parenting Archives - Page 6 of 26 - My Life: A Work in Progress

TruKid, PishPoshBaby, and Diaper Junction

1 July, 2013 No Comments

*I was not compensated for this post, but it does contain affiliate links*

I haven’t talked about three of my favorite companies for a while, so I thought I’d put a little plug-in for them! Yes, I do have an affiliate account with TruKid, PishPoshBaby, and Diaper Junction, so if you purchase through one of my links, I will receive a small commission. I’ve partnered with these companies, because I shop from them as well. I’ve had good experiences with them -shipping, customer service, etc.- and I like their products.

TruKid

We buy our baby body wash, lotion, and sunblock from TruKid. Run a quick search on the Environmental Working Group’s website, and you’ll discover the EWG rates TruKid products as 1 or 2. If you’re not familiar with the EWG scale, 0 is the best and 10 is bad. I trust the TruKid brand on Baby J’s skin. They have sales often too, like their Independence Day sale- now through Wednesday, July 3, get 20% off TruKid Sunny Days Sport Sunscreen in 2 oz and 3.5 oz tubes. Use code funwith20 when checking out.

By the way, TruKid also has a very helpful blog for parents that I subscribe to. They published a great post on June 13 about nano-particles and their effect in sunscreen.

PishPoshBaby

I purchased my sun and wind cover for our BOB Ironman jogging stroller from PishPoshBaby. They’ve also sponsored a giveaway right here on My Life: A Work in Progress, and I’ve had a great time working with their friendly PR staff. They sell top of the line baby gear at great prices, and they’ll even price match! I seriously drool over some of their products. Next time we have a little one, I want to splurge and buy the 4moms mamaRoo.

PishPoshBaby features mom reps. They have moms on call weekdays 9am to 9pm, just to answer questions you may have about a product. They also have a great blog that showcases new products as well as infographics (nicely-done ones) to help parents. Click here to visit PishPoshBaby

Diaper Juction

As a cloth diapering mama, I’ve been spoiled. I live about 15-20 minutes away from Diaper Junction. If I have a question, I can literally pop down there and ask in person. The ladies in that store are extremely helpful. They’ve expanded their brick and mortar store (they took over an old military surplus store, which I find funny. Hubby can’t shop their anymore, while I’m looking at diapers) and added more helpful classes to their monthly calendar. Most of them are free too! Classes include: cloth diapering 101, babywearing 101, and introducing baby to Fido.

Besides cloth diapers, they sell things like baby carriers, snack bags, non-toxic nail polish, natural laundry detergent, iPlay swim clothes, and more. They have products for mom too! Not sure if cloth diapers are for you? Try Diaper Junction’s 30-day Test Drive. And guess what? Yeah, they have an awesome blog too 🙂

parenting

Weaning from Breastfeeding- My Story (Part Two)

24 June, 2013 4 Comments

If you read my first post on weaning, you know that my son’s weight was down at his one year appointment to the 20th percentile. The pediatrician was encouraging me to feed him more whole cow’s milk and solids instead of/in addition to breastmilk. You’ll also know I was concerned about nursing my son while meeting my Army Reserve obligations. Well, these two concerns are what started the weaning process for Baby J and I. We went from about 6 feedings a day to 3 pretty much overnight. I tried to take him out during the day to the park, the mall, or the beach, so he had things other than nursing on his mind. I also offered him a sippy cup of whole cow’s milk constantly. My supply started to dwindle, and Baby J was getting frustrating by the nursing process. What used to take 5 minutes was sometimes taking 20 minutes. That’s a long time to stay still (relatively) for a one year old!

Baby J and I arrived back in Virginia just a few days ago after spending a week in Florida. Several days of that week away, I worked for my Army Reserve unit. My mom was watching my son nearby, but the hours varied, and I wasn’t always able to get back to nurse him at his regular times. I nursed him Sunday night on the 16th and left a few hours later for work. I didn’t get back until lunch time on Monday the 17th. I tried to nurse him, but his tummy was already full on solids and cow’s milk. He just smiled, poked me, and sat up. All right! I wasn’t going to argue with him. So I didn’t offer to nurse him anymore from that point on.

I thought I’d have issues with engorgement, but other than feeling a little tight and itchy for a couple of days, I haven’t had any issues. Baby J seems fine and happy. I think I’m struggling with it more! There was a time when I hated nursing so much. It was so painful those first 6-8 weeks. And constant! Baby J used me as a pacifier when he was a newborn. He wanted to be latched 24/7. I despised it, and sometimes I resented him for it. But now…now I miss those cuddly bonding moments. I miss snuggling my baby. I love my toddler. I love watching him discover new things, say new words, and just be adorable. But I miss him needing me in that way. I mean, anyone could feed him and take care of him now, right? 🙁 He doesn’t “need” me anymore. Okay, yes, he does. But not in the same way. How old was your little one when he/she weaned? Was it an easy process or difficult?

parenting

A quick, easy Father’s Day craft for babies and small children

4 June, 2013 3 Comments

This year, I wanted to have my son make a present for his daddy on Father’s Day. Baby J will be 13 months today, so I knew it had to be something simple, and I’d be doing the bulk of the crafting. After browsing through our local craft store, I settled on a door sign that features my husband’s favorite team: The San Francisco 49ers.

To see how we did it, please click here to read my guest post on Love2EncourageYou.

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