SmArt - Do you know what that is?

I tested out the local Las Madres working mom's group a while ago. While I was testing out the new group, I came across a monthly event held at the Willow Glen library that integrated science and art for toddlers to explore. What a great learning concept for little ones! While this is currently run by 1 working mother, this program has great potential to grow for the children in our community.

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Preschool decisions

So my daughter graduated from daycare to preschool. I loved her daycare but it was time for her to be a little more challenged and to hang around children her own age instead of babies. We felt that it was better for her development. While researching all the different preschools out there and the fight to get your child in, it was hard to decide which one to fight for.
It was important to us that the school was bilingual, full days, potty trains, playground, set schedule, and relatively not too educational pushy curriculum. At 26 months, we wanted a school that was going to help more with her self development in terms of confidence, character, social, and fine motor skills. I wanted her to be introduced to a school environment so when it was time for the education push, she would be familiar with a class environment.

After touring some schools, my husband and I had to sit down to come to an mutual understanding for what was important to the both of us. It was our child and we needed to both agree and have both of our wants met. We believe that we both have to be on board together so we can support each other in raising our daughter through this transition and period of her life.

So after we did our research online, we toured the final school that we thought was a perfect fit. As soon as we toured the school, we both knew that this was the place and we immediately put in the deposit for the wait list. The director of the school told us, she was busy and if we wanted our daughter in, we would have to hassle her. Well, I did just that and 2 months later, my daughter started preschool. My husband and I had to rearrange our schedule the first week and she had half days there with us so she would get familiar with the environment. This idea actually gave from the director and I'm very thankful for that. When it was time for my daughter to start on her own, it wasn't as painful. My daughter stopped crying by the time I left the parking lot.
What was a plus that I didn't realize was her preschool also has a video camera that the parents can log on at anytime to check on their kids. I liked that idea not that so I can watch it all the time but the fact that they offer it means a lot of honesty to me. And that was comforting.
A lot of people thinks I put my kid in too early but its really a play environment based learning. It was important that since my husband and I both work full time, that my daughter wasn't deprived of thriving just because we weren't home with her. So far, we love the teachers there and my daughter seems happy and has learned so much already.

MommyCon San Francisco

This is a much delayed review on the event. However, it was a great experience and I've learned a lot. It was a mini convention for natural baby raising choices. Lots of information on reusable diapers. In fact, they brought it all out and all the different types of diapers. That was really helpful.

What I took away from this and why you should attend as a new parent:

1. There are MANY products out there that are not in stores like Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby. I found a much better designed nursing bra that what was in stores that would have saved my back and time. There were also things that helped with cloth diapers like a toilet spray  and a shield to help it from splashing everywhere.

2. You see how natural parenting has worked for many children. There were many babies there so you really see how happy, healthy, and easy that life choice is.

3. There were a lot of new products being introduced that weren't out on the market yet. So, you get the opportunity to touch and feel them. I got to try on the new Ergo Baby 360 before it was out. I love it and I plan on getting one when I have the 2nd.

Its nice because I got to speak with a lot of the inventors/owners of small businesses that are just introducing their new products that are currently only available online. Hearing how their product was made and the reason behind the invention.

What I recommend before going:

1. The San Francisco event may not have been as big as the others but spending half the day there was sufficient.

2. The meetings/conferences were extremely packed. I looked at the packed room and got terrified and left. If there is a specific one that you really want to see, get there very early and hold your spot.

3. Don't expect all the mommies there to be too friendly. Some of them are on a mission of some sort and I'm not sure what. I imagine it's because they have to be done with the place before their child's patience runs out which I completely understand. So, if you have a choice of babysitter, leave your children at home so that you can really focus and take your time experiencing all that there is. I left my daughter with my parents so I was able to focus on the new products without chasing my 2 year old.

4. Arrive light because there are tons of business cards, information, etc to hold. It gets heavy. Luckily, MommyCon comes with a great gift bag that you can throw everything in or there was The Bump that was there passing out reusable totes as well. I didn't plan ahead and brought my gigantic purse and it got too heavy. Luckily, I brought my human coat hanger (my hubby) to help me hold all the goodies.

Baby Bjorn Bib

Who knew finding a good bib would have been so hard? Well, I take partial blame for that. I saw the Baby Bjorn bib forever but I just never could spend that much on a bib. Until I wasted my money buying a bunch of bibs that didn't do its job or molded. Yes, you read right. MOLDED!! Never buy a bib that has the sides stitched in fabric of some sort. Everything else was plastic and was fine but not the edges. Ours started to turn black and I looked carefully and it was mold. I even dried it.

So, after going through about 4 different types and brands of bibs, I finally gave in to the Baby Bjorn bib. Its made of plastic so you can wash every part of it. It has soft rubber so it won't irritate your child around their neck. It has a big pocket to catch all the food and it actually works. And, you'll only need one.

2014 Clek Foonf review and install advice

There are tons of reviews online about the Foonf already. In short, we wanted to get another car seat for my husband's car and we decided to give this a try. Mainly because its safe. There is a much heated debate regarding car seat safety and many parents believe that the price of the car seat does no equate to the safety of the car seat. In my opinion, I agree to a certain a certain extent. I believe that the price of the car seat does not equate to a an unsafe car seat. All car seats must reach safety regulations. As a parents, I hope we never have to find out the truth. I say this because I don't want any child to be put in a situation where we will settle whether the car seat is safe or not. In the meantime, I don't take chances with my child. She's my life so I will go buy the most expensive seat I can afford and read the reviews to ensure its the safest.

Now on to the Foonf, this thing is HEAVY! I love it! The weight of it gives me the security that its strong and being so heavy means its force will require more to move it. I think that is what I remember from Physics in high school?? But, other car seat professionals have dissected this car seat and its steal bars in the back is not to be messed with. Its smaller than the Orbit Toddler car seat that we have but my daughter actually has more room in the Foonf. She does sit rear facing at 25 months which I'm extremely proud of her for putting up with looking at nothing in the car rides. But with the Foonf and Orbit, I know I can probably keep her in till 3 if she allows it. SAFETY FIRST!!

Installation: The manual is a lot to look at and I just didn't bother. It gave me a headache just thinking I had to read all that. Instead, Clek has made YouTube videos step by step on how to correctly install your car seat. DO THAT! Its so much easier watching a video than looking a drawing and reading. I also felt that by watching the videos, I was more confident that I was installing the seat correctly.

Fit in Car: We put it into my husband's full size sedan and it fit perfectly rear facing. We put the car seat in the middle because I feel that is the safest position as we only have 1 child right now. The downside which isn't limited to the Foonf but all of our car seats is that you loose the other 2 seatbelt buckles on the side. So really, no one else can sit back there. With the way the latch is installed in both my SUV and my husband's sedan, the middle position does not have its own designated Latch therefore causing you to reach over the sides and covering up the buckle. For first time parents, choosing the middle position shouldn't be too much of a problem as you don't have other kids in the back anyways. Or, you can always drive a minivan!

My daughter's reaction to her new seat: She loves it! She seems very comfortable. She wouldn't get out of it when we got to our destination.

Cons: These are what I don't like about the Foonf and mentioned by other reviewers as well. The crotch pad will not stay still. It just keeps falling out so that can be frustrating. The other is that the magnets do not exist for the 2014 models. We have the magnets on our Orbit and LOVE it. Its saves the trouble of pulling it out from under your child. Last but not least, I miss the orbiting base on the Orbit. It does make it so much easier to get your child in and out.

All in all, I'm still satisfied with the Foonf and love it. All the cons that I mentioned can be fixed by Clek easily. And at the end of the day, the most important non negotiable thing about a car seat is its safety. I can deal with the rest. I love the Foonf and  the Orbit as they both allow my daughter to seat rear facing longer. She loves them both so I'm a happy parents.

Bloom Fresco review

This is a long awaited review for Alexis' high chair. I had researched high and low and looked everywhere for a high chair that fit into these categories for our family:

1. Easy to clean
2. Can be used at out island and at our dining table. This meant that the chair could be raised high enough for a kitchen counter and low enough for our dining table
3. Easy to move (must have wheels)
4. Longivity. Must last through years of use as Alexis grows
5. Stylish enough for our newly remodeled kitchen.
6. Comfortable and fun for Alexis
7. Rotation (I learned from our Orbit stroller how easy this makes life)

So, I found one high chair out of all the high chairs out there that served actually fulfilled all 7 requirements.

I'll go into detail about each one:

1. The chair is pretty simple and clean in design so there isn't many places for food to fall. It comes in 2 tray sizes so it catches a lot of the food (and liquid). There is a pad that all you have to do is wipe of the mess along with the shoulder pads.

2. The chair is on some sort of hydraulic pump so it is super easy to adjust to any height. There aren't preset heights that the chair can be at so you aren't stuck if you have weird table or counter height.

3. Now, it has 2 very small wheels and it isn't the easiest to move. You've got to tilt it to a specific angle to get it to roll. Not the best in design but I does roll and move.

4. I bought this later on for Alexis once she started eating solids but you can actually tilt the seat so the baby can lay flat. With the harness, it is safe to put a newborn in it to sleep. Amazing!! And, because these is no arm rest attached, your child can probably use it till the age of 4 or 5. You can remove the tray and scoot the chair up to a table or counter.

5. Just look at the picture below. You can customize the padding to your child's favorite color, The base comes in nickel, black chrome, white, and black. You customize it into any combination you want. All of our guests that come into the house thinks its some spaceship. A cool spaceship but its definitely not your ordinary high chair. We got a black chrome with purple padding. Love it!

6. Alexis loves it. She loves having her legs roam free on the bottom so she can conveniently knudge her dad. She uses the large tray to draw on and keeps her crayon in the tray. She eats well with is and makes a huge mess but she eats in it. She's even learned to buckle herself in. Safety first!

7. Who wants to roll out the high chair and twist their back to get the baby out. We turn the chair around, take of the removable tray, and she's out. In fact, sometimes, Alexis spins herself around while waiting for her food. And when she gets upset with us, she turns herself around so we get the look at the back of the eggshell.

After using it for a year and half, it was a hefty investment but we've used every function of it except for the newborn functions. Although its expensive, its an item I plan on selling after we are done with it and I think I can get a decent price for it later. It's help up well and not one bit of wear and tear on it yet. It also doesn't take up very much room so that's been helpful although wasn't originally one of my requirements for a high chair.

Guilty, I splurged!

You  know how every once in a while you see something so cute and you imagine your little one with it and you can't resist buying it even though its insanely expensive? Well, I just did that on a bath towel. When I went home to tell my husband about what I just did, he looked at me like he should have cut up my credit card.
This is what I purchased from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child for $44 (for a towel):

Isn't it cute??? I know, cute but crazy.

In my defense, my daughter had been using her newborn towels for 2 years until I finally got her this grey elephant one.

After waiting weeks for it to arrive, I was actually pleasantly surprised with the quality. It is HUGE in size and extremely soft. My daughter is ridiculously cute in it and she loves it. She yells for her elephant and plays with the trunk while wrapped in it completely. And here is the best part: My husband actually said she was the cutest thing in it and he loves it too!

I've washed it twice in the washing machine and dried in the dryer and it just keeps getting softer. It didn't start falling apart like some of her newborn bath towels I bought at BuyBuyBaby and Babies R Us.

Besides the ridiculous price, it is great in size and extremely soft. Its fun for bath time. So, when you are in the splurge mode, I highly recommend this towel! Couldn't find anything like it in the other baby stores.