The ShowNo Towel - One Big Disney Idea I Did Not Think Of

I have ideas. Big ones and little ones. But rarely do I think that my ideas would ever be useful to the masses. If I had a great idea worth sharing, I would probably think, "I am so happy I came up with my great idea. I've made MY life so much easier" and continue on my merry way.


Entrepreneur Shelly Ehler had a great idea and, unlike me, decided to share with the masses. She went on the ABC reality show Shark Tank to pitch her great idea of a towel/poncho/privacy tent and they bought it. And then Disney Parks bought it to sell in their water parks. And then I said, "I could totally cut a hole in a towel and call it an invention!". And then you all reminded me that I didn't cut a hole in a towel so I am out of luck. And so on. 


Kudos to Shelly for taking her great idea to the people. And I will likely buy my boys two of these the next time I am at Disney. Or I might just bring towels from the hotel, cut holes in them and stick a mickey mouse sticker on it out of jealous spite. 


If you would like to buy in advance of your next Disney trip, check out Shelly's web site at ShowNo.com

~Davina

I could have totally thought of this

Pottery Barn Recalls Pretty Much Every Crib Ever Made

 *Sigh*

First my McClaren stroller, then the sling, and now my son's Pottery Barn crib.

Is there any baby product that is not a death trap?

Recall info can be found here

Lip balm addicts unite!

I am a lip balm junkie. It's something I cannot live without. If traveling, no matter the distance, I always have two kinds in my bag just in case. Cracked , dry lips are ugly and feel just plain nasty. This sentiment is the same for men and women so men listen up and get your self some Blistex.

I just recently scoured the local drugstore to see if I could find some new, reasonably priced ones and came up with the Blistex, Lip infusion Moisture Splash. It's in a silver tube and has a roller ball for the application. I enjoy it. I was however unable to find the main one I was looking for from EOS. After a search online I found that Walgreens does however have it for only $3.29! Sold!! It's a smooth sphere roll on , 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth. The 4 current flavors are summer fruit, honeysuckle honeydew, sweet mint and the new lemon drop with spf 15. I must have the lemon drop. Check out their website if the thought of going into Walgreens makes you nauseous.

Does anyone use this now and what are your thoughts on it? Clearly you can't beat the price. Once I buy it, I'll give you my Blistex.

http://www.evolutionofsmooth.com/index.html

~Karen

Fashion Diapers? Seriously?

I am all for fashion, but this is ridiculous. In response to Huggies limited edition jean diapers, Pampers fires back with their own version of fancy poop sacks. Target will stock Cynthia Rowley designed Pampers beginning in mid-July.

Yes, they are more expensive. And yes, your baby's poop will still smell.

~Davina

Go Green... and red, and blue, and black....

Expand your home recycle program beyond plastic and paper and start collecting those old crayons. You know the ones... they can be found underneath a couch cushion, in the backseat of your car, maybe even in your pocket or pocketbook?

The National Crayon Recycle Program will take those odd bits and pieces and melt them down to make brand new ones. If you're crafty you can do the same (how to melt down crayons). Or if you're lazy like me, you can just buy the ones someone has melted and shaped for you.

I recommend Eco Stars from Miss Brittany: http://organicfundough.com/item_7/Eco-Stars-Recycled-Crayons.htm

For $8.95 you get a box of star shaped crayons. Perfect for small hands and the five points are like 5 crayons in one.

~Davina

The Nap Nanny. Best. Invention. Ever.

So two nights ago was the trial run. The Nap Nanny came into our sleepless lives with promises of a more than two hour stretches (at best) of uninterrupted sleep.

As mentioned in my previous post, at first glance the Nap Nanny is nothing more than angled foam and a nubby blanket cover. My first thought upon seeing it was along the lines of "well that was a waste of $130."  But now that we have had a few days with this new device, I have to say that it may have been the best money ever spent.

I don't know why it works, but it does (I took the photo of Q to the left as I was typing this). My son who would never lay flat on his back and only could sleep on my chest or in the bouncy seat has made his opinion known by sleeping well more than his 2 hour stretches-- quietly settling in for 3, sometimes 4, hours.  As any sleepless parent knows, any extra sleep is good sleep.

What it is:
As mentioned, this is a piece of foam covered in a nubby fabric. There is a buckle around the waist. From the side it looks a bit like a rollercoaster. Babies seem to think it's magic.

What it is not:
There are no lights, no vibrations, no bounces. I was nervous at first because I thought that Quentin liked that movement and would balk at a stationary product. He's sleeping in it now and is as peaceful as can be... no battery required.

So the next question is, why didn't I keep on using the bouncy seat since that seemed to work? Well it was only marginally effective. Quentin would fall alseep but wake up just shy of 2 hours like clock-work. I liken it to falling asleep in a lazy-boy. Comfortable at first, but eventually you want to move to your bed.

The Nap Nanny seems to give him the peaceful sleep that was missing for his first few weeks of life. There is no weight limit so as long as you feel comfortable with your child in the seat, you can use it. They do recommend that once the baby can sit up, you start moving on to another method.

As a re-affirmation of Quentin's positive non-verbal sleep review, my two year old decided it would be fun to try it out. Upon sitting back he put his hands behind his head and exclaimed "comfortable!".

That's right dude, comfortable and sooooo worth it.

~Davina

The Nap Nanny is in the Hiz-ouse!

This could be a game changer.

Having just spent the last 12 weeks not sleeping it was all I could do not to hug the postman when he delivered the Nap Nanny today.

What is the Nap Nanny you ask? Well according to review I read online, it's a revolution in baby sleeping. Part foam wedge, part nubby blanket I am hoping this creation will change the amount of sleep we all get.

More to come in the AM. Wish me luck.

Alphabet Soup

Looking for an original baby shower gift? I just got a great gift in the mail from a good friend in Jolly Ole' England.

Johnny's Sister (http://www.jonnyssister.co.uk/standard-love-letters-p-260.html) based out of the UK creates custom letter gifts. Letter soaps, letter pillows, wooden letters... you pick the letter and they craft it out of the appropriate material.

I just got the "Q" Love Letter pillow in the mail for my son Quentin's nursery. It's not as practical as a diaper geenie or bouncy seat, but just as thoughtful and way more fun.

Orders can be placed online and the ship world-wide.

Check out http://www.jonnyssister.co.uk/ for their full range of products.

~Davina

Rub a Dub Dub, I Love the Puj Tub

For the first few months of my premature son's life my husband and I avoided the baby bath tub. Sponge baths seemed so much saner at least until he put on some pounds and some neck muscles showed up.

So it was with delight that I discovered the Puj Tub. This miracle piece of foam fits in any standard size sink and allows for a two handed, stress free, rinse down. Of course the basic safety rules of bath time still apply but it's a whole lot easier on everyone-- I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, me or the baby.

What it is:

Basically for $39.99 plus shipping (babiesrus.com) you get a flat piece of foam. There are magnets that make the flat foam transform into a scoop shape that slide under the faucet and into a sink. When you are done simply pull the magnets apart and hang on the back of the bathroom door. Great for small spaces or taking on a trip.

What it is not:

Long term. I'm pretty sure this is going to be good for only a few more months. There are not set weight guidelines, but once your baby can't fit into the sink-- you and the puj are done.

It is also not available in stores. I ordered it from babiesrus.com-- it came in a few days.

One comment/criticism. They call out that you are not to run the water on the baby. Makes sense but generally for bath time water is a necessity. So there is a bit of planning to make sure you have an extra basin of water ready. I am lucky to have two sinks in my bathroom, for those who do not, I  can see the first few times using this to be a lesson in planning.

The video below shows how this works. Money well spent in my book.

Go Go Kidz TravelMate Review

There was a time in my life when I would check out another woman's pocketbook or shoes. So imagine my surprise when I found myself ignoring the Louis Vuitton carry on bag and instead checking out another woman's infant car seat hand roller. I watched with admiration as a mother pulled her two children through the airport. Both kids snugly attached in their car seat, this super-mom rolled them easily through the check-in line at Orlando's airport. "I must have that", I thought to myself.

Knowing an airline trip was coming up with a car seat required at our destination, I started my research. All signs pointed to a giant headache manually carrying car seat, stroller, baby, and luggage. So what was the magical device this woman used to transport her children?

Turns out, she was using a Go Go Kidz TravelMate.

What is is: A piece of plastic with two wheels that attaches to your car seat. The buckle that holds the Go Go Kidz and the car seat together is pretty simple. If you have ever ratcheted ski boots, this will seem strikingly similar.


What it is not: Useful in any other capacity than pulling (or pushing) through airports and train stations.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the equivalent of the invention of the disposable diaper), I would give it around a 5. It does the job it is supposed to do and it freed up our hands for wrangling everything else. Mission complete. However, there were some things I would love to see the 2.0 version do.

• It cannot roll onto the plane. Not really their fault as the plane aisles are small. You just need to know that there will be some disassembling and reassembling on your journey.
• It cannot be attached to the car seat while on the plane. I would love a version of this product that could somehow transform itself into plane seat compatible so no overhead space is needed.
• It does not like to lean against walls. When not attached to you car seat the product is in the way... all the time. something that prevents it from rolling so you can lean it against a wall would be nice.
• It does not fit every car seat ever made. A tall order, I know.
• There are x-ray machines that this product will not fit through. We had to have it hand checked by security at Logan. It went through fine in Maui... go figure.

All in all, I was thankful I had this with me. Until they make a car seat that can convert into a roll-on (now there's an idea) I say go for it if you have the extra $70. It saved some headaches, it was easy to hook up and take off (for the most part) and I received a few envious glances myself as I rolled with ease through the airport.

Some notes on where to buy: I bought my version through Amazon. I tried the Go Go Kidz website and found the check-out process clunky. I trust Amazon and they delivered the product within a week.

Happy Travels!

~Davina