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.

Life, Parenting

Another “BLW” Fail and Avery Meets our Turtle

05/19/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Yep, baby-led weaning was another no-go today. After our first attempt with a fussy baby just the day before, we were sure trying mid-morning the next day would yield success.

I could feel the excitement run through my veins as she grasped the green bean as I thought “This is it!” Is it sad to get so excited over our baby gripping a flimsy green bean? C’mon, I know other parents are the same! But the excitement quickly dissipated as she hastily tossed it aside.

You can see it in the corner just barely hanging on to the tray. We sat and stared with cameras in hand a while longer, but finally gave up as Avery’s mood worsened. Another tasty meal for our box turtle, Tash, was served; compliments of Avery.

At least Tash is enjoying the whole baby-led weaning experience thus far. Thanks to several of you for your comments on your own BLW experiences we will keep trying and have patience with Avery. In time, our girl will “pick up” on what to do with her food and she’ll be eating like a champ in no time. So we hope!!

G-Ma came over in the afternoon to stay with us for the night and she was excited to see and play with Avery. Going Mom and I took care of things around the house while G-Ma kept Avery occupied which was extremely helpful!

All four of us wound up outside and I thought it would be the perfect time to take Tash out of her outside pen and introduce her to Avery. At first, Avery didn’t notice the Terrapene walking under her nose; maybe those puffy cheeks blocked her view!

But it wasn’t long before she noticed Tash trying to distance herself from us humans.

She became very interested in this new hard-shelled creature and tried to reach and feel for herself.

It’s definitely not soft and fluffy like the cat and dog she already knows, and it was great watching her reaction. With Avery’s attention solely on our pet reptile, I explained their unique shell and anatomy to her as if she was taking notes.

Did you know turtles have feelings in their shells? Yep, their shells are a part of their body and they cannot leave them like certain crabs can. There’s a little turtle info for the day; you’re welcome.

Poor Tash kept trying to get away, but we made sure to safely keep her around us. Intrigued, Avery continued to reach for Tash as she walked away and would just miss making contact. Probably for the best because baby fingers look awfully similar to plump grubs or worms!

We all enjoyed watching Avery witness something new in her world and it’s awesome how interested she can get!

I know as Avery gets older, she’ll be able to see and learn more about our turtle and the species as a whole since her dad is such a reptile fanatic. Yep, mainly snakes and turtles, but they all interest me. Maybe the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have something to do with? Hmmmm.

It was a great Sunday that went by too fast, but luckily Going Mom only has a four day work week ahead! Yay, the weekend starts early and lasts longer! Oh, wait, it’s Avery’s 6 month shots and check-up on the first day Kelley is off, but hopefully that won’t dampen Avery’s spirits the whole time!

Do you have any other pets besides a dog and cat that your children loves or hates or is scared of?

Are you a reptile lover or can’t stand the critters?

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.