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Video Review of Tommee Tippee Bottle and Sippy Cup.

Chit Chat Mom — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:39:19 +0000

Check out the video above for my review of the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature 90z Bottle ($7.99 per bottle) and the Tommee Tippee Explora Truly Spill Proof Sippy Cup ($7.99 for a pack of two). Both of these products (as well as a package of 2 Closet to Nature BPA FREE bottle nipples) were sent to me from Tommee Tippee at no cost in exchange for my review of their product.

You can purchase these products (as well as other Tommee Tippee products) exclusively at Babies R Us and www.babiesrus.com. You can also enter yourself into a drawing to win a Babies R Us Gift card by becoming a Tommee Tippee Facebook Fan. Click here for the entry link.

For more information about Tommee Tippee products visit Tommee Tippee online at TommeeTippee.com.

Cooking with My New Beaba Babycook

Chit Chat Mom — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:32:20 +0000

I have never been a great cook. In fact, I really don’t like to cook. I know a lot of peeps find it relaxing and enjoyable. I find it stressful and messy. Perhaps it’s my life long fear of fractions. Ever since 5th grade I’ve had a nauseating reaction to fractions and percentages… so just imagine what reading a recipe does to a person like that!

But times they are a changin’. Lily is now ready (according to her pediatrician) to jump into the fabulous world of eating some solid foods. Okay, not solids technically. We’re talking uber mushy uber messy “solids”. I was so excited that I took myself down to the corner store, okay, I took myself down to Fresh N Easy and bought up a basketful of bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, banana squash and apples. Upon returning home my husband asked what army I was planning to cook for… hah hah hubby. This is all for baby!

I spent an entire evening cooking, okay well steaming and pureeing, using my new Beaba Babycook machine. It was a gift for Lily for Christmas from Grandma. It’s a great little machine and yes you could do the same thing with a food steamer and a food processor… but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun and nearly as neat. The great thing about the Babycook is that it’s small, easy to store, easy to clean and keeps all the mess in one place. That’s a major plus for someone like me that does not enjoy cooking, and enjoys cleaning up even less.

Lily is definitely on-board with eating solid foods. Although, I really should have listened to our pediatrician and started with veggies. The first food (after rice cereal) that I gave her were bananas… now everything else I give her results in a not so happy reaction!

You can snag a Beaba Babycook online and in stores like William-Sonoma for about $150.

ChitChatMom did not receive a free Beaba Babycook and was not paid for this post.

Stroller Strides is Kicking My Caboose

Chit Chat Mom — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:48:24 +0000

When I went to my first Stroller Strides class in September I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Seriously. I went assuming that it was more or less a walking group for mommies. Oh no. Was I in for a surprise or what?! In fact, on my very first day I almost chucked my cookies for all the mommies to see. Stroller Strides is a full body workout. Think mommy boot camp meets fun with your kiddos. We sing nursery rhymes, break a sweat and get to socialize with other moms. I can’t say enough how much I love it!

Maybe I just found a great instructor and a great group of women… but I think it’s probably like this in a lot of Stroller Strides groups. If you’re a mom that’s looking to get out of the house with your kids, get exercise and spend time with other grown women that spend their days feeding mouths and wiping behinds… I highly recommend that you look for a Stroller Strides class in your area!

ChitChatMom was not paid for this post and did not receive anything in exchange for promoting the company mentioned in this post.

Somewhere Between Maternity and Reality

Chit Chat Mom — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:11:12 +0000

So here I am, eight weeks post baby and my wedding ring still doesn’t fit and neither do my pre-prego clothes. I’m stuck in this “in-between” world nestled snugly between maternity and reality. Reality is that I was in pretty good shape before I got prego… and that I didn’t exercise much during my pregnancy. So now I have another ten pounds or so to go before I can fit into my pre-preggers clothes and the thought of wearing my maternity clothes inspires a major gag reflex. So I’ve done a little clothes shopping lately and have outfitted myself with a little “in-between” wear. So while I now have clothes that fit me better, I have to keep the motivation to get into my pre-prego clothes.

In order to drop those last ten pounds I’ve joined an exercise group called Stroller Strides. If you’ve never heard of it, you might think like I did that it’s a nice mommy group that gets together and walks at the local park. Yeah right. It’s mommy boot camp… and it’s awesome! It is definitely mommies and their strollers and in most places it does happen at the park… but it is not a “stroll in the park”. Nope. It’s a great workout and a great way to meet other moms. There’s probably a Stroller Strides in your area. Check out their website for more information if you’re interested in leaving the land of maternity and getting back to reality.

Did You Keep a Pregnancy Journal?

Chit Chat Mom — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:54:31 +0000

A girlfriend of mine gave me a really great pregnancy journal for my birthday this year back in March and I was so excited to get it. I immediately started answering the questions and adding pictures to it. Only problem is, I haven’t opened it in three months. Now every time I walk in the nursery and see it on the shelf I feel guilty. It’s like an extra credit summer assignment that’s sitting there saying to me “you know you want to do this”. I do. I really do want to complete it. I just don’t know where to find the time. Between work and all of the to-do list items at home the pregnancy journal gets pushed to the end of the line. My girlfriend told me that she kept one and her son who is now six loves to look at it and read about the time when he was in mommy’s tummy. Now I feel like a terrible mother. I already have parental guilt. She hasn’t even taken her first breath and I’m letting my little bug down. With only ten or so weeks left to go before the baby girl makes her arrival into the world I’m thinking I’ve got to be able to find an evening here somewhere to at least make a dent in all those empty pages. Scary thing is, this is just the pregnancy journal that I’m concerned about. I haven’t even started her a baby book yet!

Did you keep a pregnancy journal or are you feeling the guilt of not completing one?

The “TummyTub” from BathedwithLove.com Makes a Splash on The Today Show

Chit Chat Mom — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:26:07 +0000

Momtrepreneur Janis McKellar, owner of BathedwithLove.com, stopped by The Today Show this past Thursday to share her product the “TummyTub” with Matt Lauer and The Today Show team and in case you missed it, ChitChatMom just had to tell you about it. The TummyTub is a bath bucket that Janis says mimics the womb and makes bathing baby an easier and happier experience for parent and child. Unlike regular baby bath tubs that don’t keep baby covered (from the shoulders down) in water, the TummyTub is designed to allow the baby to sit up right and the water to come up to the shoulders. This helps to keep baby warm and cozy. The design also helps with baby’s sense of security. The TummyTub (which really just looks like a bucket, but is specially designed for baby bathing) helps to make baby feel secure in the confined space and allows them to sit in the fetal position, just like in the womb. Talk about “home sweet home” for a newborn.

Be sure to check out the entire article on the TummyTub on the Today Show website. It tells the story of how Janis found and fell in love with the tubs, which have been popular in Europe for years but weren’t being sold here in the U.S… a golden opportunity that Janis seized. You go girl! The video is great fun too! Lots of adorable babies hanging out (and looking pretty happy) in the TummyTubs.

Gotta get your own TummyTub? Cruise on over to BathedwithLove.com and support momtrepreneur Janis and her company. The TummyTub retails for about $45 (depending on the color you choose: clear, blue or pink). BathedwithLove also has other great items in stock in their online store including a TummyTub and stool set (available in multiple color combos) to make bathing baby in the TummyTub even easier.

Now, I haven’t tried the TummyTub yet… no baby to bathe ’till August, so I can’t “endorse” it. I will probably hold out on ordering one in the hopes that someone might surprise me with one as a shower gift, but I have to say I think it looks like a pretty cool baby accessory. When (and if) I do get my hands on one, I’ll be sure to let all you mamas know how the baby girl likes it.

Happy shopping (and baby bathing) mamas!

My Wedding Ring Won’t Fit My Swollen Fingers Any More!

Chit Chat Mom — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:07:01 +0000

What a bummer. Thanks to being preggers and the heat starting to increase… my wedding ring won’t fit my swollen fingers any more. I first noticed that it was difficult to get it on about two weeks ago and joked to my husband that I was going to need a temporary “replacement”. He laughed and went right about his day. Well this past Sunday when I went to put it on it really was difficult. Instead of forcing it I lotioned up my hands first and then slipped it on, knowing that this maneuvering would only work for so long. I had to find a replacement.

Luckily, Sunday was the day that my girlfriend and I visited the baby boutique I mentioned in my Baby Sunday post and they just happened to have adjustable rings specially intended for mommies-in-waiting. I snagged one immediately. It wasn’t cheap. The rings retail for $115.00. However, I figured it would make a great keepsake for DD someday. I’m planning to put it in a little treasure box for her that will contain things like her first tooth, first locks of hair from first hair cut, etc.

The ring is made by a company called Tiny Baubles and features an inscription inside the silver band. It is appropriately called the “Waiting Band”. There were several inscriptions to choose from and I chose the “One Love. One Life.” Waiting Band.

Again, I bought mine in a baby boutique but it is available online. I checked out the Tiny Baubles website and it looks like you can order from their online store if any of you preggers mommies (or none preggers mommies suffering with swollen fat fingers thanks to the heat) want to have one for yourself. It would also make a great gift for a pregnant girlfriend or sister.

I’ve worn mine every day and it is so much more comfortable than trying to fight to get my wedding ring on.

Other inscriptions include;

Little One
Miracle
Always

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I Want to Try a Belly Flopz Pool Raft

Chit Chat Mom — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:37:53 +0000

So I saw the Belly Flopz pool raft in the baby boutique I visited on Sunday and I have to say it’s a pretty cool idea. It’s a pool raft with a cut out for your baby bump! While my bump already seems to be running into things I can’t imagine just how far it’s going to extend out in months seven, eight and nine. The idea of being able to lay face down in the pool with the bump through the cut-out of the Belly Flopz is pretty inviting. The only thing it doesn’t seem to have is a place for my water bottle, which I now take with me everywhere. So I might consider getting one for the pool this summer, although they are not cheap. They retail for about $50.00. You can find out more and even place an order for a Belly Flopz for your bump on the Belly Flopz website.

Have any of you mamas out there in mommyland have ever tried a Belly Flopz pool raft? If you have let me know. Should I try one?

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My Peg Perego Infant Car Seat Has Arrived

Chit Chat Mom — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:58:10 +0000

I anxiously returned home yesterday from my real job to find that the infant car seat I had ordered from HappyMothers.com on Monday had been delivered! The best part? I didn’t pay for it to arrive in four days. Nope. I got free shipping and they turned around my order that fast. Between HappyMothers.com and Babies “R” Us I am having one heck of a good retail week. Maybe in our troubled economy retailers have decided that they better sprinkle on some extra nice customer service to keep people (mamas especially) happy.

So of course I don’t yet have the baby to put in the car seat and test it out (being as I’m only 22 weeks preggers this week), but as far as I can tell it is well made, sturdy and practically impossible to get off the car seat base. Okay, the might not be entirely true… but I have yet to figure out how to remove the carrier portion from the base. But I’ve got four more months, so I’m not too worried about it. I’ll figure it out.

I ordered the matching stroller from Strollers.com as HappyMothers.com was out of it when I made the decision on Monday to go with this particular carseat and stroller combo. The stroller is set to arrive next week… so I’ll get you an update on that when it arrives. For now, here are the details on the Peg Perego Infant Car Seat in case you’re wondering…

Peg Perego Infant Car Seat – Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30(2009)
Color: Mocha (I wanted something gender neutral)
Price: $274.99 (this price included the tax and FREE shipping)

As a bonus, I also received a Cheeky Monkey 6 Jar Pac for free because I used a promo code. The promo code (that I found online at CouponRide.com) said that I would receive a free Save My Seat cover if I typed in: SAVEMYSEAT at checkout in the promo code box. Well I got the Cheeky Monkey 6 Jar Pac instead… so maybe they had just run out of the seat covers. No biggie. I’ll take free goodies for the baby any day. The Cheeky Monkey 6 Jar Pac retails for $19.99 on the site, so not a bad “freebie” if you ask me. If you want to try out the promo code… be my guest. However, it does say that it ends on April 20, 2009.

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“Baby Bargains” is the Best Baby Book I’ve Read So Far

Chit Chat Mom — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:15:05 +0000

Now nearing the end of my fifth month of pregnancy, I’ve already managed to read quite a few books about pregnancy and infants. However, being a newcomer to the “mommyhood” I didn’t know that there was a book out there I was missing out on.

A girlfriend of mine recently recommended the book Baby Bargains after I complained about the overwhelming selection of strollers and my confusion in which one to buy. She immediately suggested that I purchase Baby Bargains before buying anything else for baby… what incredible advice. I bought the book last Thursday and by Sunday night had finished it! It wasn’t cheap, about $18 at Barnes & Noble, but it is definitely going to help me save more than $18 in the coming months (and years) The book helps moms (and dads) make decisions on all sorts of baby related items like strollers, high chairs and play yards.

The authors, Denise and Alan Fields give their opinions on which products are good, better, best and where to spend your hard earned cash and where to save your pennies. In addition to their own personal opinions the Fields have done a ton of research and take into consideration the mountains of feedback they get from other parents. Now in it’s 8th edition, I would absolutely recommend this book to any first time parents navigating the overwhelming and deeply stocked shelves of stores like Babies R Us and Target.

Gotta have the book? I bought it in store at Barnes and Noble… but you can save 35% if you buy it online.

Baby Bargains – 8th Edition
Barnes & Noble
Online Price $11.66

Bonus… there is also a website with bonus material that isn’t included in the book. Check it out at BabyBargains.com.

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