infant – The Next Kid Thing

tommee tippee Now Available at Walmart

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

One of my all-time favorite baby brands, tommee tippee, is now available at Walmart. The beloved baby brand known for their bottles, nursing accessories and feeding gear, can be found at select stores and at Walmart.com.

When the company first made its way to the States several years ago, tommee tippee could only be found at a few baby stores. But now, it’s great to know that tommee tippee is more accessible than ever with its availability at Walmart.

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I’ve done many round ups professing my love for this brand, but truly, I almost always include tommee tippee bottles or bibs in baby shower gifts for friends and family. And since my older brother and his wife are expecting their second baby this summer, I’m slowly stashing away baby gear for them.

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NKTTommeeTippee faves

With thanks to a generous gift card from tommee tippee, I picked up a few new Closer to Nature bottles for my new baby nephew gift stash. Of all the offerings online, I loved seeing all the newborn gift sets and, of course, my favorite roll-up bibs that are perfect for stashing in the diaper bag or babysitter bag.

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In need of baby shower gifts or new feeding supplies? Be sure to check out tommee tippee over on Walmart.com!

Full disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Top Tommee Tippee Favorites

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

If you’re anything like us, when we find a brand we love and trust, we stick with them…and that, of course, includes baby gear. After having two babes, and reviewing hundreds of products through the years, I’m more brand-loyal than ever.

One brand, in particular, that I love and trust for my two guys is Tommee Tippee. Tommee Tippee, known for their baby gear and toddler feeding accessories, have a wide range of products that grow with your family. In fact, we were quite smitten with this UK brand from the very start! In 2009 when Tommee Tippee launched in the US, I attended a very cool blogger event, where I was intimately introduced to every single product that was going to be available stateside.

Five years later, the brand has solidified their name as a baby gear staple in American homes. As a mama who has used this brand loyally over the years, I’m thrilled to be a part of their Tommee Mommee blogger initiative.

In honor of this, I thought I’d share just some of my favorite Tommee Tippee favorites, many of which we use daily.

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1. Explora Truly Spill-Proof Drinking Cups in 3-Ring Circus

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This limited edition design of Tommee Tippee’s drinking cup features whimsical graphics of animals doing their thing in the circus. The modern flair of these graphics give these convenient cups a fresh appeal for parents and toddlers. These are definitely my favorite sippy cups because they’re easy to clean, spill proof, but especially because they don’t utilize that spout that so many cups have. These cups are a great transition for kids who are almost ready for open cups. These cups are exclusive to BRU.

2. Easi-Roll Bibs

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When it comes to eating, these bibs are my best friends. Of all the silicone bibs out there, these suit our needs the best. They’re colorful, soft and rollable, which makes them easy to transport in a diaper bag. After my wanna-be independent toddler feeds himself yogurt for lunch, I love throwing these in the dishwasher. If you’ve seen my Vine or Instagram stream of Small’s sleep-eating videos, perhaps you’ve spotted cameos of the Tommee Tippee Easi-Roll Bibs!

3. Easy Scoop Feeding Bowls with Lids and Spoons

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Bowls with attachable spoons: seriously, Tommee Tippee thinks of everything. What makes these bowls so great is that if you start a meal and need to dash ff to big brother’s practice, you can literally eat on the go. I appreciate the convenience of this set and how you can keep things compartmentalized and hygienic, all while transporting. Genius!

4. Travel Bottle and Food Warmer

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For a family that takes frequent road trips, the Travel Bottle and Food Warmer was our saving grace during the infancy stage. When the Smalls was nursing, it was so convenient being able to warm a bottle with the warmer and not having to plug anything in. The stainless steel container kept hot water hot, taking a page out of the old school Thermos method. Even better, I was able to thaw frozen breast milk on the road with this warmer, too. This is certainly something that’s an excess in terms of baby gear, but definitely a necessity for traveling families who need to keep liquids warm or thaw food/milk on the go.

5. Section Plates

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For toddlers, the feeding frenzy doesn’t get any better than having the convenience of Section Plates. TT’s Section Plates are perfect for allotting portion sizes and for presenting foods for tots who are quite visual at this stage. The Section Plates are perfect for finger foods and work for self-feeding meals, too.

6. Insulated Bottle Bag

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Another one of my favorite travel essentials is the TT Insulated Bottle Bag. Even though I’ve always carried a diaper bag that has ample pockets for bottles, I often found that it was much more convenient to use these insulated Bottle Bags. The velcro strap made it easy to attach to bag handles on the outside of my bag, lowering the chance of spilling bottles IN my bag and increasing the convenience factor of finding the bottle amidst the depths of my bottomless bag. Another item of baby gear excess, I absolutely loved having this bottle bag for those fleeting baby days.

Full disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Samples were provided to facilitate reviews; however, as always, all opinions are my own.

CES 2014: Smart Bulbs, Smart Monitors and New Tech for Babies and Beyond

January 9, 2014January 9, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I’ve been following the reports from Vegas and the Consumer Electronics Show which is the international trade show that unveils the latest and greatest in technology. From curved tvs to smart light bulbs, it seems everything is connected or has a smart element in it these days.

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Since I’m not at the show this year, here are just a few interesting products I’ve found and read about:

Lumen Smart Bulb

The Lumen TL800 is an app-enabled Bluetooth smart bulb that is said to last 30 times longer than a typical incandescent bulb, but uses five times less power. There are 16 million color options and the dimmable LED bulb create their own lighting atmosphere. It’s like the ultimate black light and beyond.

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With its proprietary app, this smart bulb features include:

Call Alert Mode: Notifies users of incoming calls by flashing when the phone rings.
Music Sync Mode: Visualize your music by synchronizing your music and lighting effects.
Party Mode 1 and 2: Transform any space into a dance floor with pre-programmed flashing beats that match the music.
Wake Mode: Mimics the sunrise in the morning, gradually brightening until it reaches maximum intensity at the stipulated wake up time. Users can customize how long the brightening process should take, from 5 minutes to 15 minutes.
Romance Mode: Creates the perfect condition for a romantic date or quiet evening at home with a warm atmosphere.
Relaxation Mode: Simulates calming moonlight, creating a relaxing ambiance.

I actually think this bulb would come in handy for parents of young children, especially those who rely on night lights. Think of those late nights when you’re up feeding late and need minimal, yet functional lights to change a diaper or get to the restroom. My phone is always accessible, especially during late night feedings, so this would be something I can see parents using to update nurseries and kids’ rooms.

The TL800 is available at Amazon.com for $69.99. Check out a video of the TL800 here.

Mimo

Baby monitors are getting even smarter. Taking a cue from other smart devices, Mimo uses a small monitor that clicks onto a compatible baby kimono and, literally, tracks baby’s every move. Baby’s movement is reported on its proprietary app, and parents can track from their smart phones. The small turtle-shaped Bluetooth-enabled device is too big to be a choking hazard and it comes on and off of the kimonos. The organic cotton kimonos are machine washable, as is the device itself.

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And while traditional media seems to be reporting Mimo to be an “extreme” monitor, I can see this concept as being borderline excessive. Do we really need to know baby’s every move?

But on the flipside, consider parents with sick babies or babies with special needs who do require extra care. With an infant who was diagnosed with epilepsy at four months old, I could have used this device when we returned from the hospital after his diagnosis. We went from 24-hour care from the most knowledgeable nurses to me, on my own, caring for a small child with a neurological condition that I knew nothing about. Though he sleeps right next to my bed, there are times when we are away from each other and his breathing patterns can indicate an oncoming episode.

I think the smart baby monitor is going to change parenting and how connected we are to our children, but it certainly won’t escape its critics. Talk to any parent who has had to rush their small child to the ER because of a sickness; knowing those exact vitals could be life-changing.

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to learn even more about this device. Stay tuned, and hopefully, I will get more info as it this shelves after CES. I dislike the whole mom brain angle (we’re all exhausted, but this is a tired excuse) check out a video of Mimo here.

Owlet

The Owlet is another smart baby monitor that provides an overview of baby’s well-being with a Blue-Tooth enabled sock.

According to the manufacturers, the Smart Sock uses Bluetooth technology to wirelessly transmit information to your phone. The Owlet tracks baby’s heart rate, oxygen, temperature and roll over alerts via pulse-oximetry.

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This monitor reminds me of the devices that are used in the hospitals to track sick babies’ vitals. The Owlet monitor is bringing the comprehensive smart technology that’s been used in hospitals for years to the homes of consumers. To reiterate my feelings on smart monitors, this information is great to have, especially for sick or babies with special needs. But if there isn’t medical necessity to know all of these vitals, do we truly need all of this information about our babies day-to-day? Are we harboring anxiety for new parents with this sort of technology?

I’ll be interested to see how consumers embrace this new technology. Whether we really “need” it or not, I think this new technology is simply amazing. Check out the Owlet video here.

Retro, Fun Gift Idea: Hank & Jojo Baby Tube Socks

March 29, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I’m convinced our house is where pairs of socks come to lose each other. Nevertheless, I appreciate fun socks, most notably for the kid and as gifts for my friends’ kids.

And behold! I spotted these fun socks at the Brooklyn Baby Expo a few weeks ago. Retro, sustainable and functional, these tube socks from Hank & Jojo are now on my must-have list.

Hank & Jojo tube socks recall the socks from our own childhood, but instead of the bold spectrum of super-tall knee-hi socks, Hank & Jojo’s soft socks for the wee ones are made from bamboo and feature subtle colors, free of AZO dyes.

Ideal for baby shower gifts, Hank & Jojo socks come in baby and kid sizes and are packaged in an adorable recyclable box that can later be used as a lunchbox.

Baby tube socks not your thing? Check out this adorable “Green is the New Black” organic onesie. Hank & Jojo tube socks can be found online and at sites like Uncommon Goods.

BabySmart Cooshee Changer is Comfy and Convenient

January 26, 2010January 26, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With the NY Toy Fair less than three weeks away, I’ve been starting to get my game plan in order. While I research new companies and new products, I will be posting some picks that I find along the way. This product is one that I found while reviewing the exhibitor list.

As a parent, there’s nothing less desirable than changing diapers—well, besides cleaning up barf. But nevertheless, smart products make these tasks much easier to bear. A line from yet another mompreneur, Cooshee products from BabySmart are constructed from micro-cell foam, which gives them their soft, yet sturdy frame.