Tag Archives: wipes

Mommy 101

Pampers Gifts To Grow Rewards

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I’ll admit it, I’m a point collector. That goes for airline miles, hotels, Toys R Us Rewards and my latest obsession is Pampers “Gifts to Grow!” My other half sometimes laughs at my determination and focus on making sure I get all my credits, but I think he’s accepted that it makes me happy. In my pre-mommy days, I was a frequent traveler, so I tried to always fly with certain airlines to accumulate miles, stay at my preferred hotel chains to earn more miles and the same went for associated car rentals and promotions. I actually would do pretty good considering I wasn’t do all I could to maximize my mileage earnings, but I’d average at least 2 free round trips a year with the frequent flyer plans. Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 2.48.51 PMSo, as my pre-mommy days turned to endless diaper changes and wipes consumption, I realized I needed to join the Pampers “Gifts to Grow” rewards program. I started collecting and entering the codes when my first born was a couple months old, I wasn’t aiming to get any one “prize” in particular, it was just sort of fun to watch my point total grow and it became part of my routine to record all the codes with every new box of diapers and package of wipes. Then when my second baby came along, there were even more points to be had…exciting times, I know! LOL!!

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Well, my rewards points count recently crossed the 5000 mark, so I figured it was time to cash them in – yes, I’m still collecting, and we now have a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe! It couldn’t have come at a better time. My toddler is 20 months and he’s been eyeballing the push cars of other children when we go to the playground and now he has his own ride! I’d say it’s such a GREAT value. I mean, it retails for about $50-$60 and we essentially “earned” this cool car by buying diapers and wipes we are using anyway! Not to mention along the way Pampers has also offered me other great items as “rewards,” (like photo books and toys),  for being such a dedicated program member….and those gifts did not require the use of any of my points. BONUS!!!

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Now, the only battle will be between my toddler and his “53 week” younger baby brother, who will undoubtedly want to use the Cozy Coupe too…ah well, until our next 5000 points! 😉 BTW…by following Pampers on Facebook and Twitter, you can pick up even more points when they give out special codes for holidays and stuff! I’m just saying… 😉

Mommy 101

Operation Runny Nose

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There is nothing fun about Cold and Flu season when it strikes your home, and if you have infants and toddlers who come down with the symptoms, it can lead to days of frustration trying to get a leaky nose under control! A runny nose is a nuisance, and I NEVER want to be the Mommy who lets her babies go around with runny noses or dried up snot on their upper lip. The problem is, until they learn how to blow their nose, there’s not much they can do to help themselves other than wipe it all over their face! Ugh!! And, since you really can’t give them “cold medicine” until they get older, you just have to go through the motions and wait it out. Mind you, a runny nose can also be a symptom of teething that can strike at any time. However, there are some aides beyond chasing them with tissue, that can help to get you corral a runny nose. I’ve tried many of them, so check my list to see my thoughts!

Saline Drops – I keep this on hand to help loosen up any dried up mucous in the nose. The spray doesn’t hurt them and it’s safe for babies, but of course they’re not too happy about having something shoved up their nose. A downside is that it doesn’t help to get out the congestion you can hear when they breathe.

Boogey Wipes – The great thing about these wipes is that they are designed to target the “boogeys,” we are fighting and have saline in them. The wipes are soft and smell nice, they have a selection of scents, but they really can only help with snot on the surface.

NoseFrieda – We learned about the NoseFrieda from our pediatrician. When you first see it and start to comprehend how it works, it may not be appealing, but let me tell you, this thing WORKS! Hands down this is the best tool for removing the mucous that is stuck in baby’s nose. It’s like blowing their nose for them. Sure, sucking the snot out of their nostril with the force of your own mouth’s suction sounds gross – I guess it is if you really think about it, but there is a filter to stop any of the nastiness from entering your mouth, and it’s super easy to clean. The downside (for us), is that the kids HATE it and when we have to do it, I feel like it’s some twisted type of torture! With my older son he is well-aware of it and he will twist, turn, scream and fight to keep it off him..even pulling it apart as we go in for the “suck.” *sigh* If he only could understand we are trying to make him feel better by sucking all the yucky stuff out!

Vapor Bath – I love using Johnson’s “soothing vapor” baby bath. Just pour some in the tub at bath time and let the nose run. You can smell the vapors in the bath and it’s so nice to hear baby breathe deeply after a long, congested day. Keep a wash cloth handy to wipe the snot as it comes out.

Aspirator – This is the traditional nasal aspirator that you more than likely brought home with you when you delivered the baby. This is probably the one your Mom used on you, I know it was for me. These do work and I keep one on hand for emergency situations, but it doesn’t get nearly as much out as the NoseFrieda, adn it’s not as easy to clean. Here’s a tip if you do use it…close off the nostril you are not removing the mucous from, it helps to “maximize” the suction.

Humidifier – A Cool-Mist Humidifier is your best bet. They keep the room cool while helping baby to breathe and get the airways flowing through the night. We chose one that doesn’t require a filter to be changed, and the noise it makes is minimal. You can also find humidifiers with “Vicks” in them.

Vicks – Vicks Baby Rub is another aide you can use to help baby breathe when they are all stuffed up! Just put some on their chest and let the vapors take over. I’ve also heard (and we do this) by rubbing Vicks on the bottom of baby’s feet, it helps to stop coughing at night. I’m not convinced it works, but it sure doesn’t hurt!