review: naturepedic and sk naturals

For over a year now, Baby S has slept in my bed. Cuddled up next to me throughout the night.. although lately, more often than not, I wake up with a foot in my face.

The time has come. Time to talk about moving her to her own bed. Don't get me wrong- I have loved this year of co-sleeping. As I have said many times, breastfeeding + co-sleeping = best friends (check out my tips for co-sleeping with a newborn). Co-sleeping puts you in the perfect position to sleep and feed through the night. This would have been a much more tiring year without it.

But all good things must come to an end. Truth be told, Baby S is still nursing quite a bit throughout the night, so I'm not totally ready to give it up. But Daddy is starting to push it more, so I am opening up to the discussion. We are moving in May, so Toddler B will be moving to a toddler bed in her own room, and crib space will be opening up. Like I said, I am opening myself up to the discussion, but no promises have been made.

review: apple n amos toys

Hand Kite in Fly Me Alice

What is your take on toys these days? Me personally, I try to avoid the lights and sounds. As a friend of mine recently said to me about a singing Elmo that she was trying to get rid of (with no luck), "These toys should come with free therapist and hospital trips for how many times they scare the shit out of you when you run into them in a dark room at night."

It's true- an annoying monkey toy that my mother gave us (thanks a lot, grandma!) almost caused me to break a leg after giving me a heart attack one night as I went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

This is why I love finding toys that entertain without batteries. Toys that activate children's imaginations. For Baby S's birthday, we received two of these hand kites from Apple N Amos, an Etsy shop specializing in wood toys rooted in Waldorf and Montessori teachings. A mom and pop shop, their toys inspire imagination and play in a way that singing Elmo never will.

Easter Egg Basket

Baby S and Toddler B love these hand kites. The ribbons are hypnotizing and silly to them. They like to make them wiggle and shake. Of course, the wooden circle is a great teether for Baby S! She is also starting to realize that she can wave the kite to make different movements of the ribbons.

Older kids get this of course- at the birthday party there was a lot of movement inspired by these kites. I also saw imaginative play involving gymnastics, birds, and airplanes- imaginations were running wild!

Check out Apple N Amos's full line of toys on Etsy- party favors, the Baby Apple collection, memory games and more!

I received goods or services in exchange for this review. The opinions are all my own.

review and interview: regal cottage

Baby Ball Toy- Let's Join the Circus

Successful first birthday party, check!

People came, tostones and cake were eaten by all, presents were opened, messes were made. My little baby is now officially one year old.

It took me a while to figure out what to give her as a present. I wanted it to be special and something that would last- something that she could show her daughter one day and say, "Grandma got me this for my first birthday." I also wanted it to be something that she would play with- not another thing that would sit on the bottom of the toy bin.

I finally settled on this ball from Regal Cottage. The ball is made from a rare vintage circus print, vintage chenille and organic cotton. It is about 9 inches across and has a fun little bell inside. As Baby S is just beginning to discover ball play- rolling, throwing, hugging- this toy was a hit! We have already had quite a few sessions of family ball throwing time- everybody laughs and loves it. The print is also super fun to look at and she loves it's different textures. Birthday present success!

Matryoshka Plush

Regal Cottage offers a variety of fun eco-friendly plush toys made from organic fabrics, repurposed vintage fabrics and designer fabrics. I also had my eye on these sweet little matryoshka dolls.. maybe a future purchase?

Regina shares some of her breastfeeding and mothering experience with us:

I have four kids ages 3, 6, 9, and 11. I am really proud to say I breastfed all four of them! Surprisingly though, my experience with each of them was totally different, but that's how kids are. Each is a totally unique individual-even when they are tiny little newborns!

interview: BitchinStitches411

Boobie Beanie

Meet Sara, the mama behind the shop BitchinStitches411, maker of fabulous boobie beanies for infants and adults as well as other bits of crocheted fun! 


What was the inspiration behind the boobie beanie?
I was inspired to make the boobie beanie after nursing my daughter in public a few times and getting a few people who were unintentionally staring. I thought, how funny would it be to give them something to look at. Pop a boob hat on my daughters head and see who notices! I got some great responses, all positive! :)

What are your thoughts on nursing in public, and those that think mothers should be covered up (or not nurse in public at all)?
Nursing in public is a very natural thing for a mother to do. Your baby needs to eat when she is hungry! I have always covered up because I am more comfortable that way but I think women should nurse however they feel comfortable, covered or not. The media is saturated in half naked women and no one bats an eyelash. But you put a nursing mother on a bench in a store and its a big deal? I sure don't think so!

Tell us about your own breastfeeding experience.
Before my daughter was born I was determined to nurse at least a year but when she finally came we had a VERY rocky start! I had very sore and cracked nipples and I had a hard time making enough milk. After a lot of practice, Fenugreek, and tears (both mine and my daughters) we were finally successful! But, honestly, it was about 9 weeks until we really had the hang of it.

Do you have a personal nursing in public story?
I have nursed in public many times and have never really had a bad experience. No particular story stands out but i did get some chuckles and double takes with the boobie beanie on my daughter head!

Any advice for mamas that want to start their own shop or business?
Take it slow. Start small. I went from having one or two items on my Etsy site to 19 currently. I have so many more ideas for other hats i would like on the site but I am almost overwhelmed with orders now so i dont really want to add to it. I always get order out within one to three days, though!

Thanks Sara! Check out her boobie beanies, Brobee and Foofa hats, baby apparel and more at her Etsy shop: BitchinStitches411.

review & interview: achessmore design

Vintage Birthday Invite and Tags- Dear Little Dear

Baby S is about to turn one! Holy crap, where did the time go? 

And of course, as time just seems to fly by, I always hit the point where I say to myself, Crap. Um, I really need to get birthday invites out NOW. And this is her only first birthday ever and it needs to be super duper special! I don't want some crap from the dollar store written in my crappy handwriting forever enshrined in the baby book!

Luckily, I happened across AChessmore Design, a cute little online shop run by graphic designer, illustrator and work-at-home mama Amie Chessmore. 

This is the adorable invite (at left) that Amie designed to look fabulous for years to come in the baby book (of course, this is the generic version- I don't want to post our invite and have every crazy on the net knocking on our door asking for cake! But you get the idea.).

The best part: for a wait-til-the-last minute mom like me, Amie makes it easy. I picked my invitation, sent her the info that needed to be on it, and she quickly sent me a PDF file of my invite and thank you tags for the goody bags. We printed them on our own printer (they look great!), addressed them, and sent them as postcards. One-two-three-party! 


*Note- the post office has changed their definition of a postcard (seriously). A 5x7 will not qualify for postcard stamps, so if you want to pay a lesser stamp charge, use a 4x6 size (which Amie can provide!).

Amie, mother of two girls (A, almost 5, and V, almost 2), shares some of her wisdom and experience as a breastfeeding and work at home mama:

Dinosaur Birthday Invitation and
Matching Thank You Note-
Rock and Roar

Tell us about your personal breastfeeding experience:
I always knew I would nurse my babies and I never had any worries about doing so even though I heard so many stories of struggles and was given so many papers on proper latching and clinics in my area that would help. As I hoped, my babies nursed instantly and without any issues. In fact, besides the initial soreness the physical aspect of it was pretty seamless. What I didn’t anticipate was how I would mentally feel about it all.

review & giveaway: green eats

As you all know, Baby S has begun her forage into the wide world of solids. At 11 months, she is still quite partial to the breast, but in her quest to put everything known to man into her mouth, she has decided that some food should end up in there as well. At the moment, she favors finger foods (cut up sweet potato, banana, avocado, broccoli), apple cores, raw cucumbers, puffs, little crackers, and small amounts of purees.  She also loves drinking water from a cup.

When Toddler B began to eat solids, we began tackling an issue that many parents face in these days of scary chemicals and toxic materials- what do we feed her with? Plastics scares me, I can never remember what numbers are good and which numbers are bad. We went with ceramics for a bit, but broke every cute little dish.

I started doing some research, and found that one of our favorite companies, Green Toys (their tugboat is the best bath toy EVER), had recently added a tableware line for kids, Green Eats. All of Green Eats and Green Toys products are made from recycled milk jugs. The plastic is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the cleanest, safest plastics around. No melamine, no BPA, no phthalates, no PVC, and has no external coatings.

review & giveaway: thebabasling baby carrier

theBabaSling in chartreuse green

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I'd always been a wrap or certain type of carrier sort. I love my Moby and my Ergo to death. I had never tried a sling, but I kept seeing people carrying around their babies with them... and I have to admit, I was having some carrier curiosity and envy. I loved the way the side sit looked (something I have never mastered with my Moby or Ergo), and I watched mamas slip their babes down to nurse with ease (again, something I have never mastered the M or E).

So when I had a chance to review theBabaSling baby carrier, I was pumped. Finally, I could see what these slings were all about!

When I got my BabaSling, I quickly figured a couple of things out. One, this was not like other skimpy little slings- no fabric digging into the shoulders here. This is the queen of slings. Soft cotton fabric in gorgeous colors with a perfect amount of padding where the sling lays on the shoulder. The Unique Adjustment System makes it easy to size it for me or my partner in seconds while also being safe enough that I don't have to worry about babies falling out.

my favorite position- side saddle

Another thing I figured out in two seconds? theBabaSling is easy. Slip over head, make sure logo is in correct position, slip baby in, and we're off (note: I read directions thoroughly and practiced in a safe place before getting to this point). This is now my go-to carrier for quick trips and impending emergencies. Baby S can't be put down without blowing a gasket, Toddler B just leaked through her diaper and the beans are boiling over on the stove? No prob. Baba Sling on, Baby S in, Toddler B up and fire turned down. I AM SUPER MAMA.

breastfeeding position

theBabaSling offers 5 different positions and 2 different breastfeeding positions. Again, breastfeeding in a carrier is something that I have not previously been able to master. But with theBabaSling, I was able to get Baby S into position, latched on and feeding within seconds. Seriously. It was that easy. I also need to report that while feeding in theBabaSling, Baby S did not unlatch to play or look at anything. This is huge- as you know, Baby S is a full-on distractor that can't usually feed more than a couple of seconds without unlatching. Score a million points for sling feeding. I also was able to feed her while walking around- and she still didn't unlatch! I am beyond wow-ed.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with my BabaSling. It has become a nice part of our babywearing lives. Check out theBabaSling, drool at all the pretty colors, and get one of these award-winning slings for yourself!

*One lucky Breastfed reader will win a BabaSling of his or her very own! Check out how to enter using the Rafflecopter below. 

I was provided with a product to be reviewed by theBabaSling. I received no other compensation. The opinions are all my own.

review: glamourmom nursing gear

Glamourmom Nursing Bra Long Top in Stripe

Do you have a favorite piece of nursing gear?

I do now- my Glamourmom nursing tank.

Let me back up. Even before I was pregnant, I lived in tanks, year round. Easy summer wear, great for layering in the fall and spring, and perfect for adding a bit more warmth without bulk during the winter. I never knew about the invention of the nursing tank, but I was overjoyed to find them after giving birth to Toddler B.

Of course, at that point my nursing tank purchases were strictly made at the big box bullseye. Nothing wrong with these tanks, in particular- a little pricey, not too much support, tended to stretch out of shape a bit after a couple of washes, but overall, not bad. Easy access for nursing, and I didn't have to give up my tank top love affair. I knew of some pricier lines that were sold on the internet, but I didn't see the point of spending more.

That is, until I got my Glamourmom tank. I was sent the Glamourmom Nursing Bra Long Top in the black and white stripes seen above. The second I put it on, I was in love. You see, after two babies, I need a little more support up top. With this tank's full built in nursing bra and thick stretchy cotton and elastane fabric, my breasts moved back up to almost pre-baby height- without any extra bra support!!! LOVE.

honey bee holistics interview & review

Organic Nipple Soothe Ointment

Today I am interviewing Melissa, the creator of Honey Bee Holistics, a line of skin care products for women. All of her products are handmade with wild harvested herbs or herbs grown on-site at her farmland in the valley of the Cascade Mountains. No chemicals or preservatives, ever!


Before interviewing Melissa, I had a chance to try her Organic Nipple Soothe Ointment for breastfeeding mothers. I was in love as soon as I opened the jar- the smell of honey and beeswax is delicious!


Another thing that made me happy- since the ointment has an organic beeswax base, it isn't overly goop-y like other nipple creams. It went on smoothly and had a nice protective feel to it- definitely made my nipples less sensitive to the chafing of my shirt. 


What I love about this product the most, however, is that it is only made from organic and natural products. Melissa harvested her herbs, mixed together this ointment, bottled it, and sent it to me! No crazy chemical preservatives or scary packaging processes. I have no fear about putting this on the nipples that spend so much time in my babies mouth. That is the best feeling.

review: little sapling toys

Breastfeeding wooden teether

We have long been fans of the beautiful wooden teethers and blocks by Little Sapling Toys.

So imagine our delight when we found that they include this beautiful teether celebrating the breastfeeding mother and child!


Teethers are handcrafted from Hard Rock Maple, a non-splintering wood. They are naturally anti-bacterial, non-allergenic, and non-toxic. All Little Teething Toys are sanded satin smooth with no exterior finish.

Their philosophy: Here at LST, we are committed to quality toys and a healthy earth. We plant a tree for every toy sold, use FSC Certified hardwoods, recycled content packaging and participate in our local green power program.

Each toy is handmade in our workshop in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They design their toys to help young children develop creativity, pattern recognition and motor skills. 


But what do the babies think? Toddler B and Baby S are both fans of Little Sapling Toy teethers. The maple must taste good and sooth sore gums, because Baby S loves to have it in her mouth, slobbering all over it. The holes are also perfect size for both little and big babies. Great for waving and banging!


We also own some of their blocks. Great size for stacking, and they just plain feel good in your hands.


Little Sapling Toys is offering a special discount for Breastfed. readers. Enter BFED10 at checkout for a 10% discount through September 15. Yay!


Read more about Nick and Kimber, the mother and father team behind Little Sapling Toys.

review: milkscreen

Today I had a difficult job- I was forced to drink in order to review Milkscreen, a product designed to let breastfeeding women test the alcohol content of their breast milk after drinking.

Ok, maybe it wasn't so difficult. Actually, not so difficult at all.

Although I rarely drink at all anymore (the times when I have money for a babysitter plus money to go out, desire to be awake late, and the energy to make myself nightclub pretty are rare these days), I do occasionally enjoy the idea of a cocktail after baby bedtime. I always wonder, though- did I drink so much that I'm getting my baby drunk? Will it make the difference between a future National Honor Society member and a remedial English student?

The second that I mentioned to my partner that I was going to review alcohol test strips, he was making plans to go to the liquor store (perhaps we are both in need of some relaxation?). We picked up our favorite- Prairie vodka, an organic vodka made right here in Minnesota.