New Holiday Hours at Luvaboos, Plus we're Hiring!

The holiday season is fast approaching!  We've extended our hours to make it easier on you to shop!

Now Open:

Tuesday 11am-8pm 

Wed-Fri 11-6pm

Saturday 11-5pm

Sun & Monday Closed

We will also be closed December 24th for Christmas Eve this year!  

We have been filling the store with new toys and gear for Christmas and after many requests will also have Class Gift Cards Available!  So make your wish lists now at Luvaboos!

Our

New Class Schedule

Has been filling up all week.  If you want to join the fun Register online today, after this week you can call the store to register and class tuition will be prorated for the duration of the session. 

We're hiring, keep the applications coming!  

Send us an email with Luvaboos Application in the subject and we'll get you an application.  Even if it's not the right time or fit for you now we'll keep you on file for the future.  We love getting to know our families in this way so don't be shy :)

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Boo-nana Ghost Pops! A healthy Halloween treat!

I’m always on the hunt for healthy snacks for my kids. That doesn’t mean that they have to have tasteless food! I LOVE reading the blog Skinny Taste for ideas on slimmed down flavorful food. I happened upon these cute little guys! Happy Halloween!

Ingredients:

Bananas

1 Cup of White Chocolate Chips

Mini Chocolate Chips

Popsicle Sticks (wooden or reusable)

First you’ll cut your bananas in half and then take those halves and cut them in half again lengthwise. From there you’ll place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put the sheet in the freezer. Keep them in the freezer for a little while.

While you’re waiting for the bananas to freeze you can get started on melting your white chocolate. You’ll want to do this in the microwave, setting the microwave for thirty seconds on high power, stirring the chocolate at the end of thirty seconds until the chocolate is melted.

If you try to hurry the process like I did you’ll get burned white chocolate and yes, it does turn brown!

After the chocolate’s melted take the bananas out of the freezer and dip them into the melted chocolate. Then scrape the excess white chocolate off the back of the banana and place them onto the cookie sheet. Quickly place two mini chocolate chips on the top of the banana so that they look like little ghost eyes. Put your finished pops back into the freezer and let them freeze.

Once they’re finished give these yummy snacks to your kids! Happy Halloween friendly ghosts!

You can check out the original recipe from Skinny Taste here! 

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

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Breastfeeding Twins, A mother's journey.

Guest Post by Amanda

At just 10 weeks pregnant, I found out I was expecting twins. The hubby and I were shocked but super excited to be blessed with two. My pregnancy, although uncomfortable, went by without a hitch. I was always in perfect health at every doctor’s appointment and the twins were growing perfectly. True to my public health background I had no doubt that I would breastfeed my twins. I read everything I could get my hands on about breastfeeding twins. I bought the My Brest Friend nursing pillow for twins and registered for a double electric breast pump. I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

The twins were delivered via c-section at 36 weeks gestation because they were both in the breech position. I gave birth to identical twin boys who we named Noah and Eli. The excitement of the twins’ arrival was quickly replaced with fear when we found out that Eli was born with a tracheosophageal fistula and esophageal atresia. Basically, his esophagus and trachea formed incorrectly. His esophagus didn’t connect to his stomach and there was a connection between his esophagus and trachea. He underwent surgery to repair his esophagus and trachea when he was just one day old.

After surgery Eli remained in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for 6 weeks. He had some serious complications following his surgery. He spent 3 long weeks on the ventilator. After coming off the vent I was finally able to hold him for the first time. He also began eating 5 milliliters of breastmilk every 3 hours. I spent a lot of my time pumping so Eli could get as much breastmilk as possible. After being on a ventilator for 3 weeks Eli had a serious oral aversion and hated anything being put in his mouth. It was painstakingly hard to get him to suck and drink even 5mLs of breastmilk. At this point in time, attempting to breastfeed him wasn’t even an option.

 

Noah came home from the hospital after 2 weeks in the NICU. With no serious health complications I was able to begin breastfeeding him while he was in the NICU. However, because he was born early, he wasn’t quite strong enough to latch on and suck well. With all that was going on with Eli, I breastfed Noah when I could, but we ended up having to supplement his diet with formula.

Whenever things seemed to be getting better with Eli, a new problem would emerge. Due to the complications he had following surgery, Eli developed kidney damage. Now it was even more important that he get as much breastmilk as possible. He still refused to latch so I continued to pump and bring bottles to the NICU. It was difficult for me because I wasn’t able to pump enough milk to feed 2 babies. I struggled with depriving Noah of the precious breastmilk in order to give Eli as much as I possibly could.

Eli came home from the hospital when he was 6 weeks old. I tried over and over to get him to latch on and breastfeed, but he would arch his back and scream bloody murder. It was so upsetting to me that he wouldn’t breastfeed. I breastfed Noah during the night and continued to pump every few hours so I could have bottles for Eli. For 6 months I pumped and supplemented the twins’ diet with formula. This was such a trying time in my life, but I did the best I could to get at least some breastmilk into my babies. At 6 months, my mom lost her battle with cancer and pumping became too much for me to handle.

I still wish I was able to breastfeed the twins exclusively.  I  did the best that I could with my circumstances. I am happy that I didn’t give up sooner and that they at least received some breastmilk for the first 6 months of their lives. I know that some breastmilk is better than no breastmilk. They are now thriving 3 year olds, and looking at Eli, you wouldn’t even know he had such a tough beginning. I am also now successfully breastfeeding my 8 month old daughter and loving every minute of it.

Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of 3 year old, identical, twin boys and a beautiful, 8 month old, baby girl. She is a new found cloth diaper addict who also enjoys sewing and crocheting when the kids aren't climbing all over her. She married an amazing man and enjoys living two houses away from her in-laws. Amanda has a degree in Public Health Education from Brigham Young University. She started blogging to keep her family updated on the crazy and cute things her kids are up to.  You find her at The Duke Family blog.

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Luvaboos, Rochester NY Store updates!

 Starting to have to bundle up out there!  We've been having a blast with classes at the store.  Don't miss your chance to join in the fun before the holidays.  I can't believe I'm saying this but this is our last official session before Christmas!  Starting next week so check them out today!

New Class Schedule

If you want in register soon because we've started to fill up faster with the cold weather finally here.  If you are still having trouble viewing check your anti-virus first then let us know if you still can't see the page (still not sure all the kinks are out).

NEW this session is Itsy Bitsy Yoga!  Get to know other caregivers, bond with your baby and feel empowered with more tools to play and sooth at this early age.

If you are expecting, don't miss Tamara Alberts comprehensive session, Childbirth: A Joyful Experience Saturday November 5th.  I can tell you first hand you won't regret it (went through it 3 times and 3 amazing births!).  

Want to join the fun but can't find a good time?  Jump over to our FaceBook page and answer the poll about what times work best.

Lots of new products are in. 

We've been unpacking like crazy around here with all the new products coming in.  For those of you that are new around here (welcome!), every fall we head to the largest baby expo in the world and hand pick many of the products you see in store.  It's a great chance to meet the families behind the things you've come to love.  We also see products in person and learn about the manufacturing process before bringing them to you.  If you haven't been in lately stop by and say hello :)

AND we're hiring again!  

Send us an email with Luvaboos Application in the subject and we'll get you an application.  Even if it's not the right time or fit for you now we'll keep you on file for the future.  We love getting to know our customers in this way so don't be shy :)

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Make your own baby food at home!

Guest Post by Bert

There are tons of cookbooks and products out there for making your own babyfood. I did not purchase any of them. In fact, I didn’t decide to make my own baby food until my son was ready to eat meat. That’s when I looked at the packaged meat baby food and decided that I would never eat pureed meat from a jar, why should my kid? Did I buy a special food processor or a special baby food cookbook? No. I’m married to Mr. Frugal (and as a result we live pretty debt free aside from our student loans) so purchasing something was out of the question. Plus, it’s not rocket science – anyone can do this! And as I’m sure my Nana would say, “We made our own baby food back in my day. We didn’t have to buy anything fancy.”

What do you need to make your own baby food?

1. Blender, food processor or my personal fav, the handy chopper. It’s really very easy to use all of these tools and you’ll get the same result – pureed food that your baby can eat. What I did, for example, is I cooked a chicken breast then I chopped it up. Next I put it in my hand chopper with a little water. I kept adding water to the chopper until I got the consistency that I wanted. The difference between the three tools really is the way you get the food out. A blender is better for liquids so you might find that approach to be rather messy.
2. Food – You’ve got it! You can’t make baby food if you don’t have regular food. It’s past the gardening season for those of us who live in the northern part of the States, however, if you Southerners can grow your own! This summer I planted green beans so that I could make and freeze some for my daughter who is four months. You’ll want to do the same thing for any veggie or fruit that I did with the chicken. Cook or steam it, place it in the chopper, add a little water as needed and viola! You’re very own green baby food! If you don’t have access to a garden I have heard from some nutritionists that frozen veggies are second in line to fresh. If you need to eat on a budget but still want to provide a healthy and nutritious meal for your baby go the frozen route before you eat anything from a can.
3. Baby cube trays. Freeze your pureed foods. Your baby will not eat an entire thing of chicken in one sitting so you’ll want to pour the food into the cube tray. I then put the tray into a freezer storage bag. The food can be stored that way for no more than six months. Obviously any kind of freezer burned food should not be consumed.

As far as fancy cookbooks go I think they looked cool on my shelf but really I never used one baby food cookbook. My favorite site for inspiration was WholesomeBabyFood. And here’s my favorite recipe from there as a way to get your baby to eat meat (they are yummy!) and make sure that they get a veggie or fruit in as well:

J&J's Baby Meat Balls* (from WholesomeBabyFood)
Ingredients:

• Ground Turkey, Beef or chicken
• Plain baby cereal (boxed type)
• Pureed veggies or fruits
• Spices as desired
• Wheat Germ

Directions:

• Place 1 part lean ground beef/turkey or chicken into a mixing bowl
• Add 2 parts baby cereal and 1/2 part wheat germ. Use Spices that you find appropriate (you may use bread crumbs if you choose)
• Add pureed veggies and/or fruit to moisten the mixture
• Mix together as you would when making “adult" meatballs.
• Bake in an oven at 400 degrees until brown and cooked thoroughly – Cover with tinfoil, be sure not to burn the meatballs as they will become tough on the outside and baby may not be able to eat them.  (*Ground turkey, rice cereal, wheat germ, pureed sweet potato, dash of cinnamon for example)

I think that you’ll find that making your own baby food is really easy and you’ll have peace of mind as you have the control of what goes into the food itself. Also, you’ll save a buck or two and create less waste because you won’t be throwing anything away. Happy feeding, Mamas!

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

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Breastfeeding Supplies and Accessories you'll need!

Guest Post by Bert

Whether or not you’re new to breastfeeding or you’re looking for some great ideas for a breastfeeding mom, this list is sure to inspire you. Using my own experience and the experience of the fans on my Facebook page I think you’ll see that we have quite the helpful list for you!

1. Nursing Tanks are a must, according to quite a few moms on my fan page. Kelsey said, “…so much easier than shirts!” And Mary Katherine suggests using bikini tops during the summer, “Bathing suit tops were my go – to bra during the summer for nursing. They easily slide, are relatively cheap, can be thrown in the wash, and [they] don’t look bulky under tank tops.” Now, I do have to add that I don’t think I could use a bikini top for my rather full girls but if they were smaller I would totally use Mary Katherine’s tip!
2. 
   Good Nursing Bras is something that I cannot emphasize enough! Your breasts will be heavy and you need good support. Also, you can buy bras to sleep in too if it’s uncomfortable to go unsupported at night.
3. Nursing Pads are on my list of must haves as well as the majority of the breastfeeding fans on my page. I prefer the reusable kind because I don’t really see a need to create more waste when I have to wash clothes anyway. Nursing pads are especially important in those beginning weeks as your milk supply is being established and you will likely be engorged right after your milk comes in.
4. 
   A Nursing Basket is something that my home health nurse suggested to me after my son, Buggie, was born. I loved the idea. Basically what you’ll want to do is put everything that you think you might need in the basket next to your preferred nursing spot so that you won’t have to get up to do anything while you’re feeding your baby. This is so important during the first weeks when it can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to nurse. Dena said, “…a good book or magazine – you will spend lots of time sitting! Oooh and a good water bottle, nursing makes you oddly thirsty.” I could agree with her more.
5. Lanolin cream or coconut oil is something that you could put in your nursing basket as you might experience dry, cracked or sore nipples in the beginning. Rebecca, from the fan page, suggested using Soothies, a gel pad that prevents leaks as well as soothes sore nipples.
6. 
   An electric breast pump and/or a manual breast pump were practically unanimously in every suggestion on the page and I couldn’t agree more. You want your baby to receive the best and no one can deny that breast milk is the best thing for your baby. The only wait to ensure this is to buy a pump. Erica also suggested using a bra that promotes hands free pumping. Pumping helps keep infection and mastitis away.
7. Green cabbage keeps mastitis away according to five time breastfeeding mom, Miranda. (I know! I’ve never heard of this but what a great tip!) Miranda said to, “Take a leaf, slice open the veins, and apply directly to your breast inside your bra.” She swears it works.
8. A good support system. You need this. It’s a must. My mom came to my house for two weeks after my first child was born. Why? I didn’t know until I had him but she anticipated that I would need the support, encouragement and extra help because she needed it after she had me. (I’m the firstborn in my family.) Breastfeeding can be really easy or it can be quite the challenge. My son did not know how to breastfeed until he was 12 weeks old. The only reason I stuck it out was because of the people who surrounded me and supported me. An experienced mom, a lactation consultant (I LOVE mine) or a spouse or significant other is a great support system for you during this sometimes trying time. Don’t give up, keep at it and it’ll eventually come naturally. Trust me.

Like I said whether you’re new on this path of breastfeeding or you needed a few ideas on how to help a mother on her breastfeeding path, I hope this has helped you and given you a few tips. Green cabbage. Green cabbage?! Amazing.

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This June, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

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Featured Product: Raz Baby BPA Free Toothbrush is a must have!

Brushing your teeth is obviously something that baby and child must get used to so in my opinion it's best to get them acclimated to the feel, texture and routine of using a real toothbrush from the start.  You can do just that with the RazBaby BPA Free Baby and Toddler toothbrush!  No worrying about baby gagging or reaching for the brush and cramming it down their throat.

The Raz Baby toothbrush has a silicone guard that protects baby from over insertion while you brush.  Baby can help you brush and you can easily clean a squirming child's teeth.

Luvaboos carries a great selection of RazBaby BPA Free Teethers, Pacifiers, Toothbrushes and more! 

So what are your thoughts? Do you use a toothbrush, washcloth, your finger?  How does baby react to you cleaning their teeth?

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Leaky diapers? There might be a simple solution.

Often leaky diapers are the reason families want to give up on cloth or think that something is wrong with their diapers.  They wonder, Are they ruined?  Worn out?  Need to be stripped?  Do they have holes or defective PUL?  Is XYZ just a bad brand of cloth diapers?

Sometimes when you're troubleshooting leaky or malfunctioning diapers the best place to start is by trying the simplest solutions first.

• Check the size.  If the diapers a bit too small it could just be that you need to go up to the next size.
• Check the setting.  If you use one size diapers you might be using the wrong setting, perhaps you need to snap up or down or adjust the leg elastic.
• Check the inserts.  Could be that adding an extra insert or doubler is all you need.  The other possibility is that you might be overstuffing your diapers which can cause the diaper to not fit properly.  Here's a great post on the Knickernappies blog about the issue of "overstuffing."

Before you assume the worst try some of these simple tips and tricks to see if you can fix the problem without too much work.  Through process of elimination you  should be able to determine the cause of the issues.

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The Quest for the Perfect Nursing Bra!

Guest post by Bert

The quest…it took a long time but I think I have finally found a nursing bra to support my rather well endowed chest. That’s right. Well endowed. I have never struggled in that department and it’s a family trait. From an early age and after Oprah aired her bra show featuring bra fittings at Nordstrom’s my mother has been insistent that my sister and I have good supportive bras to lift the girls up!

With my daughter, Lady Bug, I produce more milk than I ever did with my son, and as a result my larger than life breasts now need extra support. Back in May, before Lady Bug was born my mom and I took a trip to our beloved Nordstrom’s lingerie department so that I could get fitted before I started nursing. Now the only reason we did this was because the bras I was wearing were over a year old and stretched out. The woman fitting me did know what she was doing; she gave me a cup size bigger than what I currently was. I, however, didn’t think it was correct so I returned the bra and got a smaller cup size. How was I to know that I’d be a mass milking machine this time around?

I broke Rule #1 – Wait until at least three months before really settling into a nursing bra size. By three months your milk supply is well established so the likelihood that your size will go up is pretty slim.

Rule #2 – Always get professionally fitted. This is essential if you are a larger chest size like I am. I don’t even mess with trying to figure it out on my own.

Rule #3 – Don’t be afraid to buy the expensive bra; it’ll be worth the support in the end. I’m basing this on my own personal experience but when I have a good fitting bra I feel slimmer and my back doesn’t ache as much. I have two bras that I own and yes they are well over $50 but it’s worth the money.

Some Helpful Hints:

• If the band rides up in the back you need a stronger support band to compensate for a heavy load. You may also need to reassess your cup size
• If your straps are falling down your arm and they are on the tightest setting then your cup size is likely too big.
• If your shoulder straps are digging into your shoulders then your cup size is too small and the straps are being forced to do all of the work. You should be able to slide your straps off of your shoulders and your bra should stay in place. Your poor little straps should only support 10% of your breasts’ weight.

On my FB page, FTM, I threw the question out there and asked if any of my fans had a favorite maternity bra that they used. Some of the suggestions were Bestform found at Wal-Mart, Bravados, and nursing sports bras found at Motherhood Maternity. Now you can always get fitted at a specialty store and then look for the bra at a different retailer who has a cheaper price. My favorites? I like Elomi and Anita nursing bras. Elomi is made for larger size breasts and you can definitely tell that they know what they are doing!

Support the girls, get fitted and spend a little extra cash for a good fitting bra. You’ll look better and feel better, I promise!

Luvaboos carries a great selection of Bravado nursing bras.  Stop by and check out the bras in person if you're in Rochester or shop online at Luvaboos.com!

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This July, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.

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The day I squirted breastmilk in my eye, on purpose!

Just thought I'd share today.  No, this is not about a breastfeeding blooper or accident!

Something I never thought twice about doing for my kids when needed, was squirting breastmilk in their eye, it never occurred to me that I too could benefit from it and need it.

If you nurse your kids then you know the awesome healing power of breastmilk, not just as a nutrient for your growing babes, but as a topical treatment for scrapes.  Beyond scrapes, the real magic happens when you used breastmilk for eye infections.  You know we all have those days when baby wakes up with crusty eyes or they're lid is a little swollen and you think they might get a stye.  Just a few drops of breastmilk worked like magic for my kids.

It wasn't until the day I personally woke up looking like heck, one eye was swollen and sore and I was for sure either getting a painful stye or the dreaded pink eye!  It was gross, embarrassing not to mention when your eye is read people tend to treat you like you have the plague.

Now my breasts were saggy and there was plenty of milk but no way I could aim and get it in my own eye!  So I squirted some into a tiny cup and used an eye dropper.  I applied the breastmilk to my sore eye twice in one day and then next day I was completely cured!

This benefit of breastfeeding is one I miss the most now that my kids are older.  They're all very prone to those awful styes and I wish each time that I had a little breastmilk I could defrost and use (although it would long since be expired).

How about you?  Ever used breastmilk for it's medicinal purposes?

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