The Little Lasso

There's a fine line between a baby dropping a toy ("Oops!"), and a baby tossing it on the floor just because it's a fun game for her to throw it and you to pick it up.  Fun for baby, maybe not so much fun for you.  Especially if we're talking about a busy (germy!) restaurant floor... or a sidewalk... or the backseat of your car.  There are many different styles of tethers and toy leashes out there, and I can't speak for all of them, but I can share with you the great features of "the little lasso", a made-in-USA tether that can hold a sippy cup just as well as a tag blanket, and whose website encourages you to "stop playing fetch".  With a "C" shaped plastic oval loop on one end (firmly attached so it can be moved a bit but not removed, at least not by baby) and a "noose" on the other end that adjusts to hold just about anything you want to keep off the floor.  The little lasso has a sturdy elastic encased in a gathered tube of machine washable fabric, and has three large plastic beads threaded on it to allow the size of the tether noose to be adjusted.

An adult can easily insert a toy into the noose and then tighten the bead/elastic of the tether to ensure a good tight fit.  The other end of the tether (the plastic clip end) then can attach to baby's highchair or stroller (or wherever else you need it).  Being about a foot long from clip to toy, it will keep things from hitting the floor when dropped, preventing unnecessary spills and broken items, as well as saving your back (and perhaps also some of your sanity as well).  Simply give the tether a tug to retrieve the dropped item, and you and baby can get on with your day.  Eventually, baby will probably learn how to retrieve the item herself, although it's anyone's guess if (s)he will ever be satisfied without your intervention for each "oops"...

I find the little lasso most helpful at dinnertime, whether at home or away - to keep a few toys attached to baby's high chair while I hustle to get supper on the table (or on special occasions, while I sip wine and look forward to the wait staff bringing my plate from the restaurant kitchen...)  My little one also seems amused with its elastic properties - Daddy holds onto the clip, baby holds onto the toy.  Tug of war ensues...eventually baby lets go of the toy and BOING-G-G-G off it goes - laughs all around.  Plus the toy is still on the tether so no one has to go chase it down.

If you think something like this can help you to save time, energy, and stop the endless cycle of pickup/wipe off/give to baby/drop/pickup, have a look over at http://www.thelittlelasso.com/, check out all of their lovely designer fabric patterns, and maybe pick up a few for yourself or for the next baby shower you get invited to.  You won't regret it!

Mommy Necklaces

Internet!  It's been a while!  Sorry for the delay in recent posts... we've had the back-to-(pre)school sniffles and sickness around here the last few weeks and are finally starting to feel rested and healthy again...so back to the post!

Since I am once again tethered at the breast to a baby (or at least that's what it feels like most days, especially since she (still!) refuses to take a bottle), I spend a fair bit of time nursing.  One of my favorite things is to look down at her while she is eating, and see her reach her hand up towards me, the sparkle in her eye ... and then things take a turn for the worse - she either pulls my hair, or digs her razor sharp fingernails into my chin, or grabs hold of the neckline of whatever shirt I'm wearing and pulls it just as hard as she can (which is remarkably hard, considering she is just a baby!).  If this has happened to you, you know you now have the joy of wearing a shirt that has a neckline all warped and stretched out, so it looks like you pulled a beach ball through the neckline before you got dressed in the morning.

The trick is to give the baby something appropriate to grasp and pull on, such as a Mommy Necklace.  No, I'm not suggesting you let baby make a plaything out of your finest pearls...there is actually jewellery designed exactly for this purpose.  Made of high quality, lab-tested acrylic beads, Mommy Necklaces are not only made to last, but they are really pretty!  I personally have the Aurora Dangling Donut and the 34" "Simply Snazzy" design, both of which I got on Baby Half Off (have I mentioned how much I love that site?). 

The Aurora is my favourite thanks to the jewel tone bead colours, the fun donut feature that baby loves to play with, and the perfect length (for me).  The Simply Snazzy is also really pretty but I find the rings over the beads to be kind of noisy when they move around, plus the 34" length is just a bit much for me, and tends to lay on top of baby's face while she's feeding, which is distracting to her and me.  Both necklaces come with a fantastic break-away closure made of a black rubbery plastic material, the ends snap together and will pull apart if there is too much pressure (ie, baby gives a super hard yank, the necklace will unclasp, instead of digging into your neck).  I have not had baby pull hard enough on it yet to make it come undone, so I don't think you need to worry about having it come undone unintentionally.

The necklaces are attractive and stylish enough to wear with your normal day to day clothes, so you can wear them long after you finish nursing your little one.  They come in so many different styles and colour combinations that there is surely a perfect Mommy Necklace for everyone.   Have a look at www.mommynecklaces.com to see some of the styles available.

Review: Mrs. Smith’s Elite Diaper Bag

It's a backpack, no wait, it's a shoulder bag, no wait, it's a cross-body baby-gear toting, shiny, convenient extravaganza!  Yes, this is a diaper bag.  But there's nothing cutesy or kitschy about it.  This bag is all about convenience, function, and space.  I no longer carry a purse and a diaper bag when I'm out with the little one(s), because everything I need fits in here (not to mention it's gorgeous!)

The bottom part is a fold-down flap that unzips to reveal a spacious structured (read: won't crush your stuff) compartment that has a divided drawer in it.  There is a big flap pocket on one side (perfect to hold a couple of Envirosax) and the other side has a smaller flap pocket (keeps my iPhone in a handy place) plus an elastic topped bottle holder which fits baby bottles, kids sippys, or even Mom's own water bottle (even my big clunky Contigo bottle from Costco!)

When you open the top (the big flap is closed with an adjustable hook & loop closure) the main bag compartment is zippered.  Inside there is a small zippered pocket (great for lady products or a mini first aid kit), 3 insulated pouches for bottles/sippys, one uninsulated pouch (will fit an Epipen according to their promotional brochure), and one wider hook & loop closure pouch that will hold a few disposable diapers & wipes.  Plus of course there is the space in the center (all the pockets/pouches are along the perimeter) and that's where baby's blanket, change of clothes, and your wallet/makeup bag can go.  I've also put in my Moby wrap, and my entire collection of Envirosax (on grocery day).  The last feature I feel I need to tell you about is the changing pad - it's included, and rolls up and fits into a pocket underneath the large flap.  Easy peasy to pull out with one hand when you're holding a poopy baby in the other hand.

Now because I cloth diaper, I've had to play with the configuration a bit to make everything fit.  I took out the divided drawer (I use it on my change table to hold cotton swabs, nail clippers, and baby hair clips, among other things) and I keep 3-4 rolled up pocket diapers + one wetbag in the compartment at the bottom.  One of the sippy pouches on the top holds 5-6 dry rolled up cloth wipes (or a Ziploc with a few wet cloth wipes if I'm going somewhere that doesn't have a convenient sink/faucet).  Baby's change of clothes are in a Ziploc bag at the bottom of the large open section, then a spare receiving blanket.  I use a Pouchee Purse Organizer to hold my wallet, lip balm, hand sanitizer, hairbrush, etc and that goes right on top of everything else so it's easy to access.

So the bag holds everything I need (with room to spare), but what makes it so convenient?  Well, for starters, it converts super easily from a shoulder/messenger bag (good for when you know you'll be picking it up and putting it down a lot), to a backpack (which is great when you're out doing lots of walking, or if baby's in the Moby wrap).  At the grocery store, I clip the bag to the cart using the backpack straps, which makes it completely hands free and does not take up space in the cart.  I can reach in for whatever I need, and I'm not weighed down with a bag as I zip up and down the aisles (with GroceryIQ in hand so I don't waste any time).

If you're in the market for a spacious bag that will have you covered for a day out, this is the one.  Yes, it's big, but it holds a ton, and is configured really well so that you never have to dig for stuff.  It doesn't come cheap, it seems to be around $130 new (I was lucky and got it for $60 on Baby Half Off), but it's a lovely and useful bag, and you won't be disappointed with it.  Go read more about the Elite (and check out the rest of their collection!) over at http://www.mrssmithsbags.com/

Review: Envirosax Designer Reusable Bags

I first developed a crush on Envirosax Designer Reusable Bags several years ago, in a store named Faces on a walk down Main Street while visiting Northampton, MA, USA.  I purchased one single bag, one of the now discontinued Planet Green series.  I found myself using it all the time - it was sturdy, folded up to a very compact size, and was strong enough to hold a fair amount of groceries.  One day, I noticed the side seam coming apart (gasp!) so the bag entered the "mending pile".  If any of you have a mending pile and a busy life, you will understand when I say that it sat there for a long time.  And I missed it!  Now, I could have probably gone and stitched the seam up again and continued to use it, but instead, I bought more of the Envirosax bags.  In fact, I went all out and purchased the entire Origami 5 bag pouch.  It was a bit like opening the floodgates - once I bought that set, I couldn't stop.  Thankfully one of my favorite deal sites, http://www.babyhalfoff.com, had a deal one day of 3 packs of Envirosax for a nicely reduced price.  So, I stocked up.  I bought bags for myself, bags for my friends, bags to give as gifts to my family members (they love them now too!)

Why do I love these bags so much?  Let me count the ways...

1. BEAUTY : There is no denying it, there are so many different colours and patterns that just about anyone will be able to find a bag (or bags) they love.  Every time I pull them out of my purse (or these days, my diaper bag) I get compliments from strangers commenting on how attractive the bags are and asking "where did you get those?"
2. STRENGTH: Other than that very first (now discontinued) bag where the stitching on a side seam started to come undone, I have not had any quality problems with the bags.  On the product website it says they can hold up to 44lbs per bag (!!!).  Now I don't think I've ever weighed them but when I fill it up at the grocery store with a bag of milk, a couple of tubs of yogurt, and enough Lean Cuisine meals to last me a week, I am usually more concerned with being able to lift the bag than I am about the bag being strong enough to hold the contents.
3. PORTABILITY: The Envirosax bags are simple to fold up, and hold together with a single snap closure.  Once folded, they are smaller than an iPhone and can easily fit into even the fullest purse/diaper bag.  I carry one or two with me everywhere I go (you never know when you're going to be needing it), and on grocery day I pack all of my bags into a little cosmetic case so that I have them all handy to hold whatever I buy.
4. VERSATILITY: On different occasions, I have used my Envirosax to hold groceries, beach toys, wet swimsuits & towels, potluck contributions, and library books.  They have doubled as wrapping paper, and have even been used as a mini blanket to sit on some damp grass (yes, they kept my bum dry and made sure my white golf skirt didn't get dirty!).
5. AWESOMENESS: In this day and age of environmental awareness, we all know about the impact that plastic bags have on our environment.  While I believe they have their place (carrying raw meat home from the grocery store, for one), I love that I have drastically reduced my family's usage of plastic bags by having Envirosax handy all the time.  They can be washed and dried so that if they get grubby, that's OK!  In fact it's good to regularly wash bags in which you carry food, in case of any leaky packages or wet/muddy produce.   It's recommended to handwash and line-dry the bags, though I always wash mine on my machine's delicate cycle and then line dry, and they seem to be holding up just fine.

In case it isn't obvious from this post, I think you should go out and get some of these bags for yourself if you don't already have any.  They are priced about $9 per bag, or $40 for a set of 5, which seems like a bit of cash, but they are definitely worth it for all the different uses they have and how long they last.  Check out the current selection at http://www.envirosax.ca (Canada) or http://www.envirosax.com (USA)