Review Policy

Be assured, every review you read here at Must Love Babies is 100% objective and unbiased. We will never accept payment of any kind in exchange for an agreed-upon positive review.

As a mom, it is very frustrating to find a site that reviews baby and kid items only to realize that what you are reading is a paid positive review. In other words, a non-trustworthy review. The reviewer in that case might as well work for the product manufacturer.

When I am searching for and reading reviews, it is not because I am bored and want to read a bunch of fake nonsense. It is because I want to know if I will be spending my money on a great item or wasting it on a junk one. I want a real, honest, tried and tested review.

With that said, it is possible that I have accepted an item at no charge to review for you, or that I have otherwise been compensated in some way for being willing to spend time using the item and then reviewing the item on my website. This in no way guarantees a positive review. What it indicates is that the company believes in its product enough to participate in its unbiased review from a real mom with real kids.

If indeed I have received the item for free and/or compensation, I will always disclose that to you. But you can rest assured that the opinions are MINE and no one else's. I will always be fair but honest in my product and service reviews because they exist for you, the readers!

 

Review: Melissa & Doug Geometric Stacker

Today's review: the Melissa & Doug Geometric Stacker

I must first disclose that I am a HUGE HUGE proponent of Melissa & Doug toys, for these reasons:

• they are sturdy


• they are classic


• they are pretty affordable


• they don't rely on fancy electronics or cartoon characters to entertain and engage
  


• they are intellectually, creatively and visually stimulating

Not every Melissa & Doug product is as good as the next, but nearly all of them that I have seen, heard about, or tried are better than 75% of other toys you see in the stores. That's a pretty decent margin.

On to the review! We received the Geometric Stacker as a gift for my daughter's 2nd birthday from my husband's aunt. As soon as we opened it, it was a hit, not only with my 2 year old, but also with my 1 year old.

The toy consists of a wood base with three rods that stand up. On each rod is a series of shapes, graduated in size, with a like-shape "cap" at the top. One stack is all octagons, one is all circles, and one consists of squares with a puzzle-like interlocking system.

Josie (my 2 year old) uses the toy on her own by stacking the shapes according to size, like this:

Or like this:

I will say that Josie is not really able -- or willing, maybe -- to line up the squares the way they need to be to interlock them. They fit together like this:

And it is a little tricky for her to line them up. Well I'm not sure if it is too hard for her or if she just doesn't have the attention span it requires. They can still be stacked, they just won't lay flat.

We also use the toy to learn sorting, by shape:

Or by color:

Josie is still learning the whole sorting game, so this is more mom-directed, but as she gets older I do think she'll get it. She likes to name the colors and shapes (which is another way the parts can be used) but she is not really too invested in the sorting piles. Then again, she's only been 2 for a couple months, so I guess I should give her a break.

Caroline (who just turned 1) also loves this toy. She does have the dexterity to place the shapes on the pegs -- they are large enough that her little hands can grasp them easily and heavy enough that gravity does some of the work once she gets them on the peg. Plus, they make a very satisfying *clack* when they hit each other. This is my Caroline's favorite part. Caroline also uses this toy by throwing the shapes to see what she can break and by trying to feed them to the dog.

The Geometric Stacker is very durable. It has taken a lot of abuse from my kids. Though most of the Melissa & Doug toys are tough, I have had little issues with durability in a couple. However, this toy has held up extremely well. The only visible wear has been the paint slightly coming off where my kids have put them in their mouth. I love how they refuse to try a bite of watermelon but they'll snack on every toy in the room.

So, in summary, I LOVE this toy. I do think the more they play with it, the more the novelty will wear off, but that's true with any toy. Plus we've already had it two months and they play with it every day still. But once we rotate it out and then back in, I have every confidence that it will be as exciting and educational as it was the day we unwrapped it. My one wish was that it were made in the USA (like everything else in your house, it is made in China). If you're the type that likes lists:

PROS

• sturdy


• attractive and appealing to kids


• makes a loud clack sound that even I can't resist


• has multiple play uses


• teaches shapes, colors, size differentiation
  

CONS

• made in China (no offense, China)


• a tad expensive (retails at $16.99)

The verdict? We at Must Love Babies highly recommend!!

 

One Word Wednesdays

Cheerios.

 

Rain Gutter Bookshelves

(See edit below for more how-to details!)

I admit, anything with the word "gutter" doesn't exactly scream "appropriate for kids." But when I saw this great DIY idea, I had to at least check it out. A little backstory:

Being a former teacher, I know that there is tons of research out there that states that children read more and are more engaged in reading when they can see the front covers of their books displayed for them to choose from. This is especially true for small children. My kids are good readers, but I wanted to make them even more invested in reading as an activity and ensure that they continue reading even after the newness of their books has worn off. With that in mind, I found a great canvas sling bookshelf that showed much more of the front covers of the books than traditional stacking. It was $69.99, so we knew it would be a while before we had enough extra money to purchase it, but it remained very much on our radar.

I was telling my sister about this and she sent me a link for Rain Gutter Bookshelves. These are DIY bookshelves that are made from vinyl gutters, just the regular kind of inexpensive gutters you can find at hardware stores. We decided to try them since they showcased the books even better than the original shelf we wanted and was much cheaper!

So this weekend, we got on it. It was pretty darn easy! Seriously, the hardest part of this project was maneuvering the 10-foot gutter through Home Depot without taking anyone out. The basic steps are:

1) Buy gutter (the whole project was about $25)

2) Saw in half

3) Glue on end caps

4) Snap in brackets (we used 2 per shelf)

5) Hang and stock with books

Here is the final result:

I am telling you, within 5 minutes of the girls seeing the new bookshelves, they were both sitting down reading books they hadn't touched in weeks!

We can't decide if the best part of the project was paying 1/3 of what we had planned on paying for a bookshelf or if it was how accomplished my husband and I felt after just a tiny bit of work! Well actually the best part was watching the girls enjoy the books as if they were brand new.

By the way, here is that original link at Raising Olives my sister sent me, with specific instructions and pictures. Try it and let me know how it goes!

Edit: You can view the original link that I viewed for this idea above, it gives more specific instructions with step by step photos. However, I of course can't follow directions, so here is a more detailed look at my version (not that different from the original, but with mistakes added):

Materials (makes 2 five foot shelves):

• 10' vinyl rain gutter


• 2 left end caps


• 2 right end caps


• 4 brackets


• some kind of all purpose glue, rubber cement, or the like


• hacksaw or similar saw


• wood screws


• stud finder (optional)


• drill
  

1. Mark your gutter and saw exactly in half (makes 2 five foot lengths)


2. Run glue over edges of gutter and edges of end caps where they snap on. Glue together according to glue package directions (mine said wait 5 minutes, then adhere).


3. Snap on brackets. You can also slide the brackets on the gutters before gluing on the end caps, but I forgot and found they snap right in place with a little pressure. Slide them into the location you want. This will vary based on where your studs are. Most studs are 16" apart. The middle section between the two brackets ended up being 32" for us, leaving 14" from the brackets to each end. 


4. Find and mark your studs, hold up shelves and mark the hole through the brackets (making sure you are in the stud).


5. Drill your hole and then screw in the shelves through the bracket holes.


6. Add books!
   

I think if you place the brackets a little bit in from the ends of the gutters, you are creating more stability so the middle won't sag over time. Here is a photo of where our brackets are in relation to the end of the gutters:

Hope these added details help!

My Yard Sale Score

So I know I am a little late to the party, but I hit up a yard sale last Saturday and got some great deals!

I used to run a personal finance blog that focused on saving money and spending smarter. Of all the hundreds of things I blogged about, yard sales were never among the list. There weren't a lot of yard sales where I lived, and though I have hosted a few in my day, I never thought to seek them out.

Since I moved, I have found that there are TONS of yard sales here, every weekend! We were in the market for a little table and chairs set for our girls, and since money is tight, we thought we'd look at a few upcoming yard sales. Though we didn't find a table and chairs, we did find some other things we needed:

And all for $10!

Here was the breakdown:

Children's Place shirt and jeans set for Caroline, $1

One pair Levi's and one pair Children's Place jeans for Josie, $1 each

Circo (Target) black yoga pants (though they look gray in the picture, they are black), 50 cents

Green Dog (Macy's) one piece blouse/sweater, 50 cents

(Check out the detail of the top, I love this for Josie!)

Stride Rite suede Mary Janes, Baby Gap tennis shoes, $1 each

Booster for Josie, $3

Not shown: Sesame Street 24 piece puzzle, $1

All the clothing looks barely used. The shoes could use a little cleaning on the leather uppers, but the soles look brand new. The booster just needs a little GooGone to get rid of the glue from the stickers, but otherwise it was clean and in very good condition. (Didn't stop us from hosing it off really well, though. You know, just in case.)

Josie has no clothes for fall, so I started her on a fall wardrobe from this yard sale. I am pretty picky about clothes... I wouldn't buy them anything that seemed too worn, old, or God forbid, dirty. The booster was only a partial success because the skirt of our table comes down so low that she can't fit her legs underneath, so we'll have to look for a cheap folding chair for her for now. Or go old school and use a phone book. The puzzle was just for fun, both my girls are a little Sesame Street obsessed. They aren't into the entire show but they get excited over the characters.

So we are still on the hunt for the table and chairs, and other yard sales await. My husband also wanted one of those seats for the kids that goes on the back of your bike, but I can't allow it... too dangerous. I know, everyone does it but although my husband is a perfectly adept rider, not everyone in our neighborhood is a perfectly adept driver. I just picture him having to drive off the road and into a ditch to avoid some texting teenager. So I think we have agreed on one of those sidecar things that go on the ground behind the bike. Just seems more sturdy and they are closer to the ground. So anyway that's now on the yard sale list, too.

My tips for successful yard sale shopping:

1. GO EARLY. I went at like 8:45 and a lot of the good stuff was gone. That said, wait in the car if you have to until the sale actually starts... as someone who has been the victim of the dreaded "early bird," it really throws the sellers off to show up early rifling through things that aren't even fully set up yet.
   


2. BRING SMALL BILLS. Don't expect anyone to change a $50, it ain't gonna happen.


3. LOOK FOR QUALITY. Some things can be cleaned, rust removed, repainted, etc. but a stain on a shirt is forever.


4. STAY FOCUSED. Yes it's true, you can go looking for A but find B, which can be a great find. However, it is very easy to stray too far from your list and end up bringing home things you'll never use just because they were cheap.


5. REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS. There is a yard sale etiquette, believe it or not. Don't ask for a reduced price unless you are buying several items, something is way overpriced, or it is the end of the sale. There is nothing worse than spending hours pricing all your items only to have someone come through and create their own prices anyway. It offends the seller and is just rude. Yes, you can negotiate to a degree at yard sales, but be fair.


6. BRING YOUR BLINDERS. You'll see some scary people at yard sales. Just be polite and look the other way. Focus on the stuff.
   

Anyone else grab any good yard sale finds this summer?

A Mother is a Mother

So for the last few weeks we have been hosting a finch family in our hanging basket out on the front porch. It's not like it was our idea. We noticed a flurry of activity in the basket in June, and sure enough, the husband and wife finch were creating a nest. A couple weeks later, 4 eggs. A couple weeks later, 4 babies.

The plant was brand new. It was pretty and flowering and perfect. Once the nest was built, the plant started suffering, mostly because we were nervous to water it. Eventually we started watering one side, the non-nest side, and everything was fine, Even when there were eggs. Even when there were baby birds. We were extra careful around the baby birds, but they didn't really react when my husband watered. He was super careful not to get the water anywhere near them. They just kind of looked at him when he came around. The mother watched from a distance and once my husband was inside, she flew back to the nest and checked to make sure no harm had been done. It was a good system.

The other morning, my husband went out to water as usual. He got up on the bench, carefully and slowly put the watering can up to the edge, and in a huge and semi-violent flutter, all four baby birds took off. For the first time ever. Three baby birds went left towards the neighbor's yard, and one went just a few yards away into the grass by our mailbox. My husband came in, a little shellshocked. The birds had clearly never flown before, and he felt horrible for scaring them off.

I was devastated. I was worried. I watched as the mother finch came back to the now-empty nest and called for them for a solid two minutes. I cried. After she flew off, I decided I had to find the birds and return them to the nest. I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do, but leaving them in the grass, open to all kinds of predators (including the pesky orange outdoor cat that patrols the street) seemed super wrong. So I put on my husband's work gloves and set out to retrieve the birds.

I found the littlest baby bird by our mailbox within 30 seconds. It had just huddled down in the grass and tried to make itself as small and invisible as possible. My biggest worry at that moment was that I would scare it off again and into the street. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and I was surprised at how it let me gently pick it up. I have never in my life picked up anything wild before. I was super scared of hurting it. But it climbed right up into my gloved hand and I oh-so-carefully placed it back into the nest. It promptly jumped out. I put it back and rested my hand lightly on it until it settled down. Then I rehung the basket and prayed the thing wouldn't jump out again as I went to look for its siblings.

This search didn't go as well. To spare you the fruitless details, I never found any more baby birds, despite my combing through the grass of my neighbors' yards. My husband looked as well, after I came back empty handed. While he looked, I cried. I completely applied human psychology to birds as I imagined the mom crying and frantically searching for her babies. I felt totally responsible for the little lost babies as well as the one in the nest, which I was worried she would now abandon. I googled everything I could find on finch behavior and diet (in case we had now another mouth to feed). I cried some more. I watched from the window as my husband scoured the yard of our least friendly neighbor (without permission, by the way). I cried even more. I mean, I was acting like these little babies were MINE. I'm sure it was entirely inappopriate to be acting that way, but I could not help it.

My husband came back having found no more birds after looking high and low. It was his assessment that the three that got away were stronger and ended up not on the ground, but up in a tree somewhere, probably with the parents. He felt the one that ended up in our yard was the "runt" and maybe couldn't quite make it as far, especially when startled into fledging. I nodded through tears and prayed he was right... I wanted him so badly to be right.

Some time went by with the littlest bird still in the nest. FINALLY Daddy bird came and said something to baby bird. He left, then came back with the mother. They squawked at the bird, and the father kept giving little pushes to the baby. It was pretty clear that they were urging it out of the nest. My husband said today was probably their day to leave the nest anyway. We watched as they talked and prodded and pushed. Then the parents left the nest to a spot not far away and encouraged the baby bird to join them. The baby bird stood up at the edge of the nest and looked around for a few minutes. My husband got this picture (from a safe spot through the window):

It seemed like this little guy - or girl -- just did not have the nerve to try it again. Just then, and just like that, it took off and joined its parents. My husband and I were ridiculously relieved and happy and the whole tone of the day went from dread/guilt to delight/glee.

What I took away from this was -- well for one: just let the plant die next time, and for another: a mom is a mom. No matter the species. I felt nearly as invested as the actual mom of these baby birds in finding them and making sure they were safe. I searched for those last three through tears while sweating in the July heat and humidity, and I didn't want to stop until I found them. Though this was all brought on because my husband scared them off, I recalled worrying about them when we had a big storm with winds that knocked out our power, and again when we had strong rains blowing onto our porch. I checked on them every day and I was totally invested in their well-being. I felt like they were at least a little bit my responsibility because they were on my porch, and being a parent, I wanted to see those little babies thrive! So when they were scared out of the nest prematurely, I felt like it was my own babies scared out into the big, bad world. I was so happy to know this situation had a good outcome. Because a mom is a mom, no matter what the baby.

And not to take away from my husband, he felt the same way. Minus all the crying.

Welcome to Must Love Babies!

I am assuming you are here because you love babies. After all, the blog is called "Must Love Babies," not "Kinda Love Babies" or "Sort Of Love Babies."

Now that we've cleared that up, let me start by introducing you to my two babies. First, we have Josie:

She's independent, spirited (not the euphemism kind of spirited, really and sincerely spirited), smart, reserved at times, easily overwhelmed (she gets that from her momma) and opinionated. She was late to sit up, late to crawl, late to walk and late to talk but she could stack blocks a dozen deep at 11 months, she knew her ABCs at 14 months and now at 25 months, counts to 50. She loves numbers. She loves identifying, lists, putting things in perfect rows and reciting things in order and then in reverse order. She doesn't seem to care about pleasing people. She reads like crazy. She is getting dimples. She likes to observe. She's a daddy's girl. She's our firstborn and she'll always be my baby.

Then we have Caroline:

Caroline was born a scant 13 months after Josie. She was a vocal and expressive baby from her first day on earth. She is a comedienne. She wears her heart on her sleeve (literally, in this photo). She's either utterly thrilled with life or desperately unhappy (usually the former, thankfully). She's cuddly and snugly and affectionate and loves to copy. She has hit the big benchmarks in a typical fashion but has been talking for what feels like forever. She gets her feelings hurt easily. She's emotional (she gets that from her momma). She's a mommy's girl. She's the little sis and she'll also always be my baby.

Then there's Mom and Dad:

We met in 2005, married in 2007, had Josie in 2009 and Caroline in 2010. We are people who don't like to waste time. Well, actually we can waste time like no one's business, and it takes us several hours and much debate just to decide what we feel like for dinner, but when it comes to giant life decisions, we're cliff divers. We are fairly simple people, down to earth, prone to mistakes, huge music lovers/snobs, flawed but always trying to improve. And since we've had kids, our days and evenings have become more about Laurie Berkner cds, diapers and floor time and less about where we should go out to eat. I should clarify: we don't go out to eat, like at all, anymore. But, like the vast majority of parents, we wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole wide universe.

I should also mention our dog, Stevie:

She was our original "child." She is an awesome dog though she has a severe anxious streak that is slowly dissipating with age. S-l-o-w-l-y.

I am pretty thrilled with our family right now. Yes, I do fondly remember when the biggest decision in my life was which 6-pack I should buy for the weekend or if we should take the long way or the short way to an impromptu weekend getaway, and I do miss that at times, but we have a whole life ahead of us with all our girls. We also have a whole new sense of purpose and some great built-in entertainment. Right now, life is pretty awesome. Even if I don't get to brush my teeth until 2 p.m. some days.

Ok 4 p.m.

 

About Me

 

Q: Who are you anyway?

A: I'm a fiercely protective mom of two little daughters, a happy wife, a worrier, a huge music lover, a must-get-to-the-bottom-of-this type and a constant work-in-progress. And a lover of hyphenated descriptions.

 

Q: How far apart are your kids? They look pretty close in age.

A: They are 13 months apart. People ask if they are twins all the time. Made for a tough 2nd pregnancy but will hopefully make for two very close sisters. Or two mortal enemies, only time will tell.

 

Q: Didn't you used to have another blog? What happened there?

A: I did, a blog called Mommie Cheapest. It was a personal finance blog that helped people save money and spend smarter. I loved doing it, but once I had my second baby, I just didn't have the time to update it at the rate such a blog requires to be current. With those blogs, you blink and you miss a deal. Plus the coupon/freebie/deals websites were taking over the blogosphere, so I decided to go with something more manageable that I was just as passionate about -- actually more passionate, now that I had two babies of my own.

 

Q: When do you find time to write your blog?

A: I usually write in 5 minute increments during the day... the "save as draft" function is my best friend. You should see how many drafts I have in the works. But naptime and late at night tend to be my most productive times.

 

Q: Where do you live/what region are you in?

A: I lived in Boston for 5 years. There I picked myself up a bonafide Bostonian husband and had my kids, then moved back to the area where I'm originally from, a suburb of a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. where we currently reside. Who knows where we'll end up.

 

Q: What is your biggest challenge in parenting?

A: I would say just remaining relaxed. I tend to worry over lots of little micro-details, 90% of which work themselves out without any intervention from me. I am a firm believer in hands-on parenting (though I am not a fan of hovering), but I would like to accomplish that through a laid-back approach so I am not an obnoxious stress-bucket and so my kids figure stuff out on their own where reasonable. I also have an immense guilt problem, so it'd be great to get over that.

 

Q: Can I use your posts/pictures on my blog?

A: All of my content is copyrighted, meaning it belongs to me and me alone. Please DO NOT copy and paste my content into your blog/website. However, I am all for you sharing any of my ideas you think will be helpful or entertaining to your readers. Feel free to paraphrase or summarize with a link back to my blog/blog post. If you would like to use a section of my text verbatim or a photograph, you MUST email me and request permission. Not to be a grouch, but I take plagiarism and stealing of content very seriously. It has happened to me before and I DO perform periodic checks and I ABSOLUTELY DO follow up to the fullest extent of copyright law. I don't play on this subject. Thanks for understanding.

 

Q: I'm just not sure what makes you an expert on babies.

A: Ok first of all, not a question. Second, I am definitely not an expert. I am a mom who is finding out all kinds of good information about being a mom as I go. I want to share that with anyone who could potentially benefit from it. Don't think of this blog as an encyclopedia, think of it as a friend or some mom you hit it off with at the playground who you talk about baby stuff with. I find those moms usually have more high quality, practical, real-life info than lots of "experts." So there.

 

Q: You look like you need money. Can I send you some?

A: NO. We don't take charity at this house. I'm totally kidding, the smallest bill I take is a hundred. I'm kidding again, I totally take fives.