Month: December 2017

December 29, 2017

Establishing a Bedtime Routine in Young Children with LectroFan Kinder

Establish a Positive Bedtime Routine with LectroFan Kinder

A good night sleep is important for children and adults alike. As parents, we all know how awful it can be the next day after your child has not had enough sleep the night before. They are cranky, irritable and will argue with you over everything.

This becomes amplified in toddlers and young children who don’t always have the words to express how tired and frustrated they are. When this is prolonged over months, it can have many negative effects on your child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being (not to mention Mom and Dad’s too). When your toddler or young child is not sleeping well at night, no one in the house is!

In order for your child to have a good night sleep, it is essential that you develop a predictable routine for them that is geared towards their individual personality and needs. No two children are the same but there are a few things that you can do to make sure the transition to sleep goes smoothly and that your child remains asleep throughout the night.

Set a bedtime and stick to it. It is important that you are consistent with what time your child goes to sleep. Make sure you give your child enough notice (I personally like to give them an hour notice) that it will soon be time for bed so that they can begin to prepare themselves mentally to unwind for the day. Some kids need to prepare themselves and get in some last-minute games, snacks or books before it is time for them to go to bed for the night.

A warm bath is the perfect way to unwind (who doesn’t like a nice warm bubble bath at the end of the day?!) for your child. You can use this time to talk about their day, what went well and what bothered them. They can then hop into their favourite pyjamas to settle in for the night.

A bedtime story that does not work your child up too much is perfect for transitioning to sleep time. You can choose either a chapter book or a nursery rhyme, the choices are endless! I like chapter books personally because it can be read over a length of time and your child is excited to read the next chapter the following evening.

Purchase a sound device like the LectroFan Kinder from Sound of Sleep that emits light and soothing sounds to not only help your child fall asleep but also helps to ensure that they sleep soundly and longer. Many children sleep better with white noise and fall asleep quicker listening to lullabies and/or nature sounds.

How many times did you rock your infant to sleep singing them a sweet lullaby? I am sure it is countless! These are some of my favourite moments during the day when it was time for them to go down for a nap but we also don’t want to make it habit-forming that they need to be held and rocked to sleep.

As adults we are the same, many of us fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer when there is calming white noise in the background. The LectroFan Kinder has over 75 sound choices to choose from that includes nature, environments, ambient noise and lullabies.

The Kinder is a small plug-in device that is controlled by an app on your smart phone. The device itself fits perfectly into the palm of your hand and is lightweight. There is a power button on the front and apart from that there are no other buttons or switches on the device. It is placed directly into an outlet in the wall of your child’s room. The lack of buttons is a huge bonus for those curious minds and fingers that like to press everything! This will ensure that only you can make changes to the device from your phone.

Once the Kinder is plugged into the wall, you can then pair your device with the app on your smart phone through your phone’s bluetooth. The app is quick to download and was easy to navigate. You get to choose the type of sounds you want your child to listen to and with such a wide variety of sounds and music it will be easy to choose a selection that your child will love. The device also has an option to emit a light, which is a must have in our home. No one likes to sleep in the dark in our home (not even me!) and this is a perfect addition on this product (a nightlight and sound machine in one!).

Are you looking for the perfect baby shower gift or product for your own home? The LectroFan Kinder can be purchased on Amazon and Sound of Sleep. New parents and seasoned parents will fall in love with the simplicity of design and comfort that the LectroFan Kinder will bring your child.

What is your number one tip for a successful night of sleep for young children?

Make sure to follow Sound of Sleep on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news and products.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 21, 2017

Feel Confident and Safe with MYNT Tracker

I am an anxious person by nature. I double (and sometimes triple check) to make sure my stove is off. I re-check locked doors and even get my kids to double-check with me for a second pair of eyes (I really hope that they don’t grow up and follow in my steps with anxiety). I will put my keys in my purse only to be checking ten minutes later if they are still there.

When I can’t find something in the place that I thought it was in, I go into full-out panic mode. My anxiety kicks in and I begin to have an attack – face goes red, sweating and being sharp with those that are around me. It is truly not a pretty sight! Most of my anxiety is over my keys, my phone and my wallet.

I know I am not alone in these habits. So many others also become anxious at the thought of losing their phone, keys and anything of value. As a society we are constantly on the go so we know that this is a reality – it is easy to misplace or leave something behind. We have so many things that we are multitasking that our brains tend to go into over drive.

What if there was a device that could safely track your valuable items and help give you that piece of mind that you need to function day-to-day?

The MYNT tracker is a sleek technology designed to attach or even be embedded into valuable items to track their location. It has the shape of a typical USB but much smaller design – it is 2 inches in length, 1 inch wide and an incredible 1/8 inch thick. It definitely packs a lot of power in such a small design! The tracker has a stainless steel shell allowing it to hold up against a lot of wear and tear including being water-resistant.

The tracker uses Bluetooth to connect to an app on your phone to monitor and let you know when the item that the MYNT tracker is attached to has become too far away. The app is easy to download from the Google or Apple store. Once the app is downloaded you would pair the device to your app and you are ready to be worry free! The app has three great features that includes: separation phone alert, separation location and distance indicator.

Common uses include:

smart phone
keys
wallet
car
purse
backpacks
your child’s clothes (this would be a huge bonus if going to an amusement park or location that is overly packed full of people)

The uses are really unlimited and you are in charge with what you feel is important to you and what you want to track. The tracker also has a remote control function allowing you to use it for camera, smart phone and more.

The tracker was very easy to set up, I literally took it out of its packaging, downloaded the app (a quick and painless and hit the MYNT button on the tracker. It began to pair immediately and took me through a couple of steps to let me know how to use the app and tracker. It gives a peace of mind knowing that at any given time I can check my app and see that my keys are nearby.

The MYNT tracker is available for purchase on Amazon and Amazon Canada.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 21, 2017

P. King Duckling: Discovery Duck Giveaway

Discover the web-footed hilarious world of P. King Duckling in Discovery Duck released on DVD December 12th, 2017.

About P. King Duckling: Discovery Duck

Spend some time in Hilly Hole with your favorite day-seizing duck P. King Duckling! Along with his two best friends – Chumpkins, the tech-savvy pig, and the smart, sensible Wombat – P. King travels the globe in search of excitement and fun although they do ruffle a few feathers along the way!

This series is brought to you by the award-winning Josh Selig (Sesame Street, Wonder Pets!) in collaboration with James Chen Gu, General Manager of UYoung Animation,P. King Duckling encourages creative thinking and problem-solving skills in children with his funny, family friendly adventures.

Broadcast in the U.S. on Disney Junior, where the series enjoyed high ratings, the preschool comedy series has a learning-focused curriculum created by media specialist, Dr. Christine Ricci (Dora the Explorer), that centers on overcoming challenges and inspiring creative thinking.

The DVD has a run time of 132 minutes and contains six episodes from season one and four music videos.

Honestly you can’t help but fall in love with P. King Duckling and his friends. As a parent and a child you will appreciate his silliness but above that he teaches children valuable life lessons in a way that they can understand and appreciate. It is a series that will be on constant reply in your home!

The Trailer

You can purchase a copy of this DVD on Amazon and Shout Factory.

The Giveaway!

My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win their own DVD copy of Discovery Duck. Two winners will each win one copy of this DVD. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 19, 2017

A Year In Review: The Ups, Downs and Netflix #StreamTeam

It is hard to believe that 2017 is almost at an end and to be very honest I am quite ready for this year to be over.

Looking back at 2017 it has been a year of ups and downs for our family. We had some very special moments with our sons that included our eldest making the U14 Ontario Provincial Projects in soccer and our youngest making the competitive soccer team in the age group above him. We added a new member to our family, our little Kay Kay who has become a special part of our family and we were just saying yesterday that we can’t remember life without her little dramatic self. I graduated from McMaster’s Continuing Education Marketing program and I have almost completed my Business Administration (I am a huge believer of life long learning – always push yourself to keep learning and growing).

Like everyone we have had our downs from our son breaking his leg, damages to our car and roof, an unplanned surgery, a couple of ulcers and purchases that we had to make that were definitely not in the budget.

Urgh life! It definitely never goes as planned, right?

Throughout the good and bad times, we took plenty of down time together to recoup, rejuvenate and reconnect. We are a family that bonds over movies and television series (although we are all very determined to ensure that it is our movie we are watching on family movie night and not someone else’s choice in the family – so it can lead to a few arguments).

And according to statistics we are not alone! Canadians are ranked second globally for the most members to binge on Netflix every day (yes every single day). I definitely helped this statistic this year while I was off for a month and half after surgery and watched every episode of This Is Us and Fuller House – no feelings of guilt whatsoever that I cheated and watched all of the episodes before my husband and kids.

So what movies brought Canadians and their families together in 2017?

A couple of these movies made our family list, including Stranger Things (my husband and eldest couldn’t stop watching this), Fuller House, 13 Reasons Why, Atypical and Gilmore Girls. These movies made us laugh, scared us silly and got us talking. There is a little bit of everything for everyone on this list and a wide range of viewing suitability for all age groups.

Another interesting group of series that Canadians enjoyed in 2017 is the savouring category, these are shows that Canadians took their time to watch. They wanted to slow down and enjoy each and every moment of the series. The two my husband and I watched off of this list were The Crown and Atypical. Another two that we enjoyed and took our time watching were Luther and the Iron First.

While 2017 may be drawing to a close (yikes!), 2018 is setting up to be promising and bright and full of more family adventures (and hopefully a little less of the negative ones). I know that Netflix will continue to play a huge role in our family downtime moments. We will continue to be inspired, learn some awesome fighting moves (just joking although I have caught the youngest attempting some pretty awesome feats in the basement after watching several Marvel episodes) and just laugh together. And that is what all families need, time to sit, laugh and be together.

What was the highlight of 2017 for you?

Disclosure: I am a Netflix #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 18, 2017

Practical Stocking Ideas for Children of All Ages

I was on Facebook the other day when a Meme popped up about Christmas and stockings. It was a child asking Mom for toothpaste in December but Mom said that will be part of your Christmas gift. I had to laugh because that is me.

The holiday season can be a very expensive time of the year if you let it. There are gifts, work parties, school events and gifts to buy for and the list can go on and on. The first few years into parenting, I would stress and want to make Christmas magical for my child. Which meant I would go overboard, spent too much and most of the stuff was never used. We had a great time don’t get me wrong but the money spent was way too much and we still had to buy so much in the new year.

I have learned over the years that practical gifts make the best gifts. Now half of the presents under the tree are clothes, shoes or soccer equipment. I want the gifts to be something that they can use all year round – if I am going to spend the money it has to be worth it.

The same holds true for a stocking. It can be easy to go to the Dollar Store and load up on a lot of items that your child may not use (and it isn’t cheap either there).

Instead I try to pack their stockings full of items that they can use. My top items to include in a stocking for children and adults are:

Toiletries – this includes their deodorants, gels, body wash, tooth brushes, tooth paste, lip balms and hand sanitizer for school. I love to buy the boxed sets from Shopper Drugs Mart every year (usually Axe or Dove) and use my points to get the most for my money.

Underwear and socks – we all need them and they fit in their stockings perfectly. My boys go through socks like crazy and the cost can really add up throughout the year. Adding this to their stockings is a win win for parents.

Chocolates – I cave here and buy them their favourite chocolate bars. Who doesn’t love to get a little bit of yummy chocolate here and there? I know I do!

Music and DVDs – everyone loves music and watching movies, this makes for a great stocking stuffer. Maybe you have a younger child who would love the sounds of Will’s Jams or an older child that really has to have the newest Taylor Swift. Or maybe a child who loves My Little Pony. The options are truly endless when it comes to music and DVDs, the bonus is that this is a gift that is great for the colder, winter months when your child may be stuck inside more.

However you organize your spending during the holiday season make sure you enjoy every moment and live in each moment.

How do you as a family navigate the holiday spending when it comes to stockings?

Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday season!