Ooh I like that: Disposable Placemats & Potty Seat

You never know how clean tables really are!

Eating & potty training are two things that are constantly on the minds of most parents of a toddler? So you could only imagine there are a ton of products that help makes these things easier and more convenient. We have recently purchased a couple new products that help with these things that we find to be helpful so we thought we’d share.

Clean Eatin’: Neat Solutions Disposable Placemats

You know those hooks in the aisles at the grocery store that have products you usually don’t need but that are so tempting? Well that is how I ended up with Neat Solutions Disposable Placemats.  It was definitely worth it, these little guys have sticky edges to apply to any table (picnic, restaurant, patio, etc) to ensure a sanitary eating space for your kiddo. Even better, it is easy clean up when it’s time to leave. We have the Sesame Street ones and Sawyer loves going through each of the characters and saying their names. I have also seen the reusable place mats at Babies R Us but we prefer the disposable (sorry environment) simply because who wants to carry around a messy place mat until you can clean it off.

You can get 18 for about $10. Online they have larger quantities too.
CLICK HERE TO BUY

Potty Time: Munchkin Arm & Hammer 3-in-1 Potty Seat

I have always heard boys are harder than girls to Potty Train, so we figured might as well show Sawyer what it is all about early. We talk to him very openly and for the past few months, he has been very interested in the toilet…opening the seat, flushing, sitting on it. His grandma even went ahead and bought him a little toilet. To our surprise, he actually wanted to use it (this is probably a phase). 4 days in a row he successfully went in the potty, so of course we are big fans of the training potty she bought!! It is the Munchkin Arm & Hammer 3-in-1 Potty Seat. A few of it’s standout features are that it is not only a Potty Chair but a training seat to put on any normal size toilet AND a step stool. Even better is we have been using it for a bench to sit on when we give Sawyer a bath. It also has a built-in air freshener and wipes. We looked at just the training seat but it was only about $10 less than the full potty. You can find them at Walmart for only $24.71.

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Adventures in Baby-food Making: Carrots

I am equal parts a frugal person as I am healthy eater, so it only felt fitting to explore how to make my own baby food. It didn’t take much research for me to learn it was pretty simple. My mom and I went to the Farmer’s Market Saturday and picked up some fresh carrots and green beans for our first couple batches. Sawyer’s Pediatrican told me to go through the orange/yellow veggies first, then the greens, then beats and then introduce fruits. I decided to start with the carrots I bought and I plan to make the green beans and freeze them for when he gets to those colors. Sawyer loves the carrots, so I'm curious to see how he does with the rest of the veggies. Here’s what I did:

BABY FOOD CARROTS

TOOLS/INGREDIENTS

Food Processor/Blender

Steamer (I used my Pampered Chef MicroCooker)

Peeler

Containers (I got the Munchkin Freeze & Serve)

Carrots

Breast Milk/Water

STEPS

1. Clean your carrots really well with water, peel all the skin off and cut into small chunks
2. Steam until they are soft – discard the water you use to steam and do not pour into the processed carrots because it might contain the extracted nitrates.
3. Put in a food processor/blender and mix into a puree. I added a small amount of breast milk to get it softer but you could also use a small amount of water.
4. Pour into individual serving cups and store in a refrigerator or freezer

Munchkin Freeze & Serve Containers

I did not add any salt, butter or seasoning because I want to keep it as close to the real thing as possible but there are sites that say you can. I also found it is best to serve the carrots in a separate bowl than the freezer/refrigertor container. That way if they don’t finish the whole container  you don’t have to throw away the extra due the germs from the spoon. The puree in the containers will last 48-72 hours in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. 

I'm serious about eating,....well, sort of