For some reason I really had a difficult time trying to figure out the best option for babyproofing the doors in our home. Once my son started walking I knew that I had to find some door locks to prevent him from entering rooms or areas where he could get into things that I don’t want him to. We have a new home that has lever door handles and there really aren’t many options for this type of door hardware.

I first decided to try the Door Monkey Door Lock and Pinch Guard. This product is quite a bit more expensive than the other alternatives available and had over 1,000 reviews on Amazon, so I thought I’d give it a try. To my surprise, I found that this item was rather flimsy, [...]

When it came time to baby proof our house one of the first things I knew I’d need to invest in was a solid infant safety gate. There are quite a few different options available and my goal was to find a gate that met a number of criteria. Specifically, I was looking for a gate that was safe, modern, wall-mounted, and durable. Since our home has a heavily traveled staircase, I quickly realized that a cheap and flimsy gate that has to be moved every time someone walks up or down the stairs wouldn’t cut it. That’s when I started researching gates and found the Munchkin Loft Aluminum Gate.

This gate has a sleek and modern appearance. I don’t know about you, but I think that there [...]

I have been pretty lucky with my daughter when it comes to dealing with diaper rashes. She hasn’t ever had any terrible rashes or sores. However, it always seemed that when she did have a rash, it would take at least a couple days to clear up. I was always using the leading brands, such as Desitin, which I thought worked just fine since her rashes were never too bad.

Well recently I realized that her squirming and kicking while diaper changing was not just a phase into toddlerhood but rather the fact that her bottom was hurting. I noticed it was looking very red and sore and that I needed to put something on it before she went to bed. Close to me was a tube of the Burt’s [...]

Once my son started being around other kids at his Parent’s Morning Out program and on Sunday mornings at church he inevitably would get sick. Seriously, it seemed like he was healthy one week and sick the next and this became one vicious cycle throughout the school year. Right away I realized that he would benefit from having a humidifier in his room. I researched a number of humidifiers and ended up choosing the Crane Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier.

You might be wondering why you should purchase a humidifier for your baby or toddler. When your little one is sick with a bad cold this is a must, as the humidifier works to increase air moisture in the room, [...]

This past April my family vacationed in Marco Island, Florida. We stayed in a vacation rental that had a private pool and my two year-old son could not wait to go swimming. As I was getting all of his stuff for the pool ready I realized that the water wings I brought from home were never going to work, as they were way too big for my little guy’s skinny arms. My in-laws rented some baby gear from a local store and when they realized that the water wings were a no-go they asked the store if they had any pool noodles or floatables that we could rent. When the gentleman from the store arrived with the other gear he had a Stearns Puddle Jumper Life Jacket in hand. I had no idea that he [...]

While my son was in the Special Care Nursery after his premature birth the nurses would often swaddle him. He seemed to really enjoy this and I continued with swaddling once we returned home. Pediatricians recommend “back to sleep” and advise against placing blankets in the crib in order to promote a safe sleep environment. Once my baby started rolling onto his tummy I transitioned him from a swaddle to a Halo SleepSack wearable blanket.

The Halo company was established after founder Bill Schmid and his wife Cathy tragically lost their firstborn to SIDS. The American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending the use of wearable blankets in 2005. Currently, there are [...]