Category Archives: Going Reviews

Going Reviews: Medela Quick Clean Products

05/20/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Can you think of something that has an up and a down side?

Recently, Avery hit a growth spurt and was going through bottles just like her diapers! This is the up side as I was worried she wasn’t eating enough to facilitate growth. But the down side was how quickly the dirty bottles collected in the sink.

Luckily, Medela sent us their Quick Clean™ products for review at the same time.

Each day, I have to clean all of the bottles and the breast pump parts Going Mom uses at work. This can be difficult at the end of the day when Avery is demanding attention while I’m preparing dinner, picking up around the house, and Going Mom is just trying to change out of work clothes.

Medela’s Quick Clean™ product line includes:

Quick Clean™ Breastmilk Removal Soap – Great for home use
Quick Clean™ Breastpump & Accessory Wipes – Perfect when on the go
Quick Clean™ Micro-Steam Bags – Great to use at work, when travelling, and at home

Since I’m not the one pumping breastmilk at work, Going Mom made use of the wipes and micro-steam bags while I used the breastmilk removal soap to tackle the mounting bottles at home. With feedback from my wife, I’ll go over each item providing our pros and cons.

Quick Clean™ Breastmilk Removal Soap

Medela’s description:

Quick Clean breastmilk removal soap removes stubborn breastmilk residue up to 3 days old and is clinically tested under physician supervision not to cause skin irritation. No-scrub soap is safe and hypoallergenic with no added fragrance or taste that might discourage baby from breastfeeding.

I had trouble accepting the “no-scrub” part of this soap, but appreciate that it is fragrance free and didn’t irritate my skin. I followed the directions on the bottle and used 3 pumps of soap for every gallon of lukewarm water. I let Kelley’s breast pump parts and all of the components of the bottles soak for 5 minutes and rinsed with water.

Not using the bottle brush saved a lot of time and it felt too good to be true. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true; at least the no-scrub part. After letting everything air dry, the bottles had a haziness that we haven’t seen before and just didn’t seem thoroughly clean.

But don’t wave this off as ineffective, I tried it again along with using the scrubber and everything came out clean; no haze! So maybe the soap cleans without scrubbing, but I don’t like seeing a haze and scrubbing will fix that.

Pros:

Can be used for all breast pump parts, bottles, nipples, and even dishes
Safe and hypoallergenic
No fragrance to irritate skin or alter taste for baby

Cons:

“No-scrub” didn’t work (for me)

Quick Clean™ Breastpump & Accessory Wipes

Medela’s description:

Convenient portable cleaning, no need for soap and water cleaning after each pump session. Hygienic wipes proven safe for cleaning of breastpumps and accessories as well as high chairs, tables, cribs and countertops.

Kelley used these at work after pumping and liked them for the most part, but they left a soapy residue that needed to be rinsed. Also, it is difficult to get into the small areas of some of the parts with the wipes alone. She still prefers to just have me clean everything with the Quick Clean™ Soap when she gets home and that’s fine with me; she’s busy enough as it is!

Since the wipes are good for more than just pump parts, we are having better luck using them at home. Now that we’re starting baby-led weaning with Avery, I have a feeling they will be quite handy for the highchair!

Pros:

Able to use anywhere when on the go
Good for cleaning more than just breast pump accessories like high chairs, countertops, toys, and more
Hygienic

Cons:

Leaves a soapy film that sometimes needs rinsing
Can’t get into the hard to reach places on small parts

Quick Clean™ Micro-Steam™ Bags

Medela’s description:

Disinfect your breastpump breastshields, accessories, breastmilk bottles, nipples, pacifiers and more in about 3 minutes.

Of the three products, these are hands down our favorite! Going Mom uses the bags at work and home to clean and sanitize all breast pump accessories and bottle nipples. We love how quick and efficient the bags are and they are easily transportable.

Pros:

Kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria when used
Simple to use
Great for storing pump parts and keeps you from losing the small pieces
Each bag can be used up to 20 times and even includes checkboxes to make sure you keep an accurate count
Very sturdy and will not easily rip or get punctured

Cons:

None

Overall, we have been happy with Medela’s Quick Clean™ products but love the steam bags the most. The soap is working fine now that I scrub and I honestly feel better about scrubbing dirty accessories anyway. Although the wipes aren’t the best solution for Going Mom when at work, I’m finding they are helpful for quick cleaning around the house.

Have you tried any of Medela’s Quick Clean™ products? If not, do you want to?

Any favorite cleaning solutions that you use?

Thank you, Medela, for allowing me the opportunity to use and review your line of Quick Clean™ products!

Disclosure: Medela provided everything mentioned in this post free of charge but did not compensate me for this post in any way. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my (and my wife’s) own.

Going Reviews

Going Reviews: The Manhattan Toy Co. Skwish Stix – Developing Baby’s Mind with Play

05/17/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Hi there! How’s it going?

Pretty good here, just living the dream as a stay-at-home dad and earning the best kind of wage ever; smiles from this girl…

Just woke up from her nap and shooting big grins; love it! She kinda looks like a seal there, huh?

Remember when I mentioned back in April that The Manhattan Toy Company sent me their Skwish Stix to review? Although the toy is meant for ages 6 months and up, Avery started early just before her 5 month mark.

We keep the Skwish Stix on the island as it’s the best place for the suction cup base, and it sits at just the right height for Avery when she’s in her chair. And, since her infant booster is one of the best baby seats in the house, Avery spends plenty of time with her Stix.

We don’t want to inundate Avery with loads of toys that don’t at least assist in her development while she plays, so Going Mom and I are picky with our toy selections for her. Since The Manhattan Toy Co. categorizes their Skwish Stix as a baby developmental toy, I was excited when the agreed to send one for Avery.

From their website, The Manhattan Toy Co. offers the following description:

Inspired by Skwish®, this table top activity toy features the same elements of colorful wooden rods, beads and stretch cords that “Skwish” and spring back to entertain and engage baby. Also introduces the concept of cause and effect. Suction cup base adheres to most flat surfaces.

I’d say Avery was pretty engaged with her new toy the first day we presented it to her!

And then some days she would just stare at us like she didn’t know what to do.

One problem we have is that the suction cup base seems to un-suction while she’s playing and will wind up on the floor or out of her reach.

Regardless, Avery will tug at the toy and watch it whip back into position several times before it actually comes unattached. Of course, sometimes she just gets aggravated with them and no matter how many times we pick them up from the ground, she throws them right back down. I think they have helped with her motor skills as a result though!

I like that the Skwish Stix are made of materials safe for babies and have several bright colored beads and rods. It’s a good way to teach colors by pointing and telling her each one.

She may not talk yet, but doing these things is very important to a baby’s development, and although it doesn’t show, they are absorbing everything you do and say.

Like most babies, Avery will become uninterested after a short period and looks around as if she’s bored. Do babies get bored?

Maybe it’s because we’re sticking the camera in her face or that we’re always doing things in the kitchen that she wants to watch. Actually, that is a big part of it, and we’ll start using the Stix in another room soon since she can sit up by herself now.

I like the Skwish Stix for what they are and for the ways you can help teach your baby colors and the concept of cause and effect. Learning by playing is the best!

We still use the Skwish Stix every day to keep Avery complacent for at least a little while as we tend to chores in the kitchen. If only we could get that suction cup base to stick longer, then maybe they would keep Avery busy a little longer.

I want to thank The Manhattan Toy Co. for allowing me the opportunity to review their baby developmental toy and have enjoyed the experience. Check out their entire line of baby developmental toys to see what your baby might enjoy the most.

The Skwish Stix were inspired by their Skwish Classic, which has high reviews. Another toy with high reviews that I’ve been wanting to get Avery is their Winkel which is made of colorful polyurethane and can even be chilled for your teething baby!

Give The Manhattan Toy Co. and shout out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter and keep up to date on what they’re doing.

Do you have a favorite developmental toy for your baby?

Have you heard of or own anything from The Manhattan Toy Co.?

Disclosure: The Manhattan Toy Co. sent me their Skwish Stix free of charge, but all views and opinions are strictly my own.

Going Reviews, Parenting

Going Reviews and My Mother’s Day Gift: Casting Keepsakes Clay Print and Photo Kit

05/11/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Well hello and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you kind, caring, and loving mothers out there!

I hope you’re being treated to kind words and smiles from your children along with everything you really want for your day. I sure hope Going Mom wasn’t expecting diamonds; that would be a disappointment.

Plus, with my annual salary of zero dollars as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t think I could find a really good diamond. Unlesssssss, I found a really good diamond. Hmm….

Anyway, not happening, but I have something I think the both of us prefer over materialistic items; our daughter’s impressions! Lori from Casting Keepsakes was kind enough to send one of their air-dry clay and photo kits for me to review and give to Kelley for Mother’s Day.

This is an exciting day in our house since it’s the first official Mother’s Day we are celebrating. Last year we celebrated since Kelley was pregnant with Avery, but it means so much more now that she’s actually here!

Kelley’s love for Avery radiates through her every day, non-stop, and she is and always will be the best mother she can be. And what’s more, she’s a wonderful wife who always fills me with love and happiness!

Avery is 6 months this month, and to capture imprints of her tiny hands and a feet is a must. Casting Keepsakes provides everything you need to roll the clay out and make impressions of your precious child. A simple task that took a total of 30 minutes for a gift that will last forever!

The hardest part was getting Avery’s handprint without her making a fist in the clay, but once we got passed that part, the rest was fairly easy. I sat Avery in her Mama’s & Papas booster chair for the foot imprint and finished within minutes.

One area where I goofed was choosing a picture for the middle. I spent forever going through my portfolio of Avery pictures (every parent has one, right?) and finally ordered several prints. The problem? They were all landscape when I needed to use a portrait orientation!

I think Homer Simpson says it best; “Doh!”

Thankfully, I did order one portrait orientation, and although it’s not what I originally planned, it’s still an adorable pic.

This is the photo I planned on using; mother and daughter together.

But that’s my issue and I am completely happy with the kit from Casting Keepsakes. Check out their website to see more great items to capture your child’s current size before they grow up! They even offer belly casting kits and baby ink kits if you don’t want to deal with clay. They even have an Amazon store to purchase their items and read more reviews.

I can’t thank Casting Keepsakes enough for sending me what I think is the perfect gift for any loving mother and I know Kelley will enjoy looking at these tiny prints for years to come.

If you’re wondering if I forgot about my mom (G-Ma), I didn’t, but I won’t see her until later today and can’t disclose what I got her before giving it to her. Where’s the fun in that? But I will say, Mom, I love you very much and can’t express how much I appreciate all you’ve done and still do. You deserve the world, but all I could give you is a globe; Happy Mother’s Day!

For all who care, I’ll share pictures of her gift in an upcoming post. There’s also more to Going Mom’s gift that I can’t let her know about yet, but I’ll tell you soon enough.

Kelley did get treated to one of her favorite snacks that I make for her, goat cheez-its! I’ll share the recipe eventually, I promise.

I wrote a separate review that I sent to Casting Keepsakes a few days ago, and you can see it below.

Hi there! I’m a stay-at-home dad to one beautiful girl, Avery, who was born in November 2013. She means the world to my wife and I, and I try my best to capture her in photos every day. It was a very long and hard journey for us to have our darling girl and we will never take having her for granted.

When Casting Keepsakes sent me their No Bake Clay Print and Photo Kit, I was a little hesitant at first for fear that I’d mess it up. I wanted to make this a Mother’s Day gift for my wife since Avery will be right at 6 months in May. Since I know my wife misses her so much when at work, I wanted to give her something more to go along with the countless pictures I take.

The kit arrived well packaged and everything appeared to be of high quality. Thankfully, the clay was not as hard to work with as I had imagined and it easily rolled out into the frame space provided with the included rolling pin. I was unsure how well my baby would co-operate, but she did great! It helps that the clay is soft enough so you don’t have to mash the baby’s hand and foot really hard to make an impression.

The entire process form kneading and rolling out the clay to making the impressions only took a total of 30 minute. Not bad for something that is priceless to any parent; capturing your baby’s tiny prints before they grow up and move out!

I’m not one to purchase lavish gifts for my wife and she doesn’t enjoy them anyway. Plus, as a stay-at-home parent, it’s not like I’m raking in the dough! The Casting Keepsake’s clay print and photo kit is the best quality and inexpensive gift I can think of for a loving mother, and I’m happy I have one to give to my wife on Mother’s Day. Thank you, Casting Keepsakes!

What are your thoughts on clay prints as gifts or just to capture little hands and feet before they grow too much?

What’s the best Mother’s Day gift to give/get in your opinion?