Categories
Babies Baby Registry Giveaway High Chair Kids Meal Time Stonyfield Tommee Tippee

Toddlers at the table.. with Stonyfield and Tommee Tippee

Image 2Meal time with a toddler is anything but simple. In our house, it typically involves multiple meal options, yogurt in the hair, a bowl tossed on the floor and a missing spoon. (We’re bound to find them eventually.. right?) With that said, we find dinner to be important family time. Conversing and bonding over food. What could be better?

Thanks to Stonyfield and Tommee Tippee, our dinner time bonding was simplified quite a bit. Sure, we still have to have multiple dining options for our toddler and clearly there will still be yogurt in his hair.. but there were no more interrupted conversations due to a tossed spoon. No more bowls full of pasta dumped on the floor. (Much to our cat’s dismay)

Image 3Tommee Tippee’s line of dining products for toddlers is fabulous. My favorite, and meal time simplifier is definitely their Easi-Mat. A simple mat that fits nicely on our high chair tray… and it keeps the bowl stuck to it. Amazing. It’s even small enough to roll up, throw in the diaper bag and take with us. That’s right.. no more tossed food at restaurants, either! (It’s a mother’s dream!) Pair with that the Easy Scoop Feeding Bowls with Lid and spoon and you’re all set. It comes as a set of 2 bowls and the lid works on both with a compartment for the spoon. The bowls stick perfectly to the mat for home use.. and when on the go, the lid fit tightly and kept my diaper bag protected… and the spoon compartment kept the spoon nice and clean. This is especially convenient for us since our toddler is on a special diet, so we are often having to bring his own food and snacks with us. (You can fill these bowls with your favorite Stonyfield YoToddler Yogurt and throw it in your diaper bag to take with you and it will actually stay IN the bowl… not all over your bag! WIN!!)

Image 5I am very impressed with the toddler line of Tommee Tippee products. We love them. Our toddler loves them. Even our 3 year old loves them. (He has claimed the spill proof cups as his own… even though he is capable of using normal cups. One less mess for me to clean up, so I shall not argue!) Do you even find yourself thinking that there must be a simpler way to feed a toddler? Especially while you’re hunting down carrots from under a table? Tommee Tippee definitely makes meals less messy. Except for the yogurt.. that will always end up in the hair, but you know what? That’s okay. There’s something really cute (and yummy smelling..) about a little one with a yogurt mohawk.

image 6Thanks to Stonyfield and Tommee Tippee, you have the opportunity to win an amazing toddler feeding prize pack just like the one we received. A set of Tommee Tippee toddler feeding products, and coupons for delicious, healthy and organic Stonyfield YoToddler yogurt. You, too, could enjoy yogurt mohawks and less meal time bowl tossing.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

Note: This post is sponsored by Stonyfield and Tommee Tippee. I was provided products for review and giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Categories
Babies Baby Gear Britax High Chair Nook Sleep Shopping Stokke

How to be posh within your budget..

blog-shoppingI love premium products. As I said in my “About” section, I really do believe that for many children’s products, you get what you pay for. However, sometimes the pricey items are not in your budget, but they are something you love or the style you want. The good news is – there are honestly quality solutions for all budgets. Sure, it may not be the item you wanted.. but it will look and often function quite similarly. Sometimes they are even made by the same companies.

For instance, the Nook Pebble crib mattress. It’s gorgeous and innovative. It’s free of harsh chemicals, not to mention soft and comfortable.. (Yet still safe and secure for baby!) Their bright colors and fabulous features come at a steep price point, though. ($395) Many people scoff. However, Nook Sleep Systems designed a crib mattress with most of the same features (Some of the limitations include only being 1-sided and white being the only color option..) but roughly half the of price.. ($195) The CloudSleeper is available only at Target.com. It’s still slightly more expensive than your typical plastic covered, hard-as-a-rock crib mattress.. but again, you get what you pay for and the price difference between the CloudSleeper and a traditional crib mattress is minimal.

Another brand with options in multiple price market’s is Britax. Their infant car seat, the Chaperone, is well loved and envied by many.. though some couldn’t (or didn’t want to) spend that much on an infant car seat. ($229.99) So, Britax released a second infant car seat with a lower price point, the B-Safe seat. Same Britax safety, same Britax styles.. slightly more affordable. ($179) They even make that specific car seat in BOB Stroller fabrics. ($199.99) Very nice.

Then we venture to other brands that don’t have multiple price tiers for their gear… for those items, you can often find other brands who make very similar products within a more affordable price range. As I’ve stated multiple times, I am in love with the Stokke Tripp Trapp. It’s highly functional, has multiple uses and grows with your child. In my opinion, it’s fairly priced.. ($249.99) but I understand that fair does not always mean affordable. There are a few other high chairs on the market with close to the same style and the same “grow with you” idea. The Keekaroo Height Right ($189.95) is a similar idea with a slightly more affordable price. The Badger Basket Embassy Wood high chair with tray is another one at a significantly lower price than both of the above. ($139.99) Again, fairly similar.. Personally, I would still go with the established quality of the Stokke Tripp Trapp.. but if you want the look on a budget, these are some options.

Cribs are another vastly priced market. The modern style is super trendy right now, but the price tags on many of them make even me cringe. Take for instance the Oeuf Sparrow. Gorgeous. Modern. Would work in just about any nursery. The price, however, wouldn’t work in most of budgets. ($760) For a similar look for about half the price, you can find the Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1. ($379)

The process even works in reverse.. Lets take bouncy seats. We all know of the crazy selection of decently priced bouncy seats. In the basic market, my favorite is the Graco Simple Snuggles Bouncer ($54.99) — but what if you want something nicer? You may be more interested in the Chicco I-Feel Rocker. ($99.99) Still not enough? Perhaps you are more drawn in by the Baby Bjorn Baby Sitter Balance. ($199.99) Close.. but perhaps not modern enough? There’s still a bouncer for you. The Bloom Coco Plexistyle is the perfect posh accent. ($350)

If you have a style in mind or find a product that you absolutely adore but can’t necessarily afford, do some research. There may be something very similar but at a more wallet friendly price. If there is a product you desire, but want something a little more premium… there are options for you as well. Research is critical — You never know what you may find!!

Is there a premium baby product out there that you wish you could find a cheaper version of? Which one? Are there premium products out there that you would never buy a cheaper version of?

Categories
Baby Gear Bloom Boon Bugaboo Graco High Chair Stokke

The one that gets overlooked..

highchairsblog1

A while back I asked a bunch of my friends a question. What baby items did you spend the most time researching? The responses were different for the most part.. but one thing was consistent. Not a single person said high chair. As a gear addict, there are so many high chairs on the market and some of them are quite swoon worthy. (Stokke Tripp Trapp? Bloom Fresco Chrome? Boon Flair??) Naturally I would have to weigh the pros and cons and research my little heart out before I would buy one. Apparently though, that is just me. (If you are curious.. the above high chair is the Graco Blossom 4-in-1)

So I followed up… “I noticed no one said high chair.. did you not research your high chair? Was the high chair not an important purchase?” Again, surprising to me.. most answered no. They either bought whatever was cheapest, whatever was the most familiar brand, or whatever matched their gear set.

I am shocked. Really? The high chair is the start to your child’s independence. It’s likely where they will take their first bite of food. They will exercise their pincer grasp there. It is even where they will inevitable learn cause and effect from repeatedly tossing their green beans to the floor and giggling with delight. So why does it sit so low on the priority list? Especially when so many people buy one they end up hating.

I am so intrigued. By now most of you know I’m a researcher. It doesn’t matter what piece of baby gear it is I’m buying.. I’m going to find the best piece that fits my criteria and my lifestyle. I understand not all are like me, but some people research their exersaucer more than their high chair.. and I’m so very curious as to why.

So here is my question to you.. Where did your high chair fall on your list of priorities when shopping for baby and why? What piece did you invest the most time (and possibly money..) on? Why? Finally.. if money wasn’t an issue.. is there a baby product you were splurge on? (Like the gorgeous Andy Warhol Bugaboo, perhaps?)