a nice place to take Cameron when the weather is bad, so we will certainly be back!