Winter Car Seat Safety With Global Morning News

Winter weather has arrived, so that means it’s time for a little reminder about the importance of winter car seat safety. Lucy (my 6 year old) and I joined Jennifer Valentyne at Global News to chat about what products to avoid putting on our kids in their car seats, and what some safe options are. Learn how to ensure you’re keeping your kiddo warm, but most importantly secure in their car seat this winter.

Make sure to check out my winter babywearing essentials and my other car seat safety videos for more info. Plus subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up to date on my new videos. Feel free to ask any questions below.

- Care

In this video:

Buckle Me Baby Coat | Clek Liing Car Seat | Britax Frontier Car Seat | Skip Hop Car Seat Cover

*This is a sponsored post which means I was provided compensation and/or product for this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I only partner with products and services that I genuinely love and want to recommend.

*The information in this video is meant to help you learn about car seat safety. Please always read your vehicle manual and car seat manual to ensure compatibility and proper secure installation and use. The information provided does not constitute individual advice or consultation and should not be used as such. 

Watch My Family 1st Aid Kit Video + Get My FREE Downloadable List

As a CPR & Safety Instructor I talk a lot about First Aid Kits. Plus, as a mom of 3 high energy kids (going on 4 this fall) I use my first aid skills pretty frequently. While there are lots of amazing pre-made kits in stores, most of them don't come with medications included (vs. in the US where they typically are included) so make sure you check what's inside to confirm before relying on it in an emergency.

You can put together a fairly simple DIY kit for family use with some items you can easily get online, or from your local grocery store or pharmacy. Watch my video to see my basic First Aid Kit for everyday use with a young family whether around your home, cottage, camping, or on a trip.

Make sure you click the link below to get my Downloadable 1st Aid Kit List, so you can create your own 1st Aid Kit for all of your family adventures. Plus don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay up to date on all of my newest videos. 

If you want to learn more about my CPR & Safety Workshops click here. You can also email me directly (care@with-care.ca) if you would like to arrange a private in-home CPR & Safety Workshop. 

Don't hesitate to comment below with any questions, or send along ideas of contents that you like to include in your own 1st Aid Kits. I always love to hear new ideas.

- Care

In this post: Details of contents can be found in the comments of the YouTube video. Please click the link here to see the products featured. 

*The information in this video is meant to help you learn about first aid and safety. It is not intended to override the instructions given to you by your health care team. The information provided does not constitute individual advice or consultation and should not be used as such. 

Holiday Gift Guide for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers

When the holiday sales start to roll out it can be tempting to buy everything you see, but do you really need it? We try very hard to remind our children how fortunate we are, and focus on keeping gift giving small and on things that we truly need.

I love to make DIY gifts for the kids and our friends and family, but also always pick a few special gifts to buy for our little ones. We stick to the rule of “Something you Want, Something you Need, Something to Wear & Something to Read”. This year we added a new category “Something to Give”, and are making sure that we think of little ways we can help our community locally or globally every day.

Here are a few of my favourite gifts to give for little ones. Most items included are locally made or sourced from small local stores so that we can reduce our impact this holiday season, and support our local community. Hope you enjoy!  

*Use Promo Code: Withcare for 10% off purchases at Diaper-eez this holiday season

Something You Want: 

There are so many amazing toys available around the holidays, but I love to focus on buying presents that will be enjoyed over the winter months. A Sled is a perfect gift for kiddos of any age. Canadian Tire and many local hardware stores have excellent selections of beautiful Canadian made wooden sleds. From basic to fancy, single to triple occupancy, you can choose what’s right for your family and your budget.

Something You Need: 

With our frigid Canadian winters kid’s need quality winter gear. Here are a few ideas for necessary items that can double as Christmas gifts. 

My absolute favourite snow suit for little ones are the Mountain Equipment Co-op Toaster Suit. Toasty warm as the name implies, these snow suits are made to last through a few kids and never disappoint. Purchase online or locally at Mountain Equipment Co-op. 

For keeping those little hands warm my new favourite is locally made Mimitens. These brilliant mitts have fabric that extends up your little ones forearm to keep them warm and more importantly to keep them ON! If you have a constant mitt taker offer, you know how frustrating it is. Invest in a pair of these and ditch the daily fight. Purchase online or locally at Diaper-eez.  

A warm toque is always needed and my favourite this year is the Je T’aime toque by Whistle & Flute. Made on the West Coast these adorable hats are available locally from Amelie & Max and come in kid and adult sizes. Perfect for twinning! Purchase online from Amelie & Max and choose shipping or local Toronto pickup. 

Something To Wear: 

Little ones need warm feet whether they are lounging at home, out in the car, in the stroller or while babywearing. Padraig Cottage are by far my favourite Canadian made booties. They are soft, cozy, warm and don’t fall off like most other booties. Great for little ones of all ages and the perfect gift. Purchase online or locally at Diaper-eez. 

Something To Read:

Books are one of my all time favourite things to give as gifts. Reading and interacting with babies from a young age has been shown to be very beneficial for brain development.

For little ones who love to put stuff in their mouths and tear at paper, board books are ideal.  One of my absolute favourites is “On the Night You Were Born” by Nancy Tillman. An instant tear jerker for most parents. 

As your kiddos get older and want longer stories I love anything and everything by the super talented Oliver Jeffers. 

For this category also consider thinking outside of the box. Baby Sign Language Flash Cards and board games can be a great way to practice language development.

 
Something To Give:

If you haven’t heard of Cuddle + Kind yet, you need to check them out. These beautiful dolls are part of an incredible campaign to help decrease child hunger worldwide, as each doll purchased provides 10 meals to children in need. It’s too late to order them to arrive in time for this holiday season. Sorry! You’re probably wondering why I included them if their holiday orders were done a few months ago. The truth is I wanted to share them because I think they’re a great gift year round and knew I would have your attention. So get ordering for your 2016 birthday gift list!

Some other great ways to give back include purchasing a food hamper for a family in need in your community, supporting The Stop Community Food Centre which does amazing work in our city, and supporting local Syrian refugee aid groups like the Lakeshore Syrian Connection.

Hope you got some great ideas for your little ones and stay tuned for Part 2 of our Holiday Gift Guide tomorrow with great gift ideas for Expectant & New Moms! 

Don’t forget to use Promo Code: Withcare for 10% off purchases at Diaper-eez this holiday season

- Care