With winter just around the corner, here is a must have for us stroller runners, rain and wind cover/protector.  Just because it is getting colder outside, does not mean you need to stop walking and/or running with your kids.  Depending on what part of the country you live in, yes, you might get some looks, but in the end it is good for you and your kids to get some fresh air. Jogging stroller rain and wind covers offer the protection your baby needs in unexpected rains. They are generally made of heavy duty clear vinyl with side air holes that allow good ventilation. According to several reviews I have read, one criteria reviewers judged whether a stroller rain and wind cover is good is if the cover can fold into a compact size. For some this might be important, but to me this does not even factor into my buying decision.  I cannot remember ever trying to fold my rain and wind cover and I have one for each of my jog strollers. Regardless of your brand of stroller, most companies sell a rain and wind cover. When shopping for a proper stroller rain and wind cover, here is some guidance. Ensure it is made of heavy duty clear material that will last. Rain covers are used quite regular by active families who keep up with their exercise regime even in cold and wet seasons. I like the stroller rain and wind covers that do not leave permanent wrinkles on the material because I believe it indicates heavy materials.  If you choose to fold your rain and wind cover, you will notice it more. However, as I mentioned above mine stays on all season.  If it is nice above 60 degrees and not...

Our seventh jog stroller product review for Baby Safety Month, Graco jog strollers.  Graco is JPMA certified and approved manufacturer. Graco have two jog strollers, FastAction™ Fold Jogger Click Connect™ Stroller and the Trekko® Classic Connect™ Stroller. Favorite Graco jog stroller style: FastAction™ Fold Jogger Click Connect™ Stroller Features We Love: The one handed fold. Deluxe parent’s tray features a unique smart phone cradle for your phone or MP3 player, 2 deep cup holders and a covered storage compartment. Compared to the Trekko® Classic Connect™ Stroller, this model is made more for runners. Features We Do Not Love: Only can hold a child up to 50 lbs. No double jog stroller feature. The car seat adapter is only compatible with the Graco car seats. I have a Chicco Key Fit 360, which is the top rated infant car seat carrier; therefore, I was not able to test the stroller with my car seat. See the table below for Graco model jog stroller comparison. Please note, Graco sells twelve additional models that are everyday strollers that are not jog strollers and not shown below in the table. [ws_table id=”11″] For our final post on jog strollers for Baby Safety Month, we will compare all seven jog stroller brands we reviewed thus far and provide our favorite jog stroller based on usability, price and quality. Please note we do not receive Graco products for free or receive any additional compensation. We are just #strollerrunner moms who enjoy sharing our favorite brands with other stroller...

September is Baby Safety Month and over the course of the next four weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday, we will provide our top jog stroller or active baby carriers companies that are approved by Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Raising a bundle of joy takes care and knowledge to ensure the first years are happy and healthy not only for the baby but for the parents too.  Sometimes as parents we get caught up with the care of the baby and forget about ourselves. I know I have since having my second child nearly a year ago.  Since Run Stroller Run’s emphasis is on healthy families are happy families; for Baby Safety Month, we want to share our favorite jog strollers and baby carriers that are certified and approved for top quality and safety by JPMA. For more information about Baby Safety Month, check out their Facebook...

Sleep training is one of my least favorite things to do as a parent. I understand the importance of teaching your baby how to sleep, but like most parents the crying can be unbearable.  With C2 (now almost three year old), I swaddled him until he was 7 months old. Being first time parents, we did not really sleep train our son until he was a nearly a year old.  I thought the “Cry It Out” method seemed mean, more because I could not handle the crying. It broke my heart. My husband graciously allowed me to take the lead on sleep training because I was the one reading all the books and spending more time with our son at night. To be fair, my husband thought we should of sleep trained our son much sooner, but I was not ready.  However, finally at 12 months I was ready and we went to the “Cry It Out” or “Ferberizing“. We all needed sleep desperately.  Yes, I do know there are several types of sleep training methods and I tried them. With my daughter Ace who is nearly 5 months old, we began sleep training her around 4 months old.  The circumstances were different and yes, as the experts say, every child is different. Plus as parents for the second time, we were more comfortable sleep training her earlier.  My daughter is a much bigger baby than my son and much longer; she no longer fits in the Halo Swaddle Sleeper. Moreover, at nap time she lasted 20-30 minutes and at night she was getting up every hour or hour and half and not because she was hungry or wet, she just wanted to sleep being held.  We would lay her in her crib and...

As a mom, I have done things I never thought I would such as sucking the snot out of my child’s nose. old.  I swore before ever having children that I would never use the NoseFrida Snotsucker. Yes, I said Snotsucker. Really, why and I talking about snot much less sucking snot out?   Unfortunately, one of the responsibilities listed in my job description as mommy is “snotsucker” and I take it serious when my baby gets a cold.  I am sure as you are reading this, you are either saying, “eww gross” or “I would never” because like me, the thought of sucking snot out from your child’s nose with your mouth grosses you out .  Well, I said in the past, “Never say never” and I have written in previous post that I have done things as a parent I “never” thought I would, this being one of them. We had our second child in September and since her birth, she has always been stuffed up, which made for breathing difficulty. After using several aspirators over the course of the last three months to help clear the snot and “boogies” out of her nose, I decided there had to be a better solution. Using the bulb aspirators, I would spend minutes just trying to get some of the snot out and not enough to even make her breathe easier.  Plus, I am not sure if you ever tried getting snot out of a moving infant, it is like trying to play pin the tail on the donkey after you had a few glasses of wine. Lil’ Ace (of course not her real name) would squirm anytime she saw me come close to her nose with an aspirator and it would take, what seemed...

Does your toddler get sand chafing while playing on the beach? Mine does. After spending a couple of days at the beach with my son who loves to play in the sand and the water, I needed to come up with a solution to fix his sand chafing rash. After playing in the sand for two hours with a wet swim diaper from the salt water, my son would come home with bright red chafing rash on the inside of both his little legs. He would tell me, “That hurts me” when I put him in the bath. Being an athlete and having to deal with chafing issues myself, I knew what I did to prevent chafing while running, on a bike, etc; I would use body glide, Aquaphor or chemise cream. So the next day before going to the beach, I put Boudreaux’s Butt Paste® where he was getting the rash. Then lathered him in sunscreen, got the swim diaper, shirt and swim trunks on and we were off. Low and behold after spending two hours digging and building sand castles in the dirt – no rash. The next day, I repeated the same steps, but with Aquaphor Healing Ointment and it worked as well. After trial and error, both Boudreaux’s Butt Paste or Aquaphor work well to prevent sand chafing. Ensure you put the chafing prevention ointment on prior to putting their sunscreen on; apply the sunscreen afterwards. Good luck and happy beach...

Toddler protection from the sun and bugs. Now that the first “unofficial” weekend of summer just passed us by, most of us and our families will be out in the sun a great deal more, especially at the pools and beaches.  I wanted to share with you two great products that I have found that are so helpful in protecting my toddler (1 years old and up) from the sun and bugs. No Mess Sunscreen Wipes My new summer favorite is the Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes Sunscreen Spf 30. In my house, we no longer have the sunscreen battle; my two year old does not mind having sunscreen put on his face anymore. I only need one or two towelettes for full coverage on my two year old. They are not messy and so easy to carry around. They are more expensive than regular sunscreen, but what you are paying for is convenience, no mess and no more fights. Great toddler sun protection. According to the packaging, the product features are: Contains no phthalates, lanolin, mineral oil, petroleum or waxes Contains physical sunscreens, titanium and zinc oxide, as the only active ingredients Protects against UVA and UVB rays Clinically tested & hypoallergenic Made in the USA. No animal testing The Babysilk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes Spf 30 are $26.00 for 20 on Amazon.com (does not include taxes, shipping or handling).  I would suggest doing price comparison at a couple stores in order to get the best price. This product can be purchased at Amazon.com, Diapers.com, Drugstore.com, etc. Natural, Chemical Free Bug Repellent Another new favorite is the non-toxic, non-chemical, non-invasive and non-irritating California Baby Bug Repellant Spray, 6.5 Ounce.  The bugs already seem to be out in droves’ this summer and my two year...

With baby shower seasons  just around the corner it is only appropriate to talk about one of the best baby shower gift a new mom could receive. Yes, generally speaking the expecting couple registers at stores that are specific for babies or have a large baby selection (Buy Buy Baby, Babies R’Us, Target, etc.) or online retailers (Amazon, Diapers.com, etc.) and friends and families usually purchase their gifts off the couple’s registries. However, one of the best gifts I received at my baby shower was a basket full of everyday items that mom and baby need after the baby is born; usually items that mom and dad are not thinking about until the baby arrives. To help prepare the new family for their arrival, consider putting a gift basket together of the following items with a note that says, “All the things you need, but don’t know yet.” The new mom and baby will greatly appreciate the gift. Butt Paste – Awesome diaper rash cream. Price  is approximately $7.19 for a 4 oz. tube. Gripe Water – Completely natural product which is great for curing hiccups and relieving gas pains in newborns. C2 had hiccups starting at one week old. Price is approximately $7.00 per bottle. Baby hair brush and/or comb – Price is approximately $4.99 per set. Baby Nail clippers – Babies nails grow so quickly, we were cutting C2 nails once a week, so he would not scratch up his face.  Price is approximately $2.29 per set. Baby Wipes – Always in need of these. Boogie Wipes – Developed by moms tired of chasing runny noses, Boogie Wipes® are the latest innovation in a moist wipe product. Price is approximately $3.79 per box. Aquaphor – Fragrance-free, preservative-free formula for baby skin care...

The Crane Frog Humidifier is not only cute, but extremely quite.  It does not require filter replacement or daily cleaning.  You can find this humidifier from anywhere from $31.99 – $43.99 all depending on the store you purchase it from. The only down fall is you still need to purchase distilled water, which we now purchase gallon jugs.  This humidifier comes in other cute animals, so if you are not into frogs you have other options.  Here are some of the Crane collection. Why a humidifier? Are they necessary for a new born?  No, I don’t think that they are necessary, but boy they can help when your child gets a cold.  When C2 got his first head cold, we were told by our advice nurse to purchase a cool mist humidifier. Apparently a cool mist humidifier helps relieve congestion, which it did for C2.   Of course, like any parent would after work I headed over to Buy Buy Baby to purchase one.  There are so many different brands of humidifier, plus you can choose between a cool or hot humidifier.  I thought I made a great purchase; I walked out with a Vicks Cool Mist Humidifier. I never had a humidifier before, so I was not quite sure what to expect.  It cost about $30, which I thought was reasonable.  We used it for about 6 months before purchasing the Crane Frog Humidifier.  The reason we switched is four fold. 1)      It required filters that are $15 a piece and they need to be replaced every three months. 2)      The humidifier needs to be cleaned out daily or else pink bacteria would grow, which defeats the purpose of purified air.  Cleaning out the filter was not easy because it has nooks and crannies...

A friend asked me this morning if I had any suggestions on last minute newborn holiday gifts. Luckily, for parents with newborns, you do not need to spend a lot of money because you only “need” one or two gifts. The baby will not be able to open the present themselves and probably will not aware of the festivities. Every day for a newborn is festive. Yes, “need” is in parenthesis because most newborns do not need any toys, but if most parents are like me they want to spoil their child during the holidays regardless of their age. Here are some last minute gifts that you can pick-up at Buy Buy Baby, Babies R’Us, or Toy’s R’Us. Of course, you can purchase them on Amazon, but with only two days left (including today) until Christmas and Hanukkah has already begun, you will not get them in time.  The list is derived from my own personal experience and friends. C2 loved anything that played music; he could chew on, or had bright colors. Leap Frog® Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout Activity Gym Kids Preferred Eric Carle’s Developmental Plush Toys Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Muscial Table Fisher Price® Precious Planet™ Kick & Play Piano Baby Einstein® Roller Pillar Activity Balls Baby Einstein™ Sea Dreams Lullaby Soother by Kids II® LeapFrog My Pal Scout Vulli Sophie Giraffe Soft Rubber Toy Kids II® Baby Einstein™ Take Along Tunes 1.  Leap Frog® Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout– $17.99 Only available at Buy Buy Baby or Amazon 2.  LeapFrog My Pal Scout – $19.99 Available at Buy Buy Baby, Babies R’Us, Toys R’Us and Amazon 3.  Kids II® Baby Einstein™ Take Along Tunes – $9.99 Available at Buy Buy Baby, Babies R’Us, Toys R’Us and Amazon 4.  Baby...