As our phone continues to ring, I was thinking how nice it is hearing from families I have cared for 6, 7, 8 years ago calling to now be placed with a nanny or sitter. The LLD network really has come full circle; from sitters becoming mothers themselves and using our sitters for their own children, to children I used to babysit for who are now old enough to offer their babysitting services.  Each day that happens, it is a reminder of why this group is so special.  The sitters that come through our door to interview continue to be professional, happy, experienced &  smart, and our internal team continues to be hardworking, dedicated, loyal & caring. So a BIG thank you to everyone that has made LLD what it is today! We couldn’t have done it without you!

-LB

Lindsay Bell is a proud President, Co-Founder, and fearless leader of LLD. She loves spending her free time babysitting her lil’ nieces, running, and traveling the east coast to visit her four sisters. 

What are the best burping techniques?  I have heard so many. I just want to communicate the best one to my sitter when I leave her with my infant.  What do you recommend?

-Tooty Twins

Dear Tooty Twins,

Yes that is true, everyone seems to have their own method, which makes sense because every baby is different. What works for your lil’ one may not work for another. Try out a few different positions & see which one seems to mesh with your infant the best. Sometimes I also find switching from one burping position to to the other helps the baby release gas.  Here are my top 3 burping positions that seem to work best with an infant:

• Hold your baby with their chin near your shoulder, support the baby with one hand and gently pat/rub their back with the other to sooth them while allowing their body to stretch out
• Sit your baby on your lap with one hand supporting their chin and pat/rub their back
• Lay your baby at a slight angle (with their head higher then their chest) on your lap facing you, rub their belly to sooth them while they stretch out their body. I use this method as a last resort after trying the first two above

Right after burping. The twins are as happy as can be.

Remember to support your lil’ ones head and pat/rub gently.  Your baby doesn’t always need to be burped, if he or she seems happy, they’re probably comfortable. And don’t forget to use a burp cloth regardless of the method you choose.

-LB

The article focuses on Lindsay’s supportive family background and how it serves as the basis of her growing company that provides families with the best babysitters around. Lindsay understands the need for responsibility in all aspects of life and credits her family for teaching her this important fact while supporting her in everything. This is such an amazing look at Lindsay’s family-oriented background and business!

Support I Can Dance! and raise awareness about the arts in schools!

How did you get involved in this project?

I began dancing at age 9 at PS 183 on the upper east side, with National Dance Institute. This experience changed my life. I became a tap dancer, a teacher, and a filmmaker. I learned that all great work is done in teams, and that it’s not as important to be in the spotlight as it is to be on a team that succeeds together. As a dance teacher, I got to observe my students experiencing the same process of transformation that I had experienced as a child. This is what inspired me to want to make our film “I Can Dance!”. “I Can Dance!” is all about children overcoming their unique life circumstances to realize that anything is possible for them in their lives.

What is the goal of the film you’re creating?

Our goal with “I Can Dance!” is to bring the joy and transformative power of dance to every child in America. We will use the film as a tool to inspire our audiences to see the critical nature of the arts in education – that exposure to the arts facilitates a child’s growth and enables them to become a whole person. Whether the child goes on to become a professional dancer or not is irrelevant. It is the experience of and growth through the arts that makes all the difference in their self-realization. That is the mission of “I Can Dance!”. 

How can we get involved?

YOU can get involved in several ways:

• MAKE A DONATION – we need to raise $50,000 by October 15th in order to kickstart production! Every dollar counts, and all donations are tax-deductible. PLUS – your donation can get you access to great perks, like a Secret Link to behind-the-scenes footage, having a video of YOUR CHILD dancing on our website, and even Executive Producer credit!
•  Follow us on FACEBOOK  & TWITTER  and SHARE our link with your friends! By staying in touch with us, you’ll receive updates as we’re shooting, and be the first to know about new screenings and opportunities to get involved!
• COME OUT AND DANCE! – We’re planning a FLASH MOB in NYC with some major Broadway stars to take place in the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned to our social media feeds for more info!

This is such a great cause and a great way to support the arts in education! Be sure to follow I Can Dance! on twitter, like them on Facebook, and donate!

-Alison

I am Kelli, a mother of two; I have a 3 year old daughter and a 10 month old son, which is pretty much enough said when it comes to chaos, but I like to think that it is HAPPY CHAOS! I am a full-time working mom, but am fortunate to have summers off. I am about to start my tenth year of teaching…WOW! I am also about to celebrate 5 years of marriage in October, needless to say life has been very busy the past five years! I have a very supportive and loving husband! He is a great father and his job allows him to stay home with the kids most of the week while I am teaching. At times the schedule gets very hectic and both of us get stressed out and overwhelmed, but at the end of the day we get to raise our kids at home, which makes me extremely happy.

I love watching them grow every day and learn something new from them. I look forward to sharing stories with you every Friday and looking for other mom’s out there with different ideas and support because it is always reassuring to know that other people are going through the same happy chaos as me!

Next week comes a review about West Side Green Baby diaper service, that’s right I am trying out cloth diapers for a week. Tune in next week for more info and photos documenting my experience.

With a commitment to the client’s vision she creates events that show their personal edge of SWANK.

They are dedicated to keeping IT fresh and passionate about introducing diverse and eclectic talent to their clients. With a keen eye they manage each layer of your event. Whether an intimate or full on gathering they will produce an event with imagination and ease. Their foundation is built on the belief that parties are an expression of PLAY….an environment that invites interaction, conversation and laughter.

Loretta is a working NYC mom living in the Seaport with her family. Contact Loretta about your upcoming celebration and she would be happy to assist!

Chat trends in 40th birthdays, Mitzvahs, Non-Profits, Auctions, Corporate Holiday Parties…….ring in!

Here is her take 2 on what she has to say about getting creative in this heat…

Well, I have to say as I write this post my brain goes into mush as temperatures in New York City rise towards the 90’s and beyond. Coincidentally, as I write this article, one of my clients called me to ask what she could do with her two girls (C, age 2.5 and L age 6) during this heat wave. I laughed as I said I was just in the middle of writing some ideas.

So in honor of her, here are some 10 surefire ways to cheat the outdoors during a heat wave . As my client said to me, it is not easy out there for a mama cause man it’s like walking over hot coals out there.

Your 10 Surefire Ways to Cheat the Heat Wave:

1. Beach Day at the Park, My personal favorite is Imagination Playground in NYC
2. Head to an indoor/outdoor playspace such as Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Splash Exhibit
3. Go Fishing at a Pier
4. Practice your asana’s with yoga in the backyard
5. Ride your bike at a carless island such as Governors Island
6. Put on your sunscreen and lay back and cloud watch from terrace or roof top
7. Go trail blazing and claim your stake through out town
8. Watch the Night Sky
9. Go Geocaching throughout Main Street
10. Catch some sun as your run to the closest indoor playspace you can find

Enjoy!

July’s theme will be family vacations. Each Monday will be a new chapter of my family travel experiences that I am happy to share with my readers. Hope you all enjoy them!

Every summer I would plan a trip to get my troupe of seven from small town America to some new ‘amazing’ place. I would spend hours researching on the slowest computer known to man to find just the right spot. Our requirements were a reasonably priced hotel where kids ate free (five lil’ mouths are tough to keep up with), someplace we could drive in a day’s time, (more than that would test our sanity), educational because my husband & I were both teachers and someplace the kids could swim.

My girls exhausted after my educational tour!

Planning a family vacation for seven on a teacher’s salary was always a challenge. One trip to Washington D.C. took us to a Howard Johnson’s in a sketchy neighborhood, not depicted like that in the brochure. Either was the tiny lobby, elevator or the large bathtub they called a swimming pool.

The trolley ride and White House tour was an improvement even though we had to tear our two year olds hands off the curtains she kept tugging in the blue room. Embarrassing.

Our experience was far from 5 stars, but the memories we had still are spoken of fondly today at family gatherings.  And that to me made these trips worthwhile.

Who doesn’t love dressing up their lil’ ones in the most fabulous new frock from the best designers in town. But when your lil’ ones are growing so quickly and they only get to wear their special pieces once or twice, we know it can get a lil’ pricey.

That’s where Borrow Baby Couture comes in!

This high-end children’s clothing borrow service for children & toddlers offers beautiful designer clothing to rent for one to two weeks at 85% off retail value. Now you can browse the new, in-season fashion online, borrow one for that special occasion, and send it back! You save money and keep your lil’ ones looking great. And don’t worry about having it cleaned, upon return each BBC item is professionally dry-cleaned so you don’t have to do the work.

Wow.

The couple behind this successful business are Heidi and Alex Leiske (pictured above). They watched their lil’ guy Cobb grow into & out of their favorite clothes so quickly, and knew there had to be a better way. They wanted to help parents like them doll up their kids for all the special moments in life in the best clothes around, without burning a hole in their wallet. They soon brought on Heidi’s business savvy mother, Melissa Brown, and Borrow Baby Couture was born.

This family trio sure knows how to dress their kids in style!

When buying for their website, they look to the ruffles of Isabel Garreton, the hearts of Fendi children’s clothes, the whimsical fashions of Stella McCartney, and the lace of Victoria Kids. The dress of the moment this week is this adorable red Fendi dress (pictured above) to rent for $143 a week. Other favorite designers of theirs featured on their website include Roberto Cavalli, Baby CS, Moschino, Magil, Jottum, Elle, Zoe and more! With Borrow Baby Couture, your lil’ one will be the most stylish around.

To borrow the next hottest look for that summer bash, visit their website here

The atmosphere was completely chill & opinions were more than welcomed! The sitters were first introduced to each product, informed on the basics & then asked to try it out. Here is what our trusty sitters had to say about the products they tested:

Kana Yoo ‏@Kcynyc

Perfect for my trip to the beach this weekend. @Sunology No chemicals. No greasiness. #lldfocus
Bridget M. ‏@jetjetters
@sunology def takes the cake for my favorite product tonight. Can’t wait to try it out in the park tmrw! Thanks@LuckyLilDarling #lldfocus

lauren castner ‏@laurencastner
haven’t had dinner yet so super glad @LindsayBellNYC had @Snikiddy snacks at #LLDfocusgroup
Taylor Bell ‏@TLynne317
@snikiddy you’re organic fries are pretty stellar! #lldfocus #digIn
lauren castner ‏@laurencastner
polished off my snack, cleaned my hands with some @CleanWell wipes. good to go. #LLDfocus
Veronica Wilson ‏@veronicaw28
@cleanwell all-natural hand sanitizing wipes are clearly for clean, plus no gross residue! #luckylildarling

LLD Sitters chatting about VMV Hypoallergenics

Veronica Wilson ‏@veronicaw28
@vmvnyc ok now I have it open and still in love. Smells amazing – like coconut milk. What other products do you have? #luckylildarling
lauren castner ‏@laurencastner
relishing how silky my arms feel from @VMVatNYC and their mommy coddling lotion – more please! #LLDfocus
Lindsay Bell ‏@LindsayBellNYC
@mygyment great place to stay cool and have fun with friends #lldfocus
Taylor Bell ‏@TLynne317
If I grew up in a city, I would definitely check out @mygyment! #beActive #Lldfocus
Kana Yoo ‏@Kcynyc
Finished reviewing all the products @LuckyLilDarling I’m most excited to visit @PureYogaNYC #lldfocus
Bridget M. ‏@jetjetters
Love the serene feeling from yoga at @pureyoganyc #lldfocus
For more information on our focus group’s or to get your product tried & tested please contact info@luckylildarlings.com.  Follow us on Twitter @LuckyLilDarling