The joys of Magnatiles!

For parents out there who have not yet experienced the joys of Magnatiles, I urge you to buy a set. While a set of Magnatiles are not cheap, they are without a doubt the best "toy" a preschooler can have and in fact my two daughters have these in their preschool classrooms.

What are Magnatiles?

The first day my then-3 yr old played with the tiles, 2013

A set of Magnatile will set you back between $100-$200 and each contains colourful sturdily built plastic magnetic tiles in various shapes and sizes that can be used to magnetically connect to each other to build amazing structures and shapes.

Our set was obtained from an educational stored called Lakeshore Learning and it has honestly kept my three children (yes even my 19month old) happily occupied for hours.

For my 3 year old, the focus early on seemed to be on the shapes and their spatial relationship to other pieces. She enjoyed connected square pieces with other square pieces and grouping the triangles together etc.

I still remember when my second daughter received a set from a good friend of ours for her second birthday.  My older daughter immediately hijacked the gift and sat in her room playing alone with the tiles, having fun building grand structures - and even more fun breaking them down and watching them collapse to the ground with one quick swoop and plastic-y sounding crash!

In fact, this very process of building and then demolishing tiny masterpieces was what enabled my older children to enjoy the Magnatile with their baby brother! The girls would create fantastic forms (sometimes spending much time and effort on impressive structures)  and then they would beckon their baby brother over to break it.  He would teeter over and relish in the joys of destruction the way only a baby can.  Repetively, my children would be so entertained by this simple and fun "game" they had invented. And so it made me realize that the joys of these tiles are not just in its construction but also in its destruction!

Created by my 4 year old. I love how a simple rectangle develops a pointed end as it rises vertically

There aren't many child-friendly activities that offer children pure entertainment both whilst playing independently as well as with others.  This is the appeal of Magnatiles - that children can enjoy building things out of the tiles alone but they can also receive an great amount of satisfaction building (and breaking) the same structures with others.  I've seen my daughter sit and build alone quietly while her sister completed a jigsaw puzzle and at other times, they work beautifully together to build 'castles', 'Arendelle', or a spaceship!

My 4 year old now creates amazingly complex structures.  Here, a "simple" box shape is enhanced by an angled addition with triangular spikes and an intriguing way of balancing off the edge.

So what do children learn from Magnatiles? Geometry, angles, fundamentals in construction, magnetics, gravity, form, puzzle building!

My four year old daughter has been enjoying the Magnatiles for almost two years and it has been fascinating to observe how even the way she plays with the Magnatiles has evolved. In the beginning as a young 3 year old, it was all about the shapes and colours.  Could she group all the squares together and build one block? Could she made turrets out of all the triangles isosceles?

Then over time, she gained a more sophisticated approach to the use of the tiles. She started making patterns, putting two triangles together to make squares, or using other shapes in general to create new shapes.  She would play with the colours of the tiles and test out angles and non-standard shapes.

More recently as a 4.5 year old, she is playing with challenging forms, pushing the limits of gravity and playing with force and tension to introduce bends and changes in angles to basic shapes. She thinks outside of the box more and more each day and it shows in her creations.  Her pieces are unpredictably interesting and awe-striking.  Occasionally, she has elaborate and imaginative stories to accompany her structure, which shows that her thought process is so much deeper than the superficial creation of a 3D shape. These tiles are just wonderful!


If you don't have a set, go out and buy it today! Ps this is not a paid or endorsed advertisement!! Just advice from one parent to another!!

Product Review: NUK Bottles

Both my girls have enjoyed the NUK Orthodontic bottles made by Gerber, as well as their sippy cups (not included in this review). There are a few versions, all differing in the outside design of the bottle but they all function the same way and are made of the same materials.

Nuk Nature Bottles

Nuk Nature Bottles

Nuk Trendline Dots Bottle

These bottles are designed specifically to ease the transition between breast and bottle.  Both of my children were both breastfed as well as bottle fed and they both took to the NUK bottle very quickly and easily.

The NUK teat has a patented "Air System", which vents the nipple to reduce colic.  The nipple is made of silicone (much better than latex in my opinion since a lot of people react to latex) and is shaped very similarly to a breast, with a wide base and a "nipple" tip.  NUK actually claim on their website that the bottles have been scientifically proven to make feeding easier.  I will say that the bottles are easy to use and easy to feed with.  I also found that the Air System promotes a certain ease in burping after each feed.  The orthodontic design also promotes proper oral development.

All the bottles parts are interchangeable so you can mix and match, which really comes in handy when you are mixing in the pink bottle but cannot find the blue cap!  Each bottle is made up of five pieces: the bottle itself, the teat and ring around it, the cap as well as a removable inner seal, making travel mess-free.

The bottles are available in two sizes: 10 oz and 5 oz.  My recommendation is to go straight to the larger size because both my children only drank 4 oz, or less, for a couple of months and once you start actually mixing 5 oz in the 5 oz bottle, you have to be really careful to not spill the formula as it really is full to the brim.

Washing the NUK bottles is great!! The wide opening makes it really easy to get the bottle brush inside and clean the bottle effectively.  This wide neck also makes adding scoops of formula to the bottles very easy and mess-free.  I had gone from pumping (and using) the Medela bottles to the NUK system and I was starting to really cringe every time I had to wash the yellow-capped Medela bottles as they have narrow necks and crappy nipples. The NUK, by contrast, is much easier to wash and use, especially as there are few parts (unlike the Born Free bottles, which I do actually like, but have six parts to wash!! Too many for busy Moms).

 The NUK bottles really are my favorite and we have tried at least 5 other brands (Nuby, Born Free, Medela, First Step ad Tommy Tippy). I have always had some beef about the other brands, whether it was a leaking top or difficulty in washing but I have nothing but good things to say about the NUK Bottles. I highly recommend them to any bottle-feeding parent or caregiver.

Product Review: IKEA RUSIG Rocker

This is a very inexpensive rocker made out of red Polypropylene (a fancy word for a type of plastic) with a synthetic rubber runner along the rocking curves at the base. The rocker retails for USD$9.95 at Ikea, making this such a cheap product that you could even afford to buy two of - one for indoors and one for outdoors!

The red surface has a nice, shiny luster and the seat has a matte finish for better grip.  The Rusig is easily cleaned with any household grade, non-abrasive detergent and applicator (soft cloth, sponge or paper towels).  Soap and water actually works best and is the safest around children.  We left our Rusig out on a side, covered deck through the entire Michigan winter and it only took a little water and a few paper towels to clean it out. The base of the rocker has a little ridge that the child can place his or her feet on for safety, but it also acts as a reservoir for water or dirt and makes it easy to clean, should you decide to leave it outside.

The Rusig has an open "hole" at either end of the seat, offering the child ample room to safely and securely grip onto the rocker while rocking. These spaces are cleverly designed because the child is able to really grip tight enough to use his or her body to propel and give momentum to the rocker. There is even room at each end for two little hands, which is nice when the child is facing forward and needs to hold onto the front with both hands. The other advantage of the easy grip feature is that, without an adult pushing, the child can develop confidence and independence, refine skills in balance and co-ordination and yet still be safe.

The product only weighs 1.5 kg so it is very easily for a child to pull or carry this rocker around from room to room, which my daughter loves to do. The product's light weight, along with the smooth lines and curves, limits the risk of injuries to small toes and little bodies. The only drawback is that, in my opinion, the seat is not very comfortable. Now, I wouldn't say it is uncomfortable, just that it is not cushioned or anything.  My daughter does not however seem to mind.  In fact, I think their diaper-padded tushies may be a good buffer between themselves and the polypropylene.  Well, it's not like they are going to sit and rock on it for half an hour. At most Mini-V plays on it for about 5 or 10 minutes at a time.

I also like that Ikea went to the trouble of adding protective rubber strips underneath. We have hardwood floors and Mini-V often drags the Rusig across it and it has never damaged or even left skid marks on my floors. Even if she did, I suspect it would be very easy to wipe clean. The other nice thing about these rubber strips is that the rocker moves very quietly on hard floors and does not skid, so it makes the product even safer and more enjoyable.  If they omitted the rubber strips, I imagine the product would have not held its grip on the floor as well and would have rendered the product potentially quite unsafe.

Well, we purchased this for my daughter when she was around 12 months and by about 14 months she started to really enjoy the Rusig (note: the product recommendation is 18 months+).  Now, at 27 months, she rocks really fast both frontways, backways and sideways! She absolutely loves it, loves toting it around the house and if she forgets where she puts it, she says "where's my yee-haw?" - cute! Overall, I think this is a great product for the playroom or backyard, it's inexpensive, durable and fun for the kids. It also helps them develop important physical and emotional skills. A great buy!

Product dimensions

Width: 31 1/8 "
Depth: 15 3/8 "
Height: 13 "

Width: 79 cm
Depth: 39 cm
Height: 33 cm

Product Review: Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker

This is a compact countertop baby food appliance that allows you to steam, blend, warm and even defrost meals for the baby. You can cook most baby foods (there is even a pasta/rice insert that you can buy separately) and it cooks the meals in a relatively short timeframe - about 15 minutes. I really do like this product and I give it a 4.5 out of 5.  Here are my Pros and Cons.

PROS

• It is compact (8.5 x 5 x 7.5 inches), lightweight (3.5 pounds/1.58 kg) and easy to store
• Washing is easy. You can either handwash or place the bowl and basket insert on the top rack of the dishwasher.
• It has few attachments and it takes just one blade - no more multiple blades and pieces to lose in the kitchen drawer!
• The blade is great and purees to a super smooth consistency that I have not found in my other similar appliances. I rarely find larger chunks, which can potentially be hazardous to a small child or baby.
• You can use the appliance to also re-heat or defrost food using a very reliable steam method.
• The appliance allows you to reserve the condensed water after steaming so you can add the valuable nutrients that have been lost in the steaming process back in the baby food when you puree.
• It is turns homemade baby food into a quick, stress-free process. I literally make Buttercup's baby food in the Babycook while I am either preparing Mini-V's food or our own dinner.  All I have to spend time on is peeling and chopping the fruits and vegies. So fast! Then the machine steams it, the light goes off and in less than a minute I can puree to a super smooth paste with the nutrient-rich condensed water
• There are plenty of product accessories you can buy 
• The bowl is made from unbreakable Bisphenol-A (BPA) free copolyester.
• The appliance comes with a recipe book 

CONS

• The bowl only has a 2.5 cup capacity.  At the moment, I don't mind really because Buttercup is only 7 months so she doesn't really eat that much and I do actually prefer to make her food more often so it is continuously fresh and varied. However, I recall that around 8 months of age, I stopped using the Babycook with Mini-V. She was doing more finger food and eating more and it just wasn't practical, in spite of the short preparation and clean-up times.
• Clean-up is still clean up! Washing a knife, chopping board, Babycook bowl, lid, basket, blade and spatula is still more work than opening a jar. Sometimes, it just isn't practical to be sitting and making baby food every two or three days when you have so many other things going on with more than one child.
• The product is expensive. Ours was $149.95 back in 2010. I have seen it for slightly cheaper on Amazon but it is still not inexpensive for a product you may potentially only use for a few months (I say potentially because you really could continue using the product later on to steam food for children and adults and although I have never done this, I always think about doing it!).  Many times I have contemplated going back to the old ways of steaming and pressing the food through a sieve with a wooden spoon. It's the same thing after all, isn't it?? And that will probably only cost you about $10 - if that.

Overall, I really do like the product.  I am glad I own it and I am always satisfied at the quality of the food I am making for my children using the Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker. While it is expensive, it is reliable, easy to use and easy to clean. It also is much more economical to make your own baby food so the overall expense of the appliance is probably offset by the savings you do make by avoiding expensive manufactured baby food - especially those food pouches that can run up to $1.50 per pouch.

Other information:

User's Manual

Product Review: GAP Favorite Printed Bundler

Well, I bought this GAP bundler sleep sack (retails for USD$39.95) for Buttercup as she is well and truly in the 6-12 month sizing now and it is getting cooler at nighttime.

I give this product a 2/5 and would not recommend it.

PROS

The 100% cotton fabric is plush and soft, very cute design and Buttercup seems to be very comfortable in it.  She is easily able to move in the sleep sack and her ability to roll during the night whilst in the bundler is not at all impeded by the constraints of the design.

CONS

Well, the bundler is a little pricey to begin with, though I did get free shipping as I had other items in my shopping cart and GAP does offer free shipping on orders over $50. The biggest beef I have is the zip is the biggest pain to fasten.  Anyone who puts their baby in a sleep sack for bed understands it when I say that the chances of putting the baby in it when he or she is asleep, or even drowsy or very tired, is very high.  With this variable in the mix, the last thing I really want to do is spend 5 minutes wrestling with a stiff, delicate zipper that is surely not only going to disrupt my baby but probably wake her too - not to mention irritate her either.

I really don't think the zipper issue I have has anything at all to do with the bundler being a new product. I don't expect the zipper to suddenly glide more smoothly.  I have taken a close look at the product and I really believe it is a design error.  I think the plush, padded cotton bundler is just too thick for the delicate zipper GAP has chosen to use.  Even though it may not have looked as nice, a hardier and more durable zip would have made the product far more better to use.

It really is a shame that the zip lets down my review of the product but it is a big problem because the whole point of the bundler is to put the baby to sleep in it - not wake the baby! If they changed this design element, I would give the product a much higher rating - possibly a 5/5.

Product Review: The UPPABaby Vista

Whilst pregnant with my first child, I spent hours and hours online reading customer reviews to decide which stroller to buy. We live in a hip suburb with sidewalks, parks and a nice downtown, so I felt I needed a stroller that would befit this lifestyle.  Ultimately, I was convinced that I "had to have" the UPPAbaby Vista stroller.  We purchased the 2010 limited edition Vista in 'Maya' - a nice bright yellow shade, but the question remains (and four other subsequent strollers later), would I purchase this stroller again if I had to do it over?



Quite simply, I am really not sure. Can't say I love it, can't say I hate it. The UPPAbaby Vista has some great features but its drawbacks are not small and I felt they interfered with my enjoyment and the functionality of the stroller on a daily basis. This is a big deal for a busy Mom. This is the main reason why I am so torn.  If the drawbacks were small, I guess I could overlook it and accept the fact that strollers are never perfect. So here is a summary of my thoughts on the UPPAbaby Vista so you can make up your own mind.

Pros
The UPPAbaby Vista is a beautiful aluminum alloy frame stroller, that handles urban terrain smoothly and effortlessly.  It is an amazing stroller to handle with just one hand - which actually comes in handy when juggling the Starbucks coffee or cell phone in the other.

The large under-stroller basket is one of the main reasons I chose this stroller and I won't lie, it is amazing.  I have taken this stroller to the Zoo, picnics and of course Christmas shopping and the basket easily fit bags and bags of merchandise.  This is great news for a mother doing Christmas shopping but still having to manage a baby and diaper bag in tow!

The wheels on the Vista are super sturdy too. They're made of rubber and you can definitely see it's a level up from those standard plastic-like wheels you see on most strollers. Collapsing the stroller, I admit, did take me a while to get the hang of.  Even after a year, it was still not effortless for me but I will give UPPAbaby credit for engineering a fairly easy kinda-one-hand collapsing method, but we will re-visit this point in the "Cons" section!




The other great feature of the stroller is the canopy.  It has a great mesh rear detail, which not only offers the child fantastic ventilation but also allows the child to see the mother and vice-versa.

My daughter used to love poking fingers at me during walks and would giggle so hard when I tickled her back through the mesh.  The mesh is easily, and securely, covered with a flap that is held down with velcro and nicely rolls up and is fastened with a cute little peg button. The canopy also contains an extendable sun visor, which really came in handy during the afternoon walks and also whilst Mini-V slept.

The seat itself offers the child the ability to sit completely upright or lay virtually all the way back. I really liked this feature of the Vista too.  When I took Mini-V to the Zoo, the complete upright position really offered her a terrific vantage point from which she got a good view of the animal enclosures, without the need for me to constantly take her in and out of the stroller.


And then when she fell asleep in the Vista, I would recline her back and she would be almost 90degrees back.  The only thing is the seat does not completely flatten out and her feet tend to be elevated, but if this ever bothered her, the countless hours she has clocked up asleep in the Vista definitely contradict that supposition.


The Vista offers a single-foot brake attached to the right rear wheel, which was also a wonderful feature.  The brake locks securely and is extremely easy to press, even in a sandalled or flip-flopped shoe! (A key factor in the summertime to most mothers!). You can also lock the front wheels to give smooth riding on bumpier terrain. Unlocked, the wheels turn smoothly, offering ease in pivoting the stroller around obstacles and bends in the sidewalk.

Other noteworthy features include the mesh and rain covers and bassinet included in the price of the stroller - something not always added with universal stroller systems. The rain cover really is also wonderful for the cooler weather, protecting bub from the outside elements. We certainly used it here in Michigan during Mini-V's first Christmas and it was not warm!!

It was a really cold night and the baby did great under the clear rain cover.

Cons
So you may be asking yourself now why on earth did she say she may not buy this stroller again? At this point, I want to say that us Moms have very simple and basic needs.  Sometimes, we don't really care about the engineering of a stroller, or the soy fabric in the bassinet.  Our needs center on a few key requirements:

1. Can I get this stroller in and out of my car quickly because my child has done a big poop and is screaming bloody murder?;
2. My husband actually works and is unable to be with me Monday-Friday while I run errands so am I physically able to collapse and open this stroller 5 times in one day without killing my back? Oh yes, and I have a screaming child in the car;
3. Where can I safely put my Cafe Latte? It's hot and my child is screaming?
4. Ooops, I am pregnant again, where will my second child go?
5. Is my stroller small enough to make it through the aisles of BabyGap?

So, if you are like me, I felt that spending $700 on a stroller was a little bit of a waste of money.  My husband and I travelled a lot with my first child so firstly, the UPPAbaby Vista was not a stroller to be easily travelled with. It is bulky, heavy, not really that easy to collapse with one hand.  The solution I guess is to buy a cheap umbrella stroller but I think that after you have spent $700 on a single stroller, you have guilt and remorse when you go ahead to actually buy that second stroller. We ended up loving a simple snap and go stroller when Mini-V was really little.  It was simple, had a good sized basket underneath and accommodated the infant car seat beautifully. All for around $65.

(Taken in Seattle)

Later on when we had to take a big trip to Australia, we bought the Baby Jogger City Mini. Wonderful stroller, crappy basket.  After the trip, we ended up using the City Mini for everyday use over the Vista due to its light frame and easy single-hand collapse feature.  I really loved the ability to pull a handle on the City Mini and literally have the stroller collapsed.  So many times I had done that whilst holding my child with the other arm. Brilliant. I really wished the UPPAbaby Vista was a little lighter and less bulky to collapse and carry. The other great feature about the City Mini is that it is virtually flat when reclined fully, so your child can really sleep nicely. Believe me, my daughter has spent many hours sleeping comfortably in the City Mini - during weddings, dinners, at the mall etc.

With our new City Mini on a trip to Australia. Mini-V is fast asleep in this photo.

When Mini-V was 16 months, we gave in and bought an umbrella stroller when we made a trip to India.  We knew our larger strollers would be difficult to travel with and they would get ruined with all the flights.  This point for sure highlights the fact that, had we only had the Vista, we would have struggled travelling with it.  We bought the Chicco Liteway Stroller as it had a (limited) recline feature and its canopy upgrade, in hindsight this was a great decision even though it was almost double the price of the lesser Chicco umbrella stroller model.  I have to admit, I am yet to use the stroller since returning from our trip to India, I guess it was easier to just go back to using the City Mini!

At the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India

This might sound trivial but the cup holders on the Vista are a joke.  They are flimsy and really not safe for holding any drink, let alone a hot one. Plus, the stroller is quite wide, so having a cup holder dangling on to the side of a stroller really isn't a great idea. I wonder if the fancy engineers designing the stroller fell asleep when deciding on this detail of the stroller? Like I have said before, I guess this sounds trivial but really, it's the little features that count to a mother because when they are designed well, they make our lives that much easier. Truly.

Depending on how you view it, UPPAbaby Vista Rumble Seat is either a good idea or a bad one.  Originally, when we purchased the Vista, we had intended to let the stroller grow with us and our growing family. We thought when we fell pregnant again, we would simply purchase the rumble seat and keep using the stroller.  Then again, I was a childless pregnant woman who had no clue about these things.  When I did eventually fall pregnant shortly before Mini-V turned one, I soon realized just where the rumble seat would be fitted... at the bottom rear of the stroller.  Basically, Mini-V would practically ride in the basket! 

The Vista with the Rumble Seat fitted

Anyone with kids knows how impractical this is because a toddler wants to see the world passing her by, talk to people, wave at the dogs, get in and out to run to the park swings, see Mommy and of course, she her new sibling! We made the decision at that point that we had outgrown the UPPAbaby Vista and needed a double stroller. This time around, and wiser, we didn't buy a fancy one and doing that was a great choice because my two-year old likes to mostly walk and we only use the double stroller for the mall and the Zoo.  I would have just died if we had spent another $700 on another under-used stroller!

You expect that for that much money, your stroller should do everything for you, including change your baby's diaper.  Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations and just wanted the Vista to meet all my needs and it did not. Large baskets and smooth handling aside, I realized that buying a stroller is a very personal choice and when you have to do it, it is best to write a list of the absolute 'non-negotiables' and then find that stroller that checks off most of those on your list.  So while the UPPAbaby Vista has, in my opinion, the best stroller basket on the market and handles beautifully, I am not certain it is worth spending $700 for it. For everyday trips, I replaced it with my City Mini in the trunk of my car and left the Vista at home for neighborhood walks.  I am not sure I can justify $700 for an "occasional stroller".  That is my biggest problem.  I have a couple friends who own the Vista and they also found it useful to own a secondary, more compact stroller to travel with and for everyday quick trips.    Well, maybe this is the solution?