Bamboobies Review & Giveaway

Leaking breasts are one of the downsides of breastfeeding.There is little more embarrassing then being caught with a wet spot on your shirt from lactating. This is especially a problem at the beginning, when your baby is a newborn and your milk supply is still adjusting. I hated the idea of using disposable pads since I was just adding more to landfills. Not to mention it got very expensive FAST. I was spending $40 a month on disposable breast pads while I searched for reusable ones. I couldn't find any locally, so I spent some time on the internet looking for some. I had no idea what to pick and got frustrated quickly.

Once we moved cities (and states for that matter) I finally found some la leche league reusable breast pads at a local grocery store of all places. They worked fine, but they are bulky and they don't wash well without becoming distorted causing annoying lines under my shirt. For months I tolerated these pads because I didn't like the disposables, until recently Bamboobies sent me some of their organic reusable nursing pads. They come in both the original Bamboobies which are great for daily wear, and overnights which are thicker and more heavy duty to help with that overnight leakage. The overnights would be wonderful for all day and overnight wear the first couple months of a babies life, when your milk supply may be a little out of control yet. I leaked A LOT the first couple months of my daughters life, so the overnights would have been perfect! I wish I had known about them sooner!

What I like about Bamboobies nursing pads:

• Soft - These reusable breast pads are so soft and comfortable. No chafing with these pads! Even when they get wet, they remain soft and don't get hard like other pads do. This allows you to wear the same pads throughout the day if you don't have time to change them.
• Organic - These are eco friendly nursing pads which makes them even better!
• Anti-microbial - These nursing pads are anti-microbial which may help prevent breast infections like mastitis. Having mastitis in the past, this is a great plus for me.
• Quiet- These pads do not make any noise while in your shirt. No crinkling or crunching
• No Lines - These pads are thin enough that they show virtually no lines through a shirt. If you have a very tight shirt, then they might show, but a lot less than any other nursing pad I have tried. The overnights are thicker and could show through a shirt, but they are made for overnight, so at that point, who cares!
• Hold up well in the wash - When washing these, they didn't get bunchy and weird which was HUGE for me. That was my number one pet peeve with my other reusable nursing pads.
• They don't leak - With daily wear, I did not have any problem with milk leaking through these pads. The overnights are thicker to help with extra leakiness, and I didn't have any wet spots on my shirt in the morning, so thats a good sign!
• Size of the overnights - The overnights were the perfect size! Big and thick enough to cover everything they need to, without being bulky. I LOVED the overnights.

What I didn't like about Bamboobies nursing pads:

• The shape: The heart shape is cute to look at, but doesn't cover as well as the traditional round shape. For leakiness, they did the trick, but for women with larger nipples, they may not completely cover. The overnights are round, so they worked perfectly, covering everything without a problem and suiting their purpose well.

Overall, I am in love with these nursing pads. I think every woman should have a couple sets of both the overnights and the regular Bamboobies. They are very different products that have the same end goal, to keep your shirt dry and prevent embarrassing leaks. They are the best nursing pads I have ever tried, which makes me want to try out their other products. They also have a versatile nursing cover that looks like a pretty shawl and turns into a skirt too...can anyone say Multi-functional? You have to love that :)

This company is wonderful. They focus on being eco-friendly and a portion of the sales of their products go to help breast cancer research. I would highly recommend these pads to my nursing friends, and already have!

In love with the idea of Bamboobies already? Want to buy them? Head on over to http://www.buybamboobies.com.

Want some for free? One of our lucky readers will have the chance to win a set Bamboobies! Winner will get to choose whether they want the original Bamboobies or the Overnights so you can get exactly what you need. Giveaway ends July 21, 2010 at Midnight.

Mandatory Entry:

1. Visit the Bamboobies Website, come back and comment below with something you learned about the company or products, and whether you would like the overnights or the original Bamboobies.

Additional Entries:

2. Subscribe to Mommy Headquarters RSS Feed and comment for one entry.

3. Follow Mommy Headquarters Publicly via Google Friend Connect and comment for one entry.

4. Follow @mommyheadqrtrs and @bamboobies on Twitter and comment for one entry.

5. Tweet once a day about this giveaway for an additional entry, but need to include @Mommyheadqrtrs, #giveaway and a link back to this giveaway post in the tweet. Or copy and paste the following:

Enter to win Bamboobies reusable nursing pads from @Mommyheadqrtrs and @bamboobies http://bit.ly/bHjAbz #giveaway #breastfeeding

6. Blog about the giveaway and comment with the URL for two (2) extra entries (must leave 2 comments).

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*disclaimer: Mommy Headquarters did not receive any monetary compensation for this review. The views expressed in this post are those of the Moms at Mommy Headquarters.

And the Winner of the HAPPYBABY Giveaway Is....

And the lucky winner of the HAPPYBABY Organic Baby Food Giveaway is..... orangefukurou! Congratulations. We'll be contacting you shortly to get your details.

Thank you again for everyone who entered. In the meantime be sure to keep visiting Mommy Headquarters as there are some new giveaways in the workings!!

Disclaimer: If the winner doesn't respond within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. Winner was chosen using random.org

 

 

 

My 4 Year Old Won't Sleep. Help!

Here's a little background to start. My 4 year old daughter was an awesome sleeper up until 2 weeks ago. We'd read books and she'd go to bed around 8:30 and sleep all night besides the occasional bathroom break until 6:30 or so. That is no longer the case as of 2 weeks ago.

Out of the blue, she wakes up screaming that she had a bad dream. 2+ hours later, she's finally back in bed sleeping. The next night, another nightmare and 2+ hours. Then it became she would not go to bed period. So after a couple days of working hard to get her to go to bed, she then started waking up multiple times during the night. Not from nightmares now, but just random stuff (bedtime music was too loud, too soft, heard a noise, had to tell me something, etc.). So we have been battling her sleeping all night ever since yet.

Well Sunday night she went to bed good and only got up once during the night which was a major plus seeing as I'm getting less sleep now than I did when both my kids were newborns. Last night it took a couple times to get her to go to bed and then she slept all night except she got up at 5:00 AM. Then she tells me this morning that we can take all of her toys out of her room. LIGHT BULB! A couple weeks ago she watched the movie Toy Story and loved it. Watched it multiple times. We thought this might be the issues but she never hinted anything like it so we figured it was something else. Well it appears our original gut instinct was right. My 4 year old is scared to sleep because she thinks her toys are coming to life!

So now to my challenge and why I need your help. How do I convince my 4 year old daughter that toys are not real. And not only toys but everything like that, TV shows, most books, etc. Not trying to brag but she is very smart for her age, actually ahead of many in her class at daycare, which I think is why the problem is rooting from (not saying it's a bad thing, just causing some issues). When she watches a movie like Toy Story she apparently isn't thinking, "Cool!", she's thinking, "OMG! My toys come alive when I sleep!".

How can I help her realize the difference between real and pretend so everyone in the family can enjoy some sleep again?

Thanks,
Andrea

The Pros and Cons of Having Children Between 2 and 5 Years Apart

Going along with our theme of "When is the right time to have baby #2" and our post on The Pros and Cons of Having Children Close in Age (Under 2 Years), we decided it was necessary to have a post on the pros and cons of having children between 2 and 5 years apart.

The pros of having children between 2-5 years apart

• less financial burden. If you have children closer to 5 years apart you may be able to have only one child in day care full time and when it comes to college have a break between tuition expenses


• The older child can be at least partially self sufficient and can take care of themselves leaving you more time to take care of a baby


• The older child can help you with your new baby
• The older child can communicate his or her feelings about the new baby so you can meet their needs


• You have the chance to really enjoy (and notice) all of the stages of both of your babies


• The older child will be a better teacher to the younger child with more spacing in between

The cons of having children between 2-5 years apart

• you will have to get back into "baby mode" which may be difficult since you have gotten used to a lifestyle where your child can already take care of him or herself


• The older child may be more jealous since he or she has been an only child for longer


• The children may need to be older before they can relate to each other since they could be in very different stages


• You will have children in your house longer (this could be a pro or a con depending how you feel about it)


• The older child may be more cognitive and may notice that you do not have as much time for him/her as you did before the second child.


• You may need (or want) to purchase new products to keep up with the times, some products you have may be expired, and some may be out of date

What are your pro's and Con's for having children within 2-5 years of each other?

The Pros and Cons of Having Children close in age (under 2 years apart)

After our post on "When is the Right Time To Have Baby #2" we decided to write up a couple lists on the pros and cons of the most common age spans. There are many pros and cons to having your children under two years apart. The mommies of Mommy Headquarters in combination with some other wonderful mommies came up with this list. Then check out The Pros and Cons of Having Children Between 2 and 5 Years Apart and see what suits you best.

Pros to having children close in age (under 2 years apart)

• There may not be as much jealousy with the older child since they haven't been an only child for long



• The children may be able to relate better to each other



• As a parent you are having your babies and passing out of the baby stages quicker.



• If you are already changing one diaper, whats one more?



• You will have less years of children in your house



• You don't have to get back into "baby mode" since you are already in it, or it has only recently passed



• You probably do not need to shop for a ton of new baby stuff since it is still current.



• Naps. When children are close in age, there is a period of time where they are both still taking naps so you can get a break and some downtime.

Cons to having children close in age (under 2 years apart)

• Financial - day care and college are two large expenses. Having 2 children close in age means two daycare charges and two tuitions that overlap at some point. If you wait to have your children until the older one is in preschool or kindergarten you won't have as much expense for Day Care, and you can space out tuition expenses.



• The first couple years of life may be very busy and hectic and possibly overwhelming at times since you would have two "babies" at a time where both have similar needs. This could add stress to your marriage.



• The older child may not be able to communicate his or her feelings about a new baby and may act out in different ways to communicate their frustration

What are you pro's and Con's for having children within 2 years of each other?

McDonald’s Recalls 12 Million Shrek Glasses

WOW! You know those cool Shrek glasses from McDonalds that you child has been begging you for at every visit, well if you didn't give in like me, it's a good thing! McDonalds has recalled the collectible Shrek glasses due to the paint on them containing the toxic metal Cadmium.

Below are the details of the CPSC statement regarding the Shrek glasses recall.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10257.html

McDonald's Recalls Movie Themed Drinking Glasses Due to Potential Cadmium Risk

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: "Shrek Forever After 3D" Collectable Drinking Glasses

Units: About 12 million

Manufacturer: ARC International, of Millville, NJ.

Distributor: McDonald's Corp., Oakbrook, Ill.

Hazard: The designs on the glasses contain cadmium. Long term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The "Shrek Forever After 3D" collectable drinking glass are 16 ounce glasses that came in four designs, Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey.

Sold exclusively at: McDonald's restaurants nationwide from May 2010 into June 2010 for about $2.
Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: McDonald's is asking consumers to immediately stop using the glass out of an abundance of caution. Visit www.mcdonalds.com/glasses for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact McDonald's toll-free at (800) 244-6227 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website atwww.mcdonalds.com/glasses

Note: CPSC was made aware of issues with this product through the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier from California.

Andrea

When Is The Right Time To Have Baby #2?

In a world swirling with opinions, if you ask "when is the right time to have baby #2?" you are sure to get definite answers from a lot of people who think they know best. After I had my first baby someone actually said to me "...so another 2-3 years you will have another right? 2-3 years is the best spacing for kids." in a very scolding tone. I just about died. Being the polite person I am I just said "We'll see" and went on my merry way knowing that 2-3 years may not be MY ideal spacing.

I come from a family with 3 kids and we are all under 2 years apart. I love the closeness in age between my siblings. My husband also comes from a family where he and his sister are about 19 months apart...again. None of us fit into the 2-3 years apart range. I know a woman who's children are 9.5 months apart. I grew up with both siblings (always thinking they were twins, but they are obviously not) and they liked the closeness in age too. I also have a dear friend who has siblings that are all spaced about 4 years apart. Her mother had a lot of miscarriages in between, so though the spacing may not have been intentional, it works great for them. I also know families who have kids 12 years apart. .

My point is, that everyone has their own idea of what the "right" spacing is between children. You keep them close and it's just one more diaper to change and you learn to do two at once. This can be taxing. There are pros and cons to having your children close in age. If you wait a little longer, you have a child who can help you with your next baby, but that comes with challenges of it's own. There are also pros and cons to having your children farther apart in age) Now you have to go all the way back to the baby stage after being used to a child who can take care of themselves. Either way you are going to face the challenges of adjusting to a second child, period. You won't know any different whether you have them close or farther apart in age. Members of the medical community may tell you to wait at least 18 months before you start trying again so that your body has time to recover. I think if you take good care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise and take your vitamins, that your body will take on another pregnancy when it is ready. If you get pregnant before your first baby is 18 months, you just might want to make sure you are taking extra good care of yourself and your growing baby.

I hate it when mothers try to tell you what the best spacing is, or try to justify why their spacing is the best. When I say I want my kids close (at least 18 months apart, but preferably within two years of each other) I get some comments about how hard that is because you have two babies to take care of, two diapers to change, etc. I get some moms who say that they LOVE having their kids close in age and that they wouldn't have it any other way. The comments are across the board. So ladies, if your idea of spacing is different than someone else's, please don't push your preference on them! If someone asks why you chose that particular spacing, thats wonderful. But don't challenge another woman's idea of what is right for her just because you don't agree.

There is no "right" spacing between children. It is also important to remember that getting pregnant isn't as easy as waving a magic want across your uterus and reciting some spell. Poof! You're pregnant...If only it was that easy! You may want your kids 18 months apart, but you may not get pregnant until your first one is 18 months old. Chances are you won't get to choose.Andrea's children are actually 3 years apart. They aimed for approximately 2 years between children, however due to a miscarriage, her children ended up further apart than her ideal spacing. So even if you know what the ideal spacing between children is for you, it may not happen anyway Think about the pros and cons of what spacing will work for you. Then determine a minimum amount of space you would like between the two children. Subtract 9 months from that minimum and you will know when to start trying for baby #2. Check out The Pros and Cons of Having Children Between 2 and 5 Years Apart and The Pros and Cons of Having Children Close in Age (Under 2 Years Apart) and see what may work best for you!

Sara