Soother Police

I’ll admit I’ve always sat fairly firmly in the anti-pacifier camp, but after observations I made recently I’m strongly considering starting up my own arm of law enforcement – The Soother Police.

Case 1: Last week at the zoo I noticed ‘George’, approximately two years old, highly excited at the sight of the monkeys swinging in the jungle gym. He pointed and smiled (I think) and exclaimed “Whwhummph”. Why did he say “Whwhummph”? Because he had a soother stuck in his mouth.

Case 2: A couple of tykes in the 18 month – 2 year old range enjoying the delights of the playground: running, climbing in and out of the playhouse, sliding, with soothers stuck in their faces. Why? These kids aren’t sleeping. They aren’t chilling out or grizzling, they’re playing, enjoying themselves, so what the heck is the face furniture for?

You can’t convince me that without the soothers George and these playground buddies would have been crying. It breaks my heart to see a little one with his face obscured by a plug when he’s perfectly happy. Surely it’s hampering his ability to interact with other kids, to speak, to use his facial expressions. It’s my wish that soothers were kept for doing what they say on the box – soothing. That’s for fussy little babies who find suckling very calming. Soothers are our first addiction. But in these cases, who is addicted, Mommy or Baby?

If you’re a new mom considering soother use or wanting to wean your little one off the soother here are some Tips from the Trenches:

• Avoid using a soother for the first month if you’re breastfeeding. It could possibly cause Baby to have problems learning to latch properly and interfere with your milk supply.
• You will get less resistance if you wean Baby off the soother before 6 months of age.
• Prolonged soother use for long periods daily can affect speech and language development, and interfere with alignment of teeth, so aim to discard the pacifier before the end of the first year.
• For weaning a toddler off a soother try a game where the soothers get tossed and your child gets a ‘grown up cup’ or character sippy cup as a reward.
• Whenever you decide to take the soother away, you should expect your little one to be harder to settle for a while. You will need to spend more time with him at bedtime, or when there has been an upset, because he will need extra reassurance. You might also find there are more frustrated tantrums and tears as your child tries to cope with upsets without his comforter.

From my high horse in the anti-pacifier camp I should make a confession. Although as a baby I spat out my soother after a two second suck, I did become highly addicted to sucking on my sheet at night. It lasted years and I distinctly remember trying to wean myself off it. A freshly laundered sheet was never as satisfying as one gone crispy from several nights of sucking. Bleurgh! And my brother sucked his thumb…a lot. I remember it was always pale and wrinkly and teasing him that when he grew up his right thumb would be small and shriveled as a result. I wonder if it is. I must check next time I see him.

10 Reasons Why Having Your Own Business …

…is like having a baby:

10. They both keep you up at night.

9. They both require financial investments (not to mention physical and emotional investments).

8. You can’t stop thinking about them when you are apart or away, yet when you are with them you sometimes crave some alone time or a break.

7. They both require planning (not that planning really worked for us in the baby department!!)

6. They each require a strategy and discipline.

5. Businesses and babies are both life altering.

4. They open your eyes to new opportunities and possibilities.

3. They both experience firsts. The first sale and the first smile. The first crisis and the first tooth.

2. Project Management skills, adaptability and perseverance are not optional.

and the number 1 reason why having your own business is like having a baby is… (imagine some David Letterman/Paul Schaeffer type music playing, drumroll)

1. They are nothing like you expected they would be, I am continually amazed by both my business and my children and consider them all blessings in my life.

Sue Sinclair
Chief Executive Mom, Raspberry Kids

Raspberry Kids are offering our readers a discount on their items for this holiday season. Use discount code rookiemoms10 when you shop online at Raspberry Kids to receive a 10% discount.

With 2 kids only 17 months apart, Sue Sinclair was hesitant to leap back into the corporate world. Sue’s eye for design and appreciation for high quality products and customer service excellence, made her third child, Raspberry Kids, launched in 2008, the perfect next step. 

Raspberry Kids prides itself on bringing you vetted, quality and environmentally sound products from all over the globe. Raspberry Kids is committed to their community and strives to continue to be an innovator in the industry while giving back any way they can. 

Tempers, Tantrums and other Strange Behaviour

Day 1 and the socks are staying on even in the rock pools

Bowser likes his socks. He wears socks 23.5 hours a day and only removes them for baths. On our recent summer holiday he did not want to take his socks off on the beach. He cried, he sulked, he kicked, he threw himself on the sand. It was a new round of strange little person behaviour that I found hard to tackle. I didn’t want him to miss out on all the fun of the beach; wading, rockpooling, paddling, but short of pinning him down and ripping his socks off to his loud protestations while the rest of the beach looked on in horror I didn’t know what to do.

Trixie goes Boneless in response to losing Knuffle Bunny

Later in the holiday we met Rocky. 2 1/2 and fresh from only four hours sleep the previous night he was not in a good mood. He demonstrated the classic ‘boneless’ move where no matter what you do they slip through your grip, especially effective when they are slathered in sun screen. Another popular toddler tactic is to play the stiff card where they remain rigid and you can’t bend them to get them in the stroller unless you perform simultaneous karate chops to the knees and abdomen. I’ve experienced both these at times with Bowser – particularly helpful when you need to pick your elder child up from school and for whatever reason Junior is refusing to move. It’s physically impossible to do anything to remedy the situation without manhandling your child; what are you going to do? Drag them along the street by the arms? Yes, I’m afraid to say this has happened on more than one occasion.

You know when you get to the point with your kids where you really don’t know how to deal with the situation? It’s a really scary feeling.

Pickle was generally a well-balanced toddler and not prone to meltdowns. Friends would sense  that their kids were on the brink of something nasty and that either a sugar-level balancing snack or an energy-restoring nap was in order. I never had to worry about such things. But there is one episode burnt into my memory where her behaviour left me completely out of my parenting depth. ‘The Tantrum‘ started with something innocuous as these things usually do: I think there had been some questionable behaviour that led to me stipulating ‘no books at bedtime’. The dispute escalated as she quickly transformed into a whirling Dervish issuing banshee screams. As she threw things and threw herself I was in turn worried that she would damage the decor or damage herself as she bounced off the walls. What do you do? Restrain them so they can’t hurt themselves? Shut the door and hope that it soon fizzles out?

If your child has hit the terrible twos with gusto and is prone to tantrums you’ve probably developed ways of dealing with it with the minimum of fuss. In which case do share!

Sockless on Day 6

P.S. I’m glad to say that Hubs put his (bare) foot down and insisted Bowser remove his socks for a while on day 2 at the beach. As the week progressed so did Bowser’s comfort level without his beloved socks and on the last day he amazed me by removing them in the holiday apartment and walking to the beach sockless!

It’s all good practice – just imagine what it’s going to be like dealing with teenagers!

The Curious Incident of the Cat in the Cardboard Box

It was early in the New Year when ‘Cat’ went missing. Cat wasn’t the family pet; he was Bowser’s (imaginatively named) Beanie Baby cat and had become his favourite bedtime toy. That day we took a trip to the local retail park to buy Pickle a bookcase for her bedroom. For some reason Bowser insisted on taking Cat out with him – something which is not normally allowed with favourite toys. I remember rolling my eyes skywards as Cat was dropped several times in the shops, but I also remember checking that Cat was present when we reached the car laden with our flatpacks. So it was strange when at bedtime Cat was nowhere to be found. There were tears of course. Lots of tears. And lots of sympathy with a ‘I told you so’ undertone. “Mummy knows best…that’s why we don’t take our animals out with us…in case they get lost.”

I have two pieces of advice for moms when it comes to their little one adopting a favourite soft toy. Firstly try to dissuade them from falling in love with a ‘surface wash only’ pal. Inevitably a lovie will be barfed on, dropped down the toilet, dragged around the playground, and used as a tissue. After any such ordeal a washable pal can be wrestled from the little one’s clutches, given a quick joy-ride in the washing machine and be back on duty before morning. Secondly, it’s good to have an identical understudy buddy waiting in the wings. The back-up can step in while #1 takes that trip to the laundry and can take over permanently to save heartbreak if #1 suffers the same fate as Cat. I give this advice, but I don’t follow it. Cat is neither washable, nor did we have a ‘Cat 2’ to take his place in this situation.

Not entirely convinced that Cat had been lost on our shopping trip I searched everywhere. I upended the playroom, Bowser’s room, Pickle’s room. I had our mattress off our bed; the cushions off the sofas. I searched under desks, tables, in drawers, cupboards and other potential little hiding places, but no Cat could be found. Pickle gave Bowser a replacement Beanie from her extensive collection of stuffed toys. Occasionally to pull at the heartstrings a little more Bowser would have an ‘episode’ over the missing Cat – he’d wake in the night and tearfully tell me he missed Cat. Awww!

Finally, earlier this month I admitted to myself that Cat was not coming back and went in search of a replacement online. Cat is an old Beanie handed down from my cousin’s daughter, so there was no identical replacement otherwise I would have done it earlier. I found Snip the Siamese cat on Amazon and after checking with Bowser that it was an acceptable substitute, ordered him. He arrived last Wednesday and was warmly received. There followed some special ‘Mommy Moments’ as Bowser chatted away to ‘Cat 2’ as he showed him round his new home, showed him where he would sleep and introduced him to the resident stuffed animals.

The very next day Pickle decided to give our HappyLand train set an airing. She suddenly screamed excitedly and with tears of joy sparkling in her eyes ran to me brandishing …yes, you’ve guessed it ‘Cat’. He’d actually been buried in the HappyLand train set box for the last 10 weeks. I think Pickle was actually more excited than Bowser – she could imagine what it would be like to lose her precious ‘Bedtime Bunny’.

Bowser was of course delighted to have his old friend back. So now we have Cat and Cat 2. Let’s hope there are no turf wars.

Keep Baby Cool and Hydrated this Summer

With Canadians in the midst of another hot and humid summer, it’s important for parents to keep young children well hydrated. One way to do so is through the use of a sippy cup filled with water, breast milk, juice or formula*. Sippy cups are extremely popular among Canadian moms. A recent survey by Playtex Infant showed that 88% of Canadian moms have children who have used a sippy cup. According to the survey, moms introduced their child to a sippy cup at varying ages with 44% of children trying a sippy cup for the first time at 10 months old.

Playtex Infant offers these top five tips on how to help keep Baby cool and hydrated this summer:

Dress alike – If you’re feeling hot, chances are your baby is too, so be sure to dress for the weather. Cool cottons and linens are comfortable and let your skin breathe.

Stay out of the sun – The sun is the hottest from 11am to 3pm so avoid going outside at this time. If you do go out on a hot day, ensure your baby is shaded from the sun as best as possible.

Carry plenty of water – If you run out of water or it becomes too hot to enjoy, pop into a local cafe or restaurant and most will be more than happy to fill your sippy cup with cool water.

Use ice – If it’s a really hot day, try filling one of your sippy cups with ice. By the time your baby is thirsty, most of the ice will have melted, creating a cool and refreshing drink.

*It’s important not to let Baby drink too much water leaving him too full for his breastmilk or formula as he needs his nutrients, but on a hot day a small serving of cool water from a sippy cup or bottle is refreshing. If your baby isn’t ready for a sippy cup yet, give him small amounts of water in a bottle. Never serve juice in a bottle.

The winner of the Playtex sippy cups and bottles is Emma Walpole (comment #83). Congratulations Emma!

Playtex are giving away a gift set of four items to help keep your little ones hydrated this summer:

• Playtex® Ventaire™ Advanced Bottle – Standard
• Playtex® Ventaire™ Advanced Bottle – Wide
• Playtex® Infant First Lil’ Gripper™ cup
• Playtex® First Sipster® cup

To enter, simply pop to the Playtex site and tell us in a comment below your favorite from the range of cups and mealtime accessories.

For bonus entries:

• Let us know if you ‘like’ The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
• Let us know if you ‘like’ Playtex Mommyville on facebook
• Follow @PlaytexBaby on Twitter
• Retweet this giveaway ‘ Keep your little one cool and hydrated this summer. Enter @RookieMommy’s ‘Playtex Hydration #Giveaway’ http://wp.me/pC8a1-2kk ‘

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries.

• Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only
• Winner will be drawn at random
• Giveaway closes September 2nd, 2011

Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Bottle Standard
The Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Bottle angled design promotes a semi upright feeding position recommended by paediatricians to help prevent ear infections.  The bottle’s micro channel vent technology placed at the bottom of the bottle allows air to enter without mixing with liquid to keep air out of baby’s tummy to help reduce gas, colic and spit-up.  The BPA-free and Phthalate-free bottles are available in 6 oz and 9 oz.

Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Bottle Wide
The Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Bottle Wide design is similar to the breast and makes it ideal for moms who are breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding and works with Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Nipple Wide.  The wide shape features a raised, textured surface area just like mom’s nipple which encourages proper latch and makes the transition between breast and bottle easier.

All Playtex^® Ventaire^™ Advanced Nipple Standard and Wide come in slow flow (designed for newborns) and fast flow (designed for older babies) and made from medical-grade silicone.  The non-vented nipples keep air from mixing with the liquid to help reduce air ingestion.

The Next Best Thing to Bare Feet

Foot Health Facts – Did You Know?

• The critical development years for feet happen from infancy and into the toddler years.
• The bones in a baby’s foot are made of cartilage, the same flexible substance you find in your ears and nose.
• A shoe that is too rigid or too tight can change the shape of your child’s foot.
• Around 70% of foot problems come from wearing the wrong footwear or ill-fitting shoes.
• A child’s feet grow in spurts and often require new shoes every 3 to 4 months.
• A child’s feet develop until he or she is about 18 years old.

When your child first begins to walk, providing proper foot protection while enabling maximum movement is important for his or her foot development. Allowing your youngster to go barefoot or wear soft sole shoes while inside helps the feet to grow normally and to develop musculature, strength, and the grasping action of the toes.

When walking outside or on rough surfaces, an infant’s feet should always be protected in lightweight, flexible footwear made of natural materials.

Choosing the Right Shoes for Infants
The ideal shoe is soft and flexible, with breathable leather uppers and a fully adjustable fastening for a snug fit. Shoes should have a smooth bottom, causing less friction so that the shoe will not grab the floor and possibly cause your child to fall. Shoes that are too sticky tend to change children’s stride or gait, as they have to lift their feet to move about.

Children’s feet sweat quite a bit, so avoid buying synthetic shoes, as they will not allow your child’s feet to breathe. Synthetic materials also tend not to stretch, and the resulting pressure could damage a child’s growing foot.

Choosing the Right Shoes for Toddlers and Children
Select shoes with a rounded toe box that give plenty of room for toes to move. Shoes should be made of a breathable material, like leather or canvas. Avoid man made materials, such as plastic, because they can cause odor or even bacteria growth. Soft leather or rubber soles are recommended because they allow a child’s gait and stride to develop naturally.

New shoes should never need to be “broken in.” It means either they were not properly designed or not properly fitted for your child’s foot.

Hand-me-down Shoes
It is not recommended for children to wear hand-me-down shoes. Most shoes form to the foot, so wearing hand-me-downs that have already been “formed” can affect the shape of your child’s foot.

pediped® – the Next Best Thing to Bare Feet
Whether your child is crawling, learning to walk, or running all around, pediped® has a stylish shoe that fits comfortably and ensures healthy foot development.

Each of pediped’s three footwear lines is specially designed to meet the needs of a particular walking stage while looking stylish, too!

pediped Originals® are designed for infants and toddlers (0-24 months, $32 -$39) as the “next best thing to bare feet”. Their soft soles, made with the highest quality leather, provide protection and flexibility, while the patented hand stitching allows ample ventilation. The roomy toe box provides a safe environment with plenty of wiggle room for tiny toes while allowing for foot growth and muscle development.

pediped Grip ‘n’ Go™ collection (9 months to 3 years, $45 – $49) features special G2 Technology for active toddlers that are transitioning to walking with a more confident stride.

pediped Flex® is the ultimate shoe for confident walkers (1-8 years, $47-$69) who have developed a solid, natural stride. Due to customer demand, size offerings have been expanded with select styles now available up to size EU 33. Flex® rubber soled shoes incorporate all the benefits of Originals® into a flexible, soft rubber sole.

Learn more about Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex®.

New pediped® Fall/Winter 2011 collection
The pediped® Fall/Winter 2011 collection introduces more than 80 new styles and color combinations across pediped® footwear’s three signature lines, including larger size offerings in the Flex® line, new school shoe styles and an expanded Adventure Line, pediped’s innovative outdoor shoe.

The Fall/Winter 2011 collection is available online at www.pediped.com and in select retail stores beginning early August.

Congratulations to Jennifer (comment #60) – winner of the pair of pediped Originals!

Giveaway!
When children’s feet grow so quickly, what could be better than a free pair of quailty shoes? pepiped are giving away a pair of Originals (sizes 0-24 months) to one lucky reader. To enter, simply pop to the pediped online store and tell us in a comment below which is your favorite style.

For bonus entries

• Tell us if you are a ‘liker’ of The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
• Tell us if you are a ‘liker’ of pediped on facebook
• Follow @pedipedfootwear on Twitter
• Retweet this giveaway ‘ Win a pair of pediped Originals footwear (0-24mos) – the next best thing to bare feet via @RookieMommy http://wp.me/pC8a1-2iI ‘

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries

• Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only
• Winner will be drawn at random
• Winner can specify if they wish to recieve boy’s or girl’s shoes and their size of choice and will recieve a pair of Originals in a style chosen by pediped
• Giveaway closes August 26th, 2011

pediped® footwear was created in 2004 by Angela and Brian Edgeworth after their first daughter Caroline was born. pediped® has become one of the fastest growing children’s footwear brands in the U.S. and is sold in over 3000 stores in the United States and 40 countries worldwide with an offering of more than 160 designs spanning EU sizes 17-33.

pediped^® footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for the promotion of healthy foot development, and the pediped® footwear system has recently been endorsed by researchers associated with Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston.

Since the company’s founding, pediped® footwear has given nearly $1 million in product and monetary support to children in need. In January 2011, pediped® established the pediped foundation™ to expand upon the company’s philosophy of giving.

Sun, The Sand Wizard and Slack Parenting

We’re just back from a fabulous week in Jersey. Castles and lighthouses with causeways that disappear under the sea and beaches with the perfect sandcastle sand. In fact the sand is so good, if you have the skill, the patience and 20 hours to spare you can build something like this masterpiece by Simon ‘The Sand Wizard’ Smith.

Inspired by viewing The Sand Wizard’s sculptures Pickle and I set about making our own sandscape. Pickle was in charge of the volcano and channels; the shell castle was my project. Although it quickly became apparent that achieving anything a fraction as good as The Sand Wizard was way beyond my capabilities, I did get quite engrossed in my creation.

Having painstakingly carved the 3-storey staircase and managed a near-perfect sand-pie on the castle’s third storey I wandered off to the water’s edge where Bowser was attempting to rehouse the entire beach stone population in the sea. Bowser was ‘happy as a sand boy’ (I would say ‘pig in shit’, but it’s not so apt) and Nanny wasn’t too bored supervising him so I started back up the beach but was stopped dead in my tracks by the sight of a mini hooligan vandalizing my our castle. The staircase and top storey were already demolished and she was still smashing. I expected to see an embarrassed parent whose clutches she had escaped dashing to scoop her up and apologize profusely. But there was no one; just a defiant toddler staring me down. Her only response to my exclamations was to steal my shovel!

I hate that – when kids are behaving badly and their parents do nothing to intervene either because they aren’t paying attention or can’t be bothered. I can’t bear being left to chastise someone else’s child; I’m not good at it. Yeah, yeah I know: the beach is not my property; she was only a toddler, but hey, when you see your hard work being needlessly destroyed, whether you’re 3 or 43, it’s annoying.

Reading this back I sound like a real old crabby pants, but it could just as easily have been Pickle’s work of art that was destroyed and I can only imagine the tears. What really annoyed me was that later as I sat repairing the damage the same little vandal made another beeline for us. This time her mum was a few paces behind and made a snide comment: “Don’t Bella, you’ll get into trouble again”. So it appears she was perfectly aware of what her child had done yet didn’t feel the need to apologize, nor to take the opportunity to explain to her daughter that it’s not friendly to ruin other people’s work.

My feeling is that if this child is old enough to be wandering unaccompanied around the beach, then she’s old enough to be taught right from wrong. She was only 2ish, but I believe it’s never too early to be taught social niceties and to have respect for other people’s things. Trashing a castle that someone else has built just isn’t very friendly. Growing up I knew the rule: the only castle you were allowed to stamp on was your own.

Incidentally The Sand Wizard has to camp on the beach next to his sculptures otherwise big hooligans think it’s fun to trash them. I guess they were never taught respect at a young age either.

We finished our creation and enjoyed watching the incoming tide fill the moats and then destroy the buildings, which is exactly what happened to the Sand Wizard’s sculptures in Jersey’s high tide on Monday. Amazingly he also enjoys watching this happen. None of us mind the sea being a vandal.

How to Keep the Little Ones Busy this Summer…and Mommy Sane!

I have determined that there are three categories of moms: the first category is moms who are working and have to go into the office every day. The second category are WFHM’s who have to balance work and kids within their own homes and the last category are moms who are SAHM’s who have a challenge of being with their kids 24/7 and need creative ways to keep them busy.

Therefore, I consolidated the top 10 ways to keep your children busy throughout the summer that is hopefully useful for all three categories of moms listed above.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of the library: Whether they admit it or not….kids love a good book! Every city has a local library where you can take your children to discover the world of reading. If they fight you tooth and nail you can bribe them using the internet stations at the library so that at least you can get them out of the house. Hopefully you can then curl up with a good book while your child surfs the net.

2. Treasure Hunt at the Local Park: What child doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? Before you leave the house make a list of all the “treasures” you will want to find at the park. Then bring the list with you and a bag (to carry the treasures in) and let your kids run free to find the treasures. Bring a picnic lunch too to extend your day there.

3. Explore your own city: Check online at your city’s official website listed should be all the fun things for tourists to do around the city. Act like you are tourists in your own city and re-discover how beautiful it is.

4. Crafty Kids: This doesn’t have to be expensive. Dig out all that spare change from your purses, jean pockets, and backseat of the car to take the kids to the loonie store to buy craft supplies. Let them pick out the craft supplies then spend the afternoon making creations that will last a lifetime.

5. Swap Play dates with a Neighbor: Find a neighbor or a good friend to swap kids one day per week. That way you know you have at least one day to yourself to run errands or even just spend the day at the spa…..ahhhhhh!

6. Build a Photo Album: If you are too scared to let your kids play with your expensive high powered camera then buy some cheap disposable ones and head out on a photography tour. Let your kids take pictures of whatever suits their fancy then you can print them off and make a photo album of their summer vacation.

7. Bowling: Take your kids to the local bowling alley for some fun. Invite friends so that you can make it a social outing.
 
8. Zoo: Usually a Zoo will be around 10 kilometers in total length. Rent a bike or take a stroller and get some exercise while walking through the zoo and teach your kids about the animals. Bring a picnic lunch to keep costs down.

9. Get Wet: Kids love to swim. Check out the summer camps or drop in sessions at your local community pool for some water fun. For more water fun check out local water parks in your area.  If you can’t make it out to the pool, then a sprinkler in the backyard will do just fine.  Kids just love to be in water!
 
10. Create a Production: Kids love to pretend and create. Why not encourage them to script, produce and direct their own play. This activity could last for an entire day and sometimes two days and in the end you will get to watch your kid’s masterpiece.

Have a GREAT summer!

The Snot Sucker???

“Mama, my nose is running.” 3 minutes pass. “Mama, my nose is running again.” 2 minutes pass. “Mama, my nose is running AGAIN.” 30 seconds pass. “Mama, my nose is STILL running – you didn’t wipe it properly!”

Sheesh! This has been my world for the last few days since Bowser picked up the summer cold that’s been passing through the family. Because it’s summer and he has no long sleeves to cuff on he’s devised a new method of either lifting up the body of his T-shirt or pulling out the neck to wipe his nose on. How gross? But as I tell him for the millionth time through gritted teeth to use a tissue, NOT his shirt I have to feel a little sorry for him since he still hasn’t mastered the art of nose blowing. Bowser is 3 ½ and through his recent cold we’ve still been trying to explain how-to. Breathe out of your nose…no, close your mouth. Blow out, no, out of your nose. We get strange sounds, and contorted features, but no action.

I tweeted this – you know what us moms are like: sharing our children’s bodily excretions with the Twitterverse is what we do best. @mamasuperpow Tweeted me back with a recommendation:

@RookieMommy try a NoseFrida Snot Sucker. It looks gross and strange, but it WORKS!!

Now there’s a no-nonsense product name. I had to investigate. And this is what I found.

Until you have a baby with a cold you don’t realize how handy it is to be able to blow your nose. A cold to us* is usually no more than an inconvenience, but when it’s your 6 month old baby that’s congested the whole household suffers. What’s a mom to do when her baby has a cold? Make sure they get plenty of sleep and hydration we’re advised, but when Baby is all bunged up both are harder to accomplish. Baby doesn’t sleep well, and may have trouble breastfeeding or bottle feeding because it’s hard to suck when you need to use your mouth for breathing. Colds are often followed by ear infection as the shortness and angle of the ear canal makes it easy for infection to travel from the nose and throat to the ear. Then you have another week of sleepless nights, fever and general unpleasantness to deal with. So the best thing to do is try and clear the baby’s nose …and since they can’t blow, that means sucking it out – Moms get all the best jobs. But this NoseFrida Snot Sucker might just make this particular job easier.

*When I say ‘us’ I’m talking of the fairer sex of course – we all know in men the common cold morphs into a life threatening case of Man-flu after ½ an hour.

In my conversations with NoseFrida they kindly agreed to give away one of their snot suckers to one (lucky?…I’m not so sure) reader.

To enter simply pop to the NoseFrida site and come back with a fact about NoseFrida and leave it in a comment below.

For bonus entries:

• Let us know you are a liker of The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
• Let us know you are a liker of NoseFrida on facebook
• Follow @NoseFrida on Twitter
• Retweet this contest. Be sure to link back to this page and tag @RookieMommy

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries.

• Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only
• Winner will be picked at random
• Giveaway closes Tuesday July 26th, 2011

Lunch Solutions for Busy Moms

Welcome this week’s guest blogger Jennifer Broe, mom of 2 and president of Baby Gourmet Foods Inc

From their early days as a newborn well into the school years, we concern ourselves with how to feed our children well. Are they getting enough iron in their diet? What about those consistently untouched peas and green beans on their plate? Does it mean something when they’ll inhale dinner one night and reject the same food the following week?

For as much thought as we put into creating healthy meals and snacks for our little ones, how much time do we spend focusing on our own nutrition? I talk to so many other moms who are so preoccupied getting good food into their kids that they often sacrifice attention to their own diet. Sneaking bites of your kids’ meals doesn’t count as a meal by the way.

Today I’d like to focus on the topic of lunch. As the middle meal of the day, it may just be the most neglected one. You aren’t as likely to entirely forget to eat breakfast after hours of not eating, and dinner is often a family affair. However that sneaky midday meal often goes undetected until the rumbles in your stomach finally tip you off in the middle of the afternoon. And while it’s been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, for a busy mom on the go, you can’t underplay the value of every single meal for a few important reasons:

It’s your fuel – Your car or crossover SUV will only go so far if you don’t remember to put gas in it. Think of your stomach as your tank – if it’s running on empty, you’re going to be sluggish and not be able to function at full capacity.

Crash and burn – If you skip lunch, not only will you run short on energy, by the time your body realizes how hungry it is, it makes choosing the right foods that much harder. It has been advised that you never grocery shop while hungry because you’ll buy more than you need and be tempted by unhealthy foods. The same goes for choosing food when you’re over-hungry. Rather than reaching for something filling and wholesome, you’re more likely to grab something that satisfies a craving, but doesn’t necessarily provide much in the way of nutritional benefits. By eating lunch consistently before you get too hungry, you’re more likely to make better choices.

Do as I say – You can tell your children to eat lunch, but if they regularly see you skip it, that may underscore the importance of the meal. You not only set an example for your children by what you eat, but by when you eat.

I know that some days it feels as though you barely have enough time to go to the bathroom, rather than make yourself lunch. Just keep in mind that lunches don’t need to be elaborate to be healthy and clean.  In fact, you can use many or all of the same ingredients you use for your children’s lunches!

My two go-to tips for lunches are plan ahead and prepare ahead. Meal planning for the week ensures you have several healthy options in the house. Writing out a schedule also prevents the problem of scrambling around the kitchen when you’re in a hurry and trying to find something quickly.

Preparing ahead is as simple as washing and cutting up fresh fruits and veggies and storing them in containers in the fridge. It’s not complicated and doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Take 20 minutes two evenings a week once the kids are in bed and chop til you drop – carrot sticks, celery or cucumber slices, sweet bell pepper strips, chunks of watermelon or mango. Berries are also a great option, because they don’t require peeling or chopping. Wash them, de-stem if necessary and voila – they’re ready to eat as is. Washing, chopping and storing a head of lettuce also makes salads a cinch. If have leftover chicken or salmon from dinner, shred it before storing it in the refrigerator for use on a salad or in a pita the next day. Hard boil a couple of eggs, slice or shred some low-fat cheese. If you already know what you’ll be eating, you can have all the ingredients ready to toss together the following afternoon.

Some of the lunch ideas – also known as the 3 S’s – I routinely turn to include for myself and my two children:

Salads – There are no limitations as to what you can or can’t put in a salad. Use some of that chopped, washed lettuce or a few handfuls of spinach. Top with some of that leftover protein from dinner and fill in with your favourite vegetables or even fruits. Sliced strawberries or a handful of blueberries make a wonderful addition to salad. If you want some variety, add some chopped herbs such as cilantro for an unexpected flavour. Top with a dressing made of 1 or 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of your favourite vinegar – balsamic and red wine are my own preferences.

Sandwiches – Gone are the days of soggy meat between two slices of white bread. Use multigrain or whole wheat and place some sliced avocado, tomatoes and cheese between two toasted pieces. Or fill a pita with some chicken or tuna and add some plain Greek yogurt or hummus and load with veggies. If you’re really in a crunch for time, spread 1 tablespoon of almond butter between two slices of lightly toasted bread and drizzle with agave syrup or top with a sliced banana for a grown-up version of your childhood PB&J. On those can’t-stop days, my daughter and I often each down a pouch of Baby Gourmet Juicy Pear & Garden Greens on the side so we get our two servings of fruits and vegetables, even when in a hurry.

Smoothies – Often thought of as a breakfast food, the number of smoothie combinations you can come up with is endless and a great option for the noon hour. Combine a half-cup of plain or vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt with nearly anything: a handful of berries, half of a banana or any other fruit that looks or sounds good to you. Loosen it with almond milk (unsweetened chocolate is a great pairing with banana in a smoothie) or plain low-fat milk. Light coconut milk is also fantastic with pineapple chunks a pouch of Baby Gourmet Tropical Banana Bliss. If you’re feeling really adventurous and want to up your veggie intake, add a handful of spinach or kale to your smoothie combined with a banana!

Jennifer Broe is the mother of two well fed children and has a passion for all things culinary. She is also the visionary and president of Baby Gourmet Foods Inc, a multinational food manufacturer specializing in nutritious and delicious organic packaged baby food that recently launched in Wal-Mart stores across Canada. Jen is an inspirational and motivating speaker to women, entrepreneurs and busy moms.

Congratulations Janelle K – winner of the Baby Gourmet gift basket giveaway

Baby Gourmet are offering a fabulous giveaway to our readers of a gift basket packed with Baby Gourmet food and other food and baby-related products, valued at $100

To enter simply  browse the Baby Gourmet range and tell us in a comment below which variety you think sounds the most tasty.

To earn bonus entries:

• ‘Like’ The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms on facebook
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• Tweet this contest, or share it on facebook ‘ Win @BabyGourmet gift basket – the best tasting, all natural, 100% organic food for your baby via @RookieMommy http://wp.me/pC8a1-24z ‘

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries.

• Giveaway is open to US & Canada only
• Winner will be drawn at random
• Giveaway closes June 10th, 2011

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