Get your ass to the gym! (just kidding)

So almost every mom I know (and a lot of dads) are struggling to get back in shape after having a baby.  I should preface this with the fact that I don't love the gym.  Not bad, just expensive, time consuming and impossible to do with kids (unless you have a gym with kid care and even then, ew....).  I figured for the $150/month that I saved in dropping my gym membership, over a few months I could get some great gear to stay in shape.  Here's the short list of what I bought and love.

The Strollometer - $35 - $50

In addition to having a great back story about how the company came about and excellent customer service, they have a great product.  It is basically a pedometer, but it judges your distance based on the number of times your stroller wheel rotates.  It gives you just the right number of stats - speed (current, max, ave), trip distance, trip time, daily mileage, temp and time.  Its a great incentive to walk a few more blocks to hit that next mile.  Its also rewarding at the end of the day to realize how far you walked.

TRX - $169.95

This was a reco from my husband's trainer who uses this with clients in the park or at the gym. It is a great one piece "gym" that you can use any where and fits in a 9" x 5" bag that you can throw in the closet.  All you need is a solid door that closes, backyard swing set rig, big tree branch or pull-up bar in the park.  The workout is simple enough for beginners and adjustable for someone more advanced.  Plus you can do a little and still feel the results.  Or do a lot and be very, very sore.  Great for a mini workout while the tots nap.

">The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler - $12.98

If you've ever taken a Pilates class this is a great primer/refresher.  With ratings on each pose from Beginner to Very Advanced it is easy to find something that will work for you.  It is meant to be done as a longer sequence of poses, but it is a great book to keep around the playroom so you can get a few poses in while you play with the tots.  It asks for a good degree of body awareness and visualization which is fantastic for true fans of Pilates, but if you're truly a beginner this might not be a good choice for you.

Adventures in Potty Training: Part 2 - Potty To Go

Ah, every parents' favorite words 5-10 minutes after you leave home (or 5 minutes after the plane takes off)..."need to go potty!!"  Unless you're traveling in an RV - and even if you are - this poses a problem.   You can either ignore it - at your peril - or find a place for them to do their business.

Oh, but what about a potty seat?  Do I put it in my trunk and haul it around? No.   Here are two great options for potty-on-the-go.

Primo Folding Potty Seat

At under $9, weighing less than a pound and folding small enough to fit in your diaper bag (or handbag) this is a great potty seat.  Folds down to about 5" x 6" x 2" so fits easily in a gallon size plastic bag with none of the "dirty" side touching the "clean" side.  If you rejigger your Skip*Hop Pronto changer you can put this in the mesh section, diapers/pull-ups in the zippered section, and a small pack of wipes in the outer zip pocket, a Charmin mini-travel toilet paper in the mesh toggle pocket on the outside and you've got a full changing/potty kit.

I also like that this has handles in the front for those times when the tot needs something to hang on to or brace on (preferable not the edges of the dirty toilet seat).  This is my favorite for size, weight, price and ease of use.  All you need is a toilet.

So what if you don't have a toilet - like if you're in a park or on the highway or find an extraordinarily long line for the one working toilet at a rest stop (which looks disgusting)...here is a full potty-to-go ("flushing" included).

Potette Plus Potty On The Go

For $16, including 3 liner refills, you have an instant potty.  No toilet needed.  Refills are about $0.50 a piece so you don't want to make this your everyday potty, but if you find yourself without a toilet you - and your little trainee - will be glad you had one.

If you're in the park (or by the side of the highway) and are pretty sure that the tot is only going to make #1, then you can skip the bag altogether.  Double bonus - you can flip the legs out and it become a toilet-top potty seat.

I keep this in a Skip*Hop Saddlebag on the side of my double stroller just in case we need a potty at the park. 

Just like any potty chair it can be difficult from some kids to get used to a new potty.  I would recommend a daily in-home test drive for a week or two before you travel just to get everyone comfortable.

Adventures in Potty Training: Part 1 - My Big Girl/Boy Potty

So we're in full potty training mode at our house.  It all started so innocently about three months ago when Tot #1 was 18m old and came across a copy of Alona Frankel's classic "Once Upon A Potty."  After initially skipping through most of it, all of the sudden Tot #1 got REALLY into it.  We had to read it every time she took a nap.  And every time she went to bed.  I'll admit we - as parents - got a little into it too.  We used some WiteOut to replace the name with our daughter's and to fix the terms to be those we use (I just never grew up saying "pee-pee" and didn't really want my daughter to...).

This of course, means new gear...

BabyBjorn Potty Chair

We started with the classic.  This is a great, basic, easy to clean potty chair.  Not too high so it's not scary - at just 20 months, Tot #1 can sit down by herself on it.  The "bowl" lifts out so you don't have to carry the entire chair everytime they go.  It also has a nice high back so your tot can sit back while you all wait for his/her moment.  

We keep our potty on a plastic drop cloth that we previously used under the highchair.  Even with the best intentions sometimes you just make a mess.

We keep a basket of books, Huggies Clean Team flushable wipes, Pampers Easy Ups, and "big girl undies" next to the potty.   More on "undies" vs. pull-ups in a later post.

Bjorn Toilet Trainer

Next we bought a couple of the these seats to put on our regular toilets to get her used to the concept of going on a real toilet.  The

 hole is very similar in dimension to the aforementioned Potty Chair so the transition between the two - from a tush positioning perspective - is fairly easy.

Primo Ducka Toilet Seat Reducer

We recently came across these while on vacation and they were a big hit with the Tot.  Maybe it is because she loves ducks.  Maybe she just associates it with vacation.  Either way, if it makes her want to use the potty we're pretty psyched.  If you can put up with the goofiness factor, it is about $10 cheaper than the Baby Bjorn seat.  You just have to live with a slightly goofy yellow duck in your bathroom (a little more expensive, but it also comes in pink or blue).  But since you end up owning a potty seat either way, does it matter if it's a little goofy?  Probably not.  Besides anything that makes your kids want to use the potty is a plus, right?

Review: Skip*Hop Swipe

The new Skip*Hop Swipe is my new best friend.  I don't know why no one thought of this before, but kudos to Skip*Hop for another product that is not only modern and stylish, but conveniently meets the everyday needs of parents.

With 2 kids - heck, with one kid - I've always hated having to rifle through my diaper bag to get at the wipes every time I need to clean messy hands, runny noses, or miscellaneous nastiness off my stroller.  It is easy to snap on to the handle bar of any stroller, but I love this so much I bought one for each stroller.

It also easily opens you can quickly refill it with your wipes of choice.  No more hunting around for travel-size packs of wipes.  Woo hoo!

My only minor complaint is that it is tricky to get the red button completely closed so if you don't use it for a while your wipes can dry out.  We go through wipes at a fast enough rate that this isn't an issue at our house.  The trick to closing it is to slide the red button all the way down and then gently push it in towards the wipes until you feel a "click."

If you don't own one of these yet you should go buy one (Amazon.com and Magic Beans carry it or you can buy it directly from the Skip*Hop website).  It really is fantastic.

Hospital Bag

Ok, so I'm going to break the "strictly baby gear" rule already.  A few of my pregnant friends recently asked me what you need to have in your bag for the hospital.  Here are the essentials.  Pack it at least 4 weeks before your due date.  In fact, while you're thinking about it, pack it now.  Make sure your husband/partner/significant other/labor coach knows where it is.  Maybe just park it by your front door (or toss it in your car).

Small bag for Labor and delivery:

• Plastic bag of Essentials (copies of hospital paperwork, insurance card, doula/doctor/pediatrician names and phone numbers)
  
• Clear hard candies in flavors you like (life savers, jolly ranchers, etc.)*
  
• Gatorade (powder mix if you can find it)*
  
• Large bottle of water (~1L)
  
• Bendable straws
  
• Extra hair bands
  
• Camera
  
• Flip flops
  
• Chapstick
  
• Magazines, Book or iPod w/ headphones (you could be there a while and might need a distraction)
  
• 2 Pillows with COLORED pillow cases
• Eye glasses (if you have them)
  
• Exercise ball and pump (if you’re using one)
• Gum and bland snacks (for your Significant Other)
  

* if your OB will let you have them.  Make sure to ask at your next appointment

Small Suitcase for your stay in Maternity:

You:

• Cardigan or zip hoodie
  
• Lightweight cotton bathrobe
  
• Medela Comfort Nursing bra (1-2)
  
• Underwear (3-4)
  
• Nursing nightgown (1-2)
  
• Toiletries (shampoo/conditioner, body wash, hair stuff, a little blush + lip gloss for pictures, extra contacts + saline, deodorant)
  
• Outfit to wear home (not involving pants/tights/leggings)
  
• Balance Bars or some other pre-packaged snacks
  
• Cellphone charger

Significant Other (if they are "rooming in" with you during your stay in Maternity):

• Underwear (1-2)
  
• T-shirt (1-2)
  
• PJ pants
  
• Flip flops
  

Baby:

• Outfit to wear home (sleep suit or similar coverage)
  
• Outerwear (depending on the season - a sweater for spring/summer or a jacket, hat, mittens for fall/winter)
  
• Carseat
  

Have Someone  - i.e your parents or a close friend - Bring You:

• FOOD and SNACKS (hospital food really is terrible)
  
• Bottled water (4-6, 20oz+ size bottles are best)
  

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...