Thursday, January 31, 2013

Diva Diapers Giveaway
















It has been fun celebrating the “Kickin It Off With Cloth Event” this month with The Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network. We are ending the month with an exciting giveaway, a $100 gift certificate to Diva Diapers!

DivaDiapers.com has been an online retailer of cloth diapers and other eco-friendly products for baby and mom to families around the world since 2005! They offer exciting deals several days of the week which you can find on their Facebook page and they offer layaway and have an exciting rewards program for their shop. Diva Diapers also offers free shipping on any order of $50 or more. There is always something exciting going on at Divas Diapers so make sure you go check them out and enter to win the grand finale giveaway for the Kickin It Off With Cloth Event!

Open to US. And Canada

Monday, January 28, 2013

Inspiring Imagination

In this time of technology it is easy to forget the importance of letting our children play with toys that let them explore their imaginations rather than those that create them for them. It's too easy to let our televisions, computers, tablets and cell phones entertain our kids but in doing that we are depriving them of experiences that are critical to their development. So what to do?
Turn them off, put them away and let your children get bored. Yep, I said it! Let your kids get bored. In their boredom they will have to try to find another form of entertainment. Instead of leaving electronic toys out for them to play with leave out more traditional toys like cars, blocks, kitchen toys, stuffed animals, dolls, etc... Let your children play with toys that don’t make noise so they have to make it themselves, toys that do not move by themselves so they have to move them, toys that require imagination.
My daughter has a lot of energy and has been that way since the beginning. She has also always had a fascination with electronics. At first we thought it was cute how she played with the phone and watched TV and played with the computer and controllers. It was as if she had been programmed to know how to use them. When we let her play with toys that are designed for children her age had no interest except those that made noise or had lights.
It was time for a change. My daughter was not using toys that would inspire her to use her imagination! It was not funny, it was something that really bothered me a lot. As a child I always lived in the world I created with my imagination. I played with dolls and dress-up cloths, I played in the woods and hunted lizards and visited my imaginary friend owl. I had toy animals because I loved playing that I was veterinary and I skated to music. I played without electronic toys and used my imagination to have fun. I want that for my daughter.
I decided to change her environment. I put away the controllers and computer we were letting her play with. I only left out the age appropriate toys that made noise and had lights. Sometimes I let her play with our electronics but the important thing is that she isn't always playing in a noisy environment. I leave out toys that require her to make her own sound effects or she has musical toys. I leave out toys that she can use to pretend that she is cooking, caring for a baby, out shopping or whatever but that stimulates her imagination.
As it turned out, my daughter has shown she can do more than we thought. She does things with her toys that I had no idea she knew how to do but that she must have observed. When we gave her kitchen toys she immediately started playing as if she was cooking without us showing her how to do it and she has not even spent much time in the kitchen with me in. With little demonstration she learned how to use the zoo and farm toys and their play sets. When we were building with her blocks she destroys them one piece at a time or separates them after demolishing what we built. She carries and gives kisses to her doll and stuffed animals, and when near our cat she gives her warm snuggly hugs.
What surprised me the most was that when she received her first piano she immediately ignored everything else and started playing music and trying to sing without us even showing her what to do. She is also very attracted to books and loves to turn the pages by herself. It is amazing to see how she is learning all these little things that she must have observed without us noticing. Although she was very angry at first because she wanted to use our electronic things and still always wants to try to reach my computer she is spending more and more time playing with her toys or dancing to music without the distraction of electronics.
Although we try to provide an environment that inspires creative play we do not always do it without electronics. Sometimes we let her watch movies or cartoons but try to choose those with lots of music and ones that are suitable for children. She also has electronic toys like her keyboard that has a microphone and a toy computer and play phone and a few more things that have lights and make noise. The important thing is that we do not always have electronic toys out where she can use them. The important thing is to monitor how long she is using them for.
The most important thing in all this is to be a parent and let them explore safely. Give them an environment that lets them imitate what they see and play pretend. We have to watch what we teach our children and it is our duty to ensure that they do not observe us doing things we do not want them to do. We control the view of the world that our kids have. We are their first teachers and what they use as an example in life. Even though they may be small we can see them imitate what they have observed from us.
Children learn by observation and when they get bored we can see how they find other forms of play. Let them explore with their imagination and play using the information they have absorbed. Give them space and encourage them to play make believe with their toys.





Si te gustaría esta entrada en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.

*Raquel is a contributing writer as part of the Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network. You can read more from Raquel (In Spanish!) on her personal blog, Pompa En Tela.*

Saturday, January 19, 2013


Use coupon code MLKJ13 for FREE SHIPPING!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WhisperingOwlets

Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Importance of Properly Using Car Seats in the Winter

It may be winter but that doesn’t change the rules when it comes to proper car seat safety. It is important to continue to use them correctly to ensure that your kids are protected in the event of an accident.

It is important to dress and cover our children properly for the weather but it is also important that they are properly secured in their car seats when they ride in the car. Jackets and blankets should NEVER be worn under the car seat harness, this causes space between your baby and the belt and in the case of an accident the jacket or blanket fluff compresses and your baby can be ejected from the car seat!


In the following photos I will demonstrate how much space a jacket or blanket can leave between your baby and the harness. I have tightened the belt properly over both the jacket and the blanket separately and then removed them and re-buckled my daughter in without re adjusting the belts to demonstrate the space left.


First we see the jacket: 


Here we see the blanket: 

Did you notice how much space was left by the jacket and blanket? Would you fasten your child in this loosely any other time? I wouldn’t and that is why it is important to realize what would happen if the harness was this loose in an accident.

Although your baby should not be wearing a jacket or blanket or anything else thick you can still keep them warm when it's cold. There are many solutions that still maintain your baby safe:

  • Remove your baby’s jacket and once they are properly fastened into the car seat you can put it on them backwards.
  • Instead of your baby wearing a bulky coat when you go out you can wrap them up in a warm blanket and after they are properly fastened into their car seat you can place the blanket over them.

These solutions are very simple and could save your baby's life. Do not risk the life of your child, use the car seat properly without putting something thick between them and the harness because it is better to be safe than sorry.



Si te gustaría esta entrada en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

How to Wash and Lanolize Wool Diapers

Wool Diapers are great to use because they are practically bulletproof when it comes to leaks but breathe well. Wool also has antibacterial qualities that help it to not retain odors and can absorb up to a third of its weight in liquid. When is maintained well with lanolin it is a good choice for use at night if you have a regular problems with leaks.

In this video I'll show you how to wash cloth diapers and lanolize them to retain their natural qualities.

What you need:

  • A sink
  • Warm water
  • Baby Shampoo or wool detergent
  • A glass jar
  • Boiling or hot water
  • Lanolin
  • Towels
  • A rack (optional)

First you fill your sink with warm water, the kitchen sink works the best for this, to the first knuckle of your finger. You'll want to mix a few drops of soap into the water. Put the wool diaper in the water and press it in with your hands. This helps the water to flow in and out through the fibers of wool diaper. Never twist or wring the wool diaper because that would cause the wool diaper to stretch and lose its shape. After soaking the wool diaper in the sink you can leave it to soak in the water for 10-15 minutes.
Now you can drain the water but I recommend you fold the diaper against the wall of the sink while you do it first. After draining the water I recommend you fold and press the cloth diaper to remove most water. Do not rinse.
Now put a little bit of lanolin in the glass jar, you just need a piece the size of a pea. Add boiled or hot water to the jar, put the lid on it and shake until the lanolin is dissolved completely. Fill the sink again with lukewarm water and a little soap to your first knuckle, and mix hot water with lanolin in with it.
Put the wool diaper in the mixture and press it like when you washed it. For this part is best to turn it inside out so the lanolin will stick to the inside of the wool diaper. Leave the wool diaper soaking in the mixture for approximately 10 minutes.
Drain the water in the same way as the first time while holding on to the wool diaper. Squeeze the water in the same way you did the first time, not twisting the wool diaper. After you get most of the water squeezed out of the wool diaper place it flat on a folded towel and roll it in the towel while squeezing it to remove more water. Do the same again on a portion of the towel that is dry. Afterwards leave the wool diaper lying flat on dry towel or rack for 24 to 48 hours. I recommend you turn it inside and right side out every 12 hours while being dried.

It's that easy to wash and lanolize wool diapers!






Si te gustaría ver y leer este tutorial en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.

This tutorial is part of the month-long "Kickin' It Off With Cloth" event!


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Kailyn Zoe & Co. Review and Giveaway

Tiff Bierer is a mom, a wife and a designer. Her Etsy shop specializes in vintage inspired clothing and accessories for girls. The inspiration and namesake of her shop is her daughter Kailyn Zoe. Thanks to her inspiration from vintage clothing Tiff has created a shop full of beautiful dresses, delicate lace rompers and precious headbands.
For this I review Tiff sent me one of her "Olivia" dress in ivory with a ribbon band with flowers of the same color. The dress is made of chiffon and delicate lace. The lace covers the shoulders, the neck and the hem of the skirt and it has very delicate butterfly cap sleeves. The sash of the dress is made of satin ribbon and has two chiffon flowers.
This dress is beautiful! It was even more beautiful in person than it looks in the photos. The lace is very delicate and soft and I love that also has it on the hem. I love the details of the dress, the pearl button on the back of the neck, the sweet sleeves and delicate and light chiffon. All the little details give the dress an old-world elegance.
I love that is has an elastic waist band that helps keep the sash in place when you tie it on. The sash is also long enough so that you can use it for different sized waists. The dress fabric is very soft and did not irritate my daughter’s skin, the lace is also very soft.
My daughter is 1 year old, measures approximately 29.9 inches and weighs 19 pounds. The dress Kailyn Zoe & Co. sent me was the "Olivia" in Ivory size 1/2T. The color is very nice and gives you it a more vintage appearance. It is a little big in the shoulders but my daughter is very skinny and she should grow into it by spring.
Kailyn Zoe & Co. has gorgeous dresses and the quality is excellent. Tiff has taken inspiration from a more elegant time and has brought it to our modern world.




Si te gustaría leer este reseño en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.

Kailyn Zoe & Co. is offering the opportunity to win an “Olivia” dress, just enter in the form below. Good luck!

Open to Everyone!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Spray Pal

(Warning: Contains images of Soiled Cloth Diapers)
Some months ago I came across a new product on Facebook that comes in very useful when you have to spray out dirty cloth diapers. It was Spray Pal
Spray Pal is a product that is very helpful when you have to spray out your dirty cloth diapers into the toilet but you don't want to get your hands dirty while doing it.
Spray Pal has 3 plastic sides that connect together to form a splash barrier with snaps. It has a giant clip at the top of the center panel that you clip the dirty diaper to and you also use this clip to hold it while you spray out your cloth diaper. 

To Spray out your dirty cloth diaper all you need to do is clip the diaper in at the top and connect the panels with the snaps and hold it just inside the toilet while you use a sprayer to clean it. 


 
After you finish spraying out your dirty cloth diaper you just pop open the panels on the Spray Pal and lay them over each other so that it is flat and squeeze the excess water down into the toilet. You can then easily transport your rinsed diaper to your diaper pail and release it from the clip so it slides right into the pail and your hands are still nice and clean and you didn't have to handle a wet, dirty cloth diaper!
I usto hate spraying out my dirty cloth diapers before throwing them into the wash because the nasty poo water would spray all over the place and it was just gross. With the Spray Pal I no longer have that problem because it forms a shield against over spray!

You can purchase a Spray Pal here: http://hyenacart.com/spraypal/mt/3781/39604/Spray-Pal



Si te gustaría leer este reseño en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.