Lansinoh mOmma Bottle Review

Babycakes turned 8 months last week, and I can hardly believe it.  Time has literally flown by, and I can't imagine that it's been that long since we brought him home from the hospital.

At 8 months, we are still going strong with breastfeeding.  The only problem?  I went back to work (very) part-time and Babycakes has yet to take to bottles.  Meaning that one day a week, he eats next to nothing for 8 hours, then gorges himself when I get home.

I was excited to hear about the new Lansinoh mOmma Bottle with NaturalWaveT Peristaltic Nipple. The innovative features of the new bottle include:

• A wide, rounded nipple base which encourages a wider latch-on, similar to how babies latch naturally, and therefore promotes oral, facial, and jaw development. 
• Is made of super-soft and flexible 100 percent silicone that is lined internally with specially designed grooves that are made to optimally compress and control milk flow. 
• Has a hassle-free design with minimal parts that saves mom time. 
• Is available in slow, medium, and fast flow to meet baby's changing needs. 
• Features an AVST Air Ventilation System that reduces the intake of gas, a potential cause of colic or spit up. 
• Is BPA-free.

The first thing I noticed about the Lansinoh mOmma Bottle was the overall design.  It's shaped more like a breast than any other bottle we've encountered.  And we've tried more than our fair share over the last few months.  The soft, pliable nipple is also more "life-like" than other bottles.

While many slow-flow bottles have still proven to be too fast for our little guy, he didn't struggle at all with the Lansinoh mOmma Bottle with NaturalWaveT Peristaltic Nipple. 

From the company, to initiate the first step of breastfeeding, a baby attaches by extending her lips outward to form suction on her mother’s areola. From this position, the baby uses a wave-like tongue motion called peristaltic movement to remove milk from the nipple. To swallow, the back of the baby’s tongue rises to transfer milk down to the esophagus. The NaturalWave Peristaltic Nipple, designed to encourage this same process, helps babies shift seamlessly from the breast to the bottle and back by maintaining familiarity with natural breastfeeding patterns.

While I can't say Babycakes took right to the bottle, I can say we had more success with the Lansinoh mOmma Bottle than with others we've tried.  At this point, I was happy when I came home last week to hear he had drank an ounce and a half from the bottle.  In past weeks, he had drank nothing, or had to be spoon fed pumped milk.

While I think Babycakes will still prefer his milk "straight from the tap," as my hubby says, the Lansinoh mOmma Bottle has become our go-to bottle when momma is away from home.

Buy It:  The Lansinoh mOmma Bottle with NaturalWaveT Peristaltic Nipple is available at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Diapers.com, and Drugstore.com for around $10

A sample was provided for review.  All opinions are our own.

Kidz Bop Ultimate Hits

My son loves to sing along to the radio any time we're in the car. But, I sometimes worry about what kind of songs the stations play. I always keep a stack of CDs nearby so we can listen to songs he likes, but that are kid appropriate too.

I was excited to add Kidz Bop Ultimate Hits to our stash. Kidz Bop is the #1 music brand for kids ages 5-12 and the Ultimate Hits CD offers all of Kidz Bop's most popular songs on one disc.  

4 Ingredients Gluten-Free Cookbook Review

Even though I've been gluten-free for two years, I still have moments where I struggle to come up with a meal plan. Gluten-free eating can be so simple, but sometimes I want to recreate those recipes (filled with gluten) that I grew up with. So, it's great to have a few gluten-free cookbooks on hand for inspiration.

The cookbook, 4 Ingredients Gluten-Free, by internationally bestselling authors Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham offers more than 400 recipes using 4 ingredients (or less) that are compatible with a gluten-free lifestyle.
4 Ingredients Gluten-Free discusses the basics of eating gluten-free and offers a range of recipes including dips, breakfasts, appetizers, salads, and veggies, plus an assortment of main courses and desserts. It also includes a section featuring kid-friendly recipes and one for babies and toddlers.

Since I had an abundance of buckwheat flour on hand recently, I decided to try the Buckwheat Pancakes recipe. They were delicious (even to my gluten-eaters)!

Buckwheat Pancakes
Serves 2

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
tablespoons pure maple syrup

In bowl, mix all the ingredients together with 1 cup water. Add a bit more water if the batter seems too thick. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dollop in the batter and cook the pancakes for 1 minute. Flip them over and cook for another minute.

We have plans to try the Tangy Chicken Tenders and the Apple Bars soon too.

I love that 4 Ingredients Gluten-Free offers meals that fit my dietary restrictions, but are also flavorful and easy to prepare. The fact that they use minimal ingredients, most of which I have on hand, is an added bonus. It's so encouraging to see a cookbook full of delicious recipes that are quick, taste good, and are completely gluten-free.

Buy It: 4 Ingredients Gluten-Free is available for under $15

You can also watch Kim McCosker demo her recipes on the 4 Ingredients YouTube Channel.

A copy was provided for review. All opinions are my own.

To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born? Book Review

I haven't had much time to read lately. Well, no time to read something beyond Goodnight, Moon or Pokemon handbooks. So I was excited to pick up To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born? Revenge Poetry for Babies and Toddlers by Suzanne Weber.
It's been said that To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born? does for kids and babies what Go the F*** to Sleep did for exasperated moms and dads. The book contains a collection of hilarious poems, written from the point of view of babies and toddlers.

I have to admit, I laughed out loud reading through the poems. I loved that I could read one here and there, letting me feel like I was actually reading a grown-up book again, without taking too much time away from the kids. Reading the poems was the perfect stress reliever.

To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born? touches on subjects like swaddling, playdates, co-sleeping, and pacifiers, with humor. For example:

Nipple Confusion
You didn't give birth to an idiot.
I'm not confused.
I just know what I like.

The book is not for the faint of heart (in a good way). There's cursing, brutal honesty, and, it plays on fears we all have as parents, that we're not perfect, and we don't always know what we're doing. It makes you laugh at yourself and see that things don't have to be flawless to be okay.

This book would make a great gift for a new mom or for Mother's Day.

Buy It:
To What Miserable Wretches Have I Been Born? is available for pre-order at about $11

A copy of the book was provided for review. All opinions are me own.

Seriously, Just Go To Sleep Book Review

A few months ago, I heard all the controversy surrounding a book by Adam Mansbach. While I found it funny, I can see why some parents could be offended by a book called Go the F*** to Sleep. Seriously, Just Go To Sleep is the G-rated version of the first book. Chronicling a young child who wants to do anything but go to bed, it contains the same humor and sarcasm, but in a kid-friendly way.

The flowers doze low in the meadows
And high on the mountains so steep.
My life s absurd. This is taking forever.
Stop messing with me, please, and sleep.

At 7, Little Man knows it drives me crazy when he thinks of 24 different reasons why he can't go to sleep yet, so he giggled through the book. At one point he stopped me and asked if I really thought the sometimes. And, of course, he thought it was hilarious when I admitted I do.

We loved reading the book together as a family. Little Man was old enough to get the point of the book and laugh about it, while Babycakes loved the rhythm. I've been running on about 5 hours of broken sleep for 7 months and am exhausted by nightfall, so it was nice to know I'm not the only one frustrated at bedtime.

I highly recommend this to any parent needing a good laugh.

Buy It:
Seriously, Just Go To Sleep is available for around $10

A copy of the book was provided for review. All opinions are our own.