Mother's Day Wishlist

Update: This was a scheduled post.  Scheduled before we found out we need to buy a new heating and cooling system for the lake house.  So now, I'm dreaming about one night at a hotel {in the area} to sleep and drink wine.  I just want to be selfish for one day!
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With Mother's Day less than 2 weeks away, I'm making my wish list.  I may not have gotten these for Mother's Day last year, but I have gotten all of these since last year.  I'm one spoiled mama! :)  Most everything on my list this year is either running or vacation related since that's what our lives are filled with in 2014. :)

I know many of these items have been popular for years, but until now I haven't had a huge need for a nice coat {hello, I'm always pregnant} or rain boots {I'm learning with photography, these boots are needed!} 

What am I missing... what is on your wish list?!

Mother's Day 2011 | Mother's Day 2012 | Mother's Day 2013 

[Baby Gear:Feeding]

If you're not expecting...you'll probably want to skip this post. But I've had a lot of people ask me what we love, what we got but never use, etc. So here's the obligatory 'new mama blogger' series! :)
[See Baby Gear:Basics and Baby Gear:Newborn and Baby Gear:Teething for the beginning of this series]
Top 5 things to purchase for feeding your baby...

[High Chair] I originally posted about it here.  I love this thing.  So portable & easy to clean!  Plus your baby can sit right beside you at the table, not in the corner by herself!  You may want a Bumbo to start.

[Baby Bjorn Bib] There are hundreds of different bibs out there to choose from.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a 'Baby Bjorn' one, but I strongly recommend a plasticy type of one.  The cloth ones just absorb [read: stain] a lot.  I know they're less cute, but they're so easy to clean.  Plus they have a little tray at the bottom to catch all some of your baby's mess.  I like the Baby Bjorn one specifically because it's a little more firm and they can't play with it as much.

[Metal Spoons] I love these little spoons.  They are cheap and turn white to indicate if the food is to warm.  Call me old school, I much prefer the metal handle over plastic.













[Containers] We make our own baby food, so we use lots of containers!  We use these tray to freeze the baby food.  After they're frozen, we throw them in a large ziplock for the most space effective storage.  The day before she eats we put a little frozen food pod into a sealable container in the refridgerator so it's ready to go for the next day.

[Beaba Babycook Food Maker] As I mentioned, we make our own baby food.  We have only used the prepackaged food twice [while traveling long distances] and Jordyn struggled to eat it.  I think it was just too runny of a texture for her.  I have to admit I was not interested in making her food, but this was something my husband wanted and fully took responsibility for.  So, we started...and now, we LOVE it!  I would never go back to the packaged stuff unless we really had to for some reason.  You can control the consistancy of the food and it's really, really simple to make.  If you're on the line, I say GO FOR IT! :)  Oh, and this one is great, although I've never used another one so I don't have anything to compare it to!

All photos/links from Amazon website. Nobody sponsored this post.  Just chatting from one mom to another!

A Tidbit For New Mamas [vol.3]

Two words for you...
TAKE CALCIUM!

Was I bold enough?  Nobody told me this and boy am I paying for it now [literally!].  I went in for a cleaning 2 weeks before J was born...perfect, no cavities.  I went back last week for my cleaning [5 1/2 mo. later] and BAM...FIVE [yep, 5] cavities!  So invest in some calcium supplements to save yourself $1000, Novocaine, & another afternoon at the dentist. 

When they say babies take all of your nutrients, apparently this is what they mean...and they're right! 


Click here view tidbits 1 & 2

[Baby Gear:Teething]

If you're not expecting...you'll probably want to skip this post. But I've had a lot of people ask me what we love, what we got but never use, etc. So here's the obligatory 'new mama blogger' series! :)


[See Baby Gear:Basics and Baby Gear:Newborn for the beginning of this series]
We're in the heart of teething right now, so this is hot off the press.
Top 5 things to have on hand during teething...

[Amber Necklace] I know it's hard to believe, but I think this purchase has helped her the most.  It's a natural way to help with nasty teething side effects [runny nose, pain, etc.]

[Sophie the Giraffe] SO annoying [nobody told me there are 55468249 squeakers in this toy before I purchased it] but it really is nice.  Plus, when they're not teething they can still use it as an annoying little toy!

[Cold Packs] These are probably the most common thing I see people use.  We have like 5 different shape/sized ones and she likes them.  They're so cold they help with swelling and pain, but she can't won't hold them herself, so they're not the most convenient!

[Teething Tablets] I was reluctant to give these to her at first, but lots of friend recommended them.  I feel like they're instant relief for her.  She usually falls right asleep after she gets one.  Very handy, lots come in the bottle and they're [relatively] cheap.

[Teething Liquid] They're pretty much the same as the teething tablets above, except they're liquid.  you can give these more frequently, but they're more expensive too. 

Any other tricks you've used for teething?

All photos/links from Amazon website. Nobody sponsored this post.

[Baby Gear:Newborn]

If you're not expecting...you'll probably want to skip this post.  But I've had a lot of people ask me what we love, what we got but never use, etc.  So here's the obligatory 'new mama blogger' post! :)

[See Baby Gear:Basics for the beginning of this series]

Your newborn will eat, sleep & poop so that's how I've broken this post down...

[Eat]

Avent bottles.  They're fine, we have no issues with them.  Jordyn isn't picky, so we just used what we had most of.  We aren't very experienced in this area. 

Enfamil Newborn formula [Similac wasn't working for J] through 3 months.  Then switched to Up&Up [Target brand].  Adam and I both agree we'll switch to the generic brand sooner next time.  We get double the formula for half the price!

Formula Dispenser.  We have two.  The Nuby formula dispenser [3 compartments] is VERY hard to open but super accurate.  The Munchkin formula dispenser [4 compartments] is easy to open and refill, but slides so sometimes you get some formula from another section which is annoying.  It's a toss really, neither are ideal.  If anyone has suggestions for a better one, I'm open! 

[Sleep]

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets are the best.  They are very light weight and large!  They aren't cheap though!  4 of them cost about $35.

Sleep Saks are the best.  Unfortunately our favorite one was a gift and I don't know where it came from.  Jordyn preferred to have to arms out so we used Carter's most of the time. 

Sleep Sheeps are awesome!  They make a heartbeat noise [and sever others] that goes for just long enough to put your baby to sleep before shutting off.  They're battery operated, so they're perfect for traveling too!  We use the Pottery Barn one since we received it as a gift, but Cloud B makes a more affordable option. 

Nap Nanny.  We LOVE our Nap Nanny.  They don't recommend sleeping in them, but we put the nap nanny in J's crib once we transitioned her.  So she slept in the nap nanny, in the crib [does that even make sense?!].  They're all foam and are at a perfect angle for your baby to sleep.  We started using this when J got her first cold to help keep her elevated and breathing better.  Also perfect for traveling.  Especially if the place you're doing doesn't have a crib.  MUCH lighter [& more flexible] than a pack in play!  One of our better purchases.  J used this from 1 month to 4 months and still uses it when we're traveling.

[Poop]

Diapers.  We've tried most.  Luckily we haven't had to buy any yet, but we've tried Pampers, Huggies, and Parent's Choice.  We still haven't tried Up&Up [Target], but we've heard great things.  Once our stash is out, we'll more than likely go that route.  Pampers have the little line in the newborn diapers that turns blue when it's wet, which is very handy, especially for newborns!  Huggies has a great little dip in the center for the belly button which is especially helpful with a newborn fresh from the hospital!  Parent's Choice [Wal*Mart] were fine, but not our favorites.  They were very stiff and ran significantly larger than the other brand's diapers. 

Bottom Line...for newborn diapers I would buy Huggies.  From 1 month on, I would buy Pampers.  Also, each baby will be different but we used Newborns for the first month [200-300 diapers], Size 1 for Month 1-Month 4 [750-1000 diapers], and then Size 2. 

Wipes.  We've tried most brands of these as well.  Huggies are awesome; thick and pull out of the container great.  Up and Up are cheaper but very thin and you need both hands to pull them apart.  Parent's Choice are much better than I thought.  A little stiff, but pull apart nicely and are a good thickness. 

Bottom Line: if cost isn't an issue buy the sensitive Huggies wipes; if you're watching pennies, the Parent's Choice are a great buy.

Rash Ointment.  We've tried Butt Paste, Desitin, Up & Up, and more.  I blogged about the best stuff here.  It's a homemade concoction and isn't cheap, but it's all we'll be using from now on.

All photos/links from Amazon website. Nobody sponsored this post.

[Baby Gear:Basics]

If you're not expecting...you'll probably want to skip this post. But I've had a lot of people ask me what we love, what we got but never use, etc. So here's the obligatory 'new mama blogger' post! :)

Monitor - We purchased an Angel Care 3 in 1 Video Baby Monitor [Sound, Motion, and Video].  What an awesome purchase.  We decided to splurge on this item, knowing we wanted more children.  I'm so glad we did.  It is so nice to be able to look at her at any time.  Some neat features include a zoom, a timer, a mute button and the ability to talk back [like a walkie talkie].

Crib - We picked a basic [dark] one from Babies R Us that could be converted into a toddler bed with a little kit.  Looking back, I wish I would have purchased one with storage on the side.  Live and learn I guess!

 

Car Seat - Although I would have preferred a Britiax for safety, we just couldn't justify $250 a pop.  We chose a Baby Trend unisex car seat and purchased an extra base off Amazon.

 

Stroller - We bought our car seat and stroller together as a combo.  Instead of a regular stroller and a jogging stroller, we bought a combo that offered a three wheel stroller option.  Which was the main reason we ended  up with a Baby Trend Brand Car Seat.  So far we have been very happy with the purchase!

 

Diaper Bag - I knew right away that I wanted to get a diaper bag that I loved since I would be carrying it around for a long time!  After some research, I chose a Petunia Pickle Bottom Bag.  I love it!  My favorite thing about it is the backpack or regular strap carrying option.  Also, it comes in tons of different fabrics!  If I didn't get that one, I was going to get a designer [probably Coach] diaper bag.  I just didn't feel like they had a whole lot of organization/structure to them, but that was my second choice.

 

Swing - We chose the Graco Sweetpeace Newborn Soothing Swing Center - Snuggly Safari.  Mainly because it somewhat matched the nursery, had a battery or plug in option, and could swing from any direction.  It also is a vibrating seat and has lots of music options [several soothing sounds or and iPod hook up]  I found mine at a consignment shop for a fraction of the cost.  Great purchase except it's BIG and takes up a lot of space! :(

Bouncer/Jumper Thing - I never know what to call these things!  I love the Johnny Jump Up's, but we don't have a good doorway to use.  So we asked for the Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper.  So far she [& all of our friends kids] loves it although she's still a bit small for it!  Again, very large & takes up a lot of space! :(

Nose Sucker - Yes, I know they're really called Aspirators.  We have always used the ugly one from the hospital and had good luck with it.  We just plug one side of her nose and suck the other and it seems to work great.  Although we [thankfully] haven't had to use it much.  For my friends that have to clean their kids out lots, they seem to prefer the Nosefrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator.  I have never personally used it though.

Bumbo - This is actually something that we haven't used much.  It's great for about 5 minutes.  I'm not totally sold, but we bought the tray too, so we plan to use it to feed her when we start that next month.  Everyone has one, so we got one too.  Not bad, we just don't get it out much.

Boppy - Also an item that everyone had, so I got too.  I really didn't use it much.  Sometimes she would just hang out in it, but mostly we let her chill in her Nap Nanny.  I used it more for photos than anything else.  I do think if I had had a C-section or was able to breastfeed, I would have used it a lot more.  Again, not a bad purchase, just not something we used much.

High Chair - We aren't using ours for Jordyn yet, but several of our friends children have used it and so far we've been impressed with the Chicco 360 Degree Rotating Hook On Chair.  We chose it travels well [friends without children, lake house, restaurants, etc.]  Very easy to clean and don't take up much area!

We did not purchase a...
Changing Table - I've been around kids a lot and know that I would not use it.  I'm much more of a blanket on the floor in the middle of the living room kinda mama!

Diaper Warmer - Jordyn was always good with cold wipes.  I guess that's just what she got used to in the hospital.  You will get peed on the first month, but I still don't think a wipe warmer is justifiable.  Plus you still have to use cold wipes whenever you're traveling.

Diaper Genie - We live in a condo.  We take our trash out daily.  No need for a diaper genie.  Also, no room for a diaper genie! Double tie the Bender's bag and call it good!  :)

All photos/links from Amazon and Babies R Us websites.  Nobody sponsored this post.

A Tidbit for New Mamas...

I already let you in on one of my secrets, but here's another...

Does your child have a yucky diaper rash that doesn't seem to go away with Butt Paste or Desitin?  This is what our pediatrician recommended and it worked like magic!

1 oz. Lotrimin [Anti Fungal]
1 oz. Neosporin [Anti Bacterial]
1 oz. A&D Ointment
1 oz. 1% Hydrocortisone Cream [Anti Itch]

Mix together, pat dry, and apply 4 cream times a day.  Also air your baby out for 10 minutes, 4 times a day.

Disclaimer: I didn't say this was cheap & I am no physician!  :)