Baby Bargains- the most helpful book a mother-to-be could have!

I honestly don't remember how I found out about this book... I'll update later if it comes to me, but I'm sure glad I did! Baby Bargains was attached to my arm for weeks during baby prep, and I even brought it with me into stores.  The authors of the book sure know what they're doing; the 11th edition is about to be released! (April 2015) Basically, they do the research grunt work for you. The information comes from consumer reviews, safety tests, customer service responses, and recalls. All types of products are covered, and the book is laid out more as a guide, not something you read cover to cover. I loved that they cover products of all price points, and really help you find what's worth the money and what's not. 

There are helpful charts, specific reviews, and overall best budget,mid range, and luxury picks. I followed the advice for many products, and was very satisfied with the information. I'll be giving this book to every new mom I know because it was so incredibly helpful. Be sure to check out the new edition if you are expecting, because things have changed a lot since my baby was born. There are many new products that won't be in the 10th edition that I have.

Thanks for reading!

The Zipadee-zip

This one got bumped to the top of my list because it really came to my rescue last week! 

The Zipadee-zip is a clever twist on the sleep sack to help babies sleep better.  It was designed as a transition for babies that struggle to stay asleep without a swaddle. The story is explained more in-depth on their website, but basically the zippy (as we call it) gives the baby boundaries for when they wake and feel like they're falling. Many have given rave reviews about how it instantly helps their baby sleep through the night, but I was not so lucky.  However, we still LOVE the zippy!

My son slept without a swaddle in our room (and sometimes our bed) after the first two months or so, but when the dreaded 4 month sleep regression wore me down, we decided to move him to his own room. The problem was, if he even cried for 30 seconds, he scratched his face so badly that it left scabs! He could get socks off of his hands, so I ordered the zippy out of desperation to keep him from hurting himself. For that purpose, it worked like a dream.  He very quickly learned to put himself to sleep, and I don't have to worry about what injuries he could inflict during my walk to his room for feedings overnight. It would have been nice for it to solve all of our night-waking problems, but I'm still a very satisfied customer.  He can roll around and grab his pacifier just like if his hands were uncovered. It's especially nice during the winter when we needed an extra layer. 

This past week, we were in New Orleans with my husband on business, and it was unusually cold while we were there.  I tried taking my son to do some sightseeing, but it was hard to keep him covered and warm (especially when I didn't expect that kind of weather). I often wear him in our ErgoBaby carrier, but his pants ride up, exposing bare leg, and once again, he wouldn't leave socks on his hands. Zippy to the rescue! 

We walked to dinner each night like this, and he was as content as could be. We had a beanie on his head, so all I had to worry about was his nose. I am so grateful for this bonus use of a product we already love and bring everywhere!

Pros: Hands (and nails!) covered for warmth or protection, covers whole body securely, safer than a blanket, helps baby feel secure, supports a small mompreneur business

Cons: a little pricy at about $37, hard to get quickly if out of stock, not available in stores

Tips for the Zipadee-zip if you're looking to buy one: 

-Sign up for email notifications from the company. They sell out of smalls and mediums as quickly as they restock. They'll let you know when they expect a restock so that you can be prepared. 

-Smaller is better.  You want it to be a little snug, and even at 9 months, my son still wears a small.

-If you have a friend who wants one, combine your order and split the shipping. They also offer discounts from time to time for ordering more than one!

-Singing Zipadee-doo-dah as you zip your baby up will make you both smile.  Ok, well us anyway :-)

Thanks for reading!

Boppy vs. My Brest Friend

VS.

Let's talk nursing pillows!

Prior to having my son, I knew I was going to give breastfeeding my best shot.  I knew all about the Boppy, and nearly all mommy friends had one, even if they bottlefed. I got it during a great sale at Target for a discounted price and a with a free cover. I was ecstatic and thought I was set. 

We brought it to the hospital, and I enjoyed having something to support his tiny little body with, but I felt like I was doing something wrong.  Not to mention, breastfeeding was NOT going well. (We had a pretty bad tongue tie, which I'll gladly post about later, if anyone is interested.) 

We went home still having extreme difficulty with his latch, so at 6 days old, I attended my hospital's support meeting. I brought my Boppy with me, but they had several of these pillows I had never seen before. It was the My Brest Friend nursing pillow. I tried it out and immediately went home and ordered one (after hunting for the best price, of course). Here's why:
The Boppy was constantly sliding away from me and the baby was sinking between me and the pillow. It also was a little too rounded on top, making it uneven for the baby.
Now I know there are many who say they didn't need any kind of pillow, or that regular bed pillows were sufficient, but because of the tongue tie, I had to be able to use both hands to help the baby latch, so I couldn't hold the baby up and steady the way others can. We also were stuck on the couch nursing for nearly an hour at a time.
 What makes the My Brest Friend pillow different, is the shape and the strap. It goes around your waist from the side and clasps into place. It can be tightened to stay close to the body. It's top is mostly flat with two raised spots to boost the baby's head, but my lactation consultants had me boost the baby even more with rolled up blankets. There is also a little bit of cushion on the strap up against your back. It felt nice as I tried to get comfortable. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate my Boppy. I used it in our bedroom at night prior to figuring out how to side lie nurse, and then found other great uses for it.  I'll break down the pros and cons of both, because what worked for me, may not be best for you. Also, Boppy has now come out with a nursing pillow that has a similar strap feature. We stopped using a pillow at all around 5-6 months, just because he's tall enough to have his bottom on my lap now.  If you have the opportunity to buy secondhand or receive a hand-me-down, don't pass it up! The covers for both are washable!

My Brest Friend
Pros: straps to you, tighter fit, more firm and flat top surface, handsfree (and standing) capability, can be worn higher on the waist-closer to breasts.
Cons: Some don't like the shape, higher price (between $35 and $50)

Boppy
Pros: slides on quickly, lower price (about $29), great for children holding your baby, great for helping baby learn to sit up
Cons: slides away too easily, too rounded on top
Overall, it depends on what aspects are more important in your situation.  I'm grateful that I had the chance to own both, but for breastfeeding, My Brest Friend was the clear winner.  Having said that, I credit the Boppy with helping my son learn to sit up.  It provided the right amount of support for him to work on reaching forward and build his core muscles.

^These were all taken just days apart. I was amazed at how fast he got himself sitting up.

^I don't have photos of myself using them, but here is my niece! Both pillows help support her elbows so that she can handle the weight of the baby.

^Another use for the Boppy, aside from nursing (He hated tummy time, but didn't mind it this way!)

Hope this was helpful! Comment with your opinions so others can see. Feel free to post questions if you have any!

The Original Co-Zee (with a cameo from the Car Seat Canopy)

When I was pregnant, I got this email from Destination Maternity reading FREE CAR SEAT CANOPY.... All I had to pay was shipping.  Of course, you later find out that the shipping is like 15 dollars... I tried to find out exactly what it is currently, but you have to go almost all the way through checkout to find out.  I mean, you feel like you're getting a really good deal when you see that they normally charge $49.95 for this thing!  So, naturally, I got one. 

 

                      ^ Not mine, I just didn't have a good photo of the entire thing

^^^ This was mine at our first dinner out, and a ride on the SunRail train with my nieces

It's a perfectly acceptable product, just a lot of fabric for the 95 degree Florida summer weather my son was born into.  It was great for keeping him covered while sleeping and if I didn't want strangers messing with him, lol. The problem was, when you flip it up quickly it covers the handle of the carseat, and you don't always want to carry it with the cover down.  We used it for 2 or 3 months, and my husband hated it.  I tried using a blanket, namely the Aden and Anais because it was breathable, but I found myself fumbling with it and dropping it all the time. 

So there's the back story... Now you'll know why I was very excited when I saw this product that I had never seen before (and I am constantly in baby stores...). This product was not in Buy Buy Baby or Babies R' Us, but a lesser-known baby store that shall remain unnamed because I haven't spent a dime there as a result of them catering only to international tourists... Seriously, nothing like being completely ignored when you're about to pop, or out for the first time alone with a brand new baby. It just stinks that it's the closest baby store to my house, and the selection is truly a m a z i n g.  Anyway, sorry for the rant.  I present: The Original CO-ZEE.

 I found it on Amazon and decided to give it a try.  It attaches with plastic rings to the shade visor of a stroller or infant carrier car seat. Not only is it much thinner fabric and a lot less of it, the fabric is also SPF 40.  It has strings that can be tied to handles (mostly useful when rear facing) and velcro strips down the front so that it can be rolled to different heights. That feature is the least helpful part.  I'd actually probably prefer it without the velcro.  It doesn't hold as well as it could, and I haven't been in a situation yet when the halfway height did any good at all. I am so glad I took a chance on this product, and it's one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog.  I had no idea it existed!

 

 In use for a nap, you can see the velcro pretty well here ^^^

  

^Flipped up, not in use

 

I often tie the strings around the stroller tray to give him shade.

 

He was not happy that day, but you can see the roll-up feature in use

Pros: fabric isn't too thick and has SPF, no back piece of fabric like the Car Seat Canopy, doesn't obstruct handle for carrying when not in use, can also be used on strollers, handy tie strings on the ends can help with positioning
Cons: velcro roll-up feature isn't so great, a little pricy at $29.99

Hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading!

The Gro Egg

This next product is something we stumbled upon out of necessity, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. We live in Florida, and my son's room stays 3-5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, which I was already concerned with.  When our first coolsnap hit, I discovered his room also gets much colder than the rest of the house, and panicked when his little hands felt like icicles one morning. We love our Samsung SafeView monitor, but sadly, it does not display the room temperature, like some others do.  I Googled around and came up with this- the Gro Egg room thermometer.

It lights up four different colors to display, not only the room temperature, but also how appropriate it is for your little one.  I had heard that a cooler room can help prevent SIDS, but I was very surprised to see how chilly the recommended temperatures were! 

It turns blue when the room is too cool, red when the room is too warm, yellow for ideal, and orange for acceptable. It also displays a happy face when yellow and orange, and a sad face when blue and red. We usually keep our house at 74, but the Gro Egg turns red as soon as it hits 75.  I wasn't too sure about all this when we got it, but believe it or not, my baby sleeps very well in the recommended yellow zone (61-67). It's not feasible to keep the house that cool in the Florida warmth, so that only happened in the winter. We cool the house to keep him in the orange zone, which is pretty close to what we prefer anyway. 

Pros: user friendly (no programming, only one button), easy to read and understand, not battery-operated, has a nice nightlight glow (we needed a nightlight anyway!), easily moved if you need to take it to a caretaker, 

Cons: placement limited to length of cord/access to outlet, not really necessary if your monitor tells you the temperature, if you disagree with the temperature ranges, you'll have to get used to the red light and just read the temperature display, hubby doesn't like that the button is on the bottom. 

Overall, I am so happy we bought this product.  It gives me peace of mind that I'm providing an appropriate temperature for my son to sleep in. You may or may not need it, but now you have the facts! 

Thanks for reading!

Our FAVORITE Board Book

I just love this book so much, I HAVE to share it with you! Right after my son was born and we were adjusting to life as new parents, we stumbled upon this book in a store: The Boss Baby, by Marla Frazee.  I quickly flipped through it and gushed at how cute it was.  We were in a hurry so I didn't buy it, but later I couldn't stop thinking about it. Amazon to the rescue! Two days later, it was mine. It was the first book I read to my baby, and we've read it countless times since. 

What makes this book so special, is that it is exactly our life at this moment! The author compares the baby to a high-powered executive, and it all ties together in an adorably funny way. There aren't too many words on each page for the baby to get bored, and you don't have to do any silly voices for your baby to enjoy it. The illustrations are perfect. They make me laugh, and keep my baby's attention.  I love to point to the baby and say "That's YOU!"  As he and our family grow, this book will be a special part of our memories and bedtime routine.  Do yourself a favor and check it out! 

My Baby by Homedics SoundSpa On-the-Go

This blog has been the victim of almost 9 months of procrastination, which I struggle with on a daily basis.  When I do feel ready to work on something, my other crippling issues are indecision and over-thinking. I had done my intro post, but where to go from there?  I've had a running list of products to review, and I had already gathered photos I have of us using them, but which do I review first?!?  Then yesterday, I picked up my diaper bag to leave and was immediately startled by the sound of a beating heart. I knew right then that I had to review the singular flaw in the My Baby by Homedics SoundSpa On-the-Go. 

At home we put my son to bed with white noise.  If you aren't familiar with it, it ranges from static to waves, and helps drown out noises that might startle the baby during sleep.  My son has a very hard time sleeping without it.  If we ever need him to wake up, all we have to do is turn off the sound machine and he wakes up instantly.  We use this little guy at home and are very satisfied with it. I can elaborate if anyone is interested :-)

We've done some traveling with our baby, and were not sure what access we would have to electrical outlets, so I was thrilled when I saw the portable version! It's about the size of your hand, and can clip onto the infant car seat, stroller, or anything else you'd like. It has 4 different sounds including static, heartbeat, lullaby, and ocean waves (our favorite). You can control the volume and set a timer as well.  It takes 3 aaa batteries to operate and they do last overnight, 2 nights if you don't use it during the day. I think on our last trip we changed the batteries 3 times in the week.
Pros: small, easy to operate, clips on, inexpensive (about 10 bucks)
Cons: NO LOCK BUTTON
That's it! That's the only con for me. Yes, it's conveniently portable, but be prepared to be constantly turning it on by accident! On our last trip, my husband started to remove one battery to prevent it, but then you have to unscrew the backplate, and remember where you put that tiny battery. It has a little red light that some may not like, but it doesn't bother us at all.

 Overall, I would still recommend this product.  As someone who takes my baby wherever I go, it's a nice option to have when baby needs white noise. I have not seen many other products available like it. There are apps available for phones and tablets, but that hasn't worked for us because you have to leave your phone where the baby is, and hope that you don't get a call. (Also: battery life)

     

Thanks for reading!

BEWARE: Beginner Blogger!

My pickiness is more of a curse, than a blessing, but I have little control over it. Eating is the worst. Your toddler probably eats a better variety than I do. I will never declare myself an expert on anything, but I have a lot to say! Since the birth of my son, I have found myself constantly explaining the pros and cons of many lesser-known baby products I've found, and the idea for this blog was born. (No pun intended, but hey- it works!) I love to shop, save, and make life easier.  I'm a sucker for gadgets and gizmos...and The Little Mermaid, for that matter. I'm an elementary school teacher (1st-2nd) by trade, but currently on leave to be with my infant son. You could say my pickiness makes it impossible to imagine anyone but me caring for him at this stage...  Thankfully, my hard-working husband made it possible, and I'm loving every second of it.  Please read and enjoy, but don't be too hard on me if you disagree..or if I make mistakes-- I am sleep-deprived (Bring on the run-ons!). Feel free to pin and share!