Care Sinclair 7/30/19 Care Sinclair 7/30/19

Save On Essentials With Love Me Do Baby & Maternity's NEW Love Points Loyalty Program + Get 150 BONUS POINTS!!

Shopping for a new baby, and keeping up with our little one’s ever changing needs, can be an expensive endeavour for parents. So it’s always nice to find ways to save a little money along the way, while not compromising on quality or service. One of my all time favourite local & online baby boutiques, Love Me Do Baby & Maternity, is doing just this. The owner Linda, and her amazing team, always offer the most incredible customer service experience (eg. they have the sweetest spot to rest & play, offer Complimentary Professional Car Seat Installation with car seat purchase, and host tons of In-store events), and now they’ve introduced a NEW Love Points Loyalty Program, that earns you points toward future purchases!* In the world of parenting it really doesn’t get much better than free stuff.

The best part is that they made it so simple. All you need to do is create a customer profile with your name and email address (profile can be made in-store, or you can Register Online by clicking the “check rewards” tab). Once you’re all set up, there are a whole bunch of simple ways you can start to earn points to redeem at the store. You’ll even get special stuff like birthday points! As a very special perk Enter Code SHOPWITHCARE at checkout to recieve 50 Bonus Points! Plus if you share a photo of your purchase on Instagram and tag With Care & Love Me Do Baby & Maternity you’ll receive an additional 100 Bonus Points!!

Since so many of us live in small spaces it’s all about quality over quantity, and finding the perfect product to suit your needs. I always appreciate that Love Me Do keeps their inventory and their “Registry Essentials” list to just that, quality essentials! They understand parenting and living in a city. They don’t want to add to your stress by breaking your budget or weighing you down with unnecessary stuff. Make sure to head over to Love Me Do online and set up your profile so you can start earning points today! You can thank me when you earn your first free purchase ;)

- Care

*Some Conditions & Restrictions Apply. Full Details

*This is a sponsored post which means I was provided compensation and/or products/services for this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. I only partner with companies, services and institutions that I genuinely love and want to recommend.

Care Sinclair 3/1/17 Care Sinclair 3/1/17

Welcome to the Neighbourhood West End Mamas!

I'm so excited to welcome West End Mamas to our Bloor West Neighbourhood! This total wellness centre for motherhood was created by Sarah Mickeler, a neighbourhood mom and incredibly skilled Chiropractor. After almost 15 years of working with clients solely on fertility, pregnancy and postnatal issues, Sarah decided to create a space that focuses on supporting the whole journey of motherhood.

West End Mamas officially opened their doors today, and will provide a wide variety of Wellness Services including: Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy, Registered Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Lactation & Breastfeeding Support, Psychotherapy & Counselling, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition Services, Doula Services, and Parenting Coaching. You can find out more details about their Fertility, Pregnancy & Postpartum services online.

In addition to this incredible line up of services, West End Mamas will be hosting amazing educational workshops, wellness classes and community meetups in their bright studio space. I'm very honoured to be working with West End Mamas and offering some of my programs including: Infant/Family CPR & Safety Workshops, Starting Solids Workshops, Parent Prep Classes, FREE Babywearing Meetups, and FREE Breastfeeding Cafes. Space is extremely limited for these programs, so please don't wait to Register.

As a Midwife and neighbourhood Mom of 3, I firmly believe that we need more spaces like this for hopeful, expectant and new families. Bringing together skilled clinicians and amazing educators means that families don't have to travel around this huge city to find the services, education and support they need. When I began Fifty-Seven I imagined it as a space like this, but my business took me in a different direction. I soon decided to focus on my own personal offerings via teaching, consulting, writing and speaking, but was always sad that there wasn't a space like this for my clients, friends, family and neighbours. Needless to say I am very happy that Sarah has come in to fill this huge void in our community. I know that West End Mamas will be a incredible source of support for local families.

Check out West End Mamas gorgeous website to learn more, and drop by some time to see their beautiful space in the heart of Bloor West (2477 Bloor St W, 2nd Floor). If you have any questions about services or programs offered please don't hesitate to Contact West End Mamas.

- Care

Care Sinclair 9/19/16 Care Sinclair 9/19/16

DIY Baby Bum Balm Recipe

If you've ever battled a bad diaper rash with you little one, you know how difficult it can be to clear them up. After having a few with our kids over the years, and not loving any of the creams I bought, I decided to start making my own. This DIY bum balm makes a great thick barrier for sore bottoms and will help clear up even the worst diaper rash. It was adapted from a recipe handed down to me from my aunt, who makes it for her grandkids, and has healed more sore bottoms and cracked hands than I can count. I whipped some up over the weekend to help with Lucy's sore bum and within 12 hours it had worked its magic. It's that good!

This recipe is made up of a few simple ingredients and only takes minutes to make. I buy all my bulk ingredients at Anarres Natural Health right here in Toronto, but most can be found at your local health food store. The only issue making it, is that your handheld blender will be a mess after. Make sure to wipe off as much cream with a paper towel before attempting to wash it with soap and water.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Shea Butter
2 tsp Zinc Oxide Powder *Please be cautious adding your Zinc Oxide powder, as it is dangerous if inhaled. Putting wet ingredients on top of the powder before mixing helps to decrease the risk.
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/2 tsp Calendula Oil
1/2 tsp Liquid Vitamin E

*Makes 1 small mason jar of cream

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well with immersion blender. You can add more Coconut Oil if you would like to make it slightly runnier, or more Shea Butter if you would like it thicker. Scrape out bowl with spatula and store in a small mason jar or any other small jar with a tight fitting lid.

Apply to Baby’s diaper area when red or irritated, or use regularly as a preventative cream. Please always remember to use a diaper liner for cloth diapers when using any diaper cream with Zinc Oxide.

Hope this helps your family as much as it has helped ours.

- Care

Care Sinclair 2/17/15 Care Sinclair 2/17/15

NEW BLOG FEATURE! - Shopping With Care

In recent years I've become the go-to person among my friends and family for advice regarding all things pregnancy and baby. I get multiple emails and calls every week asking for product recommendations, baby shower gift ideas, and my general opinion on whether products are necessary or just plain garbage. In an age where there is a product or service available to do anything and everything, it can be hard to filter out the junk and choose what is truly worthy of your hard earned money, space & time.

So in order to help my friends, family, readers & clients I have decided to start a new feature on the blog called "Shopping With Care" where I will provide insight into some of my (Care's) favourite products and services & also focus on shopping mindfully. As a self proclaimed "Baby Product Expert" & Private Product Consultant I love helping families pick products that will really help them on their journey through the 57 months from pregnancy to preschool.

Shopping With Care will highlight new small local businesses, beautiful artisans, as well as tried tested and true products for young families. At times I may receive products at a discount or free of charge, but this does not guarantee inclusion and all content, copy & sentiment is 100% my own. Every product & service featured in Shopping With Care is something I truly love and would recommend or buy for my friends and family.

Stay tuned for my first installment of Shopping With Care this week featuring Bridge The Bump, a must have product for our Canadian winters!

Don't forget! As a Registered Midwife, Heart & Stroke Foundation CPR Instructor & Babywearing Educator I offer classes & workshops for expectant parents & young families as well as:

*Private Product Consultation

*Registry Assistance

*In-Home Safety Checks

*Babywearing Education

If you would like more information about my services or any of the products or services featured please don't hesitate to get in touch with me carolyn@fifty-seven.ca.

I hope you enjoy Shopping With Care and please let me know if you have any incredible products you think I should feature.

- Care

Care Sinclair 1/15/15 Care Sinclair 1/15/15

Super Simple, Healthy & Delicious Treats! (Baby, Toddler, Preschooler & Adult Approved!)

When I find a recipe I love, that's also super simple and healthy, I tend to make it over and over and over again. Well that's exactly what happened with these AMAZING Banana Bread Muffin Tops from Oh She Glows that I was introduced to last week by my good friend Kate (Thanks Kate!). I'm not embarrassed to admit that I have made 5 batches of these in the last week and a half.

The best part about these homemade treats is that they're made out of simple ingredients that many of us have in our pantry and have no refined sugar added! I absolutely love these as a little power packed after school treat (or nap time treat for mommy). Plus they're nut free which is always helpful.

If you haven't checked out Oh She Glows I highly encourage you to do so. The beautiful award winning Canadian food blog is full of delicious healthy recipes and everything I've tried has been amazing!

Hope you and your family love these little treats as much as we do!

Warmly,

Care

Caley Bell-Pasht 3/10/14 Caley Bell-Pasht 3/10/14

6 Reasons Your Body Hurts After Baby

Levels of the joint-loosening hormone relaxin can stay elevated for up to 12 months after giving birth regardless of whether or not you breastfeed. This means that you are still experiencing the joint instability you had during pregnancy. Instability is not a safe place for your joints- the body tends to try to protect the more vulnerable joints by clenching muscles in an attempt to stabilize. Ouch.

1) Hormones

2) You are not breathing right

Breathing is automatic, but proper breathing technique is not. A proper breath uses mainly the diaphragm and should fill your belly while your chest cavity stays still and quiet. Improper technique involves all kinds of accessory muscles and happens in the chest. After many months of baby squishing your diaphragm, many new moms needs to re-learn how to breathe properly!

3) Your core is dysfunctional

The muscles responsible for stabilizing your core are the deep abdominal muscles, the pelvic floor and the diaphragm. Every single muscle in this group is compromised at some point throughout late pregnancy and delivery: Your diaphragm was shoved aside for 9 months, your abdominal muscles were stretched to their limit (you might even have a diastasis) and your pelvic floor…well it has suffered many assaults... All together, it is likely that the group of muscles we know as the 'core' are not doing their job and as a result, other, less qualified muscles begin to compensate. Compensation always, eventually, leads to pain.

4) Your posture sucks

When you add tender breast growth to countless hours of holding baby and poor sleep quality your posture is bound to suffer. Poor posture is a risk factor for multiple injuries, but risks sky-rocket when you add it to your Post Partum body, complete with improper breathing techniques, high levels of relaxin and core weakness.

5) You are holding too much stuff

Endless hours of rocking baby, carrying the (way too heavy) car seat, vaccuuming with one hand and breastfeeding with the other- we've all been there. But carrying a load on one side of the body requires your body to work in an attempt to balance you. This often results in one-sided compensations and pain.

6) You forgot to take care of yourself

A new baby is a LOT of work. It is way harder than advertised and all-consuming (Trust me, I know!). Your needs fall to second (last) place while baby's wish is your command. It takes most new moms many months to seek help for their new-mom ailments. Often times, getting in to see someone early to nip your little aches and pains in the bud can help prevent them from becoming bigger problems.

*Re-posted with permission from Dr. Caley Bell-Pasht's website http://drcaley.com/blog/