During the next two weeks, I will be spending some well needed time with my family and will not be writing as much, so I’ll be running posts from the olden days, starting with…15 Tips For Flying with Lap Infants.   Don’t worry though Stroller Runners, I will continue to update the stroller friendly race calendar on a daily basis. For Updated October 2013 United States Domestic Airlines Stroller Regulations, check out Flying the Stroller Friendly Skies. ___ Flying with kids of any age can be very stressful, but flying with kids under the age of two seems like you are embarking on an epic journey. It does not have to be that way. I am no expert in baby/toddler travel, but I have driven several thousands of miles with my son and flown more than 8 times with a “fly free” or lap infant in the past 20 months, so I feel I might be able to provide some useful guidance and tips on traveling with a toddler.  With the holiday season coming up and families are considering traveling to see friends and relatives; I thought this would be an appropriate topic to broach. Here are my top 15 suggestions for parents with lap infant or “fly free” kids (children under the age of 2 years old) to make you and your baby have a more relaxing trip. 1.  Fly when your child seems to be the most relaxed. This might require trial and error. Some parents say flying the red eye is best, or flying during nap times. I have flown during my toddlers nap time; did not work because he was too excited. I have flown a red eye (night time, think that would work); nope he was up the entire flight....

  While on my three month maternity leave, I educated myself on teaching a hearing child baby signs and giving my baby the ability to express his important needs and thoughts through gestures.  What is “baby signing”?  Baby signing refers to the use of signs from American Sign Language (ASL) or other native languages—but with mother and baby modifications: that is, adjusting signing space, signing size, and sign duration or length to emphasize a salient sign and/or word. A dear friend of mine taught her daughter basic signs and I found it remarkable how her daughter – then one year old – was able to communicate her basic needs via sign language with her mom without the presence of any tantrums or frustrations. Of course, she got frustrated when she was not given what she wanted all the time, but the same is true for all toddlers.  I wanted to be able to communicate with my son at age when he still was not able to form words or vocalize his needs.  No, I did not have unrealistic expectation that this would happen overnight nor did I expect him to start signing prior to 9 months old, but I thought this was worth a try. Especially, if the possibly existed that we could potentially minimize frustration and tantrums.  Furthermore, I know this approach is not for every family. Over the past couple years, basic baby signs have become more widely used in day cares and nursery schools, but still remains to be a very controversial issue.  Some of the controversy relies around whether teaching a hearing baby/toddler sign language prior to learning to speak prolongs their verbal development.  Actually, according to Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn’s federally funded research showed that using baby signs actually...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] As a full-time working, triathlete, and running mom I find it difficult to fit daily exercise into my already tight schedule. My time, like most parents, is scheduled down to the minutes. But for me, exercise is my coffee.  If I do not exercise I am grumpy, I don’t have the extra bounce in my step and as my husband will attest to more difficult to deal with. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my coffee in the morning too. Furthermore, because I train for races and so does my husband, I sometimes get the “catholic” guilt that I am training and I am not spending more time with my son. Every now and then, I need a reminder that leading a healthy lifestyle makes me a better mom. Of course, I am not the first mom who’s had to balance family, work and exercise into my daily life, but after having my son it became just that more difficult.  After giving birth, I began searching for inspirational books, and running communities of moms who could relate to similar issues that I was facing. I came across these two great books Run Like a Mother and Hot (Sweaty) Mamas. These books are great, quick reads that do not require a lot of your time or money.   Run Like A Mother This book is filled with essays based on the personal experiences of the authors, two women who are runners, have full-time jobs, and are also wives and mothers. It is hard to do all of these things effectively, but this book argues that running, because of its side benefits to mood and self-image, is an essential part of life regardless of the inconvenience. It touches on all topics in respect...

  A year and half ago, I discovered Rent the Runway (RTR) in my favorite weekly gossip magazine Us Weekly.  As most new moms can attest, you do not always feel beautiful after giving birth due to weight gain, body changes and major life adjustments.  For the majority of moms, we also do not have the time or energy to shop. My first experience with RTR was five months after giving birth to my son. My grandparents were having their 60th wedding anniversary party and like most moms and women, I waited to the last minute to decide what to do about a dress.  I had been thinking about it for awhile, but procrastinated too long. I wanted something new, but I only had a week to buy something and I really did not want spend too much money.  The concept of renting a designer dress for minimal cost intrigued me.  After visiting RTR website and reading more about the concept – brilliant by the way – I decided that I was going to give it a try even though the word “rent” does not always say classy, clean, chic, etc. to me or most other people I know. I worked with the stylist online, which was much more fun than expected and did not take much time to find something that would fit my personality and style.  I placed an order for your dress two days prior to leaving on my trip.  They shipped me two sizes for free (RTR’s common practice, if both sizes you choose are in stock), which is great because I found in almost designer piece of clothing the sizes varying from one designer to the next.  I received the dresses at my hotel the day before the event,...

  I have been waiting since February 2011 – nearly 7 months – when MSNBC reported on the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Apptivity iPhone Case that supposedly would be toddler proof iPhone case that would become available to the general public.  My son had just turned one and never used the iPhone before, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before he was introduced to it. I do not view the iPhone as a parenting substitute, but a tool to help maintain control and provide a piece of mind for moms and dads while traveling with a baby and/or toddler – which we do a lot. Here it is! Finally the second week in September, I received the Fisher-Price catalog in the mail and it highlighted the Apptivity iPhone case. I was so excited – not only because it was released – but it was only $15. The next day, I ordered directly from the Fisher-Price website and received it a couple of days later. With shipping and handling it cost $20.99 ($15 for the case and $5.99 for shipping).  This product can also be ordered from Amazon for $14.99 not including shipping & handling and will be available in retail stores in October 2011. This case has been tested by my 19 mos. old son. This Apptivity iPhone case has not let me down; I am in love with it and so is my toddler.  Here are some of the highlights that I love. 1.  With the Apptivity iPhone case it eliminates any fear that if your toddler drops the phone that the glass will break.  Most cases, including mine, do not have a protective front cover. 2.  You do not have to worry about your toddler constantly touching...