Oh, I am still tired. Less tired than I was, but still sleepy. My darling little baby is 8.5 months old. He’s still not sleeping through the night. It’s been a battle, but we are so close! Hopefully I’ll get some good pointers when I attend a seminar with a pediatric sleep expert soon. That’s why I have put off writing this post. Two companies sent me some great products that have really helped Henry sleep and I want to do them justice, but it took several months to get where we are now. I’m going to write about one today and one next week. Stay tuned for more.

So where are we with Henry’s sleep? Well, he takes about a 30 to 45 minute nap in the morning and a two hour nap in the afternoon. He will go down anywhere between 8:30 and 10:00 pm before waking up one to three times a night. Let me be clear when I tell you this is SO MUCH BETTER than it was. I flashback to the days I slept downstairs on the couch with him either on my chest or in the bouncy seat because he woke up every hour or every other hour each night. I’m still waiting for him to sleep for a continuous 8 to 12 hours. We will get there! Keep the faith!

We were spoiled by our daughter. She slept through the night at just a few weeks old. She loved being swaddled. We only used one brand of swaddle with her. Summer Infant Swaddle. When we brought Henry home, we snuggled him up in the same pink fleece swaddle his sister was in. He also rocked the one with pink butterflies. (See below.) I tried to tell my mom that Henry’s manhood was in no way threatened by the pink, but she wanted to get him “a more masculine swaddle.” I told her that was fine as long as it was the Summer Swaddle with the Velcro. Both my babies calmed down as soon as they were swaddled. Granted, Charlotte slept through the night and Henry woke more often, but they both loved the secure feeling.

Right as I was transitioning Henry out of the swaddle this spring, Summer sent me some of their new offerings. They now have four stages that will take you at least through baby’s first year.

1. I was so bummed out that my kids were too big for the SwaddlePod. They would have LOVED that since newborns seem to like to have their hands by their heads. It’s so “womby” and cuddly. Love it!
2. We started with the SwaddleMe stage. (That is the pink swaddle and butterfly swaddle I referenced.) We called them our “baby burritos.” They loved them! They can’t break their arms out and startle themselves awake. So many parents tell me, “They break out of the swaddle!” Not these.
3. When Henry was ready to transition out of the swaddle and it was getting warmer, the level 3 SwaddleMe Wrap Sack was perfect!
4. Now we are in the SwaddleMe Wearable Blanket and I LOVE it. Henry uses it for his naps everyday. When he sees it he knows it’s nap time. It zips for easy diaper changes. I am still not comfortable with blankets in his crib, so this is great. We call him the “flying squirrel” in this thing. It makes me chuckle every time we put him in it.

So, the SwaddleMe Wearable Blanket is what we’re using for naps now and he is consistently taking good naps. We always had them in seasonal pajamas under their swaddle. We used fleece on cold nights and cotton every other time. If we were in the fleece swaddle, we typically had lighter pajamas underneath. We just used our best temperature judgment and they were almost always comfortable.

Henry uses another product for overnight right now, I’ll write about that next week. Again, we have used Summer swaddles with both babies and highly recommend them. Who wants some?! Summer is offering a super lucky Somebody’s Parents reader a prize package of all four products pictured above! Dude! Baby shower present, anyone? You pick boy colors, girl colors or gender neutral. Don’t fear the pink, boys! Henry didn’t. I’ll pick a winner Wednesday. Good luck!

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Disclaimer: Summer Infant sent me swaddles. My opinions are free. I only write about stuff I like.

I had another mother ask me if I make my own baby food. I’d really love to say I’m the kind of mother who lovingly purees organic vegetables for my baby, but I’m not. I buy the jars. My hat is off to all of you mamas out there smashing  sweet potatoes and blending peas. I just feel like there are a lot of good options in the stores, so I don’t bother.

Our pediatrician made a big deal about giving Henry only breast milk until he was 6 months-old. I feel like she made a bigger deal about that now than she did when Charlotte was a baby. I gave Charlotte rice cereal at about 5 months or so because someone told me it would help her sleep when she had like, that one night that she wouldn’t sleep well. Ha! If I only knew what I was in for with my second child and sleeping. I didn’t mind waiting until Henry was 6 months to introduce solids to keep his diapers filled with innocent breast milk poop for a little longer.

When Beech Nut reached out to me last month about sampling some of their new line of baby food, I was all like, “Yea! Perfect timing!”

Our pediatrician made a list of baby foods in the order she prefers you introduce them to your baby. This is her list:

1. Rice cereal
2. Yellow vegetables like squash (I can’t really think of other yellow vegetables suitable for baby foods, but whatever.)
3. Green vegetables like peas and green beans
4. Orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes
5. Meats
6. Fruits

Obviously this would all be pureed food. Our doctor suggested introducing them slowly over multiple weeks. Now that Henry is 7 months, he’s at #5 on the list and had some pureed meat. She said she likes to introduce fruit last so they don’t get used to the sweetness and then not eat their veggies. Makes sense. Plus, some kids have allergies to fruits.

Beech Nut’s thing is that their food is not baby food, but “real food for babies.” Full disclosure, I tried it. It was pretty tasty. They sent Henry a sample of four of their new flavors of their Real Food For Babies,  just carrots,  just spinach, zucchini & peas, beets, pear & pomegranate and just honeycrisp apple. I have to hide the jar of apples from his big sister the applesauce fiend. Again, I have not introduced fruits, yet. He has only had the fruit in the beets blend. He loved all the other flavors he received. He doesn’t like his food to be runny. Other brands have been a little soupy for his liking. Not these.  They have a nice texture. Here’s something cool about Beech Nut. They don’t cook most of their new line and if they do, they gently cook it with indirect heat. Many of the Real Food For Babies flavors are created from a puree of raw vegetables and fruits.

I want to know a few things. Did your doctor give you different advice or tell you the same thing? How did you introduce solids to your little one? Do you mix breast milk or formula with your baby’s food? I sometimes do that if he’s not taking it well. How old was your baby when you started baby food? How old for finger foods?

Who wants some free samples of Beech Nut’s new line of baby food?! They come in beautiful boxes suitable for adding to a baby gift for a new mama or mom-to-be. If you just want your baby to try some great food, try to win! I’ll pick two winners on Friday. There are only four quick things you have to do. Super easy! Easier than making your own baby food, that’s for sure. Good luck!

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Disclaimer: Beech Nut sent me samples and is offering free samples for my readers. My opinions are free and honest.

I want to drink milkshakes for breakfast and eat ice cream for dinner. Truly. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine. But alas, I want to live a long life.  So, I’ll eat lean protein and fruit for breakfast instead. Oh, and I’m influencing the lives and healthful eating habits of the two little humans I’m raising, so Neapolitan for dinner is out.

I also want to support mom-owned businesses while being healthy. So when Erin from Mommi sent me some samples of the Mommi 3-in-1 shakes I was psyched. Erin likes being healthy too. (Please note the adorableness of her daughter.) She loved protein shakes for breakfast. She got pregnant and noticed none were recommended for the pregnant and breastfeeding ladies.

That’s when she invented Mommi 3-in-1, vanilla and chocolate daily supplement shakes that you mix with milk. Each has 15 grams of whey protein, 100% of the daily recommended prenatal vitamins and 200 mg of DHA in every serving. So, pretty much your prenatal vitamin with DHA with protein in a shake so you get your sweet fix. I can’t wait to try some of these recipes. Dude. The Apple Pie a la Mode? I told ya’ll I love ice cream.

My OB/GYN insists I still take my prenatal vitamins with DHA as a breastfeeding mother. I’ve been drinking shakes before my workouts, so this was perfect for me! Please excuse these photos of me with no makeup. I drank the chocolate for an evening chocolate fix. I blended the vanilla with a banana for a yummy pre-workout breakfast.

Now Mommi is offering a Somebody’s Parent’s reader two weeks worth of shakes and a shaker to drink them up! A random winner will be picked next week! Good luck!

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This was Charlotte’s reaction when I gave her her new Crocodile Creek backpack this week.

The great people at Crocodile Creek let me pick a pack from their multiple adorable designs.  It was love at first sight for me when I saw the ladybug.  I was all like, “ZOMG! It has buttons for spots!  Ahhh!  My child must have it!”

Clearly Charlotte loves it too.  Her new thing is kissing things she loves.  She gave the ladybug a smooch.

I wasn’t sure if my toddler would like a backpack or use it, but more and more toddlers and preschoolers at her school are bringing backpacks.  Another friend of mine carries a backpack with snacks, toys, and diapers when they’re on-the-go instead of lugging her big diaper bag.  It makes sense.  It’s smaller and lighter than a big bag when I already have my purse, and Charlotte can carry it because her other new thing is “I hold it!”

Crocodile Creek’s colors are bright and their designs are beautiful and unique!  Check out the robot!  Ah!  If your kid is a dinosaur superfan, or ballerina girl, he or she can get matching backpack, lunchbox, drinking bottle, icepacks etc.

This backpack is seriously roomy as Charlotte was able to put a bunch of her books, a ball, one of my shoes, and Elmo in the bag.

The backpack isn’t the first time I’ve used a Crocodile Creek product.  I bought a really cute bib last year too.  I have no picture as I am quite confident my mom stole it to keep at her house for when Charlotte comes to visit.  I found it at Whole Foods which made me very happy.  I knew their products were eco-friendly.

I do not endorse companies or products on Somebody’s Parents unless I really like them.  If I wouldn’t use it, I won’t write about it.  Period.  I just learned of an incident that made me like Crocodile Creek even more.  They discovered the 2012 production of their Snack Keeper Sets had a durability issue and would sometimes break if dropped.  Crocodile Creek has been in business for 25 years with no problems and this was completely unacceptable for them.  They pride themselves on safety and quality.

So what did they do?  They are offering a complete refund of the Snack Keeper Sets.  If you bought one you will get your money back and get 25% off anything you buy from Crocodile Creek from now until April.

 What else are they doing?  They’re offering a backpack of your choice to one lucky Somebody’s Parents reader, a $29.99 value.  Take a look!

How can you win?

• Leave a comment here telling me which design you like best, or the one you think your kid would like the most.  (You can get the design of your choice based on availability.)
• “Like” Crocodile Creek on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
• “Like” Somebody’s Parents on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

That’s it!  I’ll pick a winner before the end of the month.

Disclaimer: Crocodile Creek gave me a backpack.  My opinions however, were totally free and totally honest.