Strider Bike Review

Time flies!! I talk about this often because it is a little HARD FACT! Back in May we celebrated Starr turning ONE and Grayson turning THREE...or into another being entirely, if I am being honest! I had posted about a gift that G-Man received but never gave insight to what it was. 

I received, courtesy of Strider bikes, this awesome Strider Sport bike!! Grayson was so excited to get this!! My risk taker immediately wanted to give it a try. So we did! Multiple times. 

look at that proud stance!

Things I love about these bikes:

1- they are not this bulky and heavy piece of metal contraption to lug around

As a mama, I have enough toting and am turned off against having to lug anything else. With the strider bike I simply can carry it one handed or even place it on my stroller when G-man takes a break.

2- this bike is a perfect training bike. 

What is the number one thing that little ones  struggle with while learning to bike ride?
Balance.....(Tell them what they've won Bob!)

This bike is geared to that problem. It makes it simple and fun so that balance is no longer a crutch!! Once your little one learns how to balance and maneuver the handle bar he/she will be off. The pedaling is almost second nature and will become much easier once the balance is down.

So Focused

3- It is easy to put together. I think it took my husband all of 5 minutes.

Hands down this bike is genius! It helps littles build confidence to go out and conquer the world one bike at a time. Starting with Strider they gain the confidence and skill to ride a bike naturally and with control. All with BALANCE. This bike allows them to be in control of the bike verses the bike controlling them which in return causes unnecessary fear. They can balance down hills, cruise down the walking path or even jump and twist if a little adventurous. They are in control and littles LOVE this feeling!! Just think about all the things that are out of their control. This gives them something that is entirely theirs. A feeling of confidence, adrenaline, thrill, excitement, feeling proud and having fun!

Going Up......

About to head down.....

Down..Down...Down

And Again! Heading up the hill!

Grayson LOVES  this bike! He has rode on the sidewalk, around our parking lot, in the back grassy field, up hills/down hills and on dirt paths. He loves it. He has fallen but that has never kept him from getting back on the bike.

I am confident my youngest, Starr, will love this bike just as much!! 

In my book, strider has is right! Learn to Stride and learn to ride!

Strider offers many different color options ranging from blue, green, red and pink to yellow, silver and orange in certain bikes. You could even customize your Strider bike to make it extra special for your little one.

Strider offers three main groups of bikes based on age ranging from 18 months - 5 Years, 6-12 years and 13 and up!  They offer a classic , sport, pro and custom bike which have varying specs like non padded seats to padded, handlebar mini-grips and front plate etc. They sell accessories, replacement items, specialty items, apparel and safety gear along with their awesome bikes. Prices range from $89-$169, which is reasonable in my book. 

 You can check out all of their information at the website  http://www.striderbikes.com/





*I was fortunate to receive a Strider Bike to facilitate a product review on the Strider Sport. I received no compensation. Review and opinions are entirely my own. Just keeping it real and honest.* 

Squishy Baff

Okay. So I am a consumer who happens to enjoy writing reviews on items that I have spent money on. Thankfully, this particular item was only $1 at my local Dollar Tree! Squishy Baff how I am in a love hate relationship with you right now.

I have seen this product before. At that first meeting, I picked it up intrigued, but not quite convinced to spend the $5-$10 that it was selling for. Recently, I was perusing my local Dollar Tree and found a whole row of this Squishy Baff stuff. So how could I now deny my curiosity and my son's expected fun times? I mean at the cost of only $1. I purchased the Green Squishy Baff.

He was okay with the bath part...until..........

One box holds two baths. The directions say to fill the bathtub with a particularly specific amount of water, sprinkle the first (Step 1) package evenly throughout the tub. Wait 5-10 minutes and the magic happens. What I expected based solely on the advertised photo and claim of the product: A thick gooey, squishy filled bathtub. What really happened: A bath filled with little tiny jello like particles that were thicker than the consistency of water but not in any means gooey and/or thick. I mean it was squishy but not thick. What I thought it would look like: I thought it was going to be a bright green color. What it really was: A bath that was green in color but when playing with the "Squishy Baff" it was clear with no color.

Starting to thicken but clear in color - Bath water is green but actual Squishy Baff crap is clear

I mean I can make his bath green with just a few drops of food coloring. The experience I thought Grayson would have: A fun one. Amazed at the "Magic" of the water changing from liquid to a thick, green, & squishy mush. I thought he would never want to get out of the tub. What really happened: He hated it! He did not like the feeling of it. I basically coaxed him into staying in the tub and he eventually was okay. Played a little bit with different beach toys, but all in all was not thrilled.

Playing. A brief period of time he enjoyed the Squishy Baff

Thick Squishy Jello pieces

When you are finished playing you are supposed to add the second package (step 2) into the water. Again, sprinkling evenly and allowing 5-10 minutes for the mixture to set. This step is supposed to dissolve the Squishy Baff back into liquid to drain. What I expected was for the product to do exactly what it states. Dissolve after adding Step 2. The directions also say to add additional salt if needed to help dissolve. I did that as well and still no dissolving. In all fairness I suppose there was a bit of dissolving...wee....little..bit! I still had to use Grayson's beach toy to use as a colander to separate the disgusting millions of pieces of Jello like goop that was still in the bath. This was a decent amount that I scooped out. A lot went down the drain. Also, the little jell-o pieces get everywhere! Think slushee consistency.

This is as thick as it got

Overall, this product did not work as indicated in advertisement or directions. I am Happy that I only paid $1. With that being said. Though, I personally will never purchase this product again. Not even for another dollar! Though, I feel it is highly falsely advertised! I would say that this product would be fun in an outdoor sensory table or even an outdoor kiddie pool. Maybe if you use less, much less water it will actually be as thick as advertised. Somewhere where no drains will be clogged, and all those millions of teeny tiny jell-o like pieces can just be rinsed away with a hose. Plus I learned that maybe I should have read the reviews prior to making my purchase, but only thing lost in the end was my $1 and my time. Time it took to clean up this mess!

Everything I scooped out. Just think what actually made it down the drain!

*** I purchased the Squishy Baff product as a consumer and chose to do this review myself. All opinions stated are my own. ***

Tommee Tippee 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System Review

I am soooo excited about this Product Review!!!!!! Wohoo!! Yay! Yip Yip!! Holla!!

Okay, now that I got all of that out of the way, I can tell you about the product I am referring to. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with Tommee Tippee and do a review on the 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System! I originally met some reps at the Biggest Baby Shower Miami event. Why am I so excited about a diaper pail??? First, I have never owned one because we (mostly my hubster) always felt that trash cans are where trash belongs, diapers are trash. So why would we essentially be buying another "Trash Can" specifically for diapers. I am excited to have one now even more so than in the past 3 years. Why???

Let me give you the low down on Poop Town in my household. I have a almost 3 year old (Geesh!) who on his best days will have a dirty diaper anywhere from 1-4 times a day! Mix that with a 9 month old who will on her best days have a dirty diaper on average 1-2 times a day. That is at very least 2 dirty diapers a day, normally 4 dirty diapers a day, and at most up to 6 dirty diapers a day!!! That is a whole lot of Poop happening! Okay. Now add in the fact that we live in a 1 bedroom apartment. As the Cranberries would say "Do you have to let it linger?" In my household........A HUGE unfortunate YES!!!

The reality is that there is only so much one can do to mask the smell of Poo! Lysol, candles, incense burners etc. Plus, too much of those smellies and you have a headache and a apartment full of toxins that your little ones are engulfed in. So, I am ecstatic to finally be able to have a Diaper Pail.

Now, I honestly have nothing to compare the 360° sealer Diaper Disposal System to because this is the first and only one I have ever had my paws on. With that being said, I have seen, used and smelled Diaper pails that others have purchased. In those moments I was grateful to not own one because even with the lid shut I could smell that undeniable odor. When the foot pedal opened the lid......Whoa! I was hit with that Stench that only a mother can...uhh...appreciate....? Eh!

Here are the things I think are great about this particular Diaper Pail:

1.) There is NO lingering Stink!
2.) It seals each individual Dirty Diaper separately
3.) It is affordable
4.) It makes for easier clean up when it is time to "Take out the Trash!"

Apparently Grayson was just as excited as I was!

I received my 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System last Thursday and I was so excited to put it to use. I use it only for the Stinky Diapers in my house because those were my problematic ones. The wet ones are easily discarded into the trash can and don't "Let it Linger." Honestly, I can walk into our room and smell NOTHING! No stench, awful lingering, or nostril stinging smells. Pretty darn impressive considering I only put the TOXIC diapers into the pail!

Though, this diaper pail is a bit larger than most, it was easy to find a spot for it in our room. It was relatively easy to set up. It has a large bottom pull out drawer which holds up to 30 diapers (newborn) so I am guessing maybe 15-25 larger ones. (I will update later when I finally dump - note that I am only using mine for Dirty diapers not wet ones too) There is a top lid latch that you just push in to release the lock. Lift the top and that is where you insert your diapers. This part was simple for the most part to assemble. I had to open the top and lift out the grey center piece. Then, I had to insert the film cartridge into the base before inserting the inlet back (Grey Piece). This was a teeny bit tricky because you have to pull apart the two sides of the film and stick them together before placing the film into the center. Just think similar to saran wrap. Once you have the film ready you just flip upside down to place the creased side of film down into the pail. Then place the center portion back in, turn the dial on the outside of pail and once you hear the click, it is ready to go.

To use you simply open the lid, insert the dirty diaper, and while lid is still open, turn the dial until it clicks. The Antimicrobial film, which helps control bacterial odor, (Keeping the stinky at bay) seals the diaper on each side and it is released into the pail. You are not just tossing each diaper into a pile of stink bombs, Each diaper is sealed separately. You will see a red line in the film to indicate that you need to replace soon. Each film roll can wrap up to 100 diapers total. You will have approximately 4 diaper drops left before film will be out once the red line is visible.

You can purchase the 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System exclusively at Babies R Us for $39.99 ($49.99 Reg Price). Refills in a 1 pack are $7.99 or a 3 pack at $21.99. With prices of other Diaper pails ranging from $20 - $80, I'd say the 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System is  pretty reasonably priced. Worth the Splurge if you ask me!

It is so great that now our whole apartment doesn't smell like a mountain of Poop! Thank You Tommee Tippee!!! As for what happens in our family toilet...well, we have Poo-Pourii for that! Hey, Everyone Poops!





*I was lucky enough to work with Tommee Tippee to facilitate a product review on the 360° Sealer Diaper Disposal System. I received no compensation. Review and opinions are entirely my own. Just keeping it real and honest.*

Centrum Vitamin Chews

I have decided to partake in this whole "FreeFlys"  post flying around Facebook. I do not set alarms to log in to get the main freebies. I just go on and look to see what they have and enter for certain items that I would be interested in as a consumer. I have decided to post one a week that I receive and have actually tried. Some Feedback for anyone who may be interested. The first product sample I tried was the Centrum Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Flavor Burst Wild Grape Chews....Say that three times fast!

My overall thoughts:

They are tiny little coated balls that I thought would have a liquid of some sort inside much like a Gushers fruit chew snack. (Mostly because of the advertised "Flavor Burst") I popped them into my mouth one at a time. They were chewy but took some work to chew (not soft). They had a grape flavor but indeed had the after bite of a vitamin. That powdery mineral vitamin taste.

Personally, I don't have an issue with swallowing vitamins, so for me I probably wouldn't go the route of these particular chews. With that said, I do prefer a chewable option for Vitamin C, and/or Vitamin D etc. Mostly because those are usually horse pills. Though, I prefer the Gummies. I do see how this product would appeal to someone who has trouble swallowing pills or may have difficulty taking vitamins on a daily basis. The concept here is to have something on the market that would appeal to everyone the swallower and chewer alike and this product does just that. It doesn't taste bad either. So Kudos for Centrum Chews!

Reviews

Have one to Come...In the works..Hint...The Low-Down on Poop-town.

Joovy BOOB Baby Bottle

Recently, my precious little one has decided to go on a Nursing Strike and quite adamantly, I might add! Friday night we were nursing as usual and going along with our normal bed time routine when my little one took a bite out of crime! I of course yelped in reaction and scared the daylights out of her :(  From that point on she has REFUSED to nurse. Maybe it was that instant in which I scared her making her not want to nurse again, or the fact that she has a nasty chest/head cold, or the fact that she is teething brutally?! Maybe all of the above is to blame.....if only she could tell me ?!

I have not pumped but more than 5 times and only to alleviate engorgement and have a bit of a supply for nights out. I have exclusively nursed her for 8 1/2 months. I have tried 5 bottles total in the 8 1/2 months in a desperate attempt to get her to take ONE of them so that we could have a night out without rushing back for me to nurse and/or leaving after she is asleep. Not successful. She recently will take a sippy cup which I have offered her with a teeny bit of H20 in an attempt to just introduce water to her. Now with her Nursing strike which looks to be a permanent situation I am saddened to take the formula road. Although I am pumping, it is inevitable that my supply will drastically decrease thus forcing me to supplement with formula until I can introduce Milk. There is nothing wrong with formula feeding at all, it is just not my first choice. Quite honestly, I know absolutely NOTHING about formulas and which is best, more tolerable, etc. Grayson was an exclusively breast fed baby who wouldn't take ANY bottle also! Nursing is really all I know.

My current circumstance has me left with bitter sweet feelings. I know that my milk is dwindling and she is no longer nursing. Maybe she has just outgrown it? I just wanted to make it to the year mark with her. On the flip side, I know that she will not nurse forever and this is a rite of passage. I am more bitter because I have had zero luck with bottles..........Until NOW :

Recently when I attended the Biggest Baby Shower I was kindly given one of the newest bottles on the market manufactured by Joovy. When I was discussing with the Joovy rep, Pam. Giving her the insight into my bottle troubles. Pam said, "Here try this and let me know how it goes." So I did just that.

What is the name of Joovy's newest bottle? Wait for it...........................................................
Joovy BOOB Baby Bottle! Yes! Guess What? This is the ONLY bottle that Starr will take and she took it without any doubt, delay, or hesitation. Quite honestly probably due to its wider nipple and length to replicate nursing making the transition from nursing to bottle effortless. We tried the bottle last week before her strike and thankfully we did because now a useful bottle is very much needed! Pam kindly gave  me one of their 5 oz Boob Baby Bottles in Purple with a slow flow nipple. I anxiously went to buy buy baby to purchase the level 3 fast flow nipples and loved the way that the nipples are stored in this cute little plastic container. In fact I love everything about this bottle. It has 3 pieces (4 if you count the lid) : the inner clean flow vent which is a ring that snaps into the bottle neck, then you have the nipple and the ring to insert your nipple size of choice into. (4 options -0-preemie, 1- Slow, 2-medium, 3-fast, and X-extra Fast), twist the top on and you are ready to go.It is that simple. The bottles are made of Polypropylene, a durable plastic that is BPA, Phthalate, and lead free. It is easy to clean and easy to put together. If I had known about Joovy and they had come out with the Boob baby bottle with my first baby then I probably would have gotten out a lot more. However, it is pretty sweet that now we have a bottle that Starr loves! Joovy has helped to make Date nights out a little easier! Joovy is Groovy in my book!

Tried with water first

Then Milk

Finally! A bottle she will take and LOVES!!!

***Though I was kindly given the Boob bottle to try. The product review was of my own accord and all opinions and review expressed are my own. No compensation was given for my personal review of this product.***