In a few weeks I'll be reviewing the new Talk & Soothe Digital Video Monitor from The First Years. In the meantime, I wanted to share a special offer from The First Years, Target and Snapfish that makes this monitor a great holiday gift for new or expecting parents like me! Through Jan. 31, 2014, customers who purchase specially marked The First Years monitors (the new Talk & Soothe Digital Video Monitor, the Crisp & Clear Double or Single Audio Monitor) in-store at Target will receive a gift from Snapfish, including a FREE classic photo book or a discount off of their entire photo book order.
There are so many incredible milestones in the first years of a child’s life. The complete line of award-winning feeding, care, travel and nursery products from The First Years can help new parents reach these milestones safely and happily. From affordable high tech video monitors to the most thoughtful breast pump ever, to the first and only Smartphone-synched car seat, to spill-proof sippy cups with an easy-to-clean one-piece lid, The First Years offers parents the products, and the confidence in them, that will help make raising their child one of life’s most rewarding experiences.
With all the controversy surrounding pain relief medicines and the chemicals they may contain, parents are searching out natural ways to relieve teething pain. It's not wise to jump to Tylenol every time your child is in a little pain, because they may grow dependent on it. I have actually found these methods of teething relief to be much more effective. My views may differ from yours, but this is based on my personal experience. My daughter just turned three and now has all of her teeth, but I am going to rely on these tried and true methods with my next child as well.
1. Gum Massage All you need is a clean finger for this old-fashioned teething remedy. Gentle counter-pressure from Mom or Dad applied to a baby’s sore gums can help ease the pain of teething.
This one works before they have any teeth because a child has teeth they usually bite anything that comes in their mouth (at least my little ones do). You could also try massaging with a baby toothbrush.
2. Cold Spoon - A spoon chilled in the fridge (not the freezer, or it can stick!) can offer much-needed relief. Just apply the rounded part of the spoon to baby’s gums. Best for before any teeth actually break through to avoid the risk of chipping a tooth.
3. Cold Washcloth - Frozen or merely chilled, a cold wet washcloth (dipped in water, breast milk, or—as some mom’s swear by—chamomile tea) can be comforting for baby to gnaw on. My favorite go-to teething relief method. I would take the baby washcloths, soak with cool water, and pop them in the freezer. I always made sure I had some ready to go. And some how they aren't too cold for the little ones hands.
4. Chilled Foods -,If your baby has already started solids, try offering him a cold food like applesauce or yogurt to help soothe gum pain and fill him up. Celery was our favorite.
5. Breastmilk Pops - Freeze some breastmilk in an ice cube tray and make a Popsicle out of them. We call them "boob pops" in our house. ;)
6. Teething Jewelry for Moms Moms of teething babes know that their little ones will grab just about anything within reach and start chomping. Fortunately, specially designed teething jewelry is made to be gummed by little mouths. Made from FDA-approved silicone that is free of phthalates, BPA, PVC, latex, and lead, it’s non-toxic and dishwasher-safe—and made from the same material as many teething toys, but way prettier hanging around your neck or wrist.
7. Rubber Teether - Sophie the Giraffe has been helping babies get through teething for more than 50 years. Made of 100% natural rubber (BPA- and phthalate-free) and food paint, this squeaky toy made in the French Alps will likely to be one of your child's faves, I know my daughter still plays with hers. My family thought I was crazy for spending that much on "a squeak toy", but I don't regret buying it one bit.
8. Cold Fruit - Chilled fruit, like apple slices or banana, placed inside of a mesh feeder can provide relief (and a tasty snack) for a baby with sore gums. Try using a mesh feeder, like the BPA-free Nuby Nibbler™ with Hygienic Cover. We loved ours.
9. Chilled Teether - Placing a solid or liquid-filled teether in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before offering it to baby can amp up its soothing powers. I like the sweet easy-to-grab IcyBite™ Teether Keys BPA- and PVC-free teether from Nuby. I am a Nuby Mommy Blogger and received one recently to review. You can find it in my Holiday Gift Guide because I love it that much!
10. Baltic Amber Teething Necklace - Baltic Amber has been a natural pain relief remedy for hundreds for years. They non-invasive and side effect-free. Baltic amber consists of 3-8% succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex, which is the external layer of stone. When a baby is wearing an amber teething necklace, the natural temperature of the skin warms the amber cortex, resulting in the release of succinic acid which is absorbed though in skin into the bloodstream, providing proven pain relief. And the little ones look so darn cute wearing them!
What ways have you found to naturally reduce teething pain?
I received one or more or the items above free of charge to share this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LEGO for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Who doesn't love a personal Holiday card and with the chaos of the Holidays, sometimes an e-card is just what you need to make sure you can give something special to everyone on your list. This holiday season, LEGO has created a unique and fun online experience called “Minifigure Family”, which allows you to create your own custom LEGO Minifigure holiday card! It's so easy and you can make your own LEGO Minifigure Family in no time at all!
Each member of your Minifigure family can be customized to match your skin tone, facial expressions, outfits, and more. Once you’ve got your family Minifig-ed, you can share the holiday card with your friends and family via your social channels, like Facebook or Twitter.
First you can need to pick ot your family memebers - up tp 13! You can pick out different clothes for them. And choose to have a baby or pets in your family. I was kind of disappointed that white wasn't an option for the dog. The next is to set your scene, you can choose a nice Holiday background or decide you want to head to the beach! At the end they have different options so you can easily share with others.
This is how my LEGO Minifigure Holiday Card ended up turning out...
If you would like something fun to share in the Holiday spirit, I suggest making a LEGO Minifugre Holiday Card of your very own!
I recently received the Flipeez Kitty to review. I was excited about this because I was already planning on buying a new hat for my daughter for Christmas. And I think the Flipeez line makes a GREAT stocking stuffer gift!
Flipeez are the fun, fanciful, animal action-hats that let kids of all ages “flip their lid”! You just squeeze the handle (my daughter has issues sometimes because her hands are so small) and the kitty's tail flips up!
They are available in 4 precocious and colorful styles – the Kitty (featured above), Monster, Monkey, and Puppy – each has its own distinct “action”. Arms open or tails wag with a simple squeeze of the puff-ball in the tassel.
My daughter always gets asked where we bought our hat everywhere we go. Although I have to disclose that I received it as part of a campaign, I tell them that I have seen them sold at Walmart, CVS, Kroger, and Amazon. Retail is around $20. Her cousins all love "Flipping her Lid" everywhere we go. :)
Flipeez boast a super soft inner fleece lining and knit outer hat that allows one-size-fits-all flexibility. I was originally going to give this to my niece because their slogan is "Whether you are 4 or 104, this functional fashion accessory is guaranteed to bring lots of smiles to everyone!" But it fits my daughter's 3 year old head. I have also tried the hat on, so it at least fits an almost 28 year old's head as well! :D
I received the above product to provide this review. I received no additional compensation. All opinions are my own.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pull-Ups® Training Pants.
On our journey to get our daughter to ditch the diapers, we discovered that potty training during the Holidays can be a little rough. With the chaos of running to one event after another and getting everything together with shopping and baking, it can get a little off schedule which can throw your little one off their potty training routine and could make them regress.
Here are some of my tips for not letting Holiday Stress distract from your Potty Training Success:
1. Set a timer on your phone or use Pull-Ups® FREE timer that can be found on their website. Keeping a schedule in the midst of the chaos can help with those early days of potty training.
2. Show your child the potty when you go to a place they have never been before. Some children have trouble going potty when the environment has changed. There is too much to look at it. That's why when I'm out in public, even if I don't think my daughter has to go but she asks to go potty, we make a trip to explore the restroom. It can be time consuming, but it makes her more comfortable and she usually ends up going as well.
3. Take your child with you every time you need to go. Don't make it a struggle though. Sometimes children need to see that's it okay to go other places as well and seeing their number one role model go potty in a strange place can make it easier for them to adjust to any fears they might have.
4. Ask your child to go potty often. It can be hard to remember with all the excitement going on. But show your child that just because they take a break to go potty doesn't mean play time is over.
5. Bring along the Pull-Ups®! Pull-Ups® training pants are gender/size specific and there are a variety of products to match children’s various learning styles such as Pull-Ups® Training Pants with Cool Alert®, Learning Designs®, and Pull-Ups® Night*Time Training Pants.
You can also make sure to keep the celebration everywhere by downloading the new Big Kid® App on your mobile device (available on specially marked packages of Pull-Ups®).
Pull-Ups has also made it easy to save this Holiday season with an offer to share for a $3 off coupon!
It's super easy to save and share. Just make sure you are registered on their site! The fun thing about registering is Pull-Ups® offers a wide range of tips, tools and resources to help Moms and tots start potty training. On Pull-Ups.com, you can keep track of your Tot’s potty training success using the Big Kid® Calendar or you can enter the Party Room and customize a new celebration after each Big Kid® flush, bringing the celebration to life for your little one. PLUS who couldn't save a little extra this time of year?
What are your go to tips when potty training through the Holidays?
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pull-Ups® Training Pants. Save up to $3 on your next purchase of Pull-Ups® by registering at the Pull-Ups® website: http://bit.ly/1aAUPIG
