Rave and Review

MAM Baby Products

At the Baby Show NYC in October we were so excited to run into the wonderful reps from MAM Baby Products and get a sneak peak into their 2009 and 2010 product line.  Most of the items are not yet available in the States, but I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret that most people don’t realize: us Americans are always behind the curve on getting all the super cool items available to us and our babes.

You know all those baby products you dream about that would make your life easier and make your baby deliriously happy?  You should know that Europe has all those items and more and they showcase them in little pharmacies on just about every other block.  I don’t know if any of you have ever spent exorbitant amounts of time in European pharmacies, but let me give you the run down.  These little shops are meccas to cutting edge design and innovation, loaded with cool little objects that you need instructions to identify but nonetheless are just begging for you to buy them. 

The difference between these pharmacies and ours is the difference between a Clinque counter and the Bonnie Bell rack at the drug store.  You could easily spend the better part of an afternoon browsing through their awesome collection of baby products, but it’s always a bit sad when you realize that buying everything you want would fill up an entire suitcase.  MAM Baby Products is working hard on leveling the playing field and bringing some of their European classics to the American front in 2010, and for that I couldn’t be happier.

MAM, the company that brought you one of the most recognizable pacifiers in America, is now branching out into new market sectors and offering some of the coolest items I have ever seen… or at least they will, in a few months.  In the interest of not getting you excited about items that are still unavailable to you, this review is going to focus more on the items MAM is currently releasing in a market near you with a promise to update you further as soon as the new lines are released. 

MAM Training Brushes

Our absolute favorite MAM offering is their new toothbrushes and training brushes that help parents brush their children’s teeth easier and then gradually allow for kids to learn to fully brush their own teeth.  These toothbrushes come in vibrant and eye catching designs that are sure to captivate the little ones, evidenced by the fact that baby refused to leave the MAM booth without one in her eager little hands.  For days she carried that wrapped toothbrush around the apartment in Brooklyn and then held it on the plane on the way home.  When I finally opened it up and let her try it, I got that deliriously happy look that I had been waiting for. 

The MAM Training Brush that we tried has a couple of really cool features that are the prime example of why we Americans need a bit more European design in our every day life.  The first is the extra long handle that allows baby and parent to brush together.  Allowing you to assist baby easily and covertly while baby holds the brush as well makes for much easier, more thorough cleanings and makes you more apt to brush your little one’s teeth as often as you should.  The opposite side of the bristles holds a massaging gum teether that helps stimulate those little teeth to pop through and helps ease discomfort while they do.  That little massager is also a dual purpose tongue scrubber to help your child get the most thorough cleaning possible.
 
Another feature that was helpfully pointed out by the MAM reps is that the little colored stripe of bristles across the brush are there to help you judge how much toothpaste or gum cleanser to apply during the cleanings.  It may not be rocket science, but it’s this kind of European design and attention to detail that really sets MAM products apart. 

MAM Baby Bottles

Another MAM item we really love is the new MAM Baby Bottle.  These are available in numerous sizes and nipple flow options, including the coolest nipple ever, the X nipple for use with pureed foods.  They even make a larger 11oz size bottle for those toddlers who can down two bottles of milk in one sitting, saving you from having to do a mid-feed refill or second bottle altogether.

The MAM Baby Bottle line comes with their own patented Silk Teat™ that has some really cool features like a silicone softness that is as close to the feel of a nipple as possible to help transition baby from breast to bottle.  Their bottles have a cool contoured silhouette that allows baby to self feed and then graduate to the one-hand hold as they grow.  As an added bonus, these Silk Teat™ nipples also fit other wide-neck baby bottles so you can have nipple consistency no matter which bottle is ready for feeding.  As you would expect, none of the MAM Baby Bottles are made with BPA.

MAM Pacifiers

I’m sure all of you have seen the iconic MAM pacifier around, especially if you’ve hung out with our family at any point in the last 2+ years, and I’m guessing you know at least one plug baby who can’t do without their MAM.  I was so excited to see their new lines of pacifiers at the show that are now available and some that are coming soon, with a whole list of really cool new designs and features.  My favorite is their new Air line that allows as much of baby's skin as possible to be exposed.  Since baby has recently has been prone to rashes around her plug, I was really excited to see there were options that offered less contact with her mouth in hopes the rash would clear up.

I was absolutely shocked when I visited the MAMbaby website and saw all the information they had on their pacifier line; I had no idea that so much research went into the designing of pacifiers.  MAM has worked with developmental psychologists and medical experts and their collaborative efforts has been the design of an anatomically correct pacifier.  This cutting edge design allows for healthy jaw and teeth development for maximum comfort from birth to toddler.  With their patented ultra soft symmetrical nipples and anti-slip surfaces, the pacifier stays in baby’s mouth easily.  MAM’s natural latex pacifiers are from the ThaiMed facility and made from their own sustainable rubber tree crop in Thailand.  

Want to know more about MAM’s line of Baby Products or get a sneak peak into the 2010 product line offerings?  Visit www.mambaby.com and navigate through their collection of pacifiers, bottles, brushes and more.   

While you’re there you should check out the MAM Life Cycle section of their site for great tips from preganancy and beyond!

A big thank you to MAM for showcasing their new line and sending us home with a few treats to try out.  As always, no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review.

SmartKettle by Chef's Choice to Heat up the Winter Months

I like coffee, but I just adore tea.  There’s something so relaxing about sitting back with a nice full mug of tea and chatting with a friend.  In our house we drink a lot of tea; in fact, we have a whole cupboard that is dedicated to our obsession.  In that cupboard is black tea, white tea, green tea, herbal medleys and more, and until we got the Chef’s Choice SmartKettle Cordless Electric Kettle, they were all brewed in the exact same way and at the exact same temperature. 

Tea connoisseurs are shuddering reading that, because they know that each one of these various types of tea requires different temperature water in order to brew properly.  Sure, that might not seem like a big deal to some, but varying degrees of temperature make a huge difference with something as delicate as tea leaves.  Some tea lovers are so extreme as to pre-heat their tea cups with hot water in order to not compromise the steeping process.  I’m not that crazy about my tea brewing, but I do really taste the difference with teas brewed at their correct temperatures and am loving being able to completely control the temperature setting. 

If anyone is picturing me with a food thermometer checking and then re-checking my boiling water, you’ve clearly never met me.  Instead, I rely on the Smart Kettle by Chef’s Choice for tea, cocoa, coffee, soup mixes, oatmeal and more, and it does so much more than tell me what temperature my water is at.  The Smart Kettle allows me to preset the temperature on the Kettle from 122°F to 212°F and let it do the rest.  When it is finished boiling or heating, the Smart Kettle beeps and then holds the water at the temperature you’ve selected to keep it ready to use at any time. 

As if that’s not cool enough on its own, it’s the way the Smart Kettle heats that makes it worth raving about.  The Smart Kettle amazingly remembers the temperature of your last use and automatically sets that temperature to heat unless you adjust the up or down, saving you the time or having to re-look up the temperature setting for your favorite tea or coffee.  Even the base of the Smart Kettle is remarkable, allowing you to set the Kettle down at just about any angle and still securely connect with the internal heating element.  They even included a handy cord keeper that allows you to coil extra cord length within the base of the unit for maximum safety and aesthetics. 

The Smart Kettle starts working almost as soon as you set it on its base and power it up and then heats the water within minutes to your desired setting.  Boiling and heating water in a fraction of the time a stovetop takes, you can have your tea, coffee, or hot drink mix ready in just about the time it takes for a commercial break.  For kid-friendly temperatures for making cocoa and oatmeal, the Smart Kettle is amazingly fast and can even help get breakfast on the table and mornings to run quicker and smoother. 

The Smart Kettle has an LED screen and user-friendly controls that make it easy to operate without having to refer to the manual over and over, and allows you to clearly see what temperature your water is at from across the kitchen.  Speaking of which, I’ve used the SmartKettle for cooking on two occasions now, once for peeling tomatoes, and then once when the pasta I was cooking required more water than I had originally estimated and adding cold water would have severely slowed supper down. 

I should note that I have actually owned two other electric tea kettles throughout the years, the first was from my college days when I lived on ramen noodles, and the second was for me to make tea and coffee at work.  After just a few months of use, I found that the internal heating coils had corroded within the tea kettles and they had turned a really gross black/green color that caused me to retire both appliances after only weeks of use. 

When I found out that the Smart Kettle has a hidden heating element that keeps the Kettle from landing atop the garbage heap after only minor use, I was sold.  When you add in the fact that the Smart Kettle itself is cordless for ease of pouring and filling and only requires a cord and outlet when actual heating is taking place, I cleared the counter in anticipation of its arrival. 

Since the Smart Kettle is gorgeous in its stainless steel and black beauty, it actually landed one of the coveted “countertop appliance” roles and currently hangs out near our stand mixer just begging for tea parties and dinner prep assistance.  Now that the weather is calling for hot drinks, the Smart Kettle is bound to see even more action as winter comes to Seattle.    

Of course the Smart Kettle comes with a long list of safety features that keep your family safe.  From boiling over or boiling dry, Chef’s Choice has thought of just about everything to keep your kitchen as safe as possible.  The low water level warning lets you know when your guests have almost drained the Kettle and the Max Fill line (1.7 Liters) keeps your Smart Kettle from spewing boiling liquids across your counter during the rolling boil. 

The Smart Kettle also has an automatic shut-off on the Keep Warm function that ends after 40 minutes so you will never worry about forgetting to turn it off after your party ends.  Even with the safety precautions, I hope it goes without saying that the Smart Kettle will get hot while heating and should not be operated by anyone other than an adult.  While boiling, the metal sides get hot to the touch, and could be dangerous around small children. 

http://www.chefschoice.com/

Price: $99.99

Looks: Sleek and sophisticated in stainless and black

Overall: Highly recommended for hot drink lovers, kitchen prep, parties and more. 

A warm thank you to Chef's Choice for keeping our evenings toasty and relaxed with their new SmartKettle.  This post highlights my honest experience with their product and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt – 50 FREE 4-Packs to the First 50 Readers!

I love yogurt.  So much so that I save it for last each day in my lunch, as a lunch “dessert” of sorts.  To say that my daughter takes after me in this respect would be a huge understatement.  In fact, I feel almost entirely responsible for the fact that my 16-month old is somewhat addicted to the stuff and actually refers to it as “treats” and signs for it sometime around 3pm every day.

But, the thing is, I’m not really a yogurt connoisseur; I just buy what’s on sale.  Sure, I like some brands and flavors more than others, but yogurt is yogurt, right?  It's true unless that yogurt has something special added to it or something even more special taken away.  In this case, we’re talking fiber.  5 grams of fiber that are absolutely imperceptible in taste and consistency.  And the part that’s taken away?  That would be calories.  Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt has nearly half of the calories of other brands, even the lowfat or fat free varieties. 

The Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt comes in four flavors, two of which I have tried and absolutely LOVED, the other two of which I am looking forward to sampling when I can find them in retail.  We were sent the Strawberry flavor and the Key Lime Pie flavor and thought both of them were actually better than other varieties of the same flavors we had tried before.  I’m not a huge Key Lime Pie person, bit even I liked the Yoplait version of it.  I think hubby’s right that it’s the real graham cracker crust taste to it that really makes the flavor pop while still keeping its silky smooth yogurt texture. 

From Yoplait:

**Yoplait Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt is the only leading nonfat yogurt with 50 calories and 5 grams of fiber.
**Contributes 20% of the recommended daily value of fiber and is a good source of calcium as well as vitamins A and D.
**Fiber One 50-calorie yogurt features a ‘Hungry Girl Seal of Approval’, the first nationally distributed yogurt to receive this endorsement.

And now for the Giveaway…

Yoplait has so kindly offered 50 Rave and Review readers a coupon for their own FREE 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt to try for themselves, simply by signing up below. 

Everyone's a Winner!!  Additionally, they are also going to offer ALL Rave and Review readers useful weight management tips from best-selling author and food expert, Lisa Lillien as well as offering a $1.00 off coupon downloadable via this post. 

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BOX BELOW ON THE "TRY IT FREE" TO ENTER

A big thank you to Yoplait for providing me with review samples as well as the 50 super-generous 4-packs for my valued readers.

Xtrema Ceramcor Cookware Review and Giveaway

As self-confessed kitchen gadget addicts, hubby and I are always on the lookout for the newest and greatest in cooking gear.  Very rarely does a product come along that absolutely wows us and prompts us to write what just might be the raving-ist review we’ve ever written.  Let’s all mark this date on the calendar as the day that we had virtually nothing bad to say about a product.

I used to think that I loved my metal cookware and was reasonably happy with the way it performed.  Back then I didn’t even know that I could love cookware like I love the Ceramcor Xtrema line.  I know some pans are nicer than others, but I’ve always believed that when it comes down to it, the difference between a really nice pan and an ok one wasn’t that far off.  But then I met Xtrema, the coolest cookware set ever. 

A few years back, we decided to switch to an all-stainless steel cookware set for a number of reasons, but mostly it was because we desired a safer and more durable set that could go from oven to stovetop.  Imagine if we had known back then that a revolutionary set of cookware would soon be on the market that could go from stovetop to oven to broiler to microwave to barbeque grill to tabletop and then to the freezer with ease.

Yes, you read that correctly – a cookware set you can use on the BBQ or in the microwave.  Made of a high-temperature ceramic with a non-toxic non-stick ceramic surface both inside and out, the Xtrema cookware can withstand temperatures of 2,700 F, which is 500 F past the point at which steel melts, and then still wipe clean at the end of the meal. 

The multi-functional set means that you can thaw, cook and serve a meal all in the same pan, which is great because I am adamantly opposed to using more than one pan per entree.  Before, we would take items from the freezer and put them in a glass dish to microwave and then after they were microwaved we would dump them in a pan to brown before getting out yet another dish to serve the food in.  When you’re talking multiple dishes and sides, the sheer number of pans and dishes dirtied can be absurd.

With the Xtrema set, we put the frozen food in, microwave and then set on the stovetop to cook without worry.  And then once the meal is cooked, we can serve right from the pan – even with metal utensils!  After dinner is over, you can store leftovers in the Xtrema cookware in either the refrigerator or freezer without worry of thermal shock.

Because the high-gloss ceramic glaze is extremely non-stick, the Xtrema Cookware is easy to wipe clean without harsh scrubbing and can even withstand steel wool, the traditional non-stick nemesis.  The Xtrema Cookware is naturally bacteria resistant and contains no trace metals or chemicals that can leach from the cooking surface into your food and no non-stick surface that can peel, warp or scratch.

Okay, but how does it cook?  Better than every single set of cookware I have ever tried in my life.  The Xtrema Cookware set has the most efficient heat transfer hubby or I have ever seen, retains heat longer than traditional pans, and allows us to use a lower heat setting than we do normally, all of which saves energy while cooking.

One of the first things we noticed was that the heat spreads out over the entire pan, not just the part directly on the center of the burner.  This reduces hot spots within the pan and actually cooks the food quicker and more evenly, allowing you to get dinner on the table faster than ever before.  Fair warning: the heat transfer of these pans is so efficient that every bit of it gets hot, including the handle and lid, use caution… and a pot holder. 

The Xtrema website explains their revolutionary cooking technology like this: The ceramic material used in all Xtrema cookware has an inert and non-reactive quality that produces a far-infrared heating process that's considered the most effective and beneficial type of heat for all types of cooking. This penetrating heat process cooks food from both the inside and outside at the same time. The end result is the emergence of a full range of subtle and nature flavors, an increase in nutritional value and a more enjoyable eating experience. The overall result is Healthy Cooking = Healthy Eating = Healthy Body.

For those of you looking to go Green, you will be happy to note that the Xtrema Cookware set is environmentally friendly and so much more than Green.  Their patented ceramic material is made from 100% natural ceramic materials and organic water, including the Nano-Glaze™ surface.  The company also reduces its environmental impact by using clean-burning and safe natural gas, which Ceramcor claims is part of their pollution-free process.  As if that’s not enough, they even recycle all their water. 

www.ceramcor.com

Price: Prices range from $39.99 to $149.99 and are available at www.ceramcor.com or at the growing list of Xtrema retailers.  You can save 15% off entire Xtrema Healthy Ceramic Cookware order by using the coupon code-- TW15

Looks: Sleek and simple, yet elegant and fun.

Overall: Stovetop, conventional, microwave or toast oven, broiler, barbeque, refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher safe, which means there is literally nothing this set can’t be used for!

And now for the Giveaway...

One Rave and Review reader will win an Xtrema Tea Potle of their very own! To enter, just visit ceramcor and let me know something cool about the company, the products or something you would love to give this holiday season....  Be sure to check back soon when we review the Xtrema Bakeware line for the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide! 

And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review (1 extra entry, must be verified to count)

2) Follow or subscribe to the Ceramcor Blog

3) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and @XtremaCookware (1 entry for daily Tweet, just post link here)

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage (1 extra entry)

5) Place my logo or link in your sidebar on your blog or website (2 extra entries, must have an active link)

6) Share this post on Facebook (1 extra entry)

7) Become a fan of Xtrema on Facebook

8) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne@raveandreview.com for two bonus entries (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

On November 21st at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email

A family-sized thank you to Ceramcor for providing the cookware to be reviewed, one of which we offered up for giveaway to our fabulous readers.  No other type compensation was received for this review.

 

Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

Bonefish Grill - Take the Bonefish Grill Challenge Giveaway

The mood was set; candle lights flickered against the deep wood tones of the restaurant and the illuminated art along the walls.  The music was low, but not too low, and the atmosphere was casual and relaxed.  It was date night for three at our neighborhood Bonefish Grill and we were pulling out all the stops.

By stops, of course, I do mean crayons, fresh baked bread, and delicious beverages that help keep baby occupied while we dine.  Oh, and some of the best food I have had in a long time.  We’re talking melt-in-your-mouth calamari with a slightly spicy Asian-style dipping sauce (delicious!) and entrees that cover a range of chicken, beef and various types of fresh fish for everyone.  Add that all together and you have one of the best date nights ever.

Seattle is internationally known for their great seafood and the Bonefish Grill is only one of the many seafood restaurants near our home.  It had been awhile since we visited the Bonefish Grill and when I heard about their Bonefish Challenge I was incredibly excited to revisit the restaurant.  In fact, I had researched the seasonal offerings at our local restaurant and had pre-picked my dinner choice.  Three days ahead of time.

Every single thing we tried was rave-worthy, and even though the visit was just days ago, we are already planning our return.  I tried the entrée, Lily’s Chicken, and loved the pairing of the goat cheese and spinach with the chicken, and of course wished I had a tub of the garlic mashed potatoes so I could eat them every night.  Hubby had the Longfin Tilapia entrée and loved it so much I only got one taste, which really was too good to share.  What's really great is you can actually chose your side and vegetable so you can order fish and potatoes without having to make a special request.  But, what would bring us back weekly was the appetizer calamari plate, which hubby gave the ultimate compliment of comparing it with our favorite dish at P.F. Chang’s.

There are still numerous other entrees I would love to try, which is great because we have plans to take our families for an upcoming birthday dinner.  With a menu full of exotic and familiar tastes and treasures, your whole family can finally dine without the whine.

Even when we insisted on a long dinner with appetizers and extras and baby started her meltdown, the staff was well equipped to handle the task of distracting the baby, bringing out a paper cup that surprisingly held her attention for longer than you would imagine – crayons in, crayons out.  When the cup lost its appeal, we had a multi-page kid’s coloring book and menu that we read while we waited.

The staff was extra helpful throughout the whole experience, from when we first walked in the door and the hostess guided us to a table that could accommodate our Phil and Ted’s screw on highchair and then with the extra bread that they brought out for  our littlest diner after she devoured the first loaf.  Drink refills were handled quickly and without even having to request them, and food was quick and hot.

When we couldn’t finish our meals (darn appetizer and bread), they even went the extra step of fully labeling the leftovers for us.  Seriously, I thought service like this went out of style in the 50s.  Even though it might have at most restaurants, it certainly hasn’t at Bonefish.  If you’re looking for us on date night, you will find us at the table by the stainless steel art enjoying our fresh bread and appetizer... oh, and the entrees, too.

Take the Bonefish Grill challenge yourself – how does it compare to other restaurants in your area?  Head over to An Island Life for your chance to Take the Bonefish Grill Challenge for FREE!

Thank you to Bonefish Grill and An Island Life for providing me with the tools necessary to Take the Bonefish Challenge.

New Eating Right Kids Line

Every parent wants their children to eat healthy, but sometimes that’s harder than it sounds.  We all know that vegetables and fruit are good and I think most of us can recite the food pyramid, but the problem usually lies in the foods that seem healthy but are loaded with extra fat and calories kids don’t need.  I’m all about finding alternatives to fast food and junk while still offering up tasty options that won’t end up on the floor, which is why my whole family loves the Eating Right Kids™ line from Safeway.

Recently we were sent some products to review from the new Eating Right Kids line courtesy of Team Mom.  Eating Right Kids is a spin-off of Safeway’s Eating Right™ brand entrees and snacks and is formulated just for kids, hence the name.  The line offers over 60 items across 18 categories ranging from breakfast to produce to snack foods and is available at more than 1,700 Safeway Storelocations throughout U.S. and Canada.   

If the sampling of the line that was sent to us in any indication, the Eating Right Kidsofferings will be a big hit with both kids and parents alike.  Each of the items tested were delicious and very much enjoyed by all of us.  As soon as the samples arrived, baby was all of a sudden very interested in what I was doing.  In seconds she was at my feet and frantically doing her baby sign language begging for “treats” and when I offered a bite of the Eating Right Kids Chewy Bar, her sign for “more” got even more frenzied.  Moments later she was holding the empty wrapper as she asked for another sample.  She gobbled up the fruit cup and then came back for even more. clearly loving the snacks. 

Those of you who personally know my sweet baby are calling foul – what a minute, doesn’t that kid like everything??  Yes, you are correct; baby will literally eat anything, even things that aren’t actually food.  But, her father and I won’t, and even we loved the line.  And, how could you not?  It’s nutritious, it’s fun, and it’s fast.  Add that to the fact that our family will eat it and you’ve got a winning combo. 

As if you needed more to love…

Each Eating Right Kids™ package features the color-coded Spot Your Needs System™ on the front—so you can find important nutritional information in seconds and without having to take each item off the shelf.

Along with great taste and great nutrition, Eating Right Kids™ packaging is fun and appeals to children of all ages.  In addition to partnering with Safeway for Eating Right Kids, Warner Bros. Consumer Products has taken the awesome extra step of developing a “better for you” standard of products that feature the Looney Tunes characters, going as far as clearing the shelves of items that did not meet this standard and replacing them with healthier options.  We all know that kids will literally eat anything that has their favorite characters and cartoons on it, so I for one am very excited about this move and hope that they start a trend with this movement!

Available at Safeway.com or at your local Safeway Store

 

ThermoFocus 5-in-1 “No-Touch” Thermometer by Kidz-Med®

Made with NeverWake™ Technology, because everyone knows better than to wake a sleeping baby

 

Every parent always jokes that babies should come with a manual and it’s always met with polite laughter.  But, tell a group of parents how much you hate your thermometer and you will be met with a chorus of agreement.  And for a good reason - up until recently, the standard thermometer on the market took 60 seconds.  That’s 60 screeching, wiggling, wailing, kicking, back arching, ear splitting seconds, if you can get the thermometer positioned to get a temperature in the first place.  All that to get one number that may or may not be compromised by said wailing, kicking, and wiggling.     

 

Which begs the question what if your thermometer was more than a thermometer?  Well, then it’s a ThermoFocus, a new 5-in-1 temperature wizard that does more than tell you when someone’s sick.  It tells you just how sick, in a super fast and extremely accurate little device that requires no skin contact to get a reading.  And then it tells you if you need to turn up the thermostat in your room, get some more ice for your 7-up, or wait a bit longer for your chicken noodle soup to cool.  And then when hubby gets home, you can tell him just how sick his dear wife was by scrolling through the 9 memorized temperatures to garner sympathy.  Just don’t mistakenly claim the chicken noodle soup reading is your own.  Hubby is much, much smarter than that.      

 

So, what is this ThermoFocus and what are the 5 ways it can make your life easier?  The ThermoFocus is a “No Touch” Infrared Thermometer that measures any temperature in mere moments, all without coming into contact with the subject or item, whether that is people, ambient temperatures, food, bathwater, beverages or more.  No contact means you can quickly and easily take the temperature of anything, or anyone.  Having already done two around the clock temperature watches in 11 months, the first thing that came to mind was not having to wake the baby to get her readings, which I was thrilled about. 

 

When I started thinking about the thermometer in terms of its true potential, I realized how much a no contact thermometer is a great leap forward for taking the temperature of large groups of people.  The recent outbreak of Swine Flu and the public hysteria that followed is prime example of when something like this tool would be invaluable.  Being able to handle groups of people in a short amount of time, all with no direct contact, is crucial towards keeping others safe.  I have heard reports that these exact thermometers are being used in airports, train stations, public buildings and more as I type.  Naturally, they would make a great tool in smaller applications as well, such as a daycare center or school setting and make it easier to help stop the spread of disease.  I think we can all agree that not getting sick is a million times preferred to merely being able to tell how sick someone is.

 

So, how does it Work?

The thermometer is shaped like an arrow, with a triangular tip covered by a protective cap and a handle that has three buttons and an LCD screen.  To take a temperature, you just open the protective cap and press the “face” button to activate the two infrared lights,  keeping the button pressed.  When the thermometer is held perpendicular to and close to the forehead (about 3 cm away), the two points of lights will converge into one spot of light.  Then you just release the button and keep the thermometer still until the lights flash and the temperature will immediately be shown on the display.  Sounds like a lot of step when you write it out, but the whole process takes only moments.  When you are done, you just flip the protective cap back on.  You can review previous temperatures by pressing the “Mem” button and viewing the last nine temperatures.  Ambient and inanimate objects can be tested by pressing the “house” button and then following the steps above.

 

 

Things I’m Raving About: 

No contact means no chance of waking baby and no fancy probe covers to buy.

 

It’s quick, easy and gives consistent readings, which means you won’t be remembering how to get an average and mean reading at 4 am

 

No beeping noise that could inadvertently startle or wake the baby or cause her to think she has a very cool new toy.  Sorry, kiddo, this toy’s for Mama.

 

Can toggle between Fahrenheit and Celsius, for when I’m feeling international

 

It even has a loop you can clip to on the base of the unit, so you could keep it around your neck and be assured you won’t lose it.  Perfect for when you are using it for large groups, in the healthcare field or merely for around the clock baby care.

 

Uses totally harmless and safe infrared technology, of which I completely trust the FDA on.  I have no infrared testing facility… yet.

 

Baby stays asleep, even through multiple readings.

 

5-in-1 is four more applications than any other thermometer, and I’ll admit its pretty fun to take the temperature readings of the entire contents of your house.  Not that anyone will ever ask you what temperature you keep your kitchen towels, but if they do you will have the answer for them.  

 

Over 10,000 readings from 4 AAA batteries, giving you plenty of opportunities to test and retest those towels.  

 

Can take readings from forehead, armpit, or navel, which translates to a whole lot of fun, providing that person isn’t really sick.

 

Memory function stores 9 previous thermometer readings, so you can throw away your bedside notebook for recording around the clock readings.  (Just joking, you should recycle the notebook)

 

Did I mention you don’t have to wake the baby?

 

Things I’m not crazy about:

 

No backlit display means that in the middle of the night I have to turn on the light to see the reading, which could possibly wake the baby.  I’m fairly certain that this is the case with most thermometers as well, but most thermometers are invasive, and therefore the lack of a lighted display is the least of my worries. 

 

The LCD display has a toggle between Oral and Rectal settings, which doesn’t make any sense for a “no touch” thermometer.  I did try doing an oral reading by shining the light in my mouth at the back of my throat and it was surprisingly accurate.  Probably not recommended, but kind of fun all the same. 

 

Moving the device between rooms means you need to let the thermometer recalibrate, which takes between 10-30 minutes (with an optional shortcut that involves getting a reading of an object 30 and 60 inches off the ground).  I actually couldn’t get the thermometer to indicate it was recalibrating, even moving across our entire house, which means the temperature inside is consistent from room to room (even though I swear the movie room is colder and that’s why I require cuddles and big fluffy blankets when we watch movies).  Just make sure you keep the device in the room with the sick person if your house fluctuates a lot from room to room and you won’t ever run into this.

  

Here are some FAQs from the ThermoFocus website:

 

Q. How accurate is the Thermofocus?

A. Taking the temperature at the temporal artery (forehead) is deemed as accurate as a rectal or ear thermometer.

 

Q. Is the Thermofocus for everyone?

A. Thermofocus can be used by people of all ages. It is used and recommended by doctors and pediatricians all over the world.

 

Q. How fast is the Thermofocus?

A. With each reading, Thermofocus carries out every hundredth of a second, a sequence of 125 readings which are amplified and computer by its sophisticated microprocessor, together with the value of the ambient room temperature, until the correct temperature is shown on the display. Basically, it takes less than a second!

 

Q. Is the Thermofocus approved by the FDA?

A. Yes, it is a Class II Medical Device and has FDA approval.

The ThermoFocus 5-in-1 is perfect for babies, active toddlers, kids, adults, food, bottles, ambient temperatures, bathwater, Fido and more.  It’s quick and it’s easy (a press of a button and then release – no need to even turn off!) which makes it the perfect tool for all sorts of applications, not just for sick babies. 

http://www.kidzmed.com/

 

Price: $69.99

 

Looks: Doesn’t matter at all, but it is kind of cute – I especially like the smiley face.

 

Overall:  A great tool for parents, teachers, health professionals, daycare workers, transportation officials and much, much more.

 

Want to get an exclusive discount coupon from Kidz Med on all of their products in addition to the ThermoFocus?   This Friday, May 22, the Kidz Med ThermoFocus will be featured on the CBS daytime talk show The Doctors .  Set your DVR, TiVo, or VCR to record it, or just watch it live and come back here and comment on something the Doctors mentioned about the Kidz Med.

 

See more details here:

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_page/157

 

A BIG thank you to Kidz-Med® for making this review possible.

Dex Make, Store and Serve Electric Baby Food Processor

“Not ‘As Seen on TV’”

Raise your hand if you secretly love infomercials.  Not that you TiVo them or anything, but if the show you’re watching ends and you forget to change the channel, sometimes you’ll catch a minute…. or thirty.  My absolute favorite is the Magic Bullet infomercial – I like watching the actors make omelets, concoct dip recipes, mix alcoholic beverages, and whip up smoothies all without an ounce of cleanup.  I love it because it makes me believe that I could really make a whole day’s worth of food using only one kitchen gadget.  I’ll even admit to watching the infomercial all the way through more than once, but less than three times.   

When I saw that Dex Products made an Electric Baby Food Processor, I couldn’t contain my excitement.  It’s like a Magic Bullet paired with quality construction and the result was the best baby gadget ever.  The Dex Food Processor is simple in design, with a removable food processing cup that attaches to the screw-on blade and then flips upside down to rest on the motorized base.  You operate it by lining up the plastic tabs on the food processor cup with the base and pressing down to activate the motor.  That’s it – no speeds to adjust, no dials to turn, just press down until fully blended and voila! you have baby food. 

But, it’s the quality of the Dex that really makes me excited.  The base of the Dex is sturdy and sleek with a seamless plastic design that has no crevasses for liquids to pool or food to collect, which means that cleanup is simple and easy, with no need to scrub the base after each use.  The high quality removable blending cup is microwave and dishwasher safe and has a flattened top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it) that makes for a stable base when mixing ingredients, microwaving, or when used for feeding. 

The fact that it is microwave safe means that you can actually cook the food in the removable blending cup and then just attach  the blades and blend.  When the food is pureed to your liking, you just turn the blending cup upright and feed directly from the cup.  If baby doesn’t finish all her peas, you can screw on the lid for storing and pop it in the fridge.  In case you’re not following, that means only one tool to wash (which, in turn, makes for happier parents).  Random Rave:  For even easier cleanup, you can add water to the dirty cup and put it back on the base, blending it for just a few seconds before dumping the water.  This process helps remove any food residue before tossing in the dishwasher, making everyone’s life easier. 

Now that we make baby food in such large quantities, I am absolutely in love with the Dex Electric Baby Food Processor. The blending cup holds a good deal of food and does a great job of handling everything we have thrown at it in a fraction of the time a handcrank baby food processor would take and is roughly 1000 times more fun.  That’s math even I can get behind.  After baby’s menu was set for the month, we found ourselves looking for more things to puree and even used the Dex to concoct dips and sauces that, to baby’s distress, we did not share with her. 

The one thing I do wish is that Dex offered two blade options, one for blending soft foods and one for firmer items.  Although the Dex does fine with squishable foods and medium textures, it does take a bit longer to fully puree firm fruits and vegetables.  I found that adding a little liquid of some kind helps the blending process immensely.  Most recipes call for adding water to baby purees, so if you make sure you add the liquids in before blending, you will have even greater success.  The extra powerful Dex motor is capable of handling just about anything you can imagine that is also ingestible, but the blades provided really are better suited for softer foods.  Which makes sense, because it is for baby food, and not marketed towards adults at all.   But, I would urge them to consider expanding to include another more aggressive blade and they might have the best kitchen gadget of 2009 on their hands.  

Things I’m Raving About:

• Good size blending cup is perfect for most foods and just the right height for stirring all the way to the bottom.
• Big, powerful motor in an unobtrusive small package, all with an unbelievably small footprint so it doesn’t overwhelm a countertop or cupboard. 
• Fresh yellow color is neither pastel-y nor boring.
• Comes with 3 separate kid sized storage containers for holding extra servings.
• Makes baby food creation quick, simple and most importantly, makes it more likely to happen when there’s a fun little gadget calling your name. 
• Easy to clean and care for.
• Saving on dishes means saving precious sanity.

I’m in love with this little blending beauty and think you will be, too.  The price is right, it’s fun to use, and it’s pretty much the only baby kitchen gadget... ever.  All of which makes it one of my new favorite baby items, and something I am looking forward to using well after our pears need to be pureed.  Then, baby and I will enjoy omelets, dips and smoothies together – all with minimum cleanup. 

http://www.dexproducts.com/

Price: $31.99, which is a fraction of the cost of other food processors

Looks: Can food processors be adorable?  The answer, clearly, is yes.  But, do they need to be adorable?  Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt, especially if it’s going to be sitting on my counter.

Overall: If there was an infomercial for Dex make, store & serve baby food processors, I might even TiVo it.  

She's Crafty - A New Use for Gerber Puffs

It's official, I have a little Puff Monster.  When she's not nursing, eating semi-solid vegetables or sleeping, you can pretty much bet that she's practicing that pincher grip on some Puffy Gerber goodness. 

Having a Puff Monster means that I always have a surplus of those contoured plastic little Puffs containers laying around.  At first the organizational guru in me thought I could peel the Puffs label off and use them to store stuff, but then quickly realized they don't really have much organizational value at all.   They are contoured for one, and cylindrical in nature, and baby always thinks they should be full of Puffs, which really, they should be.  Inspiration hit as I was throwing a label-less Puffs container into the recycling bin* and I was remarking to myself how Bowling Pin-esque the container shape is. 

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.  Now for those of you who are like "what?  where's she going?", I'll spell it out.  You.  Baby.  6 or 10 Puffs containers.  Bowling.  You can't see it here, but under that baby-alluring label is a clean white plastic container that has three indented lines running around the contoured section.  The bowling pin stripes, naturally.  We drew our stripes on with permanent marker because Mama needs more art supplies, but Martha would probably use grosgrain ribbon.  Or you could not do stripes at all; baby won't tell on you.  

Baby also won't tell if you only have 6 "pins" unless baby can count, in which case you're going to want to suck it up and do all 10 pins.  Yes, I know, 10 pins is a lot of setting up.  Unless, of course, they bowl like me.  Hubby was all excited to teach baby to bowl and even started to go all crazy into it, suggesting that we put some sort of weight in the Puffs containers to make them more realistic.  Hubby wasn't around to rig something for weighting them when we were ready to play, so baby will have to wait until later for an authentic Puffs bowling experience, but she didn't seem to mind.  Really, she was much more excited that her cousins actually wanted to play with her Puffs containers with her, which until now had been a one baby game. 

www.gerber.com and available in the baby/toddler section of your local mart.

Price: $2.5 and up for each container, but completely free if you already have them on hand.  

Looks: Like a bowling pin.... hence the inspiration.

Overall: A blast for babies, toddlers and young kids.  And fun, but a little less fun for the pin setter (you).      

*They probably aren't recycleable - I'm a notoriously bad recycler as I think anything that isn't smelly can be recycled.  Trust your own instincts, or better yet, read up here     

Phil&Teds MeToo Portable Highchair

For when parents need to be portable

I’ll admit it, I didn’t think we needed a portable highchair for baby.  Most restaurants we go to have loaners that they start offering you as soon as you walk in, so I just assumed we would use theirs when we dined.  Hubby was insistent and embarked on a multi-store and website hunt that eventually ended with us registering for Phil and Ted’s MeToo for our baby shower.  It was purchased for us by a man, and it was the one thing that came out of the package the night of the shower once hubby saw the pile of loot that our family and friends bestowed on our baby.  Coincidence?  I don’t think so. 

To be honest, once I saw the MeToo, I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t thought it necessary.  It comes in a compact and shallow box that is inches smaller than I had expected, considering the bulky masses of traditional hook-on high chairs.  How it can fit into that shallow box is what sets it apart from all the other travel highchairs on the market, and what makes it so incredibly useful when on the go with baby.  The MeToo has a sturdy fabric seat that is sewn onto a thick U shaped high-quality aluminum frame that connects to the table by way of C shaped clamps.  The clamps have a dense foam covered screw mount that doesn't mar tables and holds the seat securely onto the table.  When not in use, the seat collapses into itself and the metal table clamps pivot to lay completely flat, taking up minimal space in the diaper bag or stroller.  As incredibly nice as that is, what really makes the seat portable is how light the whole thing is, even given the heavy weight materials used.  In the super scientific “lift tests” we performed, the MeToo was substantially lighter and much more portable than other models. 

Okay, so it wasn’t scientific at all, in fact we have zero data to support our findings, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this.  Lighter, more compact and much more portable all means that it is much more likely to be used, of which I do have proof.  We take it with us almost everywhere, including when we travel.  On a recent trip to Spain and Morocco, we found the MeToo to be indispensable since there were no highchairs available at any of the cafes or restaurants we went to.   That’s right, it made a transatlantic flight with us and I would bring it again.  You know how once you get to your destination you regret half the things you packed?  Those cute black flats that have no arch support?  Yeah, you’re gonna regret those.   But, not the MeToo, you won’t. 

The only issue we have found is that sometimes the MeToo doesn’t fit on odd shaped tables that are extra thick or have aprons that are extra close to the edge of the table (vertical trim pieces on the underside of farm-style tables).  So far we have found two restaurants we can’t use the MeToo at, which isn’t too bad considering we have used it in three different continents.  I have heard rumblings that there is a new Phil&Teds portable highchair model that has a different clamp design more reminiscent of a lobster than a screw on clamp style.  Not sure if the new design would solve these issues, since I haven’t actually seen it in person, but it might be worth checking into.  One thing I would like to see Phil&Teds do in the future is to add a carrying bag or cover, as that would make the chair more portable and easier to fit in a diaper bag without the clamps becoming intertwined with the diaper bag contents as well as being more sanitary since the chair will likely come into contact with large amounts of pureed foods and sticky finger foods.

Speaking of sticky, I found the MeToo to be very easy to wipe clean with a damp rag or scrub out with a soapy mixture as needed.  Even though for safety reasons the seat isn’t able to be removed from the metal frame and clamps, it was easy to surface clean.   It dries incredibly quick and is ready for use again in no time, which is great because you won’t want to be without it for long. 
 
http://www.philandteds.com/to see their New Zealand stock and drool over all the items that they don’t ship to the US, or you could do yourself a favor and just go to Amazon.com to buy

Price: $50, which is a bit more than other portable high chairs, but you’re paying for the compact size and lightweight design which makes it money well spent.

Looks: Clean and simple design perfection.

Overall:  It’s portable, lightweight and brings baby right up to the action, which is far superior to the sticky loaner highchairs at most establishments. 

Bender Utensils by Boon, Inc.

Boon Spoon (and Fork)

I adore Boon and I love seeing all the new stuff that they come out with each month.  But, no one loves Boon products more than hubby, who adores gadgets of all shapes and sizes, especially those that make life easier for new parents.  We just became acquainted with Boon’s Bender Utensils now that baby has mastered solid foods - or semi-solid, as the case may be. 

As baby began to try her hand (and sometimes her feet, to my dismay) at eating at the table with us, we searched local stores to find the perfect baby spoon.  It had to be small enough for baby’s little bite, but yet it had to be chunky enough so it was comfortable for both of us and for her to hold.  It had to be long enough to reach the bottom of the baby food containers, but not too long as to present a “flinging risk”.   Boon hit both marks and even solved another problem we didn’t know we had – all in one small colorful package. 

As is the case with all Boon products, Bender Adaptable Utensils are colorful and eye catching, the perfect recipe for piquing hubby’s curiosity.  Made out of BpA-free plastic and designed with flattened, chunky but grippable handles with small round spoon and “fork” ends.  Even though they look like some sort of cartoonish modern art piece as opposed to functional utensils, Benders are just the right size for baby’s hands and comfortable for yours.  But, the coolest thing about Benders Utensils is that the handles bend between the grip and mouthpiece so you can tailor the angle of the feeding and adjust as necessary.  The bendability is designed for babies to learn to feed themselves easier, but we found that the bend also serves another function – to allow parents to feed their babies when sitting next to them as opposed to in front of them.  We found that using the spoon bent into a “C’ shape is perfect for this, and makes them indispensable when eating out.   

Speaking of eating out, one really cool thing we found was that the Bender Utensils are the perfect length for storing inside our on-the-go baby food bowls with lids.  This makes them perfect for keeping in the diaper bag because, once dirty, the utensils can be placed inside the bowl with the lid on and the diaper bags stays clean.  

Perfect for travel and for around the house feedings.  And, as an added bonus, they are also the perfect size for baby to play with between meals.   

http://booninc.com/

Price: $4.99 - $5.99 available at www.booninc.com, Target, and Babies R Us and come in pink and orange

Looks: Modern and funky with bright eye-catching colors for little ones.

Overall: 5 marks out of 5, and sure to be your favorite go-to for on-the-go feedings.