Snot-tastic! Another Product Review.

BrowFrida is the totally wrong Frida!
(You'll get it later)

We all know from experience how down right annoying a stuffy nose is no matter the cause of the excess mucus buildup.  I've always been personally amazed at the amount of snot the human body can actually produce.  When I have a cold it doesn't seem possible that so much slime can constantly be coming out my nose.  I mean, where the hell is it coming from?  Where is it all stored?  Regardless of the answer to all those high-falutin scientific questions right there, the point is having a nose clogged full of boogers just sucks!  Am I right, or am I right?

If the inability to breathe due to excessive schnozzle slime irritates the living shit out of me, one who is perfectly capable of taking mass quantities of medications or at least blowing the little boogs out, then how does the same scenario affect Piper? I would presume she would feel just as annoyed as myself but with one major difference...she has absolutely zero ability to do anything about it!  I would literally go insane if I was in her onesie when it comes to the whole stuffy nose bit.

Taking into account how miserable she must feel in her incapability of helping herself rid her nostrils of excessive snot, I have been scouring the land for the perfect nasal aspirator for her.  For those of you unfamiliar with nasal aspirators, they are useful little tools used to suction boogs out of the nasal passages.  They come in various shapes and sizes, but their end goal is the same...nice, clean sinuses free from all debilitating congestion.  They are an absolute must-have when you have children who are still too young to grasp the concept and/or lack the ability to blow their own noses.  And although nasal aspirators are necessary and have the same end goal, I discovered as a new mom that they are definitely NOT created equal.

One of the many items I received from the lovely staff at the hospital where I gave birth was an aspirator.  Below you will find a picture of said aspirator.

Bulky and plain at best!

I imagine most hospitals give away a similar style aspirator if not the exact same one, so many of you mothers I'm sure are more than familiar with this model.  For a freebie, it's actually a pretty decent one.  I found it to be a bit large on the nozzle end as Piper has tiny nostrils, but for the most part it sort of worked, I guess.  Actually, I found it difficult to tell if it was working due to the fact is wasn't see-through nor did it have a removable cap or bottom so that I could properly examine any possible internal contents...which, by the way, makes it also very difficult to clean.  Needless to say, this particular aspirator was a good starter model, but I knew I could find better.

The second aspirator I adopted into my baby-aid repertoire came with my baby first-aid kit.  Now you think that an American Red Cross first-aid kit would carry a top-of-the-line aspirator.  As you can see from the picture here, it looks like it should work pretty well.

Not as good as it looks!

It's from a reputable source, it's good looking for what it is, and it has a removable bottom for easy cleaning (that grey part at the bottom).  Well that's all good, but that removable bottom was actually it's Achilles heel.  The concept may have been easy to clean, but the result of the design created a major flaw in that every time I went to squeeze the bulb, the back popped off.  Well that's just friggin' genius!  I hope someone got reprimanded for their lack of foresight or shoddy real-world testing of the mechanism, but I doubt it since it's still being sold.  But hey, maybe I was just using it wrong.  I'm not sure how that is possible since all it requires is a squeeze and release action to operate, but I could just be a lousy aspirator operator.  Regardless, this model sucked, well actually that is exactly what it didn't do, and I was immediately in the market for another candidate after just a few tries with this one.

My next aspirator came in a boxed set with saline nasal drops by Little Remedies.  I absolutely love their gripe water and gas drops, so I just knew they would make a good product.  I so wish I could report that their aspirator was top notch, but alas it also had some design flaws, at least from my perspective.  Before I point out the flaws, let me first compliment it's overall design elements.

Not bad but still lacking!

I loved the clear nozzle on this model as it allows one to see the fruits of ones suctioning labors.  Also, the nozzle snaps off for easy cleaning.  It is also a very stylish aspirator, if one could call such an object stylish, especially when compared to the hospital issued one.  Those aspects were nice, but now on to the flaws.  In all actuality there were only two major flaws that I focused on.  Firstly, the nozzle was just too damn skinny, just the opposite of the hospital model.  The clear tip was nice, but it was so narrow that it couldn't actually cover Piper's nostrils, which is pretty necessary to create that suctioning force, and her nostrils are small!  That issue led to the second problem, the suction was way too weak to do any good whatsoever.  What good is a snot sucker that won't suck snot?  Those two fatal flaws made this aspirator not so usable.  So once again, after trying this aspirator out, I was back to square one on my great aspirator hunt.

Before I move on, I need to interject here regarding the Little Remedies nasal spray shown in the above pic. While I have been very pleased with their other medicinal products, this one was not so hot.  It's not the contents of the container that bugged me, but the container itself.  The spray bottle leaked when not sitting upright, leaking most of the contents into my diaper bag just a short time after purchase.  And yes that is with the lid firmly screwed on!  I absolutely hate wasting money so that really irritated me.  Also, it is recommended that with newborns you "drop" a few of the saline drops into the nostrils rather than "squirt" them.  This required me to turn the bottle at a downward angle.  This downward position caused the contents to leak without any pressure whatsoever to the bottle.  In other words, the crap would just start dripping all over poor Piper's face.  She is wiggly like all babies, so it took a few tries to get the nozzle into a nostril.  Since the contents just free-flowed out of the nozzle, she ended up with saline solution all over her little face...not cool!  This free-flowing problem was most likely the culprit of the leak when the lid was on, too.  I hope these issues were due to a defective bottle instead of poor design, but I am unwilling to spend the money to find out for certain.  Let's just say you've been warned!  Feel free to leave a comment at the end of this article if I am right or wrong about the one I purchased being defective.  Okay, back to the aspirators!

I ran across my new, and most likely final, nasal aspirator whilst browsing for necessities on diapers.com.  Since I needed to order a certain dollar amount to get free two-day shipping, I decided to take a gander at their available aspirators to fill that need on my last purchase.  Of all the various models, the NoseFrida stood out as odd, yet conceptually quite brilliant.  I had heard someone mention the NoseFrida before, but had no idea they were referring to a nasal aspirator.  They had given it much praise, so after putting two-and-two together, I figured I just had to try it for myself.  Before I go any further, I would like for you to study the picture below, absorb it all in, and then continue on with the discussion.

Pretty cool looking, eh?

As you might have deduced from the pic, this aspirator takes a very personal approach to decongesting the sinuses.  With this aspirator, the operator puts the blue rocket shaped tip over the nostril opening and gently sucks the snot out via the red mouthpiece, hence the products tag line "the snotsucker". Sounds totally gross doesn't it?  It may seem disgusting to some, but it is completely sanitary.  If you look closely at where the blue tip meets the suction tube, there is a spongy blue filter which prevents boogs and/or germs from entering the suction tube.  I will admit that at first I was wary of purchasing such an odd device.  However, the more I stared at it, the smarter the concept seemed (gotta love those Swedes!).  I am so glad I overcame the initial "ewww" factor and bought the damned thing, because it works like a charm!  Here is a video of it in action, yay!

Mmmmm!  Yummy!!!      

The key to this handy device is to rotate it slightly as you suck.  For some reason that creates a better suction and therefore more sticky rewards for your efforts.  I was amazed by the amount of snot I collected on my first try, especially when compared to how very little to almost no snot I collected using the other aspirators.  And it wasn't because Piper had less boogers in her nose than the other times, it was that the aspirators just didn't work as well.  Check out the gross pics below to see what I mean!

NoseFrida, collection side 1!

NoseFrida, collection side 2! 
(tube rotated half turn from side 1)

I know the pics are icky, but I felt it necessary to post them in order to demonstrate the NoseFrida's collection ability.  All those boogs are from the same suction session.  Pretty impressive, right?  And Piper doesn't even have a cold, just a bit of congestion due to normal everyday baby life.  God only knows how much snot I'll retrieve the first time she gets a genuine stuffy nose, blech!

In the end, the NoseFrida kicked aspirator ass.  I 100% recommend it to all parents or guardians of young-uns out there.  I'm a picky gal (no pun intended), and this product absolutely delivers on all it's promises.  After using it, I no longer feel the need to continue on my search for the perfect aspirator, because the NoseFrida is it.  Now it may be a bit inconvenient to use on the go, but I really don't care.  Can you imagine me breastfeeding and sucking snot with this in public?  Hahahahahaha!  That may be something worth filming down the road!  I am so just kidding!

Before I wrap things up here, I would like to give props to Little Remedies for coming up with a secondary saline nasal spray design.  This one works oh so much better for my needs and solves all the previous sprays issues.  After discovering the NoseFrida, I also discovered this:

Same great product,
 much better delivery device!

The saline mister made by Little Remedies is kick-ass.  Now I can simply place the tip in Piper's nose, give a squeeze, and a fine mist is pumped into her nasal passages.  It doesn't drip, it can be held at any angle, and it moistens her mucus so that I can suction it right out.  This combined with the NoseFrida is all I need to get her breathing properly again...and believe me when I say she is also thrilled with my discoveries.  We are both much happier now that we have sufficiently solved the booger problems in our life.

Well that about wraps up my nasal aspirator review session.  I should probably mention that the NoseFrida does cost a little more than other aspirators.  I paid $15.99 at Diapers.com for it, but it was totally worth it.  Also, you can purchase replacement filters for just $3.49, although a few come with the aspirator itself.  Since you can clean the boog tube by simply popping it off the suction tube and rinsing it out, I imagine each filter lasts a pretty reasonable amount of time.

I hope you all have found this product review helpful and enlightening.  I do not do these for companies, just for myself and for my readers.  In other words, I am not being paid to be biased, so feel safe to believe I believe in what I'm saying.  Now that I am beginning to use all these new baby products, I will continue to make product reviews a regular thing on my blog.  I enjoy passing along my experience with products and promise to always be 100% truthful.

If you like my style, and who could not, please please vote for my on Top Baby Blogs by simply clicking on the little owl below.  I've made it into the top 50 blogs and would love to keep moving up in rank.  If you have voted for me before, you can still vote.  Everyone is allowed one vote every 24 hours, so feel free to come back and vote daily!  

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Thanks once again for visiting.  I would love for you to keep coming back when you can.  And if there is a topic you want me to cover, please feel free to comment below or email me at ashley@singlemodernmom.com.  Toodles!

Oh, and here are a couple of silly Piper videos for you to enjoy!

 

I just love silly videos!

Up Cripple Creek

This past Friday my mom decided to hurl herself down the garage stairs resulting in a compound fracture to ius both her left tibia and fibula.  To those out there not as steeped in bones as I am, those are your two lower leg bones.  Anyway, it was quite a horror to see my mom lying on the garage floor with her leg at a very awkward angle, and blood slightly oozing from the small puncture wound where one of those bones was trying to burst through the skin on the front of her leg.  Yeah, it was totally gruesome!  Thank god the bone hadn't come any further through the skin or I might have lost it.  I'm pretty good at dealing with such matters, as I've had traumatic injuries myself, but there is something about large bones through skin that kind of makes my stomach do flips...and not in a good way.  Anyway, it was all excitement around here with the emergency responders, ambulance, my dad and I doing our best to keep mom under control during the whole ordeal.  Luckily Piper slept through most of the commotion, cause she's a angel!

My broken yet beautiful mom!

Yesterday my mom got to come home from the hospital, yay!  For those of you who may not know, once I decided to have a child on my own I moved back in with my parents.  The decision to do so was based on a mutual want and need between the three of us, with compromises made on all sides.  We all gave up some of our space and privacy, but we all gained a little bundle of joy in return.  My parents get to spend their golden years spoiling their last grandchild, and I get the financial stability of not having to pay rent, which saves me a ton of money that goes directly into raising Piper.  I also have the emotional support of being around my two best friends (yes my parents and I are that close) all the time.  We are a very lucky clan in that we get along so well.  It really is a win-win situation for all of us.

Part of living together is helping one another out in times of need.  Friday was definitely one of those days where we all relied heavily on each other.  My dad sat in the garage with mom, holding her leg until the ambulance arrived, I ran around calling 911 and packing my mom's hospital bags, and Piper the little angel helped us all by snoozing away so we could focus on getting my mom taken care of.  My mom was terribly worried about missing any Piper moments while in the hospital.  She was rambling crazy things like "how will she remember me?" and "I'm going to miss all her smiling and cooing."  Obviously the pain of the broken leg was getting to my mom as she was only going to the hospital for a few days and not to prison on murder charges!  Me being the awesome daughter that I am, however, took heed of her distraught words.

Once my mom was out of surgery and into a room, I began sending her pics and videos of Piper.  I couldn't take Piper to visit her, because hospitals are just not safe for the frail immune systems of babies, so the least I could do was use modern technology and keep her in the loop as to Piper's progression as a baby genius.  And now I'm to the point of writing this blog entry, to share with all of you the videos I made for my mom while she was incarcerated in the sick house.  I know, that was a really long winded way of going about showing you all some videos, but surely you have all discovered by now how sidetracked and long-winded I can be at times, so I'll shut-up now...enjoy!

This first video is of Piper enjoying her mobile.  She absolutely loves the dang thing and just gives the biggest grins (and some coos once in awhile) while watching it spin in circles.  This is the best of the videos I made of her mobile time.  Yes, I am going to refrain from showing you all the videos I made.  You can thank me later for that one.  By the way, she was about to have her diaper changed, so please excuse the not so great ending...oops!

She loves the mobile!

This next video is Piper playing on her play mat.  This is the first time she acknowledges the elephant toy.  She's a deep thinker, so it's her contemplation of the elephant that really grabs me in this video.  I wonder what exactly goes through a month-old baby's mind.

Elephants are wise, so I approve of this friendship!

The next two videos are both of Piper playing with her bunny rattle.  This bunny rattle has been hanging out in the corner of her crib from day one.  I know, no toys are supposed to be in the crib! Yeah, whatever!  Anyway, as I was about to change her diaper yesterday she, for the first time ever, zoned in on her bunny rattle and initiated play.  What is so surprising in these videos is not only the amount of concentration she puts into her play, but the simple fact she can manipulate the rattle the way she does.  I know I call her a genius, but I cannot help it when she does something that is so advanced for a one-month-old.  Typically, babies do not start actually manipulating rattles or other such toys till around 3 months of age.  For her to be doing this at one month is just flat out remarkable.  Her focus, determination, grip, everything you are about to witness is way advanced.  I took a pile of child development courses as part of my Psychology minor, one of which was Development in Infancy, so I'm not just pulling this knowledge out of my butt.  I do have textbooks that speak to these milestones and about when they should occur.  So far she has exceeded all milestones.  Yep, I'm one of those moms other people hate...a damn baby braggart!  I apologize now for my ridiculous overjoy regarding my child, it will probably only get worse.  Anyway, here are the videos!

She shouldn't be able to grab it like that yet!

She's very aware that she is in control here!

I could continue on posting videos, but these four were my favorites and I don't want to go overboard.  Plus,  it would be better for me to not post all my videos at once so as to avoid the whole been-there-seen-that mentality that might follow.  Your welcome!

I guess I should also tell everyone how my first Mother's Day went.  I missed having my mom around, but Piper and I spent the day together just doing what we do.  It was nothing too special, but I couldn't imagine anything better.  Having my long awaited daughter in my arms was enough specialness for me.  My dad also picked me some flowers and gave me a card, because he is the greatest dad ever, but nothing can top quality time with Piper.

Now for picture time!  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the past few days.

Fresh from her bath

Her mobile makes her happy!

Go mobile!

Oooohhh, elephant!

Deep thinking

Conversing with a pachyderm 

Who could resist that smile?

Cuddle bug!

The Thinker

Boobies!

Showing off her muscles!

I love all these pics, especially the smiley ones.  Piper's smile just lights up her entire body and completely melts my heart, especially when it is directed at me.  I guess I'll ahead and wrap things up for now.  Until next time, here is the ole shebang...

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Three Week Old Genius

Had to start this entry with a cute snore video!

I have officially become one of those moms who think, no knows, her baby is smarter and more good looking than all the other babies on the planet.  This must be an ingrained response to motherhood that keeps women overly attached to their offspring, but it's one I now totally support and unabashedly adhere to.  But seriously, my baby is smarter and prettier than everyone elses!  And I'll prove it!

First off, she breastfeeds like a champ!  More like a teenage male virgin who just got to second base for the first time, but you get my drift.  This girl loves her some boobies!  She has just this week come up with a very sly way of getting them whenever she wants.  It seems her nuzzling skills are unsurpassed as every time I hold her now she slowly, and without me really noticing, manages to worm her way sideways in my arms, face first into her best friend the right breast, and then begins to bob her head back and forth like a woodpecker trying to get a headache right on my clothed nipple.  It's hysterical to watch since she is so damn enthusiastic about going for the goods.  My parents say she acts just like I did when it came to the boobs as a wee-one.  As a matter of fact, my mom had to stop breast feeding me because I learned how to unbotton her blouse at way too early of an age, I believe somewhere around 9 months, I jest not!

She's also smart enough to guard her food!

Secondly, she already knows how to smile and make cooing noises.  The smiling is said to be involuntary in a newborn.  I agreed with this at first, but not now.  As of this week she has begun smiling with her eyes as well as her whole body at times.  She loves the first look we share with each other early in the morning or right after naps or nursing.  This is when her best smiles come.  She also gives those huge grins to anyone she sees for the first time in a day.  I just know she knows how to win us all over and melt to her will, genius I say!  As for the cooing noises, those shouldn't be happening yet, but they are.  They are not regular, but I get several  a day, often when she's giving me that first whole-body grin of the day.

Smiles from head to toe!

Since this entry is being posted a week after initial writing, I should update that her cooing has become more frequent along with her smiles. She gets especially active when having her diaper changed now. She just loves to coo and smile at her mobile as it spins round. She just keeps getting smarter and smarter every second of every day.  Okay, back to last week's writing...

Her next big genius sign, she can stand already!  The story goes that I could stand the day my parents brought me home from the hospital.  I'm not talking about just springing up on two legs like a miracle baby, but with a little assistance, like a couple of fingers under the armpits.  And yes, my little overly smart child has also accomplished this task.  She's been putting weight on her legs since I got her home, but now she is fully an independent stander.  I was giving her a bath today and she insisted on standing up while being dressed afterwards.  I then removed my fingers from holding her, leaving only the crook of my hand between index and thumb for her to rest her armpits on, and BAM! She stayed upright!  And she already has learned the wiggle side-to-side while standing dance I've been practicing with her.  Now she initiates the dance herself, demanding playtime of the most genius kind.  And boy does she like to smile while doing all of this miraculous standing!

Wish the sound had recorded better...oh well!

Now let me back up to her days in the hospital.  I taught her to use a pacifier in 15 minutes flat!  She at first just let it role right out of her mouth, but within just a short time she was holding it and sucking on it without assistance.  How many 1 day olds do you know that learned this skill in 15 minutes?  Don't lie, you don't know any!  ;-p

Okay, what next?  She already sleeps through the night.  That's right, she sleeps through the night!  Take that all you moms with little ones who are constantly keeping you awake at night...I jest!  But seriously, she started sleeping through the night a few days into her third week, and I know this is a privileged rarity and I thank my lucky stars for it every day. Now this might upset some of you, but one of the major secrets to her championship sleeping is that I'm of the tummy sleeping camp. Yes, I know all about SIDS, but from all the research I've encountered, the back to sleep campaign is all a bunch of rubbish in my eyes. How can one say that sleeping on the back reduces SIDS when knows not what causes SIDS?  Wailing babies who can't sleep, flat heads, exhausted parents with constantly waking children....I'll pass!  I also use a crib bumper and let her have a blanket, does that make me a horrible mom?  No!  It makes me an independent thinker at worst. I'm one to trust in my maternal instincts, and so far so good.  I'll stick with my own methods, for they seem to work for us.  Like everything out there, to each their own.  All I know is that Piper is extremely happy and healthy, who am I to take that away from her?  And who can resist that cute little baby bum sticking up in the air while she naps?  Just too adorable!  But regardless of her sleeping position, a three week old who sleeps through the night is still pretty remarkable.

Nothing cuter than a baby bum in the air!

Now that I have sufficiently alienated all the back sleeping families out there, let us move on and speak of Piper's beauty. Well there really is not much to say in regards to proving her loveliness. This is where the old saying "a picture says a thousand words" comes in handy. Her pictures speak for themselves, although I do not think they do her justice. Her beauty cannot fully be captured by my amateur picture taking skills. But here are some beauty shots just the same.

Like a living doll in her sailor dress!

So sweet while napping on her Nana!

Her "Put the food in the piehole" face!

Look at dem scrumptious cheeks!

She's a looker!

As you can tell from her pics, she's definitely a beauty!  I only say this because that is what everyone who has met her tells us.  I'm just simply going with crowd response on this one...and maybe a bit of new mom pride, too.  Regardless, you have to admit that she's not repulsive to the eyes.  As a matter of fact, I could stare at her all day.

I think I have sufficiently covered Piper's amazing genius and extraordinary beauty.  I may be a bit of a braggart, but mainly it all stems from overwhelming love for the most amazing thing I will ever accomplish in my life.  I'm so astoundingly happy and feel like jumping and shouting from the rooftops with giddy silliness over this little miracle that is now forever part of me and my life.  Things just can't get any better than this.  And to wrap all this gushy-ness up, I'll leave you all with another cute snore video.

Sounds like a baby owl!

Now if you would, please click the button below and throw a vote our way on Top Baby Blogs.  Also, come join us on Facebook where you can get daily updates on Piper's expanding brain and glowing beauty! You can also follow us on Twitter @SingleModernMom, on Pinterest, and on Youtube.