I Drank the Tula Kool Aid

Let's talk about that unexpected time that your 2 1/2 year old suddenly wants to be worn, but all you have is a long outgrown Moby and a nearly outgrown Ergo. That was me a few weeks ago. How can I turn her down? Of course I'll snuggle you, little one! As a bonus, you can't wreck the joint when we go shopping if you're on my back!

Problem was, the Ergo worked, but not for long. Ginny's not a big kid by any means, but just lanky enough to hang out of the top and sides in way that made it uncomfortable for her after a while.

Well, after selling all of our cloth diapers, I needed a new obsession anyway. Enter, the Tula.

So, what is a Tula? A Tula is a baby carrier. That's right, I SAID IT. It's just a baby carrier. You put a baby in it and carry them. I say this because there is an entire culture and society attached to said brand of baby carrier that is both intriguing and overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, this is by far the most comfortable carrier I've ever worn, but the drama and crazy that comes along with stalking, buying, selling, and trading these things is enough to send someone to the looney bin.

I took the easy way, I think. I jumped on a Buy Sell Trade board, picked one I liked, PMed the seller, sent them money, and got the Tula in the mail. Easy right? I thought so. And I loooooove it.

She loves it to, I promise. I may have woken her up from a nap to try it on when it came in the mail...

I get it, they're pretty, they're comfy, and goodness knows the company tries their hardest to play on the scarcity effect with regard to prints. They slap "limited edition" on something and the crazy goes up a few notches! Market value on some of the handmade woven versions are nearly a mortgage payment and no, that is not an exaggeration.

So we had a Tula. Then, because I didn't remove myself from the BST group, we got...another Tula. I know, I know - I have one child of carrying age/size. Why do I need two? Truthfully, I keep one in the house and one in the car. Could I live with one? Heck, I could live with none, but there is something about them that makes me want them all.

This is the Tula I fell in love with. Ya know, after the first Tula I fell in love with. This, is Rainbow Gems.

I know, I talk about it like it's a person or something. But seriously, look at this thing. And look at that face! This is Ginny's "rainbow carry" and she asks for it by name. The hood even has dino spikes! It also came with a lot of sleepy dust, meaning I can grocery shop during nap time without summoning demons.

We have the toddler size for Ginny, which goes up to 50lbs! The standard version is good for itty bitties up to toddlers about 40lbs. Ginny could technically fit in a standard, but since she fits in a toddler, why not size up. I could even carry Charlie if he wasn't all torso. Kid can nearly see over my head when he's on my back! In a pinch, I'd totally carry him though. Despite being about 43lbs, his weight was very well distributed across my waist and shoulders making him feel surprisingly light.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I had a third one, but I sold it! I'm not addicted. ::twitch::

At retail, the canvas carriers run between $160 and $190, depending on print and what not. Don't even ask about market value, but it's more than that. While it's not easy to get one direct from a store or site, there are a lot for sale at or below retail.

Honestly, since they hold their value, I'm not worried about the cost; when we're done, I'll be able to resell them at or above what I paid. It's not a sale, it's an investment. Yes, I really tell myself that crap.

If you're in the market for a new carrier, I highly recommend the Tula. It's well made, quality materials, soft and genuinely comfortable. If you're skiddish about spending that much money without trying one on, check if your area has a baby wearing group or chapter of Babywearing International. Many of those groups have carriers you can try on or even borrow to see if you like them before laying out the money.

In the meantime, I'll be over here, wearing my happy kiddo on the go (while getting strange looks and comments from strangers...but that's an entirely different blog post).

Toddler Tooth Time with Nuby

**This post was sponsored by Nuby and contains links to their products and media outlets. The product being reviewed was provided to me by Nuby free of cost. All opinions are 100% my own and I do not review products that I don't believe in or use myself.**

A question I see posted a lot on parenting forums is when to start brushing your little one's teeth. The most basic answer is, "when they get teeth" which can vary wildly from kid to kid. My two sprouted teeth fairly early meaning we have been brushing tiny teeth for quite a while now. When Charlie was small, we had a hard time finding toothpaste that he actually enjoyed. Now that he's older and knows how to spit, we can use kid toothpaste with fluoride. Before that, however, it's really important to use a non-flouride toothpaste since "getting their teeth brushed" actually means sucking the paste off the brush and swallowing it immediately. Yum.

For Ginny, we were fortunate to discover Nuby's All Natural Baby Tooth & Gum Cleaner. This fluoride free, safe, natural toothpaste has been a tremendous hit with Ginny and makes brushing her teeth so much less stressful. Bedtime is hard enough without her hating this necessary step. 

And yes, the bathroom counter in the kids' bathroom is really that ridiculous shade of 1970's orange. Don't worry, I know you're jealous. So, how does she feel about the all natural sweet vanilla milk flavor? Here's a little bedtime story for you...

Oh sweet, time to brush my teeth. This stuff goes on the brush, got it. 

NO! I was doing it!

Heyyyyyy give it to me!

Mmmmmmmmm

Ginny loves her toothpaste so much, she runs right to the bathroom when we say it's time to brush her teeth. She grabs it and her toothbrush out of her cup and tries to start without us. The nice part is that after she gets a turn to "brush," she actually lets us brush her teeth.

My favorite thing about this product is the soft silicone gum cleaner that comes with it. We don't use it much now that Ginny has most of her teeth, but it was absolutely wonderful for sore teething gums. With three different textures, it is part cleaner, part teether, and definitely appreciated by a grumpy baby.

It makes me feel good that I know her teeth and gums are getting clean and that she's not ingesting unnecessary chemicals, colors, or flavors. The Baby Tooth and Gum Cleanser is BPA free, fluoride free, safe to swallow, and endorsed by Pediatric Dentist Dr. Grace Yum - founder of Yummy Dental and Orthodontics for Kids in Chicago, IL. And as with all Nuby things - it's made right here in the USA.

Would your little one like to try out this awesome product? You can win it right here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can pick up the Baby Tooth & Gum Cleanser from Kmart. Check out Nuby's social media sites for coupons and info about their other awesome products!

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My First Consignment Sale

I've been to dozens of consignment sales before, but always as a shopper. I have never "had enough stuff" to make selling worth it, so I never looked into it. Lately, I've had a serious case of getridofcrapitis resulting in a tremendous pile of clothes, gear, and toys that we just. don't. need. Things that are outgrown, unused, and unwanted - things that we could get rid of to declutter while making some cash.

I've held onto so many old clothes from the kids, things that I absolutely adore, and while I'll keep my absolute favorites, the chances of us having another kid that aligns with that exact sex, size, and season are slim. Considering I built up these wardrobes inexpensively through consignment, there's no reason I couldn't do it again if the reason presented itself (don't worry, it won't for a long time).

I've been collecting things up for a while now, keeping boxes in each kid's room and throwing things in as they've come up. Out of sight, out of mind and honestly, I haven't missed any of it. Time to go! I am such a pack rat at heart, but living in an apartment, I just can't keep everything. There are plenty of others out there who would love to buy it on the cheap, so why not.

A few days ago, I logged into my Just Like New consigners account and started checking out the prepping process. Lesson #1: Start prepping earlier. Giving myself two weeks to inventory, tag, and organize everything is not enough time! I truly had no idea what it took to prep for a sale, so you get to benefit from my procrastination! Here is what I've learned from prepping for my first sale.

Finding a Sale
Aside from thinking I didn't have enough stuff, I didn't know what sale to take part in or how to find one. A lot of times, I found out about sales last minute - entirely too late to enter as a consigner.

Consignment sales typically run on a seasonal rotation. Following the organization on Facebook or signing up for their newsletter is a great way to get a heads up about their next sale. Mark you calendar for consigner deadlines and start gathering up items!


Gathering Supplies
I didn't even think of what I'd need for the sale while I was saving up my items. What I should have been doing was saving those ugly plastic store hangers and safety pins all along. Now I need to go buy cheap baby hangers and a box of pins, which are inexpensive, but I'm here to make money not spend money!


Pricing Items
How do I know what something is worth?! A good rule of thumb is to mark it for about 40% of the original price. Adjust the price up (comes with accessories, is new with tags, or a high end brand name) or down (older, a little worn, or a lower end brand) from there.

Brand is an important factor in selling clothes. Knowing how a brand is perceived is very helpful in pricing it appropriately.

• Bargain Brands: Circo, Granimals, Just One You, Genuine Kids, Jumping Beans
• Mid-Range Brands: Old Navy, Children's Place, Osh Kosh, Carters, Crazy 8
• Higher End Brands: Gymboree, Gap, Polo, Hannah Andersson, Janie & Jack

Size also affects how you should price things. Infant items will flood the "market" since babies go through clothes so quickly. They're usually in better shape and huge quantity. Price these competitively or in bundles. Toddler clothing (3T and up) is harder to find in good shape and there will be less of it. Toddlers are harder on their clothes and wear them for significantly longer than infants. A good quality, clean, well priced toddler outfit is like gold at a consignment sale!

Prepping Items for Display
Think of times you've gone to consignment sales. Some are organized and neat and some are overwhelming panic attacks waiting to happen. For the good ones, what make them good? Items are clearly marked, organized, and displayed well. This is a "store" after all. Some sales have strict guidelines for items, but not all do. That doesn't mean you can send things all willy nilly - this is about appealing to the buyer!

• Avoid the temptation to bag clothes, even multi piece outfits. Hang them on hangers that fit the clothes so they look nice and are easy to go through. Button buttons, zip zippers, trim rouge threads, iron flaps and pockets flat. Look at it and think, "would I want to buy this?"
• Use ribbon or string to sell books in sets (tape would ruin the covers). 
• Leave batteries in electronic toys so people know they work. 
• Package up small things like socks, hair accessories, burp cloths, etc. to be sold in sets. Some sales have a minimum price (the sale I'm doing is a minimum of $2) so you may need to bundle things to get to the minimum price. 
• Sell things in outfits, even if they didn't come together. This can be appealing and help justify a minimum price. It can also keep you under a clothing item cap, if you sale has one. The sale I'm doing has a 100 clothing item cap, BUT one tag = one item, so selling four pairs of pants together = one item. 
• It is understood that items are used, but make sure everything is clean and stain free.

Recalls and Damage
This goes without saying, but make sure you're only trying to sell good quality stuff. This isn't the place you get rid of your garbage. If things are ripped, stained, or missing pieces - throw them out. Be checking items (especially baby gear and car seats) for recalls as selling recalled things can be illegal in some states (and, c'mon, it's just not right). The Consumer Product Safety Commission is a great place to get this info.


Consider Season and Future Sales
Sales will have restrictions on what you're selling to keep it streamlined and interesting to buyers. Swim suits at the spring sale and snowsuits at the fall sale - that kind of thing. Keeping the sale schedule in mind, only sell holiday related items that could be used between that sale and the next. For this fall sale, I have a few Halloween and Christmas things, but am saving my Easter and 4th of July things until the spring sale.

If you're approaching an item cap, start putting things aside for the next sale. You don't need to sell everything at once - be strategic!

Dropping Off

For this sale, I had to schedule a drop off time to meet with volunteers and get my stuff registered. This can be a painfully long process if you're not prepared. Don't be "that person" holding up the line. Before you go, have items clearly tagged and organized by size and type of item. Rubber banding hangers together by size and gender is helpful for transportation.

Volunteering Benefits

Consignment sales run on volunteer power and working a shift or two can really do wonders for your experience. I've seen a few different benefits for volunteers from increased profit to getting to shop significantly earlier than regular shoppers. One sale I heard about, if you worked enough hours, you got 100% of your profits! Regardless of benefits, definitely consider giving a bit of your time to help the sale run smoothly. 

Clearance, Donation, and Pick Up

While you're working on your inventory and tagging, you'll have the option to include items in the 1/2 price day (usually the last day) and to indicate whether you'd like to donate the item after the sale or pick it up. Make sure you're paying attention to what you're marking down. For me, if it's something I think could sell at the next sale (multi-season clothes, accessories, toys, etc.) I'll pick it up and give it another try. If it's seasonal and I don't think I could sell it elsewhere, chances are I'll donate it instead of holding onto it for an entire year. 

So there you have it, a crash course in consignment prep. Like I said, rule #1 is to give yourself enough time. I sat down the other night and had to input like 200 items into the database so I could print tags and it was not fun. If I had given myself a few weeks, I could have done a few things a night and kept a little more sanity in my life.

Who am I kidding, that sanity would have been wasted anyway!

Have you consigned before? What are your favorite tips?

Nuby Review: Travel Set

**This post was sponsored by Nuby and contains links to their products and media outlets. 

The product being reviewed was provided to me by Nuby free of cost. 

All opinions are 100% my own and I do not review products that I don't believe in or use myself.**

If you couldn't tell, we travel with the kids a lot and though I'll leave the award for "Best Packed Diaper Bag" to my sister, Christina, I try to be as prepared as I can when leaving the house. One thing I've always wondered is why family friendly restaurants don't have kid sized utensils. Even IKEA, which uses their own brand of kid cups, plates, and bowls in the cafe.....doesn't provide the utensils from their set!

At this point, Charlie is big enough to handle adult size stuff, but when he was younger it was a pain to remember kid size utensils, keep them clean, somehow clean them off after use, and hope we didn't lose them. We tried the Take and Toss stuff, but it was so cheap and didn't last long. Thankfully, Nuby introduced us to their Travel Set of utensils; toddler sized, dishwasher safe utensils in a plastic case that we can toss in the diaper bag and GO.

The set comes with four forks, four spoons, and this handy, washable travel case that snaps securely closed. I LOVE when I find exactly what I'm looking for in a product! These are the perfect size for either kid to use....even though Ginny is still getting the hang of this whole eating thing.

This past weekend, while we were volunteering at a summer camp, having this set was SO helpful. There were no child sized utensils in the dining hall and since we're trying to encourage Ginny to feed herself, we wanted to keep on that routine. We were able to bring the Travel Set with us to the dining hall, throw them into the case and wash them back at our cabin afterwards. No mess, no problem. If only there was a handy travel case to transport a messy toddler.......

As a bonus, the travel case doubled as a cup for Cheerios while we were driving home. BOOM -- unexpected multi tasker!

I'm so glad we got to try out this Travel Set. At around $6 for the set, I vote it a diaper bag must have. Maybe I have a shot at stealing my sister's title after all.

You can pick up the Travel Set from Buy Baby Direct, Cookie Kids, Ideal Baby, Kids Land USA, TJ Maxx, DD's Discounts, and Ross Dress for Less.

Check out Nuby's social media sites for coupons and info about their other awesome products!

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Wordless Wednesday: Baby Gate Success!

(Review of the North States Superyard to come later!)

New Baby, New Favorites

It's so funny how things change. I did a lot of research on baby gear when I was pregnant with C and while I found some really awesome baby gear, this time around we've traded in some brands for some new found loves. Most of these changes came down to cost. When C, we were a little more strapped for cash and I as looking for the least expensive quality item I could get my hands on and while none of these things are cheap or bad, I've definitely found that spending a little more yields some fabulous results.


Receiving blankets vs. aden + anais Swaddle Blanket

I thought people were absolutely out of their minds spending so much on a blanket. Then I got two on clearance and I totally get it. The typical cotton/flannel receiving blanket is definitely handy, but you can't really swaddle with them and they tend to fall apart after the 1,000th spit up and wash routine. The aden + anais cotton muslin blankets only get softer as time goes on and their size makes for easy swaddling. Ginny wasn't a big fan of swaddling, but regardless, this is already her lovey.

They are light enough to use during the summer as a blanket or car seat cover, you can fold it and lay it down for a diaper change or to play. It is soft enough to wipe boogies or spit up in a pinch and washes well and dries super fast. These are absolutely worth the money!


Swing vs. Mamaroo

For Charlie, we borrowed a Fisher Price popasan style swing from friends of ours. We didn't have the money to buy a $100+ swing, especially when we didn't even know if he'd like it. Turns out, he LOVED it. Problem was, it ran on batteries and its movement was on the jerky side. Once he got heavier, it slowed down to a crawl. It did its job and helped him sleep during his crazy colic phase, but I wish we'd known about the Mamaroo!

Yes, the 4moms MamaRoo isn't cheap, but there are alternatives to buying new - there's always consignment or borrowing it from a friend. I'm incredibly fortunate we were able to borrow this awesome piece of baby gear from my friend Mary (check out her Mommy blog at CherryBlossomLove!) who swore by its aforementioned awesomeness. Ginny absolutely loves this thing. She happily naps and plays in it daily. It has an adjustable incline, various speeds and motion settings, the movement is smooth and quiet, and it plugs in! No batteries! You can also plug in an iPod to play music, which is nice. Knowing what I know, I'd totally buy this thing if need be.


Munchkin drain rack vs. Boon Grass


Even though we are breastfeeding, there are still plenty of dishes to wash between bottles and pump parts. For Charlie, we got the Munchkin drain rack and while it did hold a lot, there was no drainage in the bottom so water pooled up. We have such hard water that the iron and other minerals would get gunky and stained the whole bottom red. Yuck. Even though the top prongs were clean, it just didn't look clean overall. We needed something new.

Boon makes two different sized drying racks - grass and lawn. Already being short on counter space, we chose the "Grass" size (9.5" x 9.5") and holy moly does it hold a ton!!

On this one rack is...

Two sets of pump parts (connectors and horns)
Two bottles (bottles, nipples, rings, and covers)
Eight Medela breastmilk bottles and covers
A Nosefrida
And a few medicine syringes

That's a lot of stuff! And it all dries quickly. If water pools in the bottom of the rack, you pull out the grass part and rinse the tray. Its fabulous.

Boppy Pillow vs. My Brest Friend Pillow
 
This one actually comes out to a tie - I love them both for different reasons. The Boppy is an old favorite - its soft, comfortable, and perfect for propping up my elbows while nursing in the glider. On the couch or in bed, however? Not so supportive. Its much flatter than the My Breast Friend pillow and make you hunch forward, especially with tiny babies. Extra points go to MBF for the back rest, which helps when you're nursing somewhere with little back support, and pouch for holding baby supplies.

I keep the MBF pillow in the living room to get great support while sitting on the couch and the Boppy in her nursery for the glider. Its a great combination.

Both companies make beautiful washable covers and have excellent customer service. One note about the MBF - they make cotton covers and "deluxe" minky covers. Spend the extra and get the deluxe one. Trust me! It is sooooo soft!


Cheapie baby monitor vs. AngelCare Baby Movement and Sound Monitor

When we purchased a cheap $15 baby monitor for Charlie, it wasn't for lack of caring - obviously. Our thinking was that we had a little apartment and would surely be able to hear him if he cried. No big deal, right? We hated the stupid thing. It was fuzzy, quiet, and when it ran on batteries, it would lose signal constantly. We ended up getting rid of it after a few months and leaving his door open so we could hear him; it wasn't worth all the static.

Thanks to several recommendations and a fantastic sale at Target, we chose the AngelCare movement and sound monitor for Ginny. We knew that with Charlie running around, we wouldn't be able to leave her bedroom door open for naps like we could with him. Our bedroom is also much smaller in our current apartment and we couldn't fit the pack and play next to my side of the bed like I did with Charlie, so Ginny would be in her room earlier.

We LOVE this monitor. LOVE IT. Did I say love? LOVE. Its crystal clear, easy to use, tells us the temperature in her room, and best of all - alarms if it doesn't sense movement in the crib after a few seconds. There is a motion sensor plate under the mattress that can sense even the tiniest baby breaths.

There is also a video option that we didn't opt to get, but it would have been pretty cool as well.


In addition to changing up some baby gear, I also completely redid our stash of cloth diapers, selling off our bumGenius diapers and  buying up several new brands, but that's a whole other post!

Can you tell I went back to work?

Winter break was a lovely down time to reset my blog and get lots of posts up. Then, I went back to work and haven't slowed down since! It has been a busy few weeks of after hours meetings, a sick toddler, and facing the ever increasing 3rd trimester exhaustion.

The good news is that we're still organizing the house and making a good bit of progress. My Pinterest board is bursting with good ideas and my nesting (i.e. the urge to purge your house of junk) is in high gear. We were able to organize the two most cluttered places in the house thus far - the kitchen and the utility closet. I'm especially proud of the utility closet as it used to be a hell hole of lost things. We use the space like we would a garage, so our tools, gardening stuff, cleaning supplies, and couponing stash of extra items are in there. With the help of some dollar store baskets and a whole lot donated to Goodwill, we have EXTRA shelves. What's that about.

We have also been gathering up the last few things we need for G's arrival. Last weekend I was able to spend a few hours in her room sorting through awesome hand me downs from our friends Diana & Adam, washing bedding and blankets, and doing a little inventory on all of our bottles and my pump stuff. Apparently, breast shields make excellent musical instruments....says the 2 year old.

Thanks to some ridiculous sales at Target and Babies R Us, we were also able to get our double stroller and an AngelCare movement monitor for way cheaper than we first thought. When looking for a stroller, we had a long list of options that we were considering, but after looking at price/sales, availability, and what would grow with C and G, we went with the Graco Ready2Grow LX. Its a bit bigger than we'd originally hoped for, but its a double - what do you want? It has 12 different configurations to seat different combinations of kids from newborn to toddler. Two car seats, infant and toddler, two toddlers...you name it.

My favorite combination option sits C in the front and G facing me in the car seat or in the "shopping cart" seat. It'll be nice to have her close when she's little while still keeping C in the front so he can see what's going on. Most doubles have the bigger kid tucked in the back, in a "basement" seat, or exclusively on a bench seat. With this stroller, we have the option of eventually using a sit and stand option, but after C has gotten a bit bigger.

We still have a few months before actually using this, so hopefully its as awesome as we think it'll be! For now, its taking up residence in our front hall closet with the Snap and Go frame stroller, waiting for baby.

Speaking of waiting for baby....tomorrow is 32 weeks. Slow down, time!!

Balancing Safety & Independence

I recently came across this blog post from Love, Light, Laughter, and Chocolate - One Mom's Journey. On the anniversary of her daughter's passing, Kim wrote this post about how her daughter, 3 year old Meggie, was the victim of something many of us don't worry about in our homes. Her bedroom dresser was not anchored to the wall and was pulled down on top of her.

It took several tries to get through her heartbreaking post, but one thing was for certain - it was not something I was going to read and easily forget. Kim's message, her plea to all parents, was not an unreasonable one; anchor your heavy furniture to the wall and potentially save your child's life.

Now, we're not huge baby proofers. We have outlet covers to protect curious fingers, knob covers on our exterior doors, and cabinet locks to keep cleaners hidden away, but that's about it. We didn't go nuts with drawer locks or door jam stoppers - we took that part upon ourselves to teach C not to touch certain things. We thought it was important to find a good balance between safety, learning, and independence. After all, the outside world isn't baby proofed and when we say, "please, don't touch that" he needs to know we mean it. But furniture? C wasn't a chronic climber, so that wasn't a problem. Well, neither was Meggie. It only takes one attempt to get a book off a high shelf, one try to grab their cup off the dresser.

As I read the story, there were three items in our house that immediately came to mind - C's dresser, the 6' tall bookcase in the living room, and the 42" flat screen TV. None of them properly secured. After reading Kim's post, I quickly hopped onto Amazon and ordered anchor kits for these pieces (and a few extra). For a total of $30, we can secure these items and have piece of mind.

For the furniture, we ordered Quakehold! 7" Steel Furniture Cables and for the TV we ordered Kidco Anti-Tip TV Straps. Its as simple as drilling a few holes and could make all of the difference.

Installing the Quakehold! kits was simple. We had some assistance from the maintenance crew in our building since our walls are backed with concrete, but in a regular house with studded walls, it would be just as easy. We put one cable kit on C's dresser right in the middle. The bookcase got two cable kits in the upper corners as well as some wood shims under the front legs to prevent the squishy carpet from matting too much and creating a gap.

Holy moly - both of these pieces are now ROCK solid and not going anywhere. A bonus is that the cable kits are made to unscrew quickly to retrieve fallen items or clean behind the furniture (ya know, if you do that kind of thing).

Don't think just because your little one isn't "a climber" that they will never be. We use car seats even when we haven't been in a crash and we cut up their food in tiny pieces even if they've never choked. It only takes once to regret.

Why are There So Many Sippy Cups?!

Soft spouts, hard spouts, straws, flip tops, insulated, disposable.....there are so many kinds of sippy cups! It took several months and lots of trial and error, but we found sippy cups we absolutely love.

When I was growing up, I'm like 99% sure we had these or nothing and if you spilled it, you got wet. That was it. When my little brother was younger, I remember them coming out with spill proof cups and it revolutionized the sippy cup world. Now, 15 years later there have been so many sippy cup "advances" it blows my mind. For many, its a bunch of empty promises and wasted money. For others, C just didn't like them. Here is the evolution of our sippy cup trials.

Over the past year, we've tried...

Tommee Tippee Explora Trainer Cups 
We bought these since we used TT bottles and they were apparently the best "orthodontic" spouts out there. Right. The spout was too hard for him to figure out at first (you had to bite it to open the valve) and when he finally did, it pretty much poured water all over him. Not good.

Playtex First Sipster
Maybe the first spout was too soft and too much water came out? The harder spout was no better. We realized that with his huge noggin, he couldn't tip the cup back to drink without falling over. On to the straw.

Munchkin Might Grip Flip Straw
Some people swear by Munchkin as good quality for the price, but I remain unimpressed. We bought this cup because it was inexpensive and we had already purchased other failure cups. As our first attempt at a straw cup, we realized it was impossible to show C how to suck through a straw and he would get too frustrated. In comes the squeeze sippy...

Playtex Lil' Gripper Twist and Click Straw Sippy
(And no, we didn't pay what Amazon has listed. Whoa.) This worked much better since we could squeeze the cup to show C that there was liquid in it. Once he figured out the straw thing, however, it didn't let liquid through fast enough for him and he would get frustrated. Next cup.

Playtex Insulated Twist and Click Straw Cup
At first, these cups were the answer to our prayers. The straw was wide enough where C could drink (or guzzle as is sometimes the case), but were spill proof and insulated. Plus, the pieces were relatively easy to clean and keep track of. After a while, however, we realized they began to leak. Whether that's because of the dishwasher or what, but leaky cups aren't cool. We still use them, but if they leak much worse, we may need to toss the older ones.

The First Year's Take and Toss Cups
When we first got these, they were absolutely awesome - and still are to an extent. We can throw one in the diaper bag as a back up and it doesn't really matter if it gets lost. The issue came in when C figured out how to pull the straw out (they're not spill proof) and pour water out of the straw hole. We still use these, but only under supervision. 

Gerber Graduates Insulated Straw Cup
These are our newest cups and we absolutely LOVE them. The pieces are easy to clean, there are no leaks, and they are super cute. Hopefully they hold up against the C monster.

Munchkin Click Lock Straw Sippy
In a bout of amnesia and with a coupon in hand, I bought another Munchkin sippy. Why?! I hoped their new "Click Lock" system would yield a better cup. I'll admit its nice to hear that "click" and know for sure its closed, but C still seems to get liquid out of the straw when he turns it upside down. Yuck. I've heard wonderful things about the spout version of this cup, but he doesn't do spouts. Oh well.

Depending on the brand, sippy cups can be pricey so keep your eye out for coupons and sales. Target is especially good at this and will often have a coupon on their website or a BOGO 50% off sale. Though their selection is usually 75% girl colors and 25% boy colors, there is usually something for us to get when the sale comes up.

When it comes to sippy cups, remember - every kid is different and is going to like different things. C is a straw sippy cup kid and will probably go right to an open cup never using a spout. To each their own. The important thing is to try different things, borrow cups from friends to try, and when you find something that works, buy a million* of them.

*Okay, not a million, but several so you have enough on hand. ;-)

Toddle Along Tuesday: C's Two Nurseries

Happy Toddle Along Tuesday! This week's topic comes from Libby at ELF: A Family Blog. The topic is.....nursery! What does your little one's room look like?

This topic got me thinking; I could be wrong, but I don't think I ever shared pictures of C's new room after we moved! In our old apartment, C's room was a gender neutral farm animal print.

I spent a good chunk of my pregnancy sewing/making all of the pieces and while it was cute and bright, once he was born I hated it. I wanted a boyish room! When we moved, it was my chance to start over.

While on one of my many prepping for baby Target trips, I perused their Dwell Studios bedding section. Nothing gender neutral that I liked, but a beautiful, almost geometric rocket ship pattern caught my eye. I begged J to let me buy it just in case, but it was pretty expensive considering I had originally planned to make it all myself. I was genuinely sad, but it was true - we had no idea what we were having and Target's return policy is horrible.

After C was born, the closest store to the hospital happened to be a Target. One of the first purchases we made was a set of three receiving blankets in the rocket ship pattern I loved. His crib in the NICU was so stark and bare - I was so excited to give it some color.

After he came home, we realized he wouldn't be sleeping much in his own room for a while. The farm animal nursery was an unfortunate waste. Oh well.

As time went on, I knew it would be harder and harder to find the pieces of the rocket ship bedding set. Luckily, friends of mine from various places found and sent us pieces we were missing! Bumpers and quilt from Georgia, sheets from Pennsylvania...it was a wonderful surprise! C would have my his dream nursery!

When we moved, I was able to really put everything together and finish several projects I'd wanted to do to complete the room. In addition to the bedding set and a coordinating area rug, I made him wall art, a clock, growth chart, a memo board, and bunting to complete the look.

For book and toy storage, we bought an 8 cube shelf system with fabric drawers. At first, we had it laying down (4 across, 2 high) to make everything super accessible for C. Once he got a bit more mobile (and we needed more room for bigger toys), we turned it to standing (2 across, 4 high) and moved around some of the furniture. His crib moved across the room and we put the book case and glider under the bunting.

Its not a complete picture (I forgot to take pictures before C went to bed), but you get the idea. I'm hoping to paint soon to pull it all together. I want to make three walls light blue and one a slightly darker blue.

While it was fun designing and setting up two nurseries, when we have kid #2, we WILL be finding out the gender so hopefully we can settle on one nursery theme and stick with it. ;-)

Check out the Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop over at Growing Up Geeky to see lots of adorable nurseries!