Baby Gear

Crayola Princess Glitter Paper Set

2009-11-08T16:42:00.002-05:00

This coloring set seemed like a great idea. My daughter is not so great at staying within the lines, or on the paper for that matter. So I thought this "mess free" package would be a great way to distract her while I was making dinner or folding laundry. And it was, as long as I didn't consider a snowstorm of glitter all over my house a mess. My daughter loved it, but my house did not.

The Mini Social - Online Sample Sale for Babies and Kids

2009-08-11T20:21:00.004-04:00

I love Gilt Group and Hautelook, online sample sale sites where you can get designer goods on the cheap. I was excited to discover that a similar site existed for designer baby and kids clothes and toys.

I have been receiving daily sale emails from The Mini Social for almost six months now and it is the one email from a company that I open every day. Once I see the designer/brand on sale for that day I almost always click through to look through the collection and see what items my daughter just has to have. ;)

Now if you are anything like me, you cannot stomach paying $75 dollars for a t-shirt for a baby. But mark that well designed t-shirt down to $20 and I won't hesitate to snap it up. I have purchased brands like Dwell Baby, Tea Collection, and HaPe toys for well below retail prices. The shipping does take at least a week and a half so don't buy something you need immediately, but I have been very pleased with every item I purchased.

Gazillion Bubbles

2009-08-11T20:05:00.005-04:00

Bubbles are a pretty simple toy right? Must be hard to screw them up. Wrong!

I went through a few different types of bubble products this summer before I picked up Gazillion Bubbles and I will never buy another brand. Gazillion Bubbles is true to the name. With one dip into the jar you get a seemingly endless set up bubbles. My toddler was even able to blow a few bubbles even though she can't resist licking the wand.

So what was wrong with the other bubble products I tried? They didn't blow bubbles. Honestly.

On the first sunny day I brought my daughter to Target and picked up the Mega Bubble Kit from Fisher Price. While I turned around 2 hours later and brought it right back to the store to return it. I did feel a bit foolish returning bubbles with the excuse "it didn't work." But it was true, I went through half a jar frantically waving those wands around and got one measly bubble.

The other bubbles I tried this summer before discovering Gazillion Bubbles was a product from Nick Jr. My daughter loves Dora, what 2-4 year old doesn't and the packaging seemed clever. I guess clever is where companies can go wrong with bubbles. First the no-spill container was hard for my daughter as well as myself to operate. I could have excused that but once again, it was nearly impossible to make the thing actually blow bubbles.

So I guess when buying bubble stuff, simple is better but I won't even try another brand anymore now that I have found Gazillion Bubbles.

Laptop Lunch Box

2009-04-25T08:12:00.006-04:00

Another must have if you have a child in daycare is the Laptop Lunches bento-style lunchbox. I am kinda crazy about what my daughter eats. I am not strict to the point where she can't have the occasional cookie or piece of cake but I don't want her to become a kid who only eats mac n' cheese (although she does love her Annie's). This bento-style lunch box makes it almost fun to pack her lunch every morning. Everyday she gets a good mix of fruit, veggies, some grains and usually a cheese stick. I occasionally throw in a fruit snack or some other treat. On most days the lunch box comes home empty but if it doesn't I can figure out what food she didn't like and try something different the next day.

I must admit that their website is quite horrific. I did a Google shopping search and found a single lunchbox through another online store. I bought it without the bag as we just toss it in her regular diaper bag. Oh and another great thing is the boxes are BPA-free.

Mabel's Labels

2009-04-25T07:57:00.003-04:00

This is one of those products that I just have to share with every mom. I wish I had known about Mabel's Labels 15 months ago when my daughter first started daycare as we would have lost significantly fewer bottles, shoes and sippy cups. Not only are they cute, but they work. You can put them on your kid's plastic belongings, throw them in the dishwasher, the microwave, probably even a volcano and they will stay put. We bought the mini labels and the shoe stickers and now I am thinking of getting some labels for around the house. Easy ordering system and shipping was fast.

Recycled Toys

2008-12-06T19:25:00.005-05:00

I don't know what it is but my daughter loves toys that are at least 10 years old and previously used by another family member. I could buy her a brand new toy and she will pass it over but if a relative brings her an old toy that is chipped, stained or simply worn out she will not put it down. Were toys made better back then or is it the Velveteen Rabbit syndrome?

A few of her favorites are a radio shaped music box from Fisher Price that plays somewhere over the rainbow. I think this may have belonged to my brother who is now 25. She is fascinated and frustrated by the Tupperware Shape-O which I believe was actually mine. She also loves the Johnson and Johnson Stack and Fit School which I was unable to find an image of. I think I will be buying all of her future presents by searching for "vintage toys" on ebay.

Baby Bjorn Soft Bib

2008-10-08T17:05:00.004-04:00

This bib by Bjorn is brilliant. Anytime my delightful daughter decides to spit out her food or misses her mouth entirely, the food is caught in the bib instead of falling to the floor or getting caught in her seat. It helps to keep my house cleaner and it is easy to clean. No need to waster water washing multiple cloth bibs every week, this is the only bib you need.

Peltor Kids Earmuffs

2008-09-14T16:08:00.003-04:00

When I saw this image of Apple Martin I thought it was adorable. But then it got me thinking about the headset she was wearing as I knew that my husband and I would want to take our daughter to a concert at least once during her young life. I discovered that these "earmuffs" are made by Peltor, the leader in hearing protection products. They were a bit hard to locate here in the US but I finally found a retailer online, Envirosafety, and ordered a pair for my daughter, in pink.

While I wouldn't call these essential for all parents they are a necessity if you plan to expose your child to any loud environments. We have used them multiple times already and my daughter is only 10 months old. She went to her first indoor concert, a recital for my brother, at 6 months and loved the music and vibrations. I didn't realize just how much noise was being blocked until I took them off during a quiet piece in the concert and she started crying when everyone clapped. We also took her to an outdoor concert, stood right near the speakers and she fell asleep in my arms. Beyond concerts we have used them at the fireworks, an airshow and during a parade. They let enough noise in so that your child can enjoy the experience without damaging her ears.

Baby Food Processors

2008-08-30T20:40:00.004-04:00

If you own a regular food processor, a stand or hand-held blender then you absolutely do not need a baby food processor. And if you don't own any of the above, then buy a blender. In two months time your baby will be moving on to finger foods and you can use it to make margaritas. Baby food specific processors are a waste of money and will quickly end up in the back of your cupboard collecting dust.

KidCo Faucet Cover

2008-08-30T20:35:00.003-04:00

Don't even think of buying one of those gigantic plastic animal themed faucet covers. All they will do is attract your kid's attention which is exactly what you don't want. Fortunately I found the KidCo Bath Spout Cover before I was able to purchase a hard plastic frog cover. My daughter takes a bath every night and has never once gone near the faucet. It isn't shiny and doesn't look like a toy so she could care less about it. Perfect!

Chicco Travel Seat

2008-07-13T17:10:00.004-04:00

If you read this blog you know we hate spending money on frivolous baby gear but at the same time we like to maintain some sense style. When we started our search for a high-chair I was initially attracted to some of the beautiful European made chairs that are on the market but there was no way I was paying $300 for furniture that would become spackled with oatmeal and carrots. So I looked at the more conventional baby chairs but hated how big, plastic and ugly they were. That's when I stumbled upon Chicco portable hook-on chairs.

We have been using the Chicco Adventure Travel Seat for two months now and we love it. It hooks-on to the end of our island and our daughter gets to sit there, watch what we are up to and throw food all over the place. Oh what fun. Besides being minimally invasive to our decor it is extremely easy to wash. Every other week I unhook it, take off the hook parts and throw the cover in the sink. I then lay it on our porch to dry and within hours it is ready to be used again looking brand new. This is key since my daughter drops half of every meal in her seat and smears her oatmeal crusted hands all over the arm rests. I think I will keep her in this thing until she is 12.

BPA Free Bottles

2008-06-04T16:37:00.005-04:00

Yes I am jumping on this bandwagon. I am sure I don't need to say much about BPA as it is covered in the press ad nauseam. I had heard the concerns about BPA a few months before it blew up and had people throwing away all of their hard plastics. I just didn't think it was that big of a concern. There is so much to worry about that I just decided to put the concern out of my mind and focus on other things.

Then it was the big news headline for a few weeks. It was everywhere I turned. I began to question if I should continue sending my daughter to daycare with her hard plastic bottles, BPA filled bottles. Again I pushed it out of my mind as much as possible until I saw a piece on the Today Show. Their resident medical expert made a statement that changed my mind. She said that as a doctor and scientist she could not say that there was any link between BPA and cancer or any other medical ailment. However as a mother she said that she would find alternatives for her children. That was it. I tossed my daughter's bottle out that day and went to Babies R' Us to buy her the two remaining Born Free bottles that were on the shelf. I also learned that http://www.medela.com/ISBD/breastfeeding/products/bottles_bisphenol-a-free.phpbottles that come with the pump are BPA free so I started using those as well. Just this week I received the free sample that Playtex offered of their drop-in model and think I will start using that now as well.

So now that I don't have to worry about BPA anymore. What should I be worrying about now? ;)

Mam Pacifiers

2008-06-04T16:12:00.004-04:00

Even if you believe that pacifiers are a bad habit and shouldn't be used for that long you will need to use one at some point during the first year of life. Don't kid yourself into thinking that you will be strong enough to soothe your child in other ways. Trust me there will come a time when you wish you had one just to give you 5 minutes of peace.

I didn't have any issues with my daughter using a pacifier. My problem was that my daughter couldn't seem to keep them in her mouth. When she was in the co-sleeper I would often fall asleep with my finger in her soothie so that it would stay in place. Or we would zip her jacket up just high enough so that she would keep her pacifier in during the car ride to daycare.

I tried every brand of pacifier that existed and tried larger and smaller sizes and couldn't seem to find one that worked. Until I bought a couple Mams. I popped the Mam into my daughter's mouth and it was like magic. It didn't pop out. I threw every other brand out and now that is all we use. Besides working for my daughter they are also great because they are weighted on the reverse side so that when they do fall out, they don't land on the pacifier so unless you are a germaphobe you don't have to sterilize it before handing it back to your child.

I also just learned that you can buy customized Mams with your child's name. I wish I had known as this would have been great for daycare as it seems that all the kids have the same pacifiers.

Tiny Love Gymini Total Playground

2008-05-05T21:02:00.005-04:00

I bought this for my daughter right around 3 months of age. My friend had one for her son and while we were visiting I laid my daughter down on the mat and she entertained herself for 5 minutes. This seems like no big deal now that she is 6 months and plays on her own, for sometimes over 15 minutes. But at 3 months, even 30 seconds of self-amusement is a welcomed break for mom.

My daughter still uses the Tiny Love Total Playground everyday. She loves looking at herself in the mirror and lately has been looking behind the mirror trying to figure out where the rest of the baby is that is staring back at her. The rattle that hangs from the bars makes a really satisfying noise and she was so excited when she finally had enough hand control to shake it on her own. I have to admit that we don't use the kick pad as the music it makes can get very obnoxious after awhile. The mat surface is great, easy to wipe up and hides stains. It is also washable yet we haven't done that yet. I probably should get on that since it now has 3 months of spit-up on it. The other nice thing about this mat is that it packs up very easy. I recommend saving the case it comes in so that you can pack it up and bring it to grandma's.

Top Ten List 0-3 Months

2008-05-05T10:48:00.004-04:00

My daughter is 6-months old and parenting is really getting fun. Before I put a close to the early months when I was walking around in a haze created by lack of sleep, I wanted to post a list of the top 10 baby gear items by stage. I will try to do this every few months.

Top 10 Baby Gear Items, 0-3 Months
1. Burp Cloths - have at least 10 on hand to cut down the amount of laundry you have to do each week
2. Swaddle Blankets - waffle blankets with a little stretch are the best
3. Bibs - have 5-10 on hand, the best are Carter's with the waterproof backing
4. Nursing Wraps/Covers - keep those hooters out of site and nurse confidently in public
5. Carter's Lap Pads - get a couple of packs, I think there are 3 in each
6. Arms Reach Co-Sleeper
7. Medela Pump InStyle Advanced
8. Onesies - have at least 15 in either newborn or 0-3 sizes on hand
9. Footed Pajamas - this is your staple outfit for your baby for the first few months. Why bother with tops, bottoms and socks when this will keep them warm and comfortable.
10. Sling - I used the peanut shell but any sling will work. You need something to keep the baby close and your hands free otherwise you won't be able to get anything done around the house.

Don't Buy, Try

2008-04-09T20:48:00.002-04:00

Here's some news, babies are expensive. One way you can save money is to purchase some of the pricier baby items from secondhand retailers, especially if it is an item your baby will only use for a few months. Some suggestions are swings, strollers and nursing gliders. If you take good care of your baby gear, then chances are you can resell it for close to the same price at which you purchased the item.

I am a big fan of Craigslist. I have been buying and selling on Craigslist for the past 5 years and have never had a bad experience. The people I have encountered through Craigslist have always been pleasant and helpful. The best part of Craigslist is that it is local. If you find something you like you can generally pick it up from the seller within a day. There is no need to pay for shipping and wait for the UPS man to arrive.

Ebay is a good option for smaller or hard to find baby gear. The waiting period is a bit longer as you have to wait for the auction to close and then again for the seller to ship the item. However it is great for buying used clothes is lots. Think of how quickly your child outgrew their newborn outfits and how many of them you had received as gifts. Newborn and infant clothing on ebay is as good as new.

JJ Cole Bundle Me

2008-04-03T09:11:00.002-04:00

I tried to make it through the winter without investing in car seat blanket/cover for my daughter. I had read somewhere that they were not necessary as snowsuit or jacket works just as well. That made sense to me until I realized how time consuming it could be to get a squirming infant into a snowsuit and then try to get the puffy bundle strapped into the car seat. So I broke down and purchased a used Bundle Me on eBay.

I am so glad I did as now getting ready for an excursion outside of the house is not as much of a process as it was before. We just pop our daughter into the car seat and zip the Bundle Me up around her. Even on the coldest days she stays warm and toasty but without overheating. I also washed it recently and found out that it is washer and dryer safe, no issues with shrinking.

Luxury Stroller

2008-04-03T09:05:00.002-04:00

It is easy to fall into the luxury stroller trap and decide that your offspring requires a $500 set of wheels. After all it seems like every new mom I see on the street is pushing a Bugaboo or some other elaborate contraption. But I am here to tell you that putting $500 into your child’s 529 plan is a much better decision given that a basic Graco frame stroller works perfectly fine especially during the first 6 months.

Getting a newborn in and out of a car seat is a delicate procedure, and generally it is not something the baby is thrilled about. Why would you then want a stroller that required you to take your child out of his car seat everytime you use it? Instead get the frame stroller so you just have to snap the car seat out of the base and then onto the stroller. Now that is smart.

We love our Graco frame stroller. OK so people don’t take notice when we are pushing it down a fancy shopping street but that’s alright as I can fold it with one hand and throw it into the back of my car in less than 30 seconds. All without having to wake up my child and remove her from her comfortable car seat.

YoMommy Yogurt

2008-03-23T19:33:00.003-04:00

I love Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt so I was excited to learn that they had developed a line of yogurt tailored toward pregnant and nursing moms. Introduced in January, YoMommy has added folic acid, DHA and vitamin D. A line-up of essential nutrients for growing babies.

As a member of Bzzz Agent, I received a coupon for a free sample of YoMommy. It took a few weeks for it to be available in a store near me, but now that it is I buy it every week. It comes in single-serving 4-packs with flavors like blueberry, raspberry, peach and strawberry. As a nursing mom I was eating yogurt anyway for the calcium but now I am glad to have an option with added nutrients that are beneficial for my growing daughter.

Designer Dribbles

2008-03-23T19:10:00.004-04:00

My daughter spits up a ton. You risk ruining your outfit if you pick her up without a burp cloth on your shoulder. My mom saved many of my old cloth diapers and we use those when we are hanging around the house. It sounds gross but they have been laundered, many, many times and they are more absorbent than any fancy burp clothes you can buy. But having a plain, old white rag on my shoulder got tiring so I ordered a few cloths from Designer Dribbles after a friend's recommendation.

Designer Dribbles embroiders modern cloth diapers with monograms or fun images with your child's name, like the one on the left. For $9 you customize them with a name and the thread color of your choice. For $6 more you can add a chenille backing. I ordered 3 and I get so many comments on them. They are also my go-to gift when friends have new babies.

Busy Baby Nursing Cover

2008-02-19T16:23:00.004-05:00

If you are like me and are not going to be comfortable exposing your boobs in public, then you will need to purchase some type of nursing cover. There are a number of different styles available but I really like the simple cover from Busy Baby. Unlike some of the other covers, the Busy Baby Wrap does not have loud prints that draw attention to you. Instead it is understated and almost fashionable. It is available in 6 different colors so you can coordinate with your outfits or you can just buy one in natural and that will work with everything. I do recommend having two so that if one gets dirty you won't have to do laundry right away.

MilkBands

2008-02-13T21:40:00.004-05:00

Here's a product that I really wish I had known about during the first couple of months. During that time breastfeeding is your full-time job, sometimes feeding your child every hour. The frequency of the feedings coupled with sleep deprivation, makes it hard to remember when you fed last and from what side.

I can't tell you how many times I told my husband we should invent something that reminded a mom what breast she should be feeding from next. I would often lift up my shirt and ask him which breast looked fuller in order to determine which side to feed from next. The inventor of MilkBands was faced with the same problem and came up with a product to solve it.

MilkBands provide a mother with the information she need about her child's feeding all on one wrist. By simply turning the band inside out a mother identifies which breast to feed from next. MilkBands also has a tracking device on the side that a mother can use to identify when the baby last ate or when she should be eating next.

Medela Quick Clean Wipes

2008-02-13T21:24:00.003-05:00

Now that I am back at work I have even less time for my own interests, such as writing this blog. Consequently my posts may be even shorter.

One product that has become essential for me is the Medela Quick Clean Wipes. Pumping at work is stressful. Not only do you have to find the time to do it, but in my case I am stuck pumping in the ladies room. I find it awkward and embarrassing.

The Medela wipes allow me to make a quick exit once I am done. No water or soap needed. You just wipe everything up and then pack it away for the next session. They are pricey but I find them to be well worth it.

gDiapers Test - Part 2

2008-01-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

We have gone through 50 gDiapers now and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make the switch from disposables. Sure there is a little extra effort involved since you can't just toss the dirty diaper in the pail and walk away. But after a few changes you develop a system and the whole process becomes very easy to manage.

What this experiment has made me wonder though is if we would be better off switching over to cloth diapers. gDiapers are expensive and even though I live in a major city, they don't have great distribution at the stores closest to our house. Now that we have gone through our first pack of inserts I have switched back to disposables simply because I would have to drive 15 miles to pick up a new pack. Sure I could order refills online but my daughter is on the cusp of switching to the next size so I don't want buy bulk packs until she switches over. Plus am I really doing the Earth any good if I have to drive 15 miles or have a package shipped to me on a regular basis?

If you are considering switching to gDiapers I encourage you to buy a starter kit and give them a try. You may find that they are easier for you than cloth and they certainly are better for the environment than disposables. If they don't end up working for you, then you can always sell the diaper covers on ebay. I have found that they have an insane resale value and you will probably recoup your costs completely.

Baby Gear Pros

Absolutely adorable - the colors are great and I can picture my daughter running around in just the covers this summer.
If you flush the inserts, then it is better for the environment than throwing away disposables.
After a few diaper changes the flushing process becomes very easy to manage.
Did not experience any leaks or blow-outs, even when used overnight.

Baby Gear Cons

Expensive
May be hard to find depending on where you live
Not great if you are traveling as even though the liners decompose faster than disposables will it really matter if they are inside a garbage bag?

Update: I have been researching cloth diapering over the past two days. The amount of information available is mind boggling to the point that I am unable to make a decision on what diaper style to use. The one thing I have learned is that washing cloth diapers takes about two wash cycles which makes me wonder if they are better for the environment than gDiapers. Consequently my husband and I are making the 15 mile trek to our nearest gDiaper retailer today to restock.

Munchkin Bottle Drying Rack

2008-01-18T09:25:00.001-05:00

The Munchkin Bottle Drying Rack is a great way to keep bottles and other baby items separate from the rest of your dishes. You can dry up to 8 bottles, nipples and accessories at a time. I use it to air dry breast pump accessories as well. It is easy to clean, we just toss ours in the upper rack of the dishwasher. The best part is that it has a slot to hold a Munchkin bottle brush upright so that it doesn't sit in the sink collecting germs.

The gDiapers Test - Part 1

2008-01-14T09:03:00.001-05:00

After much debate, my husband and I have decided to give gDiapers a try. If you haven't heard of gDiapers, they are the happy medium between cloth diapers and disposables. Given that disposable diapers, like Pampers or Huggies, take 500 years to decompose in a landfill, we thought we at least owed it to the Earth to give gDiapers a shot.

We first learned about gDiapers this summer while I was still pregnant. Having changed a few diapers in my life, including really messy blow-outs, I thought that gDiapers sounded like too much work. I just couldn't imagine having to take a poop-filled diaper to the toilet to shake out and stir around before flushing the remnants down the toilet. My husband however was sold on the concept and kept pushing the issue until I broke down and agreed to give them a try.

We bought the gDiapers starter pack at Whole Foods for $24.99 and a 40 pack of refills for $9.99. Normally the 40 pack of refills is $11.99 at Whole Foods but everywhere else they run about $14.50 for a 40 pack. At about 11 cents more per diaper this whole experiment could really add up over the course of the year but I guess that is price you pay for trying to save the environment.

As of this post we have made it through about 5 changes using gDiapers including one overnight. So far I have no bad news to report, there haven't been any leaks and the whole process isn't that much extra effort. The diaper covers are also really cute and fit my daughter great. I am going to report back at the end of the week and let you know if my opinion changes but as of right now I am felling good about the switch.

Tiny Prints Birth Announcements

2008-01-08T18:29:00.000-05:00

After spending over 5 hours scouring the internet for companies that printed birth announcements I decided to use Tiny Prints. What did it for me was their online design tool that allowed me to customize the announcement and view the end result. The tool was extremely easy to use and I was able to instantly see what my daughter's birth announcement would look like with her picture and name.

Since I had procrastinated a little too long I opted for the rush printing service and it was worth the extra $15. Our order arrived faster than expected and I am so happy with the end product. The paper is really great quality and it is not glossy so you can write a personal note to the recipient on the back. I would definitely recommend Tiny Prints to anyone looking to do custom birth announcements or holiday cards.

New Mom Class

2008-01-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

After spending 6 weeks couped up in my home with no one to talk to except a crying baby I reluctantly joined a class for new moms. I had prepared myself for it to be a cheesy class full of signing and cooing at my baby. I expected all of the moms to be perfect and boasting about their tiny geniuses. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised and now feel it is the best thing I have done during my maternity leave.

Each week we learn something new to do with our child such as massages for gas pain relief or other soothing techniques. In the first week I learned a new way to swaddle my daughter that kept her wrapped up tight and sleeping longer at night. That alone was worth the money spent on the class, it was better than any swing or bouncer I could buy. At some point I will take pictures and post a how-to guide.

It was also relief to meet other moms who were dealing with the same issues and having the same concerns as I was. I wouldn't say that I created an instant bond with these other mothers but it definitely helped to know that I wasn't alone and that they were as stressed and unsure about motherhood as I was.

If you are a first time mom, then recommend that you sign up for a class during the first few months of your child's life. If you are in the Boston area, check out the Great Beginnings class at Isis Maternity.

SafeFit Baby In Sight Mirror

2008-01-01T15:34:00.001-05:00

We bought the SafeFit Mirror because it was the only one we could find at Babies R' Us that matched our car interior and didn't have goofy stuff all over it. The mirror is huge and allows me to view the entire rear facing car seat. My daughter doesn't miss all the stuffed animals on the other versions as she enjoys looking at her reflection. I feel that the other mirrors covered in objects could be distracting for the driver as well as a potential hazard if we were to be involved in a crash.

The First Years Sure Comfort Tub

2008-01-01T13:54:00.001-05:00

This tub has worked great for our now 2 month old daughter. For the first few weeks we were using it to give her sponge baths without any water in the tub. We didn't receive the model with the mesh net and I don't feel it is necessary. The infant side has a back that reclines enough to keep the baby tilted back without falling forward. Of course we always kept one hand on her just for security.

My daughter now really enjoys baths with water. The First Years Sure Comfort Infant to Toddler Tub is deep enough to have the water around her legs and torso so that she is warm. At the same time it keeps her sitting high enough so that her head and ears are above the water. At this age, I don't want her submerging her head in the water for fear of getting an ear infection. We have also used the Safety 1st Funtime Froggy bathtub at grandma's and while it was better than bathing her in the real bathtub, I felt that it didn't sit her up straight enough and her ears were getting wet.

Serving Tray

2007-12-31T08:05:00.001-05:00

If you are breastfeeding you will most likely be spending a large amount of time on the couch. Once you have your Boppy and your baby on your lap it is hard to get up and move around so you will want to have everything you may need within reach. I keep a tray on the couch all day and it holds the TV remotes, my phones, a book, tissues, magazines and a bottle of water. My daughter also seems to time her meals at the same time I am eating mine so my husband often serves me my dinner on this tray. If you are planning on breastfeeding I recommend that you buy a tray to use during the first few months.

Kiddopotamus Portable Changing Kit

2007-12-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

The Kiddopotamus travel changing pad can turn any messenger bag into a diaper bag. What I love is the pockets that hold diapers, wipes and ointments as it keeps everything within reach. Most public bathroom changing tables do not have room for your baby and your bag and the last thing you want to do is bend down to dig into your diaper bag to find the wipes while your baby is flailing around on the table.

If you haven't been able to find a "diaper bag" that suits your style then just add this to a bag you like. Besides, most diaper bags are overly bulky causing moms to over pack as if they won't be returning for weeks.

Safety 1st Steady Grip Nail Clippers

2007-12-23T08:48:00.001-05:00

There are tons of reviews available for all of the big baby gear like swings and car seats but when it comes to small items I found it hard to find recommendations. My posts for small items will be short as there isn't too much to say about them but they are still important choices to make for your baby.

The first time you cut your baby's nails it is traumatic. I started out by just using a baby emery board as recommended by the nurse, but my daughter's nails grew too fast to keep up. I switched to baby nail scissors but those things were hard to master. I was scared of using the nail clippers for fear of cutting her fingers off but the shape of the Safety 1st nail clippers allowed me to be very precise in my clipping. They are easy to grip and you can cut the nails down lower without grabbing any skin. Now I only have to cut her nails once a week.

Safety 1st Diaper Pail

2007-12-18T21:30:00.001-05:00

If you have it in your mind that you need the Diaper Genie please reconsider. When we were registering for baby gear I was convinced that we needed a Diaper Genie. I had no idea why, I guess their brand marketing had brainwashed me into thinking this was the only diaper pail that would work.

Fortunately I procrastinated too long and never got the Diaper Genie. The Safety 1st Diaper Pail that my mother gave me as a hand-me-down works great. The Safety 1st version costs about $15 less than the Diaper Genie and it uses standard kitchen size trash bags, instead of the $6 refills. We are using scented kitchen bags and we have no problems with diaper smell in the house.

Baby Gear Pros: Less expensive, can get bag refills at any grocery store.

Baby Gear Cons: None

Nursing Gliders

2007-12-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

It seems like in every episode of the Baby Story on TLC, the parents have one of those huge gliding nursing chairs in their nursery. I feel that those chairs are over hyped and it is one baby gear item that you can definitely live without.

In the first few days at home I was convinced that our lack of a "nursing chair" was why my daughter was having trouble latching on. My husband and I came very close to going to Babies R' Us and buying one but I am very glad we didn't. After one week of nursing problems my daughter became a pro. I no longer needed 5 pillows to prop her up or a foot stool for positioning. I can now walk around and nurse her or nurse her lying down in bed. If we had bought one of those ugly chairs it would be collecting dust in the nursery as who wants to be sequestered to the nursery every time their child needs to eat? Nursing on the couch in the living room is a much better option.

Playskool Made for Me MP3 Player

2007-12-12T18:18:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my daughter decided that she needed to be held all of the time. The minute I would try to put her down, whether she was awake or sound asleep, she would wake up and start screaming. This made it impossible for me to get even the most basic tasks done, like eating or peeing. I was so desperate one day to accomplish something that I just put her down and began vacuuming. She immediately calmed down and after 10 minutes went to sleep. The next day I tried the same trick except this time I didn't need to clean my house so I just let the vacuum run while I went through my to do list.

Not wanting to destroy my vacuum or waste electricity I searched for a white noise machine on the internet. That is when I discovered the Playskool Made for Me MP3 Player. It is a portable MP3 player for ages 0+ that can be loaded with your own music or sounds. I ordered one from Toys R' Us and we use it every time we put our daughter down to sleep. The pre-loaded music is OK but the key for us was downloading a 30 minute loop of a rainstorm that makes our daughter fall asleep and stay asleep longer.

Baby Gear Pros: Easy to use, lightweight and portable, great volume control, has settings that allow the music to play for 15 or 30 minutes and then the device will turn off.

Baby Gear Cons: Disappointing that the device is not rechargeable. It requires 4 AAA batteries that only last about 2 hours. We bought rechargeable batteries but it is still a hassle to unscrew the battery compartment and charge the batteries every day.

The device has colored lights that blink when music is playing. You cannot shut off the lights and this can be distracting for a baby trying to fall asleep. We have to cover ours with a cloth.

Playlist software only compatible with PCs.

Update: Our player broke recently. The MP3 unit seems to be the culprit as whenever we put it into the player it stops working but it will cycle through the prerecorded tunes without the unit attached. I reached out to Hasbro and discovered that they are no longer making this product. My guess is there were quality control issues given how quickly this broke for us with only light use.

Arms Reach Co-Sleeper

2007-11-30T11:01:00.000-05:00

The Arms Reach Co-Sleeper has helped to make nighttime feedings relatively quick and easy. The Co-Sleeper fits right next to our bed so all I have to do is reach over and lift my daughter out when she wakes up to eat. This is especially nice this time of year since it is cold in our room at night and the last thing I want to do is get out of bed. The Co-Sleeper has also made putting her back to sleep easier as she knows I am right there and I can keep a reassuring hand on her while she dozes off.

Carter's Lap Pads

2007-11-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

I received my first set of Carter's Lap Pads as a gift and they have become an essential component of diaper changing. They are waterproof so we place them on top of the diaper changing pad cover and this saves us from doing tons of laundry. When our daughter decides to pee mid diaper change, all we have to do is throw the pad in the hamper, not the whole cover.

I also have a pad or two in our diaper bag. I place these on top of the diaper bag changing pad to catch any mess that may happen on the go. I am sure they have uses that I haven't thought of yet.

Bella Band

2007-11-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

The Bella Band was a must for me during and after my pregnancy. There is a period of about 2-3 months when you are too small for maternity pants yet you are too big for your old jeans and pants. Instead of having to go buy pants and jeans that were one size bigger I bought a few Bella Bands and was able to extend the life of my regular pants.

The Bella Band also came in handy for the first month after birth. I was very eager to get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans and put away my maternity clothes for good. Even though my hips and stomach were still too big, with the help of the Bella Band I was able to get back into my old jeans and put away my maternity clothes for good.

With the Bella Band I was able to put away my maternity clothes earlier and get back to into my regular clothes

Medela Pump In Style Advanced

2007-11-28T11:21:00.002-05:00

If you are planning on breast feeding, then this is one product you must have. I don't know what I would have done in the first week after birth if I hadn't already purchased the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. Both my husband and I agree this was the best $300 we ever spent.

My daughter spent her first week after birth in the hospital being treated for jaundice. The treatment involved her being kept under special lights for most of the day in order to improve her condition. The more we kept her under the lights, the faster we could get her home. This didn't give my daughter and I much time to bond and consequently she had latch-on problems. Fortunately I had purchased the Medela pump and was able to avoid having to feed her formula while in the hospital.

I continued to use the pump for another week after being released from the hospital. It was very easy to use and each session only took 10-15 minutes. My daughter is now breastfeeding but I will be using the pump again when I return to work and I am very happy to know that I won't be spending hours at work pumping. My pumping breaks will end up being shorter than my coworkers' cigarette breaks.

If you are planning on breast feeding I encourage you to purchase the Medela Pump In Style Advanced before you give birth. Yes it is pricey but if you end up in a similar situation it will be invaluable. Early in my pregnancy when I told my husband I had to purchase a pump he scoffed at the price tag. But after our ordeal he said he would pay triple the price if he had to do it over again. If for some reason you don't end up needing it, then you can always leave it unopened and return it.

Baby Gear Pros: fast, non-nondescript carrying case, comes with a cooler to store milk for a few hours.

Baby Gear Cons: expensive

Huggies vs. Pampers

2007-11-26T13:27:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling that diaper effectiveness is more dependent on the child's shape than on the design of the diaper. However I still thought I should share my early experiences with various diaper brands I have tried.

We started out using Pampers Swaddlers Newborn size as that was what was provided in the hospital. I then purchased a package of Newborn size Huggies after receiving a coupon for a couple dollars off. We had no issues with the Pampers but the Huggies could not contain anything my daughter produced. At one point I was nursing her and felt a warm liquid streaming down my belly. At first I thought it was milk but then realized it was pee that was pouring out of the side of her diaper. I didn't want to waste the diapers so we continued to use the Huggies until they were gone but we had to change her more frequently and only used Pampers if we were leaving the house. We now are using Pampers exclusively and I don't think I will try another brand unless we run into problems once we advance to a larger size.

Update: I tried Huggies size one because I had purchased a pack before my daughter was born. After 3 diaper changes my daughter's diaper rash returned. I have realized that it is not the fit of Huggies but the lack of absorbency. Pampers have a layer that wicks away the liquid immediately where as with Huggies it stays on the surface and sloshes around. I will never try Huggies again.

Update 2: I found out that the P&G website has a page that details when the next P&G brandsaver will be in the Sunday paper. This is normally when you will find Pampers coupons.

Aquaphor

2007-11-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

Our daughter developed a horrendous diaper rash during her first week home from the hospital. It was red and raw and looked similar to a second degree burn. Changing diapers was excruciatingly painful for both her and us as her wailing brought us to tears.

We were desperate for something that would stop the rash. We stopped using wipes as we believed wipes had started the problem. We slathered her bottom with Desitin to no avail. We then switched to Balmex but that still didn't work either. My sister mentioned that Aquaphor was the only product that had cured my nephew's diaper rashes so we went out in search for this miracle product.

We had to visit a few stores before we found a drug store that carried it but it was well worth the search. After only a few diaper changes we began to notice improvements. We now use it after every diaper change and the rash has not returned. I would highly recommend that you stock your changing table with Aquaphor before your baby arrives.