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.