The Mom Crowd

Sponsor Saturdays is a new feature on The Mom Crowd. Each Saturday we will be highlighting one of our six sponsors.

***Keep reading all the way to the end to find out how you can win a Baby Sling  or Nursing Cover and a Promotion Code ***

Tot-to-Go has the coolest baby slings, nursing covers, and accessories. The founder, Shani Sam, is the mother of two beautiful girls. She started her company out of a need that arose after the birth of her first baby. I’ll let Shani share her story own in words.

Amanda: Why did you create Tot to Go?
Shani: Before my first daughter was born, I had decided that I would take a break from teaching after my one year maternity leave was up. This turned out to be the right decision and one of those things that was “just meant to be”. My first baby girl was 5lbs 11oz. She wasn’t as small as some preemies but she definitely was small for most standard baby carriers. The trouble was Madeline wanted to be carried all the time and I was feeling tired and frustrated. I tried many different brands and types of carriers and slings but I just couldn’t find one that I really loved so I decided to make my own. I didn’t get very far with my project when my daughter was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a rare and terminal liver condition. I put my idea aside and concentrated on taking care of my baby.

After Madeline had her liver transplant and was recovering well at home, I started working on my baby sling project again. I tried several designs and cuts and Madeline was the model for every single product I made at home. She was still very small after transplant and tired very easily. Having the slings around was fantastic for keeping her close to me throughout the day.

I went to a baby show and carried Madeline in one of our original slings and received compliments and inquiries all afternoon. Shortly after the baby show, I decided to try my hand at being an entrepreneur and put my baby sling on the market. The response has been so positive. People can relate to my story of constantly carrying my daughter in my arms and going crazy from pacing back and forth all day and all night (it’s pretty much what most parents go through!). When they hear or read about how the baby sling made my life easier and kept me from going insane, they also consider giving baby wearing a try. Why not? Baby wearing has been around for ages!

A:What makes your slings unique?  Do you design them yourself?
S: There are so many baby slings and carriers on the market and many of them are very similar. When I was shopping for a sling for my first baby, I was really confused by the different fabric choices, complicated tiered pricing systems and whether to buy stretch or non stretch. I wanted to keep things very simple. All our slings are fully lined and reversible and made with 97% cotton and 3% Lycra for just the right amount of stretch. I like to think that we are priced pretty competitively for the quality product we offer.

Last year we started using custom fabrics and many of our customers say that is what sets us apart from local and North American competitors. I’m now trying my hand at designing my own fabric for an even more custom look. The goal is for people to see our beautiful prints and know right away that it’s a Tot-to-go.

A: What are the benefits of baby wearing?
S: Baby wearing provides a lot of great benefits for parents and babies. Babies love the womb like feeling of being carried in a sling or carrier. They enjoy listening to the comforting sound of your heart beat when being worn close to your body. Wearing your baby allows you to keep your hand free to complete daily tasks or to care and spend time with older children. Did you know that babies that are worn cry 43% less? Now that’s a benefit that most parents will appreciate!!! These are just a few reasons to wear your baby. Here is a bit of a personal reason that might seem silly but I like to wear my baby because the sling helps cover up my postpartum belly. Everyone is so interested in the baby and the sling that they don’t notice your extra bit of baby jiggle!

A: What is the weight range that the slings can hold?
S: Our baby slings are suitable for use for babies from newborn up to 34lbs. If you have a tiny baby, it helps to fold up a receiving blanket into a small rectangular “pillow” and tuck it in the sling first for support. Also remember that baby slings are sized for the parent and not the baby. You should be able to use the same size sling throughout your baby’s growth and development unless you experience a sudden weight loss or gain.

A: You also sell nursing covers. How does using a nursing cover make nursing in public easier?
S: Some moms are super comfortable with their bodies and don’t feel self-conscious about breastfeeding in public. Hooray for these mommies! I like to be covered up when breastfeeding in public and also at home when people visit. That’s just my personal thing. I don’t like people seeing parts of my body that I consider private. The funny thing is I talked to some other nursing moms who said they weren’t as worried about covering up their breasts in public as they were about hiding their tummies while breastfeeding. This isn’t such a biggie if you are wearing a nursing tank or top that provides discreet access for feeding. If you don’t want to invest in an expensive new nursing wardrobe, a nursing cover is an affordable option for breast AND tummy coverage! Using the cover is also great if your baby tends to be distracted by noises and sounds when you are out and about in public. I have recent experience nursing my new baby girl in public and I can attest that a nursing cover does come in handy!

A: Finally, you are the mom of 2 beautiful girls. What advice would you give to new mothers?
S: Something I learned the second time around is that you should try to accept any kind offers of help. If you can, delegate tasks out to helpful family members and friends. I don’t know what I would have done without my mother and mother-in-law when Olivia was born. My mother was kind enough to take care of big sister Madeline and my mother-in-law made sure my husband and I were well fed those first two weeks post partum. Make sure you nap whenever you can. I am not one to nap but I took everything opportunity to sleep whenever I could!

*** Win a Madeline Baby Sling OR Nursing Cover! (They are pictured above!) *** Now Closed

Here is how to enter:

• Go to Tot-to-Go’s website, pick your favorite sling design, and come back here and write in the comments of this post which is your favorite design!

Winners will be chosen at random and announced next Saturday on Aug. 15th. Good luck!

A special promotion code for The Mom Crowd Readers!  Enjoy 15% off your purchase of $50 or more when you shop at www.tot-to-go.com. Code: momcrowd

Winners!

Baby Sling – Jenn!

Nursing Cover – Amy K!

Thank you to everyone that entered!

August 1 – 7 is World Breastfeeding Week. The main purpose of WBW is promote breastfeeding in emergency situations worldwide.  An emergency can happen anytime and anywhere. They want to inform mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, donors, and the media on how they can actively support breastfeeding before and during an emergency.

WHY WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2009?

• Children are the most vulnerable in emergencies – child mortality can soar from 2 to 70 times higher than average due to diarrhea, respiratory illness and malnutrition.

• Breastfeeding is a life saving intervention and protection is greatest for the youngest infants. Even in non-emergency settings, non-breastfed babies under 2 months of age are six times more likely to die.

• Emergencies can happen anywhere in the world. Emergencies destroy what is ‘normal,’ leaving caregivers struggling to cope and infants vulnerable to disease and death.

• During emergencies, mothers need active support to continue or re-establish breastfeeding.

• Emergency preparedness is vital. Supporting breastfeeding in non-emergency settings will strengthen mothers’ capacity to cope in an emergency.

In every country around the world breastfeeding needs to be supported and promoted, especially areas where clean water is limited and government conflicts can create national emergencies. Infant mortality rates in time of crisis can be dramatically decreased if a baby who was breastfed can still be breastfeed. “Breastmilk is the one safe and secure source of food for babies, instantly available, providing active protection against illness and keeping an infant warm and close to his/her mother. During the first three months of conflict in Guinea-Bissau in 1998, the death rate amongst 9–20 month old non-breastfed children was six times higher than amongst the children of the same age-group who were breastfed.“ Even women who are HIV positive can still breastfeed.

“Once an emergency strikes, simple measures can make all the difference in the world to a mother caught up in it. Ensure  that mothers are secure, have priority access to food for the family, water, shelter, and when necessary, safe places to breastfeed (with privacy, where culturally required).”

When Katrina hit New Orleans access to clean water was limited, but mothers who breastfed could still breastfeed their infants. Then they were evacuated to shelters where breastfeeding may have been frowned upon, because it isn’t widely culturally acceptable here in the United States. I wonder if there were comfortable places made for women to nurse. I know I feel more comfortable nursing in private another room or using a nursing cover.

So what can you do to help promote breastfeeding in an emergency?

Be Prepared

• Exclusively breastfeed your baby until s/he is 6 months of age.  Continue to breastfeed your baby to 2 years or beyond.

• Encourage your local mother support group(s) to discuss emergency preparedness. For example, plan ways that the group could staff a safe place for mothers and provide mother-to-mother support to breastfeeding if large numbers of people are made homeless.

• Make contact with local emergency authorities and community groups and tell them about IFE.

During an Emergency

• Continue to practice optimal breastfeeding.

• Offer support to other mothers who are having difficulties or to mothers of newborns in an emergency.

• Consider wet nursing if needs are identified, e.g. orphans, very ill mothers.

• Help organise safe places for mothers with mother-to-mother support for breastfeeding.

Support from Afar

• Identify agencies that support breastfeeding in emergencies and fundraise for them.

*All the information in this blog post is from World Breastfeeding Week’s Action Folder. I would highly recommend downloading it and reading it.

How are you going to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week? I am going to keep nursing my 5 month old!

You can ad a twibbon to your twitter profile pic to show your support. http://twibbon.com/join/World-Breastfeeding-Week

Sponsor Saturdays is a new feature on The Mom Crowd. Each Saturday we will be highlighting one of our six sponsors.

***Keep reading all the way to the end to find out how you can win a BUD Luxury Duck or Little Honey 100% Natural Bug Repellent Band! *** 3 Winners! ***

Design Room Group is one of our newest sponsors on The Mom Crowd. They have the coolest rubber ducks and modern gear for children. Jenny Pithie is a mom to two beautiful girls, a wife to a nature loving husband and the owner of Designroom and Little Honey, modern products for kids and their parents. She was kind enough to do a Q & A with me about her store and her family.

Amanda: How did you come up with the concept for the Design Room Group?
Jenny: Design Room Group was formed to bring to the US great Australian designed children’s products.  My husband is Australian and I always find really cool stuff when we visit.  After the birth of my first child I noticed all the amazing kid’s products when we would visit and I decided to try to bring them to the US.  It has expanded over the years to include other products I like, but the main focus is Australian design and now our own label coming soon, which is Little Honey.  We continue to bring in some cool Australian products including great natural children’s skin and hair care coming soon.

A: What are your most popular products?
J: The ducks by far…we sell lots of our rubber duckies.  They are so cute, unique, fun and we have always been phthalate free and lead free so you know you are getting a quality product.  The gurgle pots are also a big hit.  Not only do they look great in your kitchen, but they are fun for kids.  When you pour the pitcher it makes this gurgling sound like a fish.  My daughter’s friends just crack up when they come over.  Lately, we have been selling heaps of the beach balls and swim rings.  They were featured in InStyle and Cookie which didn’t hurt!

A: Do you have any products that you wish people knew more about? If so, what are they?
J: Our 100% Natural Little Honey Bug Repellent Bands.  This is a super cool product that we developed with a leader in natural bug repellents.  They really work and they work well.  They have been tested by the Australian government and endorsed by the PGA.  We love them because they are so great for kids.  Just pop one on their wrist or ankle and they last for a full five days!  If you put them back in their reusable bag, they last even longer.  They stop releasing the natural vapors once they are put back in the bag!  The way they work is natural essential oils are injected into the plastic before molding the band.  Once the band is removed from the bag the natural oil vapors are released and form a “vapor barrier” within five feet of wherever they are placed.  Great for camping or just out for a walk.  My dad loves them for golfing or mowing the lawn and I always put one on the stroller or on the table outside when we are entertaining.  They smell like peppermint…no stinky smells, no toxic creams.

We love it too as we have just teamed up with Malaria No More and will be donating a portion of all sales to their cause.  A cause that is helping fight malaria, which kills a child every 30 seconds and is treatable and preventable, tragic.   As a mom, it breaks my heart to think how these other moms must feel to watch their children suffer, I knew we had to try to help.

A: Your products have been featured in many magazines. Which magazine feature are you most proud of?
J: I was super excited about the Elle Magazine spread as it was our first major publication and I had been working tirelessly to try to get the business going, so it felt good that we were being recognized by such an awesome publication.  I also love whenever we are in Cookie, because I think they are the best kids magazine out there and love that they love our stuff.

A: Finally, you are the mother of 2 daughters, what advice would you give to new moms?
J: Relax.  As much as you want everything perfect for your precious little ones, you can’t do everything and the most important thing is just spending quality time with them.  Everyone tells you they grow up in a flash and they are not kidding.  Recently I went to the graduation at my daughter’s preschool and her whole little life flashed in front of my eyes..and it wasn’t even her graduation! So, enjoy every minute of it!

***Enter to WIN a BUD Luxury Duck OR Little Honey 100% Natural Bug Repellent Band *** 3 Winners! *** Now Closed

Jenny has generously offered to giveaway 2 BUD Luxury Ducks and 1 Little Honey 100% Natural Bug Repellent Band!  All you have to do to enter is go to Design Room Group’s website, pick your favorite duck design, and come back here and write in the comments of this post which is your favorite design! Winners will be chosen at random and announced next Saturday morning on Aug. 8th. Good luck!
WINNERS!

I used Random.org to choose the winners of the giveaway.

Winner of the first BUD Luxury Duck is… Lindsay!

Winner of the second BUD Luxury Duck is… Trina!

Winner of the Little Honey 100% Natural Bug Repellent Band is… Jenn!

Thank you to everyone who entered! Be sure to check out our next giveaway – a Madeline Baby Sling OR Nursing Cover from Tot-to-Go!

Both my children suck their thumb or other fingers. My 2 year old daughter, Annabelle, sucks her 2 left fingers upside down while her right hand holds her ear. My son, Roman, is only 4 months and he sucks his left thumb. Occasionally he will also hold his ear while sucking his thumb. I suspect this is because he is trying to copy his big sister. While finger sucking can be a problem in later years, I am thankful that they have found a way to comfort themselves.

A lot of my friends who have children that suck their fingers also breastfed their babies. I asked my pediatrician if she noticed that it was more common in breastfed babies and she said no. So what form you choose to feed your baby doesn’t determine if they will find comfort in their fingers or a pacifier.

Don’t Worry

When Annabelle first started to suck her fingers I got really worried and looked up the topic in my What to Expect the First Year book. The book said it wasn’t a big deal and that it shouldn’t affect her teeth, so I stopped worrying about it.  This article on Baby Center also says not to worry about it.

Of course there are many pros and cons to thumb/finger sucking. I don’t have to keep track of a pacifier or put it back in when it falls out while sleeping. My child can soothe themselves whenever and wherever they need it. I do have to wash my daughter’s hands often, so she isn’t sucking on dirty fingers. I also try not to use hand sanitizer, because I don’t want her to be sucking alcohol off her hands. When she was smaller I used to encourage her to suck her fingers when she was upset or about to fall asleep. However, you can’t force them to find comfort in their fingers if they don’t want to.

So when should I be concerned about my children sucking their fingers?

The American Dental Association says:

“Most children stop sucking their thumbs or other fingers on their own between the ages of 2 and 4 years. The behaviour lessens gradually during this period, as children spnd more of their waking hours exploring their surroundings…If a child does not stop on his or her own, parents should discourage the habit after age 4 years.”

I can already tell that my daughter is sucking her fingers less and less. It usually only when she is watching television or going to sleep. I am hoping that it will end on its own. Even Dr. Greene thinks it can end on its own.  I want to tackle potty training, before I take on another problem.

How do I help my child stop sucking their thumb?

eHow.com has 6 different articles on how to teach your kid to stop sucking their thumb. There are a variety of tactics and tools you can use such as: explaining how it damages teeth, using bad tasting substances, thumb guards, distractions, band aids, and sticker charts. My old pediatrician said that instead of pointing it out that you have to praise them when they don’t suck their fingers.  As with any parenting decision you have to find the one that works for you and your child. Just remember that breaking a habit can take a while, so be patient!

I don’t think my 2 year old even knows what she is doing when she does it, so I can’t start the process to stop her yet. I am not ready to tackle problem either, so for now I am letting her enjoy the comfort of her two fingers.

Have you helped your child stop sucking their fingers? If so, how? Are you concerned about your child’s finger sucking?

I am late getting my post up today, because I spent 18 hours traveling by car with my husband, 2 year old daughter, and 4 month old boy. We came home to San Antonio after visiting Dawn and her family in Hunstville, AL last night. I hadn’t seen her in person in 11 eleven years. Our families had a great couple of days hanging out together.  On the drive there we drove to Memphis from San Antonio and spent the night. Then continued the last 4 hours after a visit to the Memphis Zoo the next day. My kids were champs throughout the entire trip.

Here is how we handled traveling with 2 kids under the age of two.

Both of my kids are still in diapers and I think this helped the potty situation. It was easy to pull over and change diapers or just do it whenever we stopped for food.

Driving most of the way in one day, spending the night, and traveling a short distance the next day worked for us.  The morning after a day of driving we went to the zoo to wear out my daughter. We got back in the car, ate lunch, and she slept most of the 4 hour drive.  On the way back we didn’t spend the night, but we spent an hour and a half in New Orleans to give us a break from the road and the car seats. While the New Orleans stop added to our overall traveling time, it was worth it to eat some yummy beignets and stretch our legs before the last haul home.

I brought plenty off of snacks and toys for Annabelle. One of my favorite traveling toys are the Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Markers and coloring pad. My daughter can color to her heart’s delight without coloring the car or herself.

We borrowed a DVD player from friends and had plenty of Dora DVDs. We waited as long as we could on both trips before we even let her see the player in the car. Once the player is on no other toy will do. Also, for my daughter she doesn’t fall asleep watching TV. Both times she watched about 4 hours of Dora straight and never fell asleep once even though she was incredibly tired.

To get my daughter to nap I wouldn’t give her anything else to eat or play with. She would sit there bored until she finally decided to close her eyes and sleep.

As we were traveling we didn’t stick to a lot of rules with Annabelle. We did try to get to her to nap, but other than that we did whatever that would keep her comfortable and happy.  Although, after the first day I think I let her eat too many sweets on the drive while watching Dora. She was incredibly hyper our first evening in Memphis running up and down the hotel hallway and jumping on the bed.

My 4 Month Old Boy

My baby boy, Roman, is 4 months old and he had a harder time dealing with car than my 2 year old. He is still breastfed so I would have to get him out to feed him, but there wasn’t anywhere to lay him down and really let him stretch. Sometimes we would have to get him out of the car seat and just hold him for a while to calm him down. He did sleep a lot on the trip and didn’t cry a lot until the last leg home, when he was just done with being in a car seat.  Even though he was with us, we both missed each other.

Overall, my kids are champs and did great being in their carseats for extended periods of time. We drove a rented Tahoe and I think this also made the drove more comfortable for them as well. I hope my story will help you if you are planning to do a road trip with your kids!

Have you done a long road trip with your kids this summer? How did it go for you? What did you do?