Ain't No Mom Jeans

Babywearing in Hot Weather (Tips and a Review of Ergo's Lightweight Performance Carrier)

 

(wearing: Joie Soft Nellnna tee, Madewell denim shorts, Salt sunnies, Ergo Performance carrier in gray)

Oh baby.  It's been a scorcher around here. 

A few months ago, M and I recieved a reader question about babywearing in hot weather:

Help!  Today in Washington DC it was a beautiful 70 degrees -- but inside my Ergo where my 5 week old was sleeping, it was NINETY.  Poor sweaty baby, poor sweaty mom.  When I took him off of me, it looked like he'd peed -- who knows if it was my sweat or his.  Got any tips for a) a cooler baby carrier for when it gets hellfire hot in DC, and b) how to dress for hot weather with said baby carrier.

Feel free to tell me I should just use the d@mn stroller.

Thanks!

Barrie

At the time, we were a bit stumped.  70 degrees?  In Denver, that's practically cold.  And M and I both successfully babywore all through Denver's 90 degree summers.  I secretly wondered if it was just new mom hormones - hot flashes, etc.

And then I moved to Philly.  GOOD GOD, PEOPLE.  THE HUMIDITY. 

Barrie, I feel your pain.  I immediately contacted the nice folks at Ergo Baby, who sent me one of their lightweight Performance carriers to "test" in the Summer heat.  (Snort. If you consider 100+ degree temps with 110% humidity a fair test.)  Look at little P's sweaty hair-a-stickin' up all over:

Summer Beach Beauty Picks

Confession:  I wear makeup when going to the beach.  Or the pool.  Partly because I need sun protection and partly because I'm vain. (And so is M.  Just to be clear that I'm not alone.)

Now that we've established our vanity, let's talk beach beauty!  So fun!

We have a round up of picks that we can't stop wearing whether we're in Denver's desert-like climate (lucky M) or the cah-razy 104 degree swampland of the East Coast.  Consider these products well tested, Mamas.

1. Tarte's Cheek Stain in Dollface, $30.  It was reformulated in the last few years to eliminate parabens.  Swipe it onto the apples of your cheeks, rub it in.  Instant refresher.  And the barbie-pink Dollface is my fav.

2. Josie Maran's Tinted Moisturizer, $38.  If you are the kind of mom who actually dunks into the water (uh, swimming, I believe it's called) then this is a necessity.  Nicely water resistant, sheer coverage.  I've found that the best tints look slightly dark and scary coming out of the tube, but once slathered on are very natural. (I wear butter).

3. Cover Girl Natural Luxe Lip Gloss/Balm, $7.50.  Love, love, LOVE these things!  They come in a million colors, have an SPF of 15, are insanely moisturizing, and provide just enough color without being too lipstick-at-the-beach.  Truly a gloss/balm hybrid.

4. Tarte's Park Avenue Princess, $29. I'm always slightly afraid of bronzer.  But have started to embrace it, especially after reading Scotti's recommendations on looking better in pictures.  This one is truly fool-proof.  Even in the winter.  And how nice that it still manages to enhance my summer tan.

5. Cover Girl Lash Blash Length Water Resistant Mascara, $8.  M turned me onto this mascara.  While a water-resistant formula is a must for any pool outing, I've started using this daily in the cah-razy humidity that is the East Coast.  It comes off easily at night with a few sweeps of make-up remover...but my favorite thing about this mascara?  I can put it on in the morning (loooong lashes, no clumps) than refresh it at night (by glopping more on top) and still no clumping!  Amazing! 

6.  Marie Veronique Organics Everyday Sheer Coverage, $50.  The nice folks at Marie Veronique sent over a few samples for M and I to try.  We seriously love this stuff.  It's a light-weight, non-greasy, fah-bulous sunscreen that has amazing coverage.  A slightly matte finish covers imperfections subtly, without feeling heavy.  It's made from a non-micronized zinc oxide and is one of the few sunscreens endorsed by the EWG that doesn't leave the tell-tale white residue.  It is tinted, but I hardly noticed the difference in tint between the medium and light formulations.  With sunscreen, I tend to go darker to compensate for zinc oxide's lightening properties.  Also free of parabens and other nasty chemicals so it's great for use in pregnancy. We both like it better than Josie Maran's Tinted Moisturizer for everyday use.  The downside?  It's not very water-resistant, so on days when I'm headed to the beach I still reach for Josie.  But this product will be my top pick for non-water days now and into Fall.  Marie Veronique is offering Ain't No Mom Jeans readers a free 1/4oz Anti-Aging Oil ($20 value) with purchase of this sunscreen from now until August 7th by using the code "momjeans".  Snort.

Enjoy your last month of Summer, Mamas!!

xo,

S

ps.  For those of you wondering who won the Ugg sneaks giveaway...

Sluggish Digestion From Pregnancy, Post-Op, or The Flu? Try Inner-Eco's Miracle Cure

 I was home from the hospital after my second c-section (Hello, Pax!) for roughly...two days?  Three?...before coming down with a case of mastitis.  It turns out that "engorgement" is a real thing that can happen, uh, immediately. 

Before we were discharged, I remember the hospital's lactation consultant reaching over, squeezing my boobs and saying, "Honk, honk!  Congratulations!  Your milk is in already!  Watch out for engorgement..."  the rest is all mwah mwah mwah since I tuned her out...erroneously thinking that I knew it all.

I mean, after "honk, honk" what else do you really need to hear?

Evidently more than I did.

So I suddenly found myself on a daily regime that included motrin, tylenol, the usual post-op narcotic, stool softeners, and antibiotics...as well as dealing with a sluggish, after c-section digestive system (read: no pooping). 

I've never been so nauseous in my life. 

Etsy: Yes You CAN (A How-To For Moms and a Few Fab Sellers)

After my recent articles about slings and carriers and shopping car covers (a series about handmade alternatives to common baby products), we had several messages from readers who have experienced confusion or frustration when shopping on Etsy. I hate to hear that, because Etsy is one of my favorite places to shop, online or otherwise. Hopefully, a few tips can help make Etsy more user-friendly for moms who are seeking handmade or vintage goods!

What Is Etsy?

 
veryKiki'sonesie for $13

The first step to using Etsy with ease is understanding what Etsy is. Etsy is not a store, it's a marketplace. Like Amazon or Ebay, when you buy something from Etsy you are actually buying it from an individual seller. Basically, Etsy is like a mall, each seller is a store. All this means is that, while you can add purchases from multiple shops to your cart, you will pay for each one separately to their respective sellers. Once you set up an account, which is explained on the Etsy site here, you are ready to buy buy buy!

Reader Question: What to Get a One-Year-Old and The Secret Toy Closet

Reader Question:

Hello Ladies,

I know I'm a bit early but I know the question will inevitably come up and I'll be scrambling for ideas to give two sets of Grandparents and various Aunties and Uncles who all don't want to send a duplicate gift since we live overseas. And the other problem, myson's first birthday comes just 4 days after his first Christmas. Can we say gift-o-palooza?

Any suggestions would be appreciated, but if you haven't the time, needn't fret; I've put out some emails to some Moms as well.

Thanks Ain't No Mom Jeans! Keep up the great work

Kind Regards

Nell

Answer:

Pshaw!  We always have time for reader questions, Nell—we love them!  Thanks for writing in—it makes us feel soooo popular : )

What first jumps to mind is books, books and more books, but I'll cover toys here and we'll do a round up of best books by age at a later date.

As luck would have it, Little Lou celebrated the big 0-1 two days ago, so I just finished the scramble for one-year-old gift ideas and it’s fresh in my head.  Little Lou is my second, so I feel like I have some perspective on what kids this age will actually play with, and since S. and I both have January babes, I’ll let you in on a well-tested method we’ve both employed for combating gift-o-palooza: The Secret Toy Closet.

Found! Summer Lip Perfection - Glossy, SPF Protected, and Safe Enough Even For Pregnancy

Each summer, I begin a quest that ultimately leaves me frustrated and my lips dry:  the quest for a lip gloss with SPF.  Yes, you can find lipsticks with SPF, or chapstick types with SPF.  But gloss?  Good luck.  

 Last summer, I thought I had found the gloss nirvana in TheBalm's BalmShelter (pictured at left).  This gloss smells great, has an SPF of 17, and comes in a wide range of colors.  However, it's $20 for a skinny little tube, and the brush mechanism leaves much of the product untouchable.  

Furthermore, this product contains Octinoxate, a sunscreen ingredient that has earned a hazard score of 6 from the EWG.  Personally, I'm not wild about putting something on my lips (that I will invariably end up eating) which has "strong evidence" that it's an endocrine disruptor.  

Review: Action-Packed Eco-Friendly Sprig Toys

My attempt at green parenting has been a precipitously slippery slope.  I started out with cloth diapers, a natural rubber mattress, all organic clothing, homemade organic baby food and exclusively non-plastic toys.  But what I've ended up with is 7th Generation disposables/part-time (like, when the mood strikes me) cloth diapering, a mix of pricey organic cotton and $2.97 Target specials (made, probably, by kids only slightly older than mine), frozen "all natural" chicken tenders & Whole Market taquitos, and more plastic toys than I can shake a stick at.  So much for my lofty green ideals. 

What happened between then and now?!  Well, lots of things, like gag-inducing encounters with the diaper sprayer, the sheer economics of dressing a rapidly growing kid in $30 shirts, picky eating, and, of course, my kiddo's preferences in toys.

We recently had a green toy coups, however, when I discovered Sprig Toys, a Colorado-based eco-friendly toy line.  For Huck's big 0-2, I purchased the Dolphin Explorer Boat (because anything to do with water is an instant win with the boy wonder) for $29.99, the dump truck and the loader, both $14.99 at Real Baby in Denver.  All three toys are paint-free and made of Sprig's proprietary SprigWood, a delightfully satisfying-to-the-touch bio-composite material made of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic.  If your little one isn't a classic dump truck/loader enthusiast, check out DuneBug's Sand Truck, which includes an adorable DuneBug character and wild flower seeds.  
 

The little man especially adores the Dolphin Explorer set, spending nearly an hour at a go on his step ladder at the sink and in the tub with his boat, captain and dolphins, and we're looking forward to spending warmer spring days at the playground digging and dumping sand.  For my part--and considering kids are spending record-breaking time in passive play with battery operated toys and electronic media--I adore how active he is in his play with these items--Sprig Toys are, as a rule, "kid-[not battery-]powered," which is just what this pseudo-green mama wanted.

Next Sprig Toys acquisition: The Discover Rig.  Lights, motor sounds and songs are powered not by batteries, but by a generator triggered when your kid moves it.  Also of interest, Sprig's Storybuilders: four classic story books with block-and-panel sets that allow kids to build and re-enact classic storylines.  If I had a little gal, I might even do Princess Penny's Story Building Palace.  I wish it weren't so. . . pink. . . but it would be a blast to build a little castle (as long as she can build skyscrapers out of normal blocks, too!) and hey, who doesn't like a pointy princess hat on a cute little faceless figurine?

Going as green as I can,
- M        

 

LunchSkins - Eco Friendly Snack Bags

I'm slowly transitioning away from plastic.  Our plastic bags have been replaced by Envirosax Bags (to read all about my love for them, click here), plastic sippy cups never stood a chance against my Sigg bottles (despite the recall, I'm still a fan) and at long last, I've found a solution that makes those annoying little plastic baggies obsolete:  Lunch Skins.

Lunch Skins are the creation of Three Green Moms, who wanted to come up with an answer to your "plastic baggie blues".  Three Green Moms were concerned with amount of landfill waste the modern family was contributing, and knew they could come up with a product that was safe, affordable and cute.  Working with patisseries and bakeries in Europe, they created Lunch Skins out of a thick cotton fabric coated with a food-safe polyurethane lining (read: no plastic-leaching worries) that could also withstand high heat: Voila!  An environmentally friendly, dish-washer safe, and very cool alternative to the plastic baggie. 

NOTE: They have been certified as lead, Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalate-free. The very thin layer of polyurethane has also been tested and found not to migrate into food or leave a “plastic” odor behind, and meets EU requirements for food contact (typically stricter than US laws).

I've filled these baggies with popcorn, chips, pretzels, cut fruit, cheese, sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, and, in a pinch, a rolled-up clean diaper and wipes when I needed to downsize my diaper bag to better match an outfit.  My husband regularly steals them for his own lunch, and I've been known to swipe some for toiletries while traveling.  

Lunch Skins now come in three sizes - a smaller size, shown in the pic of Raines happily snacking, a larger sandwich size bag, and a "sub bag".  Best of all, they come in some pretty cool fabric choices (see below for pics).

Local gals can find Lunch Skins at Real Baby in Denver or Boulder, or you can always order them online from Three Green Moms.

xo,

S

Cool, Urban Winter Hats For Babies and Kids

We don't do cutesy in this family.  We don't do clothing with puppies, kitties, bunnies, or even happy little hammers with slogans like, "Daddy's Little Helper!"  I can't do it.  I.....just....can't....do it.

I'm also not a fan of anything too sporty, too preppy, too scratchy, too stiff. I'm starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.

I do not like them on the street.

I do not like them out to eat!

I do not like that cutesy crap!

I do not like them (gasp) heart-attack!

Anywho. These requirements of mine also extend into hats for the kiddo.  Perhaps it's because the little man has virtually been bald for his entire life (all two years of it) - even now, through his dandelion fluff hair, I can easily see his scalp.  So hats are a way of life.

What I'm looking for are soft, comfy hats with a hip, urban feel. And they are out there - it just takes some looking.  Here are my current favorites for babies & older kiddos (both boys and girls).

Modern Nursery Design - A Mod Toddler Room

So, you’re having a baby.  And you love hearts, teddy bears and pastels.  Congratulations, you’re in luck!  A lot of what’s out there in the kids’ design world is still pretty traditional.  But even though the last time I did this whole nursery design thing was only two years ago, I have been pleasantly surprised this time around by how many more options are out there for new ‘rents with less traditional taste.  And, having the experience of spending a year-and-a-half using my boy’s former gear and furnishings (now donated to babe no. 2), I knew where to cut corners and where to put my coin according to my tastes.

The Rocker
In an earlier post, as you may recall, I coveted the IKEA Karlstad swivel chair in Ullevi Orange.  Well, this is indeed the rocker that landed in my boy’s room and which perfectly complements his organic cotton Pixel Organics Lions Tigers & Kitties bedding.  This chair is everything I’d hoped and, with the addition of a lumbar pillow, is super comfortable.  Huck loves it, gleefully spins in it and it’s possibly the best story time chair ever with great elbow support for wide board books and the like.  The footstool adds seating for parental guest appearances (we’ve been using the divide & conquer method since Boy Wonder Too arrived so we can eat dinner together before 10 PM).