Review: Munchkin suction cup bowls!

I'm going on a European adventure in a few weeks! I absolutely can't wait for a change of scenery after being essentially trapped at home with Monkey for months on end.

Of course, I'll be perfectly honest with you and let you know that thinking about traveling with a young baby sometimes leaves me in a cold sweat. I need things that will make the journey less daunting.

In thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong or be more difficult than they normally would be, my thoughts turned to eating. I came to realize that traveling with a monkey will require FEEDING that monkey. On a plane. And a train. And at people's houses. This requires dishes that are made for traveling and will minimize the number of times I have to apologize to people.

After a long search for suction cup bowls WITH LIDS, I finally found what I was looking for in the Munchkin brand. The Stay-Put Suction bowls come in packs of 3 (~$10 at Walmart) with each bowl being a different size and having a lid. The bowls are aimed at children 6 months and up and are BPA free.

The suction cup bottoms are a MUST since Monkey loves to chuck the bowl of food I slaved over all over the floor. I have not yet been able to separate the bowl from the suction cup (as I have in some other brands) which is great. These bowls also have really good suction on the glass and highchair tray surfaces I've tried so far.

The lids are a must for a) storing food for consumption during some part of the trip and b) for containing the mess if you can't wash it straight away.

I also like that they nest in one another for both storage and, when in a pinch, play purposes (multi-functional! Hurray!).

They look durable, adorable and functional so they're definitely getting packed in the carry-on.

Now that I suspect feeding Monkey won't be too bad, I wonder if I can find a product that will stop her from screaming during the entire flight and driving the other passengers insane...

I'll let you know how it goes with this product when I get back but so far, I have high hopes!

Review: Alex Jr - Baby's First Pops!

So if you've been reading my blog, you've probably figured out that I'm VERY particular about what Monkey eats, plays with and uses. I want things that are safe, durable, cute and functional.

The latest toy I bought has just blown me (and Monkey!) away. It's definitely her new favorite by far.

These pops ($18.95 at Chapters/Indigo) are part of the junior line of Alex Toys (www.alextoys.com).

Fourteen brightly coloured and contoured 'pops' come in this set and are the perfect size for little hands. The colours are bright and eye-catching and my 11 month old loves to give the pops a good chew. She can't quite put them together yet, but she can pull them apart and carry them around which she loves to do.

There are less expensive 'pops' or links on the market but I chose these for a couple of reasons:

1) the less expensive pops are not as nicely coloured, shaped or textured as these
2) other pops come packaged in a cheap box not this fantastic bucket with a handle that my daughter loves to carry around

Speaking of the bucket. That's one of the biggest selling features. Not only is this toy great for visual stimulation and manual dexterity, but it is also wonderful for 'fill and spill' with that awesome bucket (not to mention a great storage option for when it's not in use -- though it'll probably always be in use!).

This toy really will grow with my child and my only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

My daughter is fully neglecting her other toys to play with this, so to me, that's money well spent!

Review: Angel Care spoons!

Monkey just recently started her first foray into the land of solids, which are mistakenly referred to as such since they're really goopey, messy purees but anyhow.

As I mentioned, I research the heck out of ANYTHING before I buy it so even something as small as baby spoons was no exception!

My mother thought I was ridiculous devoting so much time to...spoons, but let me tell you, I think it was time well spent! :)

I was weary of spoons with 'heat indicators' not knowing what chemicals were in them and I was scared of plasticy spoons that didn't indicate they were BPA free.

I ended up purchasing Angel Care spoons which come in packs of 2 for $8.

These are AWESOME! They're made of food grade silicone so they're safe and super bendy for when Monkey tries to poke herself in the eye with them. The handle is long enough for you to get it all the way in the baby food jar. So far, no staining from any of the foods we've tried and Monkey sometimes likes to use these spoons as teething aids (2 for 1! A spoon and teether! Sweet!)

Be warned, due to the bendiness of this spoon, it may be used as a catapault.

They're super easy for even babies to hold so Monkey was self-feeding with this spoon from the first day we tried solids (and I use the term "self-feeding" loosely as most of the food went everywhere but in her mouth but anyhow...).

I would definitely highly recommend these as baby's first spoons.

Review: California Baby - Bath time...time for joy and time for terror

I spent an inordinate amount researching baby products, trying to find the most natural and least harmful lotions and potions to slather on Monkey.

I used the Cosmetics Database as well as some other sources to find a product or line of products I felt comfortable using.

Finally, I identified a line of products that seemed very popular and very natural and so obviously unavailable in Canada.

That line is California Baby.

California Baby includes a full line of shampoo/body washes, bubble baths, lotions, diaper care etc that are eco-friendly and toxin-free and eschew ingredients that are potential allergens, DEA, sulfates, dyes and numbing agents.

I asked my uncle to send me some from the US and he very kindly obliged. We started with the Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash (8.5oz, ~$12) and it was lovely. Just the right amount of suds, didn't dry out Monkey's skin or scalp and didn't irritate her eyes. I was pleased with it but I wanted something more. Since Monkey doesn't seem to be overly sensitive at this point, I wanted to try something with a bit of a scent to relax her before bed. We went on to get the Calming Shampoo & Bodywash (8.5oz, ~$12) and I was in LOVE. This stuff is very lightly scented with French lavender and calmed both me AND Monkey during bath time.

I'm not sure if it's pure coincidence or not but after the first night of using this stuff Monkey went from waking up every 2-3 hours at night, to sleeping at least 5 hours straight. It was magic.

Now the Calming Shampoo & Bodywash has become part of our bedtime routine. When Monk smells the lavender she knows she can eat her bath toy and splash water all about but it will soon be time to sleep.

Why fix something if it ain't broke? Cause I like to try new things. Since Monk LOVED the two California Baby products we had tried so far, I thought I'd be Supermama and take it up a notch and give her a BUBBLE BATH.

I drew a nice bubble bath for her with the California Baby Overtired & Cranky (13oz, ~$14) bath stuff and she just screamed and screamed. The bubbles seemed to terrify her. No amount of coaxing and playing with the bubbles would settle her down so bath time was over for that night.

I love California Baby stuff and we now have and enjoy pretty much all the products they make. As for the bubble bath, we'll try it again in a few weeks and if she still doesn't like it, I'm going to save it for myself.


For Canadians, to get your hands on this stuff you can order it online directly from California Baby, make nice with a friend in the US and see if they'll ship some to you, or take a road trip down to the US for some shopping and pick up a bunch. It's worth it.