Tylenol/Motrin/Zyrtec/Benedryl Recall - online reimbursement form

If anyone has infant/children's tylenol, motrin, zyrtec or benedryl recalled products they now have an online form you can fill out for either a coupon for a replacement product or refund check https://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/replacement_coupon.inc (if you have more than 6 products you'll need to fill it out twice).

Also, for people whose kids have crazy allergies, the Benedryl Perfect Measure pre-measured spoons are NOT part of the recall and are still ok.

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry for the delay everyone, but even Gear Mommy needs a vacation.  A week at Carlisle Bay in Antigua hit the spot perfectly.  I'll do a full post soon, but Carlisle Bay ranks as one of the very best family luxury resorts I've ever been to.  Unlike most resorts that are "kid tolerant," Carlise Bay really goes out of their way to be kid (and family) friendly.  Amazing.

Adventures in Potty Training: Part 3 - Panties! Panties! Panties!

I'm going to apologize in advance for the girlie bias here, but Tot #1 is a girl, so this is a panties specific post.  We are wrapping up the final stages of potty training (just nights left!) and though it was worth jotting down a primer on panties since she seems to have acquired quite a collection.  With that said, we have discovered that all panties are not created equal. 

Here is how they fit from smallest/snuggest to largest/loosest (all are 2T unless otherwise noted):

1. Potty Patty Pants
2. Gerber Training Pants
3. Hanes/Fruit of the Loom
4. Gap
5. Gymboree
6. Potty Patty Waterproof pants
7. Petit Bateau

We've tried a lot of cotton training pants (i.e. not diapers) and big girl pants (i.e. panties) so here is the run-down of how they compare:

Gerber Padded Training Pants

Pros: very soft, easy to pull up, inexpensive, available in white (so you can bleach them), unisex

Cons: not very absorbant (you might as well have them wear panties)
Price - $7 for 3 at Target

These are your classic training pants.  They are probably what our parents used.  They are very soft, white or patterns, unisex and inexpensive.  The 2T (also called the Small) ran true to size.  They aren't very absorbent, but they are very nice and a good value.

Potty Patty Pants (size S)

Pros - very soft, very absorbent padding

Cons - runs a little small
Price - $12.95 for 3

These Potty Patty Pants are available on Potty Training Concepts.  The are very soft and cushy.  The fit is a bit like a women's "boy short" style underwear and is easy for a toddler to pull on and off.  They also could hold a small almost-an-accident or a dribble-while-we-run-to-the-potty.  Our only complaints is that the tag placement is a little weird (outside, not squarely on the back) and they tend to run a little small.  We bought a size Small (24 - 29lbs) and found the fit to be similar to a small 18m size.   All in all they are the best of he absorbent "training pants" we found.

2-in-1 Potty Patty Waterproof Training Pants (size S)

Pros - easy to pull on, not crinkly

Cons - balloon-like fit, not exactly water-proof
Price - $24.95 for 3

These are also from Potty Training Concepts, but are totally different.  They are a soft, pull-on "water proof" pants.  The best description that comes to mind is "bloomers" and they run very large (a size S fit much more like a 2T).  There is also a lot of excess material that gives it a balloon like fit.  They are not as crinkly as other waterpoof pants we looked at, but then again they are also are not really waterproof.   They were among our least favorite training pants.

Hanes

Pros - inexpensive, easy to pull on, stays up well, lots of characters to choose from

Cons - not very thick

Price - $4.95 or less for 3

Hanes panties are available almost everywhere in almost every character you could want (Disney princesses, Tinkerbell, Barbie, Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty, Nemo, etc.).  They are also available for even less without the characters (6 for $5.99 or less).  The material is thin, but they feature a nice relatively thick elastic waistband that helps them stay up and makes it easy to toddlers to dress themselves.  Although the smallest size is a 2T/3T, they easily fit a small 2 year old.  Target, Walmart and most mid-range department stores should carry them.

Fruit of the Loom

Pros - inexpensive, easy to pull on, stays up well, lots of characters to choose from

Cons - not very thick

Price - $6.99 or less for 3

Fruit of the Loom are also available almost everywhere and have some of the other characters you're probably looking for (Dora, My Little Pony, Care Bears, etc.).  They are also available in larger multipacks without characters. The fit and material is very similar to Hanes.  These also feature the thicker elastic waistband so they stay up all day and are easy for toddlers to navigate.  The smallest size is also a 2T/3T, but they also easily fit a small 2 year old.  They should be sold in the same places as Hanes. 

Baby Gap
Pros - thick cotton, easy to pull on, lots of colors to choose from
Cons - stretch out easily
Price - $13 for 3

The Baby Gap panties are available in lots of fun patterns/colors that change seasonally (which means you can also occasionally find them on sale).  The material is a nice thick cotton (thicker than all of the other panties, excluding the training pants).  The wide bands on the legs and waist make them easy to get on and off.  Over the course of the day they do tend to stretch out around the legs.  Generally quite nice.



Gymboree

Pros - easy to pull on, always a bow in the front, lots of colors to choose from, often goes on sale/promo

Cons - runs a little big, stretch out easily

Price - $2 - $4.75 per pair

The Gymboree panties are also available in tons of patterns/colors and you can almost always find them on sale www.gymboree.com.  The cotton is relatively thin, but soft.  They run a little large and have a bit of a bikini-style fit.  Using your Gymboree coupons or Gymbucks towards them makes these a steal.

Petit Bateau 

Pros - soft, white

Cons - runs a very large

Price - $12 per pair

The Petit Bateau panties are nice and soft, but they have an unusual high-cut leg (women would call panties this style "French Cut").  The fit is very, very large.  A 2t is much closer to a 3T.  This is not a great panty for a toddler.


Conclusion:
If you need trainers, the basic Gerber pants are the most economical choice, but the Potty Training Concepts padded Potty Patty pants are a great option if your tot still hasn't mastered the scamper to the potty.  For regular undies, Hanes are a great option for the petite tot or the girl who really needs princesses to make potty training tolerable.   Ditto for Fruit of the Loom if she must have Dora.  Gymboree is actually one of the cheapest on a $/pair basis because you can often double up Gymboree coupons (or Gymbucks) and sale prices, but they tend to run a little big.

Contractions Anyone?

Ok, so this isn't gear, but this contraction timing tool is fantastic!  Practice a few times before you need it just to see how the tool works.  It will take a little while to get the hang of what a full contraction feels like (beginning, ending), but you’ll catch on pretty quickly.  On the big day, this is best used on a laptop so you can have it at your fingertips.  You can also print out your results to share with your doctor or nurse when you get to the hospital.  So when you say your contractions are now 3 minutes apart, they might believe you a little more quickly...