Shoppers Drug Mart has curated a new lineup called Thoughtful Choices. Included in this range are products from beauty and personal care to make it easy for Canadians to shop consciously.
10 Ways to Shop Consciously with thoughtful choices at Shoppers Drug Mart
This assortment features products that are cruelty-free and mindful of the planet, with either partly to fully recyclable packaging, ethically sourced ingredients or sustainable ingredients. They are also free of ingredients like parabens, BPA and aluminum to name a few.
Here are my top picks from the Thoughtful Choices at Shoppers Drug Mart lineup. Head over to the Shoppers website to discover more.
I’ve used charcoal toothpaste with coconut oil before and let me tell you that my dentist was impressed the last time I saw him. I love that there is no artificial taste and it feels good that you’re cleaning your mouth with something with no dyes or artificial sweeteners. $7.79 CAD
Native deodorant is aluminum-free and contains naturally derived ingredients, with effective long-lasting odour protection. It’s natural and it works! They have a ton of amazing reviews online and if you’re making a switch I highly recommend it. $18.99 CAD
This moisturizer has an advanced moisture release formula. I love that it has an instant cooling feeling upon application, especially nice during hot summers. Your skin will transform to supple-feeling, firmer and hydrated with an instant dewy glow! $29.99
This clean vegan formula delivers amazing results! Smudge and clump proof and I love that the paper packaging it comes in is made with 80% recycled paper. $10.99
These products were #gifted to me by Shoppers Drug Mart, but all opinions are my own.
We’ve had this conversation in our home about what healthy screen time means to us. A limited use of tablets and television didn’t seem to work. My husband and I are working from home, children with us too, it becomes very challenging. As soon as we set up the Osmo Creative Starter Kit you could see the excitement in their eyes!. Especially when their work was projected on screen.
I love that these games are challenging. The masterpiece app allows you to draw items with the guidance of tracing over the lines of the picture selected. It’s a great interactive way to build a child’s imagination.
What comes with the osmo creative starter kit?
The Osmo creative starter kit is a digital form of learning for children of all ages. This kit allows children to work on their drawing, visual thinking, problem solving, physics and fine motor skills to name a few. Osmo see’s and reacts to every real life move.
In the starter kit you’ll get an Osmo base, a reflector that goes on top of your ipad, a creative board to draw on, 4 dry erase markers and a microfiber eraser pouch. To get started you download the free apps that come with the purchase of this starter kit and that’s it! So easy to install.
#osmonaut playing the masterpiece drawing app for the very first time!
For the parents of A #osmonaut
The masterpiece drawing app also records what you’re doing and then plays back every step. Save your video to the ‘art gallery’ so you can view later. There are many great games to encourage creativity and to develop imagination in kids and honestly I’m tempted to try them all too! For those parents who want to keep track of their child’s progress you can download the parent app:
– Track time played in each game and view what skills your child has learned – View daily reports on words spelled, drawings created and more – Get tips and tricks for each game and learn about new games in the Osmo system – View drawings created in Monster and Masterpiece apps/games
Set up was very easy and I love how clear the instructions are for children to follow and graphics are amazing too! There are other options as well for kids who are older. You can play coding, detective, spelling and number games as well. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a gift or for your own children. Make their time on their tablets worthwhile.
If you have a child younger than 5 years old then you’ll want to check out the below kit I’m considering for Zo who is 3 years old:
Disclaimer: This review is based on my personal experience with using the gifted Osmo Creative Kit. This post includes an affiliate link. If you’d like to show your support to my blog and this is something you’d love to share with your children or others, please share my affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/2DXS1RW – Thank you!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on how to speak to anyone about racism but I would like to share with everyone what I’m learning and doing at home with my own children. I believe that you can continue to learn and share your learning’s with others so they too can benefit and make changes in their day to day routines and decisions. If there are any suggestions or resources you could share with me to help me and others, please feel free to either email, comment below or send me a message on any of my social platforms. I will be happy to look into your suggestions or resources and update this post.
This is a set of 8 crayons in realistic skin tones and black and white for blending. Now whenever our children are drawing people we can be accurate in using a variety of colours, which allows them to be more aware of their choices too.
I found this website that has many activities you can do with your children from the ages of 3-12 that will really get them thinking. The one linked above is actually one that I know I can do with my 3 and 5 year old. I would of course need to change some of the language I use for them to understand but the overall goal of this activity is to describe the analogy between potatoes and people and reiterate that a statement such as “they’re all the same” probably means that the person saying it, has not taken the time to get to know the person. For this activity you can use a bag of potatoes you have at home. There are so many other activities that you may find helpful. The website is called Racism No Way.
This puzzle features children from a variety of cultures and can help foster a sense of familiarity or comfort. It is also an award-winning memory game.
I love all of these toys! The founder of this brand is behind creating toys that allow children to have fun, learn and help them develop trust & empathy to explore the world with an inclusive mind. The products range from $8.99-$70.
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved watching National Geographic on TV and reading their magazines. When I hadn’t learned to read yet, I’d look at all the pictures and examine them to see what I could understand from the images alone. Fast forward to having two children, D is almost 4 and Baby Z, 2. They’re both obsessed with animals and love these books!
This truly works in my favour in so many ways. I myself love animals and enjoy learning new things and when I read a book or put on National Geographic shows, they’re both intrigued! Whether while reading books or through an episode, I highly recommend engaging with your children on what they’re looking at. I love to ask Daniyal questions about what we’re watching or reading. Before reading I’ll ask him, “what animal is this?”, or “tell me something about this animal”.90% of the time he knows and tells me, the other times he’ll try to guess. I give him clues of where the animal lives, what it eats or perhaps a species category. Anything to start a conversation about it. This is a great way to encourage curiosity.
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I don’t get the same reaction from my children when reading books with illustrations, compared to real life fascinating images of animals and facts. He enjoys reading these Weird But True! books because of the fascinating images that bring the facts to life. The Weird But True! facts started showing up in National Geographic Kids magazines in 2004, and it’s been their most popular feature to date. It was actually an idea from a former magazine editor’s 60-year-old mom! We love that there’s a mix of all sorts of facts in these books. And more than a third are about animals.
The National Geographic Kids Weird But True! books can be found here: natgeokids.com/wbtbooks. This series has lots of videos as well. My kids love watching videos about animals and learning new things about them. I Save these YouTube videos into an album or playlist:
When I started reading some of the facts out loud I even surprised myself! Like, I didn’t know rats can laugh?! And now I want to know what that sounds like. Or do I?
These books generally retail for $7.99 in the US and $10.99 in Canada. A portion of all book purchases help support National Geographic Kids magazine. ENTER TO WIN: Weird But True! Canada Contest – Do you have a weird fact about your hometown, province or country? Share it by January 31st, 2019 at www.natgeokids.com/wbtcanada.
I love this site because it has so many unique styles to choose from. Also, the choices of organic and free trade brands are amazing! Back when Baby D had eczema, we would only dress him in organic clothing and/or wash his clothes with fragrance-free gentle detergent. There aren’t many reasonably priced dresses in the organic free trade sector, but this site fits the bill. The same price as something you’d buy in the baby section at Zara but the bonus factor is that it’s made with organic materials and free trade. So impressed with the soft movement of these fabrics and how comfortable it is for the kids.
I am so obsessed with these cute hats. Especially for those babies born with little to no hair. Also, if you’re in Toronto or the GTA, she is local and you’ll get your product super fast and with the best service.
Support local brands
3. Blooms and crowns co
Another amazing local brand makes the best quality floral headbands I’ve seen. There is so much attention to detail that the flowers look real! Perfect touch for photo shoots and to dress up any outfit. The bands are also made to be comfortable for your little one’s head. Not super tight like the commercial ones.
Floral hair clip – Blooms and crowns co
4. HuxBaby
” Huxbaby is about minimalist fashions for kids with an adult level of style. Our designs blend super soft organic cotton with a clean aesthetic – clothes that allow kids to be kids without sacrificing style. “
Do you remember your favourite toy as a baby? Maybe you do by looking at baby pictures or your mom/dad must’ve told you a story that went something like this ..”you wouldn’t put it down and it went everywhere with you:..or…”we had to sneak it out of your hands to wash it”.. or simply.. “it was your favourite”. When I think of Fisher Price I remember my favourite telephone toy:
Fisher Price has created some pretty awesome toys since this telephone one and I think I’m having more fun playing with baby D’s toys than he is.😆 Five of these toys are part of their new Smart Stages™ line of toys. This Smart Stages™ technology allows you to change between 3 different playing levels. You change levels according to your little ones age. Or if your LO (little one) is like baby D and loves to explore and play with different things everyday then switching between the levels is a great idea. I’m a true believer that every child learns differently and there’s no one way. By switching between levels you can determine which level your LO enjoys the most.
This cuddly puppy goes with baby D where ever he goes! He loves songs and interactive toys, so the level that plays the most songs is his favourite. When he was just over a year old he learnt how to shuffle through the songs by pressing the correct paw. Incredible! Now Baby Z has the same one but the girl version.
His first wheels! I remember the very first time we put him on this scooter he was under a year and his legs didn’t even touch the ground. That didn’t stop him from smiling and squealing when we pressed a few buttons on it for music and sounds. He grew up with this scooter beautifully. He learned very quickly that in order to stay on he had to hold the handlebars and once he turned over a year he was getting pushed and pulled on this scooter. His grandfather used his cane to pull him on the scooter and then his grandmother tied a stretchy fabric band on it to be pulled. Soon his legs were able to touch the ground and he started moving around. Absolutely loved going for the ride and as the scooter moves around it plays different sounds of vrooming, music and more!
Beat Bo ($49.99)
I remember the first time I saw this little robot I was so impressed with the lighting and the way it dances! This robot jukebox plays music and engages with babies and toddlers to dance along. Baby D and Z have loved this toy for years! My personal favourite feature is the record option. You record something and it plays it back in music form.
SMART STAGES TABLET ($19.99)
I love how this was Baby D’s first tablet! It lights up and twinkles to different sounds and music. It also has different stages so it grows with your child. They can learn the alphabets, animals and the letter it starts with and the sounds that go with the letters.
TEACHING TOTE ($20.00)
Baby D didn’t play with this as much as his other toys but Baby Z loves it! She loves pushing the tote flap back and putting random items she finds inside it! I also love that this tote bag comes with over 50 songs, words and phrases.
LAUGH AND LEARN PUPPY TRUCK ($8.00 ON SALE)
This satisfied Baby D’s obsession with trucks and construction. Comes with a puppy driver, truck bed moves up and down and 5+ sing-along songs, tunes & phrases.
We just came back to Toronto from our first flight with two kids. Baby D had flown twice before but at 3 months old. which made this officially his first time, where he will hopefully remember everything. Before the trip, I did a couple of things that really helped traveling with my two babies. Here are my 5 Tips to Travel with a Toddler and a Baby, Including what Netflixshows you should download for offline viewing:
1. LOTS OF SNACKS
So on our plane ride to Vancouver, I packed some juice boxes, goldfish, cookies, and some dry fruit. But what the heck was I thinking! That’s a lot of sugar to give to a toddler on a plane where the options to burn that sugar off is very low. I ran out of options to keep his tantrums from escalating and learned very fast what I shouldn’t have done. That being said, on our plane ride back to Toronto I was prepared! I cut up cucumbers, carrots, and apple slices right before the flight and stored them in a tin snacking bowl that has a cover. To keep them fresh you can even sprinkle very little orange juice or lemon juice. I also got another pack of goldfish, veggie snack chips and bananas (has the natural muscle-relaxants magnesium and potassium, that helps children sleep better).
[Tweet “#DidYouKnow 1 in 5 #Canadians have suffered through a flight with no entertainment due to faulty in-flight systems. @Netflix_CA “]
5 Tips for Airplane Travel with a Toddler and a Baby, Including Netflix Downloads
[Tweet “Nearly half (45%) of those watching on the go have caught a backseat binger snooping on their screen Screen snooping can have real consequences! In fact, 20% of public bingers experience “show shame”, the feeling of embarrassment over what they were caught watching”]
Baby Ds first tablet was actually a tablet that was given to me for my birthday. It was the newest Samsung tablet with all the bells and whistles! But soon as Baby D got his little hands on it, the tablet wasn’t mine anymore. Kind of bittersweet because now he was self-sufficient for a couple of hours a day but I lost one of my favourite gadgets. Long story short, he cracked the screen and then we got him a child-friendly tablet with a cover. We got him the Amazon tablet (click here) that has been proven to be child-friendly and the tablet cover (click here) has saved this tablet from damage, even when thrown from the second floor! P.S We bought the tablet brand new off of kijiji because it’s not available in Canada or wasn’t at the time we purchased it.
I downloaded:
Land Before Time (Dinosaur movie) This movie keeps him glued to the tablet because he loves dinosaurs so much. I also played dinosaurs with him while the movie played in the background with the toys I brought him.
Paw Patrol – At least 5 of newest episodes that he hadn’t seen yet. Yay for the new season on Netflix!
Octonauts – He loves sea animals!
Dora the Explorer – What I love the most about this show are the scenes where Dora interacts with the viewers. Asking questions or to do something.
Magic School Bus Rides Again – He’s been loving this show as much as I did when I was a child.
One thing I did learn through our trip to BC was that it’s so loud on the airplane that you can barely hear anything from the tablet. I tried getting him to use the earphones but he hated it and threw them off. We went to the mall while in BC and picked up headphones in hopes he would use it. When we first showed it to him and how it works he said a hard “NO!”, but then I sneakingly plugged it in so he could hear the sounds coming from the headphones. Then after a couple more minutes, I put them on him and he let them stay. But to ask me a question he took them off and then wouldn’t put them on again. We did this at least 10 times. Then I gave up and hung them from the armrest as if they were just extended speakers. New plan: A month before our next trip we’re going to practice putting on headphones, and hopefully he’ll understand the concept and accept it.
[Tweet “64% have laughed out loud to themselves while bingeing in public”]
2. SMALL TOYS
Make sure the toys you choose are soft and not too noisy, to ensure you don’t disturb the people around you. Especially toddlers they’re unpredictable and might feel like throwing them in the air. Yes, it happened to us. Smaller toys will also be easier to travel with. Here are some suggestions for toys and where you can buy them:
Light squishy plastic dinosaurs – Found them at Wal-Mart for $2 each
Kinder Surprise Eggs – Any convenience or grocery store
You have to plan ahead for what kind of activities to keep your toddler busy. Especially if you have other children traveling with you, activities are the only thing that will keep them busy and be playing friendly. I brought colouring books and a massive Peppa Pig sticker book that kept him busy for an hour. We put the stickers together and then coloured them. He loves to build stuff so Ièm going to look into getting some soft toy building materials. Maybe from an arts supplies store and put together a ziplock bag of items we can use to build stuff. Another thing to take note is that the flight attendants can get very pushy about when the seat trays have to be put away. A toddler doesnèt understand that and it could easily turn into a really bad tantrum. This happened to us on the plane. For the next trip, I plan to purchase a travel tray or I saw one that skip hop carries used for cars. That might work as well.
4. REWARDS
Have a couple of surprises to reward for good behavior. However, stay away from candy, chocolate or anything with too much sugar. Organic fruit gummies or a new toy will suffice.
5. STRETCH IT OUT
Make sure your seating situation makes it easy for you to walk around or for washroom breaks. Your toddler and baby will be drinking a lot more on the plane to stay hydrated, which means more washroom breaks. After diaper changes in the tiny plane washroom, I sang a song and do a little wiggle dance with him so he can stretch out. You can do the dance near the exit areas where there’s space if you’re feeling brave.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by hydraSense®. To make sure hydraSense® products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
How I Use hydraSense Baby Nasal Care
When baby D was born, I was so paranoid about what I’d do when he got sick for the first time. So many what if’s and questions! Two years later and now I have a 7-month-old daughter, Baby Z. As a mother of two, my advice is to follow your instincts, and the paranoia and panic when your child gets sick for the first time, it’s the inevitable. Stuffy and congested noses are common symptoms Baby D & Z get quite frequently.
I use hydraSense products to help me tackle the congestion and stuffiness. There are a few products from their baby line that I keep in my medicine cabinet. The nasal aspirator, Ultra-Gentle Mist, and the Easydose vials. To ensure I used them properly the first time, I found YouTube videos and followed along step-by-step.
There were a few nights when Baby Z was a newborn, she was congested and had trouble breathing – which meant no peaceful sleep for me. She would wake up uncomfortable and crying. Those were tough nights. The Nasal Aspirator Starter Kit was our go-to to clear Baby Z’s stuffy nose.
I’m going to get a little TMI (too much information) now. I found when my babies have sticky mucus/snot, using a combination of the hydraSense aspirator and mist really works. So, when Baby D recently got a cold – I knew what to reach for. He’s a 2-year-old that knows what he wants and what he doesn’t like. These days, he absolutely doesn’t put up with having his nose touched with anything. But that doesn’t mean there is no way.
When my toddler won’t cooperate, I find distractions and rewards have been my most successful strategy. I love telling him stories, especially if the topic is exciting for him. For example, he LOVES animals. When I first used the hydraSense Gentle Mist on him, I let him hold the products and talked about each one. Soon after, he wanted to open them because of the dolphin on the box. I started telling him a story about the dolphins. “The dolphins put magical water in this bottle to help your nose.” “Why mommy?” “So you can breathe better” “brea- betn?”
We went back and forth and then I told him if he helps mommy I’ll give him some chocolate after. He was game. The whole process was over so fast that it was already over before he could resist. Then I gave him his reward and all was good.
As for Baby Z, she would not let go of the aspirator. Even after I used it on her!
We’re traveling with our little ones in March and will definitely be taking the Easydose vials with us. It’s great that they don’t take up much space in a diaper bag!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by hydraSense®. To make sure hydraSense® products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
As a new mom I tried making baby food myself. You know the old fashion way. Boiling, cooking separately blending and then a pile of pots and cups later and one crying baby (seeking my attention), I had baby food made! With the baby brezza, it’s so easy, it feels like magic. So this time around, with baby number 2 I set out to find a method that would make us both happy. Something fast and easy.
When I was a new mom I was so busy learning about every stage, reading books, doing online research and not to mention the challenges I was having with Baby D’s eczema that I didn’t ever think about buying a food maker. Sometimes the easier way is right under our noses but we are so busy with life that it never crosses our mind. Any mom who doesn’t have a food maker will absolutely LOVE this one.
It’s super easy to clean. Especially if you run it under hot water right after using it. I’ve also defrosted chopped up fruit with the steam option. Not only is it safer but a healthier option vs using the microwave or over boiled water.
The blades are really sharp which is why the food is made so quickly. Be careful while washing the blades separately. I wasn’t paying attention one time and cut myself.
There are so many baby products to choose from in stores that it can get overwhelming, time-consuming and pricey. You’ll either just buy everything and most of it you’ll never use and let’s not forget you’ll break the bank. Or you’ll just say I’ll buy it if I need it and forget to buy it because baby brain will kick in. Here are my most recent new mom must-haves, and if you can think of any great ideas leave me a blog comment to help a fellow new mom out there. P.S The order of products doesn’t imply the best or least favourite, just listing based on memory.
8 New Mom Must-Haves Including Non-Traditional Items
1. Dock-a-tot
I’ve been using the dock-a-tot for years now and it has come in so handy. Great for co-sleeping and perfect for laying your child down on when you need to step away and they love to roll. My toddler even loves it!
2. Baby Teethers
Other than the famous Sophie giraffe what are your other options? Well how about these cute and yet super unique ones by Picklesworth Baby:
This food maker has saved me SO much time. No more steaming or boiling food separately and then blending. This is an all in one machine that will do everything for you in seconds. I love it. I’ll be sharing a full review of this soon and will drop the link here when it’s up.
4. Versatile Changing Mat
I love the gathre mats! They’re easy to clean and to travel with. I even keep one in my purse for times when I don’t want to take the diaper bag with me. Check them out:
Image from Gathre site
Worlds first bonded leather mat comes in different sizes and colours.
5. Milestone Baby Cards
I love these Milestone cards! They cover every highlight you won’t want to miss taking a picture of. I’ve taken lots of pictures with my Baby Z and her milestone cards. You can purchase them here.
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I have both! The smaller one is amazing to bring to the washroom so you can watch your baby while you take a quick shower.
7. Nursing Cushion
This cushion came in so handy! I use it for nursing obviously but also it’s great for taking with you to the hair salon to support your baby in your lap while getting your hair done.
8. Shop Binxy
This innovative item is perfect for shopping with your little one. No more putting your car seat in the shopping cart! As a new mom it’s hard juggling a baby in a grocery story. Worry less and let your baby watch you do the shopping with this super cool way to place your baby in a shopping cart. Wish I had this for my first child.
