Babes and Kids

Web md's definition of sleep deprivation:
"A sufficient lack of restorative sleep over a cumulative period so as to cause physical or psychiatric symptoms and affect routine performances of tasks."

As taken from the My Tot Clock Website:
"My Tot Clock is an all-in-one sleep aid, alarm clock, nightlight, and timer for children ages 2+"

Pros: My Tot Clock is another great mom inspired company. Pamela Gonzalez was a sleep deprived mom who needed to teach her son to stay in bed and establish a routine. Thus, My Tot Clock was born.
I love how many functions this clock performs. Across the top of the clock, there are five different colored buttons. Each one correlates to a different activity.
Green = Encouragement
Red = Discipline
Light Blue = Naptime
Yellow = Awake Time
Dark Blue =Sleep Time
The face of the clock lights up each of these colors too, which makes it easy for a child to know what to expect. One function of this clock we've actually used a lot is the discipline. Since Chandler is 3 years old, when he gets in trouble, he goes to the naughty spot for 3 minutes. A lot of times it was hard for me to gauge how long he was in his naughty spot and it was a pain to always run to the oven to turn on the timer. Now I just make sure that My Tot Clock is close, we are able to set it to 3 minutes, and push the button. Chandler knows while the clock is red he is to stay in time out. Once his time is up, the clock isn't red anymore and a buzzer signals to let him know it is over. He is no longer trying to weasel his way out of time out, and I'm amazed at how effective this is.
Another button we really like is the sleep time. You can preset the sleep time button to the time your child normally goes to bed, and the bedtime routine will automatically start at that time. You can choose to have music, a story, and even white noise. Chandler loves to sit on his bed and listen to the story; it actually makes him excited to go to bed.

If you miss bedtime, or want to put your child to bed earlier, you can manually start the bedtime routine, which is nice. Once the bedtime routine is over, my tot clock makes a great night light and shines blue to know your child is to go to sleep. When we first started using this, I thought the blue light was way too bright. I then realized there was a dimmer on the back. How nice that someone has already thought of that.
You can also set an "alarm" so your child knows when it's ok and time to get out of bed. The clock will turn yellow and fun wake music starts to play.
My Tot Clock is very easy to use and has different cartridges you can buy and change out for the bedtime stories. The faceplate is also interchangable, and with 10 different choices, there's bound to be something for everyone!

Cons: I feel like the story that plays at bedtime is a bit fuzzy/static when you listen to it on the clock. Chandler doesn't seem to mind it, but I notice it. There were a couple different functions that I was also confused about when we first got My Tot Clock. For example, a few days after I got the clock, the face turned red and I couldn't figure out why it was doing this. Thanks to the FAQ on the My Tot Clock website, I was able to get my question answered. This particular page on their website is very helpful as it lists all FAQ's as well as tips and an online version of the user's guide. If you are planning on buying the Tot Clock, I would definitely bookmark this page.

The Bottom Line: A must have for parents with young children. Creates structure for different activities in an easy to understand way for you and your child. 

Price: $49.95

Where to buy: My Tot Clock

Rating: Great

My Tot Clock has generously agreed to give one of these clocks away!

To Enter:
Visit My Tot Clock and tell me about a feature I didn't mention in this post - 1 entry

Additional Entries:
Blog about this giveaway with links back to Babes and Kids and My Tot Clock - 2 entries
Follow this blog - 1 entry
Enter another giveaway on Babes and Kids (All giveaways are listed on the top right sidebar, just click on one to enter.) - 1 entry
Grab my Blinkie or Button - 1 entry

Please leave each entry as a separate comment!

Contest is open to US residents only and will end May 27th, 11:59 MST. Winner has 48 hours to contact me!

Isn't it funny how babies seem to have a personality from day 1? Why not let them express themselves then? The Trendy Tadpole lets your baby, toddler, or child do just that, express themselves through fun and personalized tees. A few months ago, Rowan starting carrying this little stuffed panda with him. It was perfect for him to hold right under the neck. He would often sit and look at him and then smile at the panda and then at me. I found it fitting
that The Trendy Tadpole had the cutest panda shirt and knew Rowan would love it. The day we got it in the mail, I showed it to him. He did the same thing he did when he looked at his panda shirt; smiled at the shirt and then looked up and smiled at me. Priceless.

Pros: With 37 designs to choose from, there's sure to be something for everyone. A few of my favorites include the buddha belly (What baby doesn't have one of those?), and the frog design that says Oh snap. Innovative, isn't it? There are tons of other cute and trendy designs. The designs come in snapsuits, lap shirts, and tee shirts with sizing ranging from 3 months to a kid's size 12. They even have mens and womens sizes available. You can also choose between short and long sleeved. The possibilities are endless!
I was incredibly impressed with how soft these tees were an how well they wash up. After washing Rowan's panda tee 4 times, we had no piling and the graphic still looked like new. It says on the trendy tadpole website to wash inside out and dry on low because they shrink a lot. We didn't have the problem with Rowan's shirt, it had very minimal shrinking.

Cons: These shirts run a bit small. I was told about this before receiving Rowan's shirt, and it also states it on the product info page. If you don't happen to check the product info page, you might end up ordering a shirt that is too small. Rowan is 16 months and is just starting to wear 18-24 month clothes. His panda shirt is a size 2T and fits him well. So if you are going to place an order, make sure to order up a size!

The Bottom Line: Trendy and fun designs, super soft cotton, washes up well.

Price: $22 (Only $11 with promotional code listed at the end of the post!)

Where to Buy: The Trendy Tadpole

Rating: Great

The Trendy Tadpole is offering 50% off their shirts! Enter the code WHOLESALE at checkout to get your 50% discount.

Flashback 4 years ago:  I'm about 3 months pregnant with Chandler.   Food aversions, puking, fatigue, and tremendous mood swings were just a few of the things that I was feeling at the time.  I'm also feeling overwhelmed.  I knew I needed to start preparing for a baby, not just mentally but physically.  What do I need?  Where do I start?  What products are the best to buy?  These were just a few of the questions I was asking myself at the time.  About a month ago, I came across The Giggle Guide to Baby Gear by Ali Wing CEO and founder of giggle.   This book claims to be The Smart Shopping Companion for new parents.  Is it?  Keep reading and you'll find out.

Summer is rapidly approaching and it's a great time to buy products for summer! I stumbled across this great company called Eyes Cream Shades. They sell cute and stylish sunglasses for babies and kids.

Pros: I've bought sunglasses for Chandler every summer. They always break, have the lenses fall out of them, or just aren't that great of protection for his eyes.

Eyes Cream Shades are shatterproof which I think is just awesome. The toddler glasses even have rubber frames for increased durability. Let's face it, kids aren't exactly gentle with their belongings, so this feature is great. Their glasses are made with a polycarbonate lens which is the safest and only recommended for children.

Long term sun exposure to the eyes can cause multiple problems such as cataracts and skin cancer around the eyes to name a few. Eyes cream shades has this problem covered as their glasses provide 100% UVA and UVB protection - perfect for protecting those little eyes. Another big perk - the offer a lifetime guarantee on their glasses. How awesome is that?

The day we got these glasses in the mail, Chandler just had to wear them. He put them on, and they fit snugly on his face. We went to play outside and was excited to wear them. He kept saying, "cool glasses!" One time while on the playground, he decided to throw his hat and glasses on the ground. After throwing them multiple times, we've really learned
just how durable they are. He even wants to wear them when it's dark outside. Pretty cute. I love that Chandler thinks they are cool stylish glasses, and I know they are safe and completely protecting his eyes.

The company is really quick with shipments and even sends you some cute ice cream bowls with your order, which is a fun touch.

Cons: No cons here!

The Bottom Line: Great quality kid's sunglasses, durable with awesome protection.

Price: $34.99 + shipping

Where to Buy: Eyes Cream Shades Online

Rating: Excellent

Eyes Cream Shades sent me two extra pair of glasses to give away! One is a girl's style, the other for a boy.

Here's how to enter:

1) Visit Eyes Cream Shades and leave a comment here with your favorite style - 1 entry

2)  Your favorite feature about these glasses?   - 1 entry

3) Post this giveaway on your blog - 1 entry

4) Follow me on twitter and tweet about it - 1 entry

5) Become a follower of this blog (You automatically get this entry if you are already a follower, just let me know you follow.) - 1 entry

Giveaway will close on March 30th, and winners will be announced on the 31st.

Contest Open to US residents only

Shape sorters are great educational toys.  They help teach shapes and encourage your child to problem solve.  It is a basic toy that I'm sure you will find in many toddler's playrooms.  

Last week, I reviewed Method's Squeaky Green Baby Wash.  Since I really liked this product, I decided to try out the baby lotion as well.

Method is definitely becoming a very recognized brand.  It is an environmentally safe brand which more and more are turning to.

Pros:  I remember not necessarily liking Huggies original diapers with Chandler.  I had a little bit of a different impression this time around.  These diapers are really quite soft.  They have good coverage from front to back and run true to size.  The sticky tabs do a good job and I didn't have them come unfastened like I have with other brands.  They also have a little bit of a fresh scent.  It isn't overpowering like Luvs,  but just enough to give your baby that fresh smell.   The sides have stretch to them and believe it or not, we didn't have one leak or blowout the entire package.   They top back part of the diaper is stretchy which helps hold around baby's waist for a snug fit. They have a really cute Mickey Mouse design on them and really are better than I remember them.  Although the Huggies Supreme are a little softer, I do think that the original Huggies diapers are very comparable and would buy them over the supreme as the supreme tend to be more expensive.  They seem to be good for sensitive skin and we experienced no rashes.

Pampers Swaddlers are the perfect name for what Pampers was trying to achieve with this newborn diaper.

Aveeno has great line of bath and body products.  They also carry baby products - their diaper rash cream being one of them.

Carter's has been around since 1865.  That's a long time!  How does their onesie compare?  (Carter's refers to them as bodysuits.)

Onesies are a staple in every baby's wardrobe.  They are great for keeping baby warm, provide easy diaper changes and act great as an undershirt or a shirt by itself.

The Children's Place has soft soled shoes for babies, in 4 sizes starting in a newborn and going up to 18 months.  

It seems like anything personalized is in right now. You see personalized pacifier clips, labels like the orbit labels I reviewed, onesies, bibs and more. Personalized items for baby really add that special touch. Fill in the Blankie is an ultra personalized blankie, taking it one step further.
How do they take it one step further?

According the their website, this is how they do it:
"We personalize ‘em out the wha-zoo”
You provide the copy, we’ll embroider your warmest wishes along all 4 satin edges. Much more than a monogram, or a name & a date, you’ll have up to 200 characters to work with. Each blanket truly tells a story.

Pros: I love that they have so much personalization. You can add your baby or child's name, birthdate, a special saying, or anything else you can possibly think of. They also have a special inspirations page to help you if you don't know what to put on it. How cool is it that you can personalize all 4 edges? Great idea. They are available in 3 great sizes with tons of different types of blankies to choose from. They also have lots of fonts and colors for the embroidery.
When I first got my blankie in the mail, I thought the packaging was adorable. Rowan seems to love it too. It's the Martha's Majesty style blankie and is incredibly soft with beautiful detailing. These blankies are great for special occasions but are also great to use as a lovie blanket. They wash up well and are really great quality. I think they'd also be a great baby shower gift and they offer gift wrapping as well as cute plush animals they can add to the blankie.

Cons: I don't have any complaints about these blankies, just wish I had known about them sooner!

The Bottom Line: Great quality cute blanket with a fun personalized touch. Visit Fill In the Blankie to learn more

Price: $39+ depending on the style you order.

Where to Buy: FillIntheBlankie.com

Rating: Excellent

3 pieces that go to a sippy cup, 3 more pieces that go to the bottle. Straws, valves, bottle nipples, and more. Doesn't it get old washing them by hand? At the same time, you've probably had pieces melt in the dishwasher or had the problem of them not getting washed well enough. You are nodding your head as you read this, right? The Munchkin Dishwasher Basket attempts to solve this problem for us.

Pros: This is basically a basket that you put in the top rack of your dishwasher. The basket opens up and is a great place for your sippy cup valves, nipples, straws, and any other little piece you may have. If you are washing bottle nipples, you actually pull them up through the top and they actually get washed well. Too many times I have washed bottle nipples on the top rack only to find them still dirty, turned on their side with dirty dishwasher water and other junk still in them.  This solves that problem which is so nice! The top has room for 14 bottle nipples and then also has room for other things such as sippy cup lids and valves. There is also a handy straw holder on the side if you have straws you need washed. (The straw holder can be removed)The plastic on this is very tough so it holds up well.

Cons: This does take up some space in the dishwasher, so if you live in an apartment like I do and have a small dishwasher, it's hard to really make room for it. It also makes it awkward when your dishwasher is small and you are trying to unload other cups and bowls from around it.  I've had a few problems getting it open up when it is wet. I like what the product is for but ended up getting rid of ours as it just took up too much space. One day when I have a big new dishwasher, I'd invest in another one of these.

The Bottom Line: Cool product, does it's job.

Price: $4-6

Where to Buy: Amazon, Target

Rating: Great

Johnson's Baby Cream is that classic baby smell in a thicker cream instead of just a lotion.

Pros: It's nice to have this lotion in a cream for dry skin. It does a great job moisturizing and has that great baby scent. It is a very mild formula and is allergy tested. I feel like it does a much better job than the original baby lotion. It comes in an 8 oz size and a soft squeeze tube.

Cons: This isn't the best cream for babies with exzema. I think there are better alternatives to help deal with this type of dry skin. I also think you have to apply often for it's moisturizing benefits.

The Bottom Line: A good lotion with that smells wonderful.

Price: $3.99

Where to Buy: Most major retailers (Walmart, Target)

Rating: OK

The First Years Take and Toss not only has sippy cups that I have reviewed before, the have a whole line of products that inexpensive enough to "take and toss"

Good Bites are another mom inspired invention.  How many little kids don't like a crust on their bread?  I could raise my hand on this one as I didn't like them when I was little.  I do now, but it took me time to warm up to the idea.  I remember tearing the edges off my bread many times when I was a child.  With Good Bites, you don't have to do that.  Available in 4 different designs, Good Bites will cut the crust for you.