by Heather
In the absolute craziness surrounding my second son’s birth, I knew that I wanted to make Number One Son Holden feel special and included, but I was also a little busy with my impending childbirth (worrying about his childcare plan and plans B and C in case my mom didn’t get here in time, fearing a 44-hour labor like my first, stocking my freezer, finding all the missing baby gear, etc.).
When Sara Norwood of Norwood Arts offered to send me a sibling countdown to baby box, I knew it couldn’t come soon enough. Literally. There are ten boxes to count down the last ten days until the due date, and she contacted me with eleven days to go.
Nonetheless, when we received the package, it was an immediate sensation. We opened box 10 right after Holden’s nap. He loved it! We went immediately to play with the play-doh. The next day, we opened box 9 after his nap. A big hit. And again, we went to play with the play-doh. The next night, I went into labor, and as I was grunting and running out the door, I gave my mom instructions to keep up the fun while I was away… only now, he could have one in the morning and one after his nap.
- Play-Doh
- Stickers
- Cars
- Crayons
- Yo-yo (we kept that one for the grown-ups)
Opening the boxes while my husband and I were in the hospital gave Holden something fun to do. It also provided a topic of conversation when he visited us (because the baby was only interesting for about one minute). And the best part of all was that I didn’t have to plan it out and buy the gifts individually and wrap them up all cute. It was just done.
I think this makes a great shower gift for families with an older sibling in the making!
by Whitney
When I clicked on LollipopKisses.com, I was pleasantly surprised to see a color palette that is vibrant and fun, as opposed to the typical subdued blues and pinks of many baby shops.
A couple of my favorite items:
This placemat is $4.00 and I know my son would love to have these vehicles sitting in front of him at the table each morning.
I love the way these letters are painted. (And I love the name Dylan. Can I name my daughter-to-be that?) LollipopKisses.com has more styles of wall letters than I’ve ever seen. Very cute stuff. Unfortunately, at $20 per letter, I would have to limit my wall lettering to initials, else face something in the neighborhood of a $260 investment to get both kids names on their bedroom wall. Still, I can enjoy dreaming.
Founder and mom Stephanie Dubner says that her store caters to moms who appreciate things with a “certain style and flair”. She also carries a couple of lines that are not available anywhere else: Zaffadillo and Anniefrannies. She’s got cool diaper bags and bibs, too.
Now it’s not very often that your average mom is going to splurge on a super cutesy boutiquey item, like the type at Lollipop Kisses, but it’s sure fun to look and to send the URL to your shopaholic friends.
Make sure to click all the way into each sub-category to see the full assortment of merchandise. (One thing I’d change would be to have everything listed at the category level.)
Best of luck to Stephanie with her mompreneur adventures!
by Whitney
This blogger New Yorker has a kid exactly the same age as my little dude. I can tell we are going through the same things from his most excellent Open Letter To All Toddlers.
If you don’t know MetroDad, get to know him.
Also, if you are a hip Asian-American daddy, like my third-favorite ex-boyfriend, Willie, you should bond with your peeps over at Rice Daddies.
by Heather
I feel icky saying it out loud, but one visit to my house will confirm this embarrassing fact before you even ring my doorbell. Yes, we have six strollers. So, I figure the least I can do to cleanse my karma is to review them for you and save you from following down my path:
The bare bones snap-n-go — Whitney loaned me her Graco model and it was stolen from my front yard! So, I still consider this one a loaner and when her baby is born she gets it back. We replaced the stolen wheels with the Kolcraft Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier and it’s just great. Lightweight, collapsible, and a smooth ride to boot. My only minor complaint is that the Graco carseat does not snap into place, you have to remember to strap it down. [Our cost = ~$60]
The jogger — My husband actually runs Holden around in this stroller and I consider it a lifesaver. We got the BOB Sport Utility Stroller as a Christmas present the year Holden was born and it has been well worth the $0 we paid. [Our cost = $0]
Holden’s regular ride — we first got the Sydney Chicco C5 Lightweight Stroller when Holden was ready to graduate to an umbrella stroller because it was reasonably priced and had a sunshade. It hasn’t held up very well in my opinion but it’s not terrible either. [Our cost = ~$60]
The double — we borrowed the Chicco Citta Twin Stroller from Whitney one day when we had the option of a nanny-share. That was a year ago. By the time we “return” it, she will get any double stroller of her choosing (within reason) because it has not held up well. And we only use it four days a week for rides to and from the park… it’s not even getting tossed into a trunk or crammed through doorways. [Our cost (when we replace it) = ~$130]
The convertible double — what do you buy when your boys are 21 months apart? Why, a stroller that allows a carseat, a couple regular seats, a seated bench for the toddler, and a ridealong board… All this and a “parent tray” are promised with the Baby Trend Deluxe Sit N Stand. We were truly blessed to get this as a gift from our parents. And also lucky that (since they live far away) they don’t see the state of our porch on a regular basis. [Our cost = $0]
The double jogger– I found this Twinner Double Jogger for $100 on the Berkeley Parents Network and jumped on it immediately. If Alec can run one kid around while I sleep in, I can’t wait for the day he takes both of them out. I have to wait another five months for that day, but at least we have the wheels for it. We also think this will be a nice smooth around-town ride for the boys. [Our cost = ~$100]
All that being said, I have major double stroller lust for both the Phil & Teds E3 Buggy (with toddler converter kit) and/or the Valco with toddler seat and rider board. And single stroller envy for Whitney’s simple but sturdy Maclaren Quest. Oy vey.
Obviously we can’t justify any new stroller purchases at this point, but I’m still accepting donations ;-).
ps my newborn is strapped to me in his Baby Bjorn right now for good measure… so don’t get me started on his other conveyance devices right now!
