Profoundly Picky Eaters: Professional Help

When the internet was abuzz over cookbooks that encourage parents to hide pureed veggies in traditional kid foods, Jim added this comment to the discussion:

I heard about this book on the Jumping Monkeys podcast and had to think that Jessica can't be dealing with seriously picky kids (like the one that I am blessed with).
The example they gave was hiding broccoli in macaroni and cheese to which I wondered out loud "but what do I hide the macaroni and cheese in?"

With our profoundly picky eater rejecting almost all things meat and vegetable and most of the dairy family, we tried every trick in the standard play book. People offered the same judgmental advice that they, in our shoes, would just keep feeding the kid the same meal until he eats it.

The implication was that we were too accommodating or spineless to stand up to our kid when it came to food. Other people suggested that more creativity might entice our child to eat more and different foods.

These usually well-intentioned people couldn't understand the fear and grief that I felt seeing my child's too-slim form. They didn't understand that I would try and do anything that might help. They also didn't understand the terror that shone from his eyes when presented with new food. They hadn't sat at our hours-long tabletop stalemates nor watched their child throw up all of the night's dinner after finally conceding to just one bite.

With no clear direction for addressing this food situation, I gave up. We fed whatever we could in as large a quantity as would be tolerated. With a fruit and grain based diet, there was no way to supply adequate calories (much less nutrients). We gave daily vitamins and bought orange juice with supplemental calcium. But with a long look, any one could tell that we were barely maintaining present weight with growth.

It didn't feel like we could keep waiting for this "stage" to be outgrown- if it ever would be, but what was the next step?

Then one day, the phone rang. My friend met someone whose child had successfully completed treatment at a feeding clinic and had overcome his staunch food aversions. While I was afraid our situation wouldn't be big enough to draw medical concern, I had to act. Even a slight chance that we might find help was worth pursuing.

A long and detailed paperwork process preceded our assessment visit yesterday. Even during the assessment, I was frightened that we were about to be turned away and told (yet again) that our child's disordered eating was the product of weak and unimaginative parenting.

Instead the assessment team of a psychologist, dietician, speech therapist, and occupational therapist noticed things about our child's eating that I had not ever seen. Unlike us, they readily identified causes (physiological and psychological) and know techniques to address his physical, emotional, and nutritional needs.

It isn't a quick fix. Like most childhood therapies, it depends on the efforts of all stakeholders over many months. But it is so wonderful to find that our long-term quagmire is familiar and manageable territory to others. It is good to think that families meals may soon be shared (rather than short-order) and without conflict or a sense of parenting failure.

I suspect most readers will not relate to this specific situation, but I write in hopes that the few who understand all too well might also find some new answers. A Google search for pediatric feeding clinic can show offerings in your area, but many of the clinics offer more intensive programs for people who live out of the region. Families travel to our clinic from out-of-state and even out-of-country.

 If this sounds like your family, please realize that you do not have to battle this problem alone.

***Baby Toolkit is the rambling story of two geek parents. We have no fiscal interest in pediatric feeding clinics and receive no compensation for this post (our clinic is unaware of this post). We are however, Amazon affiliates, so purchasing through our Amazon links defrays our modest operating costs. Thanks!

Eating Jim's Lunch: Tyler Florence's Start Fresh cookbook

Somewhere, very soon, a grown man may cry over broccoli.

Jim, This Is Just To Say*
I have eaten
the leftovers
that were in
the icebox

and which
you definitely meant
to eat
for lunch

Forgive me
they were delicious
so tender
and so warm.

 It's rare when I jump to a recommendation without weeks of scrutiny, but Tyler Florence's Start Fresh cookbook won me over as soon as I started reading it.

I'm too lazy for most celebrity chef cookbooks. The recipes seem designed to occupy hours shopping for hard-to-find ingredients, doing abundant prep work, and then obsessively observing every stage of cooking. What I need now, with my household of five, is simplicity, clarity, and health.

A mom who was making her baby all-organic baby food recommended the book to me, and I thought, "Lady, you're insane." Every time I cracked the cover of a baby cookbook, I spent at least an hour preparing something that NO ONE in the family wanted to eat (though Jim would very kindly feign enthusiasm for the disgustingly soft, unbelievable bland horror that I dished up). My friends grew an organic garden and made mountains of baby food for their first child, only to have it summarily rejected. I was too smart to do this again (note: with every new Jones baby I buy an expensive sling I hate and a stack of labyrinthine baby/kid cookbooks). Not this time (for the cookbooks, I already gave up on a Moby wrap).

And then came the line that landed the sales pitch, "You make one meal for the whole family and just puree some of it for the baby."

I dream of only making one meal that everyone eats. Somehow, I have become that short-order mom who everyone thinks they won't be. My kids eat fruit, breads, peanut butter, crackers, and cheese. It's like being stuck at a w(h)ine and cheese buffet for life. Jim and I still love the variety and flavors offered through menu planning service Relish! (we've subscribed since '08). So I've been making two meals and feeding the baby from jars and containers.

When (Tyler Florence's) Sprout baby food went on sale at the grocery, I bought a couple packs. If the baby would reject them like the other kids' did another leading organic baby food brand, I could cast out the lingering book recommendation faster than she spits out peas.

The baby all but wept for joy at the first taste. Her joyful face soon turned cynical as I swear she thought, "What else are you holding out on?" Then she banged her fists until she ate every bit. About 10 bags later, I bought the book.

Start Fresh is a pragmatist's cookbook. Recipes call for simple ingredients that are roasted or steamed (techniques that are cheap and easy). Jim has some great 13 gauge baking sheets which are perfect for roasting.

Last night the baby ate pureed roasted broccoli with Paremsan while we tossed the broccoli with some random pasta, Parmesan, and olive oil. It was outstanding. Even Ranger ate the letters in his name (which is something for a 6 year old who doesn't eat pasta). Jim was gleeful when I packed the leftovers for his lunch.

And then he forgot them. (And Jim, should you still be reading this, I actually saved half for you.)

Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating is currently an Amazon bargain book ($7.79).  The first part of the book is purees while the second half is family meals with simple adaptations. About half the recipes are vegetarian (including great foods like beets, quinoa, eggplant, butternut squash). Only four dessert recipes are included- which is a refreshing change from most kids' cookbooks. The included desserts look healthier than average while still sounding sumptuous (e.g. baked pumpkin with peaches, strawberry-stuffed muffins).

While the book has some fancy-pants moments like making your own almond milk, it has parallel slacker instructions for us less motivated readers.

*My deepest apologies to William Carlos Williams, his red wheelbarrow, the white chickens, and the rain.

***Baby Toolkit is one Midwestern couple's approach to geek living with kids. Our opinions and judgement may be questionable, but they are entirely our own. We have no relationship with Tyler Florence or Rodale books. We are however Amazon affiliates, so a small percentage of purchases made through our links helps support this blog (thanks!).

Extreme Breastfeeding: Pumping for NICU Without Losing Your Mind

-or- Free Your Hands and Your Mind Will Follow

When our littlest geek (locally dubbed the Baby Detective) ended up in the NICU, I found myself back in familiar breastfeeding territory.  My role on supply side of breastfeeding began in the NICU.  As a first time mom who gave birth by c-section, my milk didn't come in for days.  That newborn, a "sugar baby" in NICU lingo, had low blood sugar and a low body temperature, so my first attempts at breastfeeding were bedside in the NICU.

It was awful.  There's no just way to prepare for breastfeeding or the hormonal postpartum roller-coaster.  Throw in the physical separation, heightened anxieties, and lack of privacy of NICU, and the natural act of breastfeeding dials itself up to an 11 (on a scale of 10 for those who haven't had the senseless pleasure of This is Spinal Tap [available on Netflix streaming]).

I won't tax you with all the gory details (although keywords like nipple shield coupled with a multitude of synonyms for breast might spice up my Google hits).


When we decided to grow our family to five, I assumed the third round of nursing would be without surprises. Then BabyGeek 1.3 arrived six weeks early after swift and furious pregnancy complications.


Instead of a bassineted baby in my hospital room, our teeny geek was an isolette half a building away.  She was challenged to digest liquid food, much less consume it.  While she drew most of her nutrition from IVs and lipids from a feeding tube, I pumped every 3 hours in an attempt to provide breastmilk that she could consume by bottle.

The only things previous breastfeeding experiences had taught me were I hated pumping, I didn't have much success with it, and with growing sleep deprivation, the low moan of the pump motor turned into crazy words that made me loathe pumping all the more.

With 8 pumping sessions a day on the horizon, things had to be different this time.

In order of importance, here are the big changes:

1. Go hands-free: this list-topper may seem painfully obvious to the working moms, but somehow I managed to miss the advantages with earlier infants.  Maybe it was the early '90s era models in their shoulder padded power suits, but somehow hands-free seemed inappropriate for someone who spends most days in jeans, tees, and a sea of Cheerios.

Prior to this baby, I loathed pumping and avoided it at all costs.  The deeply bovine feeling of hooking up to a milking machine felt humiliating (especially in the hospital with people walking into the room all the times).  Holding the flanges in place kept my hands and mind focused on the pumping process.

This time, with the phone ringing off the hook, and hardly a moment to bolt a meal, I walked my hospital gown clad self into the lactation boutique and bought an Easy Expressions hands-free bustier.

Suddenly, I had my hands back, and along with them came a solid measure of dignity.  Yes, I was still fastened to a very dairy machine, but I felt more 80s throwback (think Madonna) or crazy fashion forward (Lady Gaga) and even a bit Amazing Stories.  It was the best kind of ridiculous.  When my hands were unshackled, my brain and soul were now free to contemplate something, ANYTHING, other than the pumping process.  Pure awesome.  Worth every penny.

2. Kick back and watch something distracting.
I hesitate to offer this advice as television kills brain cells and such, but there are times in life where really senseless shows can be blessedly soothing and distracting.  While I couldn't sleep and pump, I could pump while watching every episode of Sons of Tuscon, Doc Martin, The IT Crowd, Toddlers & Tiaras, and Man v. Food on Netflix streaming.

3 . Hospital grade pumps should be considered.
Before Ranger was born, we bought a Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced pump.  I still own it, but I instead opted to rent a Medela Symphony from the hospital boutique.  When pumping 8 times a day, it's important that the pump works well- 10 minutes more per session adds up to 80 more minutes per sleepless day.

4.  Lactation consultants can help immensely, but tend toward generalizations.
I love the lactation department at our hospital.  The consultants have helped me over the years.  This time they lent me a DVD copy of Hands-On Pumping (the 3 videos are available free online at http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/).  Those techniques improved my supply quickly.  Pumping every 3 hours (at the hospital or at home) is an insane challenge.  Undersupply broke my heart because (in my hormonal insanity) it felt like the only thing I could do for my vulnerable baby (in more reflective moments I realized the error in that thinking, but I'll save that for a later post).

While I appreciate their expertise and enthusiasm, I've also been given general advice that didn't apply to my specific situation and made me feel like I was failing.  Go breastfeeding, but skin-to-skin contact, homeopathic supplements, and 2 hour pumping schedules just weren't options I could consider.  They really wanted my baby to feed directly before leaving the NICU, but it was simply too difficult for her and taxed her limited energy.  I understand their concerns that breastfeeding might not last as long if she's bottle-fed, but I also knew my daughter was overtaxed by breastfeeding.  The neonatologist agreed that the baby would come home sooner if bottle-fed, so I focused on more effectively pumping and bottle-feeding.  For us, bringing the baby home sooner was a much higher priority than direct breastfeeding (or even breastfeeding).

Once the baby was bigger and stronger, the transition to regular breastfeeding was easy.  We were so glad to say goodbye to bottles.

5.  The White Wave -or- What to do with all the milk

During time I pumped daily, the surplus milk quickly engulfed our fridge's freezer.  The hospital can only store so much per patient, and the nurses told me about other moms buying deep freezers.  I started freezing the surplus in Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags instead of the space-hogging NICU bottles.  They freeze flat, and 10 can be neatly stowed in a gallon freezer bag .  With Amazon Mom and Subscribe and Save, I was able to get cases of these delivered to my doorstep at an excellent price.

6. Washing Up
Cleaning the pump parts after every session brought to mind Sisyphus forever rolling the stone up the hill to watch it immediately roll back down.  In this sleepless rendition of the classic tale, it's easy to feel that the stone is actually rolling over you on its disheartening downward fall.  This is where a kindly clan of magic bottle-washing elves would come in handy, but my neighborhood owl seems to have taken them out (along with the toilet paper fairy).  Wash up all the parts as soon as you put the milk in cold storage.  It feels even worse to start the whole process with the washing.

We went through 3 different bottle brushes before again settling on the Munchkin's Deluxe Bottle Brush which we liked back when Ranger was formula fed.

All in all, it's no small feat to pump for a NICU baby.  If you are a parent who is going through this now, take care of yourself as much as you can.  Your kiddo needs YOU more than breastmilk.  Sleep as often as you can, eat, and drink lots of water.

If you know someone else going through this, feed them a meal (or, even better, set up a food registry for them at mealbaby.com).

***Baby Toolkit is the ongoing story of a couple of Midwestern geeks and their kids.  We are not affiliated with Medela, Munchkin, Ziploc, Meal Baby, nor Netflix, but we are Amazon affiliates (so a small portion of purchases made through our Amazon links go toward the Baby Toolkit jet fleet).

And be sure to check out related post The Boob Wars. 

Ring Around the Sippy: A Clean Fridge Hack

Scout is a milk junkie.  The child's unceasing demand for moo juice means her cup is in and out of the fridge all day long.  The refrigerator quickly starts looking worse for the wear as the grubby cup leaves rings and drops toddler cruft on the glass shelves.  Half full cups vanish into the no man's land of other perishables, not to be recovered until a scarcity of cups inspires a search party.  With organic milk at $5.99 a gallon, this disappearing act can be expensive.

When the ghostly Rorschach of milk rings finally spelled out "wash me," I launched a full-fridge Silkwood scrubdown.  The fridge gleamed as I went to return the slightly sticky sippy.  Would this cleanliness unravel faster than a celebrity marriage?  I couldn't bear the thought.

I grabbed a clean cottage cheese tub lid from the cabinet and we instituted the first Jones' fridge coaster.  What I thought would only prevent cup rings and grubbiness ended up giving us a single location for partial cups.  Far less milk goes to waste now, and we've vanquished the mystery cups lurking in the fridge's dark corners.

We recently added a second lid for baby bottles and breast milk bags.

***Baby Toolkit hacks family life from their now slightly-less-derelict Heartland HQ.  We work to bring you up-to-the-century, completely biased observations on geek parenting.

Munchie Mug: The Snack Cup That Makes Us Eat Our Words

Way back in 2007, we gave up the hunt for an effective snack cup (Snack Traps: Very Small Money Pits). I filed the fantasy of a truly spill-proof snack carrier in with Nessie, Big Foot, and a drive-through diaper store.

When the McNichols posted a wildly favorable review of the Munchie Mug on Z Recommends (titled The Best Snack Holder Ever), I sent an email along the lines of "No! Really? NO!" to receive an emphatic "YES!" in reply.

Mug makers Witty Works Incorporated, upon my request, sent me a Munchie Mug to review.

With genius simplicity, the split panel fabric top offers access without overflow. Forget about the flashy snack cups with gyroscopic motion, kids will figure out how to foil or break those. These straightforward cups are workhorses that always meet user demands.

The Munchie Mug has easily handled regular cleaning and Ranger's toddler (ab)use for ten months. To Ranger's disappointment, the cup accommodates even the large hand of a hungry adult without difficulty or damage.

On the other end of the spectrum, our 11 month old Raptor can also manage the mug's pragmatic design:

Her catch and release technique reminds us that even the best designed cup will be challenged by these tiny agents of entropy. I promise you that the escaped Cheerios are all part of a larger PEBKAC error (problem exists between kid and container in this case). The high lip on the lid that mystified the Z Recs team makes perfect sense when used by a baby. It catches some of the dropped food increasing chances of recovery. The cut-out offers an easy grip (even when crawling) for tiny hands.

The Munchie Mug is the only snack holder that meets our family's expectations. It is made of durable BPA-free polypropylene.

If you're looking for a great baby shower or baby/toddler birthday gift, the Munchie Mug ($15.95) is sure to be a hit with both young'uns and their faithful attendants. Munchie Mug is available with a blue, pink, or yellow lid and an alternate clear storage lid to keep treats fresh and tasty overnight.

***Baby Toolkit has no financial stake in or undisclosed relationship with Witty Works Incorporated. Witty Works sent us a free Munchie Mug to test. We're geek parents with ample opinions and two enthusiastic amateur test engineers. Video: Baby Toolkit, (c) 2009; some rights reserved.

Menu Planning for New Eaters: Babyfood101.com

At 6 months, the Raptor can easily be described as an enthusiastic eater. It's a joy and a relief after years of struggling with Ranger over food.

I recently stumbled onto babyfood101.com (I cannot figure out how I got there, so please let me know who I owe credit for this). This amazing site is great for the confounded parents of early eaters.

Babyfood101 offers a weekly email outlining two new foods for baby (see week 2). The email instructs on the selection and preparation of the foods, the appropriate age for introduction, homemade baby food recipes, storage, whether or not the food is sold in jars, if buying organic is worthwhile, and adult recipes for the same ingredient.

It's like Relish for babies!

The emails start with recommendations for the earliest eaters and progresses to more complex foods over time.

Babyfood101's web site is also searchable by food, recommends gear (starting hilariously with the finger), offers a grocery guide, discussing making baby food, foods to avoid, recommended books and web sites, and a first feedings question and answer section.

Bon appetit, mes petit amis!

Thermos Responds to Baby Toolkit's FUNtainer Concerns: Replacements Offered, but Identical Parts

Today I received this response from Thermos regarding my inquiries about FUNtainer breakage:

Hi Adrienne,

Sorry for the late reply and my condolences on your loss.

I’ve spoken with R&D and they have assured me that the products are in compliance with all of the standards required per the CPSC including the new CPSIA regulations. It could be that the heights or specific anomalies of the drops and breakage you experienced were outside of the required existing test protocols. We have not found any difference in durability from the old product to the new design and we have not had any significant increase in claims for this type of damage. I do appreciate your feedback, however, and we are looking at ways to redesign the lids or change the formulation of the material to reach an even higher standard in order to build the most durable product possible to meet consumer expectations and your feedback is very valuable to us. Thank you for all of the time you have spent in helping to communicate these issues to us.

The reason that we redesigned this product was to create a higher standard under bite tests, for the elimination of small parts and for better ease of cleaning. We feel that these improvements have resulted in a much better product for all consumers while maintaining previous durability standards. Unfortunately we no longer sell the old designs so we cannot replace them for you. We will be happy to replace any damaged products that your readers request if they return the old product as proof of prior purchase. Of course we cannot build a product that is unbreakable under all scenarios and these products are not warranted for this type of damage. We like to be flexible on this point, however, in order to maintain the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

Here is the Consumer Service Toll free number and address:

1-800-831-9242

Thermos L.L.C.

Consumer Services

355 Thermos Road

Batesville, MS 38606

Thanks to you and all your readers Adrienne for supporting Thermos brand products. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance on this or any other matter.

Best regards,

Rick Dias

Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Thermos L.L.C.

2550 West Golf Road, Suite 800

Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Thermos FUNtainer Update: Some Newer Straw Bottles Have Breakage Problems

When we first met the FUNTainer straw bottle (March 2007), it was love at first sight. The durable straw bottles we bought two years ago are still in good condition (despite being dinged and scratched from heavy toddler use and periodic drops onto a variety of surfaces).

This summer, a new generation of FUNtainer emerged. We liked the new version's improved drink top, but had some reservations about the lid's new materials. The new straw bottle lid lacks the durability of the earlier straw bottle. After seeing the easy breakage of the new version, we no longer recommend this version of the FUNtainer straw bottle.

Spotting the New Bottles
The newer versions of the bottle (right, Hello Kitty) have an oval push button on the lid. They also lack the #5 plastic recycling symbol inside the lid's flip-top. The new lids are unmarked for recycling (and are presumably no longer polypropolene).

Another distinguishing feature is the under the lid upper straw assembly. Again, the pink Hello Kitty FUNtainer demonstrates the shape of the new version.

The upper straw is connected to a large flexible disk that fits under the lid. The plastic snap-top lid has an oval opening to accomodate the new straw straw assembly.

The old straw bottle versions, which I still love, have a 3 part straw assembly with one short straw above the lid and two below. The Foogo has a similar assembly as the new FUNtainer, but we haven't seen or heard about atypical breakage in the Foogos (which, to my limited knowlege, seem to still be produced in polypropylene, aka #5 plastic).
Our Concerns
The redesigned lids and their corresponding straw cup bottoms are, in our limited experience and opinion, breaking easily and soon after purchase.

Kids' stuff breaks, and kids put their stuff through extraordinary use, so we don't worry about limited breakage. Breakage from ordinary use, however draws our attention, and when it seems to be happening frequently, I start to worry.

Frequency of Breakage
In June 2008, I photographed the Hello Kitty FUNtainer. I had purchased it at Target primarily to write a comparison review. After the review photos, I set it on the counter to be handwashed (I handwash all our Thermoses even though some FUNtainers are reportedly dishwasher safe). It was washed and air-dried. The next day, my mom, Ranger, and I headed to the zoo, so I filled up three FUNtainers with ice water. When I went to screw on the lid, I heard a click sound and the flip-top broke off in my hand. As I'm rather incompetant at opening jars and bottles, I don't think I have atypical hand strength.

I shrugged it off and called Thermos for a replacement. They sent one at their expense, so I wrote a review and gave it little thought. The replacement lid later broke at the hands of a visiting 18 month old. (2 broken lids).

A friend owned one of the new FUNtainers (hers is the Hello Kitty pictured to the right). Her under 2 year old daughter broke their first lid. A free replacement was issued. The bottle was dropped on their wooden (above a crawl-space) kitchen floor and the bottle bottom shattered and broke free. (1 broken lid + 1 broken bottle)

My friend Karen bought 8 of the new FUNtainers because she knew how much I use and like my older ones. Of her 8 FUNtainers, only two lids and two bottles remain functional) though not necessarily matched sets. Karen called Thermos when her first lid broke after 2 weeks of use. She told the representative that the bottle was dropped on carpeted floor, so she was charged $5 plus shipping and handling for a replacement lid. One of her bottles (which were designated as dishwasher-friendly), had the bottom pop off in the dishwasher filling her dishwasher with a strong epoxy-like smell. (7 broken lids + 6 broken bottles)

Local damage totals: 10 broken lids + 7 broken bottles (for 10 bottles purchased + 2 free replacement lids + 1 purchased replacement lid). Many bottles were broken during typical use.

Type of breakage
Other than my first lid's break when the upper part of the flip top broke off intact, all the other local lid breakages seem to include the loss of a hinge leg. When the hinge legs break loose, they are a small (approximately nickle-sized) piece of irregularly shaped plastic with one rough edge. I do not have photos of any seperated hinges (as a parent's automatic response is to throw them away), but the remaining hinge leg suggests how large the plastic fragment could be.

When the bottom comes of the bottle, it reveals some gnarled looking welds. The weld that goes in a circular ring around the bottom looks gnarled, but actually isn't a treachorous as it appears. Despite serious second thoughts on the action, I eventually ran my hand around the ring and found that particular bottle's weld free of metal burrs, splinters, and sharp edges.

The center weld, however, has rather sharp edges where the metal appears to have been crimped or cut. The corners concern me.

When the bottom comes off, there are also globs of adhesive (which is probably what caused the strong smell in Karen's dishwasher). These can sometimes be peeled free of the bottle, an endeavor 3 year old Ranger would gladly undertake if I would give him access.

Whatever the new resin may be, it doesn't react to drops like the old polypropylene materials. A friend gave me a blue Foogo with a cracked bottom (after over a year's use) to compare with the new FUNtainer's breakage from a drop.

The older, marked #5 plastic (blue Foogo), cracks, but does not seem to shatter or break into multiple pieces. The new plastic broke into multiple pieces and had additional radial cracks appear from the location of impact.

Communication with Thermos
I was unsettled by the lid's easy breakage back in July, so on July 18 I emailed a Thermos executive directly in addition to calling Customer Service. In addition to explaining the cup's easy breakage, I made these layman's observations:

The lid design seems improved, but we immediately had problems with it that I suspect have to do with materials rather than structure. I noticed it's no longer labeled as #5 plastic. The texture and density of the plastic seem quite different than the also hot pink Barbie straw cup Funtainer we own.
This break renders the cup too unreliable to be very useful... There's something about this redesign that seems to be making it a lot less durable than the earlier Funtainer lids.
I keep seeing notations in different online forums about people having lid breakage, and I couldn't understand it with the old version of the lids (those marked #5). Our other Funtainer and Foogo cups have taken over a year's worth of toddler abuse and we've had no plastic breakage to date. They're easy to love and recommend. There's a lot of promise in this new design but the easy breakage is problematic.

I didn't hear anything back, but I was distracted with readying our lives for the Raptor baby, so I reissued my concerns (1/7/09). After assistance from a third party, on January 8th, I was emailed by the Thermos executive I previously emailed. He had heard nothing of this type of breakage in the new FUNtainer.

I sent him the details and photos of broken FUNtainers included in this review. He invited me to call him directly. I tried for almost a week, but never reached him or received a phone call.

Out of frustration, I emailed him again. He replied in a concerned manner and said that he had asked Thermos' research and development to investigate the matter. That email, dated January 14, was the last I heard from him. On February 1st, I asked him for an estimate on when he would expects more information, but (as of this posting) my email remains unanswered.

Update: 2/18/09- Thermos responds to Baby Toolkit.

What are your experiences with the FUNtainer?

Dinner Renaissance: How Relish! Changed Our Lives

At our house the phrase "home cooking" has long been a punch line. While we cooked in the early days of our marriage (potatoes, lots of potatoes), we quickly transitioned to eating out, take out, and heat and serve as soon as our budget allowed.

Over a decade later, we still enjoyed the ease of take out, but were completely bored with the restaurant options. We were paying a premium in money and family time for meals we had long ceased to enjoy. Ranger always looked a little lost in his play kitchen. He'd usually pop a couple things in the microwave and then carry them into the living room.

Shortly before the Raptor was born (late in '08), I became intrigued with a menu planning service featured by Cool Mom Picks. Relish! (at relishrelish.com) features a composite shopping list and meals that take around 30 minutes to prepare and cost about $95 a week (4 people, 5 meals).

We signed up for a 3 month subscription ($21). There were options that cost less than $7 a month, but they required longer subscription terms. A voice in my head (or maybe the collective voice of my unused kitchen gear) grounded my expectations: "A unused 3 month subscription ultimately costs less than an unused 12 month subscription."

When I chose our first week's menu (5 out of 15 options), Jim (buoyed by the prospect of delicious sounding dishes) offered to go to the store. Awesome! In the past I've gone to the store because I especially hate trying to make a shopping list. Then I hate being at the store because I cannot think of thing to make. I used to end up coming home with a random assortment of things that couldn't be assembled to make any actual meals. Shopping really bummed me out.

Now I just keep a post-it note of additional groceries to attach to the Relish! shopping list. Jim and Ranger go or I go when the kids are with other adults. The grocery store has lost its sting. The list itself gets plenty of attention at the grocery store. Strangers track us down to say things like "Wow, you must be organized" (which I love to hear even if it's totally inaccurate) or "Where did you get that list?"

And our fridge is no longer a place where food goes to expire... Before kids, our fridge was the condiment and take-out box museum indicative of workaholics. After Ranger, I bought food out of guilt and good intentions, but usually didn't muster the courage to assemble it while it was edible. On the rare occasions I tried to make something, we were inevitably out of an essential ingredient so some meals were abandoned midstream.

The wasted food hit an all-time high early last summer after we joined a CSA project. After a few weeks our fridge threatened to become an organic compost heap, so we started distributing all of our share among friends. Jim was driving an extra 30 minutes each week to get food that just made me feel wasteful.

Now we buy what we eat, and we eat what we buy. It's a clean feeling to throw out empty packages rather than expired food.

Our life is more ordered too. We sit down for meals together and clean up together. In the last week, we've had guests for four meals. It's easy to invite people over, even at the last minute, when you know something good is in the works.

Jim and I clean up together most nights, and it gives life a nice rhythm. Ranger seems to like sitting at the table with us and is eating at a less glacial pace. The Raptor has a bouncer in the kitchen were she keeps me company while I cook.

There are so many ways Relish! has changed our quality of life. We have more conversational time, more money, less guilt, and more happiness. And that is before we even broach the meals themselves.

Last night my mom summed it up with "You eat like kings!" We do, maybe better depending upon the kingdom and the era.

We've cooked dishes and ingredients I never would have tried, and we've had great results with everything (which is notable when you look at our storied history of cooking failures). Shiny, unused kitchen implements have become instruments of weekly, if not daily, use.

Our menu for the last week was:

• Italian sausage heroes with apple coleslaw
• Nutty cucumber sandwiches with homemade baked potato chips
• Pumpkin-bean soup with cranberry & feta salad
• Mexian scrambled eggs with pomegranate & pear salad
• Gourmet chicken chili with jack quesadillas

The meals are so suitable for each season. The winter has been full of sumptuously warm meals that contrast the spare weather and atmosphere outdoors. After some chicken and dumplings, Jim and I marvelled over the rich flavor contributed by well cooked carrots. Carrots. The orange kind.

Relish also offers a freezer cooking menu once a month and special menus for holidays, lunches, deserts, and events like the Superbowl and themed movie nights. Around the holidays, the freezer menu included a number of make-ahead appetizers and hors d'ouevres to simplify the season.

I am proud to report that we just renewed our subscription after 3 months. This time I signed up for a full year... a delightful, delicious year.

WIN A YEAR OF RELISH!

Relish! founders Karen Hutcherson and Anne Bender have generously offered a one year subscription ($58.80 value) to one lucky Baby Toolkit reader.

To enter the contest please tell us (in a few sentences) why you think a year of Relish! would be a good fit for you and your family. We'll randomly select a winner. Email your entries to babytoolkitcontests[at]gmail.com by 11:59 PM CST, February 1, 2009. We'll announce the winner on Groundhog's Day. One entry per household please.

Kaboost Me Up Onto the Kabandwagon: Chair Booster

Earlier this year, I bought a Kaboost at the local Babies R Us so we could look at its construction and stability. Despite glowing reviews from favorite bloggers at Z Recommends and Chief Family Officer, I was sure the gizmo would have tipping problems.

Well, I was so wrong. The Kaboost is surprisingly stable and way more durable in its construction than I ever would have guessed from photos. All my attempts to destabilize the base were futile. Ranger, who was way past liking booster seats, waited impatiently while I desperately tried to tip the seat or rock it out of the base.

As soon as I climbed out of the Kaboosted chair, he gleefully climbed into it and requested food. Pretty surprising behavior for a booster seat resisting, rather indifferent eater.

I was sure this was the effect of novelty. Over 4 months later, he still loves "his chair." Jim and I regularly sit in it too without any fear of collapse. On vacation, I walked downstairs to find my engineer father perched on the Kaboosted seat attempting to rock it. As I toasted some bread, he pulled it off the chair and gave a more thorough examination. "Great design. Clever."

They're on clearance this week at our local Babies R Us for $20 if you want to give one a try.

Tube Popsicle Hacks: Inspiration from the Freezer

Friday is fast becoming a day of inspiration for me- and it keeps happening in my friend's kitchen.

It turns out my friend is a second-generation practitioner of the cut-the-tube-popsicle-in-half approach (coincidentally featured recently on Parent Hacks).

She didn't however know my mom's practice of running the popsicle under water to seperate it from the plastic wrap. This makes the ice a lot easier for toddlers (and clumsy adults like myself) to push without shooting it across the room.

Another smart friend pointed out that a tube popsicle wrapped in paper towel is a subtle way to apply ice to an injured hand.

We love the electrolyte popsicles (by companies like Pedialyte) for inspiring rehydration during illness (particularly during barf-fests when kids can refuse to eat).

If anyone knows of some freezer pops without high fructose corn syrup, I love to hear about them.

***This is the independent of opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit. We're not doctors, so go somewhere respectable for actual medical advice. Despite the wisdom of the hacks listed above, we do not promise that anti-freeze blue Fla-vor-ice won't still end up staining your (or your friend's) upholstered kitchen chair. Again, let me offer my heartfelt apologies about that, K-.

Behold, the Wonderous Future of Baby Cereal: Beechnut's Packaging (Win some!)

When I opened the box of samples from Beech-Nut, I muttered a slightly amazed "oh, yeah." Beech-Nut's new Easy Pour packaging for infant cereal makes so much sense you wonder why no one thought of it sooner.

As Ranger's beyond the baby cereal years, we handed the samples over to our our good friends for real world testing. As advertised, the Easy Pour cartons create far less mess than the cellophane covered cardboard they aim to replace.

The cartons' superior durability and compact 8 ounce size made it ideal to toss in a diaper bag for meals about town and more extended travels.

The used packaging is great for making durable cardboard building blocks!

Beech-Nut offers many varieties in this handy packaging: rice, barley, oatmeal, DHA+ multigrain with apples & yogurt, and DHA+ rice with bananas & raspberries.

Beech-Nut regularly offers parents great coupons via their email newsletter.

WIN A PACK FULL OF BEECH-NUT PRODUCTS
Beech-Nut is offering three great prizes for Baby Toolkit readers with U.S. mailing addresses. Email your entry to: babytoolkitcontests[at]gmail[dot]com with the subject EasyPour to enter a drawing for one of THREE great Beech-Nut prize packs (estimated value $25). It will include 3 boxes of the great EasyPour cereal, 10 jars of Beech-Nut DHA+ baby food, a copy of How to Get Your Kids to Eat Great and Love It by Dr. Christine Wood, and a few other fun prizes selected by Beech-Nut.

One entry per household. Entries must be received by 11:59 PM Central Time March 19, 2008.

General disclaimers regarding contests on Baby Toolkit: we'll do our best but we can't guarantee the same efforts from the postal system. If a prize item were to be lost or damaged in the mail, we would take it as a message from a higher power that the situation was simply not meant to be (no compensation or replacement will be issued). One entry per household. We will use a random integer generator at random.org to determine winners. Jim, Adrienne, their parents, and Ranger are not eligible for this contest. We respect your privacy and will not use your personal information for any purpose beyond determining a winner and sending prizes. Winners will be emailed with notification and first name/state will be announced on Baby Toolkit. Estimated prize value: $25.

Good luck, and happy eating!

***Disclosure: we accepted from Beech-Nut 3 8-ounce cereal samples to evaluate. Beech-Nut is providing 3 prize packages and shipping them directly to winners. This review is independent opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit, (c) 2006-2008. We have no undisclosed relationship with Beech-Nut or their subsidiaries/affiliates.

Cure for the BPA Blues: Zrecs produces great new tools

Anyone worrying about bisphenol A in baby bottles and toddler sippys can get great guidance from the McNichols' family at Zrecs.com.

Not only did these great blogger parents put together a remarkable list of BPA use in bottles, sippy cups, and kids tableware, they've now blasted through some crazy fourth wall of the Internet and are willing to go shopping with you:

• You can text them AT THEIR EXPENSE for BPA information while shopping-
• or you can print off their wallet-sized BPA cheat sheet if you're feeling a little more low tech.
  

***This is the independent opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit. We're friends with the McNichols and periodically help out at their contest site Prizey.net though not for profit. They did send a totally awesome "I outsmarted Bugs Meany" t-shirt last week, but that has nothing to do with our admiration for their great research into BPA.

Hot Dog Flowers: Definitely NSFV*

*NSFV= Not Safe For Vegetarians- although Jim thinks we could do this with a veggie dog, I suspect it only works with the extraordinary snout count in hot dogs.

When I was a wee child, there used to be a chain of Sir Beef Restaurants. As far as I know, there is only one left in this universe. This is a tragedy for two reasons:

1. The jokes.
2. They used to make these flowers out of hot dogs that boggled my wee mind. A picky eater like me could turn my nose up herds of hot dogs (or is that just one?), but a hot dog flower still gets me every time.

My dad, being an engineer, had to figure out how to make them at home. His efforts turned out much better than our flaming attempts at DIY microwave popcorn. It's not hard at all, and it's fun to watch if you don't mind cleaning the wurst spatter out of the microwave later.



If you like this hack or need a vegetarian palate-cleanser, check out how we slice apples.

***This is the independent, unsolicited opinion of the geek parents at Baby Toolkit, (c) 2008.

Cleft in Twain: Recycled Shower Curtain Splat Mats

Okay, the title really gives away the whole idea. Rather than using a flimsy, disposable, wipe-clean splat mat under our high chair, we opted to vertically cut an old waterproof shower curtain in half. The result is durable and cheap splat mat.

The best feature of a shower curtain splat mat (other than fact it lays pretty flat on the floor and doesn't bunch up) is machine wash-ability. Add a half cup baking soda to the wash load and a couple towels or sweatshirts (for friction), and air dry. Do not use bleach or detergents with bleach.

***This is the independent opinion of Baby Toolkit, (c) 2006-2008.

Booster Seat Bonus

Some hacks exist almost invisibly once implemented. When the delivery man came to install our new fridge, he (also a parent of a toddler) commented on how we installed our son's booster seat to our kitchen chair.

So here's our simple way to keep our wooden chair goop free and minimize scratches and other marring from the booster and its straps:

Materials: 1 standard bath towel, two safety pins, chair, and booster seat. (If you're booster seat shopping, we LOVE our Fisher Price booster seat. See our seat comparison for more information.)

Step 1: Find standard size bath towel (ducks not required, but bonus points for any waterfowl). Lay towel over chair so seat is fully covered and there are a few surplus inches overhanging front edge of the seat.

Step 2: Safety pin the rest of the towel (about 1/4 of the total length) behind the chair. I used brass safety pins that don't rust, but the normal kind will probably suffice unless you hose your child down in their booster seat (in which case you're probably not using a wooden chair to begin with).


Step 3: Fasten booster to chair normally. When the towel shows signs of peach yogurt and/or pureed yams, just remove the safety pins and machine wash.

Voila! Another Jones secret revealed. You are now one step closer to world domination

Mom, It's Not Me, It's You: A New Study on the Genetics of Picky Eaters

For Ranger's second birthday I made him a banana cake. He's a banana fiend, so it seemed a logical jump. He (and my 35 year-old brother) refused to even try it as it was not familiar. I was disappointed, but hardly surprised.

I could be classified as a picky eater in recovery. When I actually started trying new foods, I found out I had been missing out. Ranger would be happy on the apple, grape, and cracker diet in perpetuity.

An interesting new study through University College London suggests that food reluctance is probably inherited as well as a self-preservation mechanism. Wow.

I thought this might reassure other parents who dread the "does he eat vegetables" dietary interview with the pediatrician. Apparently, most kids lose the majority of their fussiness by 5 and reintroduction of rejected foods can help.

For those of you looking to expand the palate and culinary experience of older kids, please visit Spatulatta- a great cooking site for kids by kids. I love to watch the videos and dream of future days when Ranger and I can cook together.

Drink Healthy: Zrecs Offers An Extensive Primer to Polycarbonate Baby Bottles

Back when polycarbonate bottles became a major concern in our household, I was so frustrated not to find a website that cataloged major manufacturer baby bottles as polycarbonate and non-polycarbonate.


Our friends Jenni and Jeremiah at Z Recommends have put an immense amount of time into creating the polycarbonate baby bottle directory of my dreams at
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/07/z-report-bisphenol-in-polycarbonate.html

Seriously, this list should be made available to every pregnant woman creating a baby registry. It was a generous labor of love for the McNichols as Miss Z is way past needing bottles.

Their sippy cup showdown of BPA-free bottles is similarly excellent information for toddler parents.

Geek Out: A Bib Worth Coding For

I'm not exactly sure why I was cruising the baby section of Etsy, but it's probably no surprise as I've been reading Craftster.org forums all week seeing people make Muppet heads to hold glasses, elephant tea cozies, and the like. My lack of time for things homemade has translated into online browsing.

While at Etsy, I found a wonderful shop where they have what I believe may be the geekiest bib ever:Yes, that is program code (we think it's C network programming- it's hard to tell from the pictures). It's chenille backed and $8. Truly a great gift for the geek parent in your life (unlike kids, parents actually see the bibs while in use).

Jen, the mom behind Colby Lane Designs, has the same print in black and white, as well as a keyboard print that isn't up on the shop yet. She may even be able to get a cool motherboard print if we prevail upon her. He fabric choices are different and charming ranging from tadpoles (which look sweet while showing the growth stages of the pre-froggies) to lawn gnomes to retro Jell-o molds (and I cannot neglect to mention the awesome hedgehogs).

She can also make burp cloths (3/$19.99) and baby blankets ($25) from many of the fabrics shown.

The Computer Code bib in black is presently showing as out of stock (I just bought the last one in stock), so contact her through Etsy messaging if you want one (I already checked, she would be happy to make more).

Baby Toolkit has no relationship (other than being customers and fans of) Colby Lane Designs or Etsy and has received no compensation for this unsolicited review.

Spoon!

Less Mess Toddler Spoon by Sassy are great when babies start trying to manipulate utensils on their own. The curved handles help the babies get the food to their mouths (straight handed spoons are really hard for little hands to maneuver well). The tiny holes help mushy foods (like applesauce) stay on the spoon.

The spoons are around $4 to 5 for a pair. They wash beautifully and are good for most foods (barring soup). They're a fine investment for any beginning eater.

What more can I say? It's a fine spoon.

Baby Toolkit has no relationship with Sassy and has received no compensation for this unsolicited review.