Second Peek Maternity Boutique Has Moms Covered {#Giveaway} US/CAN, 6/25

Breastfeeding is hard.

Between a need for modesty, continued discomfort, and "baby brain", there are a lot of things that can go wrong.

One thing that was easy was finding useful and quality products at Second Peek Maternity Boutique.

Breastfeeding can be a Positive Experience
for Baby and Mom.

Fortunately for me, I've had the opportunity to review their products and service before and had great things to say about their Undercover Mama Nursing Tank. Which incidently, I'm using for Baby #2! Here's a bit more about the company.

Founded in late 2009, Second Peek Maternity started as an online maternity resale shop dedicated to pre-loved maternity wear. Today it has grown to be a major retail online resource for new and expecting moms in Canada. We proudly support mom-owned businesses, featuring their products on our website. Many of these mommy products are award winning, and all were carefully chosen and aimed towards the lifestyle and needs of busy moms. Our goal is to help simplify the everyday tasks.

The first item that I reviewed was the Milk Bands Nursing Bracelet. The durable, wearable bracelet is available in five different colours. I chose green because I am a big supporter of organ donation and thought why not support my cause at the same time.

The mechanism on the bracelet is simple: when ready to nurse, flip the pliable bracelet over to see which side to feed from first. My favourite feature of this bracelet is that the font for "Right" is raised and the font for "Left" is depressed, which helps a lot in the dark at 2am! There are also removable sliding time indicators which can be used as reminders for anything that mom might forget. I'm currently managing my daughter's slow weight gain and am using the indicators to record the number of feedings per day.

At a regular price of $6.85, this is a great item to add to any gift for an expectant mom.

Nursing? Second Peek Maternity has you Covered!

The second item that I received was a MoBoleez Nursing Bonnet. With summer fast approaching, I'll be at the park a lot with my toddler and was hoping for something that provided modesty, sun-cover for my infant, wasn't too hot, while being stylish at the same time. I've never had luck trying to wrangle a blanket over my shoulder.

I was concerned initially that the bonnet would be too bulky to pack in my overflowing diaper bag, but was pleased to find it folded to no larger than a regular receiving blanket. I did make the mistake of ordering the 6-12m size instead of the 0-6m size, so it is a bit big on my 3-month old, but she'll grow into it which is OK by me.

I like that Second Peek provides options that would be considered suitable for boys too, although the bonnet provides such great cover nobody would be the wiser. I think that the Moboleez bonnet is a great alternative to other nursing covers available and have not seen anything else like it!

Second Peek Maternity Boutique is soon launching a sister website called The Mommy Collection. This site will house all the great mom-invented products currently available in the boutique. Be sure to book mark it.

Discount Alert! All Journeys of The Zoo's readers will enjoy a 10% discount off their purchase (until further notice). Use the discount code 'THEZOO' at time of checkout.

Connect with Second Peek Maternity Boutique via their Website and Facebook.

Tweet Share This Company and Giveaway with Your Friends.

Enter to Win a $30GC from Second Peek Maternity Boutique Below!

Pickle Peas Bibs Keep Baby Dry and Stylish {#Giveaway} US/CAN, 5/11

Drool. Slobber. Dribble.

Whatever you call it, changing your baby for the 10th time in as many hours isn't fun.

What if you could embrace your baby's natural inclination and have them looking stylish at the same time?

You can with Pickle Peas Snap on Bibs!

Pickle Peas was started in 2012 by a mother of three who knows what drooling babies (and their parents) need. Pickle Peas offers interchangeable snap-on bibs that coordinate with a variety of different outfits including long/short sleeved onesies, long sleeved shirts and rompers. The company also has a commitment to sustainability:

Pickle Peas is proud to make a positive impact on the environment with earth-friendly fabric that's 100% organic cotton and through the use of low impact dyes, nickel-free snaps and recycled shipping materials.

For review, we received the long sleeve bodysuit with two interchangeable bibs in size 3-6 months. I loved how soft the fabric was and am sure it will get even softer with wear. The washable applique bibs are flexible (not rigid as I had expected!) and include a waterproof layer to keep the shirt (and baby) dry.

The colours were vibrant and definitely from a more "hip" palette than many of the baby clothes out there. While being cute is important, being comfortable and dry counts for even more. Turns out, Pickle Peas scored 100% on both these factors. Just ask my two month old daughter ;)

Speaking of which, as you can see, the sizing chart is right on because she weighs 11lbs and it's still a bit large for her.

I like the fact that she can't pull off her bib and I don't need to worry about her yanking on her neck. The snaps were a bit stiff at first but with use are becoming easier to open and close.

The variety of design options on the website covers all the bases, and Pickle Peas is open to suggestions for future designs, should you have any. With International shipping (including tracking), and $4 Flat Rate shipping within the USA, anyone can access this cool new clothing system.

Pickle Peas – Dribble Duds for Little Hipsters.
Cool. Innovative. Comfy. Cute.

Connect with Pickle Peas via their Website, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Enter to Win Your Own Pickle Peas Set!

Simplify Life with Glow Baby’s First Journals {#Giveaway} CAN, 3/18

Baby brain makes you forget things.

Baby brain makes you forget things (smile).

New parents are often pushed to their limits, with lack of rest, stress and an overwhelming sense of insecurity.


Glow Baby understands this and can help alleviate some of this pressure, especially in the early days. By keeping adequate track of your baby's activities with their journals, you can know when to seek help and when you and your baby are on the right track.

Piece of Mind is Only a Journal Entry Away.

Glow Baby is a Canadian company whose focus is providing unique and user-friendly scheduling tools for today's busy parents. Glow Baby products are all about helping parents save time and reduce the stress of the day to day. Glow Baby Journals, Calendars and Lists help parents keep track of daily activities such as; feeding, sleeping, diapering, bathing, first foods by type, meal planning, family activities, general to do lists for daily tasks, groceries etc. All Glow Baby products are designed with both function and fashion in mind.

After the birth of my first daughter, my in-laws were visiting and helping with the supplemental feeding of formula. It would have been really handy for everyone involved to have an organized system like the "Baby’s First Journal" for recording feedings and diaper changes.

The journal is printed in Canada and contains over three months of pages. It can easily fit in a diaper bag or purse and is coil-bound so it lies flat when opened. A real convenience when writing with only one hand! I like that there is space to record both breast and bottle feeding as we've had to do a bit of both this time around as well.

Nursing mothers that are concerned about their food intake affecting baby's stomach could also easily use the "notes" section on each page to track what they themselves eat, in order to identify any issues. I especially loved the checkbox for "vitamins" which I can never keep track of.

Things got really interesting last time when we introduced solid foods so I was excited to also get a chance to review the Baby’s First Foods journal.

The journal is laid out by food group (Grain, Veggie, Fruit, Protein, Dairy and Snack) and includes a sample page for suggested use. A parent or caregiver can track the foods tried, the texture, child's reaction and any sensitivities. Again, there is space on each page for notes.

Another useful tool in our home are the meal planning and favourite recipes sections. They help with variety in my meals and ensure that I'm not forgetting any important foods. I'd find it useful to have a list of items we play to try so I'll be adding that checklist to my journal.

Overall, I found both journals very helpful and easy to use. They would be a useful addition to any parents collection of baby-care tools, especially those that have low birth-weight (slow-growing) kids like The Zoo or ones with other caregivers. Knowledge transfer made easy with journals from Glow Baby!

Enter to WIN Two Glow Baby Journals!

Second Peek Maternity & Undercover Mama Review

When my friend Sarah learned of my second pregnancy, she so graciously bestowed upon me a gift certificate to Second Peek Maternity Boutique.

Excited to get something new for this time around (I'm even more frugal than Sarah), I immediately went to check out their website. I was impressed by the wide range of products (over 20 categories), for pregnancy and beyond.

First, I perused the "Pre-Loved Maternity" clothes to see what was available. I was pleased to see that there was a good range of options in all sizes. Even better was that each item was photographed on a mannequin, which allowed me to see how the item would drape on a pregnant form. In addition to maternity clothing, the boutique carries a wide assortment of mom-invented gear (how cool is that?!) for babies, kids, and moms. All the prices were clearly marked and in CAN$.

After much difficult decision making, I decided on the "Undercover Mama Nursing Tank". I ordered a medium in a practical black (it came in Black, Brown and White). The site recommends ordering a size smaller than your normal size, which I did, and I'm happy to report that the medium fits!

I got out my stash of nursing bras to prove the theory that it will attach to any nursing bra. The tank has two methods with which to attach and I had no trouble hooking it up to the different styles of bras I have. It was a cinch! I suggest you do what I did and view a video of how to use the tank on Second Peek Maternity Boutique's website.

The package was sent expedited service and it only took a few days to arrive. Seeing as I was paying for shipping, I would have liked to see two shipping options; expedited and regular ground mail. For me, time is not of the essense as I'm not due for another six months.

I am so pleased to have this product because I don't relish the opportunity to have my belly hang out while nursing in public, especially in Ontario in February! For the many reasons that I am ready to have the baby (the excitement, an end to the nausea, the visits from family), I can now add nursing in public to that list. Thanks to Undercover Mama and Second Peek Maternity Boutique, I am...

Ready for Baby at Second Peek!

Rene is a regular Contributor at Journeys of The Zoo and received a copy of this product that enabled her to complete this unsolicited review.

  Besos, The Zoo