Product Reviews

09 Feb 2013 1 Comment

Product Review: Aqueduck Faucet Extender

We all know that the habits children develop when learning to use the potty are likely to last a lifetime, thus it is important to teach them to wash their hands.

As part of our stress-free potty training a few months ago (which I’ll write more about at a later post),  we were also teaching our toddler good hygiene like washing his hands.  And what toddler doesn’t go through the stage where they wants to do everything all by themselves?

Every time after Big J goes to the potty, he did not want  to have Mommy help him wash his hands at all. The problem was even with a stool, he still had a hard time reaching to wash his hands. Since I didn’t like it when he try to climb up the sink, I’d have to fight to hold him up to wash his hands. I knew there had to be a better way!

The Aqueduck is simple and inexpensive yet ingenious invention that helps the water reach little hands. It easily slips on and off bathroom faucets and extends the water’s reach by several inches. It brings the water flow out far enough that Big J can reach it perfectly. We keep it on our hall bathroom faucet and it doesn’t inhibit adult use of the sink in any way. One of our guests even thought I put it there to provide a smooth water flow!

I can’t believe that something so simple and inexpensive has made such a big difference in our day to day living so I highly recommend it!

 

 

 

by Joy in Potty Training, Product Reviews

15 Mar 2012 No Comments

Product Review Update: California Baby

If you have been following my blog, you know how much we love California Baby Calendula Cream and all California Baby products. I speak highly of them but I am now updating my review and telling my readers that I NO LONGER RECOMMEND any CALIFORNIA BABY products. I am extremely disappointed and so are other people who trusted them.

Since we buy several jars at a time, I didn’t learn about reformulation until after we opened a jar with a new packaging design. It smelled horrible so I checked the expiration date right away but it wasn’t expired so I thought maybe I got a bad batch. It was so bad that I had to wipe it off the boys’ skin. I opened another jar and it was the same thing so I called California Baby’s customer service and told them about it and they told me to return it to them and they will send me a replacement.

I was happy until I received the replacement jar – same thing! It smelled bad and my mom told me that she thought it had some kind of menthol in it because when she put it on the boys, it has a little sting on her hands.

Puzzled on what’s going on, I Googled it and found out that they have reformulated and added Sodium Benzoate  which is a known carcinogen to their products. People who have been using their products for several years are now having bad reaction with the new calendula cream formula. Thus, they started complaining on California Baby’s facebook page and guess what? Their comments were either deleted or California Baby blocked them from posting on their wall! Thank Goodness someone was able to take screenshots of those deleted convo between these customers and California Baby so I was able to read most of  them. I was horrified to learn that this is how California Baby treats their customers who were loyal to them. If you wanted to learn more, I recommend you visit and like California Baby Complaints’ facebook  page. After learning all these from that page, they immediately lost me as a customer.

We are trying a couple different skin care brands that are natural/organic so I will definitely report back in a few weeks.

by Joy in Product Reviews

24 Feb 2012 5 Comments

Stokke Tripp Trapp Vs. OXO Sprout High Chair

If you’ve been reading my product reviews, you know that I’m a huge fan of the Stokke Tripp Trapp chair. I have always liked the concept of a high chair that grows with the child and I love having my children eat at the table with us.

When Jayden was born, we thought of buying another Stokke Tripp Trapp for him because like I said, I love our Tripp Trapp. However, Michael really wanted to try a high chair with a separate tray. We could get a play tray for ours but it’s pretty small so that was not an option for us. For months, I searched for a high chair that grows with the child, has a big tray, has a good design and something that we’d both love.

The Svan kind of fit the criteria except the tray wasn’t big enough and we simply just don’t really like it (but we love its orange seat). I was originally looking at the Boon Flair high chair but the tray was too small & I’m not 100% in love with it. Then, OXO introduced their new Sprout high chair  and I loved it right away! I didn’t care if there wasn’t any reviews at that time. I knew, that’s the high chair I wanted to get and Michael agreed. Besides, I have never owned any OXO products that I didn’t like.

6-Month old babies can use it
The Sprout has a high back, a crotch post and a tray so it’s great for smaller babies. The Tripp Trapp however doesn’t have those so you’d have to spend $70 to get a separate Baby Rail Set that has a high back and crotch post. Otherwise, I don’t think you should use the Tripp Trapp for smaller babies without the rail set.

Grows with your child
Just like the Stokke Tripp Trapp, the OXO Sprout high chair grows with your child but only up until they’re 60 lbs which is around 5 years old. The Stokke on the other hand can accomodate adults up to 300 lbs.

Tray
The Sprout is a clear winner here because it has a good sized removable tray that still allows your child to sit at the table with you. The tray is is so easy to wipe clean, adjust and remove with just one hand. The Tripp Trapp doesn’t come with a tray but you can buy a separate play tray for about $90.

Safety Harness
Both high chairs has the removable, adjustable 5-point safety harness. However, the Sprout is a lot easier to remove if you want to wash it and it’s way easier to adjust even when your child is sitting on the chair.

Footrest
Both high chairs has an adjustable footrest but the Tripp Trapp’s footrest is wider and bigger. However, the Sprout is a lot easier to adjust  because you don’t need tools to do so.

Seat Cushion
The Tripp Trapp doesn’t come with any seat cushion. If you want it, you’d have to buy it separately for around $45. We didn’t buy it for ours and Jordan was fine with it. The Sprout on the other hand has a vinyl-like cushion that is very easily wiped off (no need to wash it in the laundry like the Tripp Trapp). It comes right off so it can be wiped right into the sink.

Design
Beauty is, of course, highly subjective but I’m a big fan of deep walnut wood. Thus, I love both high chairs! I also love orange and lime green so the Sprout is perfect. However, the Tripp Trapp has a more classic, timeless design.

Price
OXO Sprout – $250
Stokke Tripp Trapp – $250 + accessories = up to $455
No doubt that the Sprout is the winner when it comes to price  because it has everything you need. All the accessories for the Tripp Trapp are sold separately.

We have been using the OXO Tot Sprout Chair, Green/Walnut chair for a little over a month now and we couldn’t be happier. I really think that the Sprout is perfect for smaller babies & the Tripp Trapp is perfect for toddlers.

So the big question is, if I could only pick one, which one would I pick? That’s a hard one since I love them both but I think I’d pick the Stokke Tripp Trapp just because we could still use it long after the high chair stage. It has a more classic, timeless design making it a beautiful piece of furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Joy in Product Reviews

08 Feb 2012 2 Comments

Teaching Our 2-Year Old to Read

I know that in general children usually don’t start reading before the age of 4 or 5. However, a few children are able to read earlier, and most of them just pick it up. They don’t really learn through direct instruction.

I really believe that the key to reading readiness during the toddler years is indirect instruction (and with that, I mean play) which involves introducing your child to toys and books in a way that gets them excited. Basically, our job is to show them that letters, numbers and learning are not just important but A LOT of FUN!

Before Michael and I had kids, we agreed that we won’t be pushing them into something they’re not ready for but we will do our best to teach them while allowing them to explore and develop at their own pace. Needless to say, Jordan makes us very proud that he knows all his numbers, lower case and upper case letters, and the sound each letter makes.

When we realized that, we started showing him simple words and we are truly amazed that he picked it up right away!

We actually started him with letters around 15 months. We got this fridge magnet toy by LeapFrog. The recommended age was 2+ but we just put it on the fridge anyways and just let him play with it. Basically when you press the letter, it will say “A, says a. B, says ba” etc. Then around 17-18 months, we got an alphabet app on the iPad and he would always play with it. That’s when he first started saying the letters. His favorite was the letter “T” for Thomas the Train.

Shortly after that, we noticed that he loves puzzles. He would always play the puzzle game on his dad’s phone whenever he gets tired of playing with the alphabet app so we got him the wooden Letter puzzle by Melissa & Doug and he loves it! They also have the Numbers puzzle. That’s when we started to actively teach him the letters. We would say the letters and what sound it makes while he’s playing with the puzzle. We wanted it to be more of “play” than study type of thing. We also let  him watch LeapFrog’s Letter Factory and Amazing Alphabet on DVD.

Before we do our reading session, I would ask him first if he wants to read. He says yes most of the time but there are times that he would say no and I’ll just let him do whatever he wants. Sometimes, he’ll ask me or his dad to read but we’re just basically following his lead now. We don’t read to him every night anymore – just whenever he wants us to.

So here are the list of products that we think helped him recognize and learn his numbers and letters:

       

by Joy in Milestones, Product Reviews

17 Oct 2011 84 Comments

Woobee Blanket {Product Review & Giveaway}

What’s a Woobee?! Exact words that my husband uttered two years ago when I told him I wanted to get a Woobee for the Small Fry. Well, for those of you who’s asking the same question right now, it’s a blanket that has a water-resistant material on one side and soft  material on the other, so it’s ideal for draping over the infant seat, stroller or baby carrier on a typical Seattle rainy day. It  has grosgrain ribbon ties on each side to keep it in place. More

by Joy in Giveaways, Product Reviews

28 Sep 2011 No Comments

Blankets and Beyond

A pregnant friend just asked me about receiving/swaddling blankets which prompted this post.  We have a ton of various blankets. I love having these blankets not just to swaddle the Small Fry at night but we use these literally all day, everyday. We use them to cover the car seat when we go out, or cover him while we snuggle. We also put them on the floor as a play mat and we even use it as a burp cloth. More

by Joy in Product Reviews

22 Sep 2011 2 Comments

Family Heirloom Growth Chart

I’ve always loved the idea of charting children’s growth on the door frame so when I was just pregnant with Big J, I told Michael that I wanted to do that for our kids. When Big J learned how to stand on his own, I kept thinking that we needed a cool way to document those little hash marks of growth without risking the chance that we would lose those memories if we needed to paint the house or we would need to leave them behind if ever we needed to move somewhere. More

by Joy in Milestones, Product Reviews

06 Jun 2011 5 Comments

Baby Proof Home

I know I should have posted this when Jordan started crawling but here I am months and months past our baby-proofing efforts and just getting around to  blogging about it. Anyway, when there is a baby or toddler in the house, there are always worries about him hurting himself with one thing or the other.

See what are the precautions that we made in order to try to achieve a baby proof home for our Small Fry. More

by Joy in Product Reviews, Safety

19 May 2011 No Comments

Infant Car Seat: Britax Chaperone Vs. Chicco Keyfit 30

After months of research, I still couldn’t decide between the Britax Chaperone and Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat until Michael and I went to the store and tested them both.



Both are really nice seats, the Britax weighs a little more but not enough to make it that much heavier to carry around than the Chicco. At first, I really like the head wings on the Britax but after seeing it in person and actually touching it, I didn’t like it as much anymore. The newborn insert on the Chicco however is wonderful – way better than I thought. By looking at the pictures online, I was a little bias towards the Chaperone but after seeing both seats in person, I actually like the Keyfit’s shape, size and overall design better. More

by Joy in Product Reviews

05 May 2011 3 Comments

Newborn Non-Essentials (But are Nice to Have)

Every new parent should know what is necessary for their family and what is just a money grab. Many baby items  are available to make our lives easier and to occupy our babies. They are surely nice to have but not necessary.

Here are the few things that we could have done without for nurturing a new baby but I’m so glad we got because they were definitely helpful and nice to have during the first few months.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer – For a first time breastfeeding mom with a baby who had jaundice, and needed to be fed and diaper checked every couple hours, this timer system was beyond helpful. Now that I am an experienced parent, I probably won’t need it with Small Fry #2 but it was invaluable to me when Jordan was born.

Bouncy Seat – Since every baby is different, some will love a bouncer and some won’t. Jordan wasn’t a big fun of the bouncer and he would only stay there for 15 minutes at the most but it’s still nice to have if you need to use the bathroom and need a safe place to put him in real quick.

Changing Table – It is just as simple to change a baby on the floor or bed but having a changing table is so much easier on your back.

Diaper Genie- I know it’s just a glorified trash can and the refills are a bit pricey but I really love our Diaper Genie because we don’t have to worry about the nursery being stinky (yes, it really contains the smell). We’ve had ours since day one and we’re still using it and will keep using it until the Small Fry #2 is potty trained.

Little Giraffe embroidered blanket- For $85 + $20 monogramming fee (if you want it personlized), it’s definitely not a must but so nice to have. It’s a super soft and luxurious blanket! We will definitely get one again for our Small Fry #2!

Skip Hop Playspot Foam Tiles – Probably the most stylish (but priciest too for $79) that I’ve seen for a simple foam playmat. It’s BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free so definitely kid-friendly flooring for your house.

by Joy in Newborn, Product Reviews

1 2 3