My husband and I travel a lot with our toddler. After doing numerous road trips, triathlon weekends and hotel stays, we got tired of lugging around our Pack-N-Play. Pack-N-Play’s definitely serve a purpose especially for babies under 12 mos. old, but we realized once C2 could roll over and move around without any worries of SIDs, that the Pack-N-Play could be replaced. The reason for the realization is we were taking our two week vacation to California and didn’t want to have fly with the Pack-N-Play. We already had a BOB jog stroller, Deuter Kid Comfort II Child Carrier, three suitcases and other baby equipment and if we could find something more compact and safe for C2 to travel with we were bound to find it. I did research and found two other viable options that we felt comfortable with other than the Pack-N-Play. 1) Tuck-Me-In Travel Bed with Removable Mattress & Accessories – $79.99-$89.99 From One Step Ahead travel bed bigger and cozier! One Step Aheads kids’ inflatable bed features a larger, fully-detached mattress, for snugglier sleepovers and easier linen changes. Soft and cushy, with a flocked surface and built-in safety bumpers. Pump and tote included. Coordinating travel blankets, linens, and accessories sold separately. 2) Kidco PeaPod Plus Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed, Red – $84.99 KidCo’s PeaPod™ the travel bed that does it all for the on-the-go parent!  The inflatable air mattress helps protect baby from cold, damp floors while providing a comforting place to sleep.  Great for outdoors because of its UV protection and wind screens.  Zippered panels allow parents quick and easy access to baby from virtually any angle.  The slick, easy to fold design makes it ideal for storage and use anytime. Weighs 4.75 lbs. Ultimately, we chose to go...

  Recently, Nestlé’s launched a new baby product BabyNes, basically a formula dispenser similar to the K-cup coffee machines.  According to their May 25, 2011 press release: BabyNes is the world’s first comprehensive nutrition system for infants and toddlers, and is based on Nestlé’s latest scientific achievements in baby nutrition and systems technology. With BabyNes, Nestlé builds on its unmatched expertise in baby nutrition gained over 145 years since the invention of Farine Lactée by Henri Nestlé. Nestlé supports exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, and continued breastfeeding thereafter for as long as possible. For babies who are not breastfed, Nestlé provides high-quality breast milk substitutes, such as BabyNes. BabyNes offers single-serve formulas for infants and young children up to the age of three years. The composition of the six consecutive formulas meets the evolving nutritional needs in the first three years of life: four formulas in the first year, and one formula for each of the following two years. The customised composition of these products is tailored to suit the growth pattern in early life and the baby’s changing nutritional needs, while taking into account the steady introduction of solid food into the infant’s diet. The single-serve portions are sealed in capsules, used in the proprietary BabyNes machine, which recognises each capsule and prepares the bottle with precisely the right dosage and temperature, at the push of a button, in less than one minute. The BabyNes machine combines state-of-the-art technology with the utmost safety and convenience, and ensures a hygienic, quick and easy bottle preparation.   Now, this isn’t a necessity by any means, but from pure marketing point of view, this is brilliant. Let me defend why I say...

  This is poem that most parents will be able to relate to. The Toddlers Creed If it is on, I must turn it off. If it is off, I must turn it on. If it is folded, I must unfold it. If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled. If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared. If it is high, it must be reached. If it is shelved, it must be unshelved. If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed. If it has leaves, they must be picked. If it is plugged, it must be unplugged. If it is not trash, it must be thrown away. If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor. If it is closed, it must be opened. If it does not open, it must be screamed at. If it has drawers, they must be rifled. If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table. If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied. If it is empty, it will be more interesting full. If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon. If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead. If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon. If Mommy’s hands are full, I must be carried. If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone. If it is paper, it must be torn. If it has buttons, they must be pressed. If the volume is low, it must go high. If it is toilet paper, it must...

  I am writing about this because I recently witnessed a mom getting barraged on Twitter about being an “unfit” mom because she had a registry for her son’s first birthday.  Abusive, not providing for your child, not educating your children can classify as unfit, but a gift registry. This is the site she used. Now, I do admit back before I had C2, I might have thought the concept of a gift registry was a bit greedy, but no longer. The practice of registries has been around since 1924, when Chicago-founded department store Marshall Field’s first instituted the bridal registry as a means for the engaged couple to indicate chosen china, silver and crystal patterns to family and friends. As some might recall, I made C2 Amazon Wish list public for his 1st birthday and the reason why is because I had so many people ask me what C2 wanted and I found myself copying/pasting the links into an emails and repeating that process several times.   So to be more effective, save time and reduce frustration, we made the decision to go “public”.  I did have a lot of hesitation about this because I knew some people would view it as being greedy.  Or people would think we expect everyone to purchase him a gift.  Or this may be considered rude or tacky by some people.  Yes, as I suspected I did receive some comments. But, before I move on, I do want to make this clear. We were, are and always will be grateful for any gift C2 receives and by no means do we expect anything or everything from anyone. Now my question, is why ask for suggestions then make a “to do” out of it when a website with gift...