Spilt Milk Moms » Search Results » quick+zip

Zipping Around With Radio Flyer

Rebecca — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:00:58 +0000

Toys can easily start to take over one’s house. And they often get bigger as the child gets older. Thankfully, my parents bought my son a multi-purpose walker – Radio Flyer’s Push Pull & Ride. This is a three-in-one toy: a push-toy walker, a ride-on, and a pull-toy storage/transporter for your child’s favourite toys!

The concept is fairly simple; the “seat” of the ride-on can be placed facing down (for ride-on position, as in photo above) or facing up (for transporting things). In each position there are convenient slots to snap the seat in place. The handle is wide enough for grasping for pulling or pushing. The wheels are rubber so no damage to our hardwood floors.

So far our son has tested the push/pull method but not the ride-on, as he is still a bit too young for that mode. My one issue with the push method is that the toy is very lightweight, so if your young one is just learning to walk, there is not enough resistance to prevent the child from walking forward too quickly (and ending up doing a face plant). We easily solved this problem by placing a heavy item inside the bin – a small pumpkin (during Halloween season) or a large jug of vinegar (for any other season). This weighs the toy down sufficiently to allow our son to stroll along at a comfortable pace. Another thing is that the wheels do not pivot (which can be a good thing…) so if your child is young you will have to coax him or her in a straight line and assist in turning it when obstacles are confronted. Luckily our place has a long corridor which works very well for this kind of toy!

Another issue we had with this toy was that it took forever to assemble. It arrived on my son’s birthday, and my brother-in-law spent a good 30 minutes putting it together. So if you plan to give it as a gift, consider assembling it at home beforehand.

Overall – I like the concept of this toy for its several uses. There are definitely other single-purpose walkers out there, but babies soon lose interest in them once they start to walk; the Push Pull & Ride will still interest our son as he gets older for when he wants to lug around his trucks or other toys.

The Push Pull & Ride can be purchased from Radio Flyer’s website for $39.99USD

Hide Sites

A Holly, Jolly, Glittery Holiday Season

Marilyn — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:00:57 +0000

There’s something about glitter that makes me happy. It’s so shiny and bright, I can’t help but feel better when I look at it. This year instead of looking around for holiday decorations that were pre-sparkled in a colour I liked, I decided to add glitter to items I already owned. It is super easy to add glitter to anything you like. Go wild and be creative!

You will need:

1 can of spray adhesive
Finely ground glitter (found in the scrapbook or stamp supply stores)
Ziploc bags that are large enough to hold the items being glittered
Latex gloves (this is optional, however I didn’t use gloves and I still have glitter and glue on my fingers after four vigorous hand washing sessions)
Large cardboard box to contain over-spray (alternately you could go outside to spray your items)
Items to make all sparkly (Suggestions: Candles, Votive Holders, Pine Cones, Plastic Toys, Christmas Ornaments, Nuts, Picture Frames, and on and on)
Spray varnish (This will keep the glitter from falling off over time, however ONLY use spray varnish on items that will not be near an open flame – aka Do Not Use Spray Varnish on Candles.)

Pour glitter into a Ziploc bag large enough to hold what you will be adding glitter to.
Put on gloves, if using.
Using the cardboard box to catch any over-spray of the spray adhesive, apply a light, even coat to your item.
Quickly place the item into the glitter-filled Ziploc bag and coat your item liberally with glitter. The wetter the glue is, the better.
Place item on a sheet of paper to dry. Leave the item for at least an hour to let the glue set. Note: A little bit of glitter will still fall off with use, unless you spray the item with spray varnish.
Coat item with spray varnish if using, and let item dry overnight before using. (Repeat: Do not use spray varnish on items that will be used near an open flame.)

Enjoy your sparkly holiday!

Hide Sites

A Zippy Solution to Crib Change Rage – Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Barb — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:05:15 +0000

I cannot express (without using profanity) how frustrated I get trying to change the sheets on my baby’s crib. Between the tight fitting sheets and the bumper that has about five million places it needs to be tied to the slats of the crib, I come this close to throwing the whole darn thing out of the window every time!

The QuickZip from Clouds & Stars is my savior – it’s the smartest invention ever! Once you have the sheet on the first time, you simply zip the base off to throw it in the wash then zip it back on again once it’s clean. The sheets come in a few different colours and you can get ones big enough to fit your kid’s bed beyond the crib stage . Clouds & Stars even offer the QuickZip in organic cotton for those of you on board with keeping it green!

Hide Sites