Product Reviews

Kiwi Crate Holiday Boxes + Giveaway

November 6, 2013 / Cheese, Giveaways, New York Food, Product Reviews / 10 Comments

While this year isn’t the first holiday season for the toddlers, it is the first year that they are starting to understand what’s going on. This makes me super excited, because I LOVE holidays. I really love getting arty and crafty with Cheese, so trying out the holiday Kiwi Crate holiday boxes were the perfect way to get her involved in preparing for the biggest holiday in our year, Christmas. For our friends celebrating Hannukah, we asked our friends with a crafty toddler to test drive Kiwi Crate’s Handmade Hannukah.

Kiwi Crate boxes are so great for parents like us – people who like the IDEA of being crafty, but whose craft boxes contain little more than crayons, markers and stickers. If we want to make something special, we don’t have any of the right bits and pieces, and, to be honest, I would have no idea where to get things like a few pom poms and ribbon bits that each project requires. Kiwi Crates contain everything you need for the entire project – including things like glue and paint brushes. I LOVE the assumption that we have nothing to being with because, to be honest, we don’t! We have a TINY apartment and have no room for keeping bits and pieces of things in case we need them for crafting in the future.

All Kiwi Crate boxes are also generously stocked with supplies. More than you’ll need for each project, so you have spare materials to customise projects to your child’s preferences, plus have left over materials to make something else with next time.

The Kiwi Crate model is based on subscriptions, where you sign up for a new craft box to be delivered to you every month. They also offer single crates ($19.95 each), each one filled with enough materials for 2 – 3 projects, holiday crates and stocking stuffers.

Kiwi Crate Box One: Crafty Christmas Box, by Christine Knight

The box I was testing out was the Crafty Christmas box ($19.95). It includes materials to make three Swirly Ornaments (for hanging on the Christmas tree), a Gingerbread House and Paper Candies to decorate the house. The kit comes with a user guide for parents or older children, with very detailed instructions.

Gingerbread House

The Gingerbread House instructions had multiple options for house decorating ideas. Now, remember Cheese is only TWO. I had to give her a hand with a lot of the projects, like assembling the house and gingerbread man pieces. It was still a lot of fun for her, even though she couldn’t complete the projects on her own.

She was very interested in certain tasks, like sticking stickers on the roof of the gingerbread house, and especially pouring the paint into the ornaments. She wasn’t interested in anything that took too long, so I had to assemble everything in advance so it was ready for her to add her part or she’d wander off to play with something else. It was a really fun way for us to spend time together, and for me to explain to her what everything was and what it meant.

It was also great to let Cheese experiment with different materials that she wouldn’t usually play around with. She loved pasting the pom pom balls to the Gingerbread House and placing the sticker tiles on the roof.

Swirly Ornaments

The ornament kit was much easier to do with a two-year-old. I prepped the area and pieces and gave the ornament bases to Cheese to squeeze paint into. She really loved that she could squirt the squeezing the paint into the ornaments by herself, and enjoyed turning them to see the colors swirl together. This project was a bit messier (paint!), but also a lot easier for a smaller toddler to work on as there were a lot less steps involved.

After the paint squeezing and swirling, the project was pretty much finished. The ornaments were left to drain excess paint and then dry over night, and Mommy was needed to cork and tie them up, ready for hanging.

Both Cheese and I really enjoyed the craft projects. I’m not a super creative person when it comes to thinking up craft ideas, so I loved being given the framework and materials, and the freedom to decorate however Cheese saw fit. We will absolutely be ordering more of these boxes as Cheese gets older and can tell us what crafts she wants to do.

Kiwi Crate Box Two: Handmade Hannukah, by Dayna Brandoff of chaostheorynyc.com

My daughter Tess (2 and 1/2 years old) and I made the menorah from the Handmade Hannukah box ($19.95) this morning. The box comes with candle holders (that look like slanted cups), tissue paper, paint and glue, plus a dreidel.

The project got off to a great start. I showed her how to do one of the cups — thin layer of glue, then tissue paper, then more glue. She did every step pretty much on her own for the next cup. The next three cups, however, she really only wanted to be the glue painter — which was fine — that was two out of the three steps (although I definitely helped with the second round of glue-painting to make sure the tissue paper would really stick). I will say that the project was not able to hold her attention for nine cups worth of time, so decorating the last four was mainly Mommy’s job. We both had a ton of fun peeling the dried glitter glue off our hands afterward. And Tess was definitely proud of the finished product — and loves the special little battery operated candles. But convincing her to save the batteries until Chanukah? That’s sure to be a challenge.

I also really liked that there’s plenty of tissue paper and mod podge left over to do a similar project on recycled jar . . . .I think we will probably make “vases” for the grandmothers for the holidays using the same technique!

GIVEAWAY

The generous folks at Kiwi Crate have offered Brunch With My Baby readers the opportunity to win a crate of their choosing. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

Competition is open Wed November 6, 2013 EST to 11:59pm Tues Nov 12, 2013, EST.

Entry open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brunch With My Baby were sent product samples for reviewing purposes. All opinions are our own.

STOKKE Scoot Review and GIVEAWAY

October 2, 2013 / Cheese, Giveaways, Product Reviews / 146 Comments

I’ve been known to own a few strollers (four — not all at once — to be exact). But the hunt for the perfect stroller is eternal, especially as one’s needs change with the different ages and stages of a child’s (and your) life. When I bought my main stroller, before Cheese was born, I really didn’t consider my living situation well. Third-floor walk-up, with nowhere at the bottom of the stairs to store a stroller. I bought a stroller that was super heavy (too heave for me to carry down stairs) and that needed the bassinet or seat removed before the bottom part was folded. Really, this stroller was suited to someone living in an elevator building, and so I didn’t actually use the stroller much after a few aborted attempts where I kicked my shin on the bottom bar, until we finally did move into an elevator building a year later.

We are huge fans of STOKKE in our home, with Cheese’s nursery filled with the Sleepi bed and Care: Change Table, and the Tripp Trapp highchair in the living room. STOKKE is known for their innovative designs and well-made pieces, so I was excited to check out the STOKKE Scoot. It has all the features that make is suitable for urban parents like myself. Check out my husband’s and my road test of the STOKKE Scoot around our home ‘hood in Brooklyn.

The Fold
The STOKKE Scoot comes all in one piece, so you don’t need to remove anything to fold it (except anything you may have stored in the basket underneath). It’s a bit tricky to master at first, as you have to follow a few steps before you can fold it: first, retract the handlebar. Then, fold it by doing the following: lift the bottom portion of the seat, push the seat backwards, then push the button on the wheel axle and pull it up to collapse the stroller into one slim piece. I know it sounds complicated (then again, try to express in words how to fold any stroller on the market these days and you’ll have a similar list), but once you get the hang of it, it’s fast and easy. Remove the cup holder from the handlebar and it balances on its side for easy storage in a small NYC apartment like mine.

Collapses In One Piece
One of the biggest things that I love about this stroller is that it collapses into a sleek and thin silhouette — in just one piece. Living in NYC, this is an essential for making life easier for parents. It means being able to call a car to get home if you find yourself in torrential rain (been there!!) and easily throw the whole stroller in the back without having to first remove the seat of the stroller and then having to fold the body of the stroller. It also means you can go out to any restaurant without needing to check if you need to bring an umbrella stroller or carrier instead of the SUV-stroller, because when folded up, the Stokke takes up little real estate. Since we love to eat out, this feature alone was like hitting the holy stroller grail.

Storage Space
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that you can never have enough storage space in your stroller basket (or anywhere, for that matter). There is a huge basket underneath the STOKKE Scoot, with plenty of room for groceries, or a huge diaper bag and sand pit toys. The stroller sits quite high, so there is a lot of vertical space as well, and it’s all easily accessible from every side. The only improvement I’d like is for the back of the basket to sit a bit higher so it keeps items in even better. When you tilt the stroller to go over things like steps or curbs, items can fall out if not well-secured.

Weight
It’s a hefty stroller, weighing in at 26 pounds. It can accommodate kids from birth (with the STOKKE Scoot Softbag) to 50 pounds — making it a great long-term investment. It’s also a very sturdy, well-made stroller, but doesn’t feel heavy to push. It’s also tall rather than wide, giving it less of a footprint (which is valuable when you need to take it on the subway or park it in a small corridor or apartment).

The Ride
The Scoot features four-wheel suspension, so it’s a smooth ride for Baby, even over Brooklyn cobblestones. The handlebar is adjustable, which is great for changing the height when my husband (who is 6′) takes over the driving from me (I’m 5’7). It’s comfortable to push around for a long period of time, and is easy to steer, even with one hand (not that I’m texting while driving, or anything).

Recline
The Scoot features a full recline, that you engage by unclipping a clip on each side of the back of the canopy. It features four recline-to-upright positions: facing you, upright or reclined, and facing away from you, upright or reclined. There is only reclining position — all the way back. It would also be great if there was one button or clip you could use to recline the stroller so it could be done smoothly with one hand, but I didn’t find it as awkward as I expected it to be when I used it, and Cheese had a really good nap in her little cocoon.

Canopy
It has a decent canopy, with a cute little visor that flips out (and zips off if needed), which, when tilted downwards, provides that extra bit of sun protection for your kid’s legs. There is a zippered section in the canopy that, when open, lets air circulate better on a hot day, and lets you take a peek at what your kid is doing in there (or, in my case, making sure important apps aren’t being deleted off my iPhone).

Adjustable Footrest
I love that I can adjust the footrest to my toddler’s feet so they’re not dangling down. And SHE loves that she can climb up and into it all by herself. What a fun, new game!

Accessories
The Scoot comes with a rain cover, mosquito net and cup holder. You can order car seat adaptors ($79.95) for Maxi Cosi and Peg Perego car seats. There is no bassinet with this stroller – but, to be honest, since I never used the bassinet for my toddler when she was a baby, I wouldn’t let this deter me from buying. You could absolutely use it from newborn age by clipping in the car seat for the first few months.

The STOKKE Scoot retails for $599.99 and comes in a range of colors (brown, red, dark navy, purple, beige and black melange).

GIVEAWAY

The very kind people at STOKKE are giving Brunch With My Baby readers the chance to win one STOKKE Scoot in the color of her choice. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

The competition opens Wed, Oct 2 to 11:59pm Tue Oct 8, 2013.

Entry open US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were sent a product sample to aid us with this review. All opinions are our own.

Spuni Review and GIVEAWAY

September 25, 2013 / Giveaways, New York Food, Product Reviews / 18 Comments

I’ve gone through a lot of baby cutlery with Cheese, with both good results (i.e. spoon helps shovel food into her mouth) and bad (i.e. food spills off the sides before spoon lands in her mouth), so I was super excited to hear about the new spoons by Spuni.

Spuni are ergonomic spoons designed to be the perfect fit for infants’ mouths, resulting in easier feeding for Baby, and less mess for Mom to clean up. Spuni is the perfect tool to help your baby transition to solid food. The recommended age for using Spuni is when the parent believes the infant is ready to make this transition — usually around 6 months and up.

The spoon’s handle length is just right for feeding infants — an infant spoon needs to be long enough for a parent to maneuver (the short and stubby ones are great for toddlers, but not infants) — plus it is easy for a parent to hold (and not too skinny like other spoons I have tried).

But what really makes this spoon special is the spoon tip. The unique tulip design makes it easier for babies to slurp food off of it.

Now, Missy Cheese is older than the target age, but boy do I wish I’d had this spoon when she was younger, as it’s a million times nicer to use than the ones I used while she was on her first solids. Here why:

It doesn’t fade or yellow with use.
It fits just the right amount of food (not too much or too little) for a toddler-sized bite.
It’s dishwasher-friendly.
It’s comfortable for an adult’s hand to hold.
It’s sold enough for a young toddler to use to feed themselves.
It’s really attractive (the colors are so pretty).

Cheese really loved the spoon. Like me, she was attracted like a bird to the beautiful colours (ours came in Giggle Green and Peekaboo Purple). She’s using toddler cutlery pretty confidently these days, and was excited to use her spoon to “chop chop” her eggs, and then placed the eggs on it to eat.

You can buy your own Spunis from spuni.com or Amazon for $18 a pair of spoons. Follow Spuni on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google +.

GIVEAWAY

The kind folks over at Spuni have offered Brunch With My Baby readers the chance to win one of two sets of their awesome new spoons. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

Competition opens Sept 25th to Tues Oct 1, 11:59pm.

Entry open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were given a set of Spunis to aid in our review. All opinions are our own.

Britax Carrier Review + Giveaway!

September 16, 2013 / Giveaways, New York Food, Product Reviews / 77 Comments

On the surface, the Britax Carrier doesn’t look much different from most other carriers on the market. Believe me, I’ve become quite the baby carrying expert over these past two years. I must have tried nearly half a dozen carriers in the hopes that just one might be comfortable for long treks around the ‘hood or in and out of the city.

Word around the Mommy Block was that this particular carrier was something special. Curious, I had to try it. Especially since Cheese is pretty vocal about not wanting to go in her stroller as often as she used to. And, short of putting her on a leash, I was running out of options to keep her in my grasp. But once I tried the Britax Carrier for myself, it was clear that this was one very unique and well designed carrier.

Here’s what I enjoyed about using the Britax Carrier:

It’s easy to put on
Straight out of the box, just unclip the buckle that folds it together and slide it over your shoulders. Clip the waste band, adjust the straps, and you’re ready to go. It’s just so easy — so easy you almost don’t need to read the instruction manual (Disclaimer: but you should read it anyway! You should always read the manual!).

It’s easy to get baby in and out
It was super simple to slip even my giant, wiggly, Cheese into the carrier. All of the clips and straps are easy to access and can be maneuvered using just one hand.

It takes you from infant to toddler
The carrier can be used for babies 8 pounds up to toddlers 32 pounds (which is basically newborn to around age 2-2.5, depending on your kid’s weight). Out of the box, the carrier is set up with the removable infant insert, which stays in place until Baby outgrows it; at which point you replace it with the older infant piece, which extends the seating area, making it more comfortable for older babies and toddlers. My Cheese just turned two and weighs 26 pounds. Not only does she enjoy being in the carrier (she actually snuggled against my chest last time I used it), but its nice being hands-free again, plus I love carrying my baby so close to me once more.

It’s REALLY comfortable to wear
The Britax carrier has a specially designed CarryLong System incorporated into it: a padded waist belt and shoulder straps, which distributes weight across shoulders, back and hips for maximum extended wear comfort. It felt very comfortable, and both my husband and I were able to carry Cheese for long periods of time walking around Brooklyn with no resulting back aches or pain (a miracle!). I can definitely feel Cheese’s weight being well distributed across my hips (as opposed to just my back), making it really easy to carry her for extended periods of time.

It’s a comfortable ride for babies AND toddlers
Baby can face towards you as a newborn, then outwards as she gets older and wants to experience the world. Toddlers can face you again, in a comfortable position where their legs can wrap around your waist. Both our tester infant and toddler really enjoyed being in the carrier (no screams of protest! Hoorah!)

What I’d change:
The Britax carrier is a front carrier only. Now that my toddler is older, I like wearing her on my back as well. If I could change one thing about the carrier, it would be to have the ability to wear my baby on my back as well as front.

The Britax Carrier retails for $129.99, and comes in black and navy. The carrier is also available in organic cotton for $139.99.

Tester #2: The Britax Carrier with an infant

We had our good friend Jenna (the beautiful calligrapher behind Love*Jenna Calligraphy) test drive the organic carrier with her four-month-old, Georgette, to get the scoop on how the carrier performs for infants.

A little bit about our tester, Jenna: she creates beautiful custom, modern calligraphy for weddings, magazine features & special styled photo shoots as well as logos & tattoos. Her clients include Martha Stewart Weddings, Balenciaga, The Knot & many happy brides. Jenna lives in the awesome borough of Brooklyn with her two girly girls, Clementine Bea, 2 and Georgette Pearl, 4 months.

Here is what Jenna had to say about the carrier:

What Mama likes:

It’s easy to put on
I love the slip-over-the-head feature. It’s easier than most carriers to put on.It’s super comfy to wear
The carrier is much softer and cushier & less stiff than others I’ve used making it easier to pack at the bottom of my double stroller and in a carry on-bag for plane travel. It’s also more comfortable in general.

The great design for new babies
The carrier has a very smart, intuitive zip in & out infant insert. I like the little hammock it creates for my baby.

What Baby likes:

The soft terrycloth fold over fabric to munch on! Also the tan color. It’s much cooler in the summer than the black one.

What Mama thinks could be improved:

Since the carrier slips on over the head and you can’t remove or flap open the back piece, I can’t lay my already napping baby gently on a bed upon arriving home. I have to slip her out which wakes her up.

GIVEAWAY

The kind folks over at Britax are offering one Brunch With My Baby reader a chance to win a Britax Carrier in their choice of color (RRP $129.99, black, navy, $139.99 for organic cotton). Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Competition opens Monday, Sept 16th, and closes Sunday, Sept 22nd, 11:59pm, 2013.

Open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were sent a product sample to aid us with this review. All opinions are our own.

Dapple On-The-Go Essentials Kit Review + GIVEAWAY

September 11, 2013 / Giveaways, Guest Brunchers, New York Food, Product Reviews / 24 Comments

We were introduced to Dapple’s line of green, baby-friendly cleaners when we were new mothers, terrified of germs (Alexis was especially OCD about it), and uncertain of what cleaning products we could safely use around our newborns. Dapple came to the rescue for all of our cleaning needs. All Dapple products are made with all-natural ingredients, and are free of nasties like parabens, BPA and dyes.

A little bit about the history of Dapple from co-founder (and local NY mom of four), Dana Rubenstein
“Tamar (Rosenthal, co-founder of Dapple) and I have been close friends forever. She had her first baby a couple of years before me so of course I turned to her when I had a question about washing baby bottles and pump parts: Did she know of an all natural and baby-safe solution to clean baby bottles and utensils that actually worked? It’s hard to stump Tamar but this question did. So we decided to do something about this and create our own solution. We assembled a small team of knowledgeable pediatricians and experienced green chemists and the rest is Dapple history.”

Dapple’s offices are in Long Island City, so when you buy Dapple, you’re supporting a great local business.

REVIEW: Dapple On-The-Go Essentials Kit
The Dapple On-The-Go Essentials Kit combines our four favourite Dapple products into one throw-in-the-diaper bag essentials box. The kit is perfect for keeping in your bag for daily outings around town, or for weekends away. The Dapple range is baby-safe, hypoallergenic and biodegradable, so not only are their products going to help you stress less about keeping Baby’s bottles clean and Baby healthy, they’re also great for the environment. Each item is TSA compliant, so you can keep them in your carry-on luggage when you fly.

Travel Baby Bottle and Dish Cleaner
Christine: I’ve been using this to clean Cheese’s bottles, sippy cups and utensils since she was born. It removes milk film and gets rid of any smells. You can also use this to clean breast pump parts. As well as being a thorough cleaner, it has a subtle, pleasant scent, is gentle on skin, and a little bit goes a long way. Bottle size is 3oz.

Toy & Surface Wipes
Christine: These wipes are essential for sticky situations when you’re out in restaurants and on public transport. They quickly clean surfaces and toys that have hit the subway floor. Since they’re made with natural ingredients, Baby can put toys straight back in her mouth again without you worrying about what chemicals (or subway germs) she is also eating. Contains 20 count wipes.

Food Grade Pacifier Wipes
Alexis: Unfortunately my almost two-year-old is still hooked on his paci. And as much as I am a firm believer in the “5 Second Rule” there are those moments when the paci falls on the subway floor or city sidewalk and a quick wipe on my pants leg won’t cut it. I use the paci wipes for those kinds of falls, and feel a little better about the fact that I almost always forget to bring a backup paci. So far,Little J has failed to exhibit any signs of that third eye or second head springing up due to paci contamination so the wipes must be working! Contains 10 individually-wrapped pacifier wipes.

Baby Laundry Detergent Handwash in Sink
Christine: I’ve taken these small laundry detergent bottles on all of our trips. It’s so helpful to have baby-safe detergent in a small bottle on hand when you travel. It’s also useful to keep in your diaper bag in case of any diaper blowouts that require emergency attention, since you can use it to wash clothes in a sink. I’ve found the detergent to clean clothes well, leave a pleasant smell, and produce zero irritation on Cheese’s skin. Contains three travel sink packs.

GIVEAWAY The kind folks at Dapple have given us FOUR Dapple On-The-Go Essential Kits to give away to Brunch With My Baby readers. Enter the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win one of these four boxes.

The competition is open Wed Sept 11th to 11:59pm, Tue 17th, 2013.

Competition is open to US mailing addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were sent a product sample to aid us with this review. All opinions are our own.