Author: Mary Sauer

How To Get Smells Out Of Tupperware (And Other Incredible Kitchen Hacks)

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date November 14, 2019

As a child, I loved to cook. After my parents gave me an American Girl cookbook for Christmas one year, cooking quickly became a favorite hobby of mine. By the time I was ten, I was able to cook a few favorite meals for my family—and a whole lot of baked goods.
As fun as it was for me, I think the cookbook was a gift my mom grew to regret. I may have been a good cook, but I was a messy one, too. I would leave flour scattered across the floor, stain my clothes, and always managed to break a plate or a glass.
Not a lot has changed in the time since. I’m great with food prep, but I always manage to trash my kitchen in the process. My walls are perpetually splattered with tomato sauce or bacon grease, and most of my t-shirts are littered with stains. Neatness simply isn’t my strong suit, to say the least.

I have, however, been working on this fault of mine. I eventually realized that my failure to clean as I go (and my propensity for being excessively messy) was creating extra work for me. I was spending way, way too much time trying to make up for the disasters I’d created while cooking a simple dinner. Cleaning may not be my strongest skill, but I’m learning from some fellow moms, and a few expert cleaners, that it doesn’t have to be complicated.

If the same messes and stains are continually getting to you, there might be a hack to make your life simpler. Need help, say, getting smells out of Tupperware or scraping baked-on food from the microwave? Check out these genius hacks before throwing in the towel.

First, don’t throw that GladWare away.

I have to admit, I’ve thrown away an embarrassing amount of Tupperware simply because they stunk—the stinky things were forgotten in the back of the fridge or left in a lunch bag over the weekend. But it turns out stained and smelly containers don’t have to be tossed.

“Baking soda, ammonia, vinegar, and bleach are the four things you need to pretty much clean anything,” says Judy Woodward Bates—an author, speaker, and TV personality known as the Bargainomics Lady—who struggles with stinky Tupperware no more. “Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub [it] onto stained plasticware, and let it stand for a few minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.”

A Non-Toxic Approach to Microwave Messes

Many people opt to avoid cleaning products in their microwave because of the fumes they can create if any cleaning product is left behind. But without the help of products, cleaning a microwave can be totally tedious, especially with all that food baked on.
This trick from Jeanne Eschenberg Sager, mother and self-professed “queen of doing as little as possible,” uses natural ingredients to get stubborn messes out of the inside of her microwave.

“Fill a cup with a mixture of water and lemon juice,” she instructs. “Pop it in the microwave and let it ‘cook’ for a minute. It will loosen all the baked on gunk … in the microwave, so you don’t have to scrub at all. You can just wipe it right down!”

Don’t Despair Over Drink Spills

Nearly every time I host a dinner party or family get together, some dark beverage ends up all over my living room floor. There’s no need to rearrange furniture to cover up these stains. Home designer and creator of a machine-washable rug Lorena Canals has a few genius stain-removing hacks up her sleeve.

For fruit-based juices, she advises starting with quickly soaking up as much of the spill as you can to avoid it soaking into the fibers of the carpet. Avoid scrubbing. Then, mix ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide, ½ cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of dish soap together to create a stain-fighting solution.
“Using a clean sponge or cloth towel, gently blot this mixture onto the carpet … ,” she says. “Using a clean, dry, white cloth towel, gently blot … .”
Repeat the last two steps until the stain is completely gone.

Coffee is another drink that can cause stubborn stains when spilled on rugs and carpet. Canals recommends beginning by drying the spilled coffee with a dry, white towel. Then, mix ¼ cup of vinegar with a quart of warm water. Spritz the mixture on the stain, rinse, and repeat until the stain is gone.

Rescue Your Favorite Coffee Mug

When you have three kids in four years like I did, coffee becomes the beverage of choice. Unfortunately, I often neglect my favorite mug overnight, and I’ve even left it in the car over the weekend.

But see, I’ve found a couple different hacks that are perfect for dealing with stubborn tea or coffee stains. My first method of attack is a paste made from lemon juice and baking soda. I scrub it on, wipe it off, and rinse the cups clean.
If there is still a ring or stain in the cup, I fill the cup past the stain with undiluted vinegar, leave it overnight, and rinse it clean in the morning.

Set Yourself Free From Fingerprints

Stainless steel faucets are really hard to get—and keep—clean in most kitchens. Even after a good scrub, they start to show fingerprints after just a few uses. Fell fingerprints and water stains with this hack from Joanna Douglas, the owner of Clean Affinity, a home cleaning service in Portland, Oregon.

“For cleaning faucets and other pipes, we use waxed paper. This method gets rid of fingerprints and small stains,” she explains.

Rid Your Clothes of Cooking Stains

I’m the worst about remembering to wear my apron while I’m cooking, which means I’m regularly battling stains on my clothes. When it comes to most stains, Douglas says that a mixture of dishwashing soap and salt will easily remove the stain in less than five minutes.

For more serious stains, or stains that have been ignored for a bit too long, Lauren Haynes, supervisor at Star Domestic Cleaners, has a few tried and true hacks her company uses.
For butter stains, for instance, you should always begin by scraping, not scrubbing, as much of the butter as possible off of the clothing. Then, rub the spot with dishwashing soap, rinse, and repeat until all of the butter and soap are gone. Before washing the clothing, pretreat the stain with a stain remover and wash on the hottest setting.

“For gravy and ketchup stains, begin with removing the excess material and blot with a clean, white cloth,” she says. “Then mix 2 cups of cool water with a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. Apply the solution to a white cloth, and blot [the spot] until the liquid is absorbed. If necessary, repeat the process until the spot is gone. To remove the remaining cleaning solution, blot the area again with another cloth rinsed in cool water. At the end, blot dry, and you are done.”

Scrub Away Soap Scum

The tile, sinks, and faucets often become problem areas in kitchens because of soap scum and residue.
It’s a special kind of frustrating—soap is the chosen one! It was said that it would destroy the scum, not join it; bring cleanliness to the sink, not leave it in filth.

Fortunately, you don’t need a store-bought solution to get rid of soap scum. Simply create a paste from 1 cup of baking soda and a few tablespoons of vinegar. Apply this paste to areas with soap residue, and use a sponge to scrub away.

Never Dust Cabinet Tops Again

Early this year, I painted our kitchen a fresh coat of white. Climbing the counters to paint hard to reach areas, I was horrified to find a thick layer of dust settled in the space between the top of my cabinets and the ceiling. It was the biggest pain to clean up, taking several rags just to get the top layer of dust and dirt wiped away. I wish I had spoken with Woodward years ago, when we first moved into this home.

“If you have kitchen cabinets that don’t go all the way to the ceiling, cut or fold newspaper to cover the tops of the cabinets,” she suggests. “Instead of spending ages cleaning built-up gunk off your cabinets, just change out the paper from time to time.”

Stop Wiping Away Toast Crumbs

If your toaster leaves a sprinkle of toast crumbs on your counter every morning, it’s probably time for a deep clean of this kitchen appliance. I’m embarrassed to say that, until just recently, I had no clue that there was a “right” way to clean out a toaster.

As it turns out, each toaster has spring loaded trays on the bottom that can be completely removed. These trays catch most of the crumbs. Once you’ve unplugged your toaster, you can remove them, dump them, and give them a good soak in soap and water.

Oh, and before putting it back together, use a pastry brush to free crumbs trapped in other areas of the toaster, and wipe the toaster down with vinegar for good measure.

More Cleaning Hacks From The HealthyWay Staff

Ask around any office and you’ll find that lots of people have a cleaning trick or two up their sleeves. Well, the HealthyWay office is no different. When we started talking about this article, everyone wanted to contribute something.
And why not? When it comes to cleaning techniques, more is definitely better. Check out some of our colleagues’ favorite easy-cleaning hacks from around the web.

Clean That Hard-To-Reach Space Between The Stove And Counter

It’s easier not to think about it. In fact, we’re almost sorry to bring it up. But there is probably a crevice between your stove and the surrounding countertop, and it is almost certainly a filthy, crumb-infested nightmare.

Tight spaces full of crumbs aren’t just gross to think about. They also attract pests like roaches, who love the free meals and the dark, narrow pathway. So yes, this is a space we should all clean regularly. Luckily, there’s an easy way to achieve a crumb-free crevice in no time flat.
If the space is super-narrow, start with a clean butter knife. Keep the blade facing away from you and scrape out that crack. Don’t worry about the pile of debris that’ll form on the floor just yet; you can always vacuum that up later.

If you have a little more space to work with, you’re in luck. You can wrap a microfiber towel around the knife for an even more effective cleaning solution. For really thick gaps, substitute a yardstick for the knife.

Why pay for floor cleaner when you can make your own?

By the end of the week, our kitchen floors provide a detailed record of the family’s dining and social life. It isn’t pretty. There’s a splash of Monday’s spaghetti here, a splatter of juice from when the toddler had a temper tantrum during lunch…it’s all there, written in gunk.
Time to clean the slate (along with the floor). But floor-cleaning products seem to come in only two styles: Overly harsh on the one hand, ineffective on the other. That’s why we’re eternally grateful for this DIY floor-cleaner recipe from lifestyle blog One Good Thing.

It’s mild and mostly natural. At the same time, it packs serious grease-cutting power. This recipe is ideal for tile floors—and if your kitchen is floored in fine wood or, worse, carpeted, you’ve got bigger problems than finding a good cleaner.
You only need three ingredients: white vinegar, liquid dish soap, and washing soda. Oh, plus water, if you count that (in which case you need four ingredients). Combine ¼ cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, ¼ cup of washing soda, and 2 gallons of hot water. Mix well, and commence mopping!

Deodorize The Garbage Disposal The Natural Way

Garbage disposals would be the perfect clean-up amenity if it weren’t for their habit of collecting foul odors like the deranged curator of an olfactory museum. The good news is that it’s not as hard as you might think. You can make your own disposal-deodorizing cubes with a little citrus fruit, vinegar, and baking soda, as we learned from YouTube cooking show Cooking with Kyler.

First off, build your cleansing cubes. Chop half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime into small bits and spread them evenly into each cell of a standard ice cube tray. Then fill the tray with distilled white vinegar and freeze overnight. That’s right: We’re making vinegar-ice.
When the cubes are good and frozen, let the hot water run for a minute, then pour about ½ cup of baking soda down the maw of your garbage disposal. Drop in a single vinegar-citrus ice cube and run your disposal until the terrible odors are all flushed away. It’s that simple.

Clean Oven Racks With This Surprise Solution

Ugh, oven racks. They collect at least a little of everything you bake. It doesn’t take long for them to become blackened, encrusted messes. They’re almost impossible to scrub clean in place, and besides, who wants to inhale that much oven cleaner?

Well, there’s an easier solution, and it involves a common cleaning product that might surprise you. We learned about this one from the house-cleaning website Clean My Space.
The first surprise is that we’re going to use the bathtub. Throw down an old towel to prevent scratching the tub, then drop in your dirty oven racks. As you fill the tub with the hottest water your pipes can serve up (don’t worry; we won’t be reaching in any time soon), mix up a cup of laundry detergent and as much water as you can fit in a Mason jar. Shake it to dissolve the detergent, then toss it into the bathtub.

Now, for the easy part: Wait. We’d recommend soaking the oven racks overnight. The next morning, give them a scrub and watch the gunk flow away! Rinse, dry, put them back in the oven, and you’re done. Sorry about your towel.

Brighten Up Dingy Baking Sheets

Here’s another useful kitchen hint from One Good Thing. Have you ever noticed that cookie sheets tend to get…a little bit gross with repeated use? They develop brown burn streaks, bits of yesteryear’s cookies, and other pollutants, both flat and three-dimensional.
And these are not normal stains. You can scrub your baking sheets in dishwashing detergent for as long as you like without making any progress. It isn’t the elbow grease that’s the problem; it’s the cleaning product. Time to try something new.
Well, according to One Good Thing, the secret you’ve been missing just requires two pantry staples you probably have in your home already: baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. (Put that hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle; it’ll be far easier to apply.)

All you have to do is sprinkle a layer of baking soda on your stained baking sheet, follow with an even spritzing of hydrogen peroxide, and ending with a final layer of baking soda. Then, you wait.
Come back a few hours later and start scrubbing. Previously unbeatable stains will melt away before your eyes. So much for buying new baking sheets every year!

The Fastest, Easiest Way To Clean Refrigerator Shelves

Refrigerator shelving is one of those cleaning tasks we tend to avoid. You can’t just wipe the surface down with a towel, like the counter. You have to carefully remove everything and lean in to scrub at a back-breaking angle. Even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to scrape away ancient ketchup spills and juice remnants.

An anonymous Reddit user is here to save us all. This contributor, who goes by the online handle “thinkadinky,” recommends covering refrigerator shelves with plastic wrap. (Don’t use the kind that you use to preserve, say, a half-eaten sandwich. You want the kind that adheres to a flat surface.)
Think about that for a second. If your shelves are covered in an impenetrable layer of clean plastic, you only have to wash them one last time. In a few months, when the spills have coagulated, you can just peel away the plastic wrap and lay down a new layer.
Now, if only they’d make a plastic wrap that secures to the floor…

Banish Tough Grease Stains With Common Ingredients

Let’s talk splatter, and not just any old kind. We need to discuss the hot oil that splashes and steams its way onto every surface of the kitchen. Don’t think that happens on your range? Just check the oven hood.
We’re always amazed by the oil splash zone in our kitchen. Somehow, grease seems to float through the air to secure itself to surfaces and appliances across the room. We don’t know the science, but at least we know how to fix the problem.
This is a trick we learned from the decor blog Thrifty and Chic. Their writers insist it only takes two products to blast those grease stains into oblivion: Mineral oil (often called “baby oil,” frequently with a scent mixed in) and a spritzer bottle containing one part white vinegar, two parts water, and a dribble of liquid dishwashing soap.

First, wipe down your problem-surface with the mineral oil. Grease binds to grease; ironically, the best way to fight oil is with oil. You might have to scrub a bit, but this technique will be far more effective than soap and a scrub, and with less work.
Of course, now you’ve got a new problem. You’ve got a surface covered in mineral oil. Here’s where your spritzer solution comes in. Just spray down the mineral-oil-cleaned area, wipe it smooth, and repeat until your kitchen is like new.

Make Kitchen Tile Grout Like New

Whether you’ve got filth on your kitchen tile or your backsplash could use a little TLC, chances are you’ve been frustrated by the challenge of scrubbing grout clean. There’s just something about this stuff that soaks up the dirt.
Well, you might have heard of a DIY scrubbing mixture that pops up all over the internet, particularly as a shower-cleaning hack. It’s just equal parts liquid dish soap and white vinegar. The writers over at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs swear by this stuff as a grout-cleaner in the bathroom, the kitchen, and beyond.

Start by microwaving the vinegar. This isn’t fancy home chemistry or anything; it just helps the dish soap to dissolve fully into the liquid. Try 1 cup each of dish soap and vinegar, and get your spray bottle (at least 2 cups capacity, please) ready.
Pour the dish soap into the hot vinegar, then add the whole mixture to your spray bottle. Shake it up until it’s fully mixed. Then you’re ready to go. And remember: A little bit goes a long way.
Spray the solution onto filthy grout and let it work into the surface for a few minutes. Then scrub, scrub, scrub! A toothbrush works pretty well. Once you’ve got the grout good and clean, rinse the whole area with hot water to remove the soapy residue. You’ll be shocked by how that grout can shine, no matter how many years’ worth of gunk you had to blast through.

Welcome to your new kitchen.

Tags lengthened, social

Mindful Parenting Motherhood

The Cost Of Raising A Child (And How Where You Live Changes The Number)

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 15, 2018

What does having a child a cost? The answer definitely seems to be a loaded one, full of what ifs and questions about where you live, cultural expectations, family values, and more. Even so, researchers have tried to pin down a number, and some compelling results that pertain specifically to U.S. families are published in Expenditures by Families on Children, 2015.
In the report, data gathered from multiple sources on 23,297 married-couple households and 7,030 single-parent households is used to create estimates of money spent on things like housing, food, and childcare. Parents can expect to spend between $12,350 and $14,000 a year on each child, totaling an average of $233,610 over the course of a child’s 17 years at home.

Using the same data, researchers also broke down the cost of raising a child by region, determining that married couples raising children in the urban Northeast could be expected to rack up the highest child-rearing costs. Living in the urban Midwest and rural areas of the country is associated with the lowest child-rearing expenses. The regional aspect of this report proved to be extremely interesting, and we’ve done some digging to provide a closer look at the cost of raising a baby—and how where you live changes the number.

Getting Pregnant and Having a Baby

Without a doubt, one of the first major expenses of having a baby is the price tag of pregnancy and childbirth. Although 91.2 percent of Americans are insured, that leaves a notable number of people without insurance and doesn’t account for excluded services. Uninsured parents in the United States spend around $10,808 on an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, according to reporting by Business Insider UK.

Having insurance doesn’t necessarily spare parents from notable expenses, either. Breaking it down further, Business Insider published numbers provided by FAIR Health. Parents in Alabama have the lowest childbirth-related expenses in the U.S., with the cost of an uninsured birth averaging $9,013.88 and an insured birth costing an average of $4,884.44. Having a cesarean section raises those expenses, of course, with an uninsured c-section costing Alabama residents an average of $12,593.60 and an insured c-section averaging $7,404.07.

States in the Northeast account for many of the highest numbers on the list. For instance, in New Jersey, an uninsured vaginal birth is estimated to cost $16,674.62 and an insured vaginal birth an average of$8,755.88.
For parents dealing with infertility, there are added expenses that can be financially debilitating if you live in certain states. Only 15 states mandate insurance coverage for infertility diagnosis and treatment, according to the National Conference of State Legislature, and some of those states don’t require coverage of all expenses associated with infertility treatments. In New York, for instance, IVF is not considered an insurance-eligible expense.

With only 15 states with laws mandating some kind of coverage for infertility treatments, there are plenty of families who find themselves funding costly infertility treatments completely out-of-pocket, which means becoming a parent can cost a small fortune before baby even arrives.

The Cost of Childcare

Paying for childcare and school expenses is often the next major expense parents worry about, and for good reason. Childcare expenses can quickly dominate a family’s budget.

“Education and childcare for two kids cost us about as much as our mortgage does every month,” shares Jamie Beth Schindler, one of the parents in a two-income family. “I was not prepared for how much of our income was going to go towards these costs.”
A quick glance at the How Does Your State Stack Up? figure provided by the Economic Policy Institute shows that, relative to family income, childcare is the most expensive in the Northeast, with Washington D.C. taking the lead at an average cost of $22,631 for a year of infant care. When considered as a percentage of the median income, that means Washington D.C. parents with median incomes are spending 35.6 percent of their earnings on childcare in their little one’s early years.

These numbers line up with Schindler’s experience. She says she was happy to see her housing expenses decrease when her family moved from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania but shocked to learn childcare would cost her just as much in the Northeast as it had out west.

Comparatively, southern and midwestern states have lower annual childcare costs. The cost of infant care is $6,294 a year in Kentucky, $8,632 in Missouri, and $5,747 in Louisiana. In many of these states, however, childcare still isn’t considered to be affordable because it continues to account for a large percentage of the median family income.

Meeting Basic Needs

When it comes to caring for a child, meeting their basic needs really start to add up. In fact, two of the largest expenses reported by families with children include housing and food, according to the “Expenditures on Children by Families” report.

For the average family, housing accounts for between 26 and 33 percent of what parents spend on their children in a year. The expense varies from region to region, with urban areas in the northeast and west taking the lead when it comes to housing expenses. Rural areas of the country had the lowest housing expenses.
Buying groceries accounts for 18 percent of child-rearing expenses. While it isn’t clear if the cost of feeding a child varies significantly from state to state, one Go Banking Rates article reports that families in the South have the highest grocery expenses, followed by those in the Midwest.

Having kids typically implies having healthcare expenses, too. Even when both parents are healthy, it is important to anticipate and prepare for the expenses of emergency room visits, allergy testing, and braces, says Byron Ellis, a certified financial planner with United Capital Financial Advisers in The Woodlands, Texas.

The Cost of “The Extras”

While it is much more difficult to measure, it’s worth noting that some of the most unexpected expenses that come with childrearing have a lot to do with keeping up with expectations. This seems to be tied less to a region and more to individual communities.

Take, for instance, birthday parties. Thanks to the existence of Pinterest, throwing a party can come with a lot of pressure to execute on elaborate themes—investing in favors, decorations, and games. An informal poll by BabyCenter showed that 25 percent of families spend between $200 and $500 on a single party, while 11 percent of families spent more than $500. Mom of four Chaunie Brusie tells HealthyWay that it isn’t just the cost of throwing parties that caught her off guard, but that buying gifts for the parties her kids attend is also a big expense.

There are also enrichment activities that aren’t included in traditional schooling that inflate the cost of educating the kiddos. These include sporting expenses, music lessons, and swim classes to name a few. Even if your child only participates in one or two after-school activities, the costs quickly multiply.
“I was surprised by the cost of lessons and how quickly they add up, especially when you have two kids,” says Mary Beth Forster. “I signed my daughter up for swimming at something like $75 a month, thinking that was pretty expensive, but it seems average for a weekly class.”

Ellis says it’s keeping up with the expectations of the community you’re in that will have the greatest impact on the cost of being a parent. “If you’re in a community that has really highly rated schools and they’re really proud of the percentage of their students that go to college and they take seriously their scholastic scores…that means the pressure is always on.”

If you intend to raise your family in a community where sports, band, and other extracurriculars are a point of pride, there will likely be extra pressure to enroll your children in afterschool activities, pay for tutors, and foot the bill for travel and cultural experiences, whether you’re paying for private school tuition or not.

Preparing for the Costs of Parenthood

If you are thinking about having a baby, Ellis recommends approaching the discussion of parenting-related expenses as you would any other major financial decision.
“As a family, you need to have a cash reserve,” he says. “That’s money that is there for emergencies or opportunities that come up. Stuff’s going to happen. That’s what a cash reserve is for, to keep you from having to go tap the credit card.”

As far as a concrete amount that families need, it really depends on your month-to-month expenses. To calculate the dollar amount that you need to set aside, add up your expenses for three to six months of living as a couple. Then add in what you expect you’ll need to pay for the added expenses of a child.
“This is hard, depending on your region. Some regions you’ll have more of a need, some you’ll have less,” says Ellis. “I would say unless you really know the numbers, go ahead and add another month to it.”

In addition to preparing for those initial parenting expenses—medical costs associated with labor and delivery, diapers, and childcare—Ellis suggests that parents (or prospective parents) look ahead to the upcoming seasons and budget for the costs they expect to be associated with their new addition beginning school, having a birthday party, and participating in lessons or sports.
When the possibility of growing your family is on the table, it can be hard to set emotions aside, but it is helpful to think about expenses as objectively as possible so you can make wise decisions as you plan for the future of your family.

Tags social

Motherhood

7 Traits Kids Get From Their Fathers

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 11, 2018

It was a colleague’s suggestion that led Amanda Gorman, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and her husband, Ryan, to discover that their daughter has familial hypercholesterolemia. A genetic disorder inherited from parents, familial hypercholesterolemia is known for causing early cardiovascular disease. It was a long history of cardiovascular problems in Ryan’s family that initially clued his colleague in to the possibility of a genetic disease in the family.

“We’ve always known that my husband’s risk factors for early cardiovascular disease were likely high, given his family history of early male deaths and cardiac events under age 50. When he was starting treatment for his high cholesterol in his early forties, his colleague, having heard his family history and seen his numbers, suggested he have his children checked for familial hypercholesterolemia,” Amanda explains.
Fortunately, the timing of this suggestion was just right, as Amanda and Ryan’s daughter, who was 3 at a time, was scheduled to have an eye surgery the following week. Knowing she would be sedated, Amanda requested a fasting blood panel in hopes of checking her for symptoms of this genetic disorder. When the tests came back showing elevated cholesterol levels, they knew something was up.
[pullquote align=”center”]“This gene is thought to result in impaired ability to control inflammation.”
—Jen Stagg[/pullquote]
In the end, through extensive testing for her husband, they discovered that Ryan carries familial hypercholesterolemia. Although it is a serious condition with the potential for early cardiovascular events and even premature death, early detection in both father and daughter means they can both live long lives if they adhere to their specific treatment plans. For her husband, this means a healthy lifestyle and a medication regimen, while their daughter is following strict diet until she is old enough to start medication.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is just one condition that children can inherit from their dads. Both mental health conditions and genetic disorders like the one mentioned above are things fathers can pass on to their babies. Curious what else a child can inherit from dear old dad? Here are seven traits kids get from their fathers.

1. The Heart of the Matter

In a similar vein, sons can actually inherit a gene from their fathers that increases their risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent, according to Jen Stagg, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in helping patients make healthy decisions based on their unique genetic makeups.
“This gene is thought to result in impaired ability to control inflammation, which is critical in preventing the development of plaque in the arteries of the heart,” Stagg explains.

A study led by the University of Leicester supports Stagg’s understanding that coronary artery disease—a condition characterized by a decreased delivery of oxygen to the heart caused by narrowed blood vessels—may be passed from father to son.

2. The Genetics of Mental Health

Although both parents may pass mental health disorders on to their children, there are certain diagnoses that are more likely to be passed from father to child if the father is older, says Stagg. Specifically, children of older fathers with a schizophrenia or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with these conditions themselves.
[pullquote align=”center”]“Fathers are four times more likely to have new mutations in their DNA because they continue to produce new sperm as they age.”
—Jen Stagg[/pullquote]
To clarify, mothers can pass on mental health conditions like schizophrenia, ADHD, or bipolar disorder to their children, but older fathers have a greater likelihood of passing on genetic mutations of all kinds for a very interesting reason.
“Just recently, it was discovered that fathers are four times more likely to have new mutations in their DNA because they continue to produce new sperm as they age. Mothers, on the other hand, have all of their eggs from their birth.”

“This appears to result in more rare genetic diseases in their children, as well as high incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism,” explains Stagg, citing both a study published in JAMA Psychiatry and further research shared by The Guardian.

3. His Daddy’s Smile

Although less serious, children may be at an increased risk of developing problems with their teeth if their father has dealt with certain dental issues.
[pullquote align=”center”]“Genes passed on by father tend to be more active than the same gene from the mother.”
—Jen Stagg[/pullquote]
Tooth size, jaw size, and the shape of teeth are all genetic, and children can inherit these characteristics from either parent, according to research that appeared in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
However, Stagg explains why it is believed there is a significant possibility of fathers passing these traits on to their children.

“This is possibly a result of genetic dominance, where genes passed on by [the] father tend to be more active than the same gene from the mother. This may be the case when it comes to genetics related to size of the jaw, which could result in overcrowding of teeth or tooth decay from soft enamel,” Stagg says.

4. The Truth About Infertility

Men who have low sperm quality may turn to in vitro fertilization to help them conceive a child. However, research associated with in vitro fertilization indicates that fathers with sperm issues may be passing their struggles with infertility on to their sons, according to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Specifically, recently published data collected from the oldest group of men who were conceived using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI, a fertility treatment) indicates that infertility in men is an inherited trait.

This research showed that the men conceived by ICSI were more likely to have low quality sperm, just as their fathers did. This data was compared to sets collected from men conceived without the assistance of fertility treatments, who had much higher sperm counts.
Although further study is necessary, the research indicates that fathers with lower sperm counts could pass their fertility problems on to their sons.

5. Boy or Girl?

On a much lighter note, whether a child is a girl or a boy is actually determined by their father. In fact, the father’s family tree can be used to determine the likelihood of a couple having a girl or a boy, according to a study recently published in Science Daily.

Let’s review something you may or may not remember from your high school science classes: The sex of a baby is determined by the father’s sperm. If the sperm is carrying an X chromosome, it teams up with the mother’s X chromosome and a baby girl is conceived. Alternatively, if the father’s sperm is carrying a Y chromosome, a boy is conceived.
This may be old news to you, but what is particularly interesting is the fact that scientists can now look at a family tree and make an educated guess about the likelihood of a man having a boy or a girl. These researchers hypothesize that a yet-to-be-discovered gene is in charge of determining how X and Y chromosomes are distributed across the father’s sperm.

6. It’s in his eyes.

Let’s be clear, it would definitely be a stretch to say that dad determines the color of the baby’s eyes. The truth is, both of the parents’ genes play a role in the determining if a baby has light or dark eyes. But if a dad has certain traits, it is easier to predict what color eyes his child will have.

Basically, we know that certain eye colors are determined by recessive genes and others by dominant genes. Lighter colors, like blue or green, are caused by recessive genes, whereas brown eyes are caused by dominant genes. This means if both parents have light eyes, there is a much higher likelihood that the child will, too. However, if one parent has dark eyes, there is a much higher likelihood the child’s eyes will be dark, too.
So, in a roundabout way, a dad with dark eyes has a greater influence on the color of his child’s eyes.

7. Towering Over Mom

A quick glance at most families will reveal what most people already assume to be true—kids inherit their height from dad and mom. And yes, height is largely determined by genetics, but the science behind this trait is still being explored, and new research on the topic is fascinating.

A study published in the journal Nature, for instance, was able to nail down 700 different genetic sequences that play a role in determining how tall (or short) a person might be. Additionally, this research found that the vast majority of these sequences were common variants with a small impact on height. In some cases, however, rare variants were influential, accounting for as much as an inch of a study participant’s height.

What to Do if You’re Worried About Genetic History

Parents with a family history of genetic health disorders are right to have concerns about their future children. Eye color and gender are one thing, but knowing a child might inherit an infertility disorder or potentially life-threatening disease like familial hypercholesterolemia is daunting.
[pullquote align=”center”]“A couple can visit with a genetic counselor who can work with them to outline potential cause [for] concern.”
—Jen Stagg[/pullquote]
Educating yourself about your family history if you are able is a good first step before having children. Spend time gathering information from both sides of the family on general health conditions and mental health diagnoses.
Using this information, you should be able to see patterns or notice red flags that you might want to talk through with a doctor.

“Genetic counselors and clinical geneticists are trained healthcare professionals who have expertise in addressing concerns about genetics. If contemplating pregnancy, a couple can visit with a genetic counselor who can work with them to outline potential cause [for] concern,” advises Stagg.

Tags 50036691, hemingway, parenting

Mindful Parenting Motherhood

Differences By The Pound: Things That Set American Parents Apart From Their UK Counterparts

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 9, 2018

Having spent much of her life moving between her birthplace, Britain, and the United States, Lauren Cross has had plenty of opportunities to compare British and American parenting styles.
When she thinks of her childhood and how many British children are parented, the phrase “stiff upper lip” comes to mind. The idiom has been used to describe how British people have a reputation for handling upheaval with an emotionally distant or disconnected attitude.
There is also “Keep Calm and Carry On,” a slogan of sorts that debuted on a poster produced during World War II to boost citizen morale. Although the poster was never widely circulated during the war, other posters embodying the same sentiment were, including one that read “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory.”

“I think that definitely influenced parenting styles,” says Cross. “My parents are very loving—I didn’t want for anything—but they certainly weren’t, from my childhood perspective, merely weren’t … as indulgent as my American peers’ [parents].”
Cross provides an example from her own childhood that she feels embodies slight differences in how British children are parented.
She was spending time with a friend, who was also named Lauren, and they were each working on a drawing. As many children might, Cross asked her friend’s mother which of the two pictures she liked the best.

“Had it been my mother, she would have just picked her favorite choice,” says Cross. “The other Lauren’s mother kind of looked at me and said in this very saccharine voice, ‘Well, I’m going to have to choose my daughters as my favorite.’”
At the time, Cross felt like it was a simple enough question and didn’t understand why the mother couldn’t just choose the better picture. As a child, she also felt her American friends were disciplined less and had more toys. She even remembers her mom complaining that some of her American friends were spoiled.

If you've ever gone to a foreign country and come back to the US you never realize how fortunate you are. American Kids are spoiled.

— D / V E T Ǝ S H (@TheRealTesh) January 30, 2011

What other differences exist between British and American parenting styles, and how have these differences evolved? Carry on reading for more surprising differences between British and American parenting.

Keep calm and carry on.

In addition to parenting with “a stiff upper lip,” there are more subtle differences between British and American families.
Many believe that British children have more freedom. Lynn Adamson raised her children in the UK but visited her mother in New Jersey regularly. She noticed a big difference in how much time children spend outside.
“If you drove around the roads near [my mother’s New Jersey home], you never saw children out, not even on their own land,” she tells HealthyWay. “I rarely saw even older children wandering around the town on their own…and cannot recall ever seeing a child on a cycle.”

Clara Wiggins, who lives in the UK, agrees that British parents do seem a little more relaxed about independent outdoor play.
“My 10-year-old plays outside on her own, walks to a friend’s house alone—about a five-minute walk from my home and out of my sight—and walks to school alone,” she says. “We tend to not follow our kids around too much at the park, preferring to spend the time chatting with other parents and watching from afar.”
Cross also had an incredible amount of freedom as a child, walking to the corner store as early as 7 years old.

This more laid-back parenting style may have some generational ties. The three women mentioned above noted that just as American parents have become more cautious about unsupervised, outside play, British parents aren’t as relaxed as they once were.
Another subtle difference is how parents feel about spanking. In 2012, 70 percent of American parents indicated that they believe that “a good, hard spanking” is more than appropriate in some instances, according to research published by Brookings. It is also legal to use corporal punishment in the home in the United States.
Comparatively, the attitude about spanking is much different in the UK.

“Spanking or smacking is not acceptable at all over here,” says Laura Hall, who is from the UK and authored the recently-published book One Day, So Many Ways. “It’s the occasion when a busybody might call the police on you. We see it as child abuse.”
This is another parenting principle that may have some generational ties, with both American and British parents becoming less supportive of physical punishment in the home. The biggest difference, though, may exist in the legality of spanking.
Whether spanking is legal in the UK is not clearly defined, but there are laws in place. According to The Sun, smacking is illegal unless it is “reasonable punishment,” which seems to leave a lot of room for personal interpretation of the law. In American, on the other hand, the use of corporal punishment is still legal in all 50 states if “administered” in the home. It’s also legal in school settings in 22 American states.

The being said, British parents definitely don’t consider themselves to be lax about discipline. They may not be as likely to employ spanking, but most aim to create clear boundaries for the kids. One common household disciplinary technique is “the naughty step,” according to Hall. Popularized by The Supernanny, it’s a designated place in the home (like a step on the stairs) where children are put in timeout if they are disobedient.

Is parenting in Britain easier?

When we focus on parenting differences, either from family to family or culture to culture, it is easy to zero in on the choices parents make. What is more helpful, perhaps, is taking a larger look at the systems that exist to support parents and how differences in these systems affect the family dynamic.

When we look at the United States and the UK, the differences parents face begin from the moment they become pregnant, starting with access to healthcare. In the UK, the National Health Service provides free healthcare to all UK that is funded through taxes. In the United States, however, only a limited group of individuals qualify for subsidized or free healthcare through Medicaid and Medicare.
Once a child is born, mothers have vastly different maternity leave experiences.
“Currently, the law is that statutory maternity leave can be taken for up to 52 weeks,” explains Adamson about policy in the UK. “After the first 26 weeks, the father of the child (or the mother’s partner) has the right to take up to 26 weeks’ leave if their partner returns to work, in effect taking the place of the mother at home.”

In the United States, companies are only required by law to provide 12 weeks of leave under FMLA to new mothers. Mothers in Britain also receive some amount of wages during the maternity for up to 39 weeks, while paid maternity leave is not regulated in the United States and is offered by a very small number of companies.

Differences in Education

There are also notable differences between how children are educated in the UK versus how we approach education in the United States. While the laws vary from state to state, many states do not require full-time education for children until they reach the age of 7. Of course, many children living in the United States are in school long before then, but if parents in the United States wish to delay their child’s education, they can.
In Britain, however, the law requires all children to be in a full-time educational program by the age of 5.

It is also worth noting that parents in the UK have access to free education earlier than parents in the U.S. In the United States, school districts aren’t required to provide free education to children until they reach the age of 5. In the UK, however, from the age of three, parents can take advantage of 570 hours of free nursery school each year, which averages out to about 15 hours a week.
Additionally, for UK households where both parents work full-time, there is an option to apply for another 15 hours a week of free nursery school. For full-time working parents, it’s easy to see how these could greatly subsidize the cost of putting one or more children in care.

Once children are enrolled in school, how do their educational experiences differ? Children in the United States spend far more time in school, with their time in the classroom totaling over 1,000 hours a year on average according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development presented by HelpMeInvestigate.com. English students, by comparison, have shorter school days. Elementary school students there typically spend fewer than 700 hours in the classroom annually according to the same resource.

massive shout out to after school friday melt downs

— Luke FM Solomon (@lukesolomon) September 16, 2016

What does this mean for parents? Well, on the one hand, more time in school might make for kids who are burnt out and cranky at the end of the day, making extracurricular activities, dinner, baths, and bedtime that much more challenging. Less time in school, however, may mean working parents need to arrange (and pay for) more alternative care on weekdays before and after school.

Another stark difference between UK and U.S. education systems has to do what children wearing to school. In the UK, 90 percent of school-aged children are required to wear a uniform to school, according to The Guardian. In the United States, children enrolled in public school typically do not wear uniforms. For U.S. parents, this can mean more stressful shopping and outfit-negotiating experiences that aren’t as common on school days in the UK.

Finding Common Ground

Although many differences do exist between British and American parents, we also share a lot of similarities. In both countries, modern parents are dealing with a lot of the same struggles pertaining to monitoring screen time, controlling over-indulgence, and addressing childhood diabetes, according to Hall.
And further, parents in both countries are working to make the best decisions for their children and their families, whether that means finding more time for activities as a family or learning to handle the busyness of being a two-working-parent household.

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Mindful Parenting Motherhood

Books, Advice, Or Just Wing It? Responsibly Parenting In A Culture Obsessed With Perfection

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 8, 2018

I read surprisingly few parenting books during my first pregnancy. There was something in me that felt like I was probably going to be okay. I believed that since my mom had done a pretty job raising four kids, I had a pretty good idea of what I was supposed to do.

Randomly, near the end of my pregnancy, a friend of mine suggested that I give a book on baby sleep a try. She swore it changed everything for her, and her suggesting the book brought up doubts that I might not actually know what I was doing. I didn’t really have much of a plan for getting my kids to sleep each night, so maybe I should give it a shot.
I read a chapter or two before giving birth and then devoured the rest over the course of a day while nursing my newborn around the clock. This books made some pretty attractive promises centered around me getting the sleep I was desperate for a few days into motherhood.

The book, Babywise, is a pretty controversial book in the parenting world. It suggests rigorous sleep training techniques that you typically love or hate. I’m not here to stir up a fight on sleep training, so I’ll leave it at this: I knew in my gut that this book wasn’t a fit for my family. Nonetheless, I powered through the methods for two nights before my husband finally suggested we call it quits.
This was my first of many experiences feeling like the parenting advice I was reading or hearing was asking me to question [linkbuilder id=”6870″ text=”parenting practices”] that came naturally to me. It’s not that I’m some amazing parenting expert, I’m just a regular mom. The longer I am a parent and exposed to “parenting culture,” the more it feels like parents are obsessed with being perfect and that the advice given follows suit.

Like Oliver Burkeman, writer for The Guardian, I take issue with the extremes presented by so many parenting books. On top of that, I simply didn’t get how any one method could work for all children or all parents. Parenting three kids has taught me this couldn’t possibly be true.

Who knows how to parent?

Parenting books can provide confidence for nervous or anxious parents. I know, because I have turned to them during seasons of struggle. When we turn to parenting books, we’re typically looking for advice on how to parent well. Maybe a book was forced on us by a friend or perhaps we sought out a book because we had a specific fear or concern about being a mom or dad.

Whatever our reasons, we want answers from someone who knows their stuff, right? Unfortunately, we might be too trusting of who claims to be a parenting expert, turning to books based on their position on the bestseller list instead of their authors’ credentials.
Authors of parenting books should be experts in a child development, which means they should probably be trained a child psychologist, child psychiatrist, or have some kind of postgraduate education specifically focused on child development, according to Owen Muir, MD, child psychiatrist and medical director at Brooklyn Minds, a concierge mental health treatment center in Brooklyn.

“If you can find a single parenting book written by a child psychiatrist, you’re doing pretty well,” Muir says. Specifically, he notes that even pediatricians, who are experts in the medical side of childcare like screening for conditions or administering vaccines, aren’t great sources of “expert” parenting advice simply because they don’t have postgraduate education in child development.
“In child psychiatry training, you actually spend time in nurseries,” he says in providing a comparison. “A lot of the parenting advice comes from people who … don’t really have expertise how young people develop their ability to talk about thoughts and feelings or their ability to learn.”

Unfortunately, many psychologists or psychiatrists with specialized training in child development don’t step in and write a book until something is wrong, meaning they focus in on helping parents with exceptional circumstances such as caring for a child with special needs, mental health problems, or trauma in their past, according to Muir. This leaves parents with raising typically developing children in a typical environment with a smaller library of well-written books at their disposal.

The Problem with Extremes

Outside of carefully checking the credentials of the authors of any parenting advice books you read, it’s also important to take the content into consideration. The author being an expert doesn’t automatically qualify a book as a good fit for your family. Parenting books, and self-help books in general, tend to use extremes to get their point across and get their books sold.

“When you’re trying to win at having the book that’s bought by the most people, you’re often trying to catch the most eyes, and sometimes that results in advice that’s flashy but there’s not a lot of substance there,” says Shane Gregory Owens, PhD, a psychologist who works with parents and young adults.
The problem with extremes in general is that they’re actually not a great way to parent or to raise well-adjusted kids. When parents are extreme, kids learn to be extreme, too, according to Muir. Take attachment parenting, which Burkemen mentions in his article and Muir brings up as an example of extreme parenting practices.

According to the organization’s website, attachment parenting is based on the idea that parents and children can build healthy bonds through very specific parenting practices. At face value, that sounds pretty mild. When you dig deeper into the values, there are specific principles promoting co-sleeping, breastfeeding with very little flexibility or structure, and discouraging allowing the baby to cry at any point.
In Muir’s mind, parenting practices that avoid parent-child separation to such an extreme degree actually contradict what secure attachment is about—a child’s ability to feel secure in a world that isn’t always predictable and where their wants and needs aren’t constantly the main focus.

“You want children who are flexible, who can handle challenges, who can handle new experiences, and who can meet new people in their life and engage with them healthfully and not full of terror,” he says.

Lead with what you know; ask questions about the rest.

So, should parents avoid parenting advice books altogether? Hardly. Instead, parents should be careful about why they seek out parenting books, how they read them and apply the advice, and what they use that advice to accomplish.

According to Owens, for most parents, parenting well can begin from a place of starting with what you know and filling in the rest.
“You were brought up by your parents, and if you were brought up successfully, you already have a set of tools that you can bring to things,” he says. Then, as you run into things you don’t feel certain about or that you have questions about, move on to asking for advice from people within your circle. Turn to family or friends before turning to books.

At this point, if you still have unanswered questions, parenting books are great for filling in the gaps. As you start looking for books and experts, keep a few things in mind.
Firstly, remember there is no one answer for parenting well.
“Audition many books, stay away from the notion that any book has the right answers in it,” says Owens. “There few absolutes when it comes to parenting. There are few things that absolutely are right and few things that are absolutely wrong.”

Follow the advice in these books with the understanding that following any set of advice at all times isn’t realistic. Overly prescriptive parenting books, books full of lists of shoulds and shouldn’ts, set unrealistic expectations for parents, according to Owens.
Additionally, trust your knowledge of your child and your ability to respond to their needs. Parenting books can be helpful, but they can also overcomplicate what we already know about kids—they respond well to positive attention and positive feedback. For most parents, according to Muir, this means doing the things that already come naturally to us like responding with empathy to their emotions.

“If it sounds outlandish or counterintuitive, it probably is,” says Muir. “None of this is particularly rocket science: Pay attention to your kids. If they’re sad, recognize that.”
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, remember that children do not need perfect parents. You’re probably already a good enough parent. Researchers point this out in an article for Disease in Childhood, writing that the vast majority of parents are doing a satisfactory job while prescribing more intensive intervention for the minority of parents who are truly struggling.

In fact, most kids respond pretty darn well to parents who are just doing okay. Parents who are not on point 100 percent of the time, who do not always understand exactly what their child needs, actually teach their children really important lessons for emotional development. They learn flexibility and they learn to consider the possibility of misunderstandings, according to Muir.
Catherine Pearlman, PhD, licensed social worker and author of Ignore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavior Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction is a big proponent of good enough parenting and shares in an essay for for Brightly that imperfect parenting also builds independence in children, teaching them to be resourceful as they deal with disappointments in life.

For me, and for parents everywhere, this is permission to feel confident in our abilities and confident in our children, believing that we have the skills to meet their needs and they have the ability to adapt, even when we miss the mark.

Tags social

Life x Culture Lifestyle

Pushing Through The Crisis: Tips For Surviving Culture Shock

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 5, 2018

As the child of a diplomat, Isioma Ononye has had her fair share of experiences with adjusting to a new culture. She’s Nigerian and spent much of her childhood living abroad. At different points in her childhood, her family lived in New York City, Budapest, and Mexico City.
Each time her family moved, adjusting to a culture so different from her own (and equally different from the last one) was hard work. Ononye tells HealthyWay she experienced a difficult transition in each new location—and that the adjustment was difficult for its own unique reason everywhere they went.
In Mexico City, being African set her apart from everyone else. So few families like hers lived there. Going to school was difficult because she felt her differences were blatantly obvious. In both Budapest and Mexico City, not knowing the language or understanding the culture made it difficult to immerse herself in social activities. In New York, she faced a different set of challenges.
“Having to adapt to a new environment with a different climate can be difficult and affect your mood,” she says. “I prefer to be in environments with warm climates. I’ve never been a fan of winter. At college in New York, the winter season would sometimes bring my mood down.”

What Ononye was experiencing was culture shock. It’s an idea we’ve all likely heard about before, but we might not be all that familiar with what it entails. Not many people know what it’s like to experience setting up life in a location where the language, social norms, and daily customs or climate are so different from what they know. Here’s what you need to know about making a transition to a new culture, what to expect, and how you can cope with this massive change. And even if you’re not planning on relocating any time soon, understanding more about culture shock can help you be a more supportive and informed community member wherever you are.

What is culture shock?

At its most basic, culture shock is any experience of difficulty or struggle while living in a new location or culture. While culture shock is most often experienced when living in a new country, some people report experiencing the phenomena after making a move to a region of their country that is vastly different from where they grew up. For example, if you grew up in a bustling city and relocated to a small, rural community, you might experience culture shock.

InterNations, a resource for individuals moving or living in new cultures, describes culture shock as an “emotional roller coaster.” Symptoms of culture shock often include anxiety, depression, and homesickness according to a resource created by Kalamazoo College. This Simon Fraser International Students online resource also cites excessive sleeping, boredom, loneliness, and even aches and pains as symptoms of culture shock.
Certain individuals might see their culture shock play out in more unusual ways. They may become anxious about their surroundings, like the cleanliness of the water or environment, and indulge in compulsive handwashing or rigidity about what they eat. Some people may even experience extreme anger over the difficulties the language barrier represents.

Culture shock looks different for each person. but it’s fairly normal to feel uncomfortable when you move to a new environment. With an understanding of what to expect and an acceptance that it is normal to struggle with adaptation to a new environment, you can take the first step toward a comfortable life in a new location.

What You Need to Know: The Stages of Culture Shock

Culture shock comes in stages; it doesn’t all hit you at once. In fact, you might not feel any effects of culture shock at first. It takes time to process how monumental a change like moving to a new country is for your lifestyle and wellbeing.

Researchers have differing opinions on how many stages of culture shock exist—four or five. However, they do agree on the general shape or cycle of culture shock. Things start out well, maybe even amazingly well, then a crash or crisis takes place, followed by a slow but steady recovery. According to research published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, even with differing views on culture shock and the varying lengths of time over which the process occurs, experts in the field almost always agree that it is a U-shaped experience. You’re up, then you’re down, and then you work your way up again.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll focus on four stages of culture shock. This is what you might experience during the first days, weeks, or months in your new home abroad.

1. The Honeymoon Phase

Changes are fun and exciting. Even if you’re nervous about making a big move, there’s a good chance you’ve been looking forward to and planning for your new lifestyle in a new culture, and now the time for adventure is finally here!

Once you arrive at your new destination, you will probably experience what is commonly called the honeymoon phase. According to the aforementioned piece published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, this phase is characterized by excitement and wonder. Some individuals may experience the honeymoon phase for only a few days, while others will feel this way for months. It is also common for phases of culture shock to overlap, according to a write-up in Anthropology Matters.
During this phase of adjusting to a new culture, you’ll see everything with rose-colored glasses. Everything around you will seem fascinating and exciting. You might go non-stop, anxious to experience everything new in your environment. Much like the first days, weeks, or months of a new relationship, you’ll probably overlook any faults in your new location.

2. The Crisis Phase

Next comes the crash. That new culture you fell in love with might not be quite as perfect as you believed in the honeymoon stage.

During the crisis phase, much of the frustration you experience might be associated with the differences in language or cultural norms. You’re a stranger in a strange land, and keeping up with day-to-day tasks will probably feel incredibly difficult during this phase.
During the second phase, you’ll likely see the bulk of your negative symptoms appear. This might be when you start to feel depressed or experience extreme frustration. You might even start to feel negative about the culture you once adored. Locals may seem incredibly different from you and your family, and you may long for what you’re used to.

During the frustration phase, some people isolate or think about heading home.
As pointed out in the Anthropology Matters piece, most tourists are lucky enough to avoid this phase altogether. Short-term travelers head home long before the honeymoon phase comes to an end in most circumstances. It’s people who have permanently or semi-permanently moved to a new culture who can expect to experience this difficult part of living in a new place.

3. The Adjustment Stage

The good news about culture shock is that the worst of the symptoms typically fade away with time. Although some individuals do return home or even deal with mental health crises when their honeymoon phase comes to an end, most long-term travelers and expats learn to adjust after their crash.
The adjustment stage occurs during the first year, according to the Travel Medicine Journal piece, and is characterized by an acceptance of the new culture. This is the point in the experience when you’ll buckle down and learn the language well enough to interact on a daily basis. Getting the things you need and forming relationships certainly won’t be easy, but you’ll feel encouraged enough by the small progress you’ve made to keep at it.

What really sets this stage apart is improved wellbeing. You won’t be riding the high of the honeymoon stage, but you certainly won’t be in the depths of despair associated with the crisis stage. You’ll be able to carry on with your life without an excessive amount of discouragement or frustration, and you’ll slowly but surely feel like a healthier individual.

4. The Acceptance Stage

Consider this the “you have arrived” phase of rebounding from culture shock—a whole four stages in. While during the adjustment stage you were soldiering on, the acceptance stage is a more comfortable place to be. In this stage, you’re not merely learning how to interact in a new culture for survival’s sake, you’re accepting that new culture in a way you never have before.

In the crisis stage, you likely felt your culture was better because it felt more natural to you. This is the point in your cultural adjustment when you’ll (hopefully) realize that the two cultures are merely different, that one isn’t better than the other, and that both have their pros and cons. If you’re unable to reach this conclusion as part of your cultural adjustment, you might return home at this point or continue to struggle with depression and anxiety during your time in the new culture.

Who is most likely to experience culture shock?

Although it is true that anyone can experience culture shock when transitioning from living in one culture to another, some individuals are more prone to culture shock than others.
According to the Travel Medicine Journal piece, people with less control over their circumstances will likely experience culture shock to a great degree. Take, for example, someone who moves into a school, organization, or even hotel where they are surrounded by people speaking their native tongue and are able to eat foods they ate at home. This individual is less likely to notice the impact of culture shock when compared to someone who is fully immersed in a neighborhood or community where the local culture is more predominant—where they’re surrounded by people who do not speak their native language, who have different rules about social interactions, and who eat differently.

The severity of the differences between the two cultures also impacts the severity of the culture shock experienced. For instance, individuals who travel from America to another English-speaking country will likely experience fewer symptoms of culture shock than someone who moves from South America to North America.
Length of time is also a factor to consider. If you only plan to be in a culture for days or weeks, the impact of the cultural adjustment might not be extreme enough to be considered culture shock, and it almost certainly will not be as intense as it will be for someone who knows they will be living in a new country or region for a year or more.
One interesting note made by the Travel Medicine Journal is that children often get forgotten when considering culture shock. The truth is, a big move to a new country is very difficult for a young child and their adjustment should be taken into consideration, too.

Preparing for a Cultural Adjustment

“Culture shock is normal! Once an individual realizes this, then they are able to work through it,” says Adriana Smith, founder and blogger at Travepreneur. “More than anything, a cultural adjustment improves soft skills, such as flexibility and adaptability, curiosity, communicativeness, and open-mindedness.”
It is possible to prepare yourself for a big change like moving to a new country. Since having a better understanding of the geography of the location and basic knowledge of the language and cultural rules can lessen the impact of culture shock, it makes sense that educating yourself might help prepare you for a less jarring cultural adjustment.
[pullquote align=”center”]It sounds too simple, but it makes a difference. By being open in Mexico City, I was willing to form friendships with the locals that helped me to find my way.[/pullquote]
Smith also suggests finding activities or hobbies to engage in regularly after your move. She specifically points to exercising, joining clubs, and blogging as great ways to ease tension and boost mental health. The Travel Medicine Journal article also suggests finding ways to continue the hobbies you are accustomed to engaging in at home after you settle into your new country. Give a nod to your old routine while forming new and healthy habits.
For Ononye, keeping an open mind was one of the most important ways she coped with culture shock. She knew it would be difficult, but mentally preparing herself to be accepting of the culture was so helpful.

“It sounds too simple, but it makes a difference,” she tells HealthyWay. “By being open in Mexico City, I was willing to form friendships with the locals that helped me to find my way. By being open, I was able to explore my environment.”
GoOverseas, an organization for students studying abroad, also suggests reaching out for support from individuals who are experiencing culture shock as well (or who have in the past). Being able to talk about your experience and get advice from someone who understands could be invaluable to your adjustment.
Additionally, they suggest putting forth the effort to adjust. Don’t just expect it to happen with time! Try to make friends, don’t isolate yourself, and work hard at learning the language. You’ll be glad you did.

Ononye also attributes forming friendships as a big part of her success each time she adjusted to a new culture.
“When I was in New York for college, I interacted more with Americans than international students,” she explains. “That made the adjustment process easier because it helped me to quickly learn how to navigate the suburbs and the city area.”

A Note on Re-Entry

While returning to your home country will be a relief for many, re-entry isn’t always easy. In fact, so many people struggle with adjusting to being home that the term “reverse culture shock” is a common part of conversations among international students and expats.

Specifically, you may notice you’re feeling misunderstood because you now have a set of experiences that friends and family who weren’t with you abroad are unable to identify with. According to the U.S. Department of State, if your re-entry was unexpected or sudden, it will likely be hard to re-adjust because you haven’t had time to prepare emotionally for the transition. If you were immersed in the new culture for quite some time and feel you are really invested in the community where you lived, you might also experience more severe symptoms of reverse culture shock, including depression, loneliness, and disorientation.

Reaching Out

If you struggle to move past the crisis stage and into the adjustment and acceptance stages, you may need extra support. It isn’t uncommon for individuals to experience depression, isolation, and anxiety during a cultural adjustment. Remember, just because these experiences are typical, that doesn’t mean they should be ignored.
For Ononye, this looked like joining the international students association at her university in New York. She tells HealthyWay that these relationships meant she had people in her life who really understood what she was going through and who would be anxious to explore their new environment with her.

Reach out and find help if you’re struggling in your new home. If you’re a student who transferred for school or an expat moved by your workplace, these organizations likely have resources at your disposal. Most workplaces have employee assistance programs and most students have access to counselors, even if only via email. This is a good place to start.
If this isn’t an option for you, look for a counselor in your new location who speaks your language. You might be surprised to find that there are more resources available to you than you initially expected.

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Lifestyle Well-Traveled

Getting Your Money's Worth: Budget-Friendly Vs. Expensive Hotels

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date October 4, 2018

For nearly eight years, while I finished high school, got my college degree, and started navigating life after college, I worked in hotels.
In high school, I worked at a resort with a formal restaurant and a full-service space. I served in banquets, then moved on the front desk where I eventually managed a small staff of employees while I was in college.
After that job, I moved on to a budget-friendly option near the airport. The guests at this hotel just needed a bed, and that definitely showed in how the hotel was taken care of. I didn’t stay there long. The last place I worked was budget friendly, but a part of a major brand. It was a great experience being able to watch hotel ownership caring about how the hotel was cared for and making sure budget-travelers had an enjoyable stay.

For most of my time in hotels, I worked either as a front desk agent, front office manager, or assistant general manager. Even so, I still spent plenty of time helping with laundry, vacuuming rooms, and jumping in during busy seasons in the restaurant. I kind of feel like I’ve seen it all.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a hotel as anything more than a guest, but my behind-the-scenes experience means I’ve learned some important lessons about finding a good place to stay, how much money to spend, and which inexpensive options are worth a try. Here’s what you need to know about getting your money’s worth in both cheap and expensive hotels.

“You shine like a star.”

Five-star hotels are often thought to be luxurious and pristine, while low-star hotels are associated with being more affordable but of lower quality. The system of hotel star ratings, though, is widely misunderstood.
Originally created by Forbes Travel Magazine in the 1950s, star ratings are concerned with amenities and features. This is important to know if you’re turning to a star rating to gauge something like cleanliness—that isn’t what this rating measures.

For example, a one-star hotel is likely to offer the most basic room: a bed and a bedside table. When staying in a one-star hotel, you might even share a bathroom with other guests, according to USA Today.
As you move up in star ratings, the number of amenities increases. A two-star rating indicates that a hotel has private en-suite bathrooms as well as a closet or dresser. In a two-star hotel, you’ll have a TV. It might not be top-of-the-line, but it will be there.
Three-star hotels are likely the type of hotel your average traveler expects to stay at while traveling for work or vacation with their family. It’s definitely not a luxury option, but it should be comfortable and affordable at the same time. The rooms in a three-star hotel are roomy. You’ll have a newer TV and there will likely be someplace to eat in the hotel. There might be extra staff to offer help with things like taking your luggage to your room or helping you plan out things to do during your trip.

Four-star hotels are definitely more luxurious—your room will be large, and you’ll access to a spa, a gym, and room service—and five-star hotels are the best of the best. When you opt for five-star digs, you’ll have a concierge on site. The rooms will be very large, well decorated, and have top-of-the-line appliances and furniture.
As you can imagine, the star rating of the hotel will definitely affect your experience, but a lower star rating doesn’t necessarily mean a bad experience—it just won’t be a luxury stay.

“Budget-friendly does not necessarily mean ‘not clean,’ but it may mean not-so-updated,” explains Ashley Blake, founder of Traverse Journeys. “Your bathroom tiles may be scrubbed and sanitized in a budget hotel but still have signs of wear and tear, where you wouldn’t find that in a five-star hotel.”

The Money Myth

One of the lessons I learned quickly while working at my first hotel, the historic resort and spa, was that many people truly believe that spending more is tied to better quality accommodations. While I think there is some truth to that belief, it only applies in the extremes.

For example, if you’re choosing between a $44-a-night motel and a nightly rate that’s several hundred dollars, you’re probably going to have vastly different experiences. However, I’m convinced that when we’re talking about spending $100 or $200 a night on a room, the cost might have nothing to do with the quality of your stay. Instead, less-talked-about factors like brand and location will wind up determining if your hotel room is going to be clean and comfortable.

What’s in a brand?

When it comes to finding a hotel, brand matters. In my experience, this can really set one affordable hotel apart from another. For many hotels, branding is much more than a color scheme or tagline you see in their advertisements.
In hospitality, brand identity is often tied to brand standards. This is important for travelers to know because that means there are certain hotels that belong to brands that require them to meet specific standards in order to remain affiliated with the brand. This is the reason staying at a Holiday Inn in San Francisco is a similar experience to staying in a Holiday Inn in St. Louis—all Holiday Inns are working off of the same manual. They’re all trying to keep their hotel clean and maintained for those random drop-ins for brand inspections.

This is also good news for travelers on a budget. Within a brand like Hilton or IHG, there are multiple price points from luxury hotels all the way down to extended stay options. While there are definitely differences between these price points, expectations of cleanliness and maintenance are common threads that run through all hotels in a brand.
The employees working at hotels under these brands are taught to pay close attention to the details as a way to improve the guest experience. I’ve been the fly on the wall during many brand inspections and seen even the most affordable hotels within a brand receive penalties for things like marks on the walls of rooms and dust along the floorboards.

The same is true for customer service. Within a brand, employees are typically held to the same standard of being friendly, quick, and going above and beyond to meet guest expectations. Sticking with brand-standard language, answering the phone within a few rings, and following a step-by-step procedure for check-in were all a part of the branded hotel inspections I was involved in during my hotel days.
Of course, brand is also not equivalent to ownership. Two hotels can share a brand, like IHG or Hilton, without sharing ownership, and ownership definitely plays into how an individual hotel is maintained because, in many cases, ownership determines budget.

Not all that glitters is gold.

Interestingly enough, an expensive price tag doesn’t necessarily indicate that a hotel will be clean. Knowing what I know about resorts from my time working in one, I cannot emphasize this enough.
The expense of maintaining a resort compared to a budget accommodation is astronomical, with larger rooms to maintain, a spa and restaurant to staff, and extensive grounds to upkeep. It is easy to see how a lean season for a resort might mean corners end up getting cut in housekeeping or maintenance.

A small 2016 study conducted by TravelMath actually found that budget-friendly accommodations were cleaner than luxury accommodations. They swabbed surfaces throughout hotel rooms, like the bathroom counter, the phone, and the remote control, and tested those swabs for germs to determine the number of CFUs, or colony forming units of bacteria, were present.
The results might make you squeamish.

The bathroom counters in rooms of all star ratings tested for an average of 1,288,817 CFUs. Four-star hotels had the highest average bathroom-counter CFU count, with an average of 2,534,773 CFUs. Moving on to the remote control, scientists found an average of 232,733 CFUs per square inch on the remote controls in three-star hotels. In the five-star hotels, the number is downright scary, with an average of 2,002,300 CFUs per square inch. That’s enough to inspire a large investment in Clorox wipes.

Beyond the Basics: Amenities

While you could easily argue that cost isn’t closely tied to cleanliness, the same is not true of amenities. In my experience, the biggest difference between an affordable and a luxury-brand hotel is in the amenities, and Blake is quick to point this out as well.
“This point may vary quite a bit for budget accommodations: Some are no frills and you’re lucky if they have soap and a bottle of water for you. Others have a full spread of toiletries, slippers and robes, and maybe even a hair dryer and iron,” Blake explains.

This is in comparison to an expensive or luxury hotel, which will always have high-quality amenities like complimentary name-brand beverages in the room or name-brand toiletries in the bathroom. High-end hotels also have the extras, according to Blake, like a pool, spa, gym, and landscaped gardens, golf courses, or patios.
Another way I have seen this play out is in the food that is offered at different hotels. Many hotels offer food, either for free or as a part of a package. While this is an amenity often offered by both budget and high-end options, a closer look will likely reveal a big difference in what is offered.

A small buffet of pre-cooked breakfast food, warmed in a convection oven, is fairly standard in budget-friendly hotels like Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, and more. Luxury brands are more likely to include meal tickets to be used for a sit-down meal at a made-to-order restaurant or at the least a made-fresh buffet.
From there, there is so much to choose from when looking at hotels and the amenities they offer. Do you want access to a spa and a full workout room? These are most likely to be available at luxury hotels and resorts. Need a babysitter on site so you can enjoy yourself kid-free for a day or night? Look to luxury options like Club Med, Disney, and Atlantis.

It’s the little things.

Another thing to consider when booking a room is that what you spend might be directly tied to the quality of the sleep you get while you’re there. It makes sense when Blake says that a more expensive hotel means a more comfortable experience.

“In a high-class hotel, you would almost always expect a top-of-the-line mattress and pillows, fluffy towels, a bathrobe, and a perfectly functioning heat and A/C,” she says. “Budget accommodations will vary widely on these points: Mattresses are more firm in Asia, for example, and that’s likely what you’ll find and sheets won’t be as fine of a thread. The wifi might be temperamental and a lightbulb might go out.”
Blake is quick to clarify that it isn’t impossible to find a comfortable hotel on a budget. There are many budget-friendly options that have built a reputation on making sure their guests feel at home while they are there.

Another “little thing” that makes a big difference is the way a hotel looks, according to Blake. This may not be a priority for some travelers, but others prioritize this part of their experience.
“One of the more subtle yet profound differences between budget and expensive accommodations is décor,” she says. “Whether the design is modern rustic, Scandinavian simplicity, or Old World prestige, a high-end hotel will have put significant resources toward the ambiance, feel, and perceived value of the hotel.”

She goes on to explain that high-end establishments may build their reputations on being boutique hotels with unique and decadent decor. This might be accomplished with unusual architecture, fine art, and even handcrafted furniture. A budget hotel might not look bad, or even outdated, but its decor is likely more cookie cutter.

How to Get Your Money’s Worth

It seems that “it really depends” is the theme of this deep dive. While it is absolutely true that you don’t need to spend several hundred dollars a night for an enjoyable overnight stay, you will need to make smart choices and do your research before booking your room if you’re trying to stay within a smaller budget.
First things, first—know what you want from your hotel stay! Everyone has different priorities when they travel. Is this the type of trip where a clean room and a bed is all you need? Or is it a romantic getaway, and you’re hoping for more than the basics during your trip? Take these things into account as you create your budget and start your search for the perfect hotel.

Next, you’ll want to do your research. This goes beyond looking at a star rating since we’ve established that those only refer to the amenities and extras provided. To gauge something like cleanliness, we recommend finding out what previous guests have to say about a hotel by browsing rating sites like Travelocity and TripAdvisor before you book.
A word of warning, though: Not all reviewers can be trusted! Before you take a negative reviewer at their word, see if that reviewer typically leaves nasty reviews. The problem might not be the hotel; it might be the guest. By comparison, if someone normally leaves complimentary reviews but has harsh things to say about the hotel, you can probably take them at their word and steer clear of that specific establishment.

If you want to cut back on your research time, most booking sites allow you to sort search results by their average rating. This will allow you to filter out any hotels with an average star rating that is scary low, focusing your attention on hotels with three stars or more. Just a note about star ratings on these sites: These are not Forbes stars! Most hotel booking sites have their own systems for rating, which are based on the reviews and ratings left by previous guests.
According to USA Today, the Better Business Bureau is another good resource for researching a hotel. Previous guests can file formal complaints after a particularly bad stay. This is the information you will definitely want to know before booking a hotel!
Lastly, don’t be afraid to do a walkthrough before you get settled into the suite you end up choosing. Pull back the bedspread and check for stray hairs or bedbugs. Do a quick inspection of your bathroom to make sure it is up to your standards. If you’re unsatisfied with the cleanliness of your room, speak with a manager about getting it refreshed or getting a refund so you can move on to better accommodations. It’s not too late to turn your stay around!

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Mindful Parenting Motherhood

The Best Baby Toys For Every Age (And Where To Find Them)

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date September 20, 2018

Babies change in the blink of an eye. One day, they’re too young to be interested in any of the toys you bought, and in just a few months they’re too old be interested in those exact same toys. It’s kind of exasperating.
Whether you’re buying gifts for your sister’s baby shower, your bff’s baby shower, or you’re stocking up for the arrival of your own bundle of joy, these 37 toys won’t just gather dust in the closet. We’ve curated a list of toys for each development stage up to a year and a half—and they’re all a click away on Amazon.

Newborns: Learning Through Play Up to 3 Months

Play is so much more than fun and games for new babies—it’s serious business for newborns because it’s how they learn about the world around them. At times, it might feel like your brand new baby isn’t doing a whole lot more than just lying there flapping their arms, but they’re watching, they’re listening, and they’re learning a lot from their surroundings.
These toys are great for babies under the age of three months because they stimulate their developing senses. Some play music, some rattle, and some have bright colors that will encourage new babies to use their developing vision.

1. A Brightly Colored Rattle That is Sure to Catch Their Eye

Your newborn will spend a lot of time watching the world around them. This Butterfly Hanging Rattle Toy by Macik can be clipped onto the handle of their carseat or attached to the overhead arch of a playpen.

Bright pieces and patterned fabrics will catch your baby’s eyes. As your baby develops, he or she can begin to bat at the hanging pieces, squeeze at crinkling wings, and hear the body squeak when it’s squeezed.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Newborn-Toys-Rattle-Hanging-Teether/dp/B07932GFJD/”]Butterfly Hanging Rattle Toy, $13.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

2. A Colorful Toy for Grabbing and Shaking

If you’ve ever played with a newborn, you’ve probably noticed how they reflexively wrap their fingers around yours the instant your touch their palm. This is called the palmar grasp reflex, which develops in the womb and continues for months after birth.

This reflex makes a lightweight shaker like this Winkel Rattle and Sensory Toy perfect for a newborn baby. Place it in their palm and watch as they shake it, stare at it, and even draw it to their mouth to gum on it from time to time. The plastic loops of this toy are BPA-free, making them perfectly safe for teething babes.
As your baby grows older, they can learn to use both hands to play with this toy and may even begin transferring the toy from hand to hand.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-Winkel-Sensory-Teether/dp/B000BNCA4K”]Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Toy, $13.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

3. A Mobile That Encourages Visual Development

After a baby is born, their eyesight is constantly developing and changing. This Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Mobile is made specifically with those early days of vision development in mind. Small, reversible cards hang from the mobile. One side is black and white, perfect for those earliest weeks, while the other side is brightly colored.

This is a travel-size mobile, so you can hang it from their carseat, a stroller, or just dangle it over their head with your hands. Watch your baby’s eyes light up and follow the mobile as it moves and spins.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-Wimmer-Ferguson-Infant-Mobile/dp/B008ZB5E2K”]Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson Mobile, $9.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

4. An Interactive Toy That Encourages Language Acquisition

Your baby might not be spouting off words anytime soon, but language learning begins early, and it’s all about their interactions with you. Babies are always learning, and toys that encourage that learning through parent-child interaction are great for any age.

My First Words Stacked Toy is decorated with bright pictures and common first words. Because this toy is made from non-toxic cloth, your baby can grab it, shake it, and put it in their mouth without any reason for you to worry. Individual cubes can be pulled out and stacked back together, and handles allow for young infants to easily grasp at this lightweight toy.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Stacked-TEYTOY-Animal-Education-Crinkle/dp/B07BSHRCBG”]My First Words Stacked Toy by TeyToy, $15.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

5. A Mid-Priced Mobile for Crib Play

Babies are surprisingly great at playing alone from a very young age. A mobile is a great way to eliminate worry while giving mom a bit of a break.. Simply lay your baby in their crib, switch on the mobile, and leave them to stare at their toy while you take a few minutes for yourself.

This Tiny Love Take Along Mobile is decorated with sweet little animals in bright colors to catch your baby’s eyes. The animals spin slowly when the mobile is turned on, accompanied by music that plays for 30 minutes at a time. It’s available in four different colors like “Animal Friends” in blue and “Tiny Princess Tales” in pink and grey.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Love-Mobile-Animal-Friends/dp/B0789449T8/”]Tiny Love Take Along Mobile, $24.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

6. A Baby Night Light for Bedtime Soothing

Keeping a newborn asleep is no easy task, especially if you have older kids at home! This sound machine is a multi-tasker, providing soothing melodies and white noise to drown out background noise and encourage sound sleep. In addition to music and sounds, this owl-shaped night light shines stars and moons on the wall or ceiling, giving your baby a little something to watch while they rest in their crib.

In addition to the original owl, the Baby Soother and Sound Machine is also available as an elephant or smaller, less expensive, portable owl.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Skip-Hop-Moonlight-Melodies-Soother/dp/B076F9LV2V/”]Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Crib Soother, $28.80 from Amazon[/link-button]

7. A Musical Mobile that Plays 60 Songs

Before they are even born, babies can hear what is going on around them. Know this, it isn’t surprising that babies love to listen to music from such a young age. This Plush Musical Mobile is just right for those first few months of a baby’s life.

Available in ten different sizes, little plush characters made from non-toxic materials include bears, poodles, and bunnies. With 60 different songs, your baby can listen to music for an hour without hearing the same song twice.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/SHILOH-Decoration-Newborn-Musical-Mobile/dp/B01EL98LBA/”]Shiloh Plush Musical Mobile, $59.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

8. A Subscription Box That Grows With Baby

When you simply can’t make up your mind on the best toys for your baby’s development stage, there’s a fun subscription box that does to decision-making for you. Lovevery is a bi-monthly subscription service that delivers handpicked toys for your baby every other month.

A box called “The Looker” is delivered for babies up to 8 weeks, and toys included in the box are focused on that specific development stage. You’ll find a silicon rattle, black and white picture cards with a standing card holder, a wooden book, and soft blanket. You can subscribe on the Lovevery website to get your box, or you can purchase individual items like this well-reviewed play gym on Amazon.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Lovevery-Developmental-Sensory-Development-Grounded/dp/B075R8BXXC”]The Play Gym by Lovevery, $140 from Amazon[/link-button]

Moving and Shaking From 3 to 6 Months

From 3 to 6 months, your baby is going to focus on movement like it’s their job—because it kind of is! During this phase of development, you’ll notice skills that are the foundation for crawling and walking.
Your baby will learn to hold his or her neck up when on their chest, they’ll roll over, and they might even start sitting up with a little extra assistance. Your baby will also become increasingly social and thoughtful in his play, so eat it up! Look for toys that encourage movement and can be used for social play between you and baby.

9. Stackable Cups for Child-Parent Play

Your baby may not be able to stack cups just yet, but they’ll be learning soon. Remember, babies learn a lot from watching their parents, and interactive play is a great way to create a strong bond.

These stacking cups are a classic childhood toy, and at $3.99 they’re a purchase you’ll never regret making. Each of the eight cups are a different, fun color. Encourage color recognition by naming the colors as you stack and see if you can get a giggle by knocking the tower over when you’re through.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Stack-Up-Cups/dp/B00005C5H4″]The First Years Stack Up Cups, $3.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

10. A Set of Teethers for Play on The Go

If you haven’t noticed it already, you will soon—toys that can fit in your baby’s mouth will double as teethers during this phase of life. Not only does gumming on toys help relieve teething pain, it is actually one way babies explore their world.

Provide them with safe and clean teething options at home and on the go. This set of nine baby toys, rattles, and teethers by Beebeerun is perfect for stocking up. Keep a giraffe rattle in the diaper bag, a set of keys in the carseat, and a butterfly grip in the living room! This set is made from BPA-free plastic. Bright, primary colors make them fun to look at, too.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Rattles-Teether-Development-Educational-Randomly/dp/B07CYFZ2TF/”]9 Piece Baby Toys, Rattles, and Teethers, $17.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

11. A Musical Toy That is Perfectly Huggable

There’s no doubt that babies love music! This Musical Caterpillar Toy is perfect for ages 3 to 6 months because it’s made from plush, which is great for babies learning to grasp and pick up objects.
HealthyWay
In addition to the eye-catching colors and interesting patterns that will grab your baby’s attention, this little guy also has cheeks that light up when the music plays. The toy can be used for parent and child play or by baby alone in their playpen.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/FULLANT-Caterpillar-Interactive-Developmental-Educational/dp/B07CZZYSW1″]Interactive Musical Caterpillar Toy by Fullant, $17.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

12. An Interactive That Encourages Baby to Kick and Play

One of the best ways to encourage babies to learn to move is to give them plenty of time on the floor to play. A baby gym is a great way to do just that, with plenty to look at and interact with while they kick their feet, wave their hands, and work on rolling over.

This Baby Kick and Gym Play Mat has a soft, colorful mat with fun toys dangling from an overhead arch, so baby can lie on their back and reach up to touch the toys. What really sets this play mat apart is a keyboard at the foot of the mat. Your baby can kick their feet at the keys, making music while they play.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Life-Tandy-Fitness-Music-Lights-Piano/dp/B01MF57L7Q/”]Baby Kick and Gym Play Mat by Life-Tandy, $36.98 from Amazon[/link-button]

13. A Walker When Baby is Ready to Get on the Move

Your baby might not be ready to take off walking, but once they have control of their head and neck, they’ll love to be upright. This Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Walker gives them a chance to push up on their legs while supporting their back.

A ship’s wheel, a turtle, and colorful rings are on the tray—these will hold your baby’s interest while they hang out in the walker, and parents can turn music on an off with a switch on the front. As baby’s legs get stronger, this walker actually moves, allowing them to push around your house.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Neptune-Walker-Explorer/dp/B00FNJ7FR4/”]Baby Neptune Walker by Baby Einstein, $59.66 from Amazon[/link-button]

Sitting and Standing From 6 to 12 Months

After 6 months, your baby will start to figure out how to sit on their own. It won’t be long before they’re crawling, too. Babies this age will become much more aware of their surroundings and will start to mimic the noises or actions you make.
Every day, their hand-eye coordination will improve and toys that didn’t interest them before will get their attention. Check out these developmentally appropriate toys perfectly suited for your newly moving baby.

14. A Toy for a Safer, More Fun Bath

Once your baby is sitting, bath time is a lot of fun, but it can also be a little nerve-wracking. It seems like the littlest slip could result in a bumped head or bruised arm, and the waterspout is often the culprit behind minor bathtub injuries.

This Skip Hop Moby Bath Cover solves that problem, and it’s super cute. The adorable little whale slips onto the spout, protecting your baby from the hard metal. Your baby will also love looking at and reaching for this soft plastic bath toy that is built to fit on most waterspouts, no matter their style or size.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Skip-Hop-Spout-Cover-Universal/dp/B001WAJVZM”]Skip Hop Moby Bath Cover Universal Fit, $12.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

15. A Soft Book for Language Learning

It’s never too early to read to your baby! Early reading is important to language learning and sets the foundation for strong readers later in life. This soft book features a stuffed puppy on the front and each page has an interactive activity for you and your baby to do together.

Your baby will enjoy exploring different textures, looking at themselves in a mini mirror, and playing with a mouse’s squeaky ears.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/ToBeReadyForLife-Newborn-Educational-Activity-Peekaboo/dp/B01GJJH580″]Just Like the Animals Cloth Book, $15.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

16. A Teether That Encourages Baby to Self-Sooth

Teething is hard on both baby and parents. Sometimes it feels like nothing you do gives them relief from their discomfort, and sometimes you simply need a break!

This Self-Soothing Teething Mitt can slip onto your baby’s hand, allowing them to chew at the rubber fingers as long and as often as they like. Bumps and ridges for added pain relief line the fingers, which are made from BPA-free, food-grade silicon. A strap around the wrist secures the glove in place.
This teething mitt is available in five different colors, including green, blue, and pink.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Teething-Self-Soothing-Teether-Toddlers-Infants/dp/B078TC71XY/”]Self-Soothing Teething Mitt for Babies, $11.88 from Amazon[/link-button]

17. A Stroller Attachment for Playtime On The Go

Sometimes you need a new option for keeping your baby entertained on the go, and this Spiral Rattle and Activity toy is a fun one that is perfect for ages 6 to 12 months. With its flexible, spiral shape, this toy can easily be attached to a stroller, carseat handle, or even the side of their crib.

A variety of toys dangle from the spiral, including a mirror, a rattle, a squeaking toy, and a crinkle paper toy. This toy is available in six different colors and themes, including rainbow fruits, pastel birds, and a blue and red dog.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/SKK-Stroller-Activity-Rattle-Teether/dp/B06XW316T6/”]Soft Stroller and Car Seat Activity Toy by SKK, $15.99 Baby from Amazon[/link-button]

18. A Repetitive Game Your Baby Will Love

There’s nothing quite as fun as watching your baby develop the skills to engage with more challenging toys. Babies this age love repetition and your newly sitting baby will love dropping a ball in this Whirl n’ Go Ball Tower over and over again.

Three balls containing rattling beads are included for baby to watch drop from level to level off the track. Each level is a different color and the entire toy pulls apart easily for storage.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Earlyears-Whirl-Go-Ball-Tower/dp/B01AYEYQXS/”]Early Years Whirl ‘n Go Ball Tower, $16.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

19. A Jumper for Tiring Out an Energetic Baby

As babies get older, it seems they start to get bored and frustrated with being immobile. Toys that help them stay upright and move often are great for keeping them entertained during long days at home.

This Doorway Bumper Jumper by Graco is a bestseller on Amazon with 2,436 reviews and 4.5 stars. Once your baby has good neck and head control, you can place them in a padded seat with a high back so they can swing and jump to their heart’s content.
Move the jumper from doorway to doorway as you need to move throughout your home without worries about leaving marks on your walls thanks to a no-mark clamp.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Graco-Doorway-Bumper-Jumper-Little/dp/B000WJLKQM/”]Graco Doorway Bumper Jumper, $27 from Amazon[/link-button]

20. A Music Table for Standing Play

Introduce your baby to music, and show them they can make music themselves. They can sit or stand at this Musical Learning Table while beating on a light-up drum, punching at keys, or twirling rotating musical gears.

Since this toy can be broken down and strapped to the crib, it works for several phases of your baby’s life from sitting to crawling to eventually standing.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/HANMUN-Musical-Learning-Table-Baby/dp/B01IT3UITM”]Hanmun Musical Learning Table, $29.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

21. A Musical Toy That Encourages Walking

This Amazon’s Choice Laugh & Learn Smart Walker gives your baby two options for interactive play. Before they learn to pull up and walk, you can place them in front of the walker to hit light-up musical buttons, flip through a book of ABCs, or spin a rattling ball.

As they grow older, they can pull up on the handle and use it to balance as they test out their first steps. This toy plays 75 different songs and noises and has seven different activities for seated play.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074ZDP7FZ/ref=dp_cerb_2″]Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Walker, $24.84 from Amazon[/link-button]

22. A Moving Toy for Crawling Practice

During this phase of development, many babies learn to crawl. Once they’re on the move, there’s no slowing them down! This Follow Me Fred moving toy by Tiny Love is perfect for this new phase of your baby’s life. Turn it on, clear a bath, and let your newly moving babe follow it around the house.

This fun, moving toy is an Amazon’s Choice produce and available in two different colors. It runs on AA batteries, which aren’t included with the initial purchase.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Love-Baby-Follow-Fred/dp/B00C86QLRU/”]Follow Me Fred by Tiny Love, $24.94 from Amazon[/link-button]

23. A Toy That Will Keep Their Interest as They Grow

Because babies change rapidly, it often feels like they quickly grow out of toys. This Wooden Activity Cube by Battat is perfect for a developing baby because it includes many activities suitable for kids at different stages of infanthood. As your baby learns to sit, they can bat at twirling animals and open and close tiny toys.

As they start to pull themselves up, they can balance on the sides and move wooden beads through a metal maze. With a different activity on each of the four sides of this cube, it’s certain to be a favorite toy for many months.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Battat-Wooden-Activity-Discover-Animals/dp/B07BF1V8K8/”]Wooden Activity Cube by Battat, $59.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

Social and Interactive Play from 12s to 18 Months

Your baby is officially a year old, and you can expect to be amazed by how quickly they change and develop over the next several months. If they’re not walking just yet, they will be soon, and their capacity for figuring out challenging games and toys will increase over time.
Look for toys that are interactive and slightly more complex than a noise maker or rattle. These Amazon picks are perfect for your babbling, toddling babe.

24. A Classic Toy That Never Goes Out of Style

This classic hands-on toy is a favorite on Amazon and has over 1,000 reviews and 4.5 stars. Animals hide behind doors that pop open when your baby slides a lever, flips a switch, pushes a button, or turns a key.

This Playskool Busy Poppin’ Pals is one of those toys that every baby will enjoy. Save it for another baby when they grow out of it or pass it along to family or friends. Amazon gives purchasers the option to save $11 by opting for simple “frustration-free” packaging.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Favorites-Poppin-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B00DSIQS6G/”]Playskool Busy Poppin’ Pals, from $33.30 on Amazon[/link-button]

25. An Opportunity for Pretend Play

Your baby likely sees you on your phone often, so it’s no wonder they’re interested in pretending to do the same. Give them their own miniature cell phone and prepare yourself for just how adorable their pretend conversations will be.

The contoured shape of this phone is just the right fit for small hands. With ten number buttons and multiple modes, this phone is surprisingly complex. Switch from talking mode, to songs, to tones, and adjust the volume as needed. The Jeacy Music Phone for Baby is available in yellow, blue, and green.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Phone-Months-Month-Toddlers-Birthday/dp/B07FMHV3N4/”]Jeacy Music Phone for Baby, $12.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

26. An Educational Toy for Learning Minds

Talk about options! This multi-sided educational toy has 15 different interactive games, perfect for curious minds. On one side, a miniature steering wheel and turning key allow for pretend driving. Another side features a small phone, a flip puzzle, and a switch for turning on music.

The Education Activity Center Cube can easily be used for independent play for your baby or you can participate with your baby, encouraging them by pointing out colors, shapes, and animals on the toy.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/IQ-Toys-Educational-Activity-Activities/dp/B073BXL2S8″]Education Activity Center Cube, $29.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

27. A Toy That Mimics Real Life

Your baby is walking and talking, and they’re learning a lot from mimicking everything you do. Encourage their love of pretend play with this Little Tikes Shopping Cart. Not only is this an activity so many babies love to act out during their play time, it’s a great way for them to steady themselves as they work on brand new walking skills.

This red and yellow shopping cart has a tiny seat in the front, perfect for your baby’s favorite stuffie to tag along on their next shopping trip. It’s an Amazon Bestseller with over 1,000 reviews and 4.5 stars.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-Shopping-Cart-Yellow/dp/B00005BZKD/”]Little Tikes Shopping Cart, $21.25 from Amazon[/link-button]

28. A Grow-With-Me Trike for Outdoor Play

Get your baby outdoors with this Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll n’ Trike. The amazing thing about this trike is that it works for babies as young as 9 months and as old as 5 years. Smaller babies can be placed in the infant trike, secured with a three-point harness.

Once they’re ready to move up, the trike converts to allow baby to do the steering while an adult pushes using a set of handles. Eventually, the steering handles can be removed and baby can take off on their own.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Flyer-4-Stroll-Trike/dp/B003AVIO4K/”]Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll n’ Trike, from $79.88 on Amazon[/link-button]

29. A Toy Set for Loads of Bathtub Fun

Your baby is getting steadier in the bath, making it more fun for the both of you. Now that you’re not obsessing as much about keeping them upright, add a few toys for a little bath time play. This set of floating marine toys with a net is tons of fun.

Each of the six animal figurines is made from soft plastic, so they’re easy for your baby to fill with water and squeeze to squirt back in the water—or at you!. Baby can pretend to go fishing for their marine friends with the adorable blue net.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/QHGC-Floating-Accessories-Swimming-Interactive/dp/B07FS4Y7MT/”]Floating Marine Animals Baby Bath Toys, $11.86 from Amazon[/link-button]

30. A Classic Children’s Toy That Belongs in Every Nursery

Shape-sorting toys have been around for ages, and for good reason. Babies love this interactive learning game and their parents love the skills babies learn while they play. Each of the 12 included shapes fit in a matching hole in a wooden cube, teaching kids problem solving, shape recognition, and color recognition.

The Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube is a favorite in the world of shape sorting games with 1,239 reviews and four stars. This is a toy your baby will love playing with, and you’ll love how it looks on the shelf in their nursery.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Shape-Sorting-Cube/dp/B00005RF5G/”]Shape Sorting Cube by Melissa & Doug, $12.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

31. The Perfect Crayons for Tiny Hands

It’s hard to believe it, but that little baby that was awkwardly grasping at teething toys months ago is ready to learn big kid skills, like coloring with crayons. Typically sized crayons can be hard to grasp, but these My First Grip Crayola Crayons are just right for perfecting that grip.

Six different colors are included in this set, and each of the crayons are shaped like eggs, making them easier to hold onto than smaller crayons.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Crayola-First-Crayons-Coloring-Toddlers/dp/B077VXWPPL/”]My First Grip Crayola Crayons, $11.98 from Amazon[/link-button]

32. A Colorful Toy for Repetitious Play

Your baby probably won’t grow out of their love of repetitive play anytime soon, so games like this wooden racetrack by Top Bright will keep their interest for a long time. It’s one of those toys that is so high-quality and so much fun for your baby, you just know it’s going to get hours and hours of play.
HealthyWay
Made from durable high-quality wood, the cars can be parked in a parking lot at the top of the tower or given a gentle nudge to race down ramps.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/TOP-BRIGHT-Toddler-Gifts-Wooden/dp/B072X7CYH4/”]Wooden Race Track by Top Bright, $24.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

33. A Fun Little Toy for Walking From Room to Room

Your newly walking baby is going to love walking this musical doll from room to room in your house. A sweet little plastic puppy rolls on bright blue wheels, playing music each time your baby gives it a push or pull.

When your baby pushes the colorful buttons on the side, music plays, and the puppy’s nose lights up. Let your baby roam with this rolling toy or settle in on the floor to use it to teach colors, numbers, and even different parts of the body.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/VTech-Pull-and-Sing-Puppy/dp/B01MQ3YP7Y/”]VTech Pull and Sing Puppy, $12.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

34. A Set for Stacking, Knocking Over, and Stacking Again

The stage of development when babies start to learn to build towers and crash them over again and again is so dang fun! This Mega Bloks 80 Piece Building Blocks is the only bag of blocks you’ll ever need.

At this age, this is a toy that is perfect for baby-parent play. Over the coming months, however, they’ll learn to build towers and structures all on their own for independent play. Durable\ and stackable blocks fill this affordable bag of toys.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Bloks-80-Piece-Building-Classic/dp/B007GE75HY/”]Mega Bloks 80 Piece Building Blocks, $19.92 from Amazon[/link-button]

35. A Toy That Goes and Goes and Goes

By now, your baby might be making fun little sounds to go along with their play. Teach them “Vroom! Vroom!” and watch with delight as they push these rattling toys around the floors in your home.

The O Ball Rattle & Roll Cars are small enough for baby to grab onto with one hand, but big enough to feel safe for a baby who is still putting things in their mouth. Small holes in the top of the car are perfect for getting a good grip and tiny balls rattle in the wheels at the base of the car.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Ball-1-Piece-Rattle-Assorted-Colors/dp/B00CL2H1U2/”]O Ball Rattle & Roll Cars, $5.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

36. A Picture Book for Teaching First Words

It’s hard to believe it, but the time for talking has finally arrived! Encourage your baby as he or she tries out new words with the First 100 Words book by Priddy Baby. Pictures of real-life objects fill the pages accompanied by ext of the names of each object.

Since its a board book, your baby can easily grasp and flip the pages themselves, or you can read it together for fun parent-child play.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/First-100-Words-Roger-Priddy/dp/0312510780/”]First 100 Words Board Book (Hardcover), $4.04 from Amazon[/link-button]

37. A Moveable, Storable Playhouse You’ll Both Love

Whether you live in a small house or simply like to keep an uncluttered space, you’ve probably already noticed that kids’ toys take up a lot of room! Keep clutter under control with a moveable and storable playhouse for your crawling and walking baby.

This Indoor and Outdoor Car Playhouse from Anyshock easily pops open to fill with balls. Once your baby is through, you can tear down the brightly colored toy for easy storage anywhere in your home.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Anyshock-Playhouses-Waterproof-Carrying-Christmas/dp/B017H7FXAK”]Anyshock Indoor and Outdoor Car Playhouse, $31.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

Tags Commerce, social

Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

More Than 1,000 Amazon Reviewers Agree: These Are The Beauty Products You Should Buy

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date September 18, 2018

As a self-proclaimed skincare geek, nothing irritates me quite like buying a pricey new beauty product only to learn it doesn’t live up to the hype. It can be really difficult to cut through all of the marketing to figure out if a cleanser, moisturizer, or eyeshadow really does deliver on what it promises.

That’s why I’ve gotten into the habit of paying close attention to Amazon reviews. I know that the best indication of how well a product will work for me is the impartial feedback of consumers who have already used it. So, before I make a purchase, I hop on Amazon and scroll straight to the reviews, where I look for three things that’ll help me decide whether to click “buy” or not.

I take a look at how many reviews a product has, because I know that a five-star rating is much easier to maintain if only a handful of people have tried your product. I look at the aggregate star rating itself to see how the different scores break down. Lastly, I dive into specific reviews—especially the negative ones—to see if there is anything I need to know before deciding to buy.

In my research, I’ve learned a lot about the best skincare products Amazon has to offer. But I’ve learned the most about highly reviewed items, like these 38 beauty products that all boast more than 1,000 reviews.

These cleansers are the Bomb Dot Com (Amazon Dot Com, that is).

Washing your face is the most basic part of a really great skincare routine, but not all cleansers are created equal. These are the best of the best—not only do they have over 1,000 purchaser reviews, they all maintain an average star rating of four or more. They also just so happen to qualify for free, two-day shipping with Prime.

1. Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser

Beauty brand Philosophy is known for making products that really work. Even better, they never test their products on animals. This fragrance-free moisturizing face wash can be used both day and night.

Purity Made Simple is an award-winning facial cleanser that remains a bestseller on Amazon, where it has even earned Amazon’s Choice status. The manufacturer calls this wash a “one-step” facial cleanser because it removes makeup and cleanses the face at the same time, swiftly knocking out two vital skincare tasks that often require a pair of separate products.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Purity-Simple-One-Step-Cleanser/dp/B00021C1NG”]Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser, $19.85 from Amazon[/link-button]

2. Christina Moss Naturals Organic Facial Wash

Christina Moss Natural Organic Facial Wash is an all-natural moisturizing cleanser made with organic ingredients. This refreshing formula is free from preservatives, parabens, sulfates, dyes, and synthetic fragrances, making it a great choice for people with sensitive skin.

With 1,756 reviews and an average rating of 4.3 star, it’s pretty obvious that this is a high-quality skincare product. At the very least, it’s worth giving a try. One reviewer says this product “saved” her skin following a hormonal shift, while another names this her “new favorite” cleanser.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Face-Wash-Ingredients-Chemicals-Christina/dp/B00FZESMKG”]Christina Moss Natural Organic Facial Cleanser, $22.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

3. Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash

You’ll always find this facial cleanser in my bathroom cabinet. It’s been a favorite of mine for three years now. The Amazon reviews make it clear that I’m not the only one who feels strongly about this eco-friendly face wash. Did we mention it’s vegan?

Desert Essence made their name by creating skincare products that are organic, low-impact, and cruelty-free—and pricing them in a way that almost anyone can afford. Don’t believe me? Check out what 1,646 other purchasers have to say. Be sure to take note of their 4.3 star average rating!

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Essence-Thoroughly-Clean-Face/dp/B001CMV8FG”]Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash, $8.79 from Amazon[/link-button]

4. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

When in doubt, stick with a classic, right? That’s exactly what Cetaphil is to me—Old Faithful, the skincare product I keep coming back to after nearly two decades of use.

Cetaphil is a gentle foaming cleanser. It’s made with mild ingredients that will get your face clean without robbing it of the natural oils that keep it healthy. This is great cleanser for normal-to-oily skin types. It holds a 4.3 star average and has 1,744 customer reviews, most of them from extremely satisfied customers.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Cetaphil-Gentle-Skin-Cleanser-Ounce/dp/B00OK1NEX0″]Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $14.97 for 3 from Amazon[/link-button]

5. Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser for Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, you know how hard it can be to find a cleanser that helps control breakouts without drying or irritating delicate facial tissue. I know the struggle is very real because I’ve been there before! If you’re still on the hunt for a solution, this deep cleanser from Bioré might be a good fit for you.

Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser is a foaming wash that uses charcoal microcrystals to draw dirt and oil of the pores. The manufacturer says this formula removes twice as many impurities as competing face washes.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Bior%25C3%25A9-Pore-Penetrating-Charcoal-3-77/dp/B00L2BSI64″]Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser for Oily Skin, $5.36 from Amazon[/link-button]

These toners take the cake (and shrink your pores).

Toning is the second step of a well-rounded skincare routine. The right product depends on your goals for your skin, and these toners are known for just how well they perform their specific functions. Look through the list to find the one that’s perfect for you!

6. Rose Water Facial Toner by Leven Rose

Rose water toners are known for reducing redness and gently healing breakouts. Because the formula isn’t harsh, it’s great for individuals with dry or sensitive skin who are looking for a product that will still effectively tone skin and clear up acne.

The Rose Water Facial Toner by Leven Rose is one of the best toners on Amazon, according to more than 2,000 online reviewers. Glowing skin, ultra-hydration, and even skin tones are some of the most common benefits users attribute to this Amazon bestseller.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Leven-Moroccan-Rosewater-Hydrosol/dp/B016LC861A”]Rose Water Facial Toner by Leven Rose, $13.27 from Amazon[/link-button]

7. Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water

Sometimes simple is best when it comes to caring for your skin. This soothing toner is made mostly from pure water, and it was designed specifically for individuals with sensitive skin. It has a calming effect, diminishing redness and nourishing the skin with antioxidants.

If this all sounds too good to be true, make sure to read through the 1,160 reviews on Amazon. This toner has an average rating of 4.4 stars. One reviewer uses it as part of her psoriasis treatment plan. Another bought it as a gift for his girlfriend to make up after a fight. Now that’s a powerful benefit!

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O7PH34″]Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water, $9 from Amazon[/link-button]

8. Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner

Witch hazel is the original skin toner. It has been used for a variety of personal care and medicinal purposes for centuries, and it’s still a favorite for skincare today. The benefits of this toner include acting as an astringent, providing antioxidants, reducing inflammation, and more.

Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner is lightly scented with rose petals, while its soothing effects get a boost from natural aloe vera. Nearly 10,000 reviewers loved this purchase so much that they dropped by the listing to leave it four or more stars.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Thayers-Alcohol-free-Petal-Witch-Hazel/dp/B00016XJ4M”]Thayers Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner, $9.29 from Amazon[/link-button]

9. Pure Rose Water Facial Toner

What can I say? The people of Amazon love their rose water. This is the second rose-based toner with over 1,000 Amazon reviews I could find, but it is a very different product from the previous one on this list. Specifically, one of the greatest things about this toner is how it’s made.

The ingredients in this toner are all responsibly sourced. It’s a cruelty-free and vegan product; it’s even handmade. This Pure Rose Water Facial Toner is spa grade, which helps to explain why it remains a bestseller in Amazon’s beauty department.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Water-Facial-Poppy-Austin/dp/B00GWF4AS0″]Pure Rose Water Facial Toner, $18.52 from Amazon[/link-button]

These moisturizers are literally everything…

…well, not literally literally. These moisturizers are not zebras or medieval history or music or whatever, but you get what I’m saying. Before you wrap up your skincare routine, make sure you seal all the goodness in with one of these top-rated moisturizing creams from Amazon.

10. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion

This lotion is another product you’ll always find in my arsenal. I’ve yet to find a moisturizer quite like Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Aveeno isn’t just popular in my home; it’s also an Amazon’s Choice product with more than 1,386 reviews.

Promising 24-hour moisture, this fragrance-free lotion is great for sensitive skin or skin that is prone to dryness. According to the Amazon listing, the colloidal oatmeal included in this lotion helps provide a moisture-locking barrier while fighting irritation and dryness.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001459IEE”]Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion, $7.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

11. LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream Moisturizer

This hydrating cream was designed to smooth out the skin, creating an anti-aging effect. LilyAna Natural Retinol Cream Moisturizer features a combination of skincare superstars, including retinol, green tea, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and shea butter.

While many creams containing retinoids can be hard on the skin, this product is known for being gentle and soothing. Many of the 3,056 reviewers mentioned their sensitive skin and how well this cream meets their needs.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ES349CY”]LilyAna Natural Retinol Cream Moisturizer, $19.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

12. Baebody Retinol Moisturizer Cream

This retinol-fueled moisturizing cream promises to reduce the appearance of fine lines with consistent use. Its active ingredients include jojoba oil, vitamin B5, retinol, shea butter, and green tea.

In addition to being made in the U.S., Baebody Retinol Moisturizer Cream is cruelty free. If you’re looking for your next favorite anti-aging product, this might be the cream for you.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FLO5914″]Baebody Retinol Moisturizer Cream, $18.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

13. LilyAna Naturals Eye Cream Moisturizer

Effective skincare products that use all-natural ingredients are hard to come by, but the 3,579 reviewers who bought this eye cream believe that it passes the test. With a product description that features words like “firming” and “lifting,” LilyAna Naturals Eye Cream is great for anyone who wants to give their eyes a little extra TLC.

LilyAna Naturals Eye Cream uses all-vegan ingredients, including vitamin E, vitamin C, and rosehip seed oil. They also offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee if you decide this cream isn’t for you.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Cream-Moisturizer-Natural-Anti-Aging/dp/B00LV6VDG2″]LilyAna Naturals Eye Cream Moisturizer, $17.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

14. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen

The American Academy of Dermatology tells us that the appearance of aging in the skin is often caused by sun damage. Wearing protective clothing and slathering on the sunscreen every time you’re in the sun is one of the best ways to take care of your skin and keep it looking young.

This non-greasy sunscreen from Neutrogena is a 100-plus SPF sunblock that is water resistant and goes on sheer. It’s an Amazon bestseller with over 1,000 reviews and an average 4.5 star review.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Dry-Touch-Resistant-Non-Greasy-Sunscreen/dp/B002JAYMEE”]Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen, $8.52 from Amazon[/link-button]

The Best Haircare on the Internet

Whether you’ve got short, curly locks or straight, long tresses, finding the right product is important if you want to keep your hair healthy and beautiful. Don’t buy your shampoo, conditioner, and styling products blindly. Find products that have been proven to work…products like these!

15. Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a lifesaver when you’re too busy for a daily wash. Stretch the interval between showers using Batiste Dry Shampoo. This best-selling product absorbs the oil and grease that makes your hair look dirty, giving your locks the matte finish and body of a fresh wash.

According to more than 1,000 Amazon reviewers, this is one of the best dry shampoos you can buy. And, at $15.29 for a three-count, it is really a great deal. Buy the original formula, or choose from other options like Brilliant Blonde, which includes a hint of color for a brightening effect.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Batiste-Shampoo-Original-Fragrance-Count/dp/B01CYDXMYQ”]Batiste Dry Shampoo, $15.29 from Amazon[/link-button]

16. Fanola No Yellow Shampoo

If you’ve ever bleached or lightened your hair, you know how easy it is to lose that cool, blonde color. Over time, lightened hair often begins to look brassy and yellow.

Fanola No Yellow Shampoo is a purple shampoo formulated to fight that brassy look. The makers also suggest this product for graying hair—not as a way to color it, but to give the entire head of hair a more cohesive hue. It has a 4.1 star rating and over 2,000 reviews.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Fanola-No-Yellow-Shampoo-350/dp/B00RWCDM4A”]Fanola No Yellow Shampoo, $18.11 from Amazon[/link-button]

17. Silk18 Natural Hair Conditioner

The name of this natural hair conditioner is a nod to some of its most important ingredients. Eighteen amino acids make this conditioner an amazingly nourishing choice for your hair. Silk18 Natural Hair Conditioner is sulfate free. It’s made without synthetic fragrances, and it’s never tested on animals during the production process.

According to the Amazon listing, this conditioner is great for all skin types. It provides moisture, helps to tame frizz, and increases shine. With over 7,500 reviews and an average star rating of 4.3 stars, this definitely qualifies as an Amazon bestseller.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Conditioner-Sulfate-Treatment-Silk/dp/B00L1KFQKC”]Silk18 Natural Hair Conditioner, $10.40 from Amazon[/link-button]

18. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo

This clarifying shampoo isn’t meant for daily use. Instead, it’s all about giving your hair a little extra attention to make it look and feel better than ever. Use Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo once a week between regular washes to strip away residue build-up and fight hair dullness.

This product offers a kind of reset for your hair, but it isn’t for everyone. According to reviewers, it can be hard on hair that has been dyed, dulling your color over time.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Anti-Residue-Shampoo-12-Fl/dp/B072569DNX”]Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, $8.69 from Amazon[/link-button]

19. Viva Naturals Sweet Almond Oil

This bestselling Amazon product is incredibly simple. How simple? It only contains one ingredient. Made with 100 percent almond oil, this product is meant to smooth and soften your hair.

Viva Naturals Sweet Almond Oil can be used on your hair, nourishing it with vitamin E while giving it a smoother appearance. It can also be applied directly to your skin after washing, or used to remove waterproof eye makeup before turning to your facial cleanser.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011QHFB4A”]Viva Naturals Sweet Almond Oil, $11.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

20. Tigi Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier

For women with curly hair, daily styling begins with the right products. There are many different types of curls, which means you need to find the product that’s right for your unique hair type. Tigi Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier is one of the top-rated products for use on curly hair, with 1,849 reviews and a 4.3 star rating.

This is a defining cream with a medium hold. It won’t leave your hair feeling rigid or crunchy. Use it to smooth away frizz and protect from heat styling with both thermal and environmental protectants.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007506U2″]Tigi Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier, $9.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

21. Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray

This hairspray is so much more than a pretty bottle. It’s also a high-performing product that really packs a punch. Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray helps reduce blow-drying time, protects your hair from the damaging effects of styling with heat, and keeps you hair smooth when exposed to humidity.

This bestseller has over 1,300 reviews and holds an average rating of 4.5 stars. If you’re making your first purchase, you can choose from six different sizes. Try it out with a sample-size bottle before you make a big investment.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Kenra-Platinum-Blow-Dry-Spray-6-8-Fluid/dp/B005BEF5EQ”]Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray, $19.50 from Amazon[/link-button]

Make yourself up like a star with these bestsellers.

You’ve been treating your skin right with best-selling skincare products. Now give it a little extra pampering with highly reviewed makeup from high-quality, affordable brands.

22. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

zWith all those nights of interrupted sleep, under-eye concealer is basically every mom’s best friend. Not all concealers are worth the asking price, though. Low-quality brands tend to smudge or crease early in the day.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer, however, is a cosmetic that’s definitely worth having on hand. According to the listing, this concealer brightens up darkness under the eyes and helps minimize the appearance of fine lines.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y9GTYE”]Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer, $4.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

23. Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precision Pen Eyeliner

Maybelline does it again with this Eye Studio Master Precision Pen Eyeliner. This award-winning cosmetic has 3,408 reviews and a 3.8 star rating on Amazon. I’ve got a kind of love-hate thing with liquid eyeliner, but this one looks like it’s the best of both worlds, since you apply this waterproof and smudge-proof liner with a pen instead of an unwieldy brush.

Choose from black, cobalt blue, and forest brown. Priced at only $6.99, there’s really no reason you couldn’t just buy all three.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006UET4XE”]Master Precision Pen Eyeliner, $6.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

24. Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder

A really great powder will smooth out your skin, helping to conceal blemishes and fine lines. Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder is made to do exactly that. It’s great worn alone or on top of makeup as a setting powder.

A quick glance through Amazon’s 3,246 reviews makes it pretty clear that this powder is an essential cosmetic that you won’t regret adding to your makeup bag. It is available in six different shades, including in-house colors Honey Beige, Naturally Neutral, and Translucent Tone.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNG4VU”]Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder, $5.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

25. L’Oréal Voluminous Mascara

Good mascaras are hard to come by, especially if you want to keep your makeup purchases friendly on the budget. There have been so many times I have bought a tube of highly rated mascara only to find myself incredibly disappointed in the end result.

Lately, I’ve been buying only makeup that has been tried and tested by others, and this mascara from L’Oréal definitely passes the test. Available in black, brown, cobalt blue, and nine other options, this budget-friendly mascara has over 3,000 reviews on Amazon and an average of 4 stars. Created specifically to make lashes look more full, this product is a favorite because of its smooth application.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BCXAM8″]L’Oréal Voluminous Mascara, $5.55 from Amazon[/link-button]

26. NYX Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray

Why put forth all the effort to apply makeup if it’s only going to sweat away, wear way, or wipe away as the day moves on? Finish spray is meant to correct this common beauty problem by setting cosmetics in place for all-day wear.

This is a best-selling finishing spray that costs a fraction of what you’d pay for similarly rated products. If you’re prone to excessive shine or oil, this is the finishing spray for you, since it provides a matte finish. Simply spritz on after you’ve applied everything but your mascara for the full impact of this 4.1 star beauty product.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4YVU4G”]NYX Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray, $8.49 from Amazon[/link-button]

27. Natural Bamboo Charcoal Oil Absorbing Tissues

Some of us are a little more oily than others, which can be a major pain. If you find yourself looking glossy or shiny a few hours into the day, you might consider carrying this Amazon bestseller in your purse.

Natural Bamboo Charcoal Oil Absorbing Tissues are a powder-free way to deal with oils on your skin. These blotting tissues are made entirely from natural fibers and organic bamboo charcoal. Reviewed by 1,141 buyers, this beauty product holds an average rating of 4.7 stars.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XENXJTO”]Natural Bamboo Charcoal Oil Absorbing Tissues, $6.60 from Amazon[/link-button]

28. L’Oréal Pro-Matte Foundation

As someone with oily skin living in the humid midwest, I’ve always needed foundation with a little staying power. Most options sweat off or melt away within a few hours of leaving the house, and that really bums me out.

I love that the L’Oréal Pro-Matte Foundation is meant for 24-hour wear. It also has a matte appearance, which means it’ll help combat the glossy look that oily skin types so often battle. Since it’s a buildable foundation, you can easily apply just a little or work up to full coverage as well.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PFCTOBY”]L’Oréal Pro-Matte Foundation, $8.92 from Amazon[/link-button]

29. Milani Baked Blush

This blush is a kind of all-in-one product, operating as a blush, highlighter, and contour. While its orange appearance might be off-putting at first, reviewers say it actually can be applied very subtly and looks beautiful on the skin.

One common thread among the 1,098 reviews on the product page is that this blush stays on all day. Milani Baked Blush is also a Leaping Bunny–approved product, which means that animal testing is never used at any point in its production.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00518N2JC”]Milani Baked Blush, $6.97 from Amazon[/link-button]

30. L.A. Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow

We’ve all seen the pricey palettes of eyeshadows available in a multitude of color schemes. I’ve often found myself wondering if I really have to spend that much to get decent eyeshadow in a wide variety of colors.

Buying a product that is inspired by a more expensive option can be a little nerve-wracking; it’s hard to know if that product can live up to the hype. This eyeshadow from L.A. Girl, however, has 2,626 reviews, which makes me feel confident enough to make this my next purchase when I’m ready for a new eyeshadow palette. This palette includes 12 different neutral colors and is also available in Smokey, Ultra, and Neon color themes.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/L-Girl-Beauty-Eyeshadow/dp/B00PGQYEUK”]L.A. Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow, $7.25 from Amazon[/link-button]

31. Organic Lip Balm by Sky Organics

During cold and dry months, lip treatment is an important part of a personal care routine. Chapped lips can easily ruin a day, keeping you from realizing a productive and enjoyable mood. Organic Lip Balm by Sky Organics is available in six different scents. Made from all-natural, organic ingredients like beeswax, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and essential oils, you’ll feel good about your choice to soften your lips with this balm.

On Amazon, 1,470 purchasers left reviews, with the vast majority having nothing but positive things to say. A single set includes vanilla, tropical coconut, mint, cherry, citrus, and strawberry flavors.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/USDA-Organic-Balm-Sky-Organics/dp/B01LDF2KB2″]Organic Lip Balm by Sky Organics, $11.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

32. Revlon ColorStay Bare Maximum

Although I’ve yet to find a long-wear lipstick that I actually like, I’m willing to give this option a try thanks to the 1,222 customer reviews and 4.3 star rating it holds on Amazon. With 27 colors to choose from, anyone can find a color they love for just about any occasion.

This lipstick is a two-step deal. Apply the color, which has a 16-hour wear promise, and then follow up with a conditioning topcoat for a glossy finish.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Revlon-ColorStay-Overtime-Lipcolor-Maximum/dp/B001P2JZBC”]Revlon ColorStay Bare Maximum, $8.77 from Amazon[/link-button]

33. Rose Golden Makeup Brush Set

I’ve been working on my makeup brush collection off and on for a couple of years, but now I’m finding myself wishing I had known about this Rose Golden Makeup Brush Set by BS-MALL long ago. The reason it has taken me so long to build a full collection is because makeup brushes can be wildly expensive—but this set is totally affordable.

This is a 14-piece set, including all the brushes you need to apply foundation, contour, highlighting, eyeshadow, and more. I love that the handles are rose gold. It’s a nice little touch of glamour I’d gladly welcome to my morning routine.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/BS-MALL-Premium-Synthetic-Foundation-Concealers/dp/B01LZ3RLPC”]Rose Golden Makeup Brush Set, $9.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

Products for a Sparkling Smile

Don’t forget about your pearly whites! These oral care products on Amazon have overwhelmingly positive reviews from over 1,000 purchasers each.

34. Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder

If you’re nervous about using clinical-strength whitening treatments or can’t foot the bill for a visit with your dentist, you might be interested in an all-natural, over-the-counter teeth whitener. Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder, for instance, is only $19.99, and it’s made from all-natural ingredients.

According to the listing, activated charcoal has a detoxifying effect. This powder promises to whiten your teeth without irritating your gums.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N8XF244″]Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder, $19.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

35. Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste

So much of dental health comes down to the little decisions you make from day to day. These choices seem to have a small effect, but they make all the difference in the long run. Brushing your teeth, for instance, might not make an immediate difference in the appearance of your smile, but it definitely will over the long term.

Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste is a great option for taking good care of your teeth each day. With 1,345 reviews and an average star rating of 4.4, you know it’s a good choice, too.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0762LYFKP”]Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste, $14.99 for 3 from Amazon[/link-button]

36. Waterpik ADA Accepted Water Flosser

Using a water flosser is one of the simplest ways to floss your teeth. It’s perfect for those of us who tend to avoid the task. This water flosser from Waterpik is an Amazon’s Choice for oral care. It’s easy to see why—it has over 11,000 reviews on Amazon and a 4.4 star rating.

Reviewers have a ton of good to say about this water flosser. More than one purchaser with braces noted how well it cleans their teeth compared to using conventional floss.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFQQ0VU”]Waterpik ADA Accepted Water Flosser, $59.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

37. Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Dental Floss

If a fancy water flosser isn’t in the budget, this top-rated floss by Oral-B is a totally affordable option that will still get your teeth clean. Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Dental Floss is another Amazon’s Choice product.

With its 1,197 reviews, and counting this floss option holds a 4.4 star rating. That’s the same rating as the Waterpik Water Flosser, you might notice.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Oral-B-Glide-Pro-Health-Comfort-Dental/dp/B00240UWGG”]Oral-B Dental Floss, $5.77 for 2 from Amazon[/link-button]

38. Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque and Whitening Toothpaste

Naturally minded Amazon users love this toothpaste. Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque and Whitening toothpaste is fluoride free and made from naturally sourced ingredients.

This toothpaste is also free of artificial dyes and doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners. This specific product is peppermint flavored, giving you that fresh taste we’ve all come to associate with clean teeth.

[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JUJ1E0W”]Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste, $7.59 for 2 from Amazon[/link-button]

Tags Commerce, social

Favorite Finds Wellbeing

38 Handmade Items You Can Get On Amazon

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date September 17, 2018

Typically, I turn to Amazon to get books, diapers, or household essentials shipped to my house. I place an order when I need a quick solution or when I simply don’t feel up for taking my three kids out for a Target run. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have a certain idea about what I’ll be able to find on my favorite website with two-day shipping.
As it turns out, I’ve been missing out on some of the stuff that Amazon has to offer. There’s an entire section of the website devoted to handmade goods—and some of those products even have free shipping via Amazon Prime. I never really imagined I’d be able to buy from small entrepreneurs through Amazon, but I love that this is a possibility. With that in mind, here’s a look at 38 handmade items you can order right now.

Accessories and Clothing

For some reason, I’ve always felt hesitant about shopping for clothes through Amazon (maybe it’s because I’m not a big fan of fast fashion). These handmade accessories and clothes just might change my mind.

1. Happy Little Artist Pack

Brooches and pins can add a touch of fun to an otherwise unremarkable piece. Brighten up your jacket or bag with some happy trees, along with a few other hand-painted pins inspired by Bob Ross.

This set is made here in the U.S., and each pin is painted to order. Included in the set is a Bob Ross pin, palette, a happy tree, and a happy cloud. They’re seriously cute, and they make a perfect gift for that hard-to-please friend of yours.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Little-Artist-Pack-Teachers/dp/B07GFVXC29″]Happy Little Artist Pack, $14.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

2. The Future is Female Brooch

Make a statement with this handmade brooch. “The Future is Female” is painted in black on a white banner-shaped pin. Add it to the lapel of your favorite jacket, pin it on your laptop bag, or stick it to the strap of your purse.

Even though this is a handmade item, it comes with Amazon fulfillment and ships via Amazon Prime. That means that if you need a unique gift in a hurry, this would be a good choice for any of your feminist friends.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VVBX1C4″]The Future is Female Brooch, $11.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

3. Real Dandelion Wish Necklace

Make a wish on this handmade necklace everytime you wear it around your neck. This Real Dandelion Wish Necklace is made from a small globe, which contains pieces of real dandelion. A second charm bearing the word “wish” decorates the chain.

Because this necklace is made to order, you can customize your order to set the length and color of the chain. It arrives in a gift box, so it’s great for shipping straight to the recipient.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F341NSK”]Real Dandelion Wish Necklace, $5.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

4. Soft Pink Natural Linen Dress

This beautiful made-to-order dress is crafted from soft, pink linen and ties at the waist. Made by hand by 3H Linen in Kyin in Ukraine, it’s available in sizes XXS to XXL. Perfect for a summer wedding or brunch out with your friends.

You’ll feel good knowing that this dress is made with high-quality fabric and sold through a storefront with 73 five-star reviews.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077QNLCQ6″]Soft Pink Natural Linen Dress, $59 from Amazon[/link-button]

5. Engraved Leather Apple Watch Bands

Crafted by a leather designer in Istanbul, these Engraved Leather Apple Watch Bands would make a wonderful gift for a parent, significant other, or soon-to-be graduate. Each band is handmade from 100 percent genuine leather and can fit all current Apple Watch series.

When you place your order, you can select from two different widths for the band. You also have the option of five different buckles, including rose gold, silver, space gray, black, and gold. If you’d like to have the band engraved, you can select that option for a moderate additional fee.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Leather-iWatch-Engraved-Personalized/dp/B0743LYNJF”]Engraved Leather Apple Watch Bands, $44.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

6. Leather Crossbody Bag

It’s hard to believe that this handmade leather bag is so affordable; it’s priced similarly to most of the purses you’d find in a chain department store. Made by Leather Native in New York, it’s crafted with a dark cherry-colored leather.

Since it’s a fairly small bag, it’s a good option for carrying the essentials—your cell phone, keys, and a small wallet will fit neatly in the structured pockets. It also features a long leather strap for comfortable wear, along with a large decorative buckle on the front.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU1YC3L”]Leather Crossbody Bag, $44.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

7. Rainbow Handmade Baby Headbands

If you’ve ever shopped online for handmade baby hair accessories, you know that they’re not exactly inexpensive. Since I have daughters I’ve my own, I’ve been amazed by how much I can spend on a relatively small order.

This set of Rainbow Handmade Baby Headbands are refreshingly affordable. Each order includes 12 different-colored headbands at a cost less than $2 per item. They’re essentially just small felt bows on tan elastic bands, but while they’re simple, they’re absolutely adorable.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073Z6PDF4″]Rainbow Handmade Baby Headbands, $19.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

8. Custom “Mrs.” Floppy Sun Hat

Catch some shade and make a statement at the same time. Whether you’re planning your honeymoon or simply getting away for some sun and sand, this Custom “Mrs.” Floppy Sun Hat is a fun accessory to bring along for the trip.

It’s available in five different colors and made to order based on the text you’d like printed along the rim. It packs easily for any trip and pops back into shape with a little encouragement from a clothes iron.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F3GLV94″]Custom “Mrs.” Floppy Sun Hat, $29 from Amazon[/link-button]

9. Extra Wide Calf Boot Cuff Toppers

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Most of the handknit socks you see peeking out of the tops of boots on your social media feed are actually just cuffs. Take part in this stylish fall trend with these Extra Wide Calf Boot Cuff Toppers.

Darlene’s Gift Shop in Georgia knits these cuffs by hand from a cream-colored Highland wool, which is a sturdy, soft, and high-quality material. This specific listing is for an extra-wide cuff, but the listing recommends measuring the circumference of the top of your boot to determine the best fit for your leg.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G3L3Z9L”]Extra Wide Calf Boot Cuff Toppers, $24.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

Home and Garden

Find practical and pretty handmade items for your living space. These Amazon items are ideal for the home and garden, and they come from individual sellers at all corners of the world.

10. Candle in Concrete Base

Talk about a statement item! This candle is handmade in Mexico by a small business called Monte Vitro Candles. The concrete base is a hexacylinder, and the combination of the geometric shapes and rustic concrete creates a complex and interesting design.

The candle itself is unscented and is made from soy wax. The wick is wooden, which means you’ll hear that lovely crackling sound when it burns.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/concrete-hexacylinder-handmade-Monte-Vitro/dp/B07FW9WD9J”]Candle in Concrete Base, $24.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

11. Mandala Wall Decal

If you’re renting, removable wall decor allows you make your space your own without breaking the terms of your lease. This Mandala Wall Decal is one of my favorite wall decals on Amazon Handmade, and it’s perfect for adorning the walls of any apartment or dorm.

This decal is made from vinyl, and you can choose from 25 colors. Choose from three different sizes; the largest option is a formidable 38 inches by 38 inches. Decals like this work best if they’re placed on smooth walls. A textured wall will make it difficult to stick the decal in place—make sure it’s a good fit for your walls before you buy!
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Sticker-Ornament-Moroccan-Bohemian/dp/B07D15PBWF”]Mandala Wall Decal, $28.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

12. Geek Art Solar System

Sometimes when you’re buying from chain stores, it’s hard to find home decor that doesn’t look like what everyone else has in their home. Buying handmade home decor allows you to seek out completely unique items and establish your own personal style in your space.

This Geek Art Solar System is a great example. Designed by The Geekerie, it features the solar system in a modern design that would fit well with a minimalist home decor.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/System-Minimalist-Planetary-Infographic-Planets/dp/B07D8DDWWC”]Geek Art Solar System, $24 from Amazon[/link-button]

13. Marbled Thrown Earthenware Bowl

Handmade by Kathy, the owner of Marbled Pottery, this thrown earthenware bowl is perfectly sized for soup or cereal. While the majority of this bowl is a soft cream color, the wide rim is a beautiful multi-colored marbled design. All of the marbling is done by hand and finished with a glaze.

In addition to cereal bowls, Marbled Pottery also sells mugs and spouted bowls with a similar marbled look. Grab one bowl as an accent piece or invest in an entire set for a unique kitchen collection.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Marbled-Thrown-Earthenware-Cereal-Soup/dp/B07FTNXF6G”]Marbled Thrown Earthenware Bowl, $40 from Amazon[/link-button]

14. Drippy Ceramic Cup

Your morning cup of joe deserves a little accent. Cheer up your early mornings with this quirky ceramic coffee mug designed by Brian Giniewski, owner of Happy Ceramics in Pennsylvania.

This Drippy Ceramic Cup is relatively small, as it stands at three inches tall; if you’re looking for a cup for your espresso, it’s ideal. The base of the cup is has a gray concrete appearance, while the top is white, shaped to look like overflowing cream.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Brian-Giniewski-Drippy-Ceramic-Cup/dp/B079RMTVZ5″]Drippy Ceramic Cup, $27.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

15. Linen Pillow Shams

Since discovering Amazon Handmade, I’m seriously considering redecorating my entire home with the help of my Prime membership. I’ll be starting with these pillow shams. They’re made from 100 percent linen, and each has two ties to keep your pillows in place.

Choose from six different sizes and a variety of colors including white, off-white, oatmeal, silver grey, and dark grey. I’m partial to the oatmeal shams, myself.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/pillow-standard-natural-oatmeal-off-white/dp/B06Y1K9YCP”]Linen Pillow Shams, $19 from Amazon[/link-button]

16. Wooden Rectangular Wall Clock

This Scandinavia-inspired clock is beautiful, with a stylized face on a darkly stained natural wood rectangle. Pewter-hued numbers appear in different sizes, arranged in an almost random fashion, giving it a fun, quirky feel. (Of course, the numbers remain in the right order.) The maker of this unique clock is a small business called Promi Design, located in Lithuania.

Even though this clock comes from a small maker, it is fulfilled by Amazon. This means you can order it using your Prime account for free, two-day shipping.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Wall-Clock-Rectangular-Scandinavian/dp/B0731M6XP4″]Wooden Rectangular Wall Clock, $27.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

17. Pottery Shaving Bowl for Men

If you have to keep small collections of personal care items on your bathroom counter, you might as well have a pretty bowl to place them in between uses. This Pottery Shaving Bowl is hand-thrown, with a small swirl in the bottom of the dish and a natural white glaze.

While many handmade items require special care, this bowl is both microwave- and dishwasher-safe, so you can wash it easily. Use it for its intended purpose—holding a puck of shaving soap—or just fill it with all your small trinkets, like rings and watches.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Pottery-Shaving-Natural-Color/dp/B0189S5CL6″]Pottery Shaving Bowl for Men, $26.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

18. Mushroom Ceramic Fairy Garden Stakes

These tiny ceramic mushrooms are one of my favorite things I’ve found on Amazon Handmade so far. RooPottery in Utah makes these Mushroom Ceramic Fairy Garden Stakes for use in fairy gardens, planters, and terrariums.

So far, I’ve found that many of the more unique handmade items on Amazon don’t have a lot of reviews, but these cute garden decorations, which mimic toadstools, have five stars and 26 total reviews, virtually all of which are glowing.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Ceramic-Fairy-Garden-Stakes/dp/B01N5G1UNS”]Mushroom Ceramic Fairy Garden Stakes, $25 from Amazon[/link-button]

19. Redwood Wind Spinner

Here’s another great decoration for your outdoor space. A company called Sunrise Art makes these wind spinners by hand using all-natural redwood. This material is a great choice for outdoor decorations because it is resistant to damage from wind and weather.

Because each spinner is made by hand, they’re all different. When you order this item, it will arrive assembled, so all you have to do is hang it in your garden or on your front porch.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Sunrise-Arts-Wind-Spinners-REDWOOD/dp/B017X3I5HQ”]Redwood Wind Spinner, $29.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

20. Wooden Embossing Rolling Pin

As if baking cookies weren’t fun enough, your next bake-a-thon is about to get a whole lot cuter. This handmade wooden rolling pin features Scandinavian cut-outs on the body, so the design transfers effortlessly onto your dough.

Use this pin to give sugar cookies a little extra flair. Roll out your dough normally, then give it a pass with this decorative rolling pin to emboss your cookies with a floral design. Then, use cookie cutters to cut out individuals cookies before baking. Thanks to the gorgeous carvings, this pin looks great hanging on the kitchen wall between uses, as well.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DS68KYK”]Wooden Embossing Rolling Pin, $28.80 from Amazon[/link-button]

Cosmetics and Self-Care

If you’re looking for handmade cosmetics and self-care items, you have countless options on Amazon. Check out these moisturizers, eyeshadows, and bathtime goodies that you can have delivered right to your front door.

21. Bath Bombs Gift Set

Bath bombs have become a popular way to make your bath-time routine feel a little extra special. Drop them in the water in solid form and then watch them dissolve, adding minerals, scents, and more to your bathwater.

The LifeAround2Angels Bath Bomb Gift Set is a popular seller in Amazon’s Indie Beauty department, with 1,890 reviews and five stars. Included in the set are 12 different bombs with enticing aromas like Black Raspberry Vanilla, Shea & Coconut, and Mango Papaya. Each bath bomb has its own unique set of benefits; some are great for relaxation, for instance, while others are designed to perk you up.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/LifeAround2Angels-Moisturize-Handmade-Birthday-girlfriend/dp/B01MFGN8S5″]LifeAround2Angels Bath Bomb Gift Set. $24.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

22. Birthday Cake Cupcake Bath Bomb

I couldn’t resist this bath bomb, which I knew my daughters would love! It looks just like a birthday cupcake, although we don’t recommend taking a bite. The Birthday Cupcake Bath Bomb is made by New York’s Bathhouse, a self-proclaimed “non-edible bakery.”

To use the bath bomb, begina by placing the frosting under running water—it’s the bubbling ingredient, and it dissolves when wet. Next, toss the remaining bomb into the water before climbing into your bath for a celebratory birthday soak.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Birthday-Cake-Cupcake-Bath-Bomb/dp/B075H2YNB4/”]Birthday Cupcake Bath Bomb, $10 from Amazon[/link-button]

23. All Over Butter

Every bath and shower should be followed up with a moisturizing lotion that will nourish your skin and keep it soft. All Over Butter was created with dry and sensitive skin types in mind; it is recommended for twice-daily use on irritable skin.

The maker of this handmade body butter runs a small business called NaturallyMe in North Carolina. She uses all-natural ingredients including hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, and avocado butter to make her personal-care products.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WWNRS9C”]All Over Butter, $17.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

24. BeesWorks Alpine Peppermint Lip Therapy

Winter is just around the corner, which means I’ll soon be fighting chapped lips on myself and my three kids. When I look for self-care products for my kids, I try to prioritize clean ingredients, and this handmade beeswax lip balm passes the Mom Test.

The BeesWorks Alpine Peppermint Lip Therapy is made in California using beeswax harvested from the local BeesWorks hives. The company leaders believe it’s important to use organic ingredients in their lipcare products. In addition to the peppermint scent, you can choose lavender or unscented lip balm.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077T3GCVV”]Bees Works Alpine Peppermint Lip Therapy, $5.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

25. Monkey Farts Scented Soap

Pip & Lola’s consists of makers and self-proclaimed “soap goddesses” from Pennsylvania, and they’ve managed to make something as typically boring as a bar of soap really unique and fun. This Monkey Farts Scented Soap was formulated to avoid stripping natural oils from your skin, which can be a problem with conventionally made soaps, according to the manufacturer.

What makes this bar of soap so unusual is its appearance. It’s a swirl of yellow, red, blue, and green. Don’t let the name scare you off; they’re not being literal. We hope.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DGVGYBQ”]Monkey Farts Scented Soap, $7.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

26. Eco-Friendly Cotton Pads

Personal care products can be a huge source of waste. Even small items take a toll on the environment with repeated daily use. If you’re looking for a way to cut back on what you’re throwing away, considering swapping out disposable items for reusable handmade items.

Making the switch to reusable products can be overwhelming, so start small with these Eco-Friendly Cotton Pads. They’re knitted by hand from 100 percent cotton. Use them for makeup removal, washing skin, or any other task that typically requires you to rely on disposable cotton pads.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Bleubird-Knits-Friendly-Cotton-Pads/dp/B07FFBVCSC”]Eco-Friendly Cotton Pads, $3.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

27. Nectar Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow

Simplicity Cosmetics is a maker located in Texas. The woman behind this company started making mineral cosmetics for herself. Eventually, she turned her hobby into a work-from-home business that she operates while caring for her two young kids. According to her product listing, her makeup offerings are made from natural ingredients including minerals, oxides, and micas. She combines each order by hand or using a blender.

The Nectar Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow is a loose powder. The peach coloring makes for a great neutral shade with a light shimmer. In addition to eyeshadows, Simplicity Cosmetics makes lip balms, cheek tints, and powdered foundations.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Nectar-Shimmer-Mineral-Eyeshadow-Natural/dp/B079XVBJH1″]Nectar Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow, $8 from Amazon[/link-button]th

28. Activated Charcoal Face Soap

If you’re accustomed to using expensive bottled facial cleansers, this handmade, low-waste option is going to be a breath of fresh air. FandTees is a Florida-based maker of personal care items, including soaps, body oils, and lotions.

This Activated Charcoal Face Soap comes in bar form and includes activated charcoal as the main ingredient. According to the product listing, this soap helps draw out dirt and bacteria from the skin, keeping your oil production under control and helping manage breakouts.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BK9X7GF”]Activated Charcoal Face Soap, $8 from Amazon[/link-button]

29. Peridot August Birthstone Nail Polish

When I browsed self-care items in the handmade department of Amazon, nail polish was the last product I expected to find! I’m amazed by the creativity behind small businesses like Nail Hoot, a company that produces polish in small batches in Missouri.

Peridot August Birthstone Nail Polish is a bright, shimmery green, just like the semiprecious stone that inspired the product. The owner of Nail Hoot makes all of her nail polishes to be free from five of the more controversial chemicals found in conventional nail polish—formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, and DBP.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Peridot-August-Birthstone-Polish-Handmade/dp/B01MR8042J”]Peridot August Birthstone Nail Polish, $11.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

30. Burly Beard Balm

Noelle’s Naturals makes personal care products that are organic, non-toxic, and free from artificial ingredients. Burly Beard Balm is a wax for taming facial hair. Ingredients include organic shea butter, macadamia nut oil, and jojoba oil. Cedarwood essential oils are used to scent the balm, and the seller promises a “manly” aroma.

In addition to smoothing the beard, this hydrating formula is good for the skin underneath, according to the product description. Give it a try if you’re the beard-growing type.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075QPXTLP”]Burly Beard Balm, $10.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

Fun and Games

Amazon Handmade isn’t reserved for the practical and the pretty. There are tons of options for buying made-by-hand toys, puzzles, and games. Add these products to your playroom, game closet, or outdoor space for kid-friendly fun. The children will love these items, and you get to feel good about supporting small businesses when you buy them.

31. Martin’s Menace Puzzle

At first glance, this best-selling handmade puzzle looks really simple. It only contains four pieces! However, the reviews make it clear that this puzzle is something special. One reviewer claims it stumped many of his coworkers, while another claims it takes hours to solve. The listing says the puzzle is named after a fellow who spent a week trying to successfully place all four pieces.

Martin’s Menace Puzzle is a small, hand-cut wooden puzzle. The base itself is only slightly bigger than a 3-inch-by-5-inch index card, and the puzzle pieces are a quarter of an inch thick. According to the listing, this is the only handmade puzzle made by Creative Crafthouse that doesn’t include a solution with purchase. Good luck!
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT6Q5B7″]Martin’s Menace Puzzle, $14.95 from Amazon[/link-button]

32. Multi-Colored Apples Wooden Lacing Toy

I’m a sucker for handmade toys, especially when they are beautiful and well-made. This Montessori-inspired toy is one I can easily picture myself adding to our collection. A blunted wooden needle laces yarn in and out of seven brightly colored apples.

According to the product description, these apples are just the right size. They’re small enough for little hands, but too big for choking or swallowing. This Multi-Colored Apples Wooden Lacing Toy ships from Russia, where it is made by hand by maker WoodStoreGifts.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Multicolored-Educational-Learning-Toddler-birthday/dp/B07DK9SDKG”]Multicolored Apples Wooden Lacing Toy, $9.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

33. Willa Walker

Made in California by the artisans of Playful Nature, this toddler walker is completely different from any I’ve seen before. While most walkers roll along the ground while a shaky toddler pushes them, this one is held overhead by a caregiver, who helps hold the toddler up, provides balance, and controls speed.

Not only is this item handmade, but Playful Nature toys are also only made from three materials—hardwood, cotton, and coconut oil—and they’re all responsibly sourced. It’s a toy you’ll feel great about buying.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Willa-Walker-Turquoise-helping-toddlers/dp/B01FGKIM9O”]Willa Walker, $39.85 from Amazon[/link-button]

34. Made to Move Barbie Doll Stockings

If you’ve got a child who enjoys dressing up Barbie dolls, they’ll love having a few accessories you can’t find on Target shelves. These Barbie stockings are made by The Daughter Who Sews, a company that’s based in Texas and specializes in garments for dolls.

The Made to Move Barbie Dolly Stockings are made from a floral, stretchy fabric. They’ll fit any conventionally sized Barbies.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Made-Move-Barbie-Doll-Stockings/dp/B06XY9BGFX”]Made to Move Barbie Doll Stockings, $5.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

35. Eco-Friendly Reusable Water Balloons

I know you what you’re thinking—how are reusable water balloons even possible? A North Carolina company called Bleubird Knits in North Carolina figured out the secret. They make a sustainable version of this popular summer activity, and they do it by hand, using only polyester yarn.

This isn’t your typical pack of water balloons. They don’t fill and pop like the rubber version, so they don’t require a lot of painfully tedious cleanup. Instead, you soak the entire ball in water. The yarn soaks up liquid like a sponge. Quickly lob it across your yard and watch it splash when it hits your target. Retrieve the “balloon” and resoak for another use. When the game is over, dry them out, store them, and pull them out again next summer!
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DSL14XG”]Eco-Friendly Reusable Water Balloons, $8 from Amazon[/link-button]

36. Rainbow Cloud Slime

Slime is in its prime right now. Strange as it is, you can find endless social media videos featuring slime being pulled, stretched, and mixed by hand. The same people who make these videos often make unique slime combinations and sell them online.

Rainbow Cloud Slime is made by Kitty Slime. It’s a white, soft substance filled with confetti, sparkles, and a clay rainbow. The slime is also scented with a piña colada–inspired fragrance. Buy it as a stress relief activity, or stock up for last-minute gifts.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Slime-Handmade-Scented-Glitter/dp/B07FCQVJ54″]Rainbow Cloud Slime, $14.99 from Amazon[/link-button]

37. Hand-Cranked Harry Potter Music Box

I may have saved the best for last. Second-to-last, at least. Penultimate. Anyway, this tiny, handmade product is a music box operated with a hand crank. It doesn’t just feature the Harry Potter logo on the front, it also plays the tune “Harry’s Wondrous World” from the Harry Potter movies.

Esdemusicashop is a maker in Madrid who specializes in music boxes just like these. She also carries boxes that play music from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and other fictional worlds. If you’re curious about how these handmade music boxes sound, you can watch and listen on her YouTube channel.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072J91851/62000″]Hand-Cranked Harry Potter Music Box, $8.75 from Amazon[/link-button]

38. Stranger Things Eleven Temporary Tattoo

While I love tattoos on other people, the lifelong commitment has kept me from making the leap so far. When I imagine temporary tattoos, I picture something childish and silly. These temporary tattoos by The Temporary Tattoo Store have changed my mind. They are designed so expertly, I think I’ll give them a try.

This Stranger Things Eleven Temporary Tattoo set comes with two different tattoos—one that reads “011” and one that reads “Friends Don’t Lie” inside a wreath of Christmas lights. According to the seller, these tattoos will last between two and five days.
[link-button href=”https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Things-Eleven-Temporary-Tattoo/dp/B07FCQBCFP”]Stranger Things Eleven Temporary Tattoo, $3.26 from Amazon[/link-button]

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