LilSugar

Fashion Week Brings Out the Kids

babysugar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Movies may portray Fashion Week as a sophisticated event where lil ones are the furthest thing from attendees' minds, but this season the best accessory might have been a child on your arm. Blame a new focus on the family due to the recession, or the recent East Coast snow falls that closed New York City schools, but there were more tots on the runways and in the front rows than ever before. Take a look at the next generation of fashionistas.

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School Year's Resolutions: Budget-Friendly School Supplies

LilSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:50:15 -0700

Keep most of your money in your wallet while you stock up for the school year. As parents and kids prepare to head back to school, retailers are expecting families to spend 7.7 percent less than they have in years' past.

Staying within a tight school supply budget doesn't mean that the kiddos have to sacrifice their Hannah Montana logoed merchandise for characters they've never seen before. Check out our tips for spreading your dollars as far as possible.

Discuss wants versus needs. Allow the kids to pick one special item they want for the school year – be it a special backpack, a logoed notebook, or nice pens – before ever leaving home.
Shop early. The sagging economy has forced retailers to cut their school supply inventory dramatically, meaning they will be advertising their best sales early in the season, rather than later. Almost half of all shoppers plan to do their back-to-school shopping a month before school begins to take advantage of the sales.
Stock up on basics. Take advantage of the pre-schoolyear prices – as much as your budget allows - to build up your supply of basics like paper, pens, crayons, markers, etc.
Check online in addition to newspaper circulars. Many stores offer additional coupons on their web sites to the ones found in your weekly newspaper.
Leave no stone unturned. Before heading to your office superstore or major discounter, check your kiddo's closets, desks, and even backpack from last year to see just which supplies you need. Many may still be unused from previous school years.

Enter to win a $1,000 wardrobe for your child from Tea Collection!

Does Star Power Make You Want to Watch My Best Birth?

babysugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:06 -0700

The Business of Being Born has brought more attention to the film's star and co-producer Ricki Lake than she may have ever imagined. The former talk-show host made it her mission to birth her second baby naturally and document the experience to release to the public. She and co-producer, Abby Epstein revealed facts about epidurals, C-sections, and inductions.

As an encore, the bubbly girl from New York is back with another documentary due out this Fall. Based on their book, the new movie is called My Best Birth. It focuses on the American maternity-care system and has famous moms like Laila Ali, Melissa Joan Hart, Kristy Turlington, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley giving snippets of their own experiences. Cindy Crawford kicks off the series of four webisodes tomorrow. The videos will air each week for the next month, detailing how the women chose their midwifes, did prenatal yoga, and the lessons they learned. Watch the trailer and tell us if you'll be tuning in.

Parenting Q&A: Child Needs to Be Potty Trained For Preschool!

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:59 -0700

Q. My two and a half year old daughter has to be out of diapers by September when she starts preschool. So far she
has shown no interest in being potty trained. Do you have any tips on how I can get her engaged in the process?

A. How to Excite, Engage and Succeed in Potty Training Your Toddler With 100% Success. If I could write that book I would have enough money to end our current economic crisis. Sleeping, eating, tantruming and pooping are the most often asked questions of any early childhood expert. While not everyone agrees, I think pushing a child toward a deadline; school or impending baby sister causes undue stress around a bodily function. While I’m not a therapist or a doctor, that can’t ever be good.

Having said that, there are some steps that can move toddlers in the right direction in a clear yet serendipitous manner. To see Lonna's specific instructions, read more.

1. Remove the changing table, change toddlers standing up in the bathroom. Yes, even those hard to clean messy diapers. This makes changing a function rather than a passive playtime or punishment.
2. Certainly try to read signs that your child needs to eliminate and ask them if they need to go on the potty. I do not get caught up on the potty itself, I think a child insert on the regular toilet is best, with a stool, but if the Pretty Potty that sings “Ta Da” makes you happy, I won’t judge. The important point is that going to the bathroom goes on in the bathroom.
3. Over spending on panties, expecting fashion to push the progress forward as well as bribes can work, however, I think this can cause a level of expectation of rewards for all of life's little necessities. I encourage spending a long weekend with a lot of liquids and no diaper so your child can run to the bathroom as the urge occurs. When, not if, accidents happen, the child helps clean up without drama or upset. After a long weekend of Potty Boot camp, have the child wear underwear and keep close to home for another week.

- Lonna Corder

Parenting expert and Montessori school director, Lonna Corder has been doling out advice for 25 years as a teacher, parent/child consultant and on television. For more information, visit lonnacorder.com.

If you're at your wit's end about an issue and want another take on the situation, private message your question to lilsugar. We'll be running this feature all week!

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Lil Tip: Go Green with Diapers.com

LilSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:00:39 -0700

For every family that lives in a three story walk up or isn't overjoyed with weekly jaunts to Costco, there's Diapers.com, the one stop online shop where you can order baby goodies (even green ones!) to be delivered to your door in a few days. So stock up on diapers, wipes, baby wash, bottles, cups, organic food, mommy products and other merchandise without ever leaving the house or having to clear out your trunk. And, if you're traveling this summer, you can have your order shipped to your destination so you don't have to worry about paying for extra bags on airlines.

Gone are the days of hunting down your favorite green brands like - Seventh Generation, Tushies Tender Care, Earth's Best Baby Food, Born Free baby bottles and Dapple cleaning agents - at your local stores. This Eco-friendly mecca has it all and more, for a fair price. Orders over $49 are shipped free of charge. Last week, I ordered a case of diapers, wipes and bath wash for my son which arrived two days later. I can't believe I didn't use this service sooner. For postpartum mommies and those with a few tots in tow, it cuts down on run around time which can be better spent with your babes.