Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Archives for October 2016

6 Must-Haves for Working Moms Who Breastfeed

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If you're one of the thousands of working moms who breastfeed, or will be soon, take a look at some of these.These days, more and more mothers are working outside the home. Toward the end of pregnancy, there is a swarm of decisions that must be made, from what car seat to purchase to what birth plan to use. One of those decisions is whether or not to breastfeed. If you plan on becoming one of the working moms who breastfeed, then here is a list of must-haves to help your transition.

6 Must-Haves for Working Moms who Breastfeed

I worked full-time when my first child was born. After maternity leave, I asked that my hours decrease, but I was still there long enough to require pumping.

Leaving your baby with a sitter and pumping at work is hard. Pumping at work instead of the comfort of your own home isn’t that fantastic at first, either.

After a while, though, I did discover several must-haves I was so grateful to use. Here they are.

A top of the line, dual breast pump

I’m a bit of a cheapskate, but I’m so glad someone talked me into buying a Medela Advanced Breast Pump. My transition into joining the working moms who breastfeed was so much easier than it could have been because of that breast pump.

For more information on quality baby items like the Medela, read here.

A full water bottle

The minute I began pumping, I got thirsty. It would drive me mad not to have water nearby. Keep a quality water bottle freshly stocked at all times – especially when you pump.

A breastfeeding cover

Even if you have total privacy when you pump – and you should – having a breastfeeding cover like this one is a must-have at all times. It’s like have a spare diaper and some wipes on hand. You just never know where you’ll end up when you need them.

Besides, if you’re tense when you pump, you produce less milk and the process takes longer. That can be incredibly frustrating. Invest in something that will help you feel at ease.

Something to do

Pumping at work takes time, and you just sit there. Even though your hands are somewhat tied up, be sure to bring something along to entertain yourself. You could listen to music, an audio book, or a podcast. Or you could read (it can be done).

Or you could count ceiling tiles when you forget to bring something. ::sigh:: I’ve been there.

Storage bags

Breast milk storage bags were also crucial to my success as one of the working moms who breastfeed. They’re designed to hold enough for a single serving and hold up well in a freezer. You’re able to write the date on each one which makes sure your baby gets milk before it expires.

These storage bags were my favorite because they could be attached directly to my Medela breast pump – with the correct accessory. That saved SO much time with a lot less clean up.

A firm understanding of your rights

The biggest thing I’d want working moms who breastfeed to understand is their rights in the working place. They are legally permitted to take breaks to pump as often as necessary. Employers are required to provide a private room, other than a bathroom, during these break times.

Obviously, harassment from co-workers or their unwillingness to comply with regulations is illegal.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful gift you can give your baby. Know your rights. Click here for more information.

Would you add any must-haves for working moms who breastfeed to this list?

Image Credit: William Iven (UnSplash)

This post contains affiliate links.

How to Use a Magic Eraser to Clean Your Home

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I finally figured out how to use a Magic Eraser, first hand. Definitely different than normal sponges.During the first week in our recently purchased house, every retailer within a 10-mile radius sent us a flier. “Come buy our house paint!” “Here’s a coupon for decor!” It went on and on. My highlight during that entire debacle was the box of freebie house supplies that showed up one day. In it was a Swiffer duster, a Febreeze-scented Glad trash bag, and a Mr. Clean Extra Durable Magic Eraser. I had no idea how to use a Magic Eraser properly, so I got to work on figuring it out.

As a result, I became a scientist in my own home. Each room was my lab. If you’ve never used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, click here for a rundown and to see the product.

The basic idea behind the product is to wipe away hard to erase stains, marks, and smudges. You simply apply water and get scrubbing.

How to Use a Magic Eraser in Your Home

Here is a quick list of my findings when I used the extra durable Magic Eraser. To set the scene, this was a house that had been empty for a long period of time and was now filled with a family with toddlers.

How It Worked

Below are the following scenarios in which my Magic Eraser performed successfully.

It:

  1. Easily removed dried marker on an old marker board.
  2. Thoroughly removed fingerprints and dirt marks around door handles.
  3. Removed pencil markings off walls (I can’t blame this one on the kids. I was marking an area where I wished to hang some decor. The eraser I used to remove the light pencil marks turned them dark and cloudy. I nearly swallowed my own tongue until I remembered my Magic Eraser. Poof. They were gone.
  4. Polished my car’s headlights.
  5. Removed black shoe marks from the side of my oven (high traffic area).
  6. Easily wiped away grime from light switches.
  7. Brightened up our dirty laundry hamper. This is a white, plastic hamper that has endured years of handling and tossing around – and looked it. I was pretty surprised how easy it shined back up for me once I used my Magic Eraser.
  8. Removed paint from wood laminate flooring. Again, I can’t blame my kids. I was painting our trim and needed to remove some paint drips that escaped past our drop cloth. The Magic Eraser did the trick.
  9. Erased my kids’ crayon artwork all over the refrigerator, kitchen floor, and walls.

How It Didn’t Work

There were a few times I experimented with how to use a Magic Eraser and showed negative results.

  1. Polishing glass or mirrors. When I used my Magic Eraser, it left pretty solid streaks on both.
  2. Cleaning stainless steel. My kids leave their tiny fingerprints on our stainless steel dishwasher when they’re playing in the kitchen. I tried wiping it down with my Magic Eraser before anything else and it just made the smudges worse.
  3. Scrubbing ink out of a couch. This is ink that settled and dried into the fabric weeks ago, but I thought I’d try to remove it this time with my Magic Eraser. No such luck.
  4. Removing water spots from faucets and the tea kettle. Again, no dice.

What if I don’t like the chemicals used in a Magic Eraser?

Some concerns have been risen about the chemicals used in developing the Magic Eraser, namely formaldehyde. This was deemed safe once it fused with the melamine, much like sodium by itself is explosive, but sodium chloride is salt.

If, however, you do want a natural remedy, I highly recommend checking out a Norwex microfiber cloth. I have one that replaces so many of the chemicals I previously used and believe it’s totally worth the investment.

Hopefully this article helped you understand how to use a Magic Eraser.. I’m sure my findings aren’t conclusive for every hearth and home, but if my experiments and findings help you get a jump start, then I’m glad.

For other Kids Ain’t Cheap product reviews, click here.

For more help cleaning things around the house check out these great articles.

Cleaning Poop and Other Jobs Your Kid Can Do This Summer to Earn Money
How To Effectivly Clean Your House In an Hour
Making Spring Cleaning Kid Safe by Making Your Own Cleaning Supplies

 

What’s your go-to cleaning routine for tough stains? Share in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links.

Image Credit: Gracey (MorgueFile)

5 Quality Baby Items That Are Worth the Investment

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If you want to know what quality baby items are worth the money, I definitely recommend this list!In 2014, my husband and I had two in two years. We also lived on less than $2,000 per month. Having a lot of baby things simply wasn’t an option during that season of life. However, we did save up for a number of quality baby items, and I’m glad we did.

We may not have had new living room furniture or all new kitchen appliances, but if there was something costly that got its money’s worth for our kids, then it was money well spent.

5 Quality Baby Items Worth the Investment

Hear me out. One thing we did not do is go into debt to purchase these items. Nor did we dip into our emergency fund. Either option would have been so much easier. Instead, we opened a checking account with no minimum balance required and labeled it our “Baby” account.

Each month, we’d budget an allotted amount into the account. Having it separate from our primary checking helped protect that money from being mishandled.

We saved up, used coupons, used gift cards, or we said no to the purchase.

There are so many different brands of these products, but here are the ones we chose and that I recommend.

1. Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper

We kept our babies in this Rock N’ Play throughout their entire newborn stage. It was so nice to have them right next to our bed at night, elevated so they could probably breathe when congested. Another perk was how lightweight the product was. After I had an unexpected c-section with my second child, I had a major weight restriction during the first several weeks. The Rock N’ Play was easy to fold and transfer from room to room.

2. Medela Advanced Breast Pump

I made the choice before my first child was born to breastfeed. I was still employed at my banking job during that time, so have a reliable and efficient breast pump was crucial. Since that time, the government has made it much easier to obtain breast pumps for free or to receive reimbursement on a purchase. Definitely look into that. If you can’t get one (a QUALITY one) for free, then I highly recommend this product. It hasn’t given me any problems and I was able to breastfeed both of my children for at least 12 months.

3. Aden + Anaias Swaddle Blankets

The features I love most about these swaddling blankets is that they’re sheer which reduces the risk of suffocation, and they’re large enough to do a full swaddle on a baby throughout the first six months to a year. My 2-year-old son still chooses his Aden and Anaias blankets to sleep with over any other bedding.

4. Braun Ear Thermometer

If you’re up at 2:30 AM with a screaming, feverish baby, you need a reliable thermometer that will tell you exactly what’s going on, every time. I tried the cheap route at first, using a knock-off thermometer under the baby’s armpit (try getting a fussy baby to keep his arm down long enough to get a consistent reading). Finally, I realized it wasn’t worth the risk of misdiagnosing. High fevers can spike at any time. I’ve caught each of them in time with my Braun ear thermometer.

5. Wooden Toys

What I love about wooden toys is that they’re made well. My parents grew up in the era of wooden or metal toys. I was raised throughout the dawn of plastic. To see the difference in toys like Melissa & Doug and many others is very refreshing. I head straight to that aisle every time I buy a gift for a baby shower or child’s birthday party.

What quality baby items are you grateful you purchased? Share in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links.

Image Credit: Gaelle Marcel (UnSplash)

5 Ways to Save Money on Diapers Using Amazon

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If you're already a fan of online shopping, then here are some great ways to save money on diapers using Amazon.Every parent knows having a child drastically changes your finances. One of the largest expenses to enter the picture is diapers. It’s a fixed expense for the first three years of a child’s life, right? So, how can we save money on diapers?

The list is long. I wrote a post about this earlier called “How to Save Money on Diapers.” That would be a good place to head once you’re done here.

Since there was more to say after writing that first article, I decided to write a follow-up post specifically talking about Amazon.

5 Ways to Save Money on Diapers Using Amazon

I’m not saying you should only shop at Amazon for your diapers. I actually buy mostly off brand diapers in bulk at places like Target or Costco. That’s just how I do my shopping.

If you’re a pretty active online shopper looking to save money on diapers, then give these tips a try.

1. Subscribe & Save

No Prime membership required. All you do is sign up for Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program and choose from their selection of products. If there is something you need regularly, like paper towels or diapers, then subscribe. They’ll show up on your doorstep on the selected date saving you up to 15% off each time.

2. CamelCamelCamel.com

Want to know when diapers are at their lowest market price? Head over to CamelCamelCamel.com to find out. Enter the name of the product and look at its track record of the last year. That’ll help you determine when it’s best to shop next.

3. Price Tracker App

Do you prefer shopping on your mobile device? Save money on diapers by using the Price Tracker App. If you have Amazon’s store app already on your phone, then you have the Price Check feature within that app. That is a second method you could use to save money on your phone.

4. SnagShout.com

Find deep discounts on Amazon products on SnagShout.com. I first described SnagShout as a great resource when you’re searching for frugal Christmas gifts (read the full article here). But SnagShout can also be great for everyday items that aren’t quite as exciting but cost just as much green stuff in your wallet.

A.K.A. diapers.

Up until October 2016, SnagShout users were required to leave a review on Amazon in exchange for receiving the deep discounts on products. However, the policy was revised to reflect Amazon’s choice to make it illegal to require anyone to leave a review.

So, now you simply need to check out SnagShout’s merchandise, find the kids & baby section and see if there are any cloth diapers or nursing covers or other gems up for grabs.

5. Register for an Amazon baby registry.

If you’re having a baby shower, then consider registering on Amazon. Some perks include: free 90-day returns, millions of products from which to choose, 15% off Completion Discount on eligible items for Prime members.

Plus, people have the option of giving Amazon gift cards. Combine those with the 15% off through Subscribe & Save and you’ll get a bunch of diapers for not a bunch of money.

Have you ever tried to save money on diapers online? What’s one thing that worked for you?

Image Credit: Janko Ferlic (UnSplash)