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...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] For those of you on a budget, but with a bit of time and energy, here are some ideas items to include in an Ultimate Gift Bag for Running Moms (and Dads too) that you can throw together online or with a short trip to your local sports store. Depending on  how much money you want to spend The Ultimate Gift Bag for Running Moms (and Dads too) can cost you as little as $50. Of course, if Santa is feeling generous, you can always add something from the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs or the 10 Great Stocking Stuffer for Running Moms. 1.  Bag/Basket You can purchase a relatively inexpensive basket from Target, craft store, Amazon, etc. However, if you are interested in your running, multisport mom or dad using it for multiple uses, consider purchasing a duffel bag, swim, sling or transition bag to put all your items in. You can purchase a relatively inexpensive transition bag for $49.99 or a mesh sling bag for $14.95. 2.  Body Glide, Lansinoh Nipple Cream, and/or Aquaphor – to prevent chaffing, also great for prevent blistering. Body Glide ($8.95) can be bought online or purchased at any local running store; it is good to prevent chaffing. Lansinoh Nipple Cream ($27.85) is not only great for breastfeeding moms, but it works just as well as and perhaps better than Body Glide to prevent chaffing, plus it is great lip balm and prevents feet from blistering. Aquaphor ($7.99) is multi-purpose ointment as well. It is great to prevent chaffing, body cream for babies and toddlers, and great lip protection and prevent your feet from blistering. I have used all three; I am partial to Aquaphor, then Lansinoh Nipple Cream and...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] Are you feeling uncertain what to buy that special running, mom or woman in your life?  Perhaps, you are running out of time as well.  With the help of other running moms, here are the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts for Running Moms.  This is part two to my series on great gifts for active moms that focuses on the necessities running moms around the country have weighed in on. The items on this list are more expensive items than you will find on my 10 Great Stocking Stuffer for Running Moms.  I organized the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs into four categories: Running Watch, Motivation, Fashion, and Accomplishments.   RUNNING WATCH 1.  Garmin Forerunner® 310XT ($349.99 basic unit w/out the HR monitor; $399 w/HR monitor) This watch is great for both runners and triathletes alike. To me this is the mega of all watches, but of course that depends on what you are looking for in a watch. I am a triathlete and runner, so I wanted a watch that was able to track all three sports. However, I have definitely not used this watch to its full potential. Some key features that are especially important for runners are the 20 hour battery, GPS features, Heart Rate Monitor; and Run, Sync, and Store features. Depending on how much you budgeted for your special running mom or lady in your life, this might be more than you are willing to spend.  However, if you are truly wanted to make her feel special and show her how much you support her running or triathlon habit, this might be the gift for you. The Garmin Forerunner 310XT basic unit without the heart rate monitor is $349 and with the...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] Since holiday gift buying season is now – with the help of other running mama’s – I gathered enough information to write a two part series on great gifts for active moms: 10 Great Stocking Stuffers for Running Moms and 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts Every Running Mom needs. Part One focuses on 10 Great Stocking Stuffers for the running, multi-sport mom or a special woman in your life. These little gifts are small enough to be placed into an already stuffed stocking. Just remember, although these items are small, doesn’t always mean inexpensive. I organized the 10 Great Stocking Stuffers into five categories: Accessories, Fashion, Motivation, Music Lovers, and Recovery and Relaxation.   ACCESSORIES If your loved one loves to be active—and stylish—then accessories are the way to go. 1.  Road ID The Road ID ($19.99) offers stylish bracelets in different colors to fit your athlete’s persona.  In the event of an accident, if you can’t speak for yourself, your Road ID will.  I use my Road ID for every activity. I have mine in hot pink and my hubby has his in orange. 2.  Head Bands If you’re looking for something more fun, yet practical, why not pick up some headbands. Running or working out with hair in your face is annoying—a sturdy headband keeps hair in its place, and your athlete can focus on her workout. Many running and triathlete moms I asked suggest Bondi Bands. Bondi Bands are are a comfy, colorful and creative way to hold your hair back with a wicking favorite.  According to some moms, you can also get them personalized as well. Active.com suggests Sweaty Bands ($6) offers cute styles and never slips.  Sweaty Bands are the ultimate sports and fitness headband, uniquely designed...

  Picking a pediatrician is extremely important.  When we were born our parents chose a pediatrician based on their parents and friends recommendations; not much has changed.  You will still receive the majority of your recommendations through your family and friend network.  But what has changed since our birth is now you interview the pediatrician. With so many of our friends having babies, I found it only appropriate to write about how to go about choosing a pediatrician. I am no expert, but this was useful information that was passed down to me when we were expecting from many mommy friends and sisters who all had to go through the process of choosing the right pediatrician. You should begin your pediatrician search in your sixth or seventh month of pregnancy.  Most pediatricians now have new parents informational sessions or “meet and greets’ with the pediatrician. If not, call the office and set up an introductory appointment.  They will generally not charge you for this appointment.  My recommendation is that if the pediatrician does charge, then you might not want to go with that practice.  To me it is just like any other business, you do not charge prospective clients; it is considered business development and it is the cost of doing business. When you begin calling the offices to set-up a time to meet the pediatrician consider the following: How long does it take to get through the phone system?  Were the people answering the phone polite, knowledgeable and helpful?   How long did they put you on hold?  If you choose one of these offices, you want to ensure you can speak to someone in a timely manner because if there is an emergency you want to know they will be there for you....

  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...

  Don’t you think a great place to advertise would be in a public restroom, especially in the women’s restroom on the stall doors? Can you say, “Captive audience.”  What a better place to pitch a product to a consumer? It is great ad space that can be sold at a premium in high traffic areas. Restroom advertisements, why not? According to Brandchannel, a 2006 study shows that around three-quarters of diners in a restaurant will go to the toilets at some point during their meal. Clubbers go around 2.9 times during an average evening at a nightclub. I am sure in the past five years this number has increased. Unfortunately, I can count on one hand how many times I seen a company utilize this space.  Prior to writing this post, I did several Google searches  for ‘bathroom advertising’, ‘restroom advertising’, ‘bathroom stall advertising’, and ‘indoor advertising’, and I only found two posts that were relevant from this past year and five post that were relevant in the past six years. So I ask, “What is a better place to pitch a product to a consumer?” Of course, there are quite a few factors that go into determining if this unconventional medium is for a company, but I believe consumers would be receptive to messages in the bathroom. During the short period of time people are in there, they tend to concentrate more, ruminate in their thoughts, and enjoy momentary peace and quiet.  And I believe it is better to have people reading and taking in a company’s message versus using their phones while in the public restroom and announcing to everyone their private business. If you agree with me on this idea, in order to advertise properly and ensure the correct message...