IMG: BabyLegs

I liked them for Little A especially when he was at the crawling stage and they’d protect his knees from getting the knee burn most babies get from crawling.

I did not, however, know that BabyLegs also created socks. Did you? Yes, BabyLegs also makes Baby Socks and they look so cute, even the ones for boys. They recently sent Little A two pairs to try out and I think he really loves them, enough that he keeps them on and the hubby doesn’t object because they look like something a boy would wear. He got green socks that had a criss cross pattern of dark green and brown.

IMG: Elizabeth Ferree

The second set has stripes at the top and dots near the bottom of the foot. Very dark greens and browns, they also have blues and of course pinks for girls.  A set of sock with comes with 2 pair comes to $10.

Don’t forget BabyLegs also have their famous legwarmers and they have new designs out: Strawberry, fire engine, tropical and of course poodle print.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Leah's Place

I don’t know about you but for me meal time can be really messy sometimes. Have you ever went and put your little one in something really nice only to have them soil it with BBQ sauce or spaghetti sauce a few minutes into their meal? If you have then this review is definitely for you.

Leah’s Full Body Bibs Review by Michelle Smith:

Leah’s Full Body Bibs are made from super-soft flannel. They measure 21 inches in length and reach all the way down to baby’s ankles. The straps at the ankle and the collar attach with velcro, so they stay on well during use, but are also easy to remove when meal time is over. The flannel is doubled to better protect baby’s outfit and Leah choses the cutest patterns and colors for her bibs.

So there ya have it folks, this is a bib that covers the top portion of your baby’s entire outfit. This means you can eat a messy meal at home or go out and eat and your baby leaves looking just like when he/she came in.

IMG: Leah's Place

GIVEAWAY:

RULES: Head on over to Leah’s Place on Etsy and come back here to tell me one other item you like.

Extra Entries:  (don’t forget to leave a seperate comment with a link to show me)
-  Tell me one design Leah has for the full body bib
-  Stumble upon this post
-  tweet it
-  facebook (share it)
-  blog it

Deadline: November 2, announcement will be made November 3 and the winner will have 24 hours to respond to the winner post/email. The email will come from homemom3@gmail.com. Good luck everyone!

US Only please.

Post from: Babylune

Bugsby came with:
-  User Manual
-  Interactive Book
-  Bugsby Memory Stick (I think they call it a game cartridge)

Little A tore open the box since he has seen this before and waited patiently (haha) for me to cut Bugsby free from his box. As he waited he thumbed through the book, but it was that little green bookworm that he wanted most.  Now this is recommended for ages 3-7, but I’m here to tell you little 2 year olds love it…at least mine does.

Finally the worm was free and I handed Bugsby over to him, the first thing he did was grab the cartridge and I put it in for him. After that he would place Bugsby right above the picture he wanted to hear, his favorite thing seemed to be those that made music or a funny sound.  I can’t recall the book he actually got but they have several now as we keep buying more books for the kids.  The books run about $12-$15 but they include the book and the little cartridge. (I’m secretly hoping they go down for Black Friday, shhh)

One of the books: (Bugsby’s Amazing Search)

This book does three different things, (as they all do) it can read the whole story, play a word hunt or your child can just point over a picture and find out what it is, says or does. But there is also text in the book that your child can read, depending on their age and the pictures are colorful and some even make noise. In the “Amazing Search” if you place Bugsby over the “pig” it will oink.

The story is all about Bugsby losing his glasses in one of his books but he isn’t sure which one. His friends Josh and Hannah decide to go with him in the search of his glasses (I think I like this story best as my daughter lost her glasses for about a month) Bugsby goes to the farm and asks the pig, goes into the forest and asks the bats, dives into the ocean, etc. You will laugh at where those glasses were the whole time.

For those of you that want to purchase the Bugsby Reading System for your child head on over to Vtech and place your order. Or even Wal-mart, Target, Amazon.com, etc. Or you could sign up for Bugsby’s create your own story contest and try to win. This is for children, not adults.

Post from: Babylune

The hair gel was created by a Tami Dimmerman, a mom that wanted something safe for her own daughter’s eczema and sensitive scalp.  After several months she created her own formula thanks to a chemist and a lot of testing of natural products, which became LE BABY.

Another thing I liked about it is after applying it to my 2-year-old’s hair my hands weren’t all sticky and gross like most hair gels do.  Just to let you know, I’m one of those that hate putting anything in my own hair which means putting something in my child’s hair is going to require a lot to convince me it is okay. But with Fall coming I know my kids will ask more for hair products, which means finding something.

LE BABY hair gel actually works for me.  I have no clue if my son has sensitive skin but his oldest sister has a sensitive birthmark on the side of her head (right above her ear) so this is perfect for her and she’s at that part in her life where styling her hair means a lot.

As you can see by the pictures, Little A (my 2-year-old-son) and I played with different hairstyles and ended up sticking with the spiked look. It dries fairly quickly which is great and it doesn’t have a strong scent. This year I plan on making him into a Marine or a Vampire with spiked hair for Halloween, this is the gel I plan on using to do it. Granted the oldest (he’s 12) will probably want hair color in his, the other three will look great in this and it washes out easily. (definite bonus on Halloween)

For those interested the LE BABY hair gel runs at $9.95 a bottle and be ordered through the link provided: LE BABY hair gel.

Images: Eliza Ferree

Post from: Babylune

IMG: LolaEtMoi

Heather C
I like the Rob Dress 49 c6. Cute!

Please email me at homemom3@gmail.com with your mailing address so we can get this shipped off to you.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Lola Et Moi

the mailbox until the day it came. The company is called Lola et Moi and they make some gorgeous little girl dresses. Their dress sizes range from 2 years to 10 years old so they’ve got a little something for every little girl, no matter what her age or style.

From Lola Site:

It’s a Beverly Hills boutique and online store offering the season’s most colorful trends in childrens clothing. A favorite shopping spot for celebrity moms, Jessica Alba visited the boutique several weeks ago and left with a mountain of clothes.

As you can see it isn’t just loved by the average person, but also celebrities we know and love. Salma Hayek has even been inside to get a few outfits for her daughter, Valentina. Kelly Ripa’s been there to get her daughter, Lola outfits too.

Check out some of the outfits they have for the Spring 2009 collection. Prices range from $30-$386+.

IMG: The Life of a Home Mom

First, as soon as we opened the envelope she pulled the pretty blue dress out. This is one of those cute little sundresses that has straps to keep it up, the chest area as you can see is an elasticised smocked bodice. I love the ruffle it makes around her and then it flares out gently at the bottom. I think this is a cute dress that all little girls will love.

If you are looking for a great dress for either Spring or Summer this one is perfect, it’s light, flows and be casual or dressy. BabyGirl (age 5) loves spinning and I love that it won’t fly above her head when she does that. The straps over the shoulders helps the dress stay up and makes it easy to take it off.

Here she is posing in her pretty dress, I tried getting her to be playful in the picture but she insisted she was being a lady and they did not run around.  

What do you think? Are these dresses adorable? Stop by Lola Et Moi today and check out some of the new fashion trends.

Post from: Babylune

Milkscreen.com

without harming your baby. But just to give you peace of mind a company has made a product that will help you know your breastmilk is safe. This is called, “Milkscreen” and each milk screen test comes with 3 test strips for you to use.

I won’t lie, I drink a margarita whenever we dine out, this is just something I enjoy. Normally, I eat food with it but for those times that I may have a light meal or more than just the margarita I would be able to pull one of these tests out and squirt my breastmilk on the little strip just to see if it shows positive or negative. If it is a negative I can feed my baby knowing I’m not giving him/her any alcohol. By the way it only takes two minutes for the results, it’s quicker than a pregnancy test.

The neat thing about this test is it is geared towards YOU. Not every woman has the same metabolism, some are thinner than others. Others can handle more alcohol, etc. So to be told one beer won’t hurt or a few shots is fine can be wrong for you. This test though, will show you if you have went over your limit before you ever think of putting that nipple in your child’s mouth.

This Friday we’ll meet mom inventor, Julie Jumonville. Got any questions for her now?

Post from: Babylune

There’s a lot of new things going around on Blisstree, in fact you can also catch a few of my articles in the Parenting section. I hope you stop by and drop me a comment or two. But Babylune is staying put and you can always expect to read Baby info, The Ins and Outs of my Life with babies, Babies in the News, Wordy Wednesdays (not so wordless lately), Baby recalls and of course reviews and giveaways.

For those of you new to Babylune, My name is Elizabeth, I’m the mother of four children and the youngest turns 2 this weekend. When it comes to those little guys I have definitely got my fill and am happy to share any wisdom I may and may not have. Don’t be shocked if I actually come to you for advice a time or two though and always know that if you email me I’ll be responding right back. Hope you enjoy the new digs.

Post from: Babylune

What is your name and how many children do you have? Any babies, if so what ages?
My name is Catherine SoYoung Choi and I am the proud mother of 2 boys, Noah (5), and Fisher (3.5)

What is it you created and why?
I created a diaper bag in response to my frustration with the “black hole effect” I suffered with each of my bags. When I didn’t have a baby in one arm who was wriggling and/or crying, digging into my bag to find my keys didn’t seem like that big of a deal, especially if I liked the way the bag looked. But after I had a baby, that situation became my nemesis and I decided to create a bag that eliminated the “black hole effect’ so moms could find what they need, when they need it, but without having to sacrifice the desire to still carry a nice looking bag.

How did you create it? (ie, what inspired you)
Well, one day I was sitting on a park bench with my husband, while Noah, who was 7 months old at the time, slept in the stroller. There was a bag hanging off the back of the stroller, which I had just purchased. I thought it was ingenious because it was made of mesh and strapped to the stroller handlebars. But it was deep and everything was still jumbled in there at the bottom, requiring a fair amount of digging to get it out. So I started to describe to my husband what I would make a diaper bag do it I could design one. And then, I had the aha moment where I just decided that I was going to do it. I had no idea how I was going to do it – I had no background in the industry, but my desire propelled me forward and opportunities started to lead the way.

What is your schedule like now?
My kids are in school so they are now gone from 9am to 3:30pm every day. So those are my working hours, along with getting the household responsibilities accomplished. I feel very lucky that I have these hours to work, but I am still always running like a chicken without a head and work evenings after the kids go to bed, and weekends when I can. Although I’m really busy, I love it and wouldn’t change it for the world.

What was your schedule like while you were making your product?
It took me 4 years to get from my initial idea to market (I also had another child along the way). So progress was slow and at times, I felt that perhaps I should give up. But everyone was so excited for me about my business idea that I felt I had to make it happen, or risk being seen as a failure (nothing like false pride to keep you going).  My schedule was insane at the time, my younger son was extremely challenging as a baby and I had zero time for the first year. But I made small progress with the bags until I put him into part-time home care as well when he was 1. Then I had 2 full days a week to work.  It’s all a blur now.

What did you do to MAKE this happen?
My first prototype was made by a seamstress that I used for altering my clothing. I drew and cut up a pattern out of paper and brought it to her. I had no idea that being a seamstress is not the same occupation as a bagmaker, and my first prototype was really really sad looking. But it was enough to see what the structure of the bag would be like. Then I found a real bagmaker, who was 5 hours away so i had to send him all the materials by courier, including rolls of fabric that weighed a tonne. We went through many rounds of prototyping before I had one that nailed it. Then I had to find a manufacturer, which took about 18 months and went through 5 different manufacturers before I found the right one.I finally put in an order for 400 bags, and they arrived on my doorstep all wrong- every single one of them. Luckily the manufacturer agreed to redo them at their cost, and then I was finally in business, as of last May (2008).

I hear stories sometimes that there may have been struggles to get the product  noticed or on shelves. Did this happen? Could you share your experience with us?
YES. I realized how important it is to form relationships with the staff at the retail stores carrying my product. If the staff know you and like your product it will sell. Some retailers will even let you make display suggestions. One retailer let me do her window display with my product in the window, and the bags started selling after that, slowly at first and now they are my best retailer. But my bags sat in the store from May to November without a single sale. Since then they have reordered 4 times!

How is your product different from others like it?
My bags have been designed to help moms find what they need, when they need it. There is no fumbling or stress if the bag is used as it was designed to be. One of my customers told me that before she leaves her house, all she needs to do it pat each pocket to know whether she’s got everything, because of the dedicated pockets. And the bag was designed to have a classic, understated and logo-less look, because I like simple, modern design and detest clutter. Hopefully other moms do as well.

What would you tell moms that are sitting at home with ideas in their head?
I would say, start talking about it. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas for fear someone will copy it – the amount of effort it requires to take an idea to market must come from the heart otherwise one would give up on it long before then. Then, follow all leads, even if you think they are not going to lead you anywhere. You will be surprised at the coincidences that start to happen. I have learned over and over that the right information comes at the right time.  Before you know it, you will see your idea start to come to fruition – it is an incredible process, and was a very spiritual one for me.

What advice do you have for moms that just got a product out there?
(tips for them on promotions, marketing, etc)
Join as many networking groups as possible and help anyone you can. It will come back to you. Don’t compete on lowest price. And get yourself a mastermind group or a business coach to keep you on track with your goals.

Any tips?
Surround yourself with as many people who are more successful than you as possible and take their advice. Don’t take advice from people who aren’t where you want to be.

What would you like to say at this time?
Thank you for the opportunity to share my story! It is such an honor to have people be interested in my business and what I have learned until now. Don’t forget to stop by www.soyoungmother.com

Have a GREAT day and thank you Catherine.

Post from: Babylune

This isn’t a diaper bag really…okay it is, but it’s more than that. For one it isn’t that plastic type that you tend to hide or after years the sides crack from wear and tear. When you think of a diaper bag you think, big and bulky. When Catherine thought of a diaper bag she thought stylish and baby. She put the two together and came out with something that we could all enjoy and be proud to support around our shoulder.

The bag actually has several parts:

-  suede exterior
-  cell phone pouch on side of bag
-  key clip so you won’t have to search later on

-  My laptop and school books fit inside
-  But for those that have to have a bit more room there’s an extra strap to adjust it.
-  Inside is wipeable so now all those cookies and other crumbs can be cleaned up.

-  There’s a side flap that’s got velcro, honestly I thought it was an easy way to change baby. I found out today it is for yoga mats to be carried in. This is perfect for moms that do this and now they won’t have to struggle with the baby.

-  There’s a small bag inside, great for on the go, it’s insulated on the inside. This is  perfect for bottles, medicine and baby food.
-  Changing pad with micro suede material, so baby is no longer on a cold surface and it velcro shuts. 

Honestly the SoYoung bag is perfect, if I know it’s a quick trip I just toss a diaper inside the mini (insulated) bag with the changing pad and leave. I no longer have to worry and it has these cute straps that can attach to it so it makes carrying it a breeze.

It’s one of those bags that every mom can get and feel that she’s stylin too, even with the sweat pants and baby food in her hair.  Do you have a bag you are proud of?

Post from: Babylune