Mom and baby product reviews on The Mommy Insider

WAT-AAH!

Do kids ever WANT to drink water?  When WAT-AAH!'s available mine do.  That could be because we don't have juice in our fridge very often, so the options are water and milk.  But, 9 times out of 10, both of my kids chose milk - pre WAT-AAH!. 

When I put WAT-AAH! in the fridge in cluster of milk, regular bottled water, and apple juice, Sebastian chose WAT-AAH!.  The first time he chose WAT-AAH!, he said it was out of curiosity but he enjoyed it.  I caught his enjoyment on video but for some reason I can't get some of my videos to upload onto my new computer.  Just a little while later he chose WAT-AAH! again, over apple juice.  When I asked why he chose WAT-AAH! over the apple juice, he said it was "because the bottle is cool and looks fun".   I asked him about the lack of flavor and if he felt like his thirst was quenched and he replied with a simple "It's water mom.  Water doesn't have flavor and I'm not thirsty right now, I just drank some water". That was a bit of a smart-alic answer but he was being truthful.  It is in fact water, and after drinking about 1/3rd of the bottle of WAT-AHH! he wasn't thirst anymore.

There are currently four 'flavors' (unflavored) of WAT-AHH!; Brain, Body, Energy, and Bones.  You can learn more about WAT-AHH! here.

Bratz - Spring Activities from Dancing to Swimming

Madelyn is a little young to play with Bratz but believe me, she would if she could.  Bratz dolls are vibrant, stylish, and come with lots of accessories to occupy and entertain little girls for hours.
Bratz's new spring line is made up of Bratz expressing their individual style and interests from   sports themes to team activities giving girls the opportunity to express their own interests through their favorite Bratz dolls. 

The new Bratz Dance Crewz line has Yasmin™, Cloe™, Jade™ and Sasha™ showing off their individual style as they bring their talents to the dance stage.  The Bratz World® line expands this season with additions to each doll’s house, and the introduction of Cloe’s mom, Polita.  If I remember right, my sister and I used to fight over who was the mom when we played dolls. If you're reading, correct me if I'm wrong!  There is even a Swimmin’ Mermaid whose tail changes color when she swims in water.

Go to the Bratz website to see all of the products, watch Bratz TV, and listen to Bratz tunes.  Check out these and other Bratz on the Bratz page on the Toys R' Us website.

Solaroo UV Blocking Sun Clothing from SunFriendlyProducts.com

I received two Solaroo UV blocking suits last summer and failed to write the review and now I can't find the photographs of the kids wearing the suits to post in this review.  Anyway.. I am giving you the heads up now that Solaroo's UV blocking sun clothing is a must have this coming spring and summer. 

Both of my kids loved their suits last summer.  Sebastian felt cool in his surfer style blue shirt and Madelyn looked adorable in her pretty pink one piece suit.
My kids were outside a lot last spring and summer and Sebastian wore his Solaroo shirt when playing with his friends outside and helping me in the garden.  I am paranoid about sunburn and UV damage and love knowing that the kids Solaroo UV blocking sun clothes protect them from UV rays and I never forget to cover the rest of their bodies with super spf sunscreen.  It's not worth it to skip the sunscreen or UV blocking clothes if you have them!  I just wish I had a Solaroo shirt and Extreme Performance Hat for when I'm out in the yard or playing with the kids.

Solaroo UV blocking sun clothing is lightweight, dries quickly, and keep 98% of the UV rays out.  Available in kids sizes 0 months to 8 years, womens sizes up to 18 and mens sizes up to XX-Large with varying prices.

Go to SunFriendlyProducts.com to see their huge selection of UV Blocking Sun Clothing and accessories for babies, kids, and adults.

Danika's Totally Terrible Toss: The Legend of the Purple Flurp

This book is part of the Secret Keeper Girl book series.  If you have a tween girl or know one, this is the perfect book to add to her collection.  The Legend of the Purple Flurp is a book about a 12 year old girl, Danika who gets in trouble for accidentally tossing 'purple flurp' at the lunch lady.  Consequently Danika gets into trouble which puts a major kink in her plans of winning the title of Miss Teeny Pop at Marion, Ohio’s Annual Popcorn Festival. 
Although the incident is an unfortunate accident Danika is given detention and meets three girls who help her gain new insight into what life is about.  Before accidentally throwing purple flurp (you have to read the book to learn what it is!) at a lunch lady Danika had the mindset that life was about what she had rather than who she is.  You know... fancy clothes, a big house, nice cars, all that stuff.

Danika's Totally Terrible Toss: The Legend of the Purple Flurp is full of humor, real life situations, and activities for moms and daughters to do together.  The book is addictive.  I read it with my nine year old the first day I got it for review and he actually read it in bed that night!  Don't tell!!  We made sure to read the book in such a way that it didn't seem so girly and he wouldn't feel like he was reading a girly book.  I told him not to mind the pink cover. 

The Secret Keeper Girl series of books opens a door for moms and daughters to communicate about situations that tween girls go through.  There are currently three books in the Secret Keeper Girl series and are available individually or in bundles.

You will find Danika's Totally Terrible Toss (Secret Keeper Girl) at Amazon.com for about $10.

20Q the little round gadget that knows what you're thinking

20Q has been around for years and is now available in a smaller, smarter, pastel version.   20Q is an "artificial intelligence" game that tries to guess what you are thinking about by asking questions such as "is it alive", "does it make you feel good", and "is it hard".  Much to my amazement, 20Q figured out what we were thinking 8 times out of 10.    How does it work, you ask?   By process of elimination.

I thought of an elephant, a balloon, and a piece of grass.  20Q guessed the elephant and balloon between the 15-20th guess but the closest 20Q got to guessing a piece of grass was guessing that I was thinking of a leaf.  That is still pretty good.  I was impressed. 

If 20Q doesn't guess what you are thinking about (read your mind) by the 20th question, you win! When 20Q asks the player a question, the player responds by pressing one of four buttons.  Yes, no, sometimes, or don't know.  Based on your response 20Q asks the player another question.

20Q is a great game to take on vacation as it doesn't blast annoying beeps and boings, nor does it take up much room being about the size of a child's palm.  Recommended for ages 8 and up, 20Q is now available in spring colors.

   Learn more about 20Q or buy here

Braun ThermoScan ExacTemp

When Sebastian, now 8, was younger we used a traditional glass thermometer.  After we broke two glass thermometers which posed a danger because of the broken glass and tiny beads of mercury on the floor, I purchased an ear thermometer.  Ours is quite out-dated and when I recently received a Braun ThermoScan ExacTemp to review, I was very pleased with the features as compared to my 5 year old ear thermometer.

What makes it special: Braun's ThermoScan ExacTemp thermometer is exceptional in that is features ExacTemp technology. To help avoid inaccurate temperatures the tip is warmed to a temperature close to that of a human body.   The ThermoScan measures the infrared heat generated by the eardrum and surrounding tissues.  The eardrum shares blood supply with the hypothalamus, the temperature control center in the brain, which means that changes in your child's body temperature are reflected sooner in the ear than at other sites which is just one more reason to use an ear thermometer.

What's included: The ThermoScan comes with protective tip covers and a protective case ensuring that the thermometer is secure when not in use.  To save battery life, the ThermoScan thermometer automatically shuts off after 60 seconds.  I am so tired of buying batteries..I love the auto-off feature!

More features: The LCD screen is easy to read and shows the battery level, the thermometer beeps when it is finished taking a temperature.  When your child is sick and you need to check her temperature often, the memory feature comes in handy.  You can store up to 8 temperatures and can access store temperatures easily.  The ThermoScan is light and is designed in such a way that it is easy to hold and won't slip out of your hand. This thermometer fits into a compact protective case that also stores the probe covers.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to buy a new pack of covers just because they got lost.. or Sebastian played with them.  Being able to store the probe covers directly in the case is great!

Important note:  There are at least two ThermoScan models so look closely at the details before buying as they have different features.

Buy a ThermoScan at Amazon  OR learn more at the Braun website

Whole grain baking mixes...your kids can make!

We were recently given the opportunity to try a few Kids Central Kitchen baking mixes and I am so excited to tell you about them. 
I tend to get stressed when I am cooking or in the kitchen in general but making Kids Central Kitchen's Chocolate Chip Energy Bars was fun and was a good way for Sebastian and I to spend quality time together.  He had a blast making these bars.  Kids Central Kitchen's baking mix recipes are easy for kids to follow and when finished baking the young chef will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Kids Central Kitchen's natural, whole grain baking mixes are free from trans fats, hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. So what do they have in them?  Yummy goodness.  Organic oats, semi-sweet chocolate chips, cane juice and the chef (that's you) adds a few ingredients including applesauce and yogurt.  I wish I could put a 'scratch and taste' on here so you could taste the Chocolate Chip Energy Bars.  They are so good! 

Sebastian was very proud of himself for mixing and baking the bars and then serving the bars to all of us.  You can tell by the picture below that he was in absolute heaven when eating a bar.

Baking mixes include the Homerun Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix, Slam Dunker Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Snow Angel Sugar Cookie Mix, Mudslinger Chocolate Brownie Mix, Swinging Monkey Banana Bread Mix, Flip Flop Flap Jacks Pancake Mix & our favorite, the Propeller Chocolate Chip Energy Bar Mix.

Kids Central Kitchen

15% off your order with code 'insider'

Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

I try to buy all organic, whole wheat pasta as much as possible but Sebastian doesn't like the 'texture' of some of the whole wheat pasta we've tried.  I agree that some whole wheat pasta can be 'grainy'. 

Ronzoni's Smart Taste pasta is a great alternative to gra iny whole wheat pasta's and our kid testers loved the taste and texture of the pasta.  Little did they know they were getting about 25% of their DV of fiber and as much calcium as they would get in an 8 oz. glass of milk. 

Smart Taste is available in several varities including penne, spaghetti, thin spaghetti, elbows, and rotini so you can make all of your favorite pasta dishes with Smart Taste pasta's.

I recently found out that I have high bad cholesterol and low good cholesterol so it is important that I eat foods that are cholesterol free. Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta is a cholesterol free food so I can induldge in an occasional pasta dish without feeling guilty.  The Ronzoni Smart Taste website has a lot of recipes to get you started with your Smart Taste meals. You can buy Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta at your local grocery store.

I have ten boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste penne pasta to giveaway!  This giveaway will be held from March 3rd 2008 until March 10th 2008.  Click here to enter to win.  I will contact the winners by email and will request the winners mailing addresses then.

Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

Honey Buns Boutique: bringing simple back

Honey Buns Boutique is truly an exceptional shop.  Stepping away from frilly dresses (not that we don't like frilly) and high prices, Honey Buns Boutique brings simple, and affordable, back.   The designs were created by a mom with a super handsome 6 month old son so you can rest assure that she knows what moms want in both style and durability.

You will find a variety of cute and sassy shirts, onesies, and accessories for mommies, babies, toddlers, and children up to size 16 at Honey Buns Boutique and best of all, Honey Buns clothes are exclusive - you won't find their designs anywhere else! How cool is that? 

I love the Bubbles mommy tees and the Sugar & Spice tote bag. The simplicity of these designs is refreshing.

Honey Buns Boutique: clothes & accessories for mommies, babies, and toddlers.

Q-BA-MAZE construction toy + giveaway!

We received several Q-BA-MAZE kits to review back in December and the feedback from parents and kids alike has been aMAZing!

When Sebastian gets out his Q-BA-MAZE construction toy I know I won't see him for a while.   Like most  children, Sebastian loves to build things then take them apart.  If he could he would try it on my car.  When I received Q-BA-MAZE to review, I knew right away that this is a toy to play with when Madelyn (almost 2) is not around.  With small marbles and pieces that stack, the combination is a sure disaster. She would have Sebastian's project scattered on the floor in no time.

Q-BA-MAZE is unlike any toy I've ever seen. Not only is this a construction toy but it is also a marble maze.  Structures can be designed and built using the included architecture plans, your child's imagination, or from architecture plans found on the Q-BA-MAZE website. 
The fun isn't over when you've used all of the construction pieces.  When you are finished building a structure, drop the included marbles in and see where they come out!   What I love about this toy is that there are so many design possibilities and little inventors can spend hours making their own buildings, bridges, or other structures and then watch the marbles roll down and out!  The structure above is one of the simpler designs. Visit the website to see the design possibilities for each set.

Q-BA-MAZE packs come with 20 or 50 very durable pieces and include several marbles.  We have three 50 piece Q-BA-MAZES to giveaway and will do so in March.  Sign up for our newsletter using the "Get our newsletter" form to the right to be notified when we run the giveaway contest.

Q-BA-MAZE construction toy