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Don’t worry, my Braava will clean that
My floors are being cleaned as I write this post. No, not by a housekeeper. By a robot.
How did this Jetsons-like scenario come to be? Well, iRobot offered me the opportunity to try their new iRobot Braava floor mopping robot, and I jumped at the chance! See, there are few things I dislike more than doing household chores. Scrubbing toilets is the worst of them, but cleaning the floors is a close second.
Sure, pushing around a vacuum or a dry mop is easy enough, but the work quickly becomes tedious when you have to do it daily. You’d be surprised how quickly our hardwood floors get dirty with a toddler and dog at home — especially in the winter. The dog is the worst offender; he brings in dust and dirt from the backyard every time he goes outside to do his business. And when there’s snow on the ground, the floor in front of our backdoor quickly becomes a muddy mess.
The whole family was excited when the Braava arrived. Levi wanted to help JB put “the robot” together, and JB was curious to see if it would do a thorough job. After all, the Braava is a dry and damp mopping system, not a vacuum cleaner or floor washer (although iRobot makes those products, too.) It’s designed for quick cleaning hard surfaces.
We tested the automatic floor cleaner in Sweep mode, and it did a surprisingly good job of picking up dust, dirt, and hair, especially around the baseboard and at the bottom of the stairs. It did miss one dust bunny underneath the media cabinet, but I’ll let that one slide (just this once!).
As expected, the dog wasn’t too thrilled with the Braava. He attempted to approach it while it was moving, barked once or twice, and then (in typical Briscoe fashion), ignored it while it swept.
Levi, on the other hand, was unexpectedly afraid of the “monster vacuum” (his words) when it was in motion. He begged me to turn it off, so I hit the pause button (a very cool feature) and let the Braava finish its job during Levi’s nap. Unlike a vacuum, the Braava quietly hums along as it works, so it’s not at all disruptive.
Here are some other neat features:
* It uses either disposable cleaning cloths, including Swiffer brand, or Braava’s specially designed reusable microfiber cloths.
* When Braava is done cleaning, it returns to the place where it started and powers down automatically.
* Braava works on all hard surface floors including tile, vinyl, hardwood and laminate.
* The robot retains a map of its cleaning space so that you can replace the cleaning cloth mid-cycle and it won’t miss a spot.
* The NorthStar Navigation System works like an indoor GPS that helps Braava keep track of where it has been and where it needs to go.
* Smarts sensors, including cliff-detection sensors, help Braava avoid stairs, area rugs and raised transitions to carpets.
If you hate cleaning as much as I do, you may want to put a Braava on your holiday wishlist. I can’t tell you how excited I am to start running the robot every night after Levi goes to sleep. Clean floors every day? What a novelty!
Learn more about the iRobot Braava here.
Thanks to iRobot for sponsoring today’s post!
Child safety checklist
Unless you’re hosting Thanksgiving at your house, chances are wherever you’ll be gathering on Thursday won’t be childproofed. At least, it likely won’t be as childproof as your own home!
The first time we visited my parents after Levi started crawling, we brought extra outlet covers and moved their decorative accents to higher shelves. Now that Levi’s older, there are additional safety concerns to consider when we’re at their house, such as playing too close to the (non-gated) stairs, reaching for objects on countertops, and opening doors.
I wrote a post for The Neighborhood about all the little things you can do to prevent a big injury at home. From falls to burns to poisoning, this child safety checklist offer ways to minimize accidents in the house — whether it’s your house or somebody else’s. You may want to check it out before traveling to visit family and friends on Thanksgiving (or forward it to your parents!).
What precautions do you take when bringing your kids to somebody else’s home?
P.S. – Teaching kids about stranger danger. Also, the safe way for children to help in the kitchen.
(images via The Glow)
How to dress a toddler boy
I once challenged myself to buy some clothing for a friend’s baby girl and quickly felt helpless surrounded by so many pink and purple ruffles and flowers. In that moment, I felt grateful I had a boy at home to dress.
With far fewer choices, shopping for boy clothing is easier, but it’s not without its challenges. The little boy department is typically filled with clothing in dark or primary colors, many emblazoned with sports-themed graphics, anthropomorphized trains and trucks, and cutesy sayings like “Mommy’s special this” or “Daddy’s little that” — all of which are very stereotypical of preschool-age boys.
There are also usually a handful of clothing items featuring skulls and crossbones, which I don’t necessary think are appropriate for young boys. Unless the design has something to do with pirates, I don’t need my toddler dressing up as a little punk.
In the two years, I’ve honed my shopping skills for toddler boy clothing. I can briskly browse the boys department and determine whether there’s anything worthwhile. Some people may call me picky. I guess I can’t really argue with that! But is it so wrong that I want Levi to dress like a kid — not a baby, not a grown up — in comfortable, stylish, non-stereotypically boyish clothing?
Here’s how I like to dress a toddler boy:
Tops: When shopping for shirts, I usually reach for solids or all-over patterns like stripes, color blocking, or plaid. Levi is a big fan of stripes! Robot and outer space prints are a hit in our house, too.
I also try to look for vintage-inspired, hand-drawn, or gender-neutral designs. Luckily, I’ve found several brands that do this really well, including Winter Water Factory. I love that their illustrations are bold with a child-like whimsy.
Pants: Because Levi is so slender, skinny or straight-leg jeans and pants look best on him. (Confession: I used to buy him pants from the girls department!) I know that patterned leggings are trendy for toddler boys right now, but I’m honestly not sure how to style them. Levi’s pants are all solid colors, but I don’t shy away from bright hues like coral, teal, or even mustard yellow.
Socks: Until recently, Levi only wore solid white socks because I didn’t have to worry about mismatched pairs. (Toddler socks are notoriously easy to lose in the laundry.) But my mom bought Levi a pair of orange socks with black pumpkins for Halloween and he’s obsessed with them, so now I’m starting to look for more fun patterned socks.
Shoes: Levi’s feet are too chubby for slip-ons, and I honestly don’t want to have to untie/tie laces every time we change a diaper or try going potty. Velcro works best for us, and I love the look of old-school running sneakers on Levi’s fat little feet.
Levi’s wardrobe is small. He tends to go through all of his pants within a week, and we repeat many of his outfits. Although I don’t mind investing in a few better quality pieces that I know will survive multiple launderings, I try not to overbuy or overspend because Levi will outgrow or stain them…usually sooner rather than later!
Are you choosy about what your toddler wears? Would you say he has a particular style (preppy, hipster, athletic) yet?
This post was brought to you in partnership with Winter Water Factory. Follow them on Pinterest and Twitter for more toddler style inspiration. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new content for Bunny & Dolly.
A boy and his puppy
Have you seen these unbelievably adorable photos of Theo and Beau?
Every afternoon, Beau, a newly rescued 7-week-old puppy, curls up with 23-month-old Theo for a nap. Jessica, the blogger behind Momma’s Gone City, began snapping photos of her sleeping boys and sharing them on Instagram (#theoandbeau).
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything sweeter.
Even Levi and Briscoe aren’t that cute together. Thankfully, they are becoming more comfortable around each other, but I’m not sure I’d call them friends. It’s more like they tolerate one another.
For example, Briscoe will often join Levi and me on the sofa, but he usually plops down on the opposite side from Levi, using me as a divider. The couple of times he’s dared to get closer, Levi fidgets and doesn’t want the dog touching him. Heartbreaking!
Still, Briscoe knows to hover under Levi’s seat during mealtime, and Levi loves to feed Briscoe doggie treats and hold his leash when we walk to the mailbox. And every once in a while, Levi works up the courage (or the interest) to give Briscoe a kiss or a hug when I ask him to.
Baby steps.
I’m curious: Are your kids and pets more like Theo and Beau or Levi and Briscoe?
P.S. Our dog with Levi as a baby. Also, one of Briscoe’s nicknames and how a toddler a feeds a dog.
(Images via My Modern Met)
