Baby — Page 13

Busy Mom Solution Giveaway – Win a Sili Squeeze for Easier Toddler Meals!

Win the Sili Squeeze!!

I am SO SUPER EXCITED to be able to give one of my lucky fans this amazing product – It’s one of those things that, once you start using it, you wonder what you ever did without it. Seriously – it’s that great.

Please – Take a minute to read more about the Sili Squeeze in my post so that you can let me know why YOU are excited to win one! You can enter your answer on the easy peasy Rafflecopter entry form below. Here’s the post….

Busy Mom Solution – Sili Squeeze Take the Mess out of Toddler Meals!

Check it out, learn why this is a total must-have busy mom product – and then enter to win! Good luck!

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 14, 2011 Filed Under: Giveaways | 2 Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Sili Squeeze takes the Mess out of Toddler Meals!

“A two-year old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.” – Jerry Seinfeld

The Challenge: Feeding a toddler is a messy job. Your options – Serve her finger foods that she can pick up and feed herself. This is time-saving, and mostly un-messy, but they usually just throw all of their “bites” on the floor for the dog. You can feed them their dinner, bite by bite – but it’s possible that you’d like to eat your own meal too, right? Or, you can get brave and start letting them learn to use their own spoon…. But that can turn into a disaster pretty quickly. This was Abby’s first attempt at using a spoon. {FYI: Do not turn your back on a toddler with a cup of chocolate pudding even for a minute. Things can get out of hand so quickly….} There are lots of foods that she’s getting skilled at feeding herself – but things like yogurt, pudding, and applesauce are awfully tough for her to handle on her own.

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” – Franklin P. Jones

The Busy Mom Solution: The Sili Squeeze! Ohmyheck – I am simply in love with this totally genius idea. I can give Abby great snacks like pureed yogurt or applesauce – or even use the Baby Brezza to blend up some great purees of fruits and veggies – and she can use the Sili Squeeze to eat them all by herself, no mess! Read a little more…

“The Sili Squeeze™ was developed out of the desire to feed my growing baby nutritious food on the go whether in the car seat, stroller, or shopping cart. The squeeze is “mommy hands free”, so your little ones can squeeze themselves silly, without the mess and wastefulness of a disposable squeeze.”

“Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky.” – Fran Lebowitz

There are a lot of products out there that are marketed as great toddler snacks, but not all of them are all that practical. We tried these applesauce pouches – I thought that they’d be a great on-the-go option. The older kiddo’s love ’em, but Abby squeezes all of the applesauce onto her shirt in about 60 seconds. As you can see, the Sili Squeeze is similar in size {just right for little hands} so I just add the applesauce into the Sili Squeeze instead. The difference? The Sili Squeeze works differently than anything you’ve seen – it’s got a totally spill-proof nipple. So, when your kiddo gums or pinches it, while squeezing at the same time, the food will come out. If they just squeeze it, nothing. It does take a couple of tries for them to “get” it, since they’re usually used to things coming out pretty easily. But once they do get it – they love it. Squeeze-controlled independent feeding! And unlike those store-bought pouches, these are reusable.

“There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Sili Squeeze is great for babies too – You can give this super-helpful squeeze to babies starting at about 6 months. Fill it with baby food when you’re in need of a meal on the go, so baby can eat “Mommy-Hands Free!” And, they’ve got an awesome new product on the way – the Sili Squeeze with Eeeze, for ages 4+. It’s the same convenience and fun of the original, but with a free-flowing nipple valve. It’s no longer spill-proof, but at that age, they’re independent enough to handle that just fine.

The Sili Squeeze is easy to take care of –

The food-safe silicone body and nipple are naturally UV repellent so you don’t have to worry about the chemical breakdown of the Sili Squeeze if left in a car.
Because the Sili Squeeze is made of silicone, you can conveniently wash your Squeeze by hand or on the top rack of your dishwasher.
Coming soon – replacement nipple valve 2-packs! Available in early 2012. This is a great addition to their product line.

What do YOU think?

Are you excited to get one of these too? Imagine how great it will be to give your tiniest family members great snacks and meals filled with fruits, veggie’s, and yogurts – while you have your hands free to enjoy a great meal too, with no mess to clean up. Share your toddler meal-time challenges in the comments!

You can find order the Sili Squeeze online – either the 4 oz shown here, or the larger 6 oz size – Order Sili Squeeze Today!

I also recommend this book –The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet. There are over 60 super simple, super healthy, and super yummy, baby food puree’s in this book! This isn’t just for babies either – Abby loves to try new puree’s in her Sili Squeeze – and it’s such an easy way to get more fruits and veggie’s into her diet.

Connect with the Sili Squeeze makers online too – You can find them on Facebook and Twitter!

Want to WIN your own Sili Sippy? Head over to the giveaway page to enter to WIN one of your own!! Hurry – Giveaway ends on December 28th! Good luck!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 14, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 4 Comments

Beech Nut Baby Food Coupons – Plus Freebies and Deals!

Big Savings on Beech Nut Baby Food!

Abby ate anything – From the very first time I put a spoon up to her mouth, there was NOTHING that she wouldn’t finish. She’s my little Chunka :) I have a Baby Brezza, and made most of her baby food – but I’m a busy momma, and there were plenty of times that she got jars of pre-made food too. Beech Nut was my favorite – the flavor, texture, and color are much closer to “real” foods. And Abby ate them twice as fast as other baby foods, so I know she preferred them too! {Lol.} I know feeding a baby gets expensive quick, so I wanted to share these great coupons I found with you guys –

Printable Beech Nut Coupons

More Baby & Toddler Coupons:

Baby & Toddler Freebies:

American Baby Magazine – Free year subscription, packed full of promotions and coupons in addition to their super helpful tips!
Baby Talk Magazine – Another one that I relied on for great tips, and amazing savings!
Free Baby Book – This makes a really cool surprise for family living far away – Set up a full book, with pics and memories, and then send the access link to grandparents. They’ll LOVE it!
Planning Family – Great resource for diaper coupons. Plus, check out their updated free sample section a couple times a week to stock up on food, formula, and other must-haves.
More Baby Freebies – This site is similar, and also filled with great freebies and coupons, plus resources to find more savings.

Baby & Toddler Deals:

Christmas Ornaments – Make really fun personalized ornaments for Baby’s First Christmas, or to build a yearly collection for your kids.
Totsy -Huge savings on toys, fashion, shoes, and gear for little ones. They also have events for moms too, with really great deals on accessories and fashion. It’s one of my go-to’s for deals.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 9, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

Build a Better Smile – Oral Health Care for Toddlers

Taking Care of Toddler Teeth

Abby got her first teeth really late. She was born at the end of July, and started teething in November. I could feel little teeth wanting to poke through, and thought that it meant she’d have her first little pearly white pop through any time. I was so wrong – she didn’t get her first tooth until she was almost a year old!

First Dentist Visit

Since she just started to get her teeth at 12 months, I hadn’t even thought about going to a dentist yet. But I recently learned that it’s recommended that kids see the dentist for the first time when they get their first tooth, or by a year old – so at 15 months, we’re behind schedule. Many parents have the misconception that baby teeth don’t require too much care or concern, since they’re just going to fall out anyway. But this is why it’s important – 40% of children will suffer from cavities by the time they reach kindergarten. Getting an early start on good oral hygiene ensures that children will have healthy gums when their “Big Kid” teeth come in, and that they’ve developed good habits to take great care of them.

Some Challenges and Solutions:

It’s tough trying to use a toothbrush on a baby: While those infant-style toothbrushes might be cute, they can be a big challenge. An easier option is to use baby teeth wipes to remove plaque from baby’s gums and budding teeth. Super simple, and very effective.
I’m worried the visit to the Dentist will be scary: Kids can be scared of what they don’t know – so teach them about the dentist early on! Read toddler books about teeth brushing, or fun videos, to get them used to the idea. Abby watches her Baby Signing Time videos daily – and one of them talks about brushing your teeth. Soon after, she became super interested in watching us brush, and wanted to brush too! Watching the videos and reading the books has made it fun for her – so I’m sure our first dentist visit coming soon will go smoothly.
What else you can do: Avoid putting baby to bed with a bottle after 12 months. Limit the amount of juice or other sugary drinks that children drink out of a sippy cup during the day. And of course, have kids brush after eating sticky candies or snacks – that sticky food can do a lot of damage to those little teeth.

Oral Care is Important for the Whole Family!

Those baby and toddler teeth aren’t the only one’s that are important – the rest of the family needs to build some great habits too! Cavities are no fun for anyone – they can be really painful, and the bills for dental work add up really quickly. That’s why I’m excited to announce a new campaign from Listerine and Reach – the Oral Care Challenge!

The Oral Care Challenge

To get started, gather your whole family together, and build some excitement for the challenge. Maybe offer rewards, or break into teams. Talk about why oral health care is so important, and then let them know what their challenge will be…

The challenge is for everyone in the house to Brush, Floss, and Rinse every day, twice-a-day, for two full weeks.

Why is this so important? Because, while your family might be great at brushing every morning and night, brushing by itself misses 75% of the germs in your mouth! By flossing between teeth, and following with a great rinse, you’re doing a much more effective job, and fully protecting all those pretty teeth in your family’s smiles.

Protect Your Family’s Smile: From Toddler Teeth to Grown-Up Grins!

The smiles on your families face are the best part of the day – so make sure you’re helping them protect them! On your next shopping trip, make sure to stock up on some new products, to help make the challenge fun – Learn more about the full line of products from Listerine, and how they can help. Sign up for the ListerineKids newsletter for some money-saving coupons. And read some fun facts and tips on smart oral health care for kids too.

Savings Alert: $1.25 off when you buy any ONE LISTERINE® SMART RINSE® Anticavity Flouride Rinse

Join Me in the Oral Care Challenge!

Stay tuned in two weeks to learn how our challenge went – how successful we were, what challenges we faced, and our plans to improve. Are you planning to join the challenge too? Share your story in the comments!

{Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 6, 2011 Filed Under: Tips | No Comments

HUGE Mompact Gift Basket Giveaway!!

As a Mompact Independent Consultant, I’m excited to be able to partner with them to bring you this great giveaway filled with some of Mompact’s best products! One lucky winner will get to choose between the Boutique Baby Shower Basket or the Kids Collections Basket. Win it to give as a gift, or keep it for yourself – it’ll be a tough choice. Winner will be selected on December 21st in time for Christmas Shipping!! Super exciting, right?

What is Mompact?

Mompact is all about supporting moms in business, and in daily life. All of the products you’ll find here are mom-invented, and solve some of the challenges we all face in our super busy daily lives. You know how much I love finding new “Busy Mom Solution” products to share with you guys – and some of the very best can be found on Mompact.com!

Boutique Baby Shower Gift Basket: You can purchase this amazing basket on Mompact.com – it would be a perfect gift for any new moms on your shopping list this Christmas! It retails for $99.95, and includes some of my favorite products – The super adorable Storytime PJ’s, packaged with a matching bedtime book, the HIPPMama Tool Belt, a Hot Joe Jacket to drink your morning latte in style, and more! And it’s all packaged beautifully in a gold basket, wrapped in organza, and tied up with a bow.

Kids Collection Gift Basket: Another super fun basket that is also available on Mompact.com this holiday season – This is a super fun family gift basket idea! It includes a ton of great products – The I Like Book, {one of my absolute favorites, hands down!} the super popular Kidzikoo Sippy Insulator, the Twooth Timer, Crayon Bungee, and loads more! Just like the Boutique Baby Basket, it’s packaged up pretty in a gold basket, wrapped in gold organza, and topped off with a festive red bow!

Shop Mompact This Week for big savings!!

25% off all gift items in the “Featured Collection” – includes the baskets and items on first page of shop site. Use code: HOLIDAYGIFT25

Win the basket of YOUR choice!!

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter entry form to get your entry in today! And don’t forget to check out the amazing selection of high quality products for moms, kids, and babies – and save an extra 25% off all week. Happy Holidays – and Good Luck!

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 29, 2011 Filed Under: Giveaways | 2 Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Switch your Sippy Cups from Plastic to Stainless Steel

The Challenge:

As moms, we want the best for our kids. That means the healthiest foods, the best new educational toys, and the safest products available. I’m sure you’ve heard the scary reports in the news about the potential dangers of the BPA that’s in many common plastic kids items – but maybe you’re not sure what your other options are. I mean, most sippy cups are plastic, the water bottles you buy at the mini-mart are plastic, and so many kids sports bottles are plastic too. Where do you find better products to switch to? That’s where Kid Basix come to the rescue!

Why Kid Basix is a great Busy Mom Solution:

“At Kid Basix, we started a revolution when we rethought the sippy cup and created the Safe Sippy™ no-spill bottle from clean, non-leaching stainless steel. But while BPA-free products are still important to parents, the world is changing. Safety, value, the environment – they are all important now. And Kid Basix will continue to be at the forefront of that conversation as we !rethink: EVERYTHING.”

7 Reasons we LOVE Kid Basix:

There is something for everyone! Kid Basix has the Safe Starter for babies from 0-6 months, the Safe Sippy and Safe Sippy2 for toddlers, and the Safe Sporter bottles for athletic kiddo’s ages 4 and up.
They are safe! You can read more about the possible dangers in kids plastic products, and why stainless steel is such a great option. A few important facts – Stainless steel oes not interact with the foods and fluids it comes into contact with; meaning that what you put into the container is exactly what you get out of it, no chemicals. Plus, it’s one of the most recycled materials on the planet, making it a great “green” choice.
They are fun! The Safe Sippy2 that we received to try out is Abby’s new favorite cup. It’s easy and comfortable for her to hold, and it’s cute as can be! Everywhere that we go, people ask us where we got it – most people aren’t aware that you can get stainless steel sippy cups.
They are convenient! I love that the Safe Sippy2 comes with a lid that snaps on secure – so that I can throw this in the diaper bag – and no leaks! And, because it’s stainless steel like my own favorite water bottles, it keeps drinks super cold. The outer sleeve helps keep little fingers from getting too cold when holding the bottle – and helps to keep it cold longer too!
They are easy to clean! The Kid Basix products are all dishwasher safe – I’d recommend using the top rack – and remove the small parts first. {Great tip: Pick up a Munchkin Dishwasher Basket for less than $5 bucks – makes it SO much easier to clean all of those little parts in the dishwasher!} You don’t even have to take the outer sleeve off – but you probably will want to remove it once in awhile, just to clean inside of it. {Toddlers get sticky stuff in the most amazing places, lol.}
They are budget-friendly! The Safe Sippy2 comes with a straw adapter – so when your little one is ready to upgrade to a straw-style “Big Kid” cup, you don’t have to run out and buy a new one.
They are parent invented! “Our founder created The Safe Sippy cup because he knows how dangerous plastics are, and it drove him crazy that he was giving his two year old son water every morning in a cup made from toxic chemicals.”

Where to buy Kid Basix:

Learn more about the great line of Kid Basix products on their website, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on cool new products and promotions, like their weekly weekly Fab Friday discount of 20% off select products from their website!!

You can order any of the amazing products from Kid Basix on their site, or find them on Amazon if you’re like me, and use your Swagbucks for Free Amazon Credits….

The Safe Starter by Kid Basix – Ages 0-6 months.

The Safe Sippy 2 – The one we have!

The Safe Sporter Bottle – Great for big kids.

Already a big fan of Kid Basix products?

Then be sure to leave a helpful comment on Amazon, to let other moms know what a great product these are, or stop by their Facebook page to tell them how much they rock!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 29, 2011 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Busy Mom Solution: Dapper Snappers Rescue Droopy Drawers!!

Dapper Snappers to the Rescue!!

Dapper Snappers are the perfect busy mom solution – they’re Mom-Invented, made in the USA, versatile, affordable, and fun! Keep reading to learn more…

The Problem:

Not all kiddo’s grow quite the same way – but kids clothes all seem to built pretty similar. If your little one doesn’t fit that “average” build, you’re going to face some big challenges! And, with so many of families on tight budgets this year, many of you are probably like us, and taking advantage of hand-me-down kids clothes. These can be a huge help, since kids usually outgrow clothes quicker than they wear them out – but they can bring even more fit challenges too! You don’t want to spend all your time doing alterations, when you know they’ll grow again any day – and belts on toddlers are pretty much out of the question, right? {In my house, we’re lucky if we can get them to remember to zip AND button, a belt would be a disaster, lol.}

The Busy Mom Solution:

Dapper Snappers!! This is such a simple – yet totally effecive! – idea: Slide the Dapper Snapper Kids Belts through a few of the back belt loops on any pair of pants that’s too big in the waist. Then, take the ends, loop ’em over, and snap ’em into place. You can adjust it to just the right size, pants will stay up easy peasy, and they’re cute as a button too! See them in action:

A few of my favorite features:

These are one size fits all – from 9 months to 6 years old. Hard to believe, but totally true! We use the same one’s on on Abby {15 months} and my 5 year old nephew!
Convenient – Don’t have to take them off at diaper changes, and when you use them as a Toddler Belt, since they’re on the backside of the pants, they don’t get in the way when potty training.
These are Mom-Invented, and made right here in the USA!
Dapper Snappers are totally affordable – and help you get a ton more use out of the clothes you already have on hand!

Check out the Selection:

You’ll find a ton of other great items on the Dapper Snappers website – From Girls and Boys Belts, to Women’s Belts, to my favorite, the Mitten Clips – there’s something for everyone on the Dapper Snappers site! Check it out today – and watch for a giveaway coming in a couple of day!!