Realizing I Know Nothing
Reviews
Dinotrux! And Yes, Revenge of the Dinotrux!
Feb 25th
I love to read and one thing I hope is that my son also finds joy in reading. If he doesn’t, so be it, but seeing as though he is only going to be 4 next month, he will be getting at the very least one or more night time stories for the foreseeable future. And as parents, we all know that our children will ask for more books if they know it pushes back their bedtime.
I am not overly picky about the books we read before my son goes to bed. If they are educational, great, but the winners More >
Discovery Toys Motor Works
Mar 8th
After quite a few rants (and an extended time not posting), I figure it is about time to do another review. I have been light on these because I have found that the costly, quintessential items you needed for a newborn do not carry over into the toddler years. I do have some thoughts on Thomas the Train and the multiple variations therein, but one toy I came across that I love (as well as the most important review, my son), is the Discovery Toys Motor Works (link is to where you can buy it on Amazon).
I will caveat and say More >
Annie’s Homegrown
Jan 16th
As I have mentioned in other posts, I am not an “organic-only” person, although I do lean to them when it comes to our son. Also mentioned in other posts, I grew up on a small farm with a family that made meals from scratch — so for the most part, my diet was inherently organic. Apparently, by eating a vegetarian chicken raised in our front yard, without antibiotics and killed in the last 24 hours (most times within the last hour), I was eating like a socially responsible foodie (NY Times Article). Who knew that people would be willing More >
AeroBed for Kids
Aug 2nd
Ah, the AeroBed. I know there are folks far older than me that will say “You got to sleep on egg crates?, In my day we slept on the ground with a rock angled just right so that it pressed into our backs.” Well, I grew up with egg crates and sleeping bags. The AeroBed and general availability of power have made life a lot more comfortable.
Enter the AeroBed for kids. What makes it different to the delight of any parent? Raised sides.The skinny on why we like it:
1. When our son grew out of his Pack N’ Play More >
IKEA Mammut Toddler Bed
Aug 1st
After just about two and a half years and a brief stint on an Aerobed (a re view on this gem coming soon), we modified the IKEA Mammut crib into the IKEA Mammut toddler bed. As I have noted in some earlier comments, the crib/bed has held up great — but we were also lucky with the fact our son didn’t gnaw on the railing. We are still in love with this piece and the three drawer chest that is in his room.
A few things: 1. Make sure to read the instructions. Changing the crib into the bed requires More >
Tu-be or not Tu-be
Jan 28th
So far, our vote is tu-be — in other words — we had made the decision to get ear tubes for our son after 10+ year infections and a burst ear drum in less than a years’ time, with the bulk coming between October and March (7 months old – 1 year).
The short of it: Do the risks of putting a child under general anesthesia outweigh the benefits of tubes? Articles (here is one from the NY Times, 2006) are coming out all the time about ear infections with the current base of knowledge suggesting that ear infections do not More >
Color me skeptical
Oct 8th
After reading this article by James Rainey in the LA Times, I thought I would take the chance to say again: any and all reviews on this site are done without payment and the products have been purchased by our family (or entered the house as a hand me down).
Mr. Rainey hits on a form of advertising/marketing I have long despised: pitching products/shows on local news segments as though they are actual news — or as though they are from non-biased reviewers. If the person reviewing the product is getting paid directly or indirectly by the company that produced the product, More >
Road Trip
Oct 5th
Not cool, I know. We took the easy way out. Rather than fly someplace exhilarating and fun for the whole family (me, Wifey and the meatball), we took the easy way out and decided to pick a place in driving distance.
So we set out on our 14 hour drive to Nashville to visit family, followed by a cross-Tennessee drive to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains. Since I am not a travel review site, I will leave the tourist reviews out — but I can say that I have always loved Nashville and the Smoky Mountains were amazing.
Overall, it More >
Graco Drop Side Crib Recall
Apr 29th
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued another drop side crib recall, this time for a wide variety of models sold under the Graco brand name, but made by LaJobi. You can see all the models here.
As I posted, drop side cribs are on my Bad Things list for this reason. Drop side cribs are recalled at a fairly regular rate, which makes me wonder why companies continue to produce them (although these started selling back in 2007). If you are a new parent reading this — steer clear of drop side cribs unless it is an absolute necessity. More >
