The Schmitts

My Favorite Toddler Feeding Esssentials

Today I wanted to share my favorite toddler feeding essentials. I love chatting with other moms and hearing about what products have worked for their little ones. In fact, some of my most favorite items have come from recommendations from other moms. Here's a look at a few of my must-have toddler feeding products.

First Years Take & Toss Sippy Cups: After nearly 3 months of trying a gazillion different brands of sippy cups out on the market, we found the Holy Grail of sippy cups...First Years Take & Toss spill-proof cups. These cups may be one of the cheapest sippy cups available today, but seriously, these things were the only cups Noah would drink from. Go figure! He got the hang of them on pretty much the first try at around 9 months, and they've been a staple in our house ever since.

Playtex Lil' Grippers Straw Cups: I just discovered these straw cups last week, and I am absolutely amazed at how leak-proof they are. Noah has been learning how to use a straw over the last month or two, and he's been getting quite good at it. However, he still has the habit of tipping the cup back as he drinks, regardless if he's drinking out of a straw or not. We're working on breaking that habit, but in the mean time, these straw cups are great for practicing his straw-sucking skills without a leaky mess.

Re-play Divided Plates: We just recently introduced a plate to Noah, and much to our surprise, he really enjoys eating off of a plate (as opposed to just his highchair tray). I had been searching for a divided plate and stumbled upon these during an Amazon search. I'm a big advocate for offering Noah a variety of food choices during meals, and I knew that these plates would allow me to do so. I love how durable they are, and I'm a sucker for bright colors, so these plates instantly won me over.

Neat Solutions Table Toppers: Call me a germaphobe, but I absolutely cringe at the thought of Noah eating directly off of a restaurant table top. Having worked at a restaurant during my highschool and college years, I have seen how the tables get "cleaned", and I am just not comfortable with it. I found these adorable Mickey Mouse table toppers as a great solution for Noah to eat off of when we're dining out at restaurants. They stick directly to the table on all four sides and are super easy to remove after you're finished eating.

Zoli Snack Stacker: Noah received this as a birthday gift last month, and it has been used multiple times already. I take this with me for picnics at the park or play dates at friends' houses when I need to carry his lunch with me. It's super convenient for carrying around everyday snacks, too.

What are some of your must-have baby/toddler feeding products?

Teething Remedies

I've been meaning to get back into blogging (other than Noah's monthly updates), and since Noah has recently become the proud new owner of 5 teeth, I thought I'd start off with some of our favorite teething remedies. These 5 new teeth came in all at once over the span of just about 3.5/4 weeks, so needless to say, teething has been the main topic of discussion in our household this past month. He's up to 8 teeth now, so I'm hoping we can get a little bit of a break before his one year molars come in.

First, let me start off by saying that Noah is a relatively "good" teether. Sure, he has his fussy days where it is clear that he is experiencing discomfort/pain from teething, and naturally, there are days that his naps are less than stellar...BUT I have been pretty (pleasantly) surprised that teething (for us) wasn't this horror story that I had heard so much about. I have to admit that many other moms I talked with scared.the.living.crap out of me when they would tell me horror stories of their little ones not sleeping for weeks straight, refusing meals, and warning me to expect miserable cycles of fussiness for days on end. I feel for those mamas who have a rough teething experience with their little ones. Teething is no doubt painful, but some babies get through the process more easily than others.

While we still have 12 more teeth to go (boy, doesn't that sound daunting?!), there are definitely some teething remedies that have helped us get through those first signs of drool to those little pearly whites finally breaking through the gum line.

Sophie, the Giraffe - Noah has been a fan of Sophie since he was 2-3 months old and could grasp a toy pretty easily. Sophie is everywhere these days, and it's pretty easy to see why, babies love her!

Nuby Bug-a-Loop Teether - We keep this teether with us at all times, and is usually our "go to" teething toy for car rides.

Munchkin Mesh Feeder/Teether - My mother-in-law gave this to Noah in his Easter basket earlier this year, and it has been GREAT for Noah's teething pain. We typically fill it with crushed ice or frozen bananas and let Noah chew on it for a soothing "treat". He'll usually chew on it for a solid 15-20 minutes and it seems to really help for those fussy days when I can tell his teeth are really bothering him. Couple this with a little Sesame Street, and he is a happy camper ;)

Green Sprouts Apple Teether - Noah also loves this teether since it offers a cooling sensation. While Noah will happily chew on it for several minutes, it does warm up to room temperature pretty quickly, so I can usually only get him to chew on it for 5-10 minutes max.

Hylands Teething Tablets - Thanks a TON to some of my good Mommy friends who recommended these to us. These homeopathic teething tablets are truly a lifesaver! I am fully convinced that they DO work for my little guy. I am pretty conservative when it comes to offering Noah medication, so I usually try teething tablets first (as opposed to Tylenol) for days when his teeth are really bugging him. I generally reserve teething tablets for his afternoon nap, as well as bedtime.

What teething remedies work for your little one? I'd love to hear from other mamas about your favorite tips!

Happy teething! :)

Please note :: These teething tips are for reference only, and they are not intended to be substituted for advice from your child’s healthcare professional.

Noah :: One Year Update

Dear Noah,

This past weekend you turned ONE year old! Exactly one year ago you came into our lives as a 7 lb, 8 oz little baby, and today, you are a 22 lb soon-to-be-walking toddler who loves to explore his world. My oh my, how did an entire year fly by so fast?! I still don't think I've wrapped my head around the fact that you are ONE. That may take a few weeks to sink in.

Your two-way communication skills have continued to develop these last few months, which is very exciting! One of the more obvious milestones you've reached this past month is your ability to point to things. You started off pointing at your sippy cup whenever you wanted a drink of water, and now you love to point at whatever you happen to want/see that interests you. It seems fitting that yesterday in Target, on your 1st official full day as a toddler, you pointed to a box of Cheerios you saw on the shelf, and then proceeded to have a mini meltdown when you realized you weren't getting any Cheerios at that exact moment ;) Meltdowns aside, it's a lot of fun watching you express your wants with gestures. Besides pointing, you clap on command (or whenever you are happy or excited), give kisses to Mommy & Daddy, and you absolutely LOVE to give toys (and other objects) to others, including puppy.

You still enjoy many of the same things I've mentioned in the previous few months, especially bath time, reading stories + turning the pages in books, clapping, climbing up the stairs, hiding in the curtains and playing peek-a-boo, playing with puppy, pushing your push toys around the house, and walks in your stroller. This past month you've developed a love for a few new things, too. You love Sesame Street, Elmo (he's your new cuddle partner during naps), brushing your teeth, drinking from a straw, and learning to feed yourself with a spoon. Your favorite foods are clearly still cheese, eggs, and yogurt.

Some of your not so favorite things include diaper changes, getting dressed, having your nose/face wiped, and you especially dislike it when Mommy tries to open your mouth to take a peek at those little teeth of yours!

Oh, and speaking of teeth, you cut another tooth today actually! You are up to 4 teeth now with 3 more on the way very soon, one of which is cutting through as we speak.

Before we get to your big birthday celebration, Mommy just wants to say how very proud I am of you for making the switch to whole milk such a breeze! The week before your birthday we cut out your final two daytime bottles, including your morning bottle, and you barely even noticed they were gone. You now drink milk (and water) exclusively out of a sippy cup like a big boy. As of yesterday we officially said goodbye to all of your bottles! Hooray!

Okay, now for the party fun! We celebrated your 1st birthday with a circus themed backyard party with family and friends. Many of the people who played a big part of your 1st year of life were there with us to celebrate your big day. Since Mommy plans weddings & events for a living, it was a lot of fun for me to plan this special day for you. I chose a circus theme because the circus is lively and fun, and I think those two words describe you perfectly. For the decor we had a tent with hanging paper lanterns, a popcorn machine, a "sweet shoppe" with lots of goodies, balloons, and popcorn containers filled with various toys and treats for your friends to take home. Naturally, we also had a smash cake for you, which has recently become a very popular tradition during a 1st birthday bash. You were a tad cautious with the cake at first, but once you tasted the icing, you seemed to have fun playing with it. I know you likely won't remember your 1st birthday party, but I hope you are able to look back on the photos that we captured from that day to know how truly loved you are.

As I wrap up this letter, I wanted to explain the importance of these monthly letters to you. When you were still in Mommy's tummy I knew I wanted to make it a priority to sit down and write to you each month. Time flies by so quickly as we all get older, and we so often forget many of the little things that happen along the way. These letters allow me to document each month in detail. Even though this is the last monthly letter documenting your babyhood, I still plan to write to you every few months to check in. I hope you will love looking back and seeing how much you changed in just a matter of 12 short months.

Welcome to toddlerhood my sweet boy! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited to see what the toddler years have in store for you.

Until next time, here are some of my favorite snapshots from your twelfth month.

Playing with puppy

The aftermath of using a spoon by yourself ;)

Turning into a little boy

Daddy snuck this photo of us, and I think it's one of my faves

Dinner on the patio

1st time playing in the sand box

1st balloon!

Playing with Haley

Making a wish <3

You're ONE! :)

Playgroup pals

Family photo

Your 1st bike!

Having fun with Mommy on your birthday!

"Official" one year photo!

Here are your 12 month stats:

Weight: 22 lbs, 4 oz.
Height: 31"
Clothing Size: 12 months (still in size 3 diapers during the day, but transitioning to size 4 at night)

I love you,

Mommy

Noah :: 11 Month Update

Dear Noah,

Today you are 11 months old! Every time I sit down and write to you I think to myself how amazingly fast these days, weeks, and months are flying by. Didn't I just write your 10 month letter last week?! That's certainly what it feels like anyways. We packed quite a bit into this month and I can't wait to tell you all about our month together. But before I forget, after nearly 3.5 months with no new teeth, you finally cut your 3rd tooth last weekend! I have a feeling a few more are on their way soon, too.

This past month it seems like you've turned into a little boy almost overnight. You are drinking from your sippy cup like a champ now and you are even learning to use a straw, too! You also decided that you were ready to say goodbye to baby food making the switch over to 3 full meals (plus a snack or two) of "big boy" food! At the moment, your favorite foods are cheese, eggs, and yogurt. Your typical menu on any given day usually looks like this:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, waffles, pancakes, toast, or yogurt (it varies, but you usually have a combo of 2 of these foods)

Lunch: Cheese (usually cheese cubes or a quesadilla), sweet potato, black beans, left-overs from dinner the night before, or sometimes Mommy shares her lunch with you if it's something that you like (and isn't too spicy...Mommy loves her hot sauce!).

Snack: Yogurt or fruit pouch

Dinner: You usually just eat what Mommy and Daddy have for dinner. Your favorite meal that we cook right now is tacos. We make you a little taco bar with ground beef, cheese, tortilla, black beans, and a little lettuce. You gobble it right up!

Oh, and speaking of turning into a little boy, Mommy forgot to mention to you last month that you've started crawling up the stairs. You can climb the entire staircase in less than 30 seconds! You love climbing the stairs, especially when Daddy cheers you on from the top. You continue to cruise everywhere, but this month you've also started standing on your own without holding on to anything for a solid 10 seconds at a time! It's actually kind of entertaining, because once you realize you are standing all by yourself, you usually start laughing as you sit back down. Maybe you are just so impressed with yourself that your laughter knocks you back down? ;) Much of your attention this month has been related to standing and cruising. You are also becoming quite fast while walking with your push toys. I'm sure it won't be very long before you take those first steps!

This month we took a day trip to the Cleveland Zoo to celebrate your first 4th of July. We were originally planning on taking you up to Lake Erie to play at the beach, but since the weather forecast looked like rain, we decided to take a chance on the zoo instead. While I'm sure the beach would have been a blast, we were SO glad we ended up visiting the zoo. The Pittsburgh Zoo is much closer to home, but we haven't had the best luck with seeing many of the animals during our visits there this summer. At the Cleveland Zoo you were able to see so many more animals...some of them really close up, too! We ate lunch right next to the lions and you even got to see Mommy feed a giraffe! Pretty cool, huh? The rain held off and we had a fantastic day together!

We also took another day trip this month to Idlewild, an amusement park for kids. You are still a bit too young to really appreciate the park, or ride most of the rides, but we still had a fun day regardless. You did, however, get to ride the choo-choo train and the carousel (2x!). You were a little unsure about the carousel, but you loved riding the train. We also got to play at the water park with you, which you absolutely LOVED. You had a blast splashing in the baby pool and playing with all of the sprayers. You were actually quite brave for being just a little guy with lots of older kids running around. Mommy and Daddy were pretty impressed with how fearless you seemed around the water.

Last month, I wrote about many of your current favorite things (and not so favorite things). You actually still like/dislike most of the things I mentioned from last month, but there are a few more things to add to that list for this month. One of your new favorite things to do is to give toys to us. It's still somewhat spontaneous, but you will hand things over when we ask if you feel like it ;) We've caught you trying to give your toys to the puppy, too, which absolutely melts our hearts! Sharing with others is so, so important, and Daddy and I hope that you will grow into a very giving little boy.

Well, kiddo, it looks like you're waking up from your nap as we speak (we're off to story time today), so on that note, I'll wrap things up and just say I love you.

Until next time, here are some of my favorite snapshots from your eleventh month.

It's fun to clap! :)

This face melts my heart <3

4th of July at the Cleveland Zoo

You, Daddy & the polar bear

(and the battle of keeping the hat on)

Bubbles in the pool

Riding the carousel at Idlewild

Playing at Idlewild

Water park fun!

Busy days make for tired babies

Monkey'ing around :)

Taunting the dog ;)

Fun afternoon at the park with friends

Mommy's grocery shopping buddy

Standing on your own!

(finally standing long enough to snap a pic)

Happy guy :)

No official height/weight stats this month, but we did take a quick weight check using our home scale, and you weigh about 21 lbs. Still in 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

I love you,

Mommy

Noah :: 10 Month Update

Dear Noah,

Today you are 10 months old! Double digits, buddy! Just like last month, we kept quite busy and had lots of "firsts" together. Your firsts this month included a visit to the zoo, a swing ride at the park, splash time in your baby pool, and lots of fun in the big boy bathtub! Every month you continue to grow and change in what seems like a blink of an eye, and this month was certainly no exception.

For the past few months you've been exploring your surroundings by crawling from place to place, but this month you've started cruising along the furniture to get to where you want to go. You love walking along the couch stealing remotes and sneaking up on the puppy. You have such a huge love for your puppy. You love watching him run around the house and you giggle every time he licks your hand. It is so fun seeing the joy in your eyes when you interact with him. Puppy is slowly getting used to the fact that you are a permanent resident in his house ;)

This month your communication skills have really started to emerge. You've been talking away lately saying "mama" and "dada" and you have a new obsession with clapping, too! You are starting to understand more of what Mommy and Daddy are saying to you. You definitely know when you've done something you are not supposed to do, like digging into Daddy's work bag or snatching something off the coffee table. A few days ago you found Mommy's computer mouse and gave me a HUGE mischievous smile after grabbing it off of the table :) Mommy sees your mischievous smile more and more often these days ;)

Since you are becoming your own little person with likes/dislikes, I thought it would be fun to add a "favorite things" list to your monthly letters.

Likes: CHEESE (it deserves to be in all caps...you love it THAT much!), bath time, reading stories + turning the pages in books, playing peek-a-boo, clapping, watching Baby Einstein DVDs, puzzles (usually just dumping them on the floor and chewing the pieces, but you love them nonetheless), dancing/walking around your activity table, cruising + crawling everywhere, going for walks in your stroller + your toy car, playing with water bottles (or any cup, for that matter), splashing in puppy's water bowl, playing flying games with Daddy, playing with the window curtains, and basically just getting into any and every thing you can get your hands on!

And now for some of your not so favorite things...

Dislikes: diaper changes, getting dressed, having your nose/face wiped, and having anything being taken away from you. Can't say I blame ya, kid!

Now that summer has officially arrived, we've been spending lots of time outside going for walks, swinging on the swing at the park, and splashing in your baby pool. You love being outside. We also took two trips to the zoo this month - one as a family with Daddy and one with our playgroup buddies. It's been so fun watching you play and interact with your first group of friends. They've been a pretty big part of your life for quite awhile now and I hope that bond between you boys continues to grow over the years.

In just two short months you'll be a year old. Mommy and Daddy are so excited to watch you grow into a toddler, but I have to admit that I wish time would slow down just a bit. You melt our hearts every single day. Want to know a secret? Almost every night before we fall asleep, Daddy and I look through all of our recent photos and videos of you. It's so great to look back and relive all of the fun memories we've created together as a family. We love you to the moon and back, Noah.

Here are some of my favorite snapshots from your tenth month.

Your 1st zoo visit!

Checking out the giraffes & elephants with Daddy

Having fun at the zoo!

Swimming pool fun!

1st bath in the big boy tub!

1st swing ride at the park!

Look at that mischievous little face ;)

Ready to play outside!

Gymboree fun!

Playing at the park

Who needs toys when you have a diaper box?! ;)

Cruisin' around the block (you LOVE your car)

Zoo day with our playgroup pals!

No official height/weight stats this month. You are currently wearing 12 month clothes, and still in size 3 diapers.

I love you,

Mommy

Noah :: 9 Month Update

Dear Noah,

Today you are 9 months old! Wait, did I really just say 9 months?! That means in just 3 short months you'll be a year old! My oh my, time is flying! You, my sweet little baby, were quite the busy boy this month.

Shortly after you turned 8 months we ventured up to Michigan to visit some of Daddy's friends that he grew up with. You also got to meet your new baby friends, Cate and Jack. The three of you had a blast playing and watching Baby Einstein together. During our visit we also took a trip to the University of Michigan to see where Daddy went to college. Daddy had so much fun showing you around the campus. Who knows, maybe you'll follow in Daddy's footsteps and attend the same school some day. Wouldn't that be neat? Mommy and Daddy love daydreaming about your future and trying to predict what you'll end up doing some day.

You've become even more mobile this month than last! You stopped army crawling earlier this month and have thus perfected your hand/knee crawl with your belly off the ground. Each week you seem to get faster and faster. You love to crawl around the house and explore. It amazes me how many new things you find on a daily basis (translation: you are into every.single.thing and Mommy spends her entire day chasing after you). This month you also started pulling up and standing on just about any thing you can hold on to...whether it's the furniture, your toys, or the bath tub, you are constantly pulling up and standing! Mommy and Daddy are in full baby-proofing mode to keep you as safe as possible. These days, it's pretty hard to walk away from you for more than 30 seconds. It seems like every time we turn around you are into something entirely different than you were less than a minute ago. In fact, your new nickname is "Tornado Noah". We figure it's pretty fitting for this stage you are at right now ;)

Another exciting milestone you achieved this month was trying lots of new finger foods while perfecting your "pincher grasp". You've gotten really good at feeding yourself, and so far, have been pretty receptive to most of the new foods we've given you to try. You especially love Cheerios and Puffs. You also had your very first taste of ice cream this month, which you obviously loved! Mommy is quite excited for all of our future mommy + son ice cream dates!

This month we celebrated Mommy's 1st Mother's Day, which was quite the special day for you as well, since you were baptized the same day. You were exceptionally well-behaved during the entire baptism ceremony and looked so darn handsome in your outfit. Pinned to your outfit was a special cross you received from Grandma Schmitt, that is now pinned to your crib mattress. As an extra bonus to this special day, you got to spend the entire weekend with both of your grandmas at the same time, which meant lots of hugs and kisses for you :)

The weather here in PA has finally gotten warmer (we had such a long winter this year!), so we've been enjoying lots of walks at the park together, along with rides around the neighborhood in your new car. We've had lots of fun this month with play dates, Gymboree classes, and swim lessons, too! We are certainly busy bees!

Until next time, here are some of my favorite snapshots from your ninth month.

You've become a big fan of puzzles!