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Shopping at the Baby Time Show!

We went to the baby time show for the first time last April - when I was still pregnant! This time around, we brought our baby along and were glad we did cause it was lots of fun! 
Different from last time, the show is being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (North Building)! Larger exhibition hall means wider floors and easier shopping experience (especially when you have a big stroller like mine!) 
We were there in the afternoon on Friday (First day of the show) and a lot of people were already leaving, so we were able to find a close parking spot (Parking was $21 ...ouch!).
What's also different from last time is that many vendors don't give out samples! Even Similac (which was very generous in giving formula samples in the last show) only give out one bottle of Similac Mom and coupons... This was a real disappointment for us as we were hoping the free samples would help "pay" for the admission and parking cost...
Nevertheless, we had fun strolling around the place with our screaming baby - in a good way..(she was so stimulated by all that was going on!) 

We ened up getting some good deals on things we wanted to buy, meet some nice people, and learning about new baby products out there! 

The best booth at the show was from well.ca! Maybe I'm biased, but the ladies at their booth was super nice! You can enter for a draw for 1 year of free diaper plus they give you a $10 coupon to spend on their website! I've ordered from them before and absolutely love their fast shipping service and hassle free return. Highly recommend them for not only baby products, but for grocery as well! They have updated their page recently to include a section for holiday gifts! The lady at the booth told me they even include gift wrapping! 

My next favourite booth was Simply green baby! http://www.simplygreenbaby.com

They carry many organic/green/eco friendly baby products! I remember seeing them at the last show and was just overwhelmed by different products they have at the booth! Show special: 20% off all items! 

                     

Large selection 

My baby had a "Mama's & Papa's Caterpillar stroller toy" which she absolutely loves! We found this small caterpillar rattle by Zubels that is like a miniature version of her stroller toy! It's made of organic yarn and baby safe! 

I recently saw a good review of the Lifefactory silicone teethers so when I see it at the simply green baby booth, I had to get it! This teether is super light weight, easy for baby to hold, boa-free (of course!), dishwasher safe, and made with medical-grade silicone. It has three different texture on it to sooth baby's sore gums~ moms can even wear it as a bracelet! (how fashionable...NOT! hahaha)

I always prefer wooden toys for my baby rather than those battery operated, plastic toys. This baby car is just so colourful! Can't wait till my baby can sit on her own and plays with this!

 My next stop was at the LIVE CLEAN booth! I absolutely love their product and when I saw them at the show, I literally ran over there and told them how wonderful their products are and gave them a few suggestions...like offering a larger size for their non-petrolium jelly... Show special: $15 for one travel size women's facial package  + one travel size baby's package.  I didn't end up buying too much as the show price for their other products were comparable to Walmart's price (after using the $1 off coupon from their website). They were nice enough to give me lots of sample + coupons! 

The Mam booth...
They were giving out free pacifiers last time so I was hoping to get some more this time around...sorry guys...they only had candies....I wonder if they were left over from halloween! Just Joking!!! Their staff was really nice to talk to and knows their products really well. We saw a few new designs on their pacifiers and found out that the teething ring we bought from our last trip to USA is actually not available in Canada yet! (launching next month) They weren't selling any of their products at the booth but we found this Oral Care Rabbit at the Snugglebugz booth! http://www.snugglebugz.ca
Our paediatrician recommended cleaning of baby's mouth even before the first tooth comes in so she can get used to the idea of mouth/teeth cleaning. This little rabbit makes it a fun and easy task (I hope!)
for more information on Mam products: www.mambaby.com 

 Another exciting booth (for me at least) was the Clek booth! I was able to see the foonf car seat in real life!! This new car seat was just launch in October and I have been researching it on-line for a while now. It has to be the prettiest car seat out there! My top choice would be the pink and white combo~ to match with my stroller of course! This car seat let your baby stay at the rear-facing position for up to 45lbs and forward facing until 65lbs. It has a recline feature so your child don't need to sit up straight all the time, making travelling more comfortable. Another small feature I like about this seat is that there is a small piece of magnet at the side of the seat that holds the seat belt to the side - making it easier to transport your baby in and out! 

Next up! MC Hammer pants! (for Baby)

Electrik Kidz is a Montreal based company specialised in making stylish baby clothes with organic materials. Their products are made with high quality fabrics and superb craftsmanship! 

I was very very very very tempted to buy another nursing cover...call the Bobby Trapper! It's an award winning design that has two hidden wires (instead of the usual one) which keeps the cover away from baby's face! It is absolutely brilliant! She sells them for $45 at the show but if you mention you already have a nursing cover, she would give you an extra $5 discount, making it $40 including tax!  For those of you who don't already have a nursing cover, consider this one! http://www.boobytrapper.ca

Other interesting things....

Baby's book club. Kind of like your potato chips club or your organic grocery club, tell them about your baby, pay a monthly fee and they will ship a box of baby books to you every month!

Cloth inserts and liners for the G-Diapers! I'll tell you all about them once I've learn how to use...and wash them! LOL

Baby Time Show November 2012 @ MTCC

2012 Fall/Winter Baby Time Show at MTCC

The baby time show is running for three days starting today. Of course we don't have to worry about nursing facilities in a baby show! There are two private mother's lounge! One at each end of the show. Diaper changing stations are right outside!

Cloth? Disposable? or Both? - G-diapers

How many diapers have you (your baby) used?

Have you ever counted the number of diapers you've used/tossed away? I did a rough count and for my four month old baby, we've changed her 956 times already! That a whole lot of diapers in the landfill! Our municipality allows tossing of used diapers in the green bin. However, since disposable diapers are made of plastic, it can take up to 40-50 years to decompose! That means when my daughter is my age...her 956+ diapers are still around! 
Going down the route of using cloth diapers seems to be a more environmentally friendly choice (although some would argue that as well...due to the amount of water and detergent used to wash a dirty diaper). Honestly though...after seeing my baby's first diaper, I gave up the idea of using cloth =P I applause those that are able to do it, but it is not for me...at least not for the first few months when I am still trying to learn the routine of taking care of a new born...

Then I discovered G-Diapers. www.gdiapers.ca They are cloth diapers with a biodegradable/flushable/disposable insert. After watching their introduction video, I decided to give them a try. I didn't order their "starter package" as I read some poor review on their new born size diapers...instead, I ordered an "everyday 6-pack" and a couple of inserts to try. (you really only need 6 pants to start as the outer pants hardly ever gets dirty) I still remember how confused I was when I first open the package...the insert seems so big that I doubt it would fit inside the inner lining...but after "stuffing" a few of them, I got a hang of it and it really is simple to use. 

So the big question is: Does it leak? The simple answer is: No for pee pee and sometimes for poo poo!
From my experience of every day use, only the inner lining would get dirty, the outer pants always stay clean and clear! If you wash the soiled lining immediately, everything would come off easily! There is definitely more work involve than using a disposable diaper, but it really isn't that bad!

Other than environmental concerns, are there any other reasons why I choose (and stick with) the G-Diaper? 

1. They are really super cute! I absolutely love the different colours/design they come in and the "G" logo at the back is just so adorable!

2. My baby's bum bum is clear of rashes! Although the inner lining is plastic, the disposable insert is plastic free, super absorbent, and keeps my baby's bum bum happy!

3. Does not leak onto my Baby's clothes! Even with my baby's "Explosive" diapers, the G was able to contain the mess within the inner lining. I haven't had any incident where the mess would get onto my baby's clothes!

My baby has moved from "Small" to "Medium" size in 4 months. We can no longer use the small size pants, liner or insert! I had to order the next size up G pants...another investment...but luckily the next size up inner lining and inserts are good for M/L/XL size. Like most other products, we Canadians pay so much more than the Americans for the exact same product!  If I live in the states, I could buy these inserts on-line at 29 cents each. In Canada though, they regularly sell for 47 cents each! I always keep an eye out for discounts and stock up when I find a good deal =) 

Recently noticed they have a product call "G Cloth Liner", which is a liner for cloth diapers, "Capture the poopy mess while the wetness passes through". Unfortunately I couldn't find much information on this lining...but will definitely be looking for it at the Snuggle buz booth in the Baby Time show this coming weekend and see if I can get more information in it!

Review of the Nap Nanny

"The Nap Nanny Chill is a ground-breaking product designed to comfort babies and improve infant sleep. Made with a durable, yet incredibly comfortable high-density foam, the Nap Nanny Chill® mimics the contours of a car seat, the softness of a baby blanket and the stability of a mattress–allowing your infant to rest and play peacefully." - quoted from www.napnanny.com

Does it really work?is it really worth the $129.99 (amazon price)?
I first found out about this product from a blog of a mother with quadruplets. (Their story is really inspiring! Take a look if you can read Chinese! https://www.facebook.com/aeniquads )
She gave birth to her babies in USA and now resides in Taiwan. The Nap Nanny appears to be really useful in her situation. Her babies uses it to nap, eat, and play! 

I bought ours from Babies r us in Buffalo, NY. I was unsure about this product at first...$$$ for a giant sponge??? Ok...it does have a nice cover on, but to me, it is still only a foam chair! But then I read on the product's packaging that it 'extends sleeping time by 4-6 hours!'...and we would pay anything for longer sleep time at this point, so we decided to picked one up and try it out! ( I am a easy target for marketers I know...)

Since this thing is only a "giant sponge" that cannot be folded, it took up a lot of trunk space in the car when driving back to Canada. Before using it for the first time, I took the cover off and put it to wash. When I saw the inner foam....I honestly felt like it was a rip off....

It has a nice curve to it and I only hope that it delivers what the advertising said. After I put the cover back on, I popped the baby in it to test it out. She seems very happy and comfortable in her new seat. We left her in there for  15-20 minutes and hoped that she would fall asleep. That didn't happen though...guess it just wasn't her nap time. Although she didn't fall asleep in it, she was comfortably sited during our "test time" and didn't fuzz at all! 

The second time around we waiting for her to fall asleep, then place her in the Nap Nanny to see if she would sleep longer than her usual time. In our case, she didn't stay asleep longer than usual. At this point I thought to myself...great....money wasted....but then very soon I discovered many more uses of this product! Because it is so light weight, you can move it anywhere in the house easily! I can kick it downstairs (with out the baby of course!) when my hands are busy and need to move it downstairs. I can leave my baby in it in the washroom while taking a shower so she can see me. I can bring it over the parent's house so she gets a comfortable place to sit...countless possibilities! 

Another plus is that it doesn't have weight restrictions! (after all it is only a sponge) When my baby outgrown all the other battery operated seats (bouncers, swings etc.), she can still use this Nap Nanny! I can easily get 4-5 years of use of of this! All a sudden the price tag isn't so ridiculous anymore =)

In conclusion, after owning the Nap Nanny for one month, I found that I have used it the most out of all other seats we have at home (bouncer, Mama Roo, bassinet/play pan). My baby would stay in it (calmly) for the longest time! For that I'd give it a 5* rating! 

http://www.snugglebugz.ca/brand/nap-nanny.html
$159.99 (Canadian Price on-line)

*Always follow the manufacturer's instruction on how to safely use the product*

Nursing On the Go!

Lets face it! Not everyone is comfortable nursing in public and not every where you go to will have nursing facilities. So what do I do? Should I restrict my travelling to only those places with nursing rooms? or time my outings so that I can rush home to feed my little one?  

Nope! Instead, I've setup the back seat of my car to be my nursing room on the go!

I live and travel in "up town" so there are usually lots of free parking spaces around plazas, malls, side streets etc. I'd just park my car further away from the crowd and feed my baby in the back seat! I was really nervous about this at first as you never know who is watching. But in reality, no one is! However, just to be sure that no one can see, I'd keep a flat sheet in the car, a few laundry clips, and create my own "covered" nursing room at the back seat.  

I found a "fold down" mini table to attach to and use in the car (see below picture)! This is great as I can keep my phone (I use an app to keep track of feeding time), nipple shield, wash cloth etc. right in front of me for easy access! 

My Hello Kitty Fold Down Tray for use in the car!

Yes...I know it's our right to nurse anywhere in Toronto....I don't need to hide myself at the back seat...but it is way more comfortable and if I am relaxed, I get the job done much faster =) 

P.S. What is the front seat for you ask? It's the diaper changing station! ;P