Snack Time! Rainbow Fruit Salad

I think it's safe to say that most kids like fruit. My boys LOVE fruit salad. We have fun picking the different fruits that go into it. Last week I made "Rainbow Fruit Salad" - and we had a little bit fun during snack time naming each color and fruit that was in it. I used:

- Strawberries (Red)
- Oranges (umm...orange...I hope you knew that before I explained it) ;)
- Mangoes (Yellow)
- Honeydew Melon (Green)
- Blueberries (Blue)
- Red Grapes (Purple)

Super colorful and superfun. I know a lot of people don't like to cut up mangoes, I used to find it was a pain myself. Then I found a mango slicer on Amazon. Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter
Check it out! It made life so much easier.

Happy Snacking!

Product Review: Flashcard Time: Brain Quest for Kids

I'm always looking for ways to challenge my preschooler. Like many kids, he gets bored easily. I received Brain Quest for 3 and 4 year olds from my mother. Thank goodness she found these, otherwise I would have just kept going past them in the store.

What's nice about these flashcards there is hinge to flip through the cards easily without getting the individual cards all over the place. There were definitely questions in the set that I had never thought of asking my son. He really had a great time and would ask me constantly to go through the cards. Eventually he knew all the questions, so I bought him the Pre-K stack. From what I can tell, each set of Brain Quest cards really matches up well with where their skill levels should be. I like that my son doesn't know all the answers, but that he knows enough not to get discouraged.

I will definitely continue to buy these cards and think any parent would like them as well.

Brain Quest for Threes

Brain Quest Preschool

Product Recall: Mclaren Strollers due to fingertip amputations!

Maclaren USA Recalls to Repair Strollers Following Fingertip Amputations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Maclaren Strollers

Units: About one million

Distributor: Maclaren USA, Inc., of South Norwalk, Conn.

Hazard: The stroller's hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 15 reports of children placing their finger in the stroller's hinge mechanism, resulting in 12 reports of fingertip amputations in the United States.

Description: This recall involves all Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers. The word "Maclaren" is printed on the stroller. The affected models included Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

Sold at: Babies"R"Us, Target and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide from 1999 through November 2009 for between $100 and $360.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using these recalled strollers and contact Maclaren USA to receive a free repair kit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Maclaren USA toll-free at (877) 688-2326 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's Web site at www.maclaren.us/recall

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10033.html

Product Recall: Halloween Flashlights

Halloween Flashlights Sold Exclusively at Target Recalled Due to Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Halloween Flashlights

Units: About 610,000

Importer: Target, of Minneapolis, Minn.

Manufacturer: DGI LLC, of Warren, N.J. and Tien Hsing, of Wanchai, Hong Kong

Hazard: The flashlights can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received eight reports of flashlights overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.

Description: This recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights sold with stencils.

Mini Flashlights - The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI”, “Made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back.

Standard Size Flashlights - Also included in the recall are standard sized flashlights with a black handle and an orange top. The flashlights were sold with six stencils in various colors and images: a pumpkin, ghost, spider, cat, witch and skull & cross-bones. “Flashlight with Stencil” is printed on the front and “Tien Hsing,” “Made in China” and ”234 02 1838” is printed on the back of the packaging.

Sold exclusively at: Target stores nationwide from August 2009 through September 2009 for $1 for the mini flashlights and $2.50 for the flashlights with stencils.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumer should immediately stop using the flashlights and return the product to any Target store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.target.com

Hot Christmas Toys of 2009

Is it ever too early to start thinking of the holidays? Shopping for that perfect gift, planning festivities, writing out your Christmas cards... yikes... there's a lot to do!!

Every year, people starting buzzing about what the hot christmas toy will be. And that's a great question. Many moms, like myself, want to get a head start and perhaps beat the crowds and get that hot christmas toy. So: what ARE the hot Christmas toys of 2009? I've put together a list that I hope will help all you early shoppers!

Fisher Price Elmo Live Encore : What would a hot Christmas toy list be without some mention of an elmo doll. It looks like this toy is currently in stock at most major retailers, but who knows for how long. Black Friday (biggest shopping day of the year - isn't far off.

Zhu Zhu Pets : Wow is all I can say about this toy. Again, there always has to be a toy on the list that makes all adults scratch their heads. I guess you get a hamster without having to feed it and clean up after it. It moves and kids can buy all sorts of accessories for this faux hamster - including a car. Right now, Walmart, Target, and Toys R Us are out of stock - the only place to get it is Amazon - which is fine by me...it's where I do most of my christmas shopping anyway.

Fisher Price Smart Fit: This commercial makes my son go CRAZY. He really wants this and I think for under $45 (@ Amazon), that's not a bad price. It would be great to get him to wear some of his energy off when we're stuck inside all winter!

Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Cameras : I'm quite intrigued by this one. It seems like it's about as close to the real thing as you can get, without paying a ton of money. Durability is key as is it's realism. My son received a camera last year as he love taking pictures, but it didn't have the screen on the back to preview the picture. This camera from Fisher-Price does.

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Farm : I love this one. It's the newest version of their Laugh & Learn Home, which entertained my son for a LONG time. If I already didn't have that one, I would so get this. It's a REALLY great toy and I would highly recommend putting this on your hot toys list this year.

Another use of infant probiotics

My son's reflux seemed to have been helped by the use of Udo's Choice Infant's Blend Probiotic as I've outlined in some previous posts. After I was done pumping, we used the Good Start formula, also with probiotics because the benefits were so great.

On October 6, 2009, an article was published by Medpagetoday stating that

a milk protein supplement, taken alone or in combination with a probiotic, seemed to reduce the incidence of sepsis among the smallest of premature infants

Mayo News also published an article just yesterday (Oct 12, 2009) outlining that eczema could also be helped by both probiotics and prebiotics taken daily.

What I've come to realize is that probiotics can also be used to treat chronic constipation. My eldest son was always constipated. We had tried so many things and just continued to get frustrated. We ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I started giving him wheat bran mixed with applesauce or yogurt and that helped but didn't solve it. I started eating Activia yogurt and he would have his own...eventually his intestines seemed to improve. He was no longer constipated. He has a yogurt every day. When he goes awhile without Activia, he starts getting problems again.

My youngest now, is showing signs of the same chronic constipation. I reached for my Udo's Infant probiotics and started giving him some 2x a day and eventually, his stools became much softer. I'm hoping that I can prevent 2 years of constipation, like my oldest had to endure by being proactive with my probiotics.

Keeping Kids entertained...and keeping yourself sane.

As the weather goes from sunny blue skies and gray, snowy ones, the kids go from playing outside to staying indoors. Indoors means kids running through the house like there is something on fire, all members of household are deaf, and the mountains of toys that fill every corner of your house now seem invisible.

Sigh.

How to keep the kids busy when the weather isn't too friendly for the kids to go outdoors?

I tend to lean toward arts and crafts. My kids tend to LOVE doing all sorts of different things like painting, cutting out paper and glueing... here's a list of some of the arts and crafts we've tried out.

1.
Assorted Animals Puppet Kit By Martha Stewart Create

2.
Zoo Animal Puppet Kit by Martha Stewart Create

3.
The Usborne Book of Art Ideas (Usborne Art Ideas)

4.
Elmer's Fantastic Finger Paint Pack of 32, with Paper, Smock & Table Mat Included

5.
Melissa & Doug Dinosaur Stamp Set

6. Spider-Man 3: Coloring and Activity Book and Sticky Spider


So the last two might be a little boy-centric - but that's what I got. Most of the time, I've seen that if the kids are occupied with something constructive, they tend to not act so much like maniacs. And non-maniacal kids means a happy afternoon for momma.

Another case of bunk bed hazards: Recall on Bunk Beds

Big Lots Stores, Inc. Recalls to Repair Bunk Beds Due to Collapse and Fall Hazards

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Wooden Bunk Beds

Units: About 20,000

Importer: Big Lots Stores, Inc., of Columbus, Ohio

Hazard: The bunk beds mattress support slats and side support railings can break, posing a risk of the bunk bed collapsing and a fall hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Big Lots has received 14 reports of the recalled bunk beds support slats cracking or breaking, including four reports of minor injuries.

Description: This recall includes wooden bunk beds with a three step ladder. Model numbers WP-9108-1 and WP-9108-2 are included in this recall. The model number is located on a sticker on the bunk bed's interior panel of the headboard or the footboard.

Sold exclusively at: Big Lots stores nationwide from May 2008 through February 2009 for about $300.

Manufactured in: Vietnam

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using recalled bunk beds and contact Big Lots to return the defective parts and to receive a free repair kit.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Big Lots toll-free at (866) 244-5687 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.biglots.com

Product Recall: Little Tikes Recalls Children's Work Benches & Trucks

Little Tikes™ Recalls Children’s Toy Workshop Sets and Trucks Due to Choking Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Little Tikes™ Workshops Sets and Trucks

Units: About 1.6 Million

Manufacturer: Little Tikes, of Hudson, Ohio

Hazard: The recalled workshop sets and trucks have oversized, plastic toy nails that can pose a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of an 11-month old boy from Goose Creek, S.C. who choked when the toy nail become forcefully lodged in his throat. The child was hospitalized and made a full recovery.

Description: The oversized, plastic toy nail is about 3 ¼ inches long by 1 ¼ inch in diameter and comes in red or blue colors. It has a large round head; about 1 ¼ inches below the head is a plastic ridge, slightly smaller than the nail head and about 1 inch in diameter. They were sold with a variety of Little Tikes Children’s products. The names, model numbers and UPC code of the products included in this recall are listed here: http://bit.ly/3pYez

Potty Training Tips!!

Potty Training is a really rough time. I'm not quite sure how many time people would give me advice or somehow "console" me by telling me that boys take longer to potty train than girls.

I was happy with the progress that we made on potty training. We started when our son was about 2 and a half. We bought him his own seat that goes on top of the toilet. Our bathroom was way too small to even entertain the thought of a little potty just for him. So we opted to lift him onto the seat every time he neede to go.

We then got him pull ups. We are lucky in that our son is extremely independent, so he enjoyed having something besides diapers that he could put on himself. Next, we introduced rewards every time he went potty. These were helpful, but didn't quite take him to the finish line, especially when it came to going #2. Eventually, we made sure that anytime he had an accident in his pullups, he had to change it himself. We also did this in the mornings. We saw this hint on a Today show segment about a woman who does a potty training boot camp! He really disliked doing this, but it was effective.

There were a few staples in the bathroom: Cheerios, books, and stickers. Fortunately, we had a really great book that combined two of my staples into one.

Zach's Potty: A Learning to Go Book

This was really helpful for us becauase our son really liked the stickers and the story related to what the stickers were for.

The other book that we had..er.. have in our bathroom is Potty Time with Elmo. Obviously great for any kid who likes Elmo - and what kid doesn't?

Potty Time with Elmo

Eventually, we started letting him watch the Elmo's Potty Time video. I guess we figured that he liked watching movies and we really wanted it to sink it that it was time for him to start going on the potty.
Elmo's Potty Time

We were pretty persistent and would put him on in the morning and then throughout the day. It's a lot of work and frustration; however, our son was potty trained (daytime only) by the time he was 3 and then potty trained overnight by 3 1/2 ish. He still has accidents every once in a while, but overall he does great.

Product Recall: Circo Booster Seats

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Circo Booster Seats

Units: About 43,000

Importer: Target, of Minneapolis, Minn.

Hazard: The booster seat restraint buckle can open unexpectedly, allowing a child to fall from the chair and be injured.

Incidents/Injuries: Target has received eight reports of the booster seat buckles opening unexpectedly, including three reports of bruises.

Description: This recall involves Circo booster seats with manufacture date codes XJ0811, XJ0812, XJ0901, and XJ0902. The plastic booster seat is blue with green trim and has white straps. The manufacture date code is printed on the backside of the seat next to the consumer warning information. “Circo” can be found on a label located in the front of the seat.

Sold exclusively at: Target stores nationwide from December 2008 through June 2009 for about $13.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the booster seat and return the item to the nearest Target store to receive a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.target.com

Product Review: Playtex Ventaire ADVANCED Crystal Clear BPA Free Wide Bottles

I started using Playtex Ventaire bottles 4 years ago and really liked them - and so they were the only bottles that we ever bought. While I was pregnant with my latest and greatest - the whole plastic bottle scare started happening. I looked at ALL the bottles I had and cringed because I didn't want to buy a bunch of expensive BPA Free bottles and I really liked Ventaire. Thankfully, when we went to start buying our newbie some baby stuff - we saw that Ventaire had a line of BPA Free bottles. Hooray!

Playtex Ventaire ADVANCED Crystal Clear BPA Free Wide Bottles 9 oz - 3 Pack


I'm not sure what the "Advanced" means (how advanced can a bottle be, right?) but we did really like these. The only issue that we ever had with this is when we boiled the vents - they seemed to temporarily get a bit smaller and then I had a leaky bottle. This was a HUGE problem for me as I had breastmilk in the bottle. *sigh* lesson learned - I hand washed all the bottles from there on out.

And I didn't replace my entire bottle collection with BPA free. I did use my old bottles - I just handwashed those as well. I still recommend those to anyone looking for a good set of bottles.

Playtex VentAire Advanced Standard Gift Set

Comment on what bottles YOU or your baby loves!

Product Recall: Little Tikes Clubhouse Swing Set

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Little Tikes Clubhouse Swing Set

Units: About 1,950

Manufacturer: Little Tikes, of Hudson, Ohio

Hazard: The recalled swing sets did not come with assembly directions for the swing seat harness. The swing seat harness assembly needs to be completed by the consumer. The swing seats can detach if the harness is not assembled properly, which could result in fall and injury during use.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Full details: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09290.html

Product Recall: Infant Car Seat

The models affected are manufactured from February 18, 2008 through December 11, 2008 and include Maxi-Cosi® Mico™ child restraint systems 22-371, 22-372 and a Maxi-Cosi® Mico™ base 22-515 purchased separately from the child restraint. Click here to view the Consumer Ease of Use Instruction video which will assist you in the use of your product.

Child Restraint Brand Name / Model or Model No.:		Production Dates:
MAXI-COSI / 22-371 (MICO)		JUL 01, 2007 - FEB 17, 2008
MAXI-COSI / 22-372 (MICO)		JUL 01, 2007 - FEB 17, 2008
MAXI-COSI / 22-515 (MICO)		JUL 01, 2007 - FEB 17, 2008
Manufacturer: DOREL JUVENILE GROUP

more information go to the specific recall details

To receive a free replacement, contact Dorel's customer service department at 1-877-657-9546 or http://www.djgusa.com/.

12 Great First Finger Foods

(according to parenting.com)

1. Banana Slices
2. Avocado slices
3. Cooked Peas
4. Small chunks of peeled peach
5. Shredded cooked chicken
6. Cheerios
7. Cooked lentils
8. Macaroni or other cut-up cooked pasta
9. Cooked carrot slices
10. small tofu cubes
11. Soft tortilla pieces
12. Cheese slices

Toy Recall: My Pal Scout Electronic Plush Toy Dogs

Date: July 23, 2009

Name of Product: My Pal Scout Electronic Plush Toy Dogs

Units: About 3,700

Manufacturer: LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., of Emeryville, Calif.

Hazard: The decals on the paws of the plush toy can be removed and ingested by a child, posing a choking hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: LeapFrog has received two reports of children removing the decals from this toy, including one report of a child ingesting part of the decal.

Full details go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09286.html

Great deals on Baby Toys at Amazon.com

Check out some of the deals on Amazon.com for kids summer toys and outdoor games! Plus free shipping on some of the toys, too!

40% Discount on Toys & Games at Amazon.com

Product Review: LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table

"Wow" is all I can say about LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table
. When I first bought this for my firstborn - I was hoping my hubby wasn't going to get upset for buying it. Not that it's THAT expensive or anything, but our living room looked like Toy R Us threw up in it. Having the first grandchild in my family means he was incredibly spoiled to the point where it seemed like he had every product in the Fisher Price catalog.

I think he was about 9 months when I bought this and he instantly fell in love with it. Each little component makes a different sound or lights up. It's difficult for the kiddies to get bored with this one. What's nice, too, is that it has two different volume settings - because heaven knows that you can only tolerate hearing "Red! Green! Blue" so many times before you start getting the sounds into your head. (Although getting any song from "The Wiggles" is much worse).

Another benefit is that the legs can be removed very easily (just a click away) and you can lay the table top down flat for infants that can sit well but aren't great at standing or pulling themselves up just yet.

Durability: my kids reallyput this to the test. The climb on top of it, hit it with (toy) hammers, anything you can think of. It truly stands up to the test! Finally - a toy that last for more than one toddler. My 8 month old is now playing with it and loves it just as much as his older brother.

The only negative thing about this toy (and this could just be ours) but sometimes it'll just start making a sound like someone is playing with it. (Yes - I do say that it's possessed). And it FREAKED out my son in the middle of the night. I just have to make sure that it gets shut off when he's done using it. All in all, it was a great mini investment.

It also made me have to move all the baby toys out of our living room - a blessing in disguise. ;)

View more information about: LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table

Kids Vitamins

My husband and I take our fair share of vitamins and supplements - and when our first son turned 2, we started giving him is his very own vitamins. We went to a brand that we were comfortable and did our own research. We like Now Foods - Kid Vits. He likes the taste and they're very easy to chew. Because he was so young, we only gave him one vitamin a day because you do have to watch the iron content. Also - we eat fairly well, so we know that he's getting most of the nutrients he needs from his food, which is always better than getting them from supplements.

For new customers to iHerb.com you can save $5 by using the coupon code: SIC634.

GoodGuide | Ratings of Natural, Green and Healthy Products

GoodGuide Ratings of Natural, Green and Healthy Products

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