I am a first time mom of a beautiful 13 month old baby girl. Since her birth I have put her sleep in the hands of my beloved sleep trainer, Sabrina from Precious Moments Babeez. Sabrina was able to teach me how to get my daughter to take excellent naps & sleep 11 hours overnight with no issues! But one of Sabrina's sayings always stuck in my head -- "you are not a prisoner to your house during naps". Sounded easy enough, but how was I going to recreate my daughter's sleeping environment in a stroller? In her bedroom she has a blackout blind on her window, and a white noise machine going. I received the Snooze Shade Deluxe edition, and figured we were ready to do naps on the go! This became especially important when we wanted to go to Marineland for my daughter's 1st birthday. The first time we were going to try out our new blackout blind! It was a beautiful hot, sunny day, so I was weary on how this nap was going to go - especially with it being her longer afternoon nap. But I was confident in my new Snooze Shade. We had a wonderful lunch, was able to watch the show at 11:45 and see all of the exhibits Marineland had to offer. But now it was time for my daughter's 2-4pm nap. Where my husband and I could walk around the beautiful park and relax. So, we got her ready, let her have some milk, turned her portable white noise machine on and put it at the top of the stroller, gave her blankie, and attached the Snooze Shade to her stroller. Now, if it's the first time you actually open the Snooze Shade and attach it to your stroller, yes it can seem a bit confusing. But lucky me, I had opened it at home first and taken a quick look at how it was going to attach to the actual stroller. With six easy snaps, we were able to get the Snooze Shade in place on our stroller before our daughter realized what was really going on! It is black on the inside, and silver on the outside which I loved because I find most blackout blinds or shades tend to attract the sun. The silver outside lining helped with this issue. There is also a small zipper on the front of the Snooze Shade that you can quickly unzip to see your babe fast asleep. I didn't find myself using the zipper option to take a look if she was sleeping, because well let's face it, she'll wake up to any noise, and that zipper being right on top of her face was a danger to me in waking her up! Instead I lifted the side a little to take a quick peak, which worked just as well. The Snooze Shade created the PERFECT blackout environment for my daughter's nap - much darker than any other blackout shade I've used on her stroller. It blocked out 97% of the UV rays and was still breathable which my husband loved! OH and it folds up into a tiny little bag which is a MUST! The only true con I have about this Snooze Shade is the size. Well the packaging shows you can put it on any type of stroller or bassinet, I found it only fit one of my strollers very well. It is on the smaller size - and while we like to use our travel stroller for outings like this, I opted to bring my larger stroller because the seat portion of it was much smaller than our travel stroller where the shade would have to go from top to almost bottom of the stroller, and it didn't fit very well. All in all, this is a GREAT product to have! My daughter ended up napping a full 1.5hours, which I was truly impressed by being in the stroller! She did wake up after the 45min mark, but with the help of the blackout and white noise, she went right back to sleep. I will definitely continue to use this blackout shade, especially with our future trip to Florida around the corner. A great buy! Sylvia C
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Raising kids is difficult. Maintaining a household with kids is difficult. Balancing work and a home life with kids is difficult. Today, it got a little easier. I am a mom of a 2.5 year-old little man and a 13 month-old little lady. They are awesome kids with stellar personalities. I've always said, "I know how lucky I am". It's one of those things I would say, but not really process. I processed it today. You can see my patio doors from the counter in my kitchen. Making lunch today, I looked out and couldn't even see outside, the fingerprints were so dense. Tiny little fingerprints, handprints, and yes, a couple of mouth prints (courtesy of my little lady). I thought, "Oh my goodness, I JUST cleaned this window yesterday and it's covered again!". I grabbed my Windex (eeshk, I know, chemicals...but I like my Windex!) and paper towels and headed to the door. It seems like I clean that window daily (don't even get me started on how much I vacuum...I swear there is more food on the floor than in their mouths) As I was cleaning my children's DNA off the window, I began to think. I began to think and I began to process that statement that I mentioned that flies off my tongue without thought. I am lucky to have little fingerprints to wipe off patio doors. I am lucky to have to vacuum crumbs off the floor 3 times a day. I am lucky to pick up toys off the floor. I am lucky to do multiple loads of laundry filled with little clothes each day. Lucky is not a strong enough word. I am thankful, I am blessed, I am loved. Too many people in this world do not have what I have. Too many people are dealing with infertility. I have close friends who have struggled for years trying to conceive. Fertility drugs, IUI, IVF, miscarriages. I have seen these friends give up, defeated by their own bodies. I couldn't imagine wanting a baby so badly, trying everything to make it happen, and be forced to accept that it's never going to happen. I cry for my friends and their struggles. I, myself, didn't have to deal with infertility. I was able to get pregnant easily both times. I know how lucky I was. Today, while looking at those fingerprints on the patio door, I realized how truly blessed I am to have tiny fingerprints to wipe off. To have crumbs to vacuum up multiple times each day. And to do countless loads of laundry each day ( Seriously, I could laundry in the Olympics). There are too many people out there who would give ANYTHING to wipe fingerprints, vacuum constantly and wash tiny outfits. I need to remember this. I need to remind myself of the blessings that I have created that cause my daily chores. I no longer look at them as chores. So today, I am thankful for little handprints on patio doors. And it is now that I truly know how lucky I am. Meagan Duetta Blessed mother of two little blessings who teach me more than I could ever teach them. Paying it forward with the ‘Probiotics for Colic’ study I am a planner. I spent months mapping out my birthing plan so I knew exactly what to do & what to expect during labour & delivery. I enrolled in a prenatal class, spoke to many of my mommy friends about their birthing experience & I even had a midwife on my childbirth team to guide me, but when time came, my son’s birth was definitely far from what I had anticipated. After 26 hours of intense, epidural-induced labour, I welcomed my first healthy baby boy! I was overjoyed to finally hold my son in my arms & very excited to bring him home, but I quickly realized that his infancy was also something I hadn’t expected. It all started when he was 3 weeks old, I called my midwife frantically asking, “Um, is it normal for newborn babies to cry for hours at a time? I tried feeding, carrying, swaddling, singing, rocking, humming, giving him the pacifier and nothing is working to comfort him! He just cries loudly & inconsolably… this can’t be normal. What am I doing wrong?” She simply answered, “No, it’s not normal for babies to cry for hours. It’s likely he is suffering from infantile colic.” And that was it, she didn’t elaborate. I was left hanging and wondering how to manage my colicky infant. During his crying bouts, my poor baby looked like he was in pain. He would arch his back, his face turned a bright pink, he would clench his fists, draw up his tiny legs and the most heartbreaking part, he refused to be comforted. There were very few quiet, happy moments to relish, as his colic made it difficult to enjoy his early days. Of course, sleepless nights were expected with a newborn baby, but he cried so excessively that a few crying hours quickly turned into sleepless days and even sleepless weeks. I was stressed & depressed & kept thinking that it’s no wonder that the sound of crying babies is linked to cause shaken baby syndrome. Naturally, I was worried so we went to see his pediatrician. “Your baby is healthy. He cries because he is colicky, which is quite a common condition - one in five children have colic. Colic can manifest at 2 weeks of age, peak at 6 weeks of age and usually subside at 3-4 months of age. Because there is no known cause, current treatments [such as gripe water & Infancol] have not been proven to be effective so parents usually just let the condition take its course,” is what his pediatrician told me. My baby being healthy was a huge relief, but because his relentless screaming had already made me feel helpless, frustrated and anxious, finding out there is ‘no effective treatment’ caused even more anxiety and frustration. Despite being desperate to help ease my son’s discomfort, I was still very reluctant to try any drugs that haven’t been proven to be safe and effective to treat colic. Conflicted and resentful with my decision, I tried nothing and, like other parents, I just ‘let it ride out’. Coincidently, at about 4 months when my son’s colic was starting to wane, a naturopathic doctor friend told me something that, although belatedly, provided me some comfort. “You know, in Italy, probiotics have been clinically proven to be a safe & effective treatment for infant colic for at least 10 years. Canada is just a bit behind. It’s all natural & so won’t do any harm; perhaps you should try giving him probiotics to help with his colic.” At first, I struggled to be happy about the news because by now, my son was crying less often & seemed to be nearing the end of the colic stage. But then, I experienced my ‘Aha’ moment! With this news, I knew I had to pay it forward to help inform other moms about how probiotics can help with their colicky babies. Serendipitously, I then became involved with a clinical study approved & conducted by Health Canada & The Hospital for Sick Children investigating the use of probiotics to treat colic. I was reassured knowing that the probiotic drops used in the study has been clinically proven safe for infant use so I had no reservations to stand behind the study. So now, my mission is to seek out & help moms with colicky babies to participate in this Probiotics for Colic clinical study, not only to ‘pay it forward’ to support & inform other moms, but also to help spread awareness about the clinical study that would improve science to discover an effective treatment for Infantile Colic. My son is turning one in 2 weeks and now, I am just in awe of his happiness, ability to sleep soundly through the night and enjoyment of cuddling. Of course he still cries, but it’s definitely not as loud, intense or frequent. And at least now, he cries for reasons that are clearly discernible: he’s hungry, needs changing, overtired, teething, or needs some attention. The best part: now my hugs & kisses usually is all he needs to comfort & calm him! My internal dialogue keeps questioning what my son’s colicky past might mean for his future, although his pediatrician has reassured me that there is no evidence of any long-term effects. I think I want to have more children, but my son’s colic has led me to waiver in indecision because his colic has really shaken my confidence. Everyone says, “You can’t have such bad luck that you would have two colicky babies”, but how can they be so sure? Then I hear the giggles, see the smiles & feel the hugs and with knowing that probiotics, being safe & effective, can help with a colicky baby, my reluctance is dissolved. For more information about the Health Canada & SickKids Hospital’s Probiotics for Colic clinical study, please contact Kim Chau (kim.chau@sickkids.ca) or 416-813-7283. Have you ever been that mom standing in the grocery aisle or bank line and you hear a frustrated grunt coming from inside the stroller. As mothers we need to read this cue as KEEP STROLLING MAMA! So, I ask all of you mommies out there how fit are your strollers? Does it only see the light of day when you need a bag of milk or are you a trailblazer? Well whichever you are the good news is stroller fitness is the surefire way to getting to Fit Avenue fast. W
What I as a mom love about stroller fitness is that I can stroll to all my favorite I- POD tunes and groove out a great workout with scenic views. The best thing about stroller fitness is the stroller and the darling inside being carted around act as a form of resistance to our aerobic workouts. All the equipment you need to reap the benefits of stroller fitness is a stroller, a park/ scenic route, sunscreen, WATER, tunes and of course your little one. Now that you have all your gear here is a sample of your next stroller session. Stroll YOUR WAY to FIT Avenue Workout On the Move Warm up:(7-10 mins) -walk 30 secs +30secs shoulder rolls X3 -walk 30 secs+30 secs arm circlesX3 - walk 30 secs + 30 secs toe tapsX3 -walk 30 secs +30 sec walking lungesX3 -Walk 30 secs +30 secs squats in place Speed stroll(20-25 mins) -the point here mommies is to work at your own pace and always use the talk test as an indicator of how hard you are working. You should always be able to talk! If you can't talk slowdown your pace. If you can sing easily pick up the pace! Some options to use in the Speed Stroll are; brisk walk, jogging, skipping, side gallops, running, jogging up and down stairs, hills or bleachers. ** Remember if you are a beginner Stroller Mama you may entirely use a brisk walk, if advanced you may mix it up, listen to your body it won't steer your strolling wrong. Cardio cool-off (2-5mins) -Repeat on the move warm-up -Muscular and core strength -Use picnic tables or benches to do 3 sets of 8-12 reps of leg lifts, modified pushups, triceps dips and abdominal crunches. -Final stretches (can be on a table, standing or sitting on grass) head/neck rolls, inner thigh stretch, ankle rotations, side stretches, forward folds and deep breathing. Safety Cues: -Always drink water before, during and after workout. -Do not use light frame strollers suitable only for car seats(any other stroller is fine). -Always check the weather and prepare accordingly for you and your baby, ex humidex, sunscreen, stroller rain cover, baby hat, bug net for stroller etc…. Benefits of Stroller fitness: -safe and effective -fresh air, sunshine and FUN -full body exercise -You can do it alone, with a friend or Mommy group -Not too mention it calms your little one and helps with their sleeping habits, giving you a much needed Break. If you have any questions about performing any of the exercises do not hesitate to email me at fit_maven@hotmail.com. Enjoy your next stroll to FIT Avenue! I didn't get it... I really didn't. Why would anyone voluntarily choose pregnancy, weight gain, delivery (or worse c-section), sleepless nights, hopeless days of crying, arguments over clothes, shoes, hair and meal times? Thousands of unsolicited opinions and parenting ideas...Less time to yourself, less time with your friends, less time for your husband.... I had watched my girlfriends struggle through their marriages, friendships and careers.... All to be the center of some helpless diaper wearing person's universe...Why would anyone want to be a mom? Somehow my very crafty husband talked me into this (while I tried to talk him into a Porsche Instead). I will never forget the night before my scheduled c-section. I laid awake all night crying. Somehow I managed to wish away nine special months of pregnancy. Now I was going to have to share him with the world. I wasn't ready. We hadn't bonded enough. There wasn't enough time. What if I never had the opportunity to grow another human being inside me again? Little did I know, I was about to have an even better role, an even more special relationship. I was about to be a mommy. I have never been the same since. Sleepless nights give way to their first smiles. Temper tantrums bring their first "I love you"s Less time with your friends bring new special people into your life. And if you are really lucky, it gives you and your husband something very special in common. And while the unsolicited comments get tiring, you realize just how many people genuinely care about your new little family. While being the center of a little person's universe can be tiring, at the end of every day, I say good night to my special little guy and ask him, "Do you know what is awesome? Being the mommy. Being the mommy is the best!" I get it now. Julie van Kessel I had no idea, when I set out on my mission to help Guppy sleep, that making decisions on how to care for my own son could cost me friendships. In a world with such incredible technology, were every mama can find a study, blog, report, website etc. to support their parenting decisions, we end up surrounded by “my way or the highway mommies”. It seems that we live in a time where each of us feels that how we do things with our babies is the only way that things can or should be done. So, lets get this straight, we teach our children to be open minded and accepting, all the while we’re not. This just doesn’t add up for me. It’s no secret that Guppy had colic, he cried…a lot. It’s no secret that I battle postpartum depression and every one knows that Guppy HATES to sleep! It’s also no secret that I tried nearly every suggestion I was given, read five sleep books and STILL couldn’t help Guppy to sleep – so we called in a professional! Little did I know that this would be the beginning of the end for some of my friendships. Our experience with the sleep consultants was great. We worked with the amazing team at Precious Moments Babeez, specifically Debbie Fazio and I have no regrets! She was very dedicated to helping us, and ensuring that all of Guppy’s needs were met and that he was never being put through any unnecessary stress. She was our coach and cheerleader and stood by us through the whole experience. We quickly started to see Guppy getting more and more restorative sleep (and that meant I started to get some too!). He was happier, so much happier and so was I! One would think that your friends (regardless of how they handle these issues in their own homes) would be so happy to see you and your family thriving again, but evidently not! Instead, the cracks start to form, and the friendships start to dissolve. People that you once talked to nearly every days, well now you don’t. Instead, they climb to the top of their soap box and declare to all who will listen that they would “never” sleep train their baby. They don’t hesitate to tell everyone just how horrible it is, though they have never actually done it. They know the little bits that they have learned from other mothers or read about on the internet, far from the whole picture but none the less they know you’re wrong. They never look at you the same again. It is sad, and you miss them. You even second guess yourself (but only for a second). Then you remember, these friends have never walked in your shoes, and they really can’t know what they might do. You look at your baby who is happy and healthy and thriving and you know that you did what was best for your family. So whether it is sleep training, feeding, potty training, or any other challenge of parenting. We need to remember that the decisions that we make are best for us while others will make the decisions best for them. Be confident in your choices and respect those of others. By: Sarah Sansom He is seven months old and the internal debate is raging! Once again, I am not here to tell anyone what to do (shocking I know). I am strictly talking about my own little debate with myself, and the challenges our family faces when trying to come up with a plan that works for everyone in the future! I know so many amazing parents who work long hours and have raised beautiful well adjusted and loved children! I know first hand the gift and joy of being raised by a stay at home mom! There is just no one answer to this debate, each family is facing a different challenge! I had always dreamed of staying home with my children until they were at least in full day school. My mom stayed home with us and I am eternally grateful for her sacrifice! She gave up her career and committed her self to playing with us, teaching us, and introducing us to the this big beautiful world. When I became pregnant shortly after starting a great new job, I started thinking that I might really miss going to work! The seeds of the dilemma were planted! There are two major things to think of here … “What do I want to do?” and of course “What solution can we afford?” My fellow Type A’s are probably all shouting at me to make a list (or two, or three…) of my pros and cons. Believe me I have! I have done list after list after list! The end result is the same, I want it all! Is that too much to ask? I want to go back to work where I can interact with a variety of people, where I can excel doing things that I am really good at and where I can solve problems with confidence! I also want to be the primary caregiver for our little man. When we work out the dollars and cents, well, I will not even go there, let’s just say that child care is beyond expensive but we are not independently wealthy… I start to sweat just thinking about how much of his life I will miss while I am working! We have odd/long hours my husband and I, so we would not get to eat dinner with him, or be there for bath time, many nights we would not even be there to put him to bed! There is just no easy answer. No matter what we do there will be a substantial amount of sacrifice and we may have regrets. When it comes down to it, there is no great answer, not for us. What were you willing to sacrifice? How did you make your decision work for you? Submitted By: Sarah Sansom I first met Heather, my doula at a mom function while I was pregnant. I was having a very challenging time with my OB. And truthfully, I had no interest in being pregnant. I wanted nothing to do with giving birth and trying to casually inquire about a scheduled C-section from my OB (who was not having any part of it). My OB consistently dismissed me. She sent me for unnecessary tests giving me unnecessary stress. My experience was not a good
one. I tried talking to my husband about it and he really did not "get it". He did not see "it". Thankfully, he knew I needed help and told me to do whatever it took, however much it cost and get the help I needed. Be it a shrink, a girlfriend, I think he would have consented to a drink at that point. That is when Heather came into my life. I called Heather that night and my husband immediately saw the change in me and knew we had to hire her. I will never forget that 1/2 hour of my life. I think I said something really obtuse to her like "I am going to go through the worst {yes I think I used that word} day of my life and no one around me is listening to me." Heather set me straight. She told me it was going to be the most amazing and profound day of my life and she was right. And eventually she had me prepared for it. Heather convinced me I could do it. She had me do a complete 180 degree turn from wanting a scheduled c-section to dreaming of a natural childbirth. She gave me real "peace" of mind. My husband does not have the memory of his wife yelling at him or screaming at him. Or my head doing 360s. He remembers confidence and a day full of love and joy. Heather showed me ways to prepare and empower myself through my pregnancy and through childbirth. Alas, I did not get my natural childbirth. I was easily talked into a scheduled c-section and found it to be a very civilized way to give birth. Heather also joined us at the hospital for that and I am so glad she was there. She was the sister I always wanted beside me. And professional enough to make herself scarce once our family showed up. I am needle and hospital phobic. When the going got tough (read: major anxiety attack), Heather was there for my husband and I. I felt like she did not just help me deliver a baby, she helped me transition from pregnancy to motherhood. We have all heard the war stories women love to tell about childbirth. Here is mine: It was the most beautiful amazing peaceful day of my life. All I remember is the overwhelming love. The high lasted a good three months. I now look at pregnant women with jealousy (the way many women look at brides). They get to have that amazing day. I am so grateful to Heather for that. When my husband sees a pregnant woman or expectant father, he is the first to suggest that she NEEDS a doula. He really felt that Heather not only gave me confidence in the delivery room, but gave him confidence, peace and took the pressure off of him. Heather provided us with a game plan and prompted us with questions before delivery, so we could anticipate situations. If you take anything from this note, remember this: You need two things to give birth: A car seat to take your baby home and a doula. Everything else is just window dressing. ByJulie van Kessel By: Karen Kerk Courtney |
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