Now that the Las Vegas weather is finally starting to cool off, one of our favorite things to do of all time is head to the park for a playdate. Sometimes we meet friends there and sometimes we have our own version of a playdate. No matter who you’re headed to the park with, there are a few things you can’t forget for your playdate. Check out our list of Must Haves for a Park Playdate.

Picnic Fun (We LOVE our Sprout Organic baby/toddler FOOD)

We love having a picnic at the park on our playdates! I love packing a few sandwiches, drinks, and snacks to bring with us. One item that we don’t forget when we go to the park is our Sprout Organic baby/toddler food.

My kids have been in love with these from the start. Since we have to avoid pouches/food with bananas, avocado, and oats due to my son’s FPIES allergy, we love that they have flavors that he really enjoys. Want to know our favorites? My son loves the Mango Carrot Apple, and Apple Blueberry pouches.

My son loves them for the flavors, but I love them for so much more. For one, he can have them without having to worry about being allergic to some of the flavors. He gets to have some variety in his foods, which isn’t always possible with his allergies.

Sprout Organic baby/toddler food only uses the finest organic whole foods on the market. They also use real ingredients and don’t try to hide anything from their consumers. It’s a “what you see is what is really in our food kind of deal.” There’s also no citric acid, which is a major step up from other baby foods.

Baby Wipes

Park playdates can be messy. Someone always falls or gets food on their face, so I always make sure to bring baby wipes with us. And usually the one day I forget them is the one day we need them the most.

Extra Set of Clothing

Another must have for a park playdate is an extra set of clothing in the vehicle for all kids (and sometimes the adults). Just in case someone has an accident or spills something on themselves, we are covered from all angles.

Balls and Some Small Toys

My kids also love to play in the grass and sand at the park. We make sure to bring along some balls and smaller toys for them to play with. It just adds a little bit of personalized fun into the mix. We have lots of sand pits to play in – so I always have a bucket and shovel in the car.

Sunscreen

Living in Las Vegas there never really is a break in the sunny season. Even during the winter months we are always carrying sunscreen and a hat to keep us enjoying the nice days as long as we can.

First Aid Kit

I keep a little first aid kit with me everywhere I go. It’s just a little pouch with some Band-Aids, Neosporin, cleansing wipes, essential oils, scissors, and tweezers. It’s come in handy more than one time and I’m really happy to have it with me.

What are some must haves you bring with you on a park playdate?

Be sure to check out Sprout complete line of Toddler and Baby food products to learn more about the company! And please enjoy this coupon as well! It’s good for any Albertsons or Harris Teeter location.

$1 Off 2 Sprout® Baby/Toddler food products! – Get Coupon!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout® Organic Baby Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

Taking a toddler out to dinner can be a fun, but also very stressful experience. Taking a toddler out to dinner who has allergies, oral aversions, and sensory issues… Well let’s just say the thought of it exhausted me for a long time. When he threw up not once, but THREE times at one of our favorite family friendly dining spots – I thought our days of eating outside the home were numbered.

My son has FPIES and sensory processing disorder, the two of these combined means that eating has become a challenge for him, let alone eating at a restaurant. However, with a few tips, and some time we have actually been able to have quite a few successful family dinners in public. With all the recent press about kids and dining out, I thought I’d share a few mom tips that have worked for my family when it comes to dining out with a toddler.

Pack Your Own Food. Yes, I realize you are going to a restaurant, but I have found that by bringing some foods that we know our toddler loves – like these awesome and convenience organic Sprout pouches, we are able to fend off any meltdowns that may happen due to waiting, or if he just isn’t happy with what I ordered for him to eat.

Both my boys have had and enjoyed Sprout pouches and snacks. They tend to be my go-to for convenient pouches. I know the quality is always good and the ingredients are organic which is important to me. You can find these Sprout Organic Baby & Toddler Purees at many retailers – we got ours at Albertsons which is where I always stock up on them when there is a sale. Plus they are organic and made with fun ingredients which both my boys love.

Bring an activity pouch. This has been something I have carried around with me since my oldest was a toddler. I love having this for dining out or even unexpected issues/delays when you are stuck in a place you weren’t expected to be. I try to swap out the toys and coloring sheets for their current favorites to keep things exciting. Included in my activity pouch is:

• Printed Coloring/Activity Sheets – Currently the favorites are superhero coloring pages or mazes. (I print them from my computer so I can keep current with their new favorite characters/show, but also so the back is blank for other activities.)
• Tape – To tape the paper to the table so they don’t have to worry about holding it down or it falling on the ground.
• Toys – Small characters or cars. Depending on the type or restaurant we use the salt/pepper shakers and sugars to make obstacle courses for the cars. On the blank side of the paper we often draw roads to race on as well!
• Crayons/colored pencils
• Stickers
• Small set of memory matching cards.

Don’t Forget the Tablet. Yes, I realize this one is not a favorite of everyone, but when all else fails sometimes his favorite game or favorite show is enough to let the rest of us enjoy our food and some quick conversation.

Pick a Family-Friendly Restaurant. Think loud, casual, and fun. There will come a time when your kids grow up and you will be able to go back to your favorite places as a family, but picking a place that is used to accommodating children let’s your kid learn to dine in public without the pressure you might feel from other diners.

Be Ready to Walk Around or Even Leave. When all the above fails, chalk it up to a learning experience and be ready to move. This could mean taking turns eating food while one adult walks outside or around the waiting area with your toddler, or this could mean asking for to-go boxes and calling it quits. Dining out with toddlers can be hit or miss. While I believe it should be done to help them learn how to act in public or in different environments, I refuse to do it at the expense of someone else’s meal. If your toddler just can’t hang that day – it’s okay to try another time, but don’t leave them to scream and fuss while you try to slam you meal down. My toddler often needs to get up and roam around, and you can usually find us at the door greeting other customers as they come in to dine. He loves waving and saying Hi to everyone.

Do you have any other tips for dining out with young children? Let me know. Be sure to check out Sprout complete line of Toddler and Baby food products to learn more about the company!

And please enjoy this coupon as well! It’s good for any Albertsons or Harris Teeter location.

$1 Off 2 Sprout® Baby/Toddler food products! – Get Coupon!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout® Organic Baby Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

You guys, I know I have not updated our FPIES journey on my blog in a really really long time. In fact I never even shared how our Food Trials at Denver’s National Jewish Health Hospital went. I will try to be better about it in the future. I know I have turned to other people in social media for help and answers. It can be a really encouraging and helpful source of information when you are limited in resources (since FPIES is still pretty rare).

I should say I am usually much better about giving quick updates on Facebook and Instagram – so if you aren’t following me there and you want more frequent updates – please do.

• Catch Up Here: FPIES – Diagnosis and More
• Learn About What FPIES is: FPIES Foundation

Here is the “as short as I could make it” update on what’s been going on with us.

Food Trials

D trying eggs (and passing), with his awesome nurses, and Doctors at National Jewish Health in Denver CO.

One year ago exactly we were in Denver for Food Trial. We spent 3 weeks living in a hotel (just me and both boys since the hubby was overseas), and we didn’t get nearly the amount of answers we had hoped for. Our first week D was SO sick so we couldn’t trial anything. It became apparent on our 2nd week as we started trials that D has severe oral aversions. This was something I had suspected because apples are a safe food for him, but he can’t tolerate the texture of applesauce. He’d gag at the first touch of it on his tongue.

We tested:

• Eggs – PASS!
• Rice – Possible Pass (He didn’t take as much as they’d have liked him too, but since that one is usually a high reactor and he didn’t at all they called it a pass. I would love to re-trial this one.
• Soy – Fail. Doctors at NJH did not want to call this an FPIES fail because his throw up happened hours after it was supposed to. We re-trialed while we were there and had the same hours after vomiting. I know my child enough to say this was a non-typical FPIES fail, but the doctors weren’t willing to say FPIES with it at all because it didn’t happen within their prescribed time frame. We did however both agree we should avoid this food.
• Chicken – Texture Fail. *NOT FPIES fail. He wouldn’t tolerate it.
• Peas – Texture Fail.

After the Pea fail due to textures I decided, and the staff agreed that we were done. Further testing only stressed his the severity of his oral aversions. I will say I was very happy with the staff at National Jewish Health and their FPIES/food allergy program. They were really awesome to us and both of my boys.

Speech/Food Therapy:

We came home and met with our Allergist who refereed us to a speech and food therapy place. To this DAY they couldn’t fit us in.  I will be super honest here. I tried really hard for 5 months to get him in for appointments. Then we had some big breakthroughs and life got in the way. I am back on the proactive band wagon and I’m exploring state assistance now.

Endoscopy:

We changed GI doctors after our visit to National Jewish Health because I couldn’t stand the staff at the office we were at. Two months after our hospital stay they called to ask where they should send D’s medical chart to!! I had them promise me it would be sent before we went to our Food Trials – but they didn’t “Get To It…”. Our new GI wanted to do an endoscopy to rule out one additional issue. During that test we were told two things:

• When D lays down his tonsils touch – Our GI doctor was a bit concerned about that.
• The Endoscopy showed no issues in his esophagus like the new GI was concerned about. It did show some irritation in his stomach (mild gastritis and duodenum inflammation. The GI said he’d really only expect to see that if the child had been retching recently. He had not. So it’s a bit concerning, and he wants to put him on acid reflux meds.

FYI – I opted out of them because he hasn’t be experiencing pain, and in the past the only frustrated him and usually ended up with him throwing up due to his oral issues. However, I am now hoping to ask for a prescription so that he can have some comfort with newer foods he’s been eating.

The Elecare Issue:

One of the reasons I couldn’t put all my attention into speech therapy was because for about 4 months I fought tooth and nail to get his Elecare covered. Our insurance refused to cover it. We had an awesome Doctor who helped us with samples, but eventually those ran out too. If you are fighting with your insurance – all I can tell you is KEEP DOING IT. It took me so long to finally get someone to listen, and once I did we started to move in the right direction. No one will tell me why it’s covered now. But it is. And that’s a great thing because out of pocket it would cost nearly $1200 a month! If you are reading this and need help – feel free to email me. I can’t promise I will have any information you don’t already have, but I’m happy to help.

Breakthroughs:

I don’t know what happened or why, but right before his 2nd birthday D started to eat some pureed foods. (He likes the pouches.) At first we were pretty nervous, and we did have our fair share of gagging pukey messes, but each day seemed a little bit better. Now he will eat 1-2 pouches a day. Nothing with extra texture.

So we have lots of new veggies and fruits that are passes!! He loves strawberries and blueberries. He loves mango and spinach. He likes really smooth hummus, and he ADORES hot sauce and mustard. (Obviously the last two are not very full of nutritional value, but a step in the right direction.)

After he began to eat pouches he also began to want to suck on big kid foods. He can no swallow solid food without puking, but he loves to hold it in his mouth and then spit it out when he’s done. This often triggers his gag reflex, but he loves it.

Because of this we have re-affirmed that dairy – while not an FPIES reaction gives him HORRIBLE eczema. I also believe that wheat causes the same reaction, but we have time to figure that out.

Someone said that when their molars come through it triggers a change in their saliva and they are better able to process food. Someone else mentioned that using a vibrating toothbrush helps to desensitize their mouth and allows them to eat more. We had both things happen at once – but whatever it was – I am excited to see him eating more. He typically has 1-2 pouches a day.

We have had NO additional fails at this point. So that is really really awesome. Our Doctors at NJH hospital said reactions to fruits and veggies at this point would be pretty unlikely.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow I will be sharing more about it – but D is going to have his tonsils removed. The GI, Allergist, and Pediatrician all recommend we check with an ENT about the size of his tonsils. They will be removing them this week and we hope that will begin to allow him to swallow food better.

If I can say one thing to any parent who suspects or has a child diagnosed with FPIES. It’s not easy, but it does get better. You will learn and adapt as your child does. There are a lot of amazing resources available.

But most of all – DO NOT be afraid to continue to push until all your questions are answered, and do not be afraid to ask a million questions. FPIES has no “test” so it can be really frustrating to watch your child have to rule out lots of other issues. It will be okay, and you are doing awesome.

Well, that was as short as I could make this post. If you made it reading all the way through here… Bravo and thank you. Please consider sharing our post so that others who are also struggling might find it and maybe take something away from it that they wouldn’t or didn’t previously already know.

A long overdue FPIES Update: What’s New at 2+ Years?
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Anyone have a messy eater? Watching a baby learn to eat can sure be a lot of fun, but man is it ever messy!

My little guy and I had the chance to try out the Bummis best-ever bib over the past few weeks, and boy oh boy was it a great bib!

Most moms and dads have heard of Bummis because of their cloth diaper line. Well they also offer other products! One of them is their Best-Ever bib!

The Best-Ever bib comes in one size, it measure 10 3/4″ across and 13 1/2″ tall, with a neck circumference of 9 1/2 – 10 1/2″ and comes in 6 patterns. Instead of using velcro they have placed 2 plastic snaps to secure the bib. The snaps are placed approximately 1 in apart so that the bib will grow with your child.

Because Bummis takes such pride in their products, they use fabric that is made in the USA, and produce their bibs in Canada. Another awesome part of this bib is that you can just toss it in the washer and dryer and it comes out looking like new! (The bottom right picture is the bib after being washed/dried)

We designed the Best-Ever Bib with exquisite attention to detail. The fabric is made in the USA and the bibs are made in Canada to ensure the excellent quality of our products and fair labor practices. All fabrics and components are guaranteed lead, phthalate and BPA free.

The thing I loved most about this bib is the pocket. Since my little guy loves to feed himself, we end up with lots of food in his lap, but with the large pocket on the bib, it helps to catch all those little pieces of food that miss his mouth!

Connect with Bummis

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Product was provided to facilitate this review.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% honest and my own.

I think as long as I get the post up while he is still 7 months I’m not really late right?  Poor buddy.  Second child syndrome all the way!  A few big things happened since Baby D’s 6 month baby update.  I swear babies are like ninjas – you blink your eyes and they are sitting pretty showing off some new tricks!

Growth:

One month after his 6 month appointment and Baby D has already put on another pound plus!  He was nearly 22lbs at his last Doctor’s appointment.  (Which was a follow up on his food/eating – more on that later down the post.)  He now is fully wearing size 12 months, but many of those are getting tight.  (Especially his pjs).  I have begun the process of pulling out the 18 month clothing already.  Someone told me he is starting to look like a little boy and less like a baby.  I wanted to cry…

Looks:

This month Baby D has decided to start growing  even more blond hair, but mostly right down the middle of his head!  Still trying to figure out what color his eyes are.  Some days they are blue with a little hazel, other days they are almost completely hazel, but most days they are steel gray.  Very cool.  I wanted to try and take a picture to compare them, it will be fun to do this again when my husband comes home so we can see everyone’s eyes.  Genetics totally awe me sometimes!

It really is pretty neat that K is a mini me, and D is a mini Daddy.  I thought for sure looking at his 3d ultrasound images he was going to be his brother’s twin!

Firsts & Milestones:

Baby D IS MOBILE – Almost!  He is scooching and rolling places!  I thought for sure he’d be crawling by now, but he seems okay learning this new trick for now and I am MORE than okay with that!  He is more confident sitting up unassisted, and has perfected the belly flop, leg flip to get from sitting to scooching!

He got his second tooth shortly after turning 7 months, and I am pretty certain he is working on two more on the bottom.

He loves playing peek-a-boo. I can’t get enough of it with him.  He is so joyful when he does it.  He smiles with his eyes.

Baby D has also started to give hugs.  He smashes himself into me and when I say “aww hugs” he does it over again and again.

Sleep:

Whaa-Whaa… Not much has changed since his 6 month update.  However, I am now convicted he is in pain at night and not having night terrors.  Really, I have wondered that since these excessive night time wake ups started at 4 months.  He seems to be unable to get comfortable at night.  Normally by this age baby can roll over or change positions to get more comfortable.  Baby D doesn’t do that.  I think it really ties into his food…

Food:

Baby D is still nursing every 2-3 hours.  Occasionally going 4 hours.  He isn’t doing well with solids, so breast milk continues to be is only form of food.  Even still, I remember my first son started spacing out nursing by this point.  We started then stopped solids at 6 months. I felt like he wasn’t ready because he would throw up very shortly after eating.  So we stopped for a few weeks.  We had a follow up visit with our Pediatrician who expressed he thought Baby D was being stubborn.  He wanted me to do food 3 times a day every day.  He felt like it would help him at night.  (I should express here, I love my Pediatrician and have never felt led wrong by him. He has always listened to me.)  I didn’t argue, but part of me really wishes I did.  It was around this time I started to let dairy slip back into my diet.  It was only a couple of days until I noticed the eczema return.  Right after that he started spitting up after nursing again.  Time to go back to dairy free.

We started food again as directed by the Pediatrician, but it didn’t go well.  While Baby D was really excited to be eating and actually ate his food, about 4 hours later he woke up and projectile vomited everywhere. (Well, mostly on me.)  At first I thought he had picked up a stomach bug, but a few hours later he woke up and nursed and by morning he was fine. Suddenly I realizes he wasn’t throwing up when we first started solids because he didn’t like them, but because his body didn’t want it.  In fact it was then it dawned on me every single time he ate food, he threw up.  We stopped for one more week. I knew if he threw up again, it was going to be something more serious.  This past week we tried again.  4 hours later, vomiting this time worse than the last time.  So bananas, avocados, and oatmeal… all thrown up.

My biggest fear is he has something wrong internally.  That would explain the night time crying.  I worry he’s been in pain for the past several months.  If you heard him cry at night, you might agree.  Even my mother expressed that concern when we visited home in May.  I think he also may have food allergies.  That scares me.  I think the best case scenario is that it’s undiagnosed reflux.  Hopefully I will convey my frustration and extreme concern tomorrow.  I made an appointment as soon as he started throwing up last week.  I really want some answers for him.

Language:

Lots and lots of babbling.  Lots of talking back to us.  I swear he even looked at me and said “Mama”.  (Only he never repeated it.)  He has been squeezing since the day we brought him home from the hospital and he still loves to do that.  He has also started to talk himself to sleep.

We have been working a lot with baby signs this past month.  He can still sign “milk” but only does it when he wants to and certainly not when he’s super hungry.  His favorite time to sign it is while he is nursing (which is super cute – hand on head signing milk), and after he’s done eating he will pull my shirt and sign milk.  He doesn’t want more (I’ve offered) he just wants to let me know he knows what and where it is.

Favorite Moments:

I continue to love to watch him look at his brother in pure adoration.  He just thinks he is the coolest thing since sliced bread.  Baby D is super happy during the day.  His smile has a way of calming me down.  I especially love when I’m disciplining his brother, and I look over at Baby D and he’s smirking at me.  As if to tell me – you just wait mom!

His laughter.  He laughs all day long.  Full belly laughs.  I can’t get enough of it!

He started reaching up to me this month to be picked up.  That made my heart melt.  I just love this little boy and all the personality he is filled with.

I wonder what month 8 will bring us!

To see more of Baby D follow me on Instagram!

Teaching my son to choose healthy foods when we are planning our meals has never been easier for him then with the Fresh Baby My Plate 6-piece Dinnerware set.  The My Plate is divided up into 4 labeled and pictured sections:

• Fruits
• Grains
• Vegetables
• Protein

I love knowing that I am showing him exactly how to build a balanced meal by using this plate.  The set also comes with fun and easy to use silverware that is really the perfect size to transition from baby silverware to adult silverware, and a small 4oz glass perfect for small hands.  (Plus the small size, while perfectly portioned, also makes for less clean up as they are learning to use it!)

Of course, I don’t need this plate to build a balanced or healthy meal, but part of teaching your children is making sure they understand why they are eating what they are, and how to pick healthy foods while making it fun at the same time!  My son is 3 and he loves being in the kitchen with me when I am preparing his meals.  On top of that, giving him choices for his food help keep him involved and every time he is involved in picking his meals, he eats better then if I just picked for him.

With the My Plate we look at the pictures and I give him the choice of 2-3 foods per food group.  This means that he is building his own healthy and balanced meals and learning how to do so at the same time.

Another way you can use the My Plate is with caregivers.  Often grandparents or babysitters may not know your goals in building a meal for your child.  I know when I leave this plate out for dinner and tell them to help my son pick a food for each group and spot, he is going to have a great meal even when I am not there.  Eventually I know that my son will get the concept of selecting a meal around the food groups and know proper portions as a result.

The 6-piece meal set retails for $19.95 which is a great price for all the items included, and makes a great gift! I am thinking about sending one ahead to my parent’s houses for our next visits!  The place-mat has images of children being active, and includes ideas for activities to get your child active around the mat.  My son loves talking about what the kids are doing, and telling me how he can do that too!

As you can see my son enjoys his meals, and 9/10 he is a member of the clean plate club!

About Fresh Baby

Fresh Baby is committed to developing products for today’s busy parents and caregivers with a product line that included homemade baby food kits, baby food cookbooks, baby food and breast milk storage trays, breastfeeding reminders, child development diaries and has expanded to include toddler cookbooks, the newly released Kid’s Portion Plate and a new line of stainless steel dishes.

Fresh Baby’s commitment to equipping parents goes beyond product sales. Our newsletter, Fresh Ideas, is completely free and packed with family-friendly recipes and tips on healthy eating for the whole family. Cheryl also volunteers her time speaking to groups of new parents on subjects such as introducing solid foods, making baby food, and raising a healthy eater.

You can find Fresh Baby on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow @FreshBabyBiz

The continual development of innovative feeding products, such as the cups, utensils, and plates made by mOmma, a division of Lansinoh, will help to make that transition easier!

The cups look easier for baby hands to handle and the covers are interchangeable.  The design of the spoon and fork also looks pretty cool.  I think they will be much easier for baby to grasp and the covers for them are neat!

One lucky US reader will receive a meal time set from mOmma!

• mOmma Developmental Meal Set
• mOmma Straw Cup
• mOmma Spill Proof Cup
• Lansinoh mOmma Feeding Bottle

Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The only mandatory entry is to verify your email address. By entering you are consenting to the giveaway terms. Giveaway is open to US only and ends 10/18/12.

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Disclosure: Tales From the Nursery and Our Knight Life are not responsible for prize distribution.

My son is now 3 years old and we still have a pouch pretty much daily.  I freeze them and use them as ice packs in our lunches, and my son thinks they are smoothies.  I like knowing no matter how he eats that day at least he got some wholesome food in his belly.  I have even been known to enjoy one myself!

It’s great having options to buy natural, organic baby food that is easy to take on the go, tastes great, and introduces baby to a whole variety of flavors. Ella’s Kitchen offers fruits, veggies, meal combos, and more! Besides the fruit pouches they also have cookies and mini-granola-esque bars for older babies and toddlers. The pouches travel well in the diaper bag, can be frozen, and they even have a section of recipes where you can cook and bake up deliciousness using their products!

TWO lucky US readers will receive a yummy sample box of 10 pouches from Ella’s Kitchen! Ends 10/18/12.

Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The only mandatory entry is to verify your email address. By entering you are consenting to the giveaway terms.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Tales From the Nursery and Our Knight Life are not responsible for prize distribution.