Stroller. Stroller. DOUBLE Strollers.

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STROLLERS. 

Stroller shopping can be quite overwhelming these days with the vast amount of options out there. I mean, they range in prince from $50.00 to $1,500.00+... those price tags alone can make you sweat. Never mind all the options & accessories you can choose from, and many parents are lost before they even begin! 

We get asked quite often what type of stroller we would recommend, so we decided to give you a brief comparison between two of the most popular double (tall, not wide) strollers available today! We'll touch on our favourite single strollers in another post soon.

First off, we think your stroller purchase is something that you should greatly consider your options, test out and truly invest in (I mean, the prices for a good quality stroller scream "investment" - ha!). When asked by first time parents what type of stroller we could suggest for them, we ask them this following question first and go from there!

  • Do you plan to have more than one child, with the children being relatively close in age (less than 2 years apart)?

    If you are planning on having only one child, or your children farther than 2 years apart, getting a good quality single stroller will do. Your options here are pretty large, and we'll review our favourite singles soon. 

    If you're feeling like you want ALL the babies, ASAP!, we would suggest purchasing a stroller that has the ability to "add-a-seat/board". These strollers mean that you can use them as a single stroller (the frames are still totally reasonable looking as a single stroller), with only one seat attached and when baby number two comes along, you can pop on that second seat and voila - you have a double stroller! And if you're really feelin' the heat, and baby number three comes along sooner than baby number one can be independent/walk for long periods of time -- you can purchase a standing board for baby number one to stand/ride along on the back! 

Now, heres our top two & most popular double/"add-a-seat" strollers: UPPAbaby Vista & BabyJogger City Select. 

We're gonna share their similarities & differences here to make your decision all that harder. Ha! Kidding. But really, they're very very comparable. 

They BOTH give you the option to customize your fabric colours. The Vista has 8 fabric choices & the City Select has 9. 
They BOTH have a riding board that will attach for a toddler to stand and ride on. The Vista is called a PiggyBack Ride Along Board & the City Select is called the Glider Board. 
They BOTH handle quite nicely - though if I was being completely honest, I prefer the way the UPPAbaby handles. 
They BOTH have over 10 ways of configuring the seats on the frame!** Both rear facing, one rear-facing, one forward facing, bassinet + extra seat, etc. etc. Both websites have photos of all the different configurations! 
They BOTH have very large cargo baskets underneath -- allowing up to 50lbs of weight for the City Select & 30lbs for the UPPAbaby!
They BOTH allow the front wheels to lock to allow for long distance strolling. 
They BOTH have multi-position reclining seats & multi-position footwells (meaning, you can lift the foot part of the seat up and down a few positions). 
They BOTH need adaptors for infant car seats, should the be a different brand than the stroller.*
They BOTH require the Rumble Seat/Second seat to be removed prior to folding closed. 
They BOTH have adjustable handlebars.

VISTA 

It comes with a toddler seat & a bassinet with the extras such as a Bassinet Bug Sheild & Storage Bag, Toddler Seat Rain Sheild & Bug Sheild.  
It closes at the handle bar, which is more convenient compared to the City Select. 
It has a 50lb weight limit for the toddler seat and a 35lb limit for the rumble seat. (Not as ideal for twins, that most likely are growing at similar weights).
**It has recently updated the rumble seat to allow for forward facing; models 2009-2014 still do not allow the rumble seat to be configured to forward-facing. 
It has a brake located at the base of the stroller to be used with your feet. 
It has no puncture, foam core rubber wheels to ensure you're never stranded with a flat!
*It is compatible with the MESA (UPPAbaby brand), Peg-Perego, Chicco, Maxi-Cosi & Graco Sungride infant carseats, with the purchase of adaptors. 
It stands upwards when folded. 
It has a starting price of $1,199.99 for their 2015 model.

UPPAbaby Vista

 

CITY SELECT

It comes with the toddler seat; everything else at an additional cost. 
It required both hands & a two step folding option. 
It has a 45lb weight limit for both the toddler seat and the second seat. (Ideal for twins that are most likely growing at similar weights).
It has a brake located on the handle bar, and is to be used by your hands. 
It has rear air-filled tires, front light-weight, non-air filled tires.  
*It is compatible with Britax (though they are currently making new adaptors, and they will not be available for purchase until February 2017 and there are no previous models available), BOB, Chicco, Evenflow, Graco, Cybex, MaxiCosi, Peg-Perego, UPPAbaby & Nuna.
It does not stand upwards when folded. 
It has a starting price of $729.99

City Select by BabyJogger

 

Those are most of the details that stand out to us about the two strollers! We hope this review helps you a little more in your decision. 
And if you're in Winnipeg, we really suggest stopping in at West Coast Kids on Princess in the Exchange to "test drive" these models & see them for yourself! Their staff are very knowledgeable and super friendly! 

Happy Strolling! 
 

 

Mother's Day Crafts

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Mother’s Day is quickly approaching! We thought we’d help you out and give you a few different crafts that are simple, cute, and fun for the kids! 

Handprint Keepsake

This is one idea that is fun to make, and will last for years to come.
*This one requires a few days of drying time.*

All you need is:

  • 3/4 cup of corn starch 
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 1/4 cups of baking soda
  • We also added a few drops of food colouring so it wasn’t such a bland colour, but you can also paint it to give it a more personal touch!

Place all the ingredients in a pot and heat, while stirring constantly.

Eventually the mixture will thicken up into a mass that resembles mashed potatoes.

Once its finished, remove the mixture from the pot and place it into a bowl, covered with a damp cloth to cool for about 15 minutes.

We found it helpful to put a piece of parchment paper down under the clay so that once the hand print is in, it won’t have to be moved, and it won’t stick to the counter!

Once it’s cooled, you can shape it into a ball and roll it out to about 1"-1.5" thick (or flatten it our with the back side of a plate like we did!). Then let your kiddie place their hand in!

Our little one was acting a little antsy while the clay was cooking and cooling, so we poured him a little bowl of his own corn starch, baking soda and water and let him play with it. Sensory activity, while crafting? Win! Win!

Source: http://mamapapabubba.com/2016/02/16/homemade-air-dry-modelling-clay-aka-baking-soda-clay/

 

Painted Canvas

This one is a little more messy (depending on what age you do this with) but so fun!

Supplies:

  • Canvas - we found ours at a local dollar store
  • Paint
  • Shower curtain - this will make clean up so much easier. You can thank us later. ;)

 

Lay the shower curtain open wherever you’ll be working. 

Make sure your kiddies are wearing paint friendly clothes, or just their diapers, as pictured! ;)

Next, we put the canvas onto the workspace and put a drop of paint right onto the canvas. 

From there, we just let our little ones do their thing. Let them move the paint around on the canvas, whether its a little or a lot! (One of our littles wasn't feeling like moving, so we took the canvas and moved it around for him!)

We helped by adding a little extra touch once their masterpiece was dry!

And that's it! Super simple!

Egg-cellent Flowers

This one is a little more work, but great as an afternoon activity!

Supplies:

  • Egg Carton
  • Paint
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Ribbon
  • Construction paper/Canvas

First, you need to cut the egg carton! We cut out each individual square, and then cut them into flower shapes. Once you have the shape you want, it's time to paint! 

While the "flowers" are drying, take the pipe cleaners and cut them down to a length that fits your paper/canvas. Keep in mind, you'll be putting flowers above them!

Once they're cut, take a piece of your ribbon and tie it around the pipe cleaners. We secured the ribbon in place with some hot glue!

Once your flowers are dry, it's assembly time! Arrange them onto the paper/canvas however you want then to look-keeping in mind room for the "stems"! Once you've arranged them how you'd like, it's time to glue them on. Again, we used a hot glue gun. We find it helps secure everything just a little bit better! 

That's all! This one requires a little more prep work, but it's another easy craft that the kids will love! 

Source: http://modpodgerocksblog.com/2013/06/kids-will-love-this-egg-carton-art

If you have any crafts that you think we should try out,
email us at info@thenannycompany.ca!

 

Hello! We're Nannies!

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Blogging. Everyones doing it. So, we're hopping on that bandwagon too! 

We decided we don't want anyone left out of all the fun things The Nanny Company Inc. is up to, so what better way than to blog! Our plan here is to share fun activities, craft or snack ideas, Nanny tips, parent tips for Nannies, Nanny tips for parents... basically anything that involves Nannies, kiddies & families. Cause, well, thats who we value and love around here! 

As the culture of one working-parent and one stay-at-home parent is changing, the idea of a nanny seems to be a really intriguing concept for many people. As soon as we mention we are not the mother, however we are the Nanny (after we've put off mentioning we're the Nanny as we've apparently incorrectly gauged the length & depth of the conversation that is about to take place), we get many surprised looks. This often opens the floodgates to maannnnyyyy different questions, in which we're going to answer right here, right now! 

"Oh, so you're a babysitter. When are you going to get a real job?" 
Ummm. Ouch. Thank you, but we are not just babysitters. Babysitters do not come to the home on a consistent basis, nor do they have the responsibility that Nannies have. As well, did you know you can take a Nanny Credential Exam through the International Nanny Association. Many Nannies start off Nannying and some of them choose to specialize in additional areas, such as Newborn Care Specialists, Doulas, Night Time Nanny, Multiples/Triplets/Quadruplet Nanny, etc. that are child related which really improves the Nannies qualifications. And some of them even start a Nanny business. ;) 

"So, do both the parents work?"
In short, yes, most often they do. The occasional time, we hire a part time Nanny to help some mommies get back on their feet after another baby, get some "me time" or simply do all the errands kid free (hello! What a luxury, right?!). 

"Do you go to their homes?" 
Yes! That is one of the biggest advantages of having a nanny. We come to YOU! No need to wake your kids up at the crack of dawn, try and get their tummies full and battle to dress them all to drop them off at daycare before the sun is even awake! We come in, meet you where you're at and take it from there, allowing mom & dad to get ready for their work day, with the least interruptions possible. 

"Do you live at their home?" 
In Winnipeg, there is not a big need for live-in Nannies, however it is a possibility. Though, all of our nannies currently live at their own homes. 

"What do you do all day?" 
Ha! This question is almost like asking a stay-at-home mom what she does all day. Our main goal is to ensure the children are safe & happy while helping the parents manage the home. Managing the home looks different to all families; for some, that means grocery shopping, meal prep or booking and arranging children hair cuts. Keeping up with the childrens laundry, doing light housekeeping, creating a stimulating environment for the children to learn, develop and grow. Hosting playdates, going on outings, attending classes. Helping with the preparation of birthday parties, shopping for Christmas & birthday gifts... the list really is endless. However, the biggest, most important part of this, is that all these tasks are agreed upon prior to the nanny starting with the family, and a fair wage-to-expectation is agreed upon. 

"What type of education do you need to have to be a Nanny?" 
This one is a little tricky. There are courses you can take to help improve your knowledge about childcare, along with certificates from different courses. However, experience is really the biggest factor -- with a love for children too, obviously! Oh! Common sense & good natural instincts are a HUGE asset too. ;) 

To say these are all the questions a Nanny gets asked would be pretty far off, however the baby just woke from her nap, and we've got some snackin & playing to do!

The tiniest blogger. 

The tiniest blogger. 

If these questions left you hanging, or if you have other questions about Nannies, feel free to comment or send us an email at info@thenannycompany.ca. We'd be happy to answer!