LilSugar

Mommy's Lil Helper: The Best Ways to Store Legos

LilSugar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:16:10 PST

A favorite toy for generations, Legos are great for encouraging creativity, developing fine motor skills and problem-solving skills. What's not so great about them: the clean-up. Hundreds of little pieces scattered across the playroom floor can be a huge hassle . . . unless of course, you use one of these smart storage solutions. Check out our five favorite solutions for storing the building bricks!

Source: Flickr user bdesham

5 Products Designed to Make Moms' Lives Easier

Rebecca M Gruber — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 05:46:23 PDT

As moms, we could all use a few extra hands, but even Super Mom only has two. Short of turning mom into a human octopus, we turn to our chins, necks, and shoulders to carry the weight of more tasks than we can juggle with two hands. Fortunately, necessity is the mother of all inventions and someone had moms in mind when they created these great mom-friendly products. Check out five items designed to make moms' lives a little easier.

Mommy's Lil Helper: Box4Blox Lego Organizer

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:00:59 PST

As a mom, I love the inspiration that a set of LEGOs gives my tots. But as a neatnik who tries to keep an organized home, I can't stand having to sort through large tubs just to find the one lil piece we need to complete our latest creation. We've tried using different colored tubs and bins for various sized bricks, but within days, they are all mixed together and we are right back where we started.

Enter the Box4Blox ($40 including shipping). The sorting and storage unit comes with four different trays, each outfitted with a series of descending grids. Simply pour a pile of LEGO pieces through the top and watch as the bricks filter their way through the system. When the sorting is through, four boxes of blocks, bricks, and pieces will be separated by size and ready for play.

Mommy's Lil Helper: Kodak Pulse Digital Frame

babysugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:37:09 PDT

Like many parents of young tots, my computer is filled with digital images of my kids in various states of play. When I have the time, I upload them to a share site where my friends and relatives can view and print the ones that interest them. Unfortunately that doesn't happen as often as it should, and I am often on the receiving end of a call from my mother requesting updated shots of the kids.

Kodak recently invited me to an event where I was introduced to their Pulse digital frame ($120). The 7-inch display screen can receive photos via your home wireless network and its own email address, meaning all I have to do is email grandma pictures (either from my computer, or more often from my phone), and they will automatically show up on her frame. For hip grandmas who are already networking on Facebook, the frame can automatically display photos posted to friends' Facebook accounts. Given the amount of time I've spent teaching my family how to download photos, taking a few minutes to email their frame photos at the end of each week may spare me a few hours each month.

Last Minute Tax Help For New Parents

babysugar — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:00:23 PDT

"If I had a million dollars . . . I'd buy you a house." Even those with a million dollars may be feeling the pinch today. An estimated 10 million people still have not filed their 2009 tax forms and though post offices are open late, procrastinators only have a few more hours to fill out their 1040s and get them shipped off to the IRS.

Parents who welcomed lil ones in the past year may want to give their tots a special treat today. Your new addition is not only the apple of your eye, but a tax break for you too. For mamas who are rushing to get their forms in the mail, here are five tax tips new parents may have missed:

Childbirth classes. According to Ernst & Young, one of the most commonly overlooked tax deductions is childbirth preparation class fees. Considered a medical expense, it can be listed in that category on your return.
Child tax credit. Each US taxpayer receives a $3,650 personal exemption for each dependent child under the age of 19 (or under 24 years old if they are a full-time student).
Child care tax credit. Up to 35 percent of child care costs (up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more tots) can be used toward a credit on your returns. Once tots enter school, Summer camps are considered to be child care, and their tuition fees can be used toward that credit.
Babysitting tax credit. If you hire a babysitter to watch your tots so you can do volunteer work with a charitable organization, you can deduct the fees as a charitable contribution.
Adoption tax credit. Adoptive parents can claim up to $12,150 (depending on their income) to cover agency, attorney, and travel fees.

Mommy's Lil Helper: Bugaboo iPhone Holder

babysugar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:00:40 PDT

Motherhood can be a juggling act for mamas who like to text and walk. Try pushing your tot along in her stroller while scheduling a playdate with a friend and sipping a latte. We just don't have enough hands to do it all. Following the introduction of the Texthook smartphone holder last year, Bugaboo is putting its own spin on the art of walking and talking with the (BUGABOO) RED iPhone holder ($25).

Available on May 1, the stroller giant sent me one of the first devices off the line to take for a spin. With Spring in the air, I spent the better part of last weekend navigating my city's parks with the phone attached to a new Bugaboo Bee. While I loved the convenience of having my iPhone within my line of sight at all times, I found myself becoming engrossed in responding to emails and checking my friends' Facebook statuses when I could have been paying more attention to my tot. To see my review,

Who is this product designed for? Moms and dads whose iPhones need to be surgically detached from their hands.
Is it practical? Yes. For parents who are constantly pulling their mobile devices out of their pockets to see who has called or to look something up, the holder keeps the phone within eyeshot at all times. Bugaboo is also rumored to be introducing an iPhone application later this year that will track traveling distances, speed, etc., making the device even more practical.
What sets it apart? Specifically designed for the Bugaboo Cameleon and Bee strollers, the iPhone holder simply slips right onto the handlebar without any need for adjustment. Its silicone shell easily fits over the phones for easy attachment and can be left on the phone (even when it is removed from the holder) to protect the device from scratches. It rotates a full 360 degrees to allow for horizontal and vertical typing and browsing. The company will also be donating one percent of all revenue from sale of the device to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
What could be better? As the owner of an original Bugaboo Frog, it would be nice if the device fit that model as well (though it can be stretched to fit the Frog, it isn't designed for it).
Would I buy it? Yes, if I owned a Cameleon or a Bee. But I would place some rules on myself to ensure that I was paying enough attention to my tot while I strolled.
Would I give it as a gift? Yes. Especially if I had a friend who could not be separated from her iPhone.
Did it make baby happy? My six-month-old son did enjoy the tunes I played as we walked through the park.
Does it keep your hands free? When paired with the iPhone's ear buds, the accessory makes for truly hands-free walking and talking.

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Scare Me Nots Keep Kids' Rooms Monster-Free

babysugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:30:00 PST

Monsters beware! A new gang of six plush animals are ready, willing, and able to ward off the scariest monsters that lurk in a lil one's room at night.

Any mama that has been called into her wee one's room to search for offending creatures in the middle of the night will want to meet the Scare Me Nots ($25 each). Led by Defender Dave, the six plush dolls are designed to help tots sleep worry free through the night. Each Scare Me Not has its own unique personality and means for keeping monsters at bay, like Watchdog Wally who uses his high-tech nose to sniff out the troublemakers. With extra-long Velcro tails, the Scare Me Nots can be fixed onto a doorknob or mattress springs, allowing them to keep an eye out for monsters throughout the night (especially those that hang out under the bed)!

Mommy's Lil Helper: Milkmakers Lactation Cookies

LilSugar — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:00:01 PST

Eat your way to a healthy breast milk supply. Getting baby to properly latch on may be the toughest part of early breastfeeding, but keeping the milk flowing can be equally stressful for lactating mamas. While generations of women have turned to teas and natural herbs leaving the scent of maple syrup in the air, a new specialty cookie is destined to become an essential nursing aid, leaving behind more than just great taste.

Created by a Seattle-based mom who needed help keeping her milk supply up once she returned to work, Milkmakers adds key milk-producing agents such as brewer's yeast (which increases and stimulates the production and flow of breast milk) and ground flax seed (a source of DHA crucial for optimal brain development) to an all natural cookie recipe. The result is a highly efficient and great-tasting oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Tested by two nursing mamas here at Sugar HQ, the moms credit eating two of the treats daily with allowing them to continue breastfeeding after heading back to work. The lil delights keep supplies high while pumping throughout the workday. Less expensive than a new lactation-enhancing drink, Milkmakers ($34 for 20) can be stored in the freezer and defrosted as needed.

Would you try them?

Mommy's Lil Helper: Naturtint

babysugar — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:00:12 PST

Oh baby, how times have changed. Remember the pungent perfumes of perms and toxic hair treatments that will make eyes burn? While many dyes are still chock full of those chemicals, there's one that's nearly scent-free and safe enough to use during pregnancy. Mommy can let her hair glow just as much as her beautiful belly during her maternity months with the application of Naturtint ($10). Made with mostly natural products, the vegan approved brand doesn't test on animals and can be bottled up for later use. It is easy on the skin, works quickly, has lasting color, and leaves the hair soft and silky long after the initial use.

Women who fear the effects that the chemically drenched dyes may have on their unborn child can rejoice with the Naturtint enhanced locks, and even the icing on the cake? It costs a fraction of a salon job and can be done with the children are napping.

Mommy's Lil Helper: Removeez

babysugar — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:00:51 PST

Tattoos here, stickers there, crayola markings everywhere. Mommy is really good at buying fun toys but her foresight into their troublemaking capacity may not be as sharp. Temporary tattoos may seem harmless and easy but when they land on baby's forehead, they all the sudden become the most bothersome present of all. Thankfully, moms can rely on Removeez ($9) to do the job. Tattoos, stickers, glue, band-aid residue, and marker can wipe up easily without toxins, tears or horrific scents. Sold in little vials, the kid-friendly solution made of aloe, calendula, and bee pollen may be credited with saving more than her child's pretty complexion - it will save her sanity, too.

Do you have some helpful tips for mommy? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar Community and share your ideas! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.