Saving Money on Baby Formula with Parent’s Choice

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just a few years ago, my youngest son was on the bottle consuming what seemed like a small truckload of infant formula every week. Between the one truckload of baby formula and a second truckload of diapers, about half our income was focused just on keeping Wild Man fed and diapered.

It’s just insane how much it costs to feed, clothe and diaper a baby!

Playpen Controversy???

The new video from Juice Box Jungle is all about the playpen controversy. I never realized this was such a hot button in the parenting community. One side of the playpen controversy believes it is a great parental asset and tool while others...well lets just say they don't like the use of playpens. Me? I fall in between the two extremes. I use a portable playpen in various circumstances.

I find it easier to simply make the common areas of my home (living room, dining room, and kiddo's room) toddler friendly. I've been fortunate enough to live in houses with a floor plan I can conveniently and easily secure these areas of the home for my kids. Baby gates and latched doors have provided enough containment for my little ones! If I had large open doorways and over-sized rooms then I'd probably rely more on the playpen.

All three of my children have spent time in a playpen. Usually during travel. It's a 'me' thing. I feel they will sleep better on their own sheets with the familiar scents of home...not to mention the peace of mind knowing my sheets and playpen are germ and pest free-maybe not totally germ free but at least it's OUR germs! I definitely use the playpen when we go camping or fishing to keep them safe while the adults are busy with other things. Like freeing fishing line from the tree they just caught or setting up a campfire to roast marshmallows!!!

The key ingredient for me: Balance. Playpen use. TV time. Video game play. Pretend play. Outdoor time. Food choices. It's all about moderation and balance. I believe too much of any one thing can be bad. Too much of one food throws your diet and health into a tailspin. Too much TV and video games leads to increased violence and agitation. Balance and moderation.

More parenting videos on JuiceBoxJungle

Safe Seat Check Twitter Party

Installing a child safety seat looks easy enough right? According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 3 out of 4 parents aren't using child safety restraints properly. To help educate parents and caregivers on proper installation and use of safety restraints, NHTSA's is hosting "Seat Check Saturday" this Saturday, September 12. Find an official inspection location with certified specialists to inspect your child's car seat and show you how to properly install and use it.

Can't make it this Saturday? Look for Seat Check events throughout next week which is National Child Passenger Safety Week!

Want to learn more about keeping your kids safe while in the car? Check out the Sitewarming Twitter Party (#ChildSeatSafety) happening Wednesday night hosted by Resourceful Mommy.

Toys for Baby + Discount Code

Have a new baby in the family? Need a toy for the littlest one of the bunch but you're just not sure WHAT to choose? Look no further, Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby's development. And they select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on their baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

• Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.
• Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play', reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no' (about half the time) and will start babbling.


• Toys for a six month old: They'll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They'll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.
• Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Whether you're looking for toys and gifts for infants, toddlers, or bigger kids, Ebeanstalk is a great resource to find the perfect item for the special kid in your life.

Just for you-my lovely readers-here is a 15% discount on your first purchase at ebeanstalk — TGS345 — just enter the code at the shopping cart.

Happy toy hunting!

Inexpensive & Original Infant Gift

So there's a new bundle of joy you wish to welcome into the world but have no idea how to celebrate other than the traditional diaper bag gifts. Well ponder no more! I have a completely unique, original, & totally frugal gift idea to offer the new blessing: Decorative Print Art

The idea came to me after my third child, Daniel, was born. I wanted to decorate his crib area with something that was original, tasteful, & inexpensive (let's face it-after three children, money gets tight). His crib was in a common area of the house, a dining room converted to nursery (not only was money tight, so was space). I surfed the net a little, where I found tons of information on infant visual stimuli (don't bother asking me how I stumbled on it, I just remember finding the images & having that "WOW what a great idea" moment). There was tons of medical jargon & research (boring, right?), but then I hit the jackpot. There were tons of images designed & published for parents to use. I had the images I wanted to use now, I needed a way to display them where they looked nice but were in a place Daniel could see them. I didn't want the room to be over-powered by the strongly contrasting images since his nursery was in a common area. I chose a 3x3 print out of the image inserted into clear photo corners (typically used in scrapbooks) which was placed on a slightly larger piece of cardstock. The clear photo corners allow me to change out the print when Daniel got older & found different types of images interesting. A couple of holes punched at the top of each corner with some raffia threaded through & tied into a nice bow finished the item. My card stock backing was cut at 4x4 1/2. (1/2" wider than my print except at the top which was 1" wider than the image to allow for the ribbon)

Now to figure out how to display them. We already had a nice mobile a family member had given us during a baby shower so I chose to use the clear 3M hooks & hang them by his crib area. If you prefer to make a mobile, you may want to put an image on both sides of the card stock. Additionally, this would look wonderful printed as an 8x10, matted & framed.

The possiblities are endless and limited only to the creativity of the person taking on the project. This project idea is easily customizable with different images and applications. Additionally this would make a great baby shower, birthday, Christmas, or even a christening gift.

Here is a pdf from http://baby.zorger.com of the 20 different free images that can be used for a project like this or feel free to find your own online.

Happy Crafting!