Posted in: Clothing Lines, General, Have You Heard?, Lifestyle

Many parents search for answers to this question. There are several suggestions for a successful sleeping baby, however the one technique that has really and truly helped our toddler and newborn baby sleep through naps and night time is this: blackout blinds (sometimes called blackout shades) and/ or curtains. As you can see from our very own photo of our toddler's room, the way she sleeps with the blackout blinds is on the left, compared to if we did not install blackout on the right. See what a difference the blackout blinds make? Many different options exist, from DIY projects to purchasing ready made products. You can layer with curtains to make it prettier, you can DIY velcro & fabric. You can decorate poster board. The key is simple: make your child's room as dark as possible and your child will sleep longer! Yay for everyone!

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

An easy question, right? That's what I used to think. In the beginning of my motherhood endeavors, thought common sense meant one stroller per family. Then came the trip to the baby store. It's great if you can find a baby store that has lots of demo models, like Baby's World. The staff at Baby's World are friendly and informative and they can help you manoeuvre through a myriad of choices.

When choosing a stroller, there are so many options beyond the asthetics of color, fabric and shape. Do you require a basic umbrella model, a jogger , or  a double stroller? How many years will you keep it? Do you intend to use it for more than one child? The list can go on and on. For our family, we chose the Bugaboo Cameleon, but quickly realized it was bulky for our SUV and a little awkward to set up and take down (though I am certain this improves with practice). A lovely feature we did use was the bassinett, which we loved, loved, loved.

My next stroller was the Peg Perego Aria Oh. Now discontinued, this is the stroller we use most often. It is a bright lime green for visibility, it is only 11 pounds and it can pushed with one hand and collapse easily. The Aria also adjusted so the baby could sleep reclined versus sitting straight up. Next, friends of ours kindly passed on an Italian make, and although it's quite heavy as its made of metal versus plastic, it's very hand to keep in the car at all times when we need it quick or if we have guests with children from out of town. This also saves trekking the Aria to and fro the car (remember, you are already trekking kids, bags, pets and groceries to and fro the house!).

We still love the comfort of the Bugaboo Cameleon, so we keep it in the house for journeys around the neighborhood. So to answer my own question: We need 3 strollers in the house for convenience and for different functions. How many strollers do you need?

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

Posted in: Have You Heard?, Lifestyle

Posted in: General, Have You Heard?, Lifestyle

1) Car seat. Read instructions carefully and bring the manual to the hospital. Ensure car seat is set to the correct size.  The staff will ask you to bring it to the room & nurses will verify the car seat is safe, but they normally do not adjust it for you.

2) If friends & family ask, "What can we do?", request food such as, lasagna, pizza, salad, fruit!

3) Daddio, bring a pillow and blanket since you'll be on the floor!

4) Regular underwear may be uncomfortable and hurt after birth! Buy some of those stretchy boxer kind that the veteran ladies sell (they come around with a cart at BC Women's) & gets lots if maxi pads.

5) Actually use the recommended sitz bath, even if it is for a minute. Hallelujah!

6) Plan to host a short open house when babes is around 3 weeks old...  Unless you are comfortable with peeps coming and going every day...set out tea coffee and cookies.  Everyone wants to see a teeny babes!

7) Continue the baby journal/ record as the nurses require you to in the hospital. This makes Daddio feel included as he can look at it to see what baby has been up to during the day...and keeps Mom on track for feedings. You'll be surprised how quickly 2 or 3 hours goes by and you feel like its been 15 min! If your little one needs to visit the doctor...you also have a record of feedings, pees & poops!

8) Hello-lovers-greet each other when one comes home. A welcoming smile, a hug, a smooch, sets the tone for the rest of the day & evening...both of you have had busy days doing different things.

9) Practice opening and closing the stroller. Use your iPhone or Blackberry for instructions on youtube if you are out & about and get frustrated attempting to open and close the stroller.

10) Keep wipes/ face cloths/ burpie cloths in all important rooms in your place! 

Baby Bahoonies favorite items for new parents are: Sherpa wipes, travelling wet bag, bibs & selection of blankies!

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

I swore I would never cut my child's bangs the way my Dad used to back in the day! Of course being a parent myself now, I totally get it. Should I say, "Dad, you were right?" I actually say that a lot now. Our daughter's bangs grow every 2-3 weeks, so I do the trimming. We have good cuts and bad cuts. I attempt to cut it as straight as possible in minimal time.  A 2 year old doesn't stay still for very long and the iPhone only serves as a distraction until she sees the sharp scissors inching towards her eyeballs.  If you do not wish to attempt this task yourself, here are some local Vancouver hairdresser suggestions specifically for kids:

Elsa G.B Hair Salon at 1708 4th Avenue, Vancouver 604-568-6420

Stephen Anthony CURVE located at 350 2nd Ave E #102 , especially for curly hair 604-874-1017

Lisa at Kokopelli's at 2052 Commercial Drive (adult salon but also does children's hair) 604-253-6950

Melonhead Children's Hair Care at 2962 West Broadway 604-568-5646

The Hairloft/Princess Spa at 1496 Cartwright Street (Kid's Only Market on Granville Island) 604-684-6177

2 Cute 4 U Children's Hair Care at 1203 W 16th Street in North Vancouver 604-710-8990

If you have any suggestions, please add to the comments!

Posted in: General, Have You Heard?, Lifestyle

Children's safety is top priority and on the mind of every parent and care giver. On our fridge, we have posted an article from the September 2010 issue of Todays Parent Magazine.  Basically, they list the top 10 choking hazards for babies and children.

The Top 10 Choking Hazards for Children are:

1) hot dogs

2) candy (gel candies and gum)

3) grapes

4) nuts, seeds, popcorn

5) hard vegetables and fruit chunks

6) coins

7) uninflated or popped latex balloons

8) small balls or marbles

9) button style batteries and magnets

10) small toy parts

I personally had experience with my daughter choking on fruit chunks.  She was older than one year, and I thought it would be ok to feed her some fruit cocktail.  She choked on the peaches.  They sort of just sat there in her throat.  I had to whack her on the back about 3 times between the shoulder blades and the peaches came flying out of her mouth.  It was a scary few minutes.  The other item not on the list was deli meat.  My daughter was about a year and a half and she put a whole bunch of meat in her mouth at once...and she started gagging.  Again, I had to pat her hard on the back. I never leave her unattended while eating.  One should know exactly where to pat on the back and how much pressure to apply.  I've demonstrated to our caregivers and relatives how hard I actually apply my hand and the position between the shoulder blades.  They are always shocked.  It's not a simple pat.  We keep this list handy on the fridge.  It's always good as a reminder.

Posted in: General, Have You Heard?, Lifestyle

This video feraturing the Toyota Sienna Mini-Van is hilarious! The Swagger Wagon is where it's at! Booyah!

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

I was recently in a parent's discussion group about fun bath time for kids.  Several new ideas came up, as well as some tried & true suggestions that we probably had as kids.  I thought I would share some of the ideas from the discussion.  Here are the ideas:

1) Old plastic tubs and containers in all shapes and sizes.  Kids can play "waterfall", scoop water and splash around.  This is a great inexpensive alternative to purchasing buckets just for the bath.

2) Bubbles! I've always used bubbles in my daughter's bath.  When I begin running the water, I add a few squirts of Johnson's Baby Shampoo and that creates enough bubbles, without having to buy additional bubble bath.  It surprised me how many parents didn't use bubbles!  Bubbles are a simple and classic favorite in the tub!

3) Innovative: Food coloring in the bath tub!  I never would have thunk it! One parent choose to adda few drops of red or blue, or even mix a little to make a funky color, and cautioned that one must be careful of staining the tub.  What about staining your child's bum?  Not sure how this would go over, but if it is only a couple drops, I suppose the food coloring would be diluted enough in the water.

4) Foam alphabet letters and numbers.  I personally found these at the dollar store for $2.  The letters and numbers stick to the tub wall when wet.  These are awesome for learning too.  We play "What's that...?" and "Where is the...?".  Loads of bath time fun for cheap.

5) Bath squirties.  Available at Baby Bahoonie. I have been using these in the tub since our daughter was born.  The bath squirties come in all types, animals to cars...they are so colorful and add oodles of fun to bath time.  They squirt, they are easy to hold and you can even use them in non-bath time. Quick entertainment to pull out of your purse.  Great for distraction while waiting for dinner at a restaurant.

If you have any tips to share about creating a fun bath time experience, kindly leave your thoughts in the comments!

Happy Bath Time! 

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

Want your toddler to eat more vegetables and not have to worry about them spitting out the green leafies?  Have you considered blending the veggies into a healthy shake or green smoothie?  A healthy shake or green smoothie is one of my favorite ways to ensure our daughter receives a variety of healthy vitamins and minerals.  There are no real measurements, as long as they all fit in the blender. Here is the green recipe I made today:

-fresh spinach (about 2 cups, washed)

-1 whole orange

-5 carrots, washed, peeled and chopped into about 3 pieces so they are easy to blend

-1 can papaya and pineapple mix

-1 cup whole milk

-2 tbsp. liquid honey

Let me just say that this was delicious.  If I will eat it, then I think it is fair for my daughter.  I wouldn't serve her something that tasted funky.  I blend until really smooth and serve in a sippy cup or fun cup with a lid and straw.  I don't think you want green stains on your carpet :)

Other varieties of healthy shakes:

-spinach, apple (cored), carrots and strawberries

-mango, milk, banana and carrots

-brussel sprouts, orange, and pineapple

This may seem like strange combinations, but I have been making these shakes since she was just over a year old and she loves the taste and the texture.

If you have any ideas, please post in the comments!

Posted in: Lifestyle

Clarksville, Tennessee's Mommy Blogger, GreeN MaM-a JaM-a, has taken the time to review North Vancouver's GoGo Bag Snack Pouch trio.  One lucky winner will receive there very own set of GoGo Bag snack pouches as Baby Bahoonie has teamed up with Green Mama Jama for a great giveaway beginning on Saturday, January 14, 2012.  This is your chance to go green with GoGo Bags reusable snack pouches! 

Posted in: Events, Lifestyle, Press & Media, Products

Introducing Once Upon A Belly, the place for bellies, babies & beyond in Vancouver's Yaletown Roundhouse Community Centre! 

An informative and exciting festival for new and expectant parents, Once Upon a Belly provides an amazing environment that brings together everything your growing family will need. It is our desire to present you with a selection of the best products and services to be had - all under one roof!

Parents and parent-to-be will be able to shop and explore all things baby.  Baby Bahoonie is very excited to participate in this special event!

The event will also include:

• Admission by donation in which proceeds will be provided to the Canuck Place Hospice. Once Upon a Belly raised over $2100 at our first event- thank you for your generousity
• A tote bag full of free products & samples for the first 150 moms in attendance
• A "Mommy Lounge" to breastfeed and change babies
• A broad scope of exhibitors catering to the baby based industry
• Door prizes!

Register online here!

Posted in: Events, General, Have You Heard?

Some baby stages are so cute.  I found this one of the "No-No" stage on YouTube.

Posted in: General, Lifestyle

The Baby Bahoonie Boxing Day Sale begins Monday, December 26th to Tuesday, December 27th until 9pm Pacific Standard Time.  Check out our online store to save 25%-35% on select brands! 

Posted in: Events, General, Have You Heard?, Products

Learn more & create your own Wishlist to make gift giving easier with AMEX's Hot 100 Wishlist.  Check out Baby Bahoonie's children's aprons & Aminal Compostable Dolls. Happy shopping!

Posted in: Have You Heard?, Lifestyle, Press & Media

Posted in: Clothing Lines, Events, General, Have You Heard?

Free Shipping on All Orders starts now, ends Monday 9pm Pacific Standard Time. Woohoo!

Posted in: Events, General, Have You Heard?

Win a reversible dress on Manager to Mom's blog.  This is Baby Bahoonie's ultimate dress for baby. Winner gets to choose size & color! Deadline for entries is December 7, 2011.

Posted in: Clothing Lines, Events, Press & Media, Products

In this technical world, Moms & Dads are always scouting for the coolest Christmas sites out there. With the magic of Christmas in the air, Baby Bahoonie has compiled our top 5 fun Christmas themed websites for Christmas 2011. We are posting this early as hopefully you still have some time to research before the Christmas baking, Christmas parties last minute shopping begins! Enjoy! If you have any additions, kindly add the links in our comments section! Thank you!

1) Portable North Pole Our number one favorite!!! Customized video messages for your young children. Very special as one can upload personal photos. The quality is outstanding and it's free! Keep checking as it might start in early December.

2) Elf Yourself Who doesn't need a good elfing?

3) Northpole As assortment of holiday games, secret villages & stories!

4) Norad Tracks Santa Official North American Aerospace Defense Command watches Santa travelling the globe, tracking the big guy's every move beginning in December! Little boys (and girls) will love this!

5) All Things Christmas A resource site for...you guessed it, all things Christmas!

Posted in: General, Have You Heard?, Lifestyle