Little fun fact of the day, Elmo turns 3 1/2, tomorrow February 3rd. Now supposedly he never gets older than 3 1/2 years old, but since he was first introduced in 1979 he is probably a lot closer to being 32 years old.

When my husband and I debate whether to go out or not to a restaurant the question always arise, what do we need to bring.  Most restaurants provide customers with some sort of high chair, but in my experiences, they are always in poor filthy condition and are not very comfortable. Personally, sometimes it is better to bring your own gear with you so you and your baby can be comfortable while eating out.  Hear are some ideas of items to make the experience great for everyone.

Portable Booster

Portable boosters are great in the fact that they can fit universally on any restaurant chair and most of them are so compact that you can fit them underneath a stroller or some come with a carrying handle.

Other Accessories to Bring

Travel Placement: Great to put on top of the table and can fit very easily into a diaper bag. With one of these you do not have to worry about your baby’s food touching the table. Also these are usually great because they are made from no slip material that will help keep the plates on the table.

Summer Infant Tiny Diner

Toys, Toys & More Toys: While most babies and toddlers can now navigate their parents smart phones better than their parents themselves, sometimes you just don’t want to have your toddler use your phone all of the time as a “toy”.  Some great things to bring with you are a quiet time activity book or highchair toy.

Bathroom Breaks: If you are potty training your child a portable potty seat is a good idea to slip into your bag so your little one can take a potty break during the meal.

Snacks and Drinks: Crackers can be your savior when dining in a restaurant waiting for your food.  I usually try to wait to bust out the cracker card until I really need to use it.  Also, most restaurants do not have proper cups for kids to drink out of, and if they do have ones with straws, the cups are so flimsy that they usually end up spilling all over the place.  A great solution to this is take and toss straw cups.  I love these, they are inexpensive so if you leave it behind it is not a big deal, they hardly leak and most importantly they are easy for little hands to use.

With an increase of active Moms and Dads a jogging stroller can be a great way to introduce exercise into your daily routine.  With so many jogging strollers on the market it can be a daunting task to find the right stroller that meets your needs.  One important thing to remember is that it is a piece of exercise equipment, so you definitely get what you pay for.

Here are some important things to consider when purchasing a jogging stroller:

Wheel Size:

Jogging strollers come in a variety of wheel sizes, here is a breakdown of the different wheels sizes and their functions:

Fixed Versus Swivel Wheel

Depending on your usage you will want to consider whether you want your stroller to have a swivel wheel or a fixed wheel. Also, if this is going to be your main stroller, you will definitely want it to have a swivel wheel.

Wheel Type & Rims

Pneumatic Tires: These are air filled tires that will give you a much smoother ride over a multitude of terrain than traditional solid tires.

Shocks and Suspension

Shocks and absorbers will give your child a smoother more even ride when using the stroller.  This is important to consider if you want your child to nap while strolling in the stroller, also, if you plan on using it with small infants. (some manufactures do not recommend using these strollers for infants under 6 months of age).

Other Things to Consider:

Cup Holders and Trays: Very important to some people, some strollers do not come with this, some you must purchase as an additional accessory, which adds to the cost of the stroller.  Also, some strollers do not come with the tray for a child, not a big deal to me (none of the strollers I have owned had one), but if your child is dependent on one, this is something to consider.

Washable Seats: If you plan on using your stroller in a variety of conditions, for example, the beach, the woods, muddy terrain, snow, you will want a stroller that you can take the seat off and wash in a washing machine.

Brakes: More advanced jogging strollers will have a hand brake that is very similar to a bicycle brake in addition to a traditional stroller break.  This is a great safety feature to keep in mind when looking for a stroller if you plan on using it for heavy duty running.

Extra Accessories: Manufactures make a variety of accessories to maximize the use of your stroller such as bug shields, wind guards,  sun shields, stroller liners, and cup holders which you can add to increase the usefulness of your stroller.

The JJ Cole Original Infant Bundle Me is one of the greatest inventions to keep your little ones warm in the winter.  When I was pregnant I saw one of these in Marshalls and picked it up thinking at the time, well I don’t know how much use I will get out of this, well I was wrong.  It is better than using a blanket over the infant seat, since the bundle me zippers up like a little sleeping bag.  I read a review somewhere where someone suggested to use it as a liner in their BOB Jogging Stroller, instead of buying the BOB Warm Fuzzy, which is an excellent idea when your baby grows out of it. We got about six months use out of this, and then I sold it on ebay, which I wish I would have saw the suggestion to use it as a liner in my jogging stroller ahead of time, because that would have been a great idea.

An adorable swing that lulls your newborn into a peaceful slumber, the Fisher Price Little Lamb Cradle & Swing is an adorable solution for newborns.  We had one of these for my daughter that we started to use a month after she was born.  This was truly a lifesaver.  The swing has a nice cradle seat which allows small infants to lie down in the seat.  The dome mirror with the rotating animals is also a nice feature that provides visual stimulation for babies.  I also found it great that it is very easy to take the cover off and wash the entire seat cover in the washer.   It is also great that you can plug this swing in.  So many swings on the market use batteries- which are not only expensive but an environmental disaster.  Since you can plug this swing in you will save money in the long run  by not having to purchase expensive batteries. Also, the swings motion and music last longer when you have it plugged in versus using batteries, which only lasts 7 minutes.

Potty training can be very challenging.  Lets face it, diapers do a great job at what they do, keeping your child dry.  This is often the major challenge that parents face when trying to potty train children.  The diapers work so good that children do not feel wet and often do not realize that they have wet themselves.  The Gerber Training Pants are a great solution to this diaper issue.  Made of a soft cotton blend the diapers have extra padding in the middle to catch the wet messes, but are made of cloth so your child can feel that they went to the bathroom.  The Gerber Training Pants are also an environmentally friendly training pant solution since all you will have to do is wash the soiled pants.   The reusable training pants are also more cost effective than continuously purchasing training pants.

Potty Chair in Red

Who says that little ones can not make their own New Year’s resolutions?  Why not start out the new year with trying to get off diapers and starting potty training?  An essential to potty training is a good potty.  The Baby Bjorn Potty chair hands down is the most functional potty chair around.  The potty is a very basic potty, which makes it very easy for toddlers and parents to use.  For toddlers it is low to the ground which makes it easy for them to get on and off of- which is essential for potty training success.  The aspect that I like about this potty chair is that there are not a lot of pieces to clean.  The chair has only 2 pieces, which can be washed off and wiped down very easily.  The chair comes in a lot of different colors so your child can pick their favorite color.  The chair is also small enough that you could bring it with you on long trips or vacations.

• The active play, twirling fun and happy music just goes on and on
• Exciting and engaging ball-drop and turning gear set lets baby activate the action to get the balls rolling, gears twirling and music playing
• Gears can be removed for stacking fun as baby grows older
• Balls fit other EXPLORE ?N GROW ball sets, gears fit other EXPLORE ?N GROW gears sets and each sold separately
• Set includes activity center base, ball arch, two balls, five gears and instructions

Product Description
Whirling, twirling, musical fun is on the way with the exciting Hasbro Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Musical Gear Center! Your baby can push this button to activate the music and motion that will keep both the eyes and ears engaged. As your little ones drops the ball onto the track, they’ll watch with delight as it falls down the tube and then spins at the bottom. They’ll love spinning the gears on the side to turn the friendly face around and around – and when they get older, you can remove the gears so they can stack them and take the fun to new heights! The active play, twirling fun and happy music just goes on and on! For ages 9 months and up…. More >>

Playskool Musical Activity Ball and Gear Center

The name of your baby is very special for you. You are creating a new life and giving it a suitable name is very important decision. You will give a great start of life of your baby with the great name. Name should be simple to pronounce, yet it should be uncommon and its meaning will give better idea about your child. So parents should do careful selection of the name. If it is a baby boy then some communities have tradition of giving the grand father’s name to the grand child. But if that name is old fashioned or difficult then you can make better choice from the smaller and easier name with good meaning. Boys are normally very active and attracted towards the speed and adventure. They like to become like superhero. The names for boys may include the names of great warriors. While selecting the first name you should consider your surname. First name should match the surname. Not only it should compliment but also it should not make the full name very big name. If the surname is big then first name should be short. You should always pay attention to the meaning of the name. The name with good meaning is better choice. Names with negative meanings should be avoided. The great sports man always impresses boys. It is a good idea to name your baby boy after a great player. When your baby boy will grow he will have to communicate through e-mail, Internet, chat, phones and mobile phones. It is advisable to select the name, which is easy to pronounce. The people using other languages should find it easy to pronounce. The meaning of the name in foreign languages is also important and avoiding the name with bad meaning in foreign language will be wise decision. Whatever name you choose for your baby boy, it may not necessarily suit your boy. The names for boys may be too much masculine but when the child grows up he may not be that tough and strong. You could not predict the future hence it is better to avoid such names. Some names can be used for boys and girls also. They are called unisex names. e. g. example Lee, Lane, Robin, Alex. You should pay attention to the initials of your child’s name. They should not be repeated with any other member of family. Especially siblings should not have same initials it may create confusion in record of vaccination, school record. Some times initials may create a teasing name like Franklin Alex Tembrook (F. A. T. ), which will be irritating for the child in his school days. After all you give an identity to your child in this world with his name. Hence think about it carefully and be proud of your baby boy’s name. Help with Free Baby Names Learn more about Baby Boy Names from: 2knowabout. com/babies_r_us/The_Way_with_Baby_Names(dot)php . At Baby R Us online at: 2knowabout. com/babies_r_us/index(dot)php – they are online 24/7 to find the best name for your baby boy. Psst! Your new baby boy will thank you for life!