Mom Blog and Baby Blog | Baby Bunching

babiators giveaway

Hello!  Yes, we’re still alive!  Our paid jobs ramped up for both of us right about the time that school let out for the summer, and Cara had an unexpected move thrown in, so all of that has made for a pretty crazy past few months.  We’ve totally been neglecting Baby Bunching this summer and we’ll feel pretty bad about it, so to make it up to you we’re doing a giveaway!  In the meantime, bear with us and we should be back to speed in the fall once our Bunches are back in school.

Y’all know we’re suckers for accessories (for kiddos AND moms) and our latest discovery is Babiators.  We’re willing to bet that most of you are pretty diligent about sunscreen and hats in the summer heat wave, but how many of us think about how the UV rays are affecting our little one’s eyes?  Or maybe we’ve thought about it, but blown through so many broken pairs of cheap children’s sunglasses that we’ve given up.  Enter Babiators – safe, durable, awesome eyewear for little ones ages 9 months and up.  Babiators are made of pliable rubber and designed to withstand the wear and tear of playground horseplay and twibling squabbles.  Plus, they’re BPA, phthalates, and lead-free, so no need to freak out if they creep into the curious mouths of babes.  The good folks at Babiators are so confident these shades will hold up that they even offer a one-year Wear and Tear guarantee for all Babiators.   They come in two sizes (small and large) and four colors (Black Ops, Blue Angels, Rockstar Red, and Princess Pink).  At $19.99 a pair, they’re a little pricier than we would normally spend on shades for kids, but how many broken pairs of $5 sunglasses have you had to replace?

We’ve got a pair of Blue Angels to give away and they could be yours!  Since we could use some inspiration this summer, drop us an email at [email protected] with a burning question or post topic you’d like to see in the next few weeks, and we’ll enter you in a random drawing to win theBabiators.  If you send us an ACTUAL post on a Baby Bunching topic, we’ll enter your name in the drawing ten times as thanks AND put your post up as a guest poster.  Send in your question by Friday, August 5 to be entered in the drawing!

giveaway: eat, sleep, poop

As a soon-to-be-first-time mom, I was the ideal book consumer and purchased such titles as: What to Expect, Baby Love, Girlfriend's Guide to [well just about everything],  Baby 411, The Baby Book, The Birthing Book, The Breastfeeding Book (basically anything Dr. Sears). I read them all, cover to cover, as I was displaced from my homeland and living in the Middle East with little to do but sweat, eat and read books.

I was sure I was an expert in parenting after all my reading and 6 months of trial and error with one child. Then Baby #2 arrived. You only think you're well-versed in every topic until a subsequent child rocks your world a year into this parenting gig.

Baby #2 (my girl) did everything Baby #1 (my boy) didn't and then went on and did none of the things her older brother did. She vomited, but didn't spit up. She got ear infections, but rarely had fevers. She breastfed with ease and ate everything I put in front of her. She loved the car and the stroller and even slept in both. But she wouldn't sleep through the night. She hated to nap and let the world know how she felt about it. Even with two babies less than 16 months apart, I would continually run to the Web or my library of parenting books to find the answers to questions I was sure I would never ask since I was such a "baby expert" now.  

Baby Bunching moms don't have time to peruse baby books. We're reading it on the toilet while someone else is crawling around at our feet, while we're nursing, while someone is in the bathtub or while shoveling food into someone else's mouth at the table.

By the time we get to Baby #2 our parenting book cocktail is neat, we need it here and now and it will probably be room temperature. Eat, Sleep, Poop by Scott W. Cohen is the perfect mix for second-time parents. First of all, I love that Dr. Cohen is also a dad. In each chapter he gives a Daddy vs. Doctor analysis for things like sleep training, vaccines, travel and colic. It's easy for doctors to spout off about what we should or shouldn't do, but it's wonderful for a doctor to say, "Hey, I finally get this. Maybe you're not psycho for questioning 7 shots on one visit?" or "Yes, perhaps 4-months is too little to make a baby cry for 2 hours."

Throughout the book he interjects with lots of "Common Sense Bottom Line" advice. I find this comforting. We all have done this before, and we know what we should or shouldn't be doing. But when you're up late at night trying to cajole one kid to bed (since hubby is out of town) and your other kid will be up soon for a feeding, we need someone to be straight with us. Another bonus: pediatrician visit checklist, medicine dosage recommendations and flowcharts for diagnosis (aka when you should flip out and bother your ped at home.)

This book would be a great book for both a first-time and second-time parent. Not a bad one for a fresh perspective on parenting/advice books. So we're giving away the copy we received. I promise I was very careful when I read it. We're giving our copy away. To enter all you have to do is tell us the best "common sense" advice you have ever given  to another mom or received from one.  We'll take entries until midnight Aug. 23.

Congrats to our winner Janna!

making the change to organic: the hard truth & worth the effort

I'm always so surprised by how many people are scared of the word "organic." For 10 years now, our family has been doing the "organic" and healty eating routine, and I have people all the time ask me: What does it mean? How do I know if it's better? Is it worth the higher price? How do I get started because I feel so overwhelmed by it all? Is it really good for me? How do I do this with my Bunch since it seems like a lot of work?

But the questions and interest have started flooding in since the movie Food, Inc. became so widely popular. People are now asking, what do I eat? Since we've had many people ask on this blog (via our survey) about making the transition, I thought I'd offer up a few thoughts on this topic. We know this is not our normal conversation here, but one we wanted to address for those interested. Warning....the hard truth is ahead.  

The first thing is know this is a worthwhile endeavor to take on. Eating better and healthier food benefits everyone in your family--less health issues, better behavior, less trips to the doctor. It doesn't have to be expensive to eat well. Beans, rice, a bit of chicken and a salad is better than eating a Lean Cuisine or frozen pizza--hands down! Going through 3 gallons of milk a week for a family of 4 might set you back if you switch to organic, but the truth is we don't need to drink that much milk. Start switching over to more water and you'll find one gallon of organic milk to drink (perhaps some soy milk in the cereal) will, in the long run, be better for everyone. Same with meat. You'd be surprised how little meat we actually need to eat each day.

A big thing to note as well: This is not about losing weight. Healthy, smart eating isn't a diet program. Organic food isn't low in fat or calories. A bag of organic tortilla chips will get you just as fat as a regular one. However, that corn used for the chips wasn't sprayed with pesticides.

HOW TO GET STARTED: The easiest way to get started is to read up on the topic. Ominvore's Dilemna by Michael Pollan is about all you need to get the gist of what you should and shouldn't eat. But it's a bit of a long read for us Bunchers so the Cliff's Notes version is Food Rules by the same author. Seriously, you can read it while watching both your kids eat. If you follow these very basic rules most days, you're good to go. [My favorite rule: #2 Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.]

Next take a look at your pantry. This was where our family started 10 years ago. Take everything in a box out and start looking at ingredients. You need to know words like "partially hydrogenated oil" or "high fructose corn syrup" or "Yellow No. 5." Things with preservatives like this are not food. They taste yummy and your kids love them because they have fun characters on them. But they are not food and not good for you body. My suggestion is throw it out and don't buy it again. Yes, even the peanut butter. (Peanut butter should have no more than 3 ingredients--peanuts, oil and salt--anything beyond that it junk.)

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO START: If you are looking to make a change in what you eat, anywhere you start is a good start--milk, meat, fish, snack food, organic veggies, chicken, eggs. Organic milk means you reduce the amount hormones you put into you and your children. Grassfed meat, also no hormones, and it actually tastes better. My suggestion is start small. Our house started with organic milk, no preservatives or dyes in snack food, lunch meat, breads and eggs from free range hens. That was it. About 4-5 years ago, we've moved to more naturally handled meat (grass-fed beef, free range chicken and wild-caught fish). In the past year, we've made the transition to organic and/locally grown veggies.

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR BUNCH? The answer is yes! Our house doesn't have Goldfish crackers or fruit snacks. My kids, while they enjoy these on occassion at friends' houses, do not get these at home. We have raisins, nuts, cheese, carrots, hummus, pita chips, tortilla chips, homemade trail mix of cereals and dried fruit, preztels, etc. While I prefer to make my own chicken strips or pizza, I find Trader Joes has LESS processed food than the regular store at a good price. We don't buy in bulk because I want my kids to think of these "kid foods" as a treat and not a routine meal.

There are a million excuses to not do this, but a million reasons to do it.

I feel so passionate about this cause that I'm going to giveaway a copy of Michael Pollan's Food Rules. If you're interested in changing your food routine or already have, leave me a note here to be entered to win the book. Let me know A) what food change you want to make or B) which one was the toughest to make or C) what question you have on the topic. We'll pick a winner on May 11.

kodak party in da house!

Cara recently took part in a Kodak Gallery house party hosted by her mom and scored fifty 40% off coupons for Kodak Gallery orders (including prints, which were recently lowered to 9 cents a print)!  Because the holidays are coming up and there’s nothing a Baby Buncher loves more than to plaster the faces of her precious darlings all over her holiday cards (and mugs, and mouse pads, and photo books, etc.), thought we’d share them with you.  To get one (which is good for your entire order), here’s what you have to do:

• Tweet and either link back to one of our posts or to us (@babybuncher or @babybuncher2)
• If you’re not on Twitter, blog or Facebook the term and link back to us
• Email us when you’ve done it.  This part, while an extra step that kind of sucks, is critical because we only have 50 coupon codes so we’re sending them to the first 50 Bunchers we hear from.  The easiest way for us to time stamp these is with an email.

If you’re one of the first 50, we’ll send you an email with your 40% off coupon code.  They expire on December 1, so tackle this quickly so you have plenty of time to peruse the offerings and get your order in.

Happy shopping and be sure to save one of your holiday cards for us – we’d love to see your Bunch all dolled up!

snack & play tray giveaway: making your car trips just a little bit more fun

As we wrap up car week, we have noted that the car and car seats seem to be a necessary evil for many people. While it's so important to be safe when getting to and from point A and point B, it's also important for everyone to stay sane. There are tons of great car accessories on the market to keep babies, toddlers and preschoolers occupied. Between the two of us, we've run through them all at one point or another--snack traps, dangle toys, books, mirrors, etc. But when we saw this accessory--the Snack & Play Travel Tray--featured at Daily Candy a few months back, we were sure this was a winning Baby Bunching product.

So what is so fabulous about this product?

1) We love the whole concept of a collapsible tray which you can pack for an airplane journey, car ride or shove in the basket of your stroller. It's made of foam so it's light to take and store.

2) We love the idea of a tray. Linda used to profess that a tray attached to the stroller would have kept her kid so much happier (since her stroller didn't have one). This would have been a perfect add-on. The Snack & Play is perfect for toddlers who want to keep snacks in front of them, arrange them in fun lines and circles and eventually drop them on the ground. Hey, we're no fools. As kids get older, it's great for coloring, reading, mini games (as kids get older) or keeping sippy cups/lovies from rolling onto the floor.

3) It's adjustable. This is awesome because it will fit most car seats or strollers in some way. We love this for the airplane because if you've traveled with a kid and a carseat you know that no tray table is coming down with most of the car seats nowadays. It's a tight squeeze any way you look at it.

4) You can hose it down. Every product Baby Bunching endorses must be easy to wash and/or hose down. This one says to wipe down with damp cloth, but I'm guessing hosing it down would work, too, since glued on Goldfish were pretty much standard during the first two years.

So you love this product now, too? Really, how can you not?

We have one to giveaway to a lucky winner. Please go check out their website, and 1) leave a message here about why you need this wonderful car accessory for your Bunch. If you really super love it, we will add your name in an extra time if you 2) either go tweet this giveaway or post to your wall on Facebook (please come back and tell us if you posted to Facebook as we have no way of tracking that!). So you have double the chances to win. Please, please, please make sure you leave a way for us to contact you here (email address). You can't win if we can't contact you.

Congratulations to Marla for being our winner!

baby bunching attire: polarn o. pyret giveaway

There are very few children's clothing companies which I can strongly endorse as 'perfect' for Baby Bunchers. In case you haven't noticed, kids wear out their clothes. Oh sure, in the early days, before the nasty smelling spit up or the entry of all food orange, you might be able to salvage some attire. However, let me assure you once your kids are into mud and dirt, it's really all over for kids' clothes. I have VERY few things I have been able to hang onto for other kids past the age of 9 months, even with Oxy Clean.

So can I just tell you how I squealed with joy when I found out my favorite Swedish clothing company--Polarn O. Pyret--was making its entry into the US market. My love of all things Swedish is WAY obvious to most. I get that.

Here are the details on this new-to-America clothing line. You can always tell Polarn O. Pyret clothes by the stripes. (Just so you know, I refer to them as "POP.") In Sweden everything PO.P is either navy blue or red with white stripes. All their major items: hats, boots, coats, snow suits, rain pants (can I tell you how fabulous the rain pants are) are all recognizable by the stripes. It's the primary symbol and identity carrier of the brand, and prompts an instant sense of recognition among customers. Every kid in Alex's preschool had a matching PO.P hat of either red or blue. Do you see where I'm going with this?

They have other adorable items as well which are somewhere in the range of H&M cuteness (but better quality) and Hanna Andersson quality (not as bright). Their motto is: quality + function + design = for the playful! Unlikes stores like Baby Gap, Pumpkin Patch and Old Navy their clothes are simple, graphical and UNISEX. Yes, that's right, they are unisex. So for all you Baby Bunchers out there this is HUGE. You have a baby, you pass it along to the next and in red or blue it suits both kids. Buy the red if you don't know what you're having so you're covered either way!

I think it was PO.P that taught me it's OK to buy unisex, especially for your big ticket items like coats, boots, hats, snow suits, etc. But what about shirts, onesies, pants? Yes, they have those too. The best part about them is that you can wash them over and over again and they don't fade, shrink or fall apart like all my Target and Old Navy stuff. My daughter is currently wearing a navy blue dress (now it's a long shirt) for the THIRD year! It still looks as good as it did the day I bought it. C'mon ladies. Three years? That's amazing.

So to celebrate this special occasion, the wonderful people at Polarn O. Pyret are giving away two of their baby outfits to try to draw you in. Don't worry, you will be. All you have to do is leave a comment here about what you look for most in kids' clothing AND go and sign up for PO.P+ which will automatically give you a 15% discount on what you buy. So either way, you win something! We'll let you know our winners (we'll be pick two) on May 1. If you want to comment about the clothes, please do.

giveaway winner

Thanks to Random.org we have two winners for the Clip n Feed Nursing Cover: Krystyn and Rachel O.  

We really enjoyed reading the stories. Funny how everyone's best one was on an airplane. Perhaps that warrants its own post. Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting.

moby wrap winner

Thanks to everyone for entering the Moby Wrap giveaway courtsey of La Stella Blu. We enjoyed reading all the babywearing stories and tips. The winner was chosen by random.org and the winner is Alison Barjaktarovich.

Also, a big thank you to everyone as today we hit 10,000 page hits today! Not too bad for only having the Website up since mid-August. Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting.

moby wrap giveaway

In honor of the fact that it is International Babywearing Week and the recent brouhaha caused by the Motrin babywearing ad, we're giving away a Moby Wrap, courtesy of La Stella Blu.

If you've never tried the Moby, you've got to. It's like magic. As I said in an earlier post on Moby vs. Bjorn, it does take a few minutes to get into. If you're like me and you're not good an envisioning how things work or assembling stuff, it will be a challenge for you to get it "just right." Please do not practice putting it on while your baby is freaking out waiting for you to figure it out.

But boy, oh boy, once you've got it on, your little one will just snuggle right up and either a) promptly sack out or b) enjoy the view (whether it's of the outside world or your boobs, depending on which way you put the carrier on). It's made of soft, stretchy fabric so the best part is that you won't need any Motrin!  It's kind to mom's back and soft and comfy for baby. Mine was a baby shower gift and I thank the girls who gave it to me daily.

Post a comment on whether babywearing works or doesn't work for you and why by Tuesday 11/25 to enter the random drawing to win your own!

sling giveaways

We've added a new features to the right of our site with links to giveaways (we think Baby Bunching moms might be interested in) at other sites. Two Baby Bunching sites Adventures in Babywearing and Rookiemoms.com are giving away slings. Baby Bunching will be giving away a Moby wrap later this month.