Bump and Beyond

Checkout the new Joovy Room! The Room is unlike the typical playard. It has a full-size bassinet, complete changing station and a built - in MP3 jack. The Room comes in bold neutral colors and is perfect for Grandma's house or a mini nursery for your own home.

Click here for the Joovy Room giveaway. Register today!

I don’t know about you, but I get a little grossed out by those restaurant high chairs. First of all, how well do they actually clean them? Either way, what do they clean them with? Bleach? Do they use a product safe for babies? Does the safety harness even work? Often times the harness is broken.

I would specifically use my stroller as a high chair when dining out. That is not always practical in crowded and sometimes cramped restaurants. Now, I use HandySitt most of the time. Handysitt actually works great as a portable high chair for restaurants or home. 

It fits most chairs and has a 3-point harness, but you can purchase an optional 5-point harness. Because it fits right onto an adult chair, babies and toddlers feel like they are truly apart of the table. HandySitt is also a space saver and some parents opt to use it at home. You can even buy separate parts to make it a permanent high chair. 

HandySitt is made from solid Birch wood cut from sustainable European forests. Steel, BPA and phthalate-free plastic components, and water-based and formaldehyde-free varnishes are also used.

For more information, please visit http://www.minuihandysitt.com/

Question:

Getting a sitter every time my husband and I want to go out for dinner is getting expensive. Can you recommend a restaurant that is kid-friendly, but at least semi-romantic?

Sheneq:

I can certainly relate to your situation. Not only can hiring sitters get expensive, but it's not always practical. There may be times when you want to be spontaneous and go out at the last minute. Most sitters need a reasonable amount of notice in order to commit. On top of that, many sitters prefer to work for a minimum of four hours and sometimes you just want to go out for an hour or two.

Some of our family favorites are Hungry's Cafe and Bistro, Black Walnut Cafe, and Raven Grill. I like these restaurants because they are kid-friendly, but I enjoy going even without children. All offer fresh vegetables and grilled items to ensure that the entire family gets a healthy meal.

Have a question for Sheneq? Email us at info@premierbabyplanning.com.

Ask Sheneq was sponsored by: 

Mom Corps Houston
Meera Naehr, President
888.438.8122 x 234

Visit www.momcorps.com to register and learn more about how you can pursue a professional, flexible career.

Premier Baby Planning packed up and drove to Fort Worth for the All Baby & Child Spring Educational Conference and Trade Show. We are thrilled to share a few of our loves with you!

Green Sprouts - Disposable Compressed Wipes

New! Soft and absorbent disposable wipes expand when moistened. Just dab a little water and voila! Free of alcohol, harsh chemicals, chlorine, and perfumes. Antibacterial and hypoallergenic. Made from plants! Perfect for travel. Includes reusable travel tube for easy-to-go. Especially perfect for little ones with sensitive skin.

Olivia B - Ventilated Bumpers

New from Olivia B are patent-pending VENTILATED SLAT BUMPERS, or "SLAT BUMPERS".  Olivia B’s Ventilated Slat Bumpers were specifically designed to address the concerns of medical professionals regarding the lack of air circulation in a crib when a traditional bumper is used. Medical research has shown that the more oxygen surrounding your baby during sleep, the safer your baby is from re-breathing exhaled carbon dioxide. Hence, the safer your baby is from suffering from SIDS. 

The bumpers are absolutely beautiful! To top it off, they are machine washable on gentle cycle and dryer safe using low heat. You can even iron the ties.  Check out the video that shows how the bumpers work!

Joovy - Tricycoo

The Joovy Tricycoo is cute as a button! Starting at 18 months, your child can can enjoying their very first vehicle and get some help with balance and coordination at the same time! The Tricycoo has a removable parent push handle so it grows with your child. When engaged, the parent push handle overrides the steering on the Tricycoo. 

• It has 4-positions and is adjustable from 32.5 to 38 inches high
• The front wheel pedals can be unlocked so the pedals to spin freely without force and “go” without the need to pedal. 
• Removable ‘baby surround arms’ safely enclose your child on the seat and the fold down footrest gives more stability to the child when riding. This gives them confidence and support while they perfect their balancing.
• Tricycoo sports injection-molded wheels with urethane treads
• A bell on the handlebar
• Large rear basket for take along play
• The Tricycoo frame is constructed of steel and it supports a child up to 44 pounds

The No-Compromise™ Organic Cotton Lightweight matches the strength and durability of an innerspring without the added weight. Layers of luxurious organic cotton batting create the perfect balance of firmness and comfort. Get the best of both worlds; firm and durable for baby, easy crib changing for mom, dad and caregivers! I especially love the dual firmness option. Perfect for the infant and toddler stage.

• Wipe clean waterproof surface
• Organic cotton fabric & filling
• Firm comfortable support
• Hypoallergenic design
• Non-toxic fire protection
• Seamless design
• 2-stage dual firmness option
• Safe expert design
• Weighs 10 to 12 lbs

This concept is the sweetest ever! The "i like book" is natural, pure and from the heart. It is designed so that each child has their own book and the adults in their life write something they "like" about them. Whether you make an entry once a week or once a day does not matter. The biggest suggestion is to try and make it as interactive as possible (let them know what you "like" about them). Life can be so stressful and feel hurried so it’s nice to take a step back and say something nice about your child. I love that it is in a book so that you have memories for years to come.

The Childrite Seat - Chair for Special Needs Children

The Childrite seat is a support chair for special needs children. Aside from a wheel chair, a lot of special needs children don’t have a variety of options. It has a high back with a wrap around style to provide support for your child to help strengthen their trunk muscles. The Childrite™ seat measures 10.5 inches across in width and the depth from the interior edge of the pommel to the center back is 10 inches. Height of the seat measures 11.5 inches from the deepest point of the scooped seat to the top of the seat back. The Child Rite Seat was designed to meet the needs of both children and their families. 

• Compact
• Durable
• Portable (with one hand)
• Easy to clean
• Made of a soft comfortable foam material

CPSC Alert: Consumers Urged To Stop Using phil&teds USA Clip-on Chairs Due To Serious Dangers Posed To Children

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns consumers that some “metoo” clip-on table top chairs, imported by phil&teds USA Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo. put young children at risk of serious injury due to multiple safety hazards. CPSC is urging consumers to stop using some metoo clip-on chairs immediately.

The product is an infant/toddler chair with a nylon fabric seat and a metal frame that clamps onto tables using two metal vise clamps. The upper part of each clamp rests on the table top and has either a rubber clamp pad on its underside or a rubber boot covering it. The chair is sold in three fabric colors – red, black and navy.

The clip-on chairs affected by this warning do not have plastic spacers between the table clamps and the front horizontal metal bar. The clip-on chairs that have plastic spacers between the table clamps and the front horizontal metal bar are under evaluation.

The company has refused to agree to a national recall of their hazardous product that is acceptable to CPSC. The company has offered a repair kit consisting of rubber boots to place on the upper clamp grips of the chairs. Consumers should be aware that CPSC has not approved a repair kit for this product, despite the firm’s prior statement that it was conducting a recall “in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

CPSC is urging consumers to stop using the affected metoo chairs at this time in order to prevent the risk of injury to children.

The affected metoo chairs pose serious fall and amputation hazards to children placed in them. Children can suffer impact and head injuries when the chair detaches from the table and falls with them in it. CPSC staff is aware of numerous incidents involving the affected metoo chairs.

For more information visit the CPSC.

Easter is just around the corner. Michelle Stern of What's Cooking with Kids featured recipes for naturally dyed eggs on her website. Not only are the recipes budget friendly, but they are safe and you probably have most of the items around your house!

Naturally Dyed Eggs
By What’s Cooking with Kids

1 dozen hard boiled white eggs (note – we had to buy eggs for the first time in ages, since our chickens lay brown, blue and green eggs!)
White vinegar
Water
Colorful ingredients (described below)
Stickers and rubber bands to make patterns on the egg

Hard boil 1 dozen eggs and allow them to cool in the refrigerator.
Decide how many colors you want to make and take out the appropriate number of pots.
To each pot, add: 1 quart of water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Add the following ingredients to each pot:

• Red: 2 cups Cranberry juice and 8 cups red onion peels (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)
• Red-Orange: 3-4 tablespoons chili powder
• Mahogany: 10-12 cups brown onion skins (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)
• Yellow: 3-4 tablespoons tumeric
• Blue: ½—¾ head chopped red cabbage

Bring each of the pots to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow them to simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your eggs by wrapping them in rubber bands or putting on stickers (which will leave behind white stripes or patterns).
Pour the dyes through a strainer and return them to the pot or a clean bowl.
Gently lower some of the hardboiled eggs into each of the hot dyes.
The color will deepen the longer they stay in the dye, but an hour should do the trick. If you wish to keep them submerged for longer, you should pour the dyes into containers that fit into your refrigerator, and let the eggs soak in there.
When you are satisfied with the color saturation on the eggs, remove them from the liquid and dry them.
Take off the rubber bands and stickers and enjoy!

Like us on Facebook and sign-up for our Balanced Family newsletter during the month of April for a chance to win a Bambino Mio cloth diaper starter kit!

The new miointro kit offers you a great opportunity to test cloth diapers before committing to purchasing larger quantities, providing you with a realistic, hands-on experience with the Bambino Mio system and contains:

• 3 x mionappies (nappies)
• 1 x miosoft (nappy cover)
• 1 x 50 mioliners (nappy liners)
• 1 x 100g miofresh (nappy cleanser)  

The miointro kit is size small (11-16lbs) 

Question:
I am expecting and want to find out the baby's sex, but my husband does not. I'd prefer to plan everything, but he wants a surprise. What do you think?

Sheneq:
Situations like this are tough when you and your spouse disagree. Personally, I love the idea of not finding out and here are a few reasons why. Today, we don't have many surprises in life and your baby's sex can be one of the best surprises you will get. Second, not finding out prevents you, as well as, family and friends, from going too crazy with the pink or blue. You can plan for your baby's arrival just fine with a variety of neutral colors.

Let's also not forget that ultrasound results are not always accurate! It would be an even bigger surprise if you purchased items or decorated your nursery for one sex and it turned out to be the other.

However, if you are adamant about finding out, perhaps you and your spouse can compromise. You could agree that you will find out and simply not tell your spouse. Pre-order the items that you want and have them delivered after the baby's arrival so you don't ruin the surprise. Pink or blue are dead giveaways! I have to say, though, I think this would be a tough one for the both of you.

Whatever you decide, I hope that you have a healthy happy baby!

Have a question for Sheneq? Email us at info@premierbabyplanning.com.

Question:
Can I drive in the HOV lane if I'm pregnant? Doesn't my baby count as a person?

Sheneq:
When I was pregnant and stuck on 59, I certainly wished that was the case. But unfortunately, not until he or she is born!

The HOV lane was designed to help cut down on traffic by allowing buses, motorcyclists and car poolers to drive in a separate lane. The goal is to have fewer vehicles on the road, reduce car emissions, improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.

Once you meet your baby in person, he or she will count toward the HOV lane requirement.

Have a question for Sheneq? Email us at info@premierbabyplanning.com.

Spring Break is coming up and we have our favorite picks for camps and things to do: Houston Gymnastics Academy - All day gymnastics camp for ages 3 to 12 years. Daily and full week options available. Critter Camp - Camp activities from 9am to 3pm hosted by the SPCA. Daily option for ages 8 to 12 years.  Jewish Community Center - Hosts camp activitiies from 9am to 3:30pm. Speciality may be chosen and am, pm and daily options are available. Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Education Center - Week long camp in Baytown for grades 3 to 5 focusing on nature and the outdoors. 8am to 4pm.  Houston Arboretum - Week long camp with hands-on activities designed to help children learn about endangered animals native to Texas. Full-day and morning options available for ages 5 to 12. Space Center - Day camps offered for ages 8 to 11. Daily options available. This camp focuses on a different theme every day. Sienna Stables - Horseback Riding camp for ages 6 to 16. Week long from 9am to 3pm. For first timers up to intermediate level. Creative Combo - Art camp with am and pm options designed for ages 7 to 13. Includes a different art them everyday. Houston Rockets Basketball - Camp for 3rd to 9th graders. Three days from 9am to noon. Personal instruction as well as team work involved. Crossing Borders - Bilingual English/Spanish camp for ages 3 and up from 9am to 3pm. Locations in Rice Village and The Woodlands. Cooking Camp - National Treasures theme cooking camp. Options for am, pm or full-day. Age range from preschool to elementary school. Children's Museum - Variety of activities during spring break ranging from cultural to hands-on to the arts. Check the calendar for more details.