Bristle Spinners – Team Mom Review
I’m kind of sad that we have now received our final Team Mom toy of the year, but the upside is that it’s by far the best toy we’ve received so far (and let’s face it, we’ve received some great stuff this fall). We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to test out the new Bristle Blocks Spinners from Parents® brand toys. When the package arrived, I (not so brightly) opened it immediately, forgetting that Oscar was due to go to bed within an hour. Let’s just say that bedtime was considerably delayed that night. Since then, it’s become the first toy he heads for each and every morning.
What are they? Well, Bristle Blocks Spinners are 57 fabulously colored blocks, wheels, axles and funky little characters with bristly hair. You can put them together in dozens of different ways, limited only by your imagination. You can make a few different cars, a ferris wheel (which you can use to spin the funky little guys round and around – oddly a lot of fun even for mom) and tons more. Same sort of concept as Legos, but I find the bristles are easier to work with for my toddler, and personally, I prefer the softer, rounded shapes of the Bristle Blocks. I also vastly prefer the colors – orange, lime green, purple, etc. All in all, a great addition to the nursery.
They’re aimed at kids 2-6, although like I’ve mentioned, this is a huge hit in our house and Oscar is only 16 months. Even the nanny loves these – she is absolutely sure Oscar will continue to play with these for years. Right now he’s pretty constrained in what his little hands can build, but as he grows, I’m sure his ability to make more complex objects is just going to continue to grow with him.
Bonus for moms is that these toys are non-toxic and extremely easy to clean. You can find these and other Parents® brand toys at Target. Christmas and Hanukkah are next week. If you’re still looking for a sure-fire hit for a pre-schooler this holiday season, this certainly could be it.
A trip to the E.R.
So, last night I headed home early after receiving the fantabulous news that the firm was cutting salaries (merry Christmas everyone!) for the next year. I thought I’d spend some quality time with Oscar and even put him to bed. Right. What I didn’t know was that my going home early would lead to my son needing to go to the hospital.
Apparently, my son has something going on with his tiny little elbow that makes it prone to popping out of the socket. Who knew? Well, I do now. We were down in the playroom playing and one of our dogs bumped the little guy, so I reached out to grab his arm so he would not fall down. Should’ve let him fall, it seems. The moment I grabbed him, I heard/felt a loud pop, he started screaming and did not stop for hours.
Nanny Norma thought he was just frightened and that there was no need to go to the hospital, but when he did not stop crying after about 45 minutes, I started to lose it. Seriously, crying myself, completely confused, didn’t know what to do with myself or with him. Not good. I’m known for being good in crises (it’s one of the things clients seek me out for), but evidently not when the crisis has something to do with my son. I eventually gathered myself enough to locate the nearest E.R., bundled up Oscar and put him in the car.
When we hit the door of the E.R., Oscar clammed up. No tears, no sobs, nothing. Of course, I thought this meant that he was fine (nanny was right) and I was about to be exposed as an over-anxious new mom. A few hours later I found that was not the case. Oscar has a dislocated elbow (not a slightly dislocated one like “nursemaid’s elbow”, if you know what that is, but a full-blown dislocation), which had to be re-set. This is not a fun procedure, people. By this point in the night, Oscar had fallen asleep, so the doctors woke him up and slammed his elbow back into place. Or, at least, we hope it’s back in place.
We were able to get a few hours sleep last night – interrupted every single time the poor little guy shifted his weight (in case you’re not aware, this happens every 10-15 minutes). I’m hopeful that he’s back on the mend now. He refused to eat breakfast, but we were able to get him to put a few mini marshmallows into his mouth, using the injured arm. Hopefully with some more ibuprofen and a little more time, he’ll be back on track. What was I thinking leaving work early?
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