Earlier this week, I was invited to attend a press luncheon with an important agenda on the menu. The focus was on helping to promote safe sleep practice for babies, both in the home and at daycare. Many of us grew up with our parents having placed us in our cribs on our tummies, blissfully unaware of the dangers of SIDS. Today, our generation is striving to better educate our own parents (now grandparents) and caregivers by insisting that babies be placed on their backs, without any loose blankets, plush toys or pillows. (Yes, as snuggly as that soft teddy bear might be, he is best reserved for playtime and not when a child is sleeping.) To help promote safe sleep awareness, representatives from First [&hellip
The Healthy Walnut Archive
As I begin to enter the tween years of parenting, I’m faced with challenges that I never would have dreamed of (social media madness, anyone?). To help curb my own pity party, I sometimes remind myself of those early year moments that fortunately I won’t have to experience ever again…like teething. The sheer agony of watching my then-toddlers cry in utter pain and writhe their little bodies mercilessly was enough to convince me that mothers do, in fact, experience their children’s discomfort as though it were there own. Perhaps if I’d been able to inject some humor into the situation (as I tend to do with so many other uncomfortable moments as a mom), I’d be able to smile through those tears. That has got [&hellip
When my daughters were teething, a fresh-out-of-the-fridge snail-shaped teeth was a true lifesaver. Of course, tossing that poor snail onto the floor every few minutes quickly became a game, one they never seemed to tire of (maybe that took their minds off the pain, huh?). Surely there must be a better way to soothe your baby’s irritable gums without killing your back in the process?…Enter the Munch Mitt, a soft glove with a nubby, textured top designed for babies 3-12 months to gnaw on. The mitt fits securely around a child’s wrist via a Velcro enclosure–no more dropped teether for you to retrieve–and the BPA-free, silicone teether features a patterned surface that’s bound to attract your little one’s attention. Available in a handy travel bag, [&hellip
It doesn’t take a genius to know that the organics food market is exploding, and that’s especially true where babies and kids are concerned. When my girls were toddlers, I introduced them to some bunny-shaped cheddar crackers, but truthfully, they were just as happy with their Goldfish. Today, you’d be remiss not to experiment with organic foods; there’s no shortage of options for babies and toddlers alike, and if you’re trying to expand your child’s culinary horizons, this is the time to do it. We asked one of our mom testers to sample Plum Organics’ Mighty 4 Essential Nutrition Bars with her 10-month-old son, and find out whether they were worth checking out. “He LOVES these,” she enthused. “I love that there are vegetables in [&hellip
I don’t think I can last much longer. Any day now, I’m going to cave and dip into the Halloween candy before it gets the best of me. As if it weren’t bad enough that those chocolate-covered treats are staring me down, every store I enter seems to be enticing me with ‘buy one, get one free’ offers that it won’t be long before we’re buried alive in candy corn. Can you relate? If you’re finding it difficult to resist the onslaught of tempting treats, might we suggest some healthier alternatives? We recently got our grubby little paws on the newest snacks from Annie’s Homegrown and we’re delighted to say that there’s something for everyone in their latest selection. Little ghosts and goblins will surely [&hellip
When I was pregnant with each of my daughters, my husband presented me with a stash of gourmet sodas in unusual flavors: key lime pie, pomegranate and even Shirley Temple (a throwback to my youth when my dad treated me one whenever we went out for dinner). It couldn’t have been more thoughtful…and depressing at the same time. Did I really think I could make it through nine long months without a sip of Chardonnay? Amazingly I did, but not without developing a strong dislike for pineapple-flavored bubbly stuff. If I’d hand my hands on Momosas while I was pregnant, I would have been able to ditch those fruity sodas once and for all. This paperback book is filled with more than 130 non-alcoholic cocktail [&hellip
Tomorrow marks my most favorite day of the year…after Christmas and my birthday, of course. The summer solstice promises to be a sunny and beautiful one. Naturally, that means plenty of time spent outdoors…and plenty of sunscreen. I’m not taking any chances with my kids, having gone through enough skin cancer treatments to keep me forever under a wide-brimmed hat and in long sleeves. They’ll be slathered in sunscreen from head to toe, whether they like it or not! Because we go through so much sunscreen over the course of the summer, I like to stock up on well-made products that go the distance, rather than settle for an inexpensive drugstore brand. Elemental Herbs All Good Kids Sunscreen is a high-quality product that deserves a [&hellip
It’s hard to believe it, but Memorial Day weekend is already here. (After a seemingly endless winter, I wasn’t sure we were going to make it!). As the unofficial start to summer kicks off, that means plenty of sun, sand…and boo-boos. No matter where or how your family spends its days over the next few months, there’s bound to be a few bumps, cuts or scrapes and that means stocking up on bandages (Lord knows how many boxes we have stashed away on our medicine cabinet). How fitting then that Band-Aid would come out with Our Veteran Heroes bandages in time for the start of the summer season. Available in a stars & stripes motif, as well as an urban camouflage style, these specially designed [&hellip
Hard to believe that in another month, school will be out for summer. While I’m not about to start singing an Alice Cooper song anytime soon, I do want to be ready–ready, that is, for the kids being at home and having plenty of stuff to keep them entertained before camp begins. We’ve been blessed with a big backyard, so as long as there’s no rain in the forecast, I am usually ushering them out to play, much to their chagrin. Since we know how challenging it can be to keep kids busy without breaking the bank, we love products that multitask like us moms. ALEX’s Gigantic 3-in-1 Net Set maximizes its worth by offering plenty of play options in one toy. An adjustable net [&hellip
When my older daughter was a baby, she loved to teethe on a smiling-faced snail. At the first sign of pain, I fished him out of the freezer and popped it into her mouth. Before long, she could outmatch that snail’s grin…and that made me a happy mom. By the time her little sister arrived on the scene, that teether had outlived its life expectancy (do snails have long lives anyway?), and she found pure heaven gnawing unexpectedly on a board book (go figure). Today’s tots have so many more choices when it comes to teethers: a baby item that usually isn’t given much thought, but that proves its worth when the times comes. Right now, we’re all over Innobaby’s ez grip massaging teethers. The [&hellip