Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews

Earcheck Middle Ear Monitor

Before my daughter got tubes (she was around 18 months old at the time), she had four ear infections in three months.  She was on full-spectrum antibiotics for 45 out of 60 days. It was craziness, I tell you. And, of course, she was in the non-English-speaking-suicidal-maniac phase of her life, a phase in which she couldn't tell you what was wrong but could easily throw herself down a flight of stairs if you paused to blink or use the restroom.

I spent so much time in the pediatrician's office, mostly because I grew increasingly paranoid that every fever was another ear infection. There's really no way to tell if your kid has one, unless they start seeping stuff out through their eyes.  (Ick.) (And that can happen.)

That was all a really long lead-in to say I would've bought this, had it been around.

This thing is the EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor.  It looks very similar to my ear thermometer, only this thing works by sending a chirping sound into the kid's ear.  The sound bounces around and comes back to be analyzed. Basically it's looking for the presence of fluid in the middle ear, which can indicate an ear infection. Sort of like a bat looking for dinner.  Yum!

Instead of telling you how much fluid is in there, it just says either "fluid unlikely," "monitor" or "consult doctor."  I much prefer this methodology to some sort of technical measure, as most parents aren't ENTs and really don't care what the reading is, we want to know DO I HAVE TO SIT IN THAT GERM-INFESTED WAITING ROOM OR NOT?

Nobody in my house had an ear infection when I was testing it out, so I can't tell you yet how well it really works, but it was pretty cool. The only part that annoyed me was the lack of ear-cover protection.  The ear thermomenter has little plastic shields so you can use it on more than one person without wondering if you're transferring earwax. I understand why this doesn't have that -- how would the sound travel then? But I took extra care to wipe the EarCheck off when transferring it from one person to the next. It should come with a starter kit of alcohol wipes or something.

Other things to note: It's not marketed for use on adults, you shouldn't use it for babies under six months old, and you shouldn't use it on kids with tubes (my daughter's have fallen out).  I have no idea why. Ask them. Also, it's about $50 (which I had to look up on their site), so you'd need to be pretty serious about ear infections to pony up that kind of dough, but again, when we were in that string-of-ear-infections period, we were spending $50 on doctor co-pays about every two weeks.  It's sort of up to you.

So I have another one of these things for giveaway!  If you'd like one, please leave as many comments as possible before March 31. Good luck!

Tooth Fairy Kit

The little angel hasn't lost her first tooth yet, but we just finished reading Ramona the Pest, and she is DYING TO LOSE A TOOTH.

Fortunately, we just received for review the Tooth Fairy Kit, illustrated by Becky Kelly.

As I opened the box, the little angel practically salivated.  There's a pillow with a pocket for the tooth, a little organza pouch and a journal for recording tooth-related activities.  I can't imagine us actually writing down every single time she lost a tooth, but it's a nice thought. The interesting part of the journal is the chart of teeth and the chart of when teeth come in and are usually lost.  According to this, the little angel will probably lose her central incisor first, at six or seven years old.  That seems kind of late to me?  Then again, the Tooth Fairy probably has done quite a bit of market research.

I like the pillow/pouch combo because I can see itsy bitsy teeth getting lost pretty easily, and I can't imagine the hell that would break loose if I lost the little angel's tooth before the fairy arrived. That said, this is definitely a gift for girls.  While my daughter's eyes lit up like Christmas when she saw the glittery organza, I think most boys would probably vomit at its girliness.  To me, though, it beats those little plastic treasure chests we used to get in elementary school any day.

I do have another one of these for giveaway.  Leave your comments between now and March 20 to win one.  I'll use the randomizer this time. 

Also -- congratulations to Fweetieb for winning a free copy of Momnesia!  You've got to comment to win, guys!

PalPODzzz

I confess we are still working on night-training. Most nights my daughter holds it, but one of her hurdles to can't-hold-it success is the long trek down the scary, dark hall to the bathroom.

Enter PalPODzzz.

It's a combination nightlight/flashlight.  This nightlight element is key, because without it, she has trouble finding the flashlight.  Also, the flashlight part of this two-part system comes on automatically when it's pulled off its base, and the LED penlight is small enough you don't feel like a SWAT team is descending on your roof if you happen to wake up and see it. 

The first night we got this thing from Parent Bloggers Network, we explained how to use it and practiced with my daughter a few times. That night, my husband says he woke up to see the light bobbing down the hall to the bathroom.  Sweet success.

Honestly, this idea is so good I wish I would've thought of it myself.

Momnesia -- Book Giveaway!

This week, I have a mommy-related book to give away.   Momnesia, by Shannon Payette Seip and Adrienne Hedger, chronicles in words and pictures what will happen to your brain after giving birth. It's fun for the whole family.

How do you win this book?  Comment! And comment!  As evidenced by our last contest, the more great stories you tell, the better your chances to win. I want to hear about your worst momnesia (or your friend's worst, if you don't have any kids) moments.  Lay it on real thick, there, Clark.

Comment until Friday, March 13!