My baby's getting tubes in his ears

Before I had kids, I thought ear infections were inevitable, a rite of passage for new parents. I was wrong. The boy has had just one ear infection about four months ago. My one year old baby on the other hand, got his first ear infection within a week of his brother and has spent the majority of the time since then with an ear infection or on antibiotics to treat one.

After five rounds of antibiotics, a ridiculous number of trips to our family doctor and two trips to the ear, nose and throat specialist at Children's Hospital, my baby is scheduled for surgery. Minor surgery, but surgery none the less. He will be recieving a myringotomy and tympanostomy tubes, or simply, 'tubes in his ears'.

Although it was common practice in the past, recurring ear infections on their own are no longer considered adequate justification for putting tubes in a child's ears. As a mother, its hard for me to imagine that neither my sons constant pain and discomfort, nor his inability to function, learn and grow to his full capacity are reason enough to perform a minor surgery that would fully prevent further ear infections for at least a year. 

I'll admit I was apprehensive going into the hearing test, the doctor told me explicitly that if there was hearing loss then we would have sufficient justification for the surgery. Emotionally it was strange to find myself hoping that the baby would actually demonstrate some level of hearing loss.

He did in fact exhibit approximately 30% hearing loss, which they were able to confirm was a result of fluid in the inner ear. Much to my relief, the hearing loss is temporary and should return to normal once the tubes are in place and the fluid has drained. I recognize there are risks with surgery and putting a child under general anaesthesia, but my boy deserves to enjoy his young life and we feel the risks are well worth it.

We have just over a month until the surgery, now all I can do is hope he can make it that long without another ear infection. Sadly, it may be more realistic to hope for only one round of antibiotics.

Did your children suffer from ear infections?
Did you heal them holistically or with antibiotics?
Did your child need tubes in their ears? 

BARE Air-Free Bottles

I've recently noticed that if I am at the checkout, be it the grocery store or Toys R Us, and I am asked to donate to a cause I am far more likely to donate a dollar or two than I am under any other circumstance.  If the cause is for children, women or mothers in need, I'm even more likely to contribute.  For some reason it seems so much easier to add a couple dollars onto an existing expense; it's likely the two dollars I donated was saved by an item I bought on sale anyways right?  Interesting the justifications our minds think up.

I started thinking about this after learning about the BARE Air-Free Bottle; this mom-designed bottle is made to truly prevent the ingestion of air, mimic the mother's breast, prevent bacteria and simplify cleaning.  In order for BARE to become a reality, Mom inventor Priska Diaz is seeking sponsorship from everyday people, mom's like us, via a unique site called Kick Starter.  Pledges as low as $1 are being accepted and everyone who contributes will receive recognition on the BARE website.  Although you can't pledge BARE at your grocery check-out, it is super easy to use your credit card via amazon payments.

So what makes BARE so unique?

Although many bottles claim to be inspired by mother's breast, BARE takes it a step farther, allowing the milk flow to be determined entirely by babies suckling, this also means there's no need for different nipples as baby grows.  A BARE bottle will provide more milk to baby when he is ready and when baby sucks, the nipple stretches just like mom's.  I'm also amazed by the innovation of the air-plug; it works just like a syringe allowing you to effectively push all the air out of the bottle before baby's lips ever reach the nipple.  BARE air-free bottles are dishwasher safe, designed to minimize backwash and promote self-feeding as your child grows.

We are already on our third variety of bottle with the baby boy, as he is prone to very bad and uncomfortable gas, with all these great features I only wish that BARE  was available in stores now, I'd definitely try them out.  Find out more about BARE air-free bottles and  consider contributing a loonie or two to a mompreneur with a product that has the potential to effect many. 

This post is sponsored by BARE air-free bottles, however all opinions are my own.

It's not always easy being a momma to two

No matter how many books you read or mom's you talk to, I don't believe that its possible to truly comprehend the exhaustion and sleep deprivation that a newborn entails. Similarly, despite a 'been there, done that' attitude, nothing can truly prepare you for the challenges of having an infant and another child at home.

I admit it, before the baby boy arrived, I didn't give mothers of two near enough credit. I know that in the long run, having two little boys 25 months apart is going to be fantastic, but for now, its extra-exhausting.

With one, you can go back to bed after an early morning feed.
With one, you can nap when the baby naps.
With one, you can shower when the baby naps or you can just plop them in their bed and let them cry for 10 minutes.
With one, you can watch oodles of tv while nursing the baby.

With two, not so much.

It's rare for the baby boy to sleep within the boys two hour nap so I rarely have any time of my own to sleep, shower, blog, bake, sew or anything else that may possibly recharge my batteries, just a little bit.

I'm not complaining, this exhaustion and steep learning curve is a very real part of motherhood and I truly believe that the momma's who swear everything is perfect, all the time, are quite simply, liars. That being said, every moment that has its frustrations is matched by another moment, laced with love, that makes it all worthwhile.

So to you Momma's who have been doing it for ages, kudos to you. And for us Momma's that are just learning to walk this new walk, WE CAN DO IT. Motherhood has the most amazing reward; the immeasurable love of our children.

It's a Boy!

Although I love the painted eggs, chocolate and candy that Easter is known for, in my family its simply an opportunity to spend time enjoying the company of our loved ones over plates full of delicious food.  After this year however, Easter Sunday will never be quite the same.  Even though the date changes from year to year, how could I possibly forget that in 2011 we missed Easter dinner because we were busy welcoming our newest little family member to the world?

Here are the quick and dirty details:

• It's ANOTHER boy!
• Born Sunday April 24, 2011 at 4pm
• 7lbs 9.2 oz
• 20 inches long

Although this was my second time around, I still had some concerns about labour expectations, but I need not have worried, we were at the hospital with more than enough time to spare.  In fact my contractions weren't coming strong and regular enough to get me dilated and we ended up needing to break the water and introduce a little oxytocin into the picture (FYI - both were required when the boy was born too).  That being said once the oxytocin started, an hour and ten minutes later the pushing began and about 5 minutes after that I had my little bundle of joy in my arms.  And because we are perhaps a little crazy (in many people's eyes), four and a half hours later we were home from the hospital, ready to settle into our new reality.

22.5 weeks | Crafty Momma

When I was pregnant with the boy, I took belly pictures every single week; its amazing to look back at them and see how the body grows and changes with pregnancy.  I'd like to say I've been as diligent with this pregnancy, but it would be a lie.  Although I love my DSLR, I just can't seem to get a good belly picture, regardless how hard I try.  So instead of regularly posting belly pics, the occasional ones that someone else snaps, are just going to have to do.

22.5 weeks pregnant
(please excuse the cheesy smile)

Now that I'm over half way through this pregnancy, its probably not all that surprising that my nesting instincts have begun to kick in.  Let me be clear however, I don't mean that I am cleaning fervrently, or even organizing baby clothes and furniture (although the hubs is doing these things).  I'm more of the creative type.  With the boy I made oodles of crocheted blankets and amigurimi animals, but given that I've yet to need ALL the blankets I made, nor has the boy particularly played with the stuffies, it was clear that this time around I needed to look for a new creative outlet.

After much perusing of the internet, I decided to pull out my sewing machine and give sewing baby clothes a whirl.  Given that I don't know the gender of my baby you might think I would have opted to stick to gender neutral items like pants and shirts, but they're so boring and little dresses are so cute and adorable.  Since I know three other people having babies in the months following my due date, I started off making some uber cute pillowcase dresses then moved onto a kimono top, which I also adapted to make into a dress.

I must admit however, that my mom is a far better sewer than me and sewing that itty bitty bias tape together to make the kimono ties was a little beyond my skill level, so she kindly fixed up the first kimono and stitched the trim altogether on the second kimono dress. (Thanks Mom)

There are tons of tutorials and patterns on the web, but here are the dress tutorial and kimono tutorial I used.  I think my next undertaking is going to be a nursing cover, I just bought some boning and I already have some fabric that I think will work beautifully.  That's one of the best things about these little DIY projects, they are so quick and easy to do and you can potentially upcycle materials you arelady have on hand.  The beige fabric is an old sheet and both the purple trim and the grey fabric are pillowcases I bought at Value Village.  Inexpensive fun?  I'm in!

10 Tips for International Travel with an Infant

When the boy was 8 months old, we embarked on an international adventure, we spent 3 weeks traveling Asia.  We visited China, Hong Kong and Thailand, we went on organized tours, we visited my family's rural village and stayed in a resort.  To say we packed a lot into the trip would be an understatement.  Before we left, I scoured the internet for information on traveling with an infant, although there was a lot of information on flying with an infant, this was the only useful article I could find about actually traveling with an infant.

There were some very useful tips in the 2 for Couples Article and I'm so glad I found it before we departed; here are some tips based on my personal experiences, for traveling internationally with an infant.

1. You may be a Super Mom, but you can't do it alone - if you think that staying home and tending house is a challenge, imagine juggling a hot and cranky baby, passports, paperwork and a full-bladder while waiting in an impossibly long line to clear customs.  You NEED to have someone to pass the baby off for those moments where you are getting extremely close to losing it.  I was fortunate enough to have my parents and two sets of aunts and uncles along for the ride, although the hubs had to stay home, they all made a huge difference at one time on another.
   
   During one leg of our journey, we had to take a fast ferry between Hong Kong and Mainland China.  As the boat started up there was no indication of how rough the journey would be except for the staff lady holding onto empty barf bags, her eyes steadily scanning the room.  Sadly, I am prone to motion sickness; I sat in the middle of the boat, my head between my knees and couldn't even consider the needs of the boy as I did my best to keep my lunch in my belly, unsuccessfully might I add. 
   
   Fortunately my Aunt happily played with the boy, and when it was time to get off the boat, she tucked him into the carrier, despite his screams, and toted him off the boat.  Thank goodness for help - I have no idea how I would have survived that particular boat trip without the support of my Aunt.
   
   
2. Baby food is NOT readily available, so bring your own - The boy was eating solids at the time of our trip, but he certainly wasn't eating table food exclusively.  This was particularly challenging for us as I made him all his baby food at home, but that obviously wasn't going to work while we gallivanted Asia.
   
   I packed four large Ziploc bags full of food, which I was sure would be enough food for the boy, particularly when combined with rice, tofu and other table food that he did eat.  We had meats, fruit, cereals and snacks; I felt prepared.  I wasn't.  The boy ate through most of his food in about 2 weeks, which left me scrambling to find baby food; at one point I was so desperate for  food, that I bought pure mango juice and mixed it with rice cereal, voila breakfast for the boy.
   
   When I did finally find babyfood (all imported from Australia, so there were some interesting flavours) our choices were further diminished as we looked for gluten-free (read pasta-free) options. My advice, pack more food than you think your little one can possibly consume and don't worry about it taking up room in your suitcase.  As you little one eats the food, you'll have room to store all those great items you bought yourself.
   
   
3. Bring feeding gear - If you international destination is anything like ours, high chairs in restaurants are a rarity rather than the norm.  As much as I love the boy, eating with him on my lap, particularly with chopsticks, is not my idea of a good time. 
   
   Before departing I did some research on portable booster seats and originally purchased a First Years On The Go Booster Feeding Seat, but when I found (and tested out) the Totseat, which is much more compact, I knew that I had found the right option for me.
   
   Also, don't forget some easily wipeable or disposable bibs; someone gave me a box of disposables, which were great, and I also took a couple Mally leather bibs, which were easy to wipe up on the go.
   
   Speaking of messes, grab yourself some WYSI wipes and make sure you bring resealable containers you trust, unless of course you want baby food all over your backpack and your daily ration of clean clothes.  Even open baby food jars I didn't trust, unless they were inside a sealed ziploc freezer bag.  Bring lots of those too, in many different sizes.
   
   In terms of cutlery, I loved the Take & Toss Spoons since you got 12 in a pack and I was able to keep a few in every bag without worrying if I forgot one in a restaurant or hotel room.  I also brought one sharp paring knife that was infinitley useful at cutting up fruit or table food for the boy.
   
   
4. Go with the flow and anticipate a minor regression - In traveling with your child, you are taking away everything that is familiar and he/she may want comforts that haven't been needed in ages, especially if he/she gets sick. 
   
   Although the boy was swaddled to sleep until almost 6 months, at the time of our trip he hadn't been swaddled for at least a month and a half, but with so much change and stimulation, he couldn't seem to settle without swaddling, rocking and some night-time songs from his Momma.  I assure you things went back to normal within a few weeks of returning home, my boy needed his Momma a little more than usual, but in truth, I can't say I blame him.
   
   Similarly, the boy had been cutting way back on breastfeeding before the trip, but quickly upped his intake upon our arrival in Asia. I'm sure it was a combination of comfort and a general dislike for the jarred baby food.
   
   
5. Routine, Routine, Routine, its even more important now that you're half way across the world - Although your routine cannot possibly be exactly the same as when you are at home, think about why you started a routine in the first place.  Surprises and unknowns are stressful for young children, by having a regular routine, you child knows what to expect and that can make bedtime much more enjoyable for everyone.
   
   At our house, we do bathtime, books and then sleepytime at night and books then sleepytime for naps.  We may not have had the rocking chair in the bedroom, but if I wanted him to nap on the tour bus, we read our books and then I snuggled him up for a sleep.  And at nighttime, it may have been way past bedtime, and the boy had to bathe in the sink a few times, but I did my best to always give the boy his routine, bath, books, sleepytime.  It just seemed reasonable that amidst all the chaos, the least I could do was try and maintain this simple routine.
   
   
6. Don't forget the babe's comfort items - no blanket or bear you can buy will be able to replace the one your little one has had for months, that he/she has cried into, barfed on and spit all over.  That item has sentimental value and will be essential at some point in your trip.
   
   We brought both the boys blanket and "bear" (the small blanket with a bear attached); the blanket stayed in the suitcase and only came out at night, but he would often reach for bear when it was time for naptime on the bus.
   
   
7. Sleepytime; you need a plan - you need to think about this before you leave home, particularly if you don't co-sleep.  We didn't and we don't and that can certainly complicate matters when your staying in a hotel.  Most rooms in Asia have a single double bed, I can't imagine how tight the sleeping arrangements would have been with two adults and a baby.
   
   I will admit that the first few days when we were jetlagged and the last few days when the boy was really sick, he was so exhausted he would fall asleep in the bed with me, but in general he thinks that laying in the bed with Mommy means playtime.
   
   We got around this, but using a Kidco Peapod, essentially a baby tent, complete with a self-inflating mattress.  We practiced using it at home before we left; first inside the crib, then at the grandparents and our friends houses.  Within a few days of using the Peapod each night, the boy would settle down almost immediately.  Although each hotel room was different, HIS tent was the same.  Important travel features of the Peapod include quick set-up and take-down and is super light weight so that your luggage isn't overweight.  I wrote a full review of the Peapod here.
   
   
8. Your "super-stroller 3000" probably won't cut it - First off, if you have a beautiful 3-wheeled stroller like me, its probably going to be huge and bulky to tote around, fit onto buses and into tiny crowded shops.  Your umbrella stroller?  It's not going to stand a chance against brick roads, uneven concrete, narrow sidewalks and pushy locals.
   
   Bring a baby carrier and make sure you've tried it out at home.  Make sure both you and the babe are comfortable, you might find yourself wearing your child for hours at a time.  I wore the boy in our Ergo Carrier for about 3 hours a day for three weeks (this was great for my waistline, but sadly it didn't last when I got back home) and I had no aches or pains to speak of.  We had poor weather while touring in China and by the end of the first week, the boy was eager to hop in the Ergo and would snuggle in and go to sleep. 
   
   It was also great in the airports, as it allows you to know where your child is while giving you two free hands for paperwork, passports and the like.  You will have to take it off to clear security (which is a pain) but c'est la vie I guess.  Again this is where another set of hands comes in handy.  I loved the Ergo, which is a soft backpack carrier because it didn't add much extra weight while in use and it wasn't too bulky and difficult to store when we weren't using it.
   
   
   
9. Have a well stocked supply of medicine - bring your medication of choice for teething and/or pain, and bring a whole bottle. Between teething and sickness we went through an entire bottle of infants Motrin and were lucky that my aunt (a nurse) had a bottle of childrens Advil that we could use.  I absolutley would not have wanted to be trucking around with a sick baby in tow, looking for drugs and being unable to read the packaging.
   In addition to pain meds, I also brought children's gravol exclusively for the plane (which worked great at home, but did not help him sleep on the plane), however when the boy was barfing his guts out, little bits of gravol did seem to help settle his tummy.  If you can get powdered pedialyte, I would recommend taking some with you so that you don't end up in a foreign Thai pharmacy taking their word that its safe for your little one (like I had to).
   
   
10.  Don't forget to have fun - it's not really giving up your vacation if you stay in your hotel for a half day every now and then to play with your little one to give them (and you) a break from the go-go-go of traveling. But don't get so sucked into your childs needs that you forget to go out and enjoy yourself.  Despite everything I've said above, children are adaptable and although a happy child definitely equates to happy parents, make sure you didn't fly half way around the world to forget to stop and smell the roses.

pediped® footwear review

We have received many pairs of shoes for the boy, some new and many used but I have only bought three pairs.  All three pairs have been worn daily until they were outgrown and all three pairs were pediped^® footwear.  I did a lot of research before I bought the boy his first shoes, I wanted something soft and natural, not restricting around the ankle but still durable, supportive and well-made.

Pediped^® footwear has three collections 'The Originals', 'flex' and 'couture'.  We have only tried out the Originals, but they have definitely met my expectations.  Given the track record, our next shoe purchase will definitely be a pair of pediped flex.  Pediped Originals are a soft leather soled shoes that resemble the shape of the foot.  Without the thick rubber sole I didn't have to worry about the boy tripping as he learned to walk, or even when he was crawling.  The elastic faux laces, velcro and generous width all make it super easy to fit the shoes onto the boys feet.

The sole itself feels smooth, but despite my concerns, they truly are slip-resistant, I found that when the boy was just gaining his balance, he actually seemed to be more stable with his pediped^® footwear on.  Now that he is walking, running even, I'm happy to report that I have yet to see him slip as a result of his shoes.  And even though he has been wearing his current pair of pediped footwear during his foray into walking over the past two months, the soles show no sign of wear despite their regular use outdoors.

Most importantly the boy seems comfortable in his pediped^® footwear, he has never really pulled or tugged on his shoes (until his recent obsession with velcro) and he rarely, if ever, fights us when its time to put them on.  In fact I sent the boy to my Mom house the other day wearing some second hand sandals that were a bit cooler, but he still came back home in his pediped footwear.  My Mom informed me he was much more comfy in his Brady pediped^® sandals.

I love that the inside of the shoes feels cushy, like memory foam.  I remember my delight the first time I stuck my fingers in his sweaty little shoes and could feel the boys toe indentations.  He had just learned to pull himself at the time and as I ran my fingers over the grooves in his shoes, I relished in the moment hoping to keep the memory with me forever.

In addition to all of the other great features, pediped footwear is podiatrist recommended, and reasonably priced for the quality of the product.  Did I mention they come in tons of adorable styles and are super cute?  If I had a little girl I would definitely have more trouble buying only one pair per size.  We love pediped^® footwear at our house, and I truly have no complaints; in my eyes, an absolute 5/5!

The Miracle Blanket

It's hard to believe, a year ago I was huge, waddling and waiting to meet my son. It seems so cliche, but it really has gone so fast. I still remember bringing him home, holding him, trying to breathe in every essence of my beautiful son. In some ways it feels like yesterday, but when I see all the things he can do now, I know a year has passed. It's his birthday today - HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY - and in honour of his birthday I want to review something that was essential to us through the first few months, well maybe longer than a few months - The Miracle Blanket.

There are tons of articles about swaddling, some people swear by it, others don't get it. As one may expect, some babies love swaddling, others, not so much. We swaddled the boy right from the start and he liked it; he was 8 lb 7.5 oz at birth and had gained a pound within the first week. It quickly became apparent that most traditional receiving blankets were going to be too small for swaddling the boy. We received our Miracle Blanket as a shower gift and it came accompanied by rave reviews, so I had high hopes when we tried it out.

The first night we wrapped the boy in the Miracle Blanket he cried, struggled and fought. Within a few days, it wasn't so much as a fight, but a small struggle, within a couple weeks the boy would wait patiently on the change table for me to swaddle him in his Miracle Blanket.

What's unique about the Miracle Blanket are the inner armflaps that you wrap around each arm before tucking your baby's feet in a flap and then wrapping the tails of the blanket around your baby to complete the swaddle. I know that sounds complicated, but check out the instructions here it's not as difficult as it sounds.

What's great about the Miracle Blanket is that it keeps your baby swaddled, even if he/she is a bit of a Houdini. The extra long tail goes all the way around the baby twice, so even though there is no closure to hold the swaddle closed, it stays closed. The truth is, I never really liked the idea of securing my baby's arms with velcro like some of the other swaddle blankets have. The Miracle Blanket kept my son warm, snuggled and safe. In time, he settled faster and stayed asleep longer - and as he got older it kept his arms wrapped up as long as he wanted them. I only wish that I had two, so that the nights it was in the wash, I wouldn't be back to a regular receiving blanket. Then again if I had two, I wouldn't know so surely that the Miracle Blanket worked for us. I loved the Miracle Blanket so much, that when the boy stopped using it ALL the time, I lent it to a friend to try out with her baby for a week.

I would have liked it if the Miracle Blanket also came in a larger size; we were still occasionally using the Miracle Blanket at 6 and 7 months, but we had to stop because he just stopped fitting. He was too long in the body and it no longer came up to his shoulders. Granted he was getting a bit old to be swaddled by that time, but the boy was big from the start, so I would have probably started out with the larger size if it was available.

The price on the Miracle Blanket website is $29.95, which is reasonable and comparable to other swaddling blankets on the market, though in my local stores they were running $39.95, which seemed a bit pricey considering that they aren't even organic. That being said, they are well constructed, we had no rips or tears and my son tugged and pulled on the Miracle Blanket a lot as he got older and learned to pull his arms out at will.

The Miracle Blanket is a great product if you have a swaddling family; I give it 4.5/5.

True Cuddles - A Truly Good Deal. Until It's Gone.

I admit it, I think I may be a little bit addicted to Daily Deal baby shopping sites. These sites offer super cute items, that I didn't know I needed, for a vastly discounted price. To add insult to injury, these deals disappear quickly, so you have to make a decision and make your purchases quickly.True Cuddles was the first daily deal website that I discovered, and I have made quite a few great purchases, including Pacimals, Mimitens & Teething Bling to name a few.

True Cuddles is a Canadian website (a plus for a canuck such as myself), based out of Calgary, Alberta however they do ship to the US.

Each Monday at 9am MST a new "cuddle" goes up for grabs and True Cuddles offers email notifications (which arrive consistently on time) to ensure you never miss a cuddle. Their website also features a weekly Mompreneur and offers a weekly giveaway to their readers.

Since True Cuddles was the first deal website I came across, waiting a week for a new sale seemed totally reasonable and beneficial for my wallet. I often wish that "cuddles" came more often, but I can only imagine how much effort goes into running a website of this nature.

True Cuddles provides quality products at a great price, shipping is reasonable and prompt (in accordance with their website FAQ's) and their website provides exposure for Mompreuners and prizes for readers, all in all a great website.

As the Momma of a young boy, I have noticed over the past few months there seems to be a lot of hairclips and girlie items that don't apply to me. This may however just be my own bias, and I know there are many more girl products out there than boy products, so I can't really count this as a complaint.

Boon Bath Goods: Designer Toys & Scrubbies

My son received Boon Bath Goods at his baby shower and at first glance I wasn't sure how enjoyable these particular toys would be; they looked neat, that's for sure but beyond that I really didn't know. Perusal of the Boon website didn't provide much more information, although it assured me that the foam would not absorb the water, thus reducing any potential growth of mold or mildew. From a health perspective that is of course an important note.

Around two months of age, the boy and I started sharing a bath before bedtime each night. At first he just laid in the tub, and after a few weeks we decided to crack open the Boon Bath Goods and try them out. Due to the assortment of shapes, we carefully chose a few shapes that would be easy for his small, uncoordinated hands to grasp and tossed them in the tub with us.

The boy loved them. At first he would just hold the Boon Bath Toys, then he started shaking them and chewing on them. He loved them so much, he always took one out of the bath and when we towelled, lotioned and dressed him, he would happily chew away on his Boon Bath Goods instead of fighting us during the process. He loved them so much that they became a toybag staple, at playdates I needed to make sure that there was two, or the kids would pull back on forth on the one.

An added bonus of Boon Bath Goods is that the soft foam shapes stick on the sides of the bathtub providing lots of visual stimuli for your little one when they are young and as they get older they can start grasping and pulling them off the side of the tub themselves.The boy  was so proud of himself when he figured this out!

As the boy has started to develop teeth, I was a little worried about the wear and tear on the Boon Bath Goods, but he now possess' four teeth and has not yet ripped, torn or otherwise mangled any of his toys. Now granted he doesn't play with them quite so much now that he is almost 11 months old, and that lack of absorbency in the foam means that teething on the Boon Bath Toys definitely requires a bib (or results in a very wet shirt).

All of that being said, my son showed little interest in the balls, despite their small size, and we never used the scrubbies, instead opting to use organic washcloths we received as gifts. I'm sure these two facets are great for some people, but in my house they just never seem to get used.

The Boon website lists this product for $14.99 and I have seen them locally for $19.99; my son has easily had 9 months of play with these toys and they are none the worse for the wear, all in all these are amazing toys for both in and out of the bathtub.

Taking into account Durability, Enjoyability & Price I have to give Boon Bath Goods a solid 4/5!