Weekly Giveaway – Plush Pad® by Ah Goo Baby®
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Mom 4 Life News & Giveaways | Posted Friday, April 30, 2010
Congratulations to Michelle McDowell, who won the Baby Light & Clip! All Baby Light & Clip Lighted Safety Nail Clippers will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).
Vote for us at Pregnancy & Newborn and help us, while making yourself eligible for great prizes!
Take our survey and be entered to win a $25.00 Mom 4 Life gift certificate and get an automatic 10% discount code!
The Plush Pad® by Ah Goo Baby®
Retail Value: $34.99
One lucky winner will receive The Plush Pad® by Ah Goo Baby® in the style of their choice!!
The Plush Pad® by Ah Goo Baby® has been awarded the title of “most comfortable changing station” by countless reputable parenting experts.Uniquely designed with a thick body-contouring memory foam cushion to soothe and support your baby's sensitive pressure points, it is the only portable surface for your baby that can be used for diaper changes around the home, during travel, and on-the-go, yet also double as the perfect surface for tummy time and infant/parent classes. Your baby will relish each moment he lounges on The Plush Pad®. Machine washable with two layers of water-repellant barriers, it is as durable as any of your fine bed linens.
Style meets practical. Baby meets plush.
Unique features of The Plush Pad®:
- Features a thick memory foam cushion that relaxes the baby by molding to his curves and relieving her tiny pressure points; baby will relish the experience of being changed;
- Machine washable and water-resistant. Wash the cover much like a pillowcase whenever it needs cleaning (the memory foam insert can be easily removed prior to washing);
- The Plush Pad® rolls open with no creases – no need to fiddle;
- Plenty of wiggle room (approx 2 ft x 2 ft) for the baby, yet ultimate portability to easily fit in one’s diaper bag, suitcase, or to store away when not being used.
How do you win?
Take a look at all the plush fabric styles Ah Goo Baby offers, and comment here telling us which one you like the best. You have until Tuesday evening, May 4th, to enter.
Good luck!
5 free iphone apps that I love
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Moneywi$e | Posted Thursday, April 29, 2010
On Tuesday I shared with you 5 iphone apps for kids that we love. BUT who am I kidding, I didn't get my phone for my kids, I got it for me:)! So here are 5 of my favorite apps that I use all the time. The great thing is that they are also free AND if you don't have a phone that can utilize these apps, they all have a web interface that will allow you to enjoy their services as well.
1. Facebook (free)
If you use facebook, you will love the option of updating your status on the go with your iphone. It is super easy to take a photo, add a caption and instantly update your status or check your favorite fan pages to see what the latest specials or discounts or new products are (i.e. Mom 4 Life 
2. Fotobabble (free)
Take a photo, add your voice and share, easy peesy! I love this. It is easy but fun. A great new way to quickly share personality plus photos with friends or family. I have already used it for both business and for fun. You can check out my Fotobabbles here. Don't have an iphone? Just go to the Fotobabble website to set up your free account and use their fun service there!
3. Pandora (free)
If you haven't tried out Pandora I think you will love this. You start by creating your own personal "station" based on an artist, song or classical composer whose music you like. Then, sit back as Pandora plays their music and music that is similar! Like the songs they choose? You can give them a "thumbs up" and it will continue to adjust your personal station to your preferences. Don't like a song choice? Give it a "thumbs down" and it won't play that one again! If you have a music docking station for your iphone this is a great option for listening to your own personalized music in your home. Again, even if you don't have an iphone, you can enjoy Pandora on your computer! Oh and I just have to clarify that the little screen shot images in this post are not from my phone cause I have no idea what "Swizz Beatz" music is and I am pretty sure I wouldn't like it.
4. Google Reader (free)
I have a hard time keeping up with blogs. Using Google Reader on my iphone allows me to catch up as I am waiting in line at the store or having some "private" time in the bathroom (just be very careful, iphones and toilets don't mix well). I am automatically updated when a blog that I follow has a new update. As I read the posts, it is noted. I can "star" posts that I really like to come back to later. Don't have an iphone? Use Google Reader directly on your computer.
5. Allrecipes' Dinner Spinner (free)
When I decided to start cooking with more beans, this app was the first one I turned to. I asked it to give me "main dishes" using "legumes" and "any cook time" and gave it a spin! There were 62 matches awaiting me including the Mexican Bean Burgers that we have now had twice (they are super yummy!). I also love the option to email a recipe to a friend (or myself) and the fact that I can read all the reviews and feedback from others who have tried the recipe (including their suggested changes). No iphone, go directly to All recipes and explore directly on your computer!
I love my iphone but the one thing that I don't love is that my battery never
seems to run out at the right time. I carry my charger cord with me in my
purse so I can charge up in the car but somehow I still find myself running
out of juice at the wrong times. If you can relate to this you might be
interested in the mophie juice pack air. This handy little baby almost doubles
my battery life while also serving as a protective case. I was sent one to try
out and I have to say that I am impressed. I have the option of when to utilize
the extra battery life that the morphie provides and it has an indicator so that
I can see how much extra battery time is left. The only downside that I have
come across so far is that I have to remove my iphone from the mophie case
in order to doc it into our stereo. However, because my phone gets charged
when plugged into the stereo it is almost a non issue. Also, because the iphone
is so darn slim adding the mophie case does make it seem bigger. However,
I personally didn't mind and the extra thickness actually made it easier to talk
on the phone while balancing it between my ear and shoulder while I try to do
something mommish like (changing a diaper).
Your turn! What iphone apps do you like? I would love to hear from you.
P.S. This is a totally free bonus. I have to share my friend Kira's blog post about her iphone/toilet "incident". If nothing else it is guaranteed to make you smile, or your money back!
Lanolin and Breast Feeding. Bahhhd! by Dr. Michele Brown
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Meet the mom inventor | Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2010
We want to thank Dr. Michele Brown for sharing the following info with us below. We have discovered that this topic is slightly controversial (especially because it involves the sale of product and which products are best). We desire for our readers to be informed and updated with current topics that we feel would be of interest to them. Please feel free to chime in with any research or thoughts you might have on this in the comments section. ~Heather and the Mom 4 Life team
From Dr. Michele Brown: As you may know, most breast feeding women are sent home from the hospital, after giving birth, with a lanolin-based product to help relieve their sore, chapped nipples. As a physician and OBGYN, I am very concerned about this and want to send you this warning about lanolin based products.
The first thing you need to know is that pesticides have not one, BUT TWO, ways of getting into lanolin-based nipple gels and creams. It all begins with sheep—as lanolin comes from the sebaceous glands of these animals.
- Lanolin is an animal based product, 100% cholesterol, and is taken from sheep that graze on grass that is treated with pesticides.
- Sheep are often drenched with a chemical that prevents parasite infections. This chemical gets absorbed into the wool and oil glands of the sheep. After the sheep is shorn, the wool is sent to a special chemical scouring bath to separate the lanolin from the wool.
Once processed, lanolin is then concentrated and sold to companies that create creams, ointments, and cosmetics.
Several studies have demonstrated that there are residual pesticides in lanolin-containing compounds IN SPITE of purification by the companies that produce it.
This means that lanolin that is purified most likely will have residual pesticides both from the wool and from the grass that the sheep graze.
Therefore, when a new mother breast feeds using lanolin-based products, her infant may be getting trace amounts of these harmful chemicals. In addition, some women have wool allergy and will react to lanolin based products. Religious women who cannot have milk with animal products also cannot use lanolin. Lanolin is also a dark brown, greasy and smelly gel and is known to stain undergarments and bed linens.
I have developed an omega 3 fatty acid plant based, colorless and odorless gel with calendula officinalis. This herb is a well known remedy that is antibacterial, antifungal, and helps to prevent mastitis. This gel is moisturizing and soothing to the nipples and does not need to be wiped off prior to feeding. It is colorless and odorless and does not stain clothing.
All of my products have been pretested on hundreds of pregnant women and all ingredients have been carefully screened on physician only databases for safety. I have given out free sample packets to every delivered patient at Stamford Hospital with fantastic success and wonderful comments.
Happy breast feeding!
Dr. Michele Brown
OBGYN and Founder of Beauté de Maman
Buy Beauté de Maman Nipple Gel
Pregnancy is an exciting and rewarding time filled with awe and wonder. It's also a time of significant physiological and hormonal changes to a woman's body that are unique to this special moment in her life. These changes can cause pregnancy-related health problems that affect organs, hair, skin, muscles, bones and the nutritional status of the mother-to-be. Remedies for pregnancy-related health problems must be carefully selected to ensure the utmost safety of both mother and fetus, and the choice of natural and herbal products is critical.
Since the opening of her practice in 1982, Yale-trained Dr. Michele Brown, a practicing obstetrician, has been in the unique position to observe thousands of her own patients as they struggle to find safe remedies to help them cope with these pregnancy-related difficulties.
Not satisfied with the current offerings on the market, she worked closely with an organic chemist and expert in the field of product development and technology for the cosmetic industry to develop a line of health and beauty products safe for use by women during pregnancy.
"My experience as a board-certified obstetrician allowed me access to information only available to medical professionals, so I was able to conduct extensive research on the ingredients in my products," said Dr. Brown. Her large obstetrical practice allowed her to test them for effectiveness, consistency and reliability and to make improvements based on patients' suggestions.
5 iphone apps for kids that I love
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Moneywi$e | Posted Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I have an iphone. When they first came out my husband and I watched Steve Jobs present it online with wide eyes. I never really expected to own one, I was pretty content to just drool over them and be happy that such an amazing piece of technology existed in the world.
Although I would consider myself to be pretty savvy online, I couldn't say the same for my cell phone usage. I had never even sent a text until sometime last year when a friend texted me and I was forced to figure out a way to reply. It took me so long to find the right buttons that I realized I could have called her back three times in the time it took me to reply via text. The cell phone I had been using was so very, very basic that my friends loved to tease me about it (no problem though, my self esteem is still pretty intact .
However, last year though some amazing miracle the services that we needed my cell phone to provide for my business made the iphone a better deal overall than the phone I owned at the time. Once I was practically forced to get a new phone, I figured that I may as well embrace this new technology with open arms and started exploring the amazing world of iphone applications. In case a few of you have found yourself in a similar place, I thought I would share 5 of my favorite kids iphone apps. I have a feeling that you might have some good ones to share with me too. If so, please leave a comment letting me know which ones you like so we can all benefit!
1. KidCalc (1.99)
Looking for a great math app? KidCalc covers concepts such as number recognition,
writing numbers, counting (in increments of 1,2,3 on up to 100!),
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using flash cards,
puzzle games and more. The graphic are cute, the kids voice overs are
fun and because you can customize the game to fit the abilities of your
child, they can use it from preschool age through elementary school as
they learn to count as high as 1,000! They have frequent updates too so
your value continues to improve as they add new games and features.
This one is totally worth the price!
2.
Toddler Teasers Shapes
(free)
This free app is simple but it works! It prompts the child to touch the
correct shape. If an incorrect shape is touched it disappears and your
child tries again. Once the correct shape is touched, kids cheer.
After four correct answers your child ears a sticker reward that they
get to "stick" anywhere on the "sticker collection" screen. Ashlyn
loves this game and I like the creative use of the sticker reward.
3.
Farm Friends (0.99)
This is just like the game we had as kids only portable! Especially
ideal for young kids due to the ease of use. Simply touch the middle of
the screen and the pointer spins landing on a random animal causing
that animal to shake and provide its sound.
4. FirstWords ($1.99-there is also a
free lite version)
The FirstWords app has a very simply interface that children can quickly
understand. Simply slide the letters from the bottom of the screen to
the correct place within the word as the letters are repeated out loud
on the phone. A correct word and the app says the letters in order and
then the word all together followed by clapping and the picture coming
alive with sound. The graphics are cute and the reinforcement of using
letters to build words is great. Both Ashlyn (4) and Hunter (6) enjoy
this one. Hunter is learning spelling while he plays and Ashlyn is
learning how words are built plus you are able to adjust the difficult
level to best match the abilities of younger or older children.
5.
Kids Eat For ($2.99)
I reviewed
the Kids Eat For app back in August and since that time the price
has come down by $1. This app shows you local eating places that have
"Kids Eat Free" deal. I shows you which days of the week the deals
apply along
with providing the directions to the restaurant and contact info. It is
super awesome on road trips too so grab this one before your next
family vacation!
So which apps do you like? I will be following up on Thursday with a post of my 5 favorite free apps (ones that I use as a mom) so you can be on the lookout for that!
Lana Loves the SplatMat
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Mom 4 Life Product Feedback | Posted Monday, April 26, 2010
"I have to write to tell you how great the SplatMat floor protector is by
BooginHead! I have used several other kinds of floor protectors under my
daughters chair at our table and I am so much more impressed by the SplatMat. The material is so durable and it's the perfect size. I love
the way the Brown Flourish pattern looks in our dining room. Thank you
for introducing me to such a great product at a great price!"- Lana
