teething – The Next Kid Thing

Back to School Must Haves from Momtrends’ Back to School Bash

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

We’re still very much in summer mode, however, when it comes to trend spotting and scouting the best kids’ products, we’re always looking ahead. Last week, together with many of my blogger friends, we descended upon Momtrends’ Back to School Bash to check out some of the coolest gear and gadgets for Back to School.

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Joules

I had the chance to meet British clothing brand, Joules at the Momtrends’ Back to School Bash. This brand makes beautiful, classic yet modern clothes with bold prints. The girls’ styles were age-appropriate, yet super stylish. The boys’ looks were polished, classic and fun. I loved the boots and outerwear and the vibrant colors that make these pieces stand out!

Aidan, my friend Alicia from Mommy Delicious’ son, modeling some looks from Joules.

Paula’s Choice

Always on the hunt for new skincare lines that work for me, it was great meeting Paula’s Choice. While Paula’s Choice makes a variety of products designed for different skin types, I particularly loved learning about their Clear line which is designed for oily and acne-prone skin. Paula’s Choice products are intended not to be irritating, so there are no fragrances or dyes or anything that could be harmful to your skin.

Vamousse

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photo credit: Momtrends

Having kids in school, there’s no doubt that at one point you’ll be faced with sick kids and possibly receiving a note from the school nurse that someone in your child’s class may be infected with lice. That dreaded letter has found its way to my son’s backpack this year more times than I could count. Lucky us, products like Vamousse are designed to be effective yet non-toxic. At any given time, I always have a Vamousse treatment kit in my arsenal, knowing that lice infestations can happen at any time with 2 boys in school. I also like that they have Lice Defense Daily Shampoo as well as Lice Elimination Powder. And, yay me! I won a cool Amazon gift card from Vamousse at the event. Thanks for being a sponsor!

Thanks to Vamousse, we were treated to a braid bar from Glam Squad. I had a great time getting my hair braided and catching up with Julie Cole, one of the founders of Mabel’s Labels!

Chewbeads

Known for their teething-friendly accessories, Chewbeads were onhand at the Momtrends Back to School Bash to showcase their new line of JuniorBeads. Perfect as accessories for kids, these necklaces, bracelets and pendants are made with silicone and can double as sensory tools. My younger guy has special needs and low tone, and we often have to exercise his jaw muscles with chewing on things, so these pendants would be perfect for him. Have a kid who bites their nails or needs some sort of sensory tool? JuniorBeads would be ideal for them. I love the necklaces, shark tooth pendant and that military tag!

Mabel’s Labels

One of my family’s must-haves year-round, Mabel’s Labels showcased several new designs, combo pack and a cool new school years memory book. I’m eyeing the limited edition zombie design for my tween who has outgrown the cutesy designs. The School Years Memory book is a perfect solution for parents who want to collect special certificates, awards and occasional artwork. I love the oversized size that can actually fit the giant posters that the kids bring home. The price is right around $30, making this affordable and an absolute necessity when organizing for the school year.

Nalgene

As a lunchbox enthusiast and gadget nerd, I absolutely loved learning about Nalgene’s new Lunchbox Buddy. This durable and versatile lunchbox is made with the same material that makes Nalgene so popular. I love that these lunch boxes are simple and rugged; the box itself can be thrown in the dishwasher and the outer case can be thrown in the washing machine—perfect my messy kids! And something that I never knew: all Nalgene products have a lifetime warranty. How’s that for awesome? I truly respect brands, especially ones that accommodate kids, that can stand behind their own reliability.

Earth’s Best and Ella’s Kitchen

In between school, sports, volunteering and all of the other demands of life, some days, we need an easy dinner solution. (ok, most days) Thank goodness for Earth’s Best. Earth’s Best has an extensive line of frozen foods that are geared to families. These products are void of all the bad ingredients, but packed with flavor and portability to boot. I loved tasting the different flavors, with the mini meatballs and pepperoni stuffed bites as my favorites. I will be adding Organic Fruit Cups into our lunch box rotation for when cheap fruit is no longer an option!

Sister brand, Ella’s Kitchen has been a mainstay in our pantry since Littles started eating solids. I love the delicious flavors they offer for baby foods, and their Nibbly Fingers are the best for babes and toddlers. I loved learning about their smoothies, which I’ve been including in my preschooler’s summer school lunch box. Those things are a hit!

Keen

Keen, known for their awesome sandals, was featuring highlights from their fall lineup. I’m eyeing several boots and hightops from my guy. I adored the sparkly hightops for girls, only wishing they came in my size. I appreciate that this brand is known for their casual and rugged look and feel, which is ideal for school-aged kids.

Wall Pops

Wall Pops offers a great selection of wall coverings that can be used as decor or as functional tools that are helpful for staying organized or informed. Always a fan of the oversized calendars, I love that they have maps and dry erase wall pops that make our school days seamless. We like using Wall Pops as calendars and as an unobtrusive way of reminding us what to do and when! My friends and I loved hanging out in the photo booth, thanks to Wall Pops!

A big thank you to Momtrends for having me once again at the Back to School Bash. As always, I loved checking out the awesome trends for fall, as well as hanging out with my girls!

Full disclosure: I received a generous swag bag and won a gift card at this event. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Oogaa Feeding Products Put the Fun in Function

March 13, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Plastics in baby bottles and feeding products has been a topic of discussion for some time now. The research has been done, and BPA and phthalates are chemicals we should try to avoid. Even though there’s been some conflicting info floating around, it’s safe to say, these are chemicals we don’t want in our baby products.

On that note, we’ve seen an increase in baby products made of different materials such as silicone, stainless steel and glass. One of my absolute favorites has been silicone, because of its versatility, durability and convenience. The rubbery texture of silicone often doubles as a teether AND it’s virtual kid-proof.

Healthy Child Healthy World recently shared an article on silicones in our baby products, but the consensus on its safety seems to be: more research needs to be done, but it’s safe to use for our babes.

We recently received a line of Oogaa feeding products to review. These products, made of silicone, are, hands down, some of my favorite feeding products to date. To start, they’re bright and fun, something that’s welcomed after such a cold and gray winter.

The spoons have cool airplanes, boats and other designs in the middle that make them not only fun tools, but also more weighted. Like many who already do this, mom and dad use the fun airplane or train spoons together with those sound effects to make baby eat that baby food.

We’ve been using the placemat on top of the high chair tray for easier clean up when eating yogurt or other messy foods that the toddler insists on feeding himself. The portioned plates, though, are perhaps my favorite. I can cut up fruit and cheese and put in each compartment so that the tot can pick and choose bite-sized pieces himself, but to also control portion sizes. With the two boys eating such different amounts of food, I often forget that the toddler has a much smaller appetite and pickier palate, and food often gets wasted because of this.

Best of all, after eating, clean up of these Oogaa products is super simple. Because of the products are made of silicone, it’s easy to just throw them into the dishwasher.

There’s a variety of awesome Oogaa feeding products ranging from the spoons to plates to placemats. The plate and spoon set would make an ideal baby shower gift—talk about functional!

Here’s a little vlog we did when reviewing these fun feeding tools from Ooga:

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Full disclosure: I received these products to facilitate this review. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Toddler Teething Relief with Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Tablets and Gel

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The uncontrollable drooling, the never-ending crankiness, the insatiable desire to use big brother’s arm as a teether: you name it, my younger son has been showcasing all the telltale signs of a teething toddler. Maybe you can relate, but my little guy has been teething, for what seems like, years. I’ve done the frozen washcloths, every kind of fancy teeether, as well as the necklaces—but truly, it never seems to be enough to soothe the teething pain.

Since my one year old is on a cocktail of anti-seizure meds, I try my best to refrain from using any additional medicines, as much as possible. As with my older boy, I’ll always grab for homeopathic or more “natural” methods before administering anything else. It turns out I’m not alone when it comes to relying on homeopathic remedies. According to a study released by IBIS in July 2012, in the past five years global use of homeopathic treatments by adults has increased and is expected to grow through 2017.

And so, with the tot’s most recent teething fun, as luck would have it, we had the chance to try out Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Tablets and Gel to soothe his swollen gums and comfort him as he was cutting his molars.

After studying the label and learning that Baby Orajel Naturals doesn’t include benzocaine, belladonna, dyes, parabens, sugar or sodium lauryl sulfate. Baby Orajel Naturals does not contain belladonna in its tablets and gels, which is an ingredient that’s been associated with undesirable side effects when taken orally. I feel much more comfortable giving my guy Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Tablets and Gel. For my guy, it’s clear that the frozen washcloths just don’t cut it when he’s in so much pain. It’s comforting to know that there are more natural options to get us through these trying times. As for the biting…well, we’re working on that.

According to the makers of Baby Orajel Naturals, there are no expected side effects from this specific line of products. We didn’t notice any side effects after but positive effects following our usage. Baby, who is still fond of giving those juicy open-mouthed kisses, is much more loving and huggi

ng after I gave him Baby Orajel Naturals gel. Of course he resisted, but once I put the gel on his swollen gums he was all smiles from the relief. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same response when I tried to give him the tablets. He usually spit out the tablets after putting them under his tongue. I imagine the tablets who would work much better for smaller babes that don’t have the ability grab tablets out of their mouth. Nevertheless, I found the gels to be so helpful and comforting for the babe, so I love the fact that Baby Orajel Naturals gives options.

Giveaway

Teething isn’t fun, but thank goodness there are methods for relief, including Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Tablets and Gel. And since we all need relief especially when it comes to teething, I’m giving away a $50 Target Gift Card. Enter below to grab this prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full disclosure: This post is part of a sponsorship on BabyCenter. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own. I am not a medical professional, so please do not confuse my opinions as medical advice. If you have any questions about teething or your baby’s health, be sure to consult your pediatrician.

This contest ends August 30. Please note: the winner should allow 6 – 8 weeks for delivery after contest has ended.