Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Mama's Favorites

Just some of my favorite things that have helped me survive motherhood. I swear by these products... and I would recommend them in a heartbeat. If you have any additional questions, leave a comment!

1. Waterproof bibs  {Awesome. More than awesome. You can wash these in the sink after every meal. No need to do laundry. They are large, so cover lots of surface area. And best of all? They catch the "drifters" before landing on the pants. The pockets are truly a lifesaver!  2. Munchkin shampoo rinser {Do I want to hit my daughter in the head every time I wash her head? Of course not. Therefore, this thing is key. I honestly didn't even discover it until I threw a friend of mine a baby shower and she was gifted this. Where on earth had I been? I quickly purchased it days later}  3. Straw sippy cups {Elliana loves these. But I am convinced that I love them even more, simply due to the fact that she looks like such a big girl drinking out of them. That, and the fact that they are completely spill-proof! Double bonus}

4. Avent double electric breast pump {I used this pump for a year with not a single problem. Ever. It was so easy to use. Easy to clean the parts. Easy to assemble. And came with a cute little {not so litter} tote! And? I could pump about 8 ounces in less than 10 minutes! Glorious} 5. Avent bottles {Perhaps this is due to the fact that I had an advent breast pump, but regardless, I have loved these bottles. I have never had issues, and would therefore put my name to them. I would recommend however to buy an assortment of bottles, mainly 4 ounce bottles, a couple of 6 ounce, and maybe 1 or 2 9 ounces} 6. Lansinoh milk storage bags {aside from a few bags that would leak, 99% of the time, I had no issues. And believe me, I stored a whole lot of milk. I always purchased mine through amazon, cheaper, free shipping, and no taxes!}

7. Halo Sleep sacks {No blankets in crib? No problem. These are the solution. These pictures are some velcro ones, which we had a couple of those, however, I recommend the zipper kind that let their arms free. Elliana never liked having her arms enclosed. Plus, most babies outgrow those. The zipper ones are awesome. Guaranteed my baby wouldn't freeze nor suffocate.  8. Snuza {If you are late to the Snuza party, rest assured it is the greatest product out there. Hands down. I put my name all across it. It is a device that monitors your baby's breathing/movement and alarms when either is not detected. Even though you do go through some false alarms, they are totally worth it knowing that there is something out there watching your baby as you sleep. Costs about 100 dollars, but again, worth every penny.  9. Angel Care Monitor  {Me. Being the paranoid, crazy, over-protective mama that I am.... I also purchased this as well as the Snuza. I needed double protection. This product however goes underneath the mattress and also detects movement. It also serves as a monitor and detects the temperature in the room so that your baby does not get overly heated. Again, highly recommend}.
10. Receiving Blankets {I'm pretty sure everyone has this on their list. But my thing is, invest in at least 4 packs. 16 blankets. At the beginning of motherhood? Believe me, you will use every one of those. Over and over again.} 11.  Walker {I LOVE this toy, But why do I even matter? The more important person here is Elliana who is obsessed with this toy. It lights up. It sings. It teaches her. It does all sorts of great things.} 12. Learning Toy {Again. Another toy that I think is awesome for kiddos. Elliana spends lots of time on this thing, and it teaches her colors, numbers, spanish, sings songs, etc}.
13. Moby Wrap {I would have never survived the first couple of months of motherhood without this thing. Okay, maybe a bit exaggerated, but honestly, this thing is awesome if you have a baby that is attached to you like mine was. I did dishes with her in it, I did laundry, walks, naps. You name it. We did it. I used it up until she was about 5-6 months old. And yes, husband gamed with her in it. He also would highly recommend it} 14. Swing {Our first few weeks of life revolved around this thing and our chest. Why? Because our baby never slept in her sleeper right away. She took lots of naps in this thing as well. I do have to say though, after about month 5? They are totally over it. It's been in storage since}  15.  Organic Cereal {I'm not a big organic person, but I have definitely been trying a lot with my daughter. And I have to say that this stuff is awesome. She loves it. She has had it for breakfast every day for 7 months now. It runs about 3.50 per bag at wal-mart. I usually pick up 7 bags at a time}

16. Cabinet Lock {I've always been against too much baby-proofing, for us, that is. Mainly because I didn't want my house to look like a kid-war-zone. However, after much debate, this thing was much needed when my daughter  constantly kept getting into the cabinets that had the chemicals in it. And ever since we put this bad boy on? She's totally over it. It's so easy to install, no drilling or tools involved, and easy to use. Even I, the idiot brain, totally figured it out}17. Baby Gate {this thing is life proof. Seriously. You need a gate? Get this. Why am I so confident? Because we have gone through 2 gates prior, both sucking, 50 dollars later {Each}, and we finally found on that was 1. super easy to install and 2. totally baby proof. She shakes that thing like shes in a jail cell. Love it. Can't get in, or out.} 18.Carbon Monoxide Detector {Well. Mama fail. It only took me 1 year to purchase one of these bad boys, but seriously, I totally forgot this was on the "need" list of mothers. I purchased it. Off amazon {per link}, and of course it was 50% off. The reviews were amazing, and I totally see why. It's wireless so you can put it anywhere, and it's user friendly. So far? No false alarms.}
-----------------
Any product out there that you swear by?! Please share!

20 comments:

  1. What straw sippy cup do you use? I've tried the Playtex but they aren't my fave!

    ...and Saige still sleeps in a sleepsack. She loves it..and it keeps her all nice and cozy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just started following your blog! Thanks for the baby info!! I need to invest in one of those snuza things!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are awesome mama!!! What great choices to help other mamas!! I was thinking of getting the Snuza with K and I probably should have!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love all of these! How did you teach Elliana to drink from a straw? Gracie isn't too in love with any one sippy cup, she likes to drink from a regular cup, with our help of course, but it would be more convenient for her to have her own. I used 75% of the products you listed, I have a problem with the Lansinoh bags leaking like crazy, probably about 25% of the time. Thankfully I have like 1000+ oz in the freezer! Also, I LOVED the moby! It was a little intimidating at first, but it's my favorite by far.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This post gives me baby fever! Love your blog! Thanks for sharing your favorites!

    xo. A Southern Bee Diary
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for this post! I took notes :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list- we use a lot of the same stuff and now I want to order some of it that we don't have! Im definitely going to get some straw sippy cups!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Do you like the Snuza or the Angel Care better? I'm going to buy one this time around. I was thinking the Angel Care because it acts as a regular monitor as well.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great list and definitely saving it as a favorite :) I'll need this list in hopefully 2012!

    ReplyDelete
  10. ooo i love all these things! But it makes me get baby fever and Im not quite ready for #3 yet :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. My kids love those walkers too except we can't adjust the tension on the wheels and we have hardwood floors. It goes way too quickly for a child just learning to walk.

    Does Elliana still use #12? I'm wanting to get the Bambinos one more present for their birthday and was considering it but I'm afraid they might grow out of it too quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for sharing! We are in baby-mode right now and hoping to start trying for a little munchkin of our own! This list helps out alot!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you so much for sharing this post. I just loved it... & best of all I loved each of the items you posted on it :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. you skipped number 13 :)

    l can't wait to get a moby wrap!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The next generation Moby Wrap (for when babe gets a bit too big/heavy for the wrap) is the Boba - I LOVE IT! Traveled all over Disney and Universal, on a cruise and to Sea World with my 30 Lb 2 year old on my back or belly. LOVED IT!

    Katie -

    (P.S. - I am Melissa Knott's cousin and I just popped over to see your blog! Cute post.. makes me want a girl!)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Absolutely love our angelcare! I couldn't sleep without it-seriously! I don't know how people do. So much peace of mind.
    Receiving blankets I never used that much, Idk why. Maybe I am missing all the hype haha!
    I used lansinoh storage bags at first and liked them fine, then bough the up & up (target) ones only because they were cheaper and LOVE them-they are thicker or something. and of course, cheaper :) love!
    callyn got #12 for Christmas. I love that you can not put the legs on it so even a little baby can be on the floor looking at it. and of course love the moby & swing. baby takes naps in her swing all the time and I'm totally dreading the day she is too big (which will be like next week I'm pretty sure-ah!)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I completely agree on the sleep sacks and the Moby wrap!
    I also love my baby bjorn and cozy cover that goes over the car seat!
    The only thing on your list that I didn't use much was the receiving blankets. I got a ton, and never used them!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for stopping by - I totally stole... was motivated by, your list! I have a few items for Brycen on your list that he hasn't gotten into yet, and I'm hoping we love them as much as you have!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for sharing! This is soooooo helpful!

    ReplyDelete


 photo copyright.jpg
blogger template by envye