My baby girl has been teething forever and she is almost 9 months old, without any teeth.  As a parent, we want to do everything in our power to relieve any pain.  Unfortunately, it’s one of those growing pains we all had to go through and like walking, it’s a developmental milestone.

When my baby started to teeth which was probably when she was three months old, I wasn’t sure what to give her because she was so young.  The teething gels were way too big for her mouth and she hated anything artificial that came near her.  At that age, the only thing that seemed to soothe her were my boobs. 

I thought that the overnight duties were done with when she turned 3 months, but with teething, it started to feel more like double duty.  Some days, she was really good with teething and on other days, she was irritable and wanted to throw her head back in all directions.

When she became four months, she started to bite down on her blankie, and now at 8.5 months, she’s been biting down on her Baby Banana Brush.  The banana brush has been a lifesaver in our household and my baby has been a happier baby with that brush.  Not only do we brush her gums with it, it has become her teething companion.

We have also been giving our baby Boiron Camilia Teething Relief.  Not sure if it’s worked miracles, but my baby seemed to be a little bit more content after taking a single oral dose of it.  Since it’s homeopathic, it’s very safe and very child-friendly.

We haven’t tried these, but a mother at my daughter’s preschool told me that baby amber necklaces worked.  When she was in France, an older lady told her to get one for her daughter, and she had absolutely no teething related issues with her daughter.  With that being said, I will definitely try it out and see what happens!

There isn’t one miracle cure for pain relief, when it comes to teething.  Every baby is different, and will have their own say in what they like or dislike.  As a parent, the only thing you can do is to try the many things that are out there for teething relief.  See which ones stick and which ones your baby wants to throw out the window.  In the end, the teeth will come through, and it will become memories of yester-years!

It’s every parent’s nightmare to lose their child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, otherwise knows as SIDS.  As parents, there are things that we could do and measures we could take, to reduce the possibility of this happening.  Once known as ‘crib death’ because the infant would be found dead after being put to bed with no signs of suffering, SIDS is the last thing any parent wants to face.

So what can we do?  First and foremost, educate ourselves about SIDS and learn about things we could do, in our power, to reduce the risk of SIDS .  Also, passing on information to other parents and caregivers about SIDS.

Halo Innovations, makers of the Sleepsack is joining the fight against SIDS.  They recently launched a campaign on their Facebook to spread the message about SIDS.  On their facebook page, you can test your Safe Sleep IQ quiz and send Safe Sleep Tips to your friends. 

By following these simple steps, parents and caregivers can help their baby survive and thrive:

• Place your baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and night time.
• Use a safety approved crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress.
• Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers and positioners).
• Use a SleepSack™ wearable blanket to replace loose blankets in your baby’s crib.
• DO NOT put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins, etc.).
• Room sharing is safer than bed sharing.
• DO NOT dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
• DO NOT let anyone smoke around your baby or be in a room where someone has recently smoked.
• Educate relatives, baby sitters and other caregivers about these important safety tips.
• Tummy time is important for babies while they are awake and being supervised. Place your baby on his or her tummy for playtime to help strengthen their upper body muscles.

Help raise awareness about SIDS and spread the word.  There is nothing more scarier to a parent than to see their child lifeless.  I myself, check on my baby multiple times during her naptime, just to hear her breath.  Let’s join in the fight to reduce the risk of SIDS, so that parents do not have to face the harsh reality of losing a child.

When I was younger, my mom would pack my lunch and she would write me letters of encouragement, telling my how special I was, how proud she was of me, and how she wished she could do more for me.  Thinking back to those days, bring tears to my eyes.  My mother was right, you don’t know a mother’s heart until you become a mother yourself. 

The letters always brought a smile to my face and I always looked forward to the next one.  Now that I am a mother myself and I pack lunches for my daughter, I want my daughter to have her own special moments.  For a child (even adults), there is nothing like opening up a lunchbox and seeing that special message from your mother or father.  The message is for you and only you!

Who would have thought that you could buy pre-made message cards, just for your child?  Lunchbox Love® for kids gives any child’s lunchbox that special needed touch.  The notes come in volumes which contain 10 cards and 2 blank cards.  They have special phrases such as “I Love You” and “You can do anything you set your mind to.”  Behind each card are some fun facts like “The average bed has over 6 billion dust mites.”  Okay, yuck!!!  Sometimes, as parents we may get writer’s block or shall I say parent’s block, and these cards are perfect for those times.  With many phrases that could fit any day, sad or happy, these positive words will brighten and add a spark to any child’s lunch.

I put the cards in my daughters lunchbox and although she could not read yet (her teacher reads them to her), she loved them.  Every morning before we go to her school, she makes sure that there is a card in her lunchbox.  The other day, she looked at me after peaking in her lunchbox, and gave me a thumbs-up.  We both looked at each other and laughed.  Those are special moments that cannot be bought.  It’s just as exciting picking out the messages, as much as she enjoys getting them.  When she starts to read, I’ll be filling those blank cards with my own special messages, just for her.

At just $3.99 per volume or $15.96 (free shipping) for volumes 1-4 or volumes 5-8, the price can’t be beat.  Seeing that sparkle in my daughter’s eye for a message in a lunchbox was priceless.  I feel very special knowing that I could give my baby what my mom gave me!

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

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Giveaway ends April 13, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Please make sure you leave a valid email address so that we can notify the winner. We will notify the winner, and the winner has 48 hours to respond. If the winner fails to respond within that time period, we will choose a new winner.

Thanks and Good Luck to all my readers!

Whether you are in town, out of town, or around town, Easter is such a special holiday.  Growing up, I always went Easter egg hunting and although I never really could get into Cadbury Creme Eggs, I just enjoyed collecting them. 

Another activity I really enjoyed doing on Easter was dyeing the eggs pink, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange (I may have missed a few colors).  I remember my church friends and I would dye the eggs and then hang them on the Christmas tree that was never taken down. 

Like Christmas, Easter was one of those holidays where I would dress to the nines.  I remember my mom always taking me to a local dress boutique to buy the perfect Easter dress with matching hat, shoes, and mini purse.  My mom’s old photo albums showcased my many Easter fashions.  If you looked through it, you would think it was a designer look-book for Spring.

Every year, we have been going to an Easter brunch and to carry on the fashion tradition, my older daughter has worn some amazing dresses and my younger one, well it will be her first Easter!  It’s funny that I see myself through them and it brings up so many childhood memories.

Just like myself, another favorite of my older daughter has been the egg hunting.  Partly, it has to do with all the candies stuffed in the eggs.  A bad trait she inherited from me (I use to eat candies, chocolates, and ice cream in lieu of actual meals), she is a lover of anything that has sugar in it.  Hence, her recent major dental procedure.

For some reason, I feel like Easter brings in a breath of fresh air to the household.  The flowers bloom, well I live in Los Angeles, but the flowers look more beautiful than ever, and the thought of Spring brings in renewed energy.  With the sun going down later in the evening and the weather being just right, it really brings up the inner spirit.

With the weather ever-so perfect and the sun shining through the windows, I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter, filled with many loving memories!

Just a few days ago, I received one of the best emails that I could receive.  With Earth Day right around the corner on April 22nd, 2010 , I was happy to receive an email from kaufDA (a German based company) about making my blog carbon neutral.  Over the year of my blog’s existance, I have been talking about reducing my carbon footprint, trying to be conscious, and going green.  However, I never really thought about my blog being carbon neutral.  I guess I just assumed that my blog was carbon neutral.  So when I received this email, it immediately got my attention.

Were you aware that a blog with 15,000 visits a month has a yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 8lbs?  Wow!  I would have never thought that a blog could do that.  So in order to neutralize my blog’s carbon footprint, I am taking part in the campaign “My blog is carbon neutral.”  For every blog that participates, a tree will be planted by the Arbor Day Foundation in Plumas National Forest in Northern California.  You will be helping to rebuild the Plumas National Forest which was destroyed by two fires in 2007.  For every blog that participates, one tree will be planted.

Make a difference and make your blog carbon neutral!  For more information on participating, go here.