My kids run around the house and act like monkeys.  Sebastian has always loved anything to do with monkeys including the obnoxious sound they make.  Maybe real monkeys aren’t as obnoxious as my monkeys?
Sebastian recently received Marvin the Monkey from Zoocchini and sleeps with it every night.  Marvin is super soft and gets tons of love from my kids.  Sebastian uses the adorably decorated plastic bucket Marvin the Monkey arrived in to store small toys in.  These adorable plush animals and the bucket packaging make great baby shower and baby birthday gifts.

Madelyn has a cute Safari dinnerware set from Zoocchini.  For the first few days after getting it, I had to hand wash the plate and cup 2+ times a day so she could use them at every meal.  Nothing else would do.  She scoots her food over so the Giraffe and Monkey’s eyes aren’t covered.  She said, “they have to be able to see me while I eat Mommy”.  Silly me.

My favorite Zoocchini product is the Octopus hooded towel.  If I could, I would totally use this towel myself.  Measuring 20×50 inches, Zoocchini’s oversized hooded towels are made of 100% 5 ply cotton exclusive of embroidery and are softer than our best bath towel.  It might be time for new bath towels.  Madelyn’s Octopus towel goes with us to swim class and when I dry her off in the bathroom after class, the kids gravitate toward the towel like little magnets.   It’s a little freaky actually, but cute.  The bright colors and whimsical characteristics make Ollie a truly special towel.

Kids with varying interests will find a Zoocchini collection they love.  All of the products are available in a Safari, Ocean, and Barnyard collection.

Check out Zoocchini’s full line here at Zoocchini.com.

GIVEAWAY!
We have a Zoocchini Ocean Collection Rug to give to a lucky reader!  To enter to win, just visit Zoocchini.com, then come back here and tell me in the comments below what your favorite Zoocchini collection and product is.  For example, the Barnyard dinnerware set.  Entries accepted until November 5th.

Zoocchini kids dinnerware sets, hooded towels, rugs, and plush animals AND a giveaway! is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

What do you get when you smash organic apples, don’t add high fructose corn syrup or sugar, and then put the smashed fruit into an environment friendly re-sealable pouch?  Smashies organic fruit sauce!

These are such a great idea and are are sure to be very appreciated by parents. These single serving fruit sauce pouches are just the right size to put in your child’s lunch box.  Got errands to run?  Grab and pack a couple of Smashies in your diaper bag so your toddler (and you) will have something to snack on while you’re out.  No more greasy chips, or chocolate candies that are going to melt all over your child’s (or your..I’m just saying..) fingers. 

Smashies are kosher, gluten-free, and BPA free so there’s no guilt involved in giving your kids this delicious snack.  My kids think it’s so cool to squeeze the fruit sauce out of the pouch just like they would with a juice pouch.  Madelyn, two years old, was pretty surprised when she tried a Smashie for the first time.  I think she expected juice to come out and not fruit sauce!

Smashies are available in one flavor now with three more to come by year’s and three more next year.   

Try Smashies!  Just pay shipping & handling and you will get Smashies free until they hit store shelves.

Website: Smashies

Smashies – organic fruit sauces for kids is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

If you are a parent, you know what toddler meal-time and craft time is like.  Messy!!  There is no reason to stress about the mess I have to clean up after the kids eat or paint anymore.  When Madelyn wants to paint, I get a Table Topper out of the kitchen cabinet, stick it on the table, and I know clean up is going to be a breeze.  All I have to do is pull the Table Topper up and throw it away, or whenever I can, I fold it up and use it again another day.  Table Topper’s are also great when eating out.  The thought of Madelyn or Sebastian eating food that falls onto the table is gross, so I use a Table Topper when we go out now.. which isn’t that often.

Neat Solutions, a family owned business, created the Table Topper, Potty Topper (love them!), and the Floor Topper.  All Topper’s are disposable but if you don’t mind using a little tape to stick the Table Topper down a second, or third time, you can re-use it.  Just wipe it off and you’ll have to cover the sticky tape with something.. I use paper, then fold it up and put it away.  I don’t recommend re-using the Potty Topper, but they are one of my favorite Topper’s.  Potty Topper’s came in really handy during our road trips this summer.  Tim laughed at me the first time I pulled a Potty Topper out at a rest area, but after he took her to the restroom one time, he realized that the Potty Topper is a necessity in public restrooms.

I don’t doubt that Table Topper’s will quickly become an essential in your diaper bag.  Other Neat Solutions products include disposable bibs, changing pads, Floor Topper, and multi-use pads which are great to use when burping your new baby.  Topper’s are available in Disney, Baby Einstein, Pooh designs and more generic and modern so no matter what your taste, you will find Topper’s that are just your style.

You can buy Topper’s at most Target, Babies R’ Us, Wal-mart, and Toys R’ Us locations and online. 

Keep an eye out for our Neat Solutions giveaway coming up!  Join our newsletter to be the first to know how and when you can enter the giveaway contest.

Website: Table Toppers

‘Topper’s’ from Neat Solutions keep kids germ-free and tables mess-free is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

If you read my last post, you will see the mention of our Just Buzzin’ By mat, also known as a Splat Mat.  This mat has saved me many a carpet cleanings and from getting totally stressed out at meal time.
I’m sure you know how it is with a toddler.  You feel confident that she will be fine with a regular cup in the living because she’s done it once or twice and it worked out fine.  Uh.. no!  Toddlers have to switch things up every once in while you know.  And by switch it up, I mean launching an ice cream cone across the room, or lining up spaghetti on the floor like it is a choo choo train.  Yeah!, another cleaning job for Mommy.

My Just Buzzin’ By Splat Mat has helped me in two ways.  First of all, I don’t’ have to clean up yucky food messes under Madelyn’s chair anymore.  Second, the fact that I don’t have to clean up messes whether the splat mat was under a chair or the kids were sitting on it to eat or do crafts, helps keep my stress levels down during dinner or craft time.  When the kids are finished eating or crafting, I shake the mat off outside then wipe it down with a wet cloth.  The splat mat folds up nicely making it easy to store in a cabinet or even a drawer.  The design we have is adorable, so I leave our splat mat open in the living room most of the time, and Madelyn knows that she has to sit on it when/if she eats or drinks in the living room.

We also use our splat mat outside so we have a comfortable place to sit without getting grass stains or ants crawling up our shorts.   I have a feeling that our splat mat is going to be a staple at
Sebastian’s baseball games next season.  I hate sitting on the
bleachers because Madelyn just wants to climb all over them and
carrying chairs to sit in is a big hassle. However, the splat mat will
fit very nicely in my bag and it is light, unlike chairs.

At 36" x 44" this splat mat provides great coverage.  I know that the floor around Madelyn is well protected and because splat mats are non-toxic and free from PVC, phthalate and lead, I don’t feel like I have to toss food that lands on the floor into the garbage anymore.  Splat Mats are made with a unique non-toxic laminated fabric top and sturdy oilcloth bottom so the mat doesn’t slip on our hardwood floors .  Like the splat mat, all Just Buzzin’ By products are non-toxic and free from PVC, phthalate and lead. 

We have a splat mat exactly like the one above, to give away to a lucky reader!  Stay tuned for details on how to win the splat mat.  Sign up for The Mommy Insider newsletter to be notified when I start the giveaway contest for the splat mat.  I will also be reviewing a Just Buzzin’ By bib soon, so be on the lookout.

Website: Just Buzzin’ By

Just Buzzin’ By splat mat is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

A few months ago I made the mistake
of giving Madelyn milk in a regular cup, not a sippy cup.   You don’t need me to tell you about the mess that followed.. and the drama.   The mess is obvious but the drama was a little unexpected.   I forget how good of a memory babies and kids have.  After that one time Madelyn wanted her milk in a regular cup all of the time and we all know how toddlers act when they want something really bad.  Such fun!
I tried and tried regular sippy cups, but she wasn’t having it and quite honestly, I’ve been a little more stressed than usual lately so I gave in and let her drink out of regular cups
but in the kitchen only. 

A few weeks later I received Playskool’s Wash or Toss Cups in the mail and things have changed a bit.  Madelyn really likes the Wash or Toss Cups.  I think it’s because they look more like real cups than regular sippy cups so she feels like a big girl.  One thing that I love about these cups is their size.  A little smaller than her old sippy cups, these hold just the right amount of milk.  I don’t find cups lying around the house with old milk in them anymore.  Yeah!

Playskool Wash or Toss cups are dishwasher safe, and can even be put in the microwave.   These cups are great for travel and I personally don’t see a need to ‘toss’ the cups as they wash and hold up well.  I have noticed that when Madelyn shakes the cup really hard some milk may drip out out of the spout holes, but I think that is the case with any cup like this if you shake it hard enough.   The tops have a little ‘grab tab’ for easy removal and snap on to be very secure.  When Sebastian used cups like these about 6 years ago, he would push on the outer side of the spout so the top would come off.   The lids on these cups don’t come off that easy, thank goodness!

Available exclusively at CVS stores and CVS.com.

Playskool Wash or Toss Cups is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

Minimizing exposure to germs is an issue for most parents.  We are always washing little hands, wiping off shopping cart handles, and rubbing anti-bacterial solution on our kids hands. 

An easy way to limit the exposure to germs while eating out is by using a hook-on travel seat.  Using this type of seat in conjunction with a stick on place mat make a good germ free combination.

Besides having a relatively germ free dining experience, you will also feel confident that your child is safe and comfortable.  The three-point harness keeps the child in the seat while the padded seat
ensures that she is comfortable for a long sitting such as when eating
out.  The Chicco Hippo TravelSeat fits table tops with a table skirt up to 6" thick which is a pretty standard size. I have tried this seat on several different types of tables and haven’t had a problem hooking onto any of them including a round table. 

I wasn’t going to use my daughter as a tester for the Chicco Hippo TravelSeat because she doesn’t like to be confined to a high chair and hasn’t used one for a while.  Much to my surprise though, she wanted to get in the seat and uses it often.  The Chicco Hippo TravelSeat allows toddlers to eat at the table with the rest of the family.  The padded seat is removable and machine washable which is much appreciated by a mom of a 22 month old who has mastered the art of making a mess of whatever she touches.  The rubberized arms firmly grip the table but will not leave marks or pinch little fingers.  The seat is simple to install and takes just seconds once you’ve done it a couple of times.

Learn more about the Chicco Hippo TravelSeat here OR buy here.

Win a red Chicco Caddy Hook-On High Chair!
The Caddy is a little different than the one featured in this review. You can learn more about the Caddy here. 
Join our newsletter using the ‘Subscribe’ form on the right side of the page and I will announce a winner  April 15th.

Chicco Hook-On Travel Seat is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!