Products Reviewed by Smart Moms

The Stinky and Dirty Show Books

September 11, 2020 by admin

Stink and Dirty are not just the stars of an entertaining show for children. The creators of the show have provided us with the best kind of role models that we could ever wish for. If you have seen the show you know how great they are. The books are just as good. My boys have them all and love them so much. You can’t beat the invaluable lessons they teach.

If you follow the link below it will take you straight to Amazon.com where you can see all the books that are offered, read reviews, and purchase the ones you like.

Link to Amazon.com: The Stinky and Dirty Show Books

Link to Amazon.com: The Stinky and Dirty Show Books

Filed Under: reviews

The Stinky and Dirty Show Toys

September 11, 2020 by admin

These toys are so fun. My two boys love them so much. We were fans from the start and we waited a very long time for toys to be available. As soon as these came out we bought all of them and they are still my sons favorites.

The quality is actually surprising. You can throw them across the room and they keep on going. I like them, they like them, and I highly recommend them. If you want to read reviews or make a purchase you can follow the link below. It will take you directly to the Stinky toy on Amazon.

Link to Amazon.com: The Stinky & Dirty Show Garbage Truck Deluxe

Link to Amazon.com: The Stinky & Dirty Show Garbage Truck Deluxe

Filed Under: reviews

Stop the pain at the base of your skull, and neck pain

May 6, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Did you know that there are nerves that run right over the top of your head? These nerves come from your neck, and if something in your neck is a little out of place or swollen these nerves can get pinched. I’m going to tell you how to achieve relief from the symptoms that cause this headache at the base of your skull. Around the time your headache developes do you also feel you muscles in your neck and shoulders tighten? Do you feel like you need to stretch your head from side to side to gain relief? When the nerves in your neck get pinched you not only get a terrible headache but you are also blessed with muscle spasms, and after long enough the pain from both will shut you down. The combination of both creates a cycle where the pinched nerve causes the muscle spasm, and the muscle spasm keeps the nerve pinched. I want to tell you today what I do to intervene in this cycle and stop the headache and neck pain as soon as it happens.

Step One: One of the most beneficial things I have found for muscle spasms, or muscle cramps, is a Ten’s Unit. A Ten’s unit basically sends a very small voltage signal to your muscles wherever you stick a pad. Once you turn it on you can feel it tightening and releasing your muscles, and after a while it makes the muscles you targeted to get tired and relax. Using a Ten’s unit is a very beneficial part of this process, but you can just do step 2 and 3 and still get rid of your pain.

Step Two: You can either go to a physician and get a referral to go to a specialist that will eventually prescribe you some expensive and highly addictive muscle relaxers, or you can by a bottle of this Magnesium Lotion. Both relax your muscles, but the lotion is much easier. So, the first step is to break the cycle and relax the muscle spasms with magnesium lotion. This will loosen up your neck, and remove the inflammation from the nerve.

“Magnesium activates over 300 enzyme reactions in the body, translating to thousands of biochemical reactions happening on a constant basis daily. Magnesium is crucial to nerve transmission, muscle contraction, blood coagulation, energy production, nutrient metabolism and bone and cell formation.”

Step Three: Lidocaine is a great pain reliever that we can buy without a prescription. People with arthritis love this stuff because they can carry it around with them and rub it on their hands, or elbows, or whatever is bothering them. After I release the muscle spasm I then go after the pain by rubbing this Lidocaine Cream all over my neck. Within a short amount of time I am back to hanging out with my family, and enjoying life.

So here they are again:

  1. Ten’s Unit
  2. Magnesium Lotion
  3. Lidocaine Cream

First aid for a painful back muscle spasm

When your back goes into spasm, the first step is to get some immediate relief from the intense pain. The initial goal of treating the muscle spasm is to get the muscle to relax, thus relieving the pain. Some effective treatments include:

Muscle relaxants

These are prescription medications that do not directly target the muscles; rather, they have an overall relaxing affect on your body. They are typically only prescribed if there is intense, acute pain, and only on a short-term basis. Some examples of muscle relaxants medications include Valium and Flexeril. Magnesium supplementation can be a good alternative that has seen huge success.

Cold therapy

cold packApplying ice wrapped in a protective sheath or towel, or a cold pack, to the painful part of your back is another way to help relieve an acute flare up of pain. As a general guideline, cold therapy will help reduce local inflammation, which in turn contributes to relieving pain. You can use a commercial ice pack or make one yourself. For example, you can put some ice or frozen vegetables into a baggie, add some water to smooth out the lumps, double bag to prevent leaking, cover it in a towel to protect your skin from ice burn, and apply it to the painful area of your back.

Elasto-Gel Hot & Cold Pack is the best Cold pack I have ever used.

NSAIDs

A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) can help reduce inflammation and pain. Examples of over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin), naproxen (e.g. Aleve), and aspirin. Some people find that acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol), which addresses pain but not the inflammation, is effective. Beware of taking too much NSAIDs. This can lead to stomach ulcers, and gastric upset.

Nonpatch Type Topical Pain Relievers

Topical pain relieving drugs include preparations applied to the skin as a cream, ointment, gel, spray, or patch. This article discusses the use of non-patch type topical pain relievers. Topical drugs seek to reduce inflammation below the skin surface and soothe nerve pain. Some of these drugs are available only with a physician’s prescription and others can be bought over-the-counter.

In 1980, the first ‘through the skin’ (TTS) therapeutic, or transdermal product, was introduced. Since then scientists around the world continue to develop safer and more expedient methods to deliver drugs, hormones, and supplements into the human body. Administering medication and health enhancing formulations through the skin is becoming more popular.

Treatment Through Skin Cells

Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It serves as a protective water barrier, regulates temperature, controls fluid loss, and performs many other functions important to homeostasis (healthy internal balance). Skin is comprised of many layers supported by an intricate blood supply. The blood vessels pass below the skin in a framework of connective tissue including fat and fascia (the “gristle” that holds the tissues together. Below that layer lays the bone and muscle. The skin also contains nerve endings which carry touch, temperature, and pain signals from the skin to the spinal cord and on to the brain.

Scientists have developed compounds to safely carry medications and other compounds through the skin layers into the blood. It is thought that certain compounds help to penetrate the skin barrier by opening naturally closed channels for a period of time. These penetration enhancers help the skin to absorb the drug.

Topical Pain Medications and Spine Pain

Spine-care physicians and pain specialists may recommend a topical pain-reliever to help relieve the symptoms of various back and neck disorders. For example, a topical medicine may be used to treat the pain associated with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neck or low back strain, whiplash, muscle inflammation and spasms, and some types of nerve pain.

Advantages

Base (cream, ointment, gel, spray) makes application easy and controllable.
Onset of symptom relief is usually faster than oral preparations.
Symptoms are relieved at a steady rate and relief may last longer.
A smaller amount of medicine may be needed when applied in a topical form.
Formulations diffuse through the skin and enter the bloodstream, initially bypassing the digestive system (called ‘first pass’). Many systemic (whole body) side effects, such as irritated stomach lining, may be lessened or eliminated.

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Filed Under: health

Halo Bassinest Essentia vs Premier review

May 5, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

The Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper Bassinet was a purchase that my husband, and I decided to make based on the experience we had with the pack ‘n play we used with our first child. We decided to purchase the Premier Series, which they call Harmony Circles, because it had the Soothe Center. We bought it from Amazon, and upon receiving it we set to work. One thing I was not looking forward to was the assembly, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it was super easy set up. It easily snapped together, and total time to completion was about 20 minutes.

As you all know with most bassinets to tend to the baby  or lift them out you must get out of bed and lean over into to babies bed. With Halo’s Bassinest the baby is basically in the bed with you, but separate and in its own safe environment. When my baby was upset I could reach over and soothe her. When she needed a clean diaper, I could change her diaper without taking her out of bed. One thing I noticed with our first child is when I took him out of the pack ‘n play to change his diaper and then put him back his bed had cooled. What I mean is his body heat in the mattress and covers was lost, and it would wake him back up a little when I put him back in.

Cesarean Section Friendly

The first thing I have to mention about the Halo Bassinest is how much I like the swivel feature. I had a Cesarean Section (C-Section) with both of my children. Bending over into a pack ‘n play was very difficult, and painful at times. I found this out using a pack ‘n play with my first child. Also when you get out of bed with any other regular bassinet you have to scoot down to the end of the bed to get out, and this is also a bit painful if you have had a C-Section. This feature enables you to get in and out of bed effortlessly, make the bed and more importantly brings the baby to you within arms reach. As I reached in to lift my baby out one thing I noticed was the little drop down was a little stiff. At first I thought of this as something I would not like, but the more I lifted my baby  out the more I became used to it. In a way I began to develop a technique, and no longer noticed it as being stiff and more as being sturdy.

See Through Mesh

One thing that I truly love about the Bassinest is the see through mesh. I believe my baby liked it as well. There were countless times when she would start to stir, and I she would look over and see me and instantly relax. It made me feel at ease as well to be able to keep an eye on her easily without having to look over into the top as I did with our pack & play. Another thing I noticed about the mesh was the possible air circulation. I felt my baby could experience the same temperature that I was, and when she rolled over there was less of a chance of her suffocating.

Very Sturdy Bassinet

The base of the Bassinest is incredibly sturdy. It is a little on the heavy side, but in my opinion this is a plus. I will sleep a lot better at night knowing that I am not going to knock it and my baby over in my sleep. In order for the bassinet to be this stable the legs must extend out 32 inches. This seems like it might be something I could trip over, but I haven’t even come close to tripping on it yet. The legs are pretty low profile, and are really more out the way than I had expected after reading some of the reviews.

Typical Stiff Mattress

The mattress has always been a little bit  of a problem with every bed I have ever seen. They are usually pretty thin and very stiff. My first child would seem to get sore from the stiff mattress, and wake up more often. I always had the urge to add padding to make it softer, but as we all know this is not safe for the baby. This can cause the baby to suffocate. This bassinet is no different, and for the safety of the baby it was made flat and subsequently stiff.

Check Your Bed Height

Before you purchase this bassinet one thing that should be considered is the height of your bed. This bassinet fits most beds from 22″ to 34″ tall, so I would take a quick measurement before you make your decision. Another point to mention is the fact that it is made from polyester that wipes clean with a damp cloth. Sheet is machine washable. Includes 2 storage pockets to keep baby’s essentials close by.

The Soothe Center

Halo Offers two models,  the Premier and the Essentia Series. The Premier Series comes with what they call a soothe center. With this device you can turn a light that is built into the bed on and off. This is essential when your goal is to stay in bed. It provides enough light to see your baby, and changing diapers. There is another button that when pressed will play soothing sounds such as nature sounds and sounds of a womb. Another button beside it plays lullabies, and all of the sounds were very soothing to my baby. There is also a button for vibration, I  do not use this very often. It works the way it should but I just choose not to use it. The final button is one that I have not had much success with, and that is the nursing timer. I could never get the timing right, and feel it should be more flexible.

Final Conclusion

I highly recommend this bassinet. You can move it to quickly to get out of bed easily. You can take care of the baby without taking him or her from the bed. I love the fact that my baby is right there beside you, but protected and safe. This is a great bassinet. I recommend it, and it is also recommended as one of the safest alternatives to bedsharing by the CJ Foundation for SIDS.

See the price on Amazon

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Halo Bassinest Harmony Circles Video

How to Assemble

Halo Bassinest | Harmony Circles

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Filed Under: reviews

Recent Posts

  • The Stinky and Dirty Show Books
  • The Stinky and Dirty Show Toys
  • Stop the pain at the base of your skull, and neck pain
  • Halo Bassinest Essentia vs Premier review

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