Table of Contents
1. A Hip Mama Melting Pot
Staff Writer, Jala Smith, shines the spotlight on Portland, Oregon.
2. Wild About Maurice Sendak
Staff Writer, Mamie Cosentino, explores Where the Wild Things Are.
3. Flying with Baby 101
Staff Writer, Rachelle Powers, shares her tips for flying with little ones.
4. Gearing Up With Babygeared
Staff Writer, Amber Bell, delivers her fab finds from one of our favorite online shops.
A Hip Momma Melting Pot
By Jala Smith
What has 150 miles of stroller-friendly walking trails, a doula on almost every corner, a gourmet sandwich café for kids, a baby concierge, a pregnancy pampering oasis, enough breastfeeding moms to fill Disneyland and was voted by Fit Pregnancy magazine the best place in America to have a baby? The answer is a mom, and mom-to-be’s, dream come true — Portland, Oregon.
When I was asked to write an article about Portland, and why it’s such a great place for hip moms to hang, I knew there wouldn’t be a shortage of things to brag about. From health and pampering services, to shopping, to dining to playing, Portland is a mommy mecca — with a lot of cute babies to boot.
Portland may get a bad wrap for being “that city that gets a lot of rain” but true Oregonians, especially Portland moms, don’t let that stop them from enjoying the plethora of outdoor adventures the city has to offer. From berry picking on Sauvie’s Island to supporting the area’s growers at various farmers markets around town, Portland moms enjoy sharing the local bounty with their tiny tot. What could be more fun than choosing your own lush Marionberry right from the vine, or talking carrots and green beans with the person who grew them? Little ones rarely sneak away from the market without a taste.
Looking for a break from the heat after tromping through crops and fields in search of the freshest ingredients for dinner? Portland is chock-full of safe, shallow, and free, family-friendly fountains. My favorite is the fountain at Jamison Square in the Pearl District. On a sunny July afternoon it can be one of the most popular spots in town, buzzing with little voices and the splish spashes of tiny feet playing in the shallow pool that fills up and drains out throughout the day.
Once the little one is tuckered out, mom can head across the street to Posh Baby and pick up a little something for herself. Their hip line of maternity and babywear make it hard to leave the store without something stylish. Generations located on the East end of one of the hippest strips in town, Hawthorne Boulevard, and Bella Bellies Maternity in the newest suburban shopping center, Bridgeport Village, are also heaven on earth for metro mommies. Shopping ‘till you drop around Portland is encouraged!
So what about those days when Mother Nature does have a soggy field day? Portland moms enjoy laying back, getting their feet rubbed, their toes done, their face pampered, and maybe doing a little yoga. That’s a lot to ask for in one day but the gals at Zenana Spa and Wellness Center can make it happen for moms-to-be. The spa offers services catered specifically to pregnant moms, with a child care facility on-site making an appointment convenient at any time. But Zenana isn’t the only option moms have for enjoying some extra curricular time with babes in tow. Mcmenamin’s Kennedy School offers Mommy Matinees, where “crying babies are allowed” and the Academy Theater provides childcare during most of their movie showings. So to all of those Portland parents with a two-year-old who’ve said they haven’t gone to a movie in two years…shame on you!
Portland moms like to get together and talk about their kids, their favorite spot to grab a cup of java and the spa with the best selection of shiny shades for tired toes. Where else to gather and divulge their deepest maternal secrets than at a Portland Hip Mama Meetup Group. These ladies don’t mess around! They laugh, probably complain a bit, but they all share one thing in common — they’re all hip Portland moms, and proud of it!
Calling all moms who need a short, or long, Summer getaway — visit Portland. Or, just move here — you won’t be alone! Did I mention the beach is an hour away?
Wild About Maurice Sendak
By Mamie Cosentino
I still own my first copy of Where The Wild Things Are. Well loved and time worn, it’s messy, and crumpled, and filled with smudged fingerprints and a three-year-old’s scribblings. And like nursery rhymes and time-tables that I memorized when I was young, there are passages from this book that are so tangled up with the snapshots and lullabies and station wagon trips of my childhood, I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. “They roared their terrible roars,” for example, “and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.” Truly wonderful terribleness, and signature-Sendak wording.
Now that I’m all grown (with a college degree and child to prove it), Where The Wild Things Are hasn’t lost its charm. And as a parent, it’s no wonder why—I’ve got a wild thing of my own, with flaming red hair and a temperament to match. Sure, she’s only two, but any parent can tell you that toddlers can be some of the most ferocious creatures of the jungle. Tempers, tirades, and tantrums aside, I’m simply wild about my little wild thing, and my little wild child is crazy for Maurice Sendak books. Lucky for her, she’s got copies of her own (Thanks, Grandma!), and Daddy loves reading them every night before bed. For me, reading Where The Wild Things Are reminds me of the girl I used to be, and gives me a chance to share one of the things I love best with my baby girl: classic storybooks too good to be forgotten.
When I was a girl, I used to fancy myself a Miss Max of sorts. Like Sendak’s main character, I, too, had bouts of mischiefness and a wild imagination, and was often sent to my room. Though adulthood has tamed me a little, and parenthood has tamed me a lot, I still see a smidge of myself in Sendak’s engaging illustrations of the boy in the wolf suit, and am also beginning to recognize the sly eyes and impish grin of my own little girl. Max is the ultimate every-child, narrow-eyed and naughty, and Where The Wild Things Are is a book that appeals to the wild one in us all—girl, boy or beast.
Published the year that my mother was nine, Where The Wild Things Are has done a whole lot more than grace my family’s bookshelves for three generations. Since 1963, this book has received more than ten awards (including the Caldecott Metal in 1964, which is awarded each year to the illustrator of the most distinguished children’s book) and is one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. It’s an incredibly entertaining story, rooted in the vivid realm of a child’s imagination and enhanced with stylized illustrations that tell a story on their own. Written with a sprightly sparseness, each page contains just enough words to entertain your little wild thing without overwhelming him, a tricky balance that Sendak has mastered beautifully. Because in the world of children’s literature, brevity isn’t just the soul of wit—it’s the heart of a happy reading experience, too.
If you’ve got a copy in a box of old books, unpack it. And if by chance this one happened to slip past you when you were growing up, make sure that junior doesn’t miss it. Chances are, Max will remind you of your wildly imaginative and undeniably mischievous little child, and if you’re lucky, you may just catch a glimpse of your inner wild thing, too—terrible teeth, terrible eyes, terrible claws and all.
Flying with Baby 101
By Rachelle Powers
For those of us brave enough (or crazy enough) to have attempted air travel with babies or toddlers, we know that there are a few key things a parent can do to help things go more smoothly. I consider myself somewhat of an expert (or maybe I’m just loony) because I have traveled with at least one baby, at least eight times. That’s sixteen times if you count coming home. And I’m currently writing this article on vacation having just flown with an infant, a toddler and a preschooler and I’m about to fly home with them in six more days. Yeah, I pretty much know what can go wrong because it has all happened to me at least once. Here I’ve gathered a few life saving tips, some learned the hard way, to help you make it to your final destination with sanity intact.
When Making Your Airline Reservations: Babies under two years of age travel for free on airplanes if they are sitting in your lap. You can buy them a seat for half price if you want to make sure you have your car seat for sleeping purposes, but often times you can get your car seat on board without having to purchase a seat. You just have to be resourceful! Here’s how it’s done…
Get your seat assignments during the reservation process. When you choose seats for the adults, find an empty row and reserve the window and the isle seats and leave the middle seat open. When solo passengers look for seating, they will pick an open isle or window seat before ever opting for your cramped middle seat. Hopefully, that seat will still be available when you check in for your flight. If it is, you are free to take your car seat on.
If you are the only adult traveling with your infant, reserve the window seat for yourself. Airline regulations mandate that a car seat be placed in the window seat only. If you reserve the isle seat and hope nobody sits with you, you will be out of luck when the old guy shows up for his window seat. Even if the middle seat remains open, you can’t use it for your baby. And no matter how much you beg, he won’t trade seats with you because he just loves the window seat!
When Packing: I learned a valuable lesson during one flight when my first son was about a year old. We had been airborne for less than an hour into our four hour flight. He was seated comfortably in his seat (that I got for free!) when all of a sudden he starting crying uncontrollably. I picked him up and was asking him what was wrong when he spewed bananas and yogurt all down my neck and down into my shirt. As the vomit kept coming, I did my best to contain the mess on myself so that it didn’t land in the seat or on the floor. When the flood passed I found my baby and I covered in barf and neither of us had a thing to change into. For the rest of the flight we sat there reeking like rotten bananas and yogurt. The moral of this story? Pack extra clothes for baby AND YOU in your carry on luggage. And toss in an extra bra as well because you never know when baby is going to barf down your shirt and not just ON your shirt. Last but not least, toss in a plastic grocery sack to contain your soiled clothes so you don’t spread the mess all over inside your diaper bag.
During Check-In: Ask the check-in agent about the fullness of the flight and if there is any possibility of getting your car seat on board. From my experience, if there is room, they will go ahead and reserve that seat for you so nobody else can grab it. If the flight is full, no amount of sweet talking is going to change anything. However, I always take my car seat with me to the gate anyway. Then I can check one last time with the gate agent and if it doesn’t work out, I can gate check the car seat with the stroller and both will be waiting for me on the ramp when I get off the plane.
When Going Through Security: The most important aspect of your security experience is to forget about all the people in line behind you and just relax. It’s going to take you a LONG time to get through and the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be on everyone. The moment you start to panic and rush your baby will sense your nerves and act accordingly. This mood swing can easily carry on for the rest of your flight.
Do not have water pre-measured into your bottles. They will make you stop and dump them out. Do not carry a big tube of diaper rash cream, a bottle of baby lotion or any accoutrement that contains more than four ounces of liquid. If you have small liquid items, they must all fit into a quart sized zip-lock bag. Keep this bag handy at the security check because they will want to inspect it.
You will be required to carry your baby through the metal detector while your semi-truck of a travel stroller and snap-in infant carrier are folded up and sent through the x-ray machine. Before you get up to the front of the line, remove your baby’s shoes and coat and unbuckle him from his car-seat. Once you get up to the check point remove your own shoes and coat, lift your unbuckled baby out and collapse the stroller. The security guys can help you lift it onto the conveyor belt.
Once you get through the metal detector, take your time getting your stuff together and setting up your stroller. The people behind you can either wait or go around you. Don’t risk bumping your baby’s head on the metal table while frantically trying to set up your stroller and put on your shoes at the same time…
Once at the gate: Double check one last time about seat availability. You will have to ask the gate agent for a gate-check tag for your stroller anyway, so take a moment to have them double check the seating. Sometimes they may be able to request other passengers to move around in order to accommodate you. This will only happen if your gate agent is in a REALLY good mood or if they feel really sorry for you. So try to look pitiful.
Many parents will take this opportunity to prepare their kiddos for flight by giving them Tylenol or Dimetapp to help them fall asleep. WARNING: Unless you want to be staring in shock at a screaming howler monkey for hours on end, always test your baby’s reaction to the medication BEFORE you dose them up for a flight. It turns out that my daughter is one of the select few babies who actually go haywire on these medications. She goes into sensory overload and screams hysterically, stiffens up and shakes and flails around. I had never medicated her prior to her first trip and I had just assumed that she would doze off peacefully like her older brother always had. Lesson learned!
Once On Board: Hopefully you will be settling comfortably into your seat while your baby is dozing peacefully in his car seat next to you. If not, and your baby is in your lap, all I can say is good luck! I’ve had perfectly serene experiences where baby slept through the whole flight in my arms and I’ve had horrifying experiences where we were both crying hysterically the entire time.
As it turns out, front carriers like Baby Bjorns are not allowed to be used during flight. On my very first flight with my three month old son, my husband had him sound asleep in the front carrier as we prepared for take off. Along came the flight attendant (with FAA rulebook in hand) to tell us to stow the carrier and hold baby in our lap. So out came baby, and down came the tears. He stayed awake and cried for the rest of the trip.
Flying with babies is always an adventure. Once you’ve done it you will forever feel guilty for the hateful thoughts you had about the babies on your previous flights before you were a parent. But you will get through, the flight won’t last forever, and hopefully these tips will help make a difference for you. Happy traveling!
Gearing Up with Babygeared
by Amber Bell
Have you ever wandered around one of those overwhelmingly large baby stores searching for baby furniture, wishing there was something a little more original, or at least a little less mass-produced? The task of finding furniture for your little one is an exciting moment and most parents want to create a room they can retreat to for late night feedings, relax in while rocking baby to sleep and for reading all those bedtime stories she’ll remember for years to come. Most of us just want to create a space we love being in; an oasis we can enjoy along with our baby.
Babygeared.com has created a wonderfully comprehensive collection of sleek, contemporary furniture from some of our favorite designers including: Oeuf, Litto and the Monte Design Group. Perfectly compiled for the parent who wants a nursery that reflects their polished personal aesthetic, not a cluttered nursery nightmare! Created in 2001 by an Architect turned Mother, Babygeared.com has turned into a one-stop shop for all things truly modern for baby.
There has, thankful for us, been a tremendous evolution in nursery styles, furniture and design in recent years, almost making the once childish frills and lace seem a bit antiquated. The fresh modern lines that have been gracing the adult living room for so long have finally found their way into baby’s room; interpreting the cliché princess pink and baby blue in a new way and mixing them with deep chocolate browns, retro orange and more earth inspired palettes.
Covering just about every inch of life with baby, Babygeared.com includes not only furniture, but also bedding, décor, attire, bath-time, meal-time, play-time and in transit gear. We’ve included a few highlights for you to enjoy across the board.
Furniture
Among the top picks are the Luca Glider by Monte Design and the Sahara Crib by Jennie Argie + Andrew Thornton. The Luca Glider has taken the traditional glider and turned it into a piece to admire with a clean fluid line and peaceful simplicity. Similarly, the Sahara Crib is short on frills and big on style with much practicality. The crib is convertible into a toddler bed and even exceeds current safety standards.
Bedding & Linens
There is nothing more reminiscent of mother and baby than, well, where it all began: the egg. The Egg Mother & Child Blanket by Susan Lazar is a smart combination of two things typically deemed diabolically different: austere modernism and soft femininity. But here Lazar has brought together the two in lovely harmony to keep your little one toasty warm.
Decor
A must see on this website is the wonderful baby Art Gallery filled with a smart collection of works that might be sophisticated in design but overflowing with child-like dreamy images and great humor! The Avalisa Imaginations series consists of enchanting earth inspired subjects in vibrant colors and bold shapes that will surely engage your baby’s curiosity and inspire her imagination. For a fun playful example of the gallery head over to Stephanie Bauer’s kaleidoscope of smiling colorful animals. Each piece seems to beg for a whimsical bedtime story to go along with it!
In Transit
The In Transit selection from Babygeared.com includes not only the usual necessary basics, car seats, strollers and carriers, but also a hot selection of bags and totes along with the very clever ‘on hiatus’ section of brilliantly colored retro travel accessories. Top of the list: the oh-so convenient and tastefully grown-up Diaper Clutch by Super Natural Baby and the Luxe Bag by Fleurville. What we love about both of these brilliant designs: they are exactly what a parent needs without looking like your typical oversized diaper bag!
Whether you are looking for a few items to add to your already established baby gear, just beginning to plan your baby’s space or searching for a fabulous gift registry, Babygeared.com is a perfect place to head to for something fresh and fun.
