Monthly Archives: July 2011
Go on A Bird Picnic with Your Kids
We love that summer is the perfect time for picnics, skipping stones, going on hikes and so many other opportunities to connect with your children through nature. Even if you can’t get out to a national park, you can have nature fun in your own backyard with a Bird Picnic! It’s easy to do! Our friends at the National Wildlife Federation have put together all that you need for fun bird themed recipes and activities for your Bird Picnic.
Enjoy!
The Perfect Summer Lightweight Stroller
During the summer there are festivals, fairs and farmer’s markets that are great to visit together as a family. Sometimes though little legs just can’t keep up. Enter the perfect summer lightweight stroller – the umbrella stroller. Umbrella strollers aren’t fancy strollers with tons of storage. Rather, they are very light strollers that are perfect for maneuvering through crowds and they don’t cost very much either.
Kolcraft carries a number of umbrella strollers. Some are basic strollers perfect when all you need is a way to transport your tired child. Some of Kolcraft’s umbrellas strollers have cup holders, canopies and a little storage space. Some even connect to your i-Pod!
Our Jeep umbrella strollers offer a few more features such as side cargo bags for storage, cool-climate roll up backs end even a reclining feature.
If you want to make your summer a little more hassle-free, try an umbrella stroller to help you spend more time enjoying all the fun summer has to offer.
Getting the Best Deals for Your Family Vacation
You have picked your vacation spot, know a few main attractions you must go to while there and just need to pack. But wait – you could be missing the best deals for your family vacation! By visiting the tourism site of the city you are going to, you will not only find some good deals, but find out about local events that you might not have known about. If you sign up for email alerts, follow the city on Facebook or Twitter you often get exclusive deals! It’s an easy way to save money and pack more fun into your vacation!
Where do you find the best vacation deals?
Unwanted Parenting Advice
We all have received unwanted parenting advice from parents, friends, co-workers, strangers – you name it. It can really get on your nerves not to mention have you questioning your parenting skills. A few simple tips to help with unwanted parenting advice:
- It’s about them not you - It’s hard, but try not to take the advice personally or as a sign that you aren’t doing something right. People often give advice from their own need rather than yours.
- Trust your parenting “gut” – Everyone has a different approach to parenting, but you know your family and baby the best so go with your gut.
- Be ready – Unsolicited parenting advice often catches us off guard, but having a ready response helps. It could be as simple as “Thank you. I’ll think about that.” or a simple smile to acknowledge them.
- Look who’s talking – Consider who it is who is giving you advice. A complete stranger probably doesn’t need as much attention and tact when you give a response as a relative does.
- Listen and learn - We learn something new every day. It’s easy to become defensive about our parenting styles, but you never know who has tidbits of wisdom to share.
How do you handle unwanted parenting advice?
Fitness for Moms
There are many demands on moms from childcare to household upkeep and beyond so sometimes it’s hard for mom to find time for herself, let alone start a fitness routine. Taking time to stay fit has so many benefits for mom so Kolcraft has partnered with certified fitness trainer, Cassandra, from Active Moms Club to bring you some very easy-to-incorporate fitness tips for even the busiest of moms.
We love how clear and practical Cassandra’s tips are. Over the next 3 Mom Mondays we will bring you fitness tips from Cassandra to help jump start your fitness routine. We also will be hosting a giveaway for a Jeep Jogging stroller so you will have lots of reasons to start making time for yourself on a fitness journey.
We love the Jeep Overland Limited Jogging Stroller because you can get fit with baby!
Jeep Overland Limited Jogging Stroller
Some of the features we love:
- iBaby sound system easily connects to your iPod or MP3 player so you can listen to your favorite music while on the move.
- Speed and distance odometer keeps track of your fitness progress.
- Multi-position reclining seat keeps baby comfortable.
It’s easy to enter to win a Jeep Overland Limited Jogging Stroller. Just leave a comment about one thing you learned from Cassandra or tell us what feature of the Jeep Jogging stroller will help you the most on your fitness journey. Your comment will automatically enter you to win the Jeep Jogging stroller. Contest will end July 25th at midnight CST.
Happy Fitness!
Summer Tea Party for Kids
“Mom, I’m bored…” usually starts to sneak up around this point in summer, so we thought to share with you some fun ideas for a summer kid’s tea party Alice in Wonderland style!
Tea parties can be so fun for kids because it helps unlock imagination as they dress up, eat “petite” cakes and sandwiches, get to play games and just be with friends. Several of us at Kolcraft love Alive in Wonderland and have had Alice themed tea parties. Some activities and recipes our kids loved from our summer tea party:
Decorations & Activities:
- You can find cheap light up lanterns at the dollar store or party city. They add festivity to your backyard especially if you plan on having the party a little later and you can plug them in.
- Remember the daisies who sang to Alice? These fantastical felt flowers make great decorations or you can have them as a tea party activity.
- Who can resist the cute little card suitors? This craft is not only great for Valentine’s day, but also for your tea party decor!
Recipes:
- Tea can be bitter for children so select special children’s tea or use apple juice which looks like tea. These edible teacups are a big hit!
- Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cut them out with cookie cutters into cute little shapes.
- Our absolute favorite are these Cheshire Cat cupcakes. Of course you can do any theme of cupcakes.
Have fun & don’t forget to dress up for the tea party!
Ask An Expert All Your Questions on Baby Products!
Over the past one and half years that our Baby Matters blog has been up, you have caught some behind the scenes glimpses of how we make products & the people who make these products. We are constantly finding ways to communicate with our consumers whether that is by giving you opportunities to write reviews, post your questions about products, or become part of our parent test group.
To be able to answer more of your questions about baby products, we are starting a monthly Ask An Expert. You will have real time access to one of our experts who specifically works in a certain category of baby products. So if you have been dying to know what is the right stroller for you, what crib mattresses are made of, what are the best products for safe sleeping – you name it – these experts will be ready to answer your questions.
Starting on July 12th from 10:30 -11:30 CST and 1:30 – 2:30 CST our stroller expert and mom of a sweet little toddler, Shannen, will be here to answer any and every question you have on strollers. You can leave questions throughout the day, but know those are the specific times she will be online to answer your questions. It’s easy to participate! You can ask your question is three ways on July 12th:
- Leave a comment on the July 12th blog post
- Ask via our twitter account @Kolcraft
- Ask via our Facebook wall
Shannen is excited to meet you & answer your questions. (We know she’s really smart because we work with her and know you will love her too!)
Unlocking Your Child’s Imagination Through Fun Books
There are many benefits of reading to your children and teaching them to read – one of which is unlocking their imaginations. We love the book Press Here by Herve Tullet. This fun book starts with a yellow dot, but as your child follows the instructions (press the dot, rub the dot, clap) the dot begins to change colors, multiply, move around the page, etc. It’s a wonderful concept that blends a book and iPhone app games only more fun!
We give the book 5 stars! Check it out for yourself by watching the video and then order it on Amazon!
What is your child’s favorite book for unlocking his imagination?
Breastfeeding Log
In the wee hours of the morning it is hard to remember specifics of baby’s feedings – how long she nursed on each side, how many diaper changes he had, etc. There are many ways to track this, but we liked The Bump’s free downloadable Breastfeeding Log.
What tips do you have for keeping track of breastfeeding?
Happy 4th of July!
As we celebrate our country’s freedom, Kolcraft sends wishes from our family to yours that your holiday is filled with family fun, joy and celebrations that make lasting memories.
Happy 4th of July!
