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

Bloor West Holiday Cafe with Diaper-eez!

Join Fifty-Seven & Diaper-eez for a Fun & Festive Morning in Bloor West Village in support of The Mama Collective.

*This exclusive event has a very limited number of spaces available, so please email info@fifty-seven.ca to register or be added to our wait list.

Thanks to David’s Tea, Body Language Academy of Dance, Laroux Peoples, Anchor Studio & Diaper-eez for making this community event possible. 

Happy Holidays!!

– Care

Top 3 Myths About Wills and Estate Planning – Guest Post by Laroux Peoples LLB

Please welcome guest blogger Laroux Peoples LLB, who is here to give us the ins and outs on wills and estate planning for young parents. Laroux is a local mom and lawyer whose practice focusses on wills and estates. She offers in home services, which are ideal for young families, plus a special perk of 20% off for Fifty-Seven’s clients & readers. If you need any help or advice please don’t hesitate to reach out to Laroux at Peoples Law.

Top 3 Myths About Wills and Estate Planning

Have you been avoiding getting your will done? You are not alone. Many Canadians procrastinate on this one. Young parents often think that it’s not important to get a will at this stage of life. To this, here are the top 3 myths about wills for young parents:

Myth #1: Wills only deal with money, and I don’t have much so why bother?
The most important part of a will has nothing to do with money, it’s about who would care for your child or children should something happen to both parents. This is called the Guardianship clause and allows you as parents to decide who would care for your child or children should something happen to both of you and they were under 18 years of age.

Myth #2: If I don’t have a will, my friends and family will know what to do.
Unfortunately, friends and family can’t make decisions on your behalf if you pass away without a will. Without a will explaining your interest, the Court gets to unilaterally decide who will take care of your children. In addition, if you pass away without a will, the government decides who gets your money.

Myth #3: Estate planning is only necessary as you get older.
Not true! A lawyer can help you determine who would be best suited to manage your finances or deal with your health care if you were in hospitalized and left incapable of makings these important decisions for yourself.

If you have any questions or want to discuss what it takes to get started planning your estate, please feel free to contact Laroux at 416-994-3474 or laroux@peopleslaw.ca and don’t forget to mention us to receive 20% off!
 
*Laroux will be one of the guest speakers at our special Bloor West Holiday Cafe on Tuesday December 8th at Diaper-eez. Stay tuned for exciting details in the coming days!

My 7 Tips & Tricks For Camping With Kids – Part 2 of 2

Thanks to everyone who read Part 1 of My Camping with Kids Series My 6 Top Must Haves For Camping With Kids.  Today in Part 2, I’m sharing My 7 Tips & Tricks for Camping with Kids. 

With a few decades of camping trips under my belt, and a couple of years now with kiddos in tow, I have managed to come up with a few things that I hope help you on your next camping adventure.

My 7 Tips & Tricks for Camping With Kids
 
1. Pack in Ziploc Bags: Although we try to minimize how many plastic bags we use at home on a daily basis, ziploc bags are great for packing for camping. They keep things clean and dry and can be reused after the trip. Pack a bag for each category eg. a bag for toilet paper (plus an extra emergency roll); a bag for sunscreen & bugspray; a bag for books & cards etc.

*Please Note: Anything valuable eg. Cell Phone, Camera, GPS, should be kept in something that is guaranteed to be waterproof like a Pelican case. 

2. Freeze Water, Wine & Juice: When you’re camping with kids a cooler of some type is usually necessary. To save space and weight, freeze your water bottles, tetra packs of wine and juice boxes, and use them as freezer packs to keep your dairy, meat and produce cold for a few days. Works like a charm. 

3. Make Baggie Pancakes: We love to make banana blueberry pancakes while camping. To keep it simple I pack the mix (homemade or store bought) into a large ziploc freezer bag and write how much water to add on the outside of the bag. When it’s time to make breakfast I add the water directly into the bag, toss in a ripe peeled banana, zip it up, and have fun mushing it all around. When mixed and ready, I cut a hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze out the mixture onto a hot greased pan. I recommend adding the blueberries by hand, as they tend to block the hole, and if the hole is made too big your mix will pour out too fast.

Cook over the fire or on a camping stove & watch your kids devour them.

4. Pack Clothes You Don’t Mind Getting Dirty: Camping is really really messy. Way messier than you think. Plus campfire smell is pretty strong and can stay in fibres for a long time, even after being laundered. In order to embrace the mess that comes with camping, you need to ditch your kid’s favourite fancy duds at home and bring breathable, comfortable, dark coloured clothes that your kids can have fun in.

5. If You Don’t Have The Gear, Borrow It Or Rent It: If you’re lacking a specific piece of equipment and can’t afford to invest in it right away, reach out and see if any friends or family can loan it to you. Another amazing option is the MEC Equipment Rental. For only a few dollars a day you can rent tents, sleeping bags & food barrels, as well as additional gear for water sports, climbing, snow sports etc. It’s a great option for those needing a short term piece of gear.

6. Keep Snacks Accessible At All Times: Kid’s get hangry (hungry + angry), especially when you’re on the go. Make sure to keep some protein rich snacks and water close at hand, so you can feed them at all times. It’s no fun listening to a kid scream for an entire paddle, portage or hike cause they’re suddenly STARVING!!! Everyone on the lake will thank you for this one.

7. Be Prepared for Emergencies: Minor bumps, bruises, cuts and burns are bound to happen when you’re out exploring the wilderness. Being prepared with a proper 1st Aid Kit is important, but it’s also essential that you know how to deal with some of the more life threatening emergencies that can come up. As a Heart & Stroke Foundation Instructor I highly recommend taking a 1st Aid & CPR Course from an accredited group every few years. Shameless Plug: Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to register for one of my scheduled workshops, or are interested in having me come to teach a workshop for a group in your space (email care@with-care.ca). I offer live and virtual CPR & safety workshops for families, the general public, employees & health care providers. 

I hope My 7 Tips & Tricks For Camping With Kids help you and your little ones have fun & stay safe on your next family adventure. Check out my Complete Family Camping List to help you pack for your next big adventure. Happy Camping!

– Care

My Top 6 Must Haves For Camping With Kids - Part 1 of 2

My hubby and I both grew up loving camping, and have been camping together since we started dating 10 years ago. We have now successfully completed canoe trips while 34 weeks pregnant with a toddler in tow, and recently this July with our 2 little ones, ages 4 years and 21 months. I recognize that camping is not for everyone, but for those of us who love it, there is nothing better than introducing your kids to the great outdoors through a fun family camping trip.

Camping is always a messy adventure, but one we would never trade. Heading into the backcountry gives us a much needed break from technology and work. Time to slow down, enjoy nature, and spend a few days connecting with our kids & the simple pleasures of life. Some of our best family memories have been made camping, and it's amazing to hear our little guy already counting down the days to next summer's trip. He's a camper at heart and it makes his daddy and I so proud.

In order to enjoy camping it's important to prepare in advance and pack well. There are lots of camping packing lists available online (I promise to share mine one day soon), but I want to focus instead on a few key pieces of equipment that I believe can make your family camping experience a great one.

My Top 6 Must Haves for Camping with Kids:

1. Family Size Mattress - Sleep is central to having fun with kids, no matter where you are, so don't forget this key piece of equipment. Last summer we upgraded and purchased the MEC Super Reactor Double Size Mattress and we LOVE it! No more rolling off of our single sized mattresses onto the floor of the tent and no more cold drafts. Plus it rolls up and stores relatively small for a family size mattress (red cylindrical bag in photo) and offers excellent comfort. So worth it!

2. Baby Carrier - Tossing your kiddo up onto your front or back (depending on age, carrier, skill etc) can be a great way to keep them safe while walking a portage, around water or to keep them away from fire or sharps at mealtime prep. If your little one is used to being rocked to sleep at night, walking along the water with the sounds of the waves is a great way to lull them to sleep before transferring them into your tent. *Please make sure to wear supportive shoes while babywearing, especially on uneven ground, to avoid falls.

3. Bug Shelter - Ontario summers are pretty buggy and little ones can have a terrible reaction to bug bites (as we found out this summer with our little Lucy). In order to enjoy our meals and have a place to escape the bugs we always bring our MEC Hootenanny Bug Shelter. It was a big purchase initially, but one that has definitely been worth it on our recent trips. I can't even imagine how many bites Lucy would have had without it!

4. Headlamps - It's freaking dark in the wilderness at night (unless you happen to go camping during a full moon), so be prepared with some good lighting. Headlamps make everything easier, especially when you're dealing with messy kids. Having handsfree while changing a dirty diaper in the dark, or trekking out to the bathroom with a little one at night is so essential. Plus kids LOVE them! *Make sure to check your batteries before each trip and pack a few extras just in case.

5. Booster Seat - Feeding little ones can be a difficult task while camping, so to make it easier bring along a collapsable booster seat. They clip easily onto picnic tables found at most camp sites and mean you can keep baby off your lap while eating so you can enjoy your meal too! Lucy loved it on last years trip.

6. Rainy Day Activities - Although you hope to get perfect weather while camping it can't be guaranteed, so make sure to pack some fun rainy day activities. MEC has some amazing resources on their Camp Big site for families, including some great colouring & activity pages you can print and bring along. Some other great activities that we like to pack include travel board games, cards, board books, play doh and a few toy cars packed in the car caddy I made Ben years ago. You don't need to go overboard but definitely want to be prepared.

I hope my Top 6 Must Haves for Camping With Kids help you in your camping adventures this summer! 

Check out Part 2 of this series My 7 Tips & Tricks For Camping With Kids, plus get my Complete Family Camping List & my Downloadable Family 1st Aid Kit List

- Care

The Bump To Baby Show - FREE Community Event

There's a NEW Baby Show in town! Check out The Bump to Baby Show, a FREE Community Event happening next Tuesday May 26th from 4pm-9pm at the beautiful Wychwood Barns. 

This show is perfect for expecting parents, new parents and young families who are looking for a little help going natural. The lineup includes incredible wellness practitioners, services & products all geared toward helping young families live healthy lives. I am so honoured to be part of this event and am looking forward to meeting lots of new people and seeing some familiar faces. 

Check out The Bump to Baby Event Page for a full list of vendors and to see some of the amazing swag & prizes that will be featured at the event. Plus, did we forget to mention it's FREE! 

See you on Tuesday!

- Care

Happy Earth Day! Ditch the Plastic Wrap & Try Abeego!

Happy Earth Day! On this very special day I want to introduce you to one of my favourite Canadian made, environmentally friendly products. Abeego! *Special Perk Included!

If you're anything like me you feel guilty about the amount of waste your family produces. I'm always trying to reduce the number of garbage bags going out to the curb, but it's tough with the amount of packaging and plastics used these days.

Moving away from plastic wrap and baggies is something I've been meaning to do for ages, but really didn't seem all that easy. So when I found Abeego, a reusable beeswax food wrap, I knew I needed to try it. I'm so happy I did! I am absolutely loving using Abeego and recommend it to everyone I know. 

Why I Love Abeego

• It's reusable! Lasts up to a year if cared for properly.

• It's made from pure beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, infused into a cloth made of hemp and certified organic cotton. All of those ingredients sound much better than plastic to me, and they actually help keep your food alive!

• It keeps cut avocados green for days saving us $$! 

• The insulating & breathable qualities make it perfect for covering dough to rise or when fermenting foods. Calling all bakers!

• It comes in 4 sizes (Small, Medium, Large & Giant) to meet all my food storage needs.

• Great price point. A variety pack including 3 Abeegos (Small, Medium & Large) retails for $18+HST.

• Caring for your Abeego is super easy. Simply wash with cold soapy water (eco-friendly soap), rinse, and dry with a dish cloth or place over a dish rack to dry.

• Canadian Made! Created & manufactured in British Columbia

One trick I found is that you need to use the warmth of your hands to mold Abeego into place and then it stays put. You can't think of it as plastic wrap. It's so much better! 

Here's a little video to show you how Abeego works:

Order Abeego Online & use Promo Code Mommies15 for 15% off!

You won't regret it. It even comes with a Money Back Guarantee!

Hope you enjoy Abeego as much as I do.

- Carolyn 

*Full Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Abeego advertises with me at Movies for Mommies Humber Cinema but did not pay for this post. I fell in love with the product so much that I decided to feature it on my blog on Earth Day as a gift back to Abeego. Thanks for helping to make our earth a greener place Abeego!

Shopping With Care - Bridge the Bump!

Welcome to Shopping With Care.  For my 1st instalment I am super excited to bring you a product that I absolutely LOVE! Bridge the Bump Maternity & Babywearing Coat Insert.

Some people would consider this product a frivolous purchase, but I consider it a must have! Our Canadian climate makes it impossible to walk around for several months of the year with your coat open to accommodate your growing pregnant belly or baby & carrier, especially during this epic polar vortex!

Pregnancy & Babywearing coats on the market are extremely expensive and most people have already invested in a winter coat that they want to continue wearing, not one that can only be used temporarily. Bridge the Bump provides the perfect solution, a user-friendly zip in panel that adapts your regular coat to be worn while pregnant or babywearing.

Such a smart design that works flawlessly for Bump or Baby!  

We've been all over town in this baby!

I've been using my Bridge the Bump virtually everyday for the last 4 weeks and am completely obsessed with it. It has made my winter babywearing life so much simpler (and cozier for me and Baby L!) Now when I want to go out I just pop Lucy directly into her carrier with booties and a hat (note: no screaming fight to get said toddler into a snowsuit!!) and do up my coat comfortably around the 2 of us. Game changer. Seriously, so worth it!  

Why I Love It

• Encourages attachment & babywearing in winter, which is almost always easier than battling a stroller in the snow. *Please make sure to wear proper footwear while babywearing

• Open top vs. hooded design, allows for baby's face to remain visible & kissable at all times. Something that is very important to me as a CPR Instructor & Babywearing Educator.

• Works for Pregnancy & Babywearing!

• High-end fabric choices *Matches my Canada Goose almost perfectly

• Custom colours and fun prints available

• Zippers to accommodate almost every coat on the market

• Designed and created by 2 Bloor West Moms! You really can't beat that for shopping locally.

Where Can You Buy Bridge the Bump?

•  Directly from Bridge the Bump

• Love Me Do Baby & Maternity Boutique in Liberty Village

• Diaper-eez in Bloor West Village

• This Little Piggy in Parkdale

Don't waste anymore time being cold this winter. Get out and grab a Bridge the Bump and stay cozy until spring arrives. I've heard it's going to be a late one this year. Hope it's not true!

I really hope you enjoy this product as much as I do and would love to hear any feedback about your Bridge the Bump. If you need any advice or support with Babywearing or assistance choosing baby products please don't hesitate to contact me at carolyn@fifty-seven.ca

- Care