What's New

This is the third post in a series about sun safety for children. We've already covered basic sun safety tips and important information about sunscreen, and today we'll talk briefly about physical barriers - sunshades for strollers and car seats. It's important to keep your kids in the shade as much as possible when they are playing outside, but it is CRITICAL before six months, when a baby's skin is too sensitive to use sunscreen. Unless you are using UV-treated clothing, even long sleeves and pants are not a guarantee against a sunburn. As an example, a white cotton t-shirt has..

It looks like summer is finally here to stay and with the warm weather comes lots of sun. About six weeks ago, we highlighted some tips to help keep your kids safe in the sun, and one of our major points was that after six months of age, all children (and adults too) should be wearing a minimum SPF 15 sunscreen. Since then, it's been a little cold and cloudy to effectively test the new sunscreen that they carry at Go As You Grow Kids Gear, but the last two weeks have given us ample opportunity to have a look at Substance Sun Care..

  Check out the great in-store deals at Go As You Grow Kids Gear this week!   Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about any of these great deals!

 A mid-March cold snap might be enough to make us forget that spring and summer are just around the corner. We've had enough of winter and are ready to start thinking of hot sunny days at the beach or afternoons at the playground or splash pad. But there is more to summer than simply sending the kids out to play in the sun. We have to remember how to keep them (and ourselves) safe from harmful UV rays. Did you know that just one blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a persons chance to develop melanoma later in life?..

We have recently entered the exciting new frontier of self-feeding. Apart from the usual “oh my sweet tiny baby is growing up!” stuff this is bittersweet for me because on the one hand, I get to eat my own lunch while A happily amuses herself with cooked bits of carrots, but on the other, I have to clean the floors after almost every meal. And I hate cleaning floors. I would rather scrub out a crusty old outhouse than clean a floor. So I was really excited to try out the Prince Lionheart Multi-Use Catch All. For any mother who..

Full disclosure: I wanted to try Baby-Led Weaning with A, but I am so afraid that she will choke that I have avoided it. I recognize that choking while using this method of solid food introduction is really rare, and that those who do it, love it, but I just don't think it's right for our family. At least not with this baby. For those of you who aren't aware, Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) is a way of introducing solid foods by allowing Baby to feed themselves whole foods right from the start, instead of feeding purees. If you're interested in learning more,..

In honour of all the great new colours and patterns (!) that the ladies of Funky Fluff have rolled out today, we're giving away a Funky Fluff Fusion 3-in-1 cloth diaper! Read our review of Funky Fluff diapers here. Design Features: Stay Dry 3 in 1 System: Pocket, All in One, All in Two. Use it any way you like it. One Size design fits babies from 7 – 35+ lbs 2 x 4 rise settings adjust to fit newborn, small, medium and large sizes Unique funky coloured “belt” on each diaper Double row of durable snaps allow separate waist..

My little A is too young to really experience a haut-design placemat as it is meant to be experienced, but my friend Tammy has four rambunctious kids, ages 20 months to 8 years, and I couldn't think of any better group of kids to test the durability of a food-grade silicone placemat by Modern Twist. Modern Twist is a San Francisco-based company that collaborates with unique talents from the independent art scene, something that is evident in every single piece. You've never seen designs like these. Made from silky food-grade, hand silk-screened silicone, the mats won’t crease or rip. They are ideal for..

Our latest vlog addresses four common mistakes made when harnessing your baby in a rear-facing position, and how to easily fix them, ensuring your baby the safest ride possible. Four Important Takeaways 1. The height of harness should be at or below shoulder height. 2. There should be no twists in any of the harness straps. 3. The harness straps should pass The Horizontal Pinch Test 4. The chest clip needs to be in line with baby's armpits

When A started eating solid food, I found that my laundry increased by 3-4 bibs a day. We found (as we have found with almost everything) that what we originally thought was a big enough supply was not nearly enough and we had to go by another package of bibs. These were days of the week bibs, however, super cute, and I've never regretted it. Still, I figured that I was not the only person who noticed that babies learning to eat were messy and generated a LOT of laundry. Turns out I wasn't. In 2005, two parents decided that..

 In the winter, keeping your baby safe isn't as simple as strapping him in the carseat. Rea explains why in our first Go As You Grow vlog: Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss any of our regular Thursday programming. The carseat that appears in the vlog is the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 30/30, which retails for $299.99, the featured overshield is the Easy Cover and retails for $39.99.

 This is my little one's first winter, and with the first snow fall and that first cold snap, I started thinking about mittens. I vaguely remembered a friend of mine talking about finding a pair of mittens that her daughter wasn't able to get off, but I couldn't remember what they were called, and anyway, I couldn't imagine that my baby would take off her mittens and subject herself to uncomfortable, and totally unnecessary cold. That's just ridiculous. My child is ridiculous. I should have known that a baby who pulls her socks off at the first possible moment would..

With the holidays fast approaching, we know that you might be looking for some inspiration for the littlest people on your list. Below is a just a sampling of the high-quality gifts available in-store and on-line. For best value, shop next weekend, December 14-16, and save 25% on all toys! Stocking Stuffers Teether Balls (6 months+) $7.99 For the discerning teething baby on your Christmas list, this yellow ball teether will help massage their gums. It can be squeezed and makes a squeaking sound. It is designed for easy grip, and is very soft and washable.   Safari Toobs (3+)..

It can be tricky when deciding what to do for your toddler's winter boots. Ultimately, how confident your child is when they're walking will play a large role in the decision process. Kamik makes an amazing line of toddler winter boots. They start at size 5 and go up to size 10. They're physically quite lightweight, but they're really warm. Also, Kamik has some great options of “openability”. Some of their boots open up nice and wide - almost like a flower - and so it's quite easy to get the boot on your child, especially if they have a thicker or wider foot, or if..

As the mercury starts to drop, you'll start wondering what the options are for keeping your kid's feet warm through the winter months. This week we'll be talking about pre-walkers. First, let's talk snowsuits. Most snowsuits for babies have bootie attachments on them to help keep their little feet nice and toasty.  This is great if you're out in a stroller going for a walk, but snowsuits are a huge NO-NO when your child is in a car seat (more information about winter carseat safety in a couple of weeks). Since you should never use a snowsuit for car travel, you..

I should begin with a disclaimer that I'm not pumping huge amounts with this pump. Generally manual pumps are suggested for occasional use. I use mine to collect milk for mixing with purees now that A is starting to eat solid food. If you're planning to pump regularly, you would be better served with an electric double-pump system (although there are mom's who like to use manual pumps full time). When I started using the Ameda One Hand Manual Breast Pump, I hated it. It was frustrating, it leaked, and I would collect less than an ounce after half an hour..

Funky Fluff is a Canadian cloth diaper company run by two moms in Toronto. I have bought my Funky Fluff directly from Kathy and Tricia in the past, and I was so excited to learn that Go As You Grow would be carrying them right here in Nova Scotia. The 3-in-1 diaper is made in two versions, suedecloth (Stay-Dry) and bamboo. I use the Stay-Dry version with a bamboo booster for overnight. Funky Fluff diapers are the most versatile cloth diapers I have ever used. They can be used as a pocket diaper, an all-in-one (AIO) or as an all-in-two..

If you use cloth diapers, you know that getting them clean (really clean) usually means more than just chucking them in the machine with some Tide - especially if you have an HE washing machine (but that's another story, for another day). Although many cloth diaperers' dirty little secret is that they use conventional detergent, cloth diaper companies generally recommend using a detergent specially formulated for cloth diapers. This is because the soaps in conventional detergents don't fully break down in water and so over time can create a build-up on  diapers and inserts which keeps the diapers from absorbing..

Full disclosure: I was planning on reviewing an Ameda breast pump and storage bags as well as Thinkbaby bottles this week, but the transition from full-time breast to occasional expressed breastmilk is not going well for anyone and I didn't want our current experiences to colour my review of the product. So you can expect that review in the future when everyone is a little more comfortable with the transition. We've been using a Healing Hazel hazelwood necklace for a while, and I didn't think to include it in my round-up of teething aids last week because we're using it..

 You know it by the telltale signs: puddles of drool, rosy cheeks, screams of agony... your baby is teething. So now what? My daughter is getting closer and closer to cutting her first tooth, so teething toys and tricks are showing up on my Pinterest boards and coffee table in large numbers. Below are a few options most popular around our house at the moment. SILICONE We have a set of the lifefactory teethers, and they are generally a big hit, although A prefers to lick the different textures around the ring rather than chew on it. The rings are..