Thursday Tips: Baby carriers & cars

If you are a babywearer, odds are you like to leave a carrier in the car. It's pretty handy having a few carriers you can just leave in the car so you always have something on hand, but it can also be damaging to your carrier if you have something with plastic on it (like a SSC).

If you live in an area that experiences temperature extremes, you might want to reconsider leaving a SSC in your car. The extreme heat and extreme cold can really wear on the plastic buckles, and you could weaken them, lessening their life. Worse case scenario, it could break while you're wearing it.

I live in an area that experiences all four seasons, so I tend to leave my SSCs in my car in spring and autumn, bringing them inside during summer and winter. This isn't too much of a hassle for me since I already bring in my diaper bag during winter/summer to avoid ruining my diapers, freezing my wipe solution spray bottle, or melting my little one's diaper cream/stick.

If you have a a mei tai, woven wrap, or a ring sling with metal rings, I'd recommend leaving these in your car over a ssc. Not only will the temperatures not matter, but in cold weather the wrap or ring sling can serve as blankets for your little ones (just unthread the ringsling).

Vanamo wrap - Kide Tuli - as a blanket

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. 

Thursday Tip Holiday Edition: Traveling

I was going to skip the Thursday tip today since I figured so many would be busy with family, but then I figured I could just do a holiday edition of Thursday tips.

If you have to travel to see family for any distance, I recommend finding a city/town about half way through (assuming the trip is 4-6 hours. For longer trips, look into areas to stop every 2-3 hours) and looking into what is available there. We have a 4 hour trip to see family, so we stop at the half-way point, which also happens to be a major city, and we used to go to a really nice park we found if the weather was nice. It let the kids run around and burn off energy, though it didn't do much for me or for hubby.

Finally, we realized that the city's zoo was actually only a few miles away from that park. We purchased a membership to that zoo, and now we stop at the zoo every time, going to and from family. We pick a different area of the zoo to go to each time so we don't over-do it with two young children, but they get to see animals, burn off some energy, and it's educational. Even when it's really cold, we have things to do. There are inside areas to view certain animals during colder weather, as well as an aquarium.

The zoo has a reciprocal membership at other zoos, so we get 50% off at the zoos nearer to us. We rarely go that direction, so it's actually worth it for us to have this half-way point membership instead of one closer to us. Another deciding factor was that we wouldn't have to pay parking at this zoo ($8!), but with a reciprocal membership from a different zoo, we would. We'd rather pay the $3 once or twice a year at our local zoo than $8 every visit at this zoo (which would be roughly 10 visits a year).

Don't forget that zoos offer special events sometimes, such as trick-or-treating and holiday light shows! We will be taking the kids to the light shows this next trip, and we took them trick-or-treating at the zoo the last trip. Of course, most of what the kids got are things we don't let them eat, but there were a surprising amount of things like trail mix bars that were given out, and they were a big hit with the kids! We went through the candy to separate what they could and couldn't have (plain chocolate was fine, artificial colours are not) and then gave away what they couldn't have. They were more excited about going around in costume, anyway!

We also have a little notebook we made of various exits along our trip and what is available in terms of stores, gas stations, and changing areas. I do have a few things marked "dirty restrooms" and "no changing areas/not kid friendly" so we know not to stop there. I included places like retail stores so that we know where we can stop if we need something (and also let the kids stretch their legs). I know that everyone has GPS or smart phones and can look up places, but it's probably not going to tell you if it has changing rooms or how dirty the bathrooms are. That's why I keep a little notebook in the car with that info.

I hope you all have a lovely time this holiday season!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the content of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Summer Must-haves from Kelly's Closet

 *Post contains Affiliate links*

With the hot weather upon us, playtime in water is inevitable with little ones! Between water play and summer travel, parents stay pretty busy this time of year! Kelly's Closet has what you need to help get you through the summer!

Kelly's Closet has posted their top 5 summer must haves (follow link in graphic below) here:

Here are a few other things you will want to consider taking with you either on your summer adventures!

A Baby Carrier!

Whether you're heading on vacation or just heading out of the house for a bit, it's a good idea to have a baby carrier with you. Whether you have an infant or a toddler, a baby carrier will get you through the day! 

Easier to pack than a stroller, a carrier, be it wrap or soft structured carrier, will help when your little one just can't go any further. (Any parents that went to an aquarium, the zoo, or even a nice hike will attest to that!) Not only can you keep your little one close to you, but if they want to get back down later on, you don't have a huge stroller to push around, empty!

Onya Baby Cruiser

The Onya Baby Cruiser can hold to 75 lbs, and has a sleep hood you can tuck away. This doesn't have to be just for sleep, though... you can use it to shield baby from the hot sun above if you forget your little one's hat!

MobyGO

The MobyGO is a NEW (from the same company that brought you the MobyWrap) soft-structured carrier that will hold to 45 lbs. This also has a lovely sleep hood (or sun-hood)!

Cloth Wipes!

Yes, cloth wipes! They are great for more than just wiping bottoms! With so many different types of wipes available, you can fit what you're looking for for any occasion! Wiping sand off of your munchkin with wipes can be more convenient than a towel, because you won't be trying to dry off later with a cloth wipe (thus getting sand all over you or your little one!). They are also great for all those sticky messes that popsicles and ice cream can create. On longer car rides, they can be life savers! Everything from drying tears, wiping noses, cleaning up messy faces, and wiping up spit-up... you'll find yourself thankful you packed extra! If you have a toddler like I do, you'll also be thankful you had extra on hand to wipe up what he decided to throw on the floor of your van or into the window (because we all love to see pretty patterns on the window, right?).

Grovia Cloth Wipes

Grovia wipes are great to keep on hand for many uses. They are great for everything from faces to messes. (Terry-fabric)

Thirsties Fab Wipes

Thirsties Fab Wipes are my favorite all-around wipe. I love keeping them on hand because it doesn't matter what the situation is that I need a wipe for, I am always pleased with the results from the fab wipes. (One side velour, one side microfleece)

Itti Bitti Ultimate Wipes

The Itti Bitti Ultimate wipes are by far the largest wipes I have tried, and definitely the softest. They are perfect for faces and hands! (Both sides velour)

For a more detailed comparison and breakdown of the wipes above (more pictures, too!) and of many other wipes you can purchase from Kelly's Closet, check out my Cloth Wipe Review.

Enter for your chance to win a $100 gift card to Kelly's Closet below! Looking to place an order sooner? Take advantage of this special coupon code (you won't find it on their website!):

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Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and may be different from yours. All wipes mentioned in this post and in the Cloth Wipe Review were purchased by me. Thoughts Of Fluff is not responsible for prize fulfillment from Kelly's Closet.

Newness

First, let me start off by hoping everyone enjoyed their holiday (whichever one you might celebrate!), and I hope everyone had a safe and uneventful trip if you traveled!

Our holiday worked out much differently than anticipated. Bobble had a very sad  looking rash on his bottom on Monday night (Monday the 17th), and by Tuesday afternoon it was quite apparent he had gotten Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. The poor boy was COVERED. We contacted family and opted to hold off with any visiting.

He was much better by the weekend, but still had spots (so still contagious). Either way, I was glad we didn't travel.... I ended up with the Flu on Friday! My goodness, did my body hurt to be awake! Mostly my hips and spine ached, but all of my muscles/joints ached... those were just the worse! By Saturday I was doing much better, but had a spot on my hand. Sunday I woke up to see it was quite obvious that my immune system being down opened the door for me to also get HFM.

Today my HFM is nearly gone. The spots aren't really easily visible anymore (I was so thankful I got it so mildly!).... but I woke up with a COLD!

*sigh*

It's just one thing after another for this house.... especially me! Being pregnant really kicks your immune system down a notch, and if you get one thing, watch out! When my already weakened immune system (from pregnancy) was hit with that flu, then it was all over. I got what Bobble had, then I got that blasted cold..... and I'm hoping the cold is really the end of it!

On the bright side, Bobble thoroughly enjoyed his holiday this year! He actually participated in the unwrapping of presents this time, and loved every minute of it. In fact, he wanted to unwrap all the presents.... including his daddy's.

Other than that, I must say that everything was really just another day. I guess that's what happens when you don't go see family or anything. We ordered Chinese for dinner and enjoyed watching a movie and eating some delicious food that we didn't have to clean up after (because we didn't cook!).

I'm able to write this midday since we are getting pounded with snow and I had to leave work early. That, and it's nap time for Bobble. Lucky you!

How was your holiday? Did you do anything fun? Different? Unexpected?

Earth's Best Holiday Travel Gift Guide Giveaway

Enter below for your chance to win your 3 favorite items off of the Earth's Best Holiday Travel Gift Guide!

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Earth's Best Holiday Travel Gift Guide

Looking to make holiday travel a bit easier on you or a loved one? Earth's Best has put together a great holiday travel gift guide that will help you find everything you need to keep everyone happy from single-serve snacks, on-the-go pouches, and other great snacks, to an easy (and environmentally friendly) clean-up option with their awesome Chlorine-Free Nursery Wipes.

For little ones that love snacking away, you've got options like Happy Snax (in Cinnamon or Apple) and Veggie Crunchin' Crackers.

For infants or toddlers that can feed themselves, you've got Fruit & Grain Purees, or the delicious Greek Yogurt Smoothies.

Looking for something a bit more.... contained? Try the Sunny Days Snack bars in Strawberry or Apple. Individually wrapped bars keep fresh longer, and are the perfect size for those little hands!

Clean up will be a breeze with the Chlorine-free Nursery wipes. Packaged in a travel-sized bundle of 20, you can rest assured that you will clean up safely and efficiently with these wipes made from all-natural materials. They are biodegradable and have a lovely natural lavender and lemongrass scent.

What's best of all? Earth's Best is giving you the chance to pick your 3 favorite items from the above Holiday Travel Gift Guide! Enter to win the giveaway HERE!