Baby Must Haves: Playtime!

There is no fathomable way I could tell you about every single toy TripG loves. There is simply not enough room on the interweb. So, here is a list of musts, Griffin tested, Griffin approved obvi. And if you know my little guy, he is rough on toys and not easily entertained by just anything that lights up.

 

Toy styles change frequently but some brands are just fantastic over and over again. A few we love to the end of the Earth and back again . . .

B. Toys– An awesome brand, easily found at Target and Amazon, these toys really kick it up a notch in engagement not to mention they come in a gorgeous, jewel toned color palette. Our favs including the Electronic Kid's Sing Along Recordable Toy Microphone, One Two Squeeze Blocks, and Stackadoos (see below).

SkipHop – They do a great job combining quality products with fun, graphical animals that Mr. Jonathan Adler might as well have designed himself. Fun, bright and bold, I love them so much. They make way more than toys and I dig them all!

Melissa and Doug – All wooden, all awesome. Super focused on educational play. My favorites include the car carrier, the owl stacker and of course, the stack and sort board.

PlanToys – Sustainably made toys that are really well crafted and perfect for durable play.

Things you absolutely must own . . .

Lets preface this whole list saying that books are always on the top of the list but I have a whole SLEW to recommend and in the interest of keeping this under a billion words, we'll stick to toys here. Another time, another place.

A Fly Ride - Yep, TripG was already WAY to cool to ride in a stroller so we knew an upgrade was in order. FINALLY we found Little Tykes 2-in-1 Cozy Roadster. The awesome little car had a sun shade, cup holders, and a horn that beeped. Best of all, this car is the perfect place for little man to chill on a nice long ride, and still feel engaged. We could not go to Starbucks without a plethora of oohs and awws. And yes, my kid is cute, but the car took it to a whole new level.

His Own "iPod" - Ok, so not really, but we caled this perfect little toy his iPod and he loves, loves, LOVES it. The Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes is a must. My 16 month old still finds new ways to giggle to this one.

Better Blocks - Sure, he has those perfect vintage wooden blocks. What kid doesn't. But seriously, other than stacking them up and knocking them down, what else are we going to do? Blocks will never be the same after finding B. Bristle Block Stackadoos. These perfectly little combed blocks interlock in a variety of sizes and shapes so the possibilities of building are endless. Bonus, his little lady friend, Miss O, likes to use them to comb her hair. Such a girl!

A Big Arse Light Up, Plastic Toy - This Fisher-Price Little Superstar Step N' Play Piano is kind of big and kind of ugly but guess what, he loves it and has for MONTHS. It transitioned well from a place to sit and play before he was mobile, to something he could pull himself up on, and now, to something he walks in and around, using it as a DJ station most days. Watching him play music and start dancing is worth every single time I have cringed allowing it to reside in our living room.

PadMan - Ok, so that's not his actual name, but this fabulous cover, IGuy by Speck Products, was a great buy. We put on our iPad for Griff to play is still a total fav. He loves it and hasn't destroyed the iPad yet. Best of all, you can charge it with the cover on, remove the cover very easily and the arms create some cute little handles for little hands.

Bumbo – This is an amazing seat that you will literally use over and over again be it snacks, painting or just those times when mommy needs a minute.

Play Gym – These are a fantastic early toy to invest in for some engaged exploration on their backs, tummy time and of course, that rolling practice.

Trucks, trucks and more trucks - We totally adore these Battat brand trucks. Cement mixer, garbage truck and dump truck, Oh My! All are super cute, perfectly plastic and durable.

Swing – I am a big fan of swings that go side to side as well as front to back. 3 speeds and a variety of music with volume is all very important as well. In the early days you will look adoringly at your baby in the swing thinking how peaceful he/she can be. Choose one that works, but you don't hate looking at. They discontinued the one we had, Fisher Price "How Now Brown Cow". Yep, I bought it because I liked the name. Seriously.

Bouncer– We invested in a fairly inexpensive Fisher Price model (Also, How Now Brown Cow) and loved it.He didn’t prefer this for long but the flexibility it provided was worth every single dollar.

So, ya, it's a long list, but seriously, the look on their faces when they discover a new or favorite toy is priceless.

Baby Must Haves: Poop & Primping

Number two in my series of unsolicited advice! This list focuses on poop and primping. You could not imagine how many grooming products you can buy for someone with so little hair. And the poop! Well if you haven't already, you better brace yourself. It's about to get real. (Really smelly that is.)

Welcome to Baby Must Haves: Poop & Primping edition!

Episencial Playful Wash - Get it in the giant pump and scrub your little smelly monster clean with this all natural body and hair wash.

Episencial Suggly Lotion - A soft lotion and simple way to choose a better, natural lotion for your kidlet.

Green Sprouts Wooden Hairbrush - I am a BIG fan of Green Sprouts hairbrush. The bristles are super soft! You can get this great brand at Whole Foods Market and Amazon among others.

Safety First Nail Clippers - It’s not brain surgery but it has about as much pressure when they are wiggly and you are trying not to clip their little skin. These have a great grip for tiny little clippers.

Fisher Price Whale of a Tub - We really enjoyed this bathtub available on Amazon or just about any Target. The support for the newborn was great and it transitioned well up to about 1. The little green piece comes out of the middle so they have more room to play as soon as they can sit independently.

Towels and Washclothes - urprisingly, they animal hooded towels are fantastic. Big enough to last into toddler phase and small enough to be effective. For washcloths, choose some soft, thin, and most importantly, have a few.

Huggies - You’ll find your own brand. Our kid just has a prominent tush and these covered him the best and felt soft. My pet peeve was diapers that felt like paper. How can that be comfy?

Target Up and Up Brand Baby Wipes - The non-scented and sensitive options are super soft and really well. And please, who isn’t looking for a reason to go to Target just one more time?!?

Diaper Dekor Plus - We really like this diaper pail because, and lets be frank, it holds the shit.  Poops smell and this one holds that stank in pretty well.  Bonus, I prefer to change a bag of diapers instead of what looks like a sausage a la Diaper Genie style.

A couple things you don’t need?
Newborn bathtubs. Seriously you can wash them in a sink or their baby bathtub just as easily.
Wipes warmer. I am convinced that all babies that get their tush dabbed with a warm wipe will end up in therapy with dependency issues at some point.

And now for a love note.
Amazon, how do I love you? Let me count the ways. I love you for your diaper pricing. I love you for your Amazon Mom program that opened me up to the world of Amazon Prime. I love you for all the Downton Abbey I was able to stream, for free, at my leisure. I love you for the two day shipping because lord knows it would take me three times as long to find half an hour to waste at Target. I love you for the ease and added discounts of Subscribe and Save. And mostly, I love you because diapers always arrive, when I need them, like magic. If Amazon was a man, my husband would have some serious competition. Join my fantasy land and sign up here.

 

 

Baby Must Haves: Sleepytime

As I look back on my first year in the mommyhood I realized that I have a slew of products I adore and some I loathe.  So consider this a total bombardment of unsolicited advice! 

 

Welcome to my Baby Must Haves: Sleepytime edition!

 

Oeuf Sparrow Crib – We adore this crib.  It assembled insanely easily, looks great and changes levels in minutes.  Look hard and you can totally find a deal like we did.  Floor model sale!

Bedding – You only need a fitted sheet so buy three and make sure they are soft.  Otherwise, pick the cutest things you can find.  I love the ones at Land of Nod.

Trend Lab Crib Rail Covers – If your tiny human decides that the crib is a tasty snack, protect your adorable baby furniture with these super soft fleece protectors. 

Waterproof Mattress pad - You can buy them almost anywhere, but I suggest having 2-3 so you don’t have to stress if one is in the wash and you are changing the bed . . . again.

Chico First Dream Crib Mobile - My son hated his room, or crib, or both. It's likely my fault. I resisted a mobile because it didn't really work with the decor and I didn't know if he'd really love it. Insert. All of a sudden my two month old son that would scream bloody murder when laid down loves his crib. You can actually lay him down awake and tired and this entertains then lulls him to sleep. Best part of all, the mobile has a sound detector that is perfectly sensitive. Coos are nothing but when he starts crying this kicks on and buys me a few more seconds to rub my eyes open and grab a bottle. It's even been known to get him back to sleep unaided! Very minor complaints, the projector started jerking a little but a light slap and it was back to normal for now. Oh, and it runs on batteries. In my book, the adjustment to sub-par wine for our new battery budget is easily accepted. This mobile bridged the "plastic, shiny, toys with lights and sounds" and "mommy really likes clean, mid-century/modern lines" line.

Summer Infant Baby Touch Digital Color Video Monitor – Yes, you can hear a baby from the room next door but you sure can’t see what they are doing.  Even SuperMom needs a visual clue.  Think of the monitor as a sleep training tool.  It’s a useful tool, not over-parenting.

Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets – Super soft and adorable patterns.  We didn’t have a lot of luck with blanket swaddling, but they are perfect for throwing over the carseat in the early days and as a light summer blanket for a toddler.

Halo Sleep Sacks – Swaddling is not easy and it’s less awesome when you have baby Hulk.  We loved the Halo brand sleep sacks with the ability to include or exclude their arms.  Strong Velcro and a variety of fleece or light cotton, depending on the season and need.  Also, these are very easy to change in and out of a few times a night.

Cloud B Sound Machine Soother  - We got the monkey version as a gift and are still using it for naptimes/bedtime today.  It travels easily and plays a variety of sounds and music.  Not a must but a nice to have for sure.

The Big Reveal: My New Entry!

Imagine walking in a house and being greeted by your wrinkled dress, having just exited your car, or the spinach left in your teeth. Yep, the giant mirrors that were the closet doors hitting you the minute you entered my house did just that. While it might have been nice to do a discount double check on your way out, the entry for guests really left something to be desired. It was like "Welcome to my home. Enjoy our giant mirrors. We are vain and judging you."

Off to the side we had our "go station". What is a go station you might ask? Well, simply, a place to put your crapola when you walkin the door. Keys, bags, etc. The closet wasn't functional and kind of hideous and the go station was even less desireable as it was bascially behind the door. And then it hit me. (And by then of course, I mean after many, many, MANY hours on Pinterest.)

Lets ditch the closet doors and create something way more useful, colorful and welcoming. Alas, we are done! So how did we do it? Fairly simply and inexpensively actually!

The walls.  Oh, the walls.  I had wanted wallpaper but after weeks and weeks of searching for just the right one, I concluded that my taste was more sophisticated than our budget for this project.  I was way less afraid of paint than trying to a roll of wallpaper worth a few benjis so a stencil seemed perfect.  This particular pattern, Nagoya, came from Cutting Edge Stencil.  Seriously people, it was easy.  It took some patience but it was less than one day and I was trying to cram the majority in during naptimes. 

The bench/cabinet looks way more custom than it really is.  How might you ask? I'll share my little secret!  I measured the width of the closet and found a perfect tv cabinet at Target with mid century lines.  Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a more snug fit in the closet frame. The only problem?  It wasn't as deep.  El Husbando to the rescue!  We purchased an inexpensive desk top from Ikea in the same brown/black shade, measured a few hundred times, and cut it to fit the closet, making it look totally built in.  We'll let future house owners bask in the genius that was our entry hack.

Aa few finishing touches, including a large carpet tile rug from Flor, an Ikea mirror covered in an ungodly amount of yellow spray paint, some shelving, a new pendant light and custom bolster pillows using a fabulous Ikat from Spoonflower designer Scrummy by Sharon Turner. pulled it all together.  The cabinet is the perfect amount of room for the little things we like to keep on our way our the door, little man's hats, sunglasses and sunscreen, umbrellas (for all that LA rain) and of course, a wooden elephant.

"Make it Rain-Bows

Low and behold, my new favorite purchase. A set of 12 cotton, multi-colored napkins from Crate and Barrel. No two are alike, which lets the inner type A come out when I want to match my napkin and outfit. (Seriously, I do this.) AND it's way more green to be paperless.

So, how do you tie it all together and make sense of a color palette that resembles the flags of West Hollywood?

Brightly colored food and paint chip place cards. Head to your local hardware store and be as sly as possible. But grab two sets, you won't want to do this often. Match the napkin to any of the colors on the paint chip. I would suggest using the long skinny ones or the wider fat ones, shown here, so you can fold them. A silver sharpie and an ounce of patience for handwriting created a fun ambiance for a dinner as colorful and delicious as my budget for this decor!