I posted pics of my girls using our Dripstiks the other week, and not surprisingly y’all wanted details on them.

Where to start on our love of these?

• First, they REALLY DO contain the all-out melty mess of a small being holding a popsicle or ice cream cone (drips down face and splatters not included!)
• They’re wide handle makes them easy to use for kids of all ages; Alice has been using this since 17 months
• They’re dual use: One end fits a popsicle stick, the other an flat-bottom ice cream cone
• Colours are vivid and interesting
• Pieces come apart for thorough cleaning
• Dishwasher safe (top rack)
• Created by a mom of 5
• They’re a novelty, so kids think they’re cool

I’ve delayed writing this, because I’ve been trying to find a local retailer to a) do a giveaway for you, and b) find a local retailer you can purchase from. Unfortunately Once Upon a Child Ajax, where we got ours last summer, is no longer carrying them. The manufacturer does not ship to Canada in quantities less than 20 (boo!).

A quick google Canada search will bring up online retailers for you. I did come across Moms Finds, which has them ON SALE right now for just $4.

Happy frozen treat eating!

As I’m sure many of you did, when the hoopla over BPA hit the proverbial fan, I tossed all the hard plastic in my house: Avent bottles, every sippy cup, anything made by Nalgene. Then I huddled in a corner wracked with guilt over heating Lucy’s plastic bottle in the microwave for more than a year, when quite clearly it was a very bad idea.

With Alice, we received a plethora of glass bottles (on request) as baby shower gifts. For whatever reason (made of spikes? fire ants?) Alice disliked every. single. brand: Born Free, Gerber, Chicco, Evenflo.

It wasn’t until we went back to plastic — now all BPA-free — that she finally accepted a bottle. We started with Gerber, but they have a tendency to deflate as Alice is drinking (meaning we have to regularly pull her off in order for the air to get back in and the flow to not be so slow). I picked up a Playtex fancy-shmancy VentAire one to try, and we do like it. But the liquid tends to come out quick at that funny angle, and Alice often ends up choking a few times. Plus, it was rather pricey just to have a bend in the shape.

But we finally have a favourite. A winner that makes Mom and Baby happy: Green to Grow!

• Phthalates- and BPA-free
• One of the few 10 oz. bottles I’ve seen — when older baby is drinking 6 or 8 oz. at a time, you need the extra space for mixing, and not having the liquid overflow/leak
• That being said, they come in various sizes, and wide and regular neck
• Medical-grade silicone nipple with consistent, even flow
• Funky design: Gotta love the happy, colourful fruits
• Cheeky: The bottom of the measurement list says “All gone!”
• Compatible with Medela breast pump
• Would make a wonderful shower gift
• Company is member of 1% For the Planet, which donates 1% of its sales to environmental organizations
• Alice happily drinks from it: What better endorsement is that?

We received the bottle to try from the generous people at Raising Rascals, an online store of trendy, unique and practical children’s finds based in Ancaster, ON. They currently have all their Green to Grow bottles on sale ($2-$3 off), so please purchase online from them if you’re considering buying!

Are you ever in a restaurant in desperate need of a bib for your wee one? And you end up jamming a napkin down her shirt and hoping for the best? And, depending on the age of the kid, Junior ends up a) eating the bibnapkin, b) absolutely refusing to wear it, or c) both.

I can’t even count how many times this has happened to us.

It obviously happened to my friend and fellow mompreneur Alexandria of Clippopotamus, because she’s come up with a smart and funky solution: The Bib Clippo.

They’re made from washable poly-satin blend ribbons — in sweet designs — and are fully adjustable. Simply clip them onto a napkin, serviette, paper towel… anything, really, and you’ve got yourself an instant bib-on-the-go!

We used ours recently at a Chinese buffet in Orillia, and it worked fantastic. Lucy loved the fun print, opening and closing the clips, and that it was her special piece of equipment.

As a bonus for us breastfeeding mamas, the clips transform any blanket into a nursing cover.

Pretty sweet for $12, huh? Check out the Bib Clippo page.

We’re also loving another ingenious idea: Blanket clippos. These stretchy ribbons-with-clips attach to either side of a carseat or stroller and keep blankets (or toys) in place. Perfect for winter and always having your child’s favourite on hand. See more info and photos here.

Now that Alice is eating solids, she needed her own seat.

I know a handful of you with 3-year-olds, toddlers that sit normally in chairs and have far outgrown special seats. And Lucy can sit in a regular chair, and does so when we’re out if she has to.

But my girl will still pick a high chair or booster seat when we’re out, and most definitely wanted a new chair once Alice took up residence at the table. And we don’t complain — those seats have buckles! That keep children in one place! Lucy can do up her buckles, but not un-do them. This is no accident.

I’ve written about our love of the First Years reclining seat before (click here). I’m actually using it reclined two stages with Alice, who is still not sitting on her own. We’ve got a dish towel underneath her bum to help keep her upright. Even after 2.5 years of daily use, it’s in great shape.

Despite having more room in our new house, we never considered getting anything but another booster seat. High chairs take up so much damn space and are really expensive. We love booster seats the best.

For Lucy’s new one, we ended up with another First Years product — the swing tray. Mostly because it was the cheapest and most compact. We wanted a high back, not just a seat.

Lucy loves it.

She also likes wearing no pants or, um, undergarments when it’s hot in the afternoon and Mummy makes her pose for photos with her sister
(thank goodness for crotch straps).

Spencer in this photo: A new food source! Hurrah! Also: the chaos of my kitchen/living room at the end of the day.

There’s often controversy surrounding breastfeeding in public, even though it’s our right to whip out our breasts to feed our babies wherever and whenever we please.

As soon as I mastered the coordination required to feed Lucy (and now Alice) without a nursing pillow, we went everywhere with her — traveling with a baby the first six months before solids is ridiculously easy when the food source is conveniently strapped to your chest.

Thankfully I’ve never had a bad encounter with public breastfeeding, and I’ve fed everywhere: Restaurants, nursing rooms at the mall, the food court at the mall, doctor’s waiting room, the car, the Gap. But a girl from my mom’s group was at an East Side Mario’s restaurant once and was asked to go to the bathroom when she started nursing her son. I can’t remember what she did, but I know my response would have included some profanity, followed by, “Would YOU eat your dinner beside a toilet?”

Sometimes I’ve used a blanket, but this is more for my comfort than anyone else’s. If it’s chilly, or we’re beside a group of staring teenage boys.

But blankets are really annoying, as unless you bury your head inside like an ostrich, you can’t see your baby. Not to mention the fact baby has a hard time breathing.

Enter Babaloosta Baby’s nursing cover!

Owner Rebekah sent me this, and I am in love not only with the funky fabric (the colours and pattern are so me), but the unique design: A piece of boning is sewn into the top, creating an open canopy around your neck so you can see down. It makes latching so much easier, and provides an airway for Alice.

It’s apron-like style falls around your sides, too, which is very comforting and warm. Because your shirt rides up at the back and sides when you nurse, exposing (in my case) stretch marks and skin to the cold.

Other benefits: Lightweight, cotton fabric, noise and distraction blocker when Alice gets older and more aware of her surroundings, and can be used as a thin blanket in a pinch.

Rebekah lives in Oshawa with her hubby and kids, and sells her wares online via her website. She also creates ties (you must see these — they’re so neat!), cuddle blankets, change pads and more. Check her out!