Jul 28, 2012

Ocean Nursery Update 2 – Turning the Mini Crib into a Toddler Bed

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We originally bought a mini crib for baby #1 because we were living in a tiny one bedroom apartment and honestly couldn’t fit a full size crib  (I even gave up one of my 3 dressers to fit the mini – oh parenthood). Luckily my husband, Nick, and I are small people and O is no different, so we never felt the need to swap up to a standard crib. Little O is now 2 years old and still seems totally happy with it. Pregnant mommy, however, is no longer okay with lifting her into the crib anymore – ouch! So we decided it was time to convert her mini crib into a toddler bed. Unfortunately, this turned out to be more complicated than originally anticipated.

Our mini crib (and most others) will convert into a twin bed, but I thought that would be too big a change right now with baby #2 coming so soon – at least with 3 sides of her crib still up, she’d still have that safe, enclosed feeling she’s gotten used to and hopefully make it an easy transition. Now, lots of full size cribs have ready-made toddler conversion rails to turn a crib into a daybed, but after hours of searching, I’m almost positive they just don’t exist for mini cribs. My first thought was since the standard size rails look like a sideways letter P, maybe we could get one meant for a full size crib and just cut off part of the long stem to fit. But unfortunately the tall part that keeps you child from rolling out of bed (the loop of the P in my example) measured pretty much the entire length of the mini crib, so there’d be no way for O to crawl in. I realized we were going to have to make it ourselves.

Inspiration – the Muu Sam

I found the Muu Sam crib above while doing my search for the non-existent mini crib conversion rails and fell in love. My husband originally wanted to just cut the existing side that would be taken off anyway (which would mean the toddler rail would have slats instead of this pretty flat surface to paint on), but that side becomes the headboard or footboard when converting to a twin bed, so we’re definitely not destroying it (we will have to come up with something crafty to use the 2 short sides for though, when the time comes). Luckily, Nick is great at projects like these and has friends with big tools (thanks Greg!) so he got to measuring. We wanted to make sure the rail would line up with the original screw holes that were already in the crib to hold the 4th side up. We also learned O is obsessed with inserting pegs/screws/bolts into holes (you can see her toddler hands helping out in the photo below – time to get her a baby tool kit!).

Clearly so excited :)

Once the rail was glued and assembled, Nick painted it white – yes, unlike in the disaster of Nursery Update 1, we did it the right way this time – with 2 coats of Mythic zero-VOC paint. We still think better safe than sorry when it comes to paint fumes though, so I was ousted from helping with the large area painting (Nick was also doing coats of blue on the dresser). But I did pull out my non-toxic acrylic craft paint to do the sharks (in our open, well-ventilated garage with stretching breaks). And here’s the finished product:
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Jul 24, 2012

Now Entering the World of Sweater Vests

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Since we learned we’re having a boy this time around, I’ve started taking a closer look at baby boy clothes. I found myself wanting to look into and test some of these silly boundaries that are restricting choices for boys. Maybe start a clothing revolution!! … but let’s start small.

According to clothing manufacturers (based on what is for sale in any department store or children’s clothing boutique), the items listed below are what seem to be the general consensus for acceptable imagery references sorted by gender (NOT my personal preferences btw and not a complete list, feel free to add).

  • For Girls – butterflies, flowers, ballerina, cats and kittens, horses and ponies, hearts, moon, cupcakes, ladybugs, zebras, pink, rainbows, strawberries, watermelon, popsicles, “princess”
  • For Boys – robots, dogs, camouflage, dinosaurs, monsters, cars and trucks, pizza, sharks, alligators, baseball, football, lions, firetrucks, “hero”, worms, motorcycles, rocket ships, surfers  (*and for some reason WAY more shirt/pants separates for infant boys v.s. more onesies for girls – can anyone explain that to me??!)
  • Gender Neutral (mostly on infant clothing) – frogs, monkeys, ducks, turtles, birds, stars, soccer, bears, elephants, bananas, giraffes, guitars, green, yellow (However, do note that all the animals will have a bow or a flower if it’s a “girls” outfit).

At J. Crew Kids

At The Children’s Place

Carter’s at Macy’s

So what if your little boy that really likes cats? Sorry, you’ll have a hard time finding them on a boys t-shirt unless they’re much larger felines like a lion or tiger. Or what if your daughter likes big trucks? (mine is a huge fan of buses and garbage trucks). Well, it’ll be near impossible to find a shirt with a big truck in the girls section unless, if you’re lucky, there’s maybe a pink one.

I think few people would say it’s wrong for boys to appreciate the beauty of nature, so why isn’t it “masculine” to have a bunch of flowers on your little guy’s onesie? And every kid I know, boy or girl, will go insane for a rainbow sprinkled cupcake, but only girls get those pictured on their outfits (girls actually seem to have a lot more food images, interestingly). And zebras are only for girls but elephants are fine for either gender, apparently. Who decided this stuff?!

Clearly, graphics on baby clothes aren’t really about what the child likes – or even necessarily what the parents like. Instead it seems baby clothes are designed just to present an image, as early as possible, to announce to the world in no uncertain terms that your child is definitely a boy or a girl (although as my mom likes to tell me, she had me dressed completely in pink and people would still come up to her and comment on what a cute little boy I was – apparently the curse of a totally bald baby). But the more brands stick to the same colors and graphic formula, the easier it is for most people to know what gender baby you’ve got without having to ask and the easier it is for parents to “safely” pick out clothing. But why is this so important? So you brought home a zebra print outfit for your little boy with red hearts on it – are the other 6 month olds going to burst into tears if you dare place his confusing ensemble on the same tummy time mat as theirs? Will he or any of his drooling friends even remember what anyone wore back then?

I remember hearing about a couple in the UK who decided not to tell anyone the gender of their child to prevent outside bias and to let him/her make their own discoveries regarding personal interests and preferences (gender neutral toys, no TV, etc) – people went insane about it! Psychology lecturer, Dr. Daragh McDermott, said in the linked article above, “It’s hard to say whether being raised gender-neutral will have any immediate or long-term psychological consequences for a child, purely because to date there is little empirical research examining this topic.” But the public had certainly already decided it definitely would harm the child – why are we so sure? Why is it so important to make sure your child knows that they are definitely a boy or definitely a girl before they can even speak? Especially when it’ll probably become pretty obvious to your observant toddler that they have parts that look more like either mommy or daddy, and when sexual identity during puberty, or sometimes even before that, can throw a loop in even “simple” gender identification.

Dr McDermott added, “That being said, the family setting is only one source of gender-specific information and as children grow, their self-identity as male, female or gender-neutral will be influenced by school, socialization with other children and adults, as well as mass media.” So it sounds like no matter what parents do, kids are going to eventually be exposed to this super gender emphasizing culture we live in anyway – and yet the majority still felt that withholding the child’s gender was tantamount to child abuse. Very interesting.

In theory I don’t think there was anything wrong with what that UK couple did (I don’t know all the details of what their everyday life was like, etc. so I might be opposed to some of the specifics, but let’s not go that deep into it). If you want your child to feel free to explore and like the things he/she likes without someone saying they can’t, just because of their gender, that’s great! And I do believe it’s extremely hard to avoid unintentional bias from other people (I can’t even count how many times has my daughter been called a princess by strangers).

Green Toys Tool Set in Pink

Manhattan Toy Baby Stella Doll – Boy

Fisher-Price Classic Doodler

Actually I think lots of people try to be a little gender neutral; there are always neutral clothing and bedding sections in baby stores filled with green and yellow – and nobody complains about that. But unfortunately, after baby is born and as they start getting older, parental attempts at gender neutrality are usually directed more towards girls than boys. People now have no problems saying, “oh, I don’t buy pink stuff for my daughter” or “We only give our little girl Legos and tool kits to play with”, but you hear very few people say, “Of course my son can wear a tutu if he wants to.” And you can see this in society too – it has been socially acceptable for women to wear pants and to show more than an ankle for years, but men still cannot wear skirts or even show their legs off in shorts if they’re in a professional business setting!

Don’t worry, I’m not going to hid my son’s gender from him. I am hoping, though, that having an older sister will expose him to things he might not have been exposed to if he were an only child. For example, I might not have just gone out and randomly bought him baby dolls, but if his sister happens to have one and it becomes his favorite toy, fine. Likewise, if he never wants to go near any typically girl things, at least I’ll know he had the chance to do so – and I’m equally not going to suggest he drop the toy cars and cardboard swords and play with something else just because they’re too typically boy-ish.

I just hope that I can at least instill in my son the confidence that he can like and play with whatever he wants, no matter what anyone says (which I think boys have a much harder time with than girls). I want my kids to be happy. And I want them both to know that while there are a few things that are only for girls or only for boys: (childbirth, unfortunately, still only for girls) a pink backpack or a scary dinosaur lunchbox, ballet lessons or a pet tarantula, these can be for anyone.

Visit my Pinterest boards too for my ongoing exploration of these ideas.

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Jul 19, 2012

Necessities for Baby Number 2 and Gifts for Second Time Moms

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Adorable sibling set by kelseymcmargaret on Etsy
(Love that the big sister shirt isn’t completely pink)

A blogger at Project Nursery posted a list of their Top 5 Baby Gifts for Second-Time Mamas and I totally disagree with her gift ideas! Although they are all very nice products, there’s nothing specifically useful for a second time mom. In fact, 4 of the 5 things she suggested I already have and don’t need any more of: aden + anais swaddles, awesome diaper bag, handmade blankies galore, hooded towels/washcloths – mine aren’t personalized, but definitely don’t need more. The remaining item on her list, a new lovie, is the only thing I agree with. Older siblings are already going through a lot by suddenly having to share mommy and daddy – we shouldn’t expect them to share toys too, at least not immediately.

I’m weird about a lot of things, but I believe most moms preparing for a second child would agree with me here. So, I thought I’d share my working list of the things I need to get to be prepared for my baby #2. Hopefully it’ll be helpful to other second time moms in the planning stages and/or be a good idea list to anyone attending a second-time mom’s baby shower.

  1. Clothes – since my first was a girl and my second is going to be a boy (but read more about that here)
  2. A brand new coming home outfit of his own
  3. Bouncer to replace the one we got rid of (darn it)
  4. Another crib (off Craigslist!) since we’re turning O’s into a daybed for her
  5. New organic baby mattress (not going to reuse a mattress even if they give it to us with the crib, eeew)
  6. A second changing pad and cover (since baby’s crib will be in our room for a while)
  7. A second diaper pail (same reason) – the Ubbi?
  8. Newborn diapers
  9. Shrinkx Hips – did it with #1 and I did fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes (eventually) – but I know some moms never get back to their original size, so not sure if it was the Shrinx Hips or just my body, but I’m not risking it. No idea where the first one went.
  10. Another mirror to attach to the backseat of the car
  11. Pacifiers – in case he wants to use one, definitely wouldn’t reuse old pacifiers even if we had kept them. I really believe some babies just like to suck more than others so I’ll get one to have on hand just in case and then more if needed.
  12. New baby bottles and nipples – I’m going with glass bottles this time. But even though my first child’s bottles were BPA free plastic, it’s probably not a good idea to reuse any kind of plastic that much especially when it’s getting warmed up and cooled down constantly. I’m going glass this time.
  13. A new Baby K’Tan (since I just found out my old one is horribly stained with spit up) – I think I’ll opt for the Breeze version this time which is mesh and cotton so it’s more breathable and not as hot to wear (although the original all-cotton version wasn’t bad at all)
  14. Baby bathtub for the sink – I’m thinking the Puj tub  (we just took our 1st in the bath with us but I’m worried that might cause some jealousy this time and/or overcrowding, haha)
  15. A gift for our firstborn (definitely don’t forget them at baby shower time too!!)
  16. Baby mobile of his own (made it myself)
  17. Infant Carrier Arm Pad from Itzy Ritzy. Awesome invention! Though we didn’t end up needing it though since we decided to go with an all-in-one carseat.
  18. New burp cloths and bibs – yes we could reuse the ones we have, but brand new, unstained ones would make a nice gift and you can never have enough of these.
  19. Extra crib sheets and waterproof pads – since both our kids are using the same size mattress
  20. Belly cream or oil – mamas can and maybe should still use this stuff for a while even postpartum and it won’t hurt to use it any time on any body part so it makes a great shower gift. I especially love Mama Mio Stretch Mark Butter
  21. Eventually we’ll need a jumper (we got rid of our first one for space reasons)
  22. Probably a Glider board for our Baby Jogger City Mini stroller – our 2 year old doesn’t use the stroller much so a double stroller seems like a waste

Another cool sibling set by
KoolKidzClothing

Your ideas?

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Jul 16, 2012

One of the 5 Best Pumping Stories at Moms Meet

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I just found out my random submission was selected to be one of the 5 best pumping stories in a contest held by the Moms Meet. I won a grab bag of natural and organic goodies. Woo hoo and thanks! Do you have a funny pumping story to share? I’d love to hear it.

Here’s a link to all 5 winning entries but I copied mine below:

I actually pumped for one year (almost to the day because, man, was it annoying!!). My baby never wanted to latch on, I couldn’t get help, we were both frustrated after trying for 2 weeks, and I was working full
time anyway so I figured, why stress about it? My baby was going to get all the nutrients and benefits of breast milk with pumping exactly as if I was breastfeeding from the boob and this way, daddy could handle some of the nighttime feedings – bonus! But I was SOOO glad to be finished (and yet, I still decided to have a second baby, where’s the logic there? haha).

Here’s my brief pumping story – My husband and I went out for our first date night away from the baby and we decided to do dinner and a movie. At the time, baby was feeding every 2 hours so I was pumping every 2 hours in order to keep my supply. We were going to see a movie first but we missed it because we were too slow leaving the house. So we had a leisurely dinner and then walked around the mall waiting for the next movie showing. That plus the drive was about 3 hours. Then we went to the 2.5 hour movie.

Less than half way through, I was feeling uncomfortably full, but by the end of the movie I was ready to cry. I had no idea how much pain engorgement could cause, and of course, I hadn’t thought to bring anything with me because the original plan was to be gone maybe 3 hours tops. I thought I remembered reading something about being able to the relieve the pressure manually. So I sat, in the movie theater bathroom, playing and squeezing my nipples to try to get milk to come out to ease the pain. Some milk did come, but it
turned out it was not enough to do anything for the pain – I usually got quite a few ounces out of each machine pumping session.

But while I was figuring that this wasn’t going to work, I made a huge mess all over the bathroom stall because I didn’t think about needing something to CATCH the milk before starting this. So I’m sitting there
with wads of toilet paper just disintegrating in my hands, on the verge of tears, and god knows what the other people in the stalls around me were thinking. When I realized I was wasting my time, I cleaned myself
up, told my husband to floor it, and moaned in pain until we got home. Good times, haha.

Lesson? After this, I bought 2 manual Medela hand pumps and permanently stored one in each of the bags I used (work bag and diaper bag). Those pumps break down really small so they barely take up any room, are super lightweight, only cost about $30, and not as big a deal to use as you’d think – even though I was used to my nice big pumping machine at home. They were lifesavers (or rather boob-savers) on numerous occasions.

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Jul 11, 2012

When My Routine Ultrasound Turned Scary

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I didn’t post anything about this immediately because I was waiting to see how it was all going to turn out. Luckily, hopefully, everything is going to be okay. But here’s what’s been happening:

As background, I have a bicornuate or heart-shaped uterus – it’s actually a birth defect I never knew I had until I got pregnant the first time. Instead of a being a normal pear shape, my uterus has a deep indentation in the top center and looks like a heart. Depending on where the egg decides to implant, baby might not have enough room to grow to full term, so I am automatically classified as a high risk pregnancy. Even though Baby #1 was fine and Baby #2 is in the exact same spot and position (breech, stomping on my bladder), I still have to go in for fetal sonograms every 3 weeks. On the up side, I get lots of pictures (or I would if he didn’t keep his face smooshed into my placenta).

Well, I went in for another sonogram at 29 weeks to check my cervix length and the baby’s measurements. I had the same technician previously and she was unusually quiet this time, but I chalked that up to everyone having off days. Then I realized something might be going on when she stayed near the baby’s head for quite a while and kept recording images of the same area – I’ve had about a million sonograms now so I knew this wasn’t normal. I casually asked, “what’s that?” As in, what are you continually measuring there, lady? But the technician just said, “oh that’s baby’s head.” And very quickly afterwards said she was going to show these pictures to the doctor and she’d be right back (that is standard practice). Ooookay. But it isn’t standard to wait 20 minutes (ish, I tried to take a nap) with goop on your belly (usually they let me get cleaned up right away). When the doctor came in, she did her own measurements with the sonogram and then gave me the news: our baby boy had higher than normal levels of fluid in the ventricles on one side of his brain. Cue panic.

After speaking a bit more to the doctor and to the genetic counselor there, I came away with very few answers and an appointment for a fetal MRI. It could be nothing, it could be brain damage. This is something seen with spina bifida and Downs Syndrome,  however all my routine screenings showed we had a very low risk of either. The baby could need a permanent stint implanted in his head to release the excess fluid but then maybe go on to live a normal life… or not. I could have a amniocentesis, but since I’m already in my third trimester, there is a small risk of pre-term labor. Funny that they kept asking me if I had any questions after just telling me there were no answers until after the MRI.

Well, we decided not to do the amniocentesis. I’m going to have this baby regardless, so it didn’t seem worth risking a few extra weeks cooking in my belly just to know in advance. But we did still have to wait a whole terrible week for the MRI appointment.

So of course I Googled it. I know you’re not supposed to but I had to get more information. Strangely it didn’t make me more paranoid (as googling usually does) – I found out that it really was an equal chance of being something or nothing, good or bad, just a flip of the coin. I also read that this condition, when it is something, is often called “water on the brain” – and being as the nursery is ocean-themed and the name we’re 99% sure we’re going with is also in that same under the sea genre (more on that later), well… I’ve apparently got an ironic little stinker bug inside me and my love for this baby swelled just a little bit after that. Of course you’re going to choose the thematic disease, you ornery thing.

Don’t you love how when you can’t move, your nose will always start to itch? Other than that the MRI was another good excuse to try and nap (when you have a 2 year old, you take ’em when you can get ’em). Afterwards, the head guy (MRI specialist important title something), who my Obgyn reassuringly told me was one of the top fetal MRI people in the tri-state area, sat down with us and said that it looked to him like our baby boy was just on the high end of normal but he didn’t see anything else (blockages, bleeding, etc) to indicate some other issue. As long as the fluid levels didn’t increase, the baby would most likely be perfectly fine (with disclaimers about nothing being guaranteed, of course). Normal is a range, he said, so for example, a person might be 6 foot 10 and therefore way off the scale when looking at average heights, but that doesn’t mean there’s necessarily anything wrong with them.

At my 31 week follow-up ultrasound, fluid levels are still holding steady and the doctors who reviewed the MRI scans agreed with what I was previously told. I have another sonogram scheduled for 34 weeks (today makes 32 weeks/8 months!) so I’m not stressing (because that’s definitely not good for the baby) and we’ll see what happens. All I know for sure is that I’m going to love this baby, even if he is making me go prematurely gray.  :)

p.s.  yes, I know it isn’t actually irony with the water thing – it’s just a funny coincidence – whatever.

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Jul 6, 2012

I Could Not Have Said It Better…

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My husband is dyslexic so we knew that our children would automatically have a 50% chance of having dyslexia too. This blog post by Lyn Pollard from the New York Times website, Can A Daughter With Dyslexia Learn to Love Words? (link below), conveys exactly what I’ve been wondering as my daughter gets older and while awaiting the birth of my son. Well written.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/can-a-daughter-with-dyslexia-learn-to-love-words/?smid=pl-share

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Jul 2, 2012

Ocean Nursery Update 1 – A.K.A. The Disaster

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The changing table – newly painted with toxins :(

We got started on our nursery redecorating project by painting the changing table. The table was a pretty blonde wood but nothing else in the room matched, so my husband and I went down to Home Depot. Now, I’m a research fiend so this is embarrassing, but it really must have been due to a case a pregnancy brain, because we bought regular white spray paint. My husband carried the table outside, gave it a nice paint job and stuck it in the garage to dry. The next day I ask if we can bring it inside and hubby says “Maybe. I’ll bring it inside and we’ll know pretty quickly if it has aired out enough.” ….. Cue light above my head clicking on (and some thunder and lightning for dramatic effect):

  1. VOCs
  2. Pregnant women and young children are NOT supposed to be exposed to paint fumes
  3. Why did some part of me just assume spray paint wasn’t actual paint that could be harmful?

I believe there was a sheepish and panicked smile quickly aimed over my shoulder as I ran over to my computer. And I’m sure there was some eye-rolling from his direction. Turns out spray paint is actually the WORST kind of paint we could have possibly picked with some of the highest levels of VOCs.

VOCs are harmful chemicals (linked to a variety of health effects including eye, nose and throat irritation; dizziness; liver, kidney and central nervous system damage and even cancer) that offgas (or outgas) for long periods of time at normal room temperatures (small amounts could even be released for the entire lifetime of the paint). You can read more scary details using the link at #1 in my list above if you like.

So,we bought some Zero-VOC paint from Mythic Paint (another great option is Lullaby Paints) hoping we could just paint over the spray paint and seal in the nasty VOCs. Unfortunately, no-VOC paints are made to be breathable, so they’ll lessen the VOCs emitted but no where near completely seal them off. Back to the drawing board.

Using paint stripper was going to be toxic also, plus some parts of the changing table appeared to be pressed wood or some other type of processed wood (it was a hand-me-down gift, so no way to visit the retailer to know for sure) so sanding the table down could release formaldehyde and more fun, harmful stuff!! (the upside and downside of research is finding other relevant topics). I was getting ready to tell my husband we just needed to suck it up, toss the table and replace it when I finally found a solution: we could paint a new layer of a non-toxic, clear gloss sealer… and hopefully it won’t discolor the paint requiring us to do one more coat of the zero-VOC (update: my husband is developing an eye twitch).

To do this the right way the first time, use a no or low-VOC primer or sealer on any particle board or processed wood items and definitely before painting them. Then always (cause it’s good to protect the adults too), but especially if you have or are expecting children, use a zero-VOC paint. We’ll be using whatever is leftover of the sealer on our IKEA bookshelves. Sigh.

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Jun 22, 2012

Surprise Subscription Boxes for Mommy and Baby

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If you haven’t heard about the latest craze (and/or you remember the CD and video of the month clubs of yore), monthly subscription services are back! Online sites are now offering everything from beauty boxes and shoes to gourmet tasting packages and t-shirts– all shipped right to your door every month full of fun surprises. But, of course, it’s the cool mommy and baby stuff we’re interested in for this blog and there are lots of those to choose from in that category too! Here are your options:

Citrus Lane – I believe this was the first monthly box club to launch in the mother/baby category and they’ve grown quickly for good reason. Featuring 1 or 2 full size products per box, sample size products, coupons/gift cards and cute monthly themes like Bed and Bathtime Fun or Fun in the Sun, Citrus Lane is perfect for moms with newborns or children up to 3 years old. In past boxes I received things like: an iPlay Sun Protection Hat (with SPF 50+), an Itzy Ritzy Snack Happened reusable snack bag, Ella’s Kitchen food pouches, Green Sprouts Stacking Duck Set for the bath, a full size Seventh Generation Natural Hand Wash, and a Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum Deluxe Sample. They also have a special stand alone Pampered Pregnancy box and a Deluxe Baby Shower box which are both perfect to give as gifts. You get one box a month and Citrus Lane offers a few different subscription options:

  • pay as you go – $25/month
  • $75 for 3 month membership
  • $125 for 6 month membership (1 month free!)
  • $250 for 12 month membership (2 months free!)
  • $65 for the Pampered Pregnancy box (one box only)
  • $35 for the Deluxe Shower box (one box only)

Bluum – UPDATE: Bluum has changed their pricing, it is now $24.95/month and features more full size items in larger boxes. They also now have boxes for children up to 36 months. Bluum still focuses on items for both mommy and baby.

This is the least expensive option, so it’s great if you’re feeling unsure about the whole subscription club thing, commitment, money in general, etc. It is also the smallest box, about 6×4 inches, but you’re still getting a lot for your money. Bluum boxes feature tons of sample size products for mommy and babies 0-12 months – and if you try something and love it, it’s easy to find information on purchasing the full size versions. In past boxes I received things like: Adagio Pai Mu Tan Tea, Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Lotion, So Easy Portion Storage Bags and PINXAV Diaper Rash Ointment. Plus Bluum places a high priority on organic and natural products – bonus! You have 3 subscription options with Bluum which are:

  • pay as you go – $11/month
  • $33 for 3 month membership
  • $60 for 6 month membership

PetiteBox – UPDATE: PetiteBox is temporarily suspending subscriptions. Not known when they’ll resume business.

This company just launched, their first boxes went out in June. Unlike the other companies mentioned, PetiteBox will begin catering to you while you’re still pregnant and then, based on your due date, will change over to baby-related products when your little one is born up to 12 months old. The subscription ends automatically at baby’s first birthday. The PetiteBox representative I spoke with at the Big City Moms Baby Shower said that PetiteBox is striving to be a more luxurious, higher end alternative (which is evident just from the gorgeous ribbon trimmed boxes they’ve got – definitely saving those to reuse somehow).

  • pay as you go – $25/month

TeetheMe– UPDATE: TeetheMe stopped service in October 2012.

Similar to Citrus Lane, TeetheMe is for moms with newborns to kids up to 3 years old. However, TeetheMe is also a full-out community too – they want members to write rate and write reviews for the items they received, share pictures and milestones of their little ones, and find a one stop destination for blogs and trends on the site. The Little Teethers Community for Moms just launched with Facebook and Twitter integration and it looks promising. But going back to the boxes, every month TeetheMe sends you 4 to 5 products. In my past box I received: a Green Sprouts Plate Set, Earth Mama Angel Baby Calm & Clean Hand to Toe Wash and Bottom Balm samples, and NurturMe dehydrated baby food pouches. Their subscription options include free boxes for longer commitments:

  • pay as you go – $24/month
  • $72 for 3 month membership
  • $120 for 6 month membership (1 month free!)
  • $240 for 1 year membership (2 months free!)

Stork Stack – Stork Stack sends out 5 products a month customized for you and baby and can start as early as your 3rd Trimester of pregnancy and last up until your child’s 3rd birthday. As with the other companies, they promise mom-tested (and loved) products tailored to you (click here for an example of one of their past boxes/Stacks). They also offer a never changing Shower Stack to use as a baby shower gift – you can also see a picture of that box using the link above. But what makes Stork Stack special is that they give back to philanthropic organizations to “deliver Stacks of love to families in need.” Stock Stack is currently partnering with Operation Showers of Appreciation (baby showers of support for separated military families) and BabyBuggy.org. Just by being a member you’re helping out those in need, but depending on the membership option you choose, you can also give a little more directly too:

  • pay as you go – $28/month
  • $84 for 3 months + one donated to a family in need
  • $168 for 6 months + 2 donated to families in need
  • $336 for annual membership + 3 donated to families in need
  • $40 Shower Stack (one box only)

Honorable mention to these other monthly subscription sites:

  • Spark Box – age appropriate toy rental for ages 0-4
  • Wittlebee – age specific clothing for sizes newborn to 5T
  • Kiwi Crate – crafty boxes for ages 3-7
  • BabbaCo – themed boxes containing projects, activities & books for ages 3-6
  • Little Passports – global exploration kits for ages 5-10
  • Green Kid Crafts – 3 or more planet-friendly crafts monthly for ages 3-8
  • MommeBox – seasonal products & services for moms
  • The Little Book Club – 3 or more age appropriate books monthly for ages 0-6
  • The Happy Trunk – themed crafty boxes in 2 tiers: ages 3-7 and ages 7-11
  • Parents TLC – baby, kiddo, mommy & me and even pet boxes all on one site
  • ZooBean – book subscription boxes
  • M is for Monster – weekly themes with 2 to 3 projects for each theme

And one last thing to add (hint to future entrepreneurs): Where are the Daddy boxes?!!

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Jun 12, 2012

Gift Ideas for Any Dad – Father’s Day 2012

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As I get email after email with Father’s Day gift ideas and guides filled with cuff links, leather bag, monogrammed golf balls or other sports related paraphernalia, gear for the grill, watches, beer & alcohol accessories, etc., I’m struck by the fact that most of them would be terrible gifts for my husband (or even for my own father!)

So since I was looking around myself anyway, I thought I’d share my short list of the gifts I bought for the father of my babies this year. Hope they help you too! Remember, your gift doesn’t have to be big or expensive, it just has to be well thought out and from the heart.

1. Bag O’ Books by DaddyScrubs – Never underestimate the power of a good book. After reading Swagger by Lisa Bloom (totally recommended btw!), I appreciate even more how important it is that daddies read to their kids just as much as mommies do, and these dad-themed books are exactly the type of nice push that’ll work wonders for everyone.
2. Father’s Day Coupons by LivingLocurto.com (click the image to buy/print) – I love that the coupons are for things all dads could use like a back rub (20 min limit – haha) or a free chore pass. Plus they’re perfect for last-minute-mommies since you just print, cut, glue the coupon holder together, and you’re done in 5 minutes tops.
3. T-Shirt and Onesie Set on Amazon – You can almost never go wrong with a t-shirt. And this cute duo comes with an outfit for baby too. My favorite shirts are the ones with really nice and just slightly embarrassing messages on them – things he’d never buy for himself but will still actually wear (remember the key to a good gift is that the recipient will use it). For another idea, check out this cute dad t-shirt too.
4. Any DIY Project – Especially if you have older kids, any DIY project they come up with will hold a special place in dad’s heart. My husband painted a version of this handprint collage for me for Mother’s Day so I’m posting this up just because I would have done it if he hadn’t gotten to it first (sneaky guy). Especially if you have young children who aren’t at the glue, scissors and googly eyes age yet, this is a very simple memento to make and very sweet. Just trace, cut, glue, grab a nice frame and you’re done!
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Jun 7, 2012

Confession – I Wanted More Than Just a Healthy Baby

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I’m just going to come out and say it. I desperately wanted, with my whole mind, body and soul, for my first child to be a girl. I wasn’t going to love a boy any less, of course, but that didn’t stop me from hoping that I could make my baby be a girl through sheer psychic brain power and force of will (of course I knew that the sperm decides the gender and I had pretty much no choice in the matter, but did that stop me from wishing? nope). In the end I was very blessed to have my wish granted (and I made the sonogram operators check multiple times because I couldn’t believe it, haha).

My baby girl (so long ago!)

I’m sure there are some people who genuinely don’t care whether they have a boy or a girl, but I was never one of them. And getting flak for saying something more than “I don’t care as long as they’re healthy” is crazy. I remember being completely shocked when I read an article about the public getting mad at Vanessa Lachey for saying she was hoping for a boy. Of course Vanessa and I both wanted healthy babies, I just also wanted mine to have a vagina. What’s wrong with that? All babies are going to be one or the other and there are differences between the two, so you can’t help wondering. And I’m sure we both would have loved the opposite gender just as much if that’s what we were given instead.

But of course I had to ask myself why I felt so strongly about it. I don’t think boys or girls are necessarily better; I’m in love with a great man and I know lots of amazing women. I think my feelings came from the fact that I have one sister myself, grew up with my grandmother living with us, and nannied for 2 girls for a few years. I’m just more comfortable around girls, I know what to expect with them,  I know how “girls” (stereotypically) play, etc. And, as a fashion lover, I admit I was swayed by the idea of being able to pass down my clothes, shoes and bags to a daughter as well as by the significantly greater clothing freedom given to girls. My experience with young boys was limited to a few short babysitting jobs – so it was mostly just fear of the unknown.

Now that I’m expecting baby number 2, I was really surprised that I did not have strong feelings one way or the other this time. I actually felt a little guilty that I didn’t have a strong preference! (My only real reason for leaning one way or the other was the fact that we could pass down & reuse a lot more clothes if we had another girl – not enough to make a difference in my opinion). And, in the meantime, my sister had had an adorable baby boy and she and I had already spoken some about the differences in diaper changing. So when my hubby and I found out we were definitely going to have a boy this time around, there was only a tiny bit of panicking and a lot of excitement.  :)  I can’t wait to meet you #2!

Number 2 is a Boy!

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