I've never had a chance (basically the time :) to participate in
Kelly's Show Us Your Life blog carnival before but I thought this would be the time to do it. Mainly b/c I already did a post on most of it :) But I did add to it!
I am a sucker for all things baby! I
want to get my hands on anything that would make my/Grayden's life easier or cuter! Here are some of our favorite products we've tried!
~the
Wet Happened? wet bag. A saw a friend of mine pull one out of her diaper bag a few times when we were together and after she told me about it I had to have one! I ordered one up and it came the next day! They used to be sold at Target, which makes it even cooler I think! I love this bag! I carry it in my diaper bag all the time now! It's perfect for separating wet burp cloths, soiled clothes etc from the rest of your stuff in your bag. I have even used it for wet swimsuits in our overnight bag when we head home from the lake. One of my favorite things about the bag is that its machine washable so I can just throw the whole thing in the washing machine once we get home and its ready to re-use again! I love this thing!
~ the Hotsling. I have 2! I love wearing Grayden and he loves to be worn! The thing I like about the Hotsling is that its so easy to put on and use, no snaps, ties or rings, its just on continual piece of fabric. It works great around the house and while shopping in close quartered stores where there is no room to push a stroller around and if you have no muscles (like me) the infant car seat gets SO heavy after awhile! Grayden loves to be held so this makes life so much easier!
~a "lovey". this is a must have for Grayden! He got it as a gift and loves it! I'm not sure what it is about this taggie blanket but he just loves to hold on to the tags and have the soft fabric near his face its so cute how it calms him right down if he's crying! You can get one just like it for your babies
here.
~Moby Wrap. I just bought a Moby Wrap recently and already love it! There is a little more work involved to put it on but its feels more secure and is so versatile I can wear Grayden in lots of different holds. When I put him in it for the first time he was out like a light within minutes of putting him in it! He loves to be close to me and snuggle. I only wish I had one sooner!
~Miracle Blanket! This is a must for any new mom! We got two of these shortly after Grayden was born and from that day on he has slept like a champ and has NEVER broken out of his swaddle!
~Happiest Baby on the Block! Oh my goodness I can not say enough about this book/DVD. It teaches you about a baby's natural calming reflex and how to trigger it, we use all the techniques on Grayden and feel that its a huge part of why he is such a happy baby and can be soothed so well!
~BabyLegs! I'm too embarrassed to tell you how many pairs of babylegs I've collected since ever before Grayden existed but I just love them! Personally I think they are adorable but that's not the only reason we love them! They make diaper changes so much easier and there is always a pair of these and a onesie in my diaper bag in case of any diaper leaks that require a change of clothes, this takes up way less room in my bag than an entire extra outfit would. As Grayden gets older and learns to crawl (oh my!) it will save his knees from getting rug burns on the carpet as well!
~AngelCare Monitor! If there was one thing I could suggest to parents it would be this monitor! It's a sensor pad that you put under the crib mattress and if the sensor doesn't detect movement after 20 seconds an alarm beeps! It also acts as a regular sound monitor as well as the movement monitor! Robb and I sleep so much better at night knowing we can count on this monitor to let us know if anything was wrong with Grayden's breathing during the night
~Summer Infant Handheld Video Monitor~ Love Love Love this monitor as well! We use the cords to attach the monitor to our small TV we have in out bedroom and love to be able to see Grayden as he sleeps and if he cries we can just look at the screen to see if he spit out his paci or what the deal is. The handheld monitor is also battery powered and has a range up to 300 yards so we can still see Grayden in his crib no matter where we are in the house or outside! It even has night vision! Love it!
~ The First Years Night and Day Bottle Warmer-this thing was great to warm up Grayden's bottles safely and also keep pre-mixed bottles cool in the cooler compartment making middle of the night feedings super easy. He know takes him bottles room temp so we don't use it anymore but we loved having it when he did take them warm.
~Our travel system. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but it works great and I have no complaints at all. It is a little heavy but what car seat isn't? We love the stroller as well, it folds up with one hand and I love the color scheme! Brown and Green of course!
And I also just have to say how much I love our nursery furniture. I absolutely adore it. Typically after having something for 2 years I get sick of it but not this. I love it just as much as the day we picked it out way back when I was pregnant with Brenham.
Now for the second part:
Baby Gear we don't like.....hmm so far we have liked almost everything we have tried for Grayden...I did A LOT of research ;)
There is ONE thing though that I skimped on to save money and wish I would have just splurged and got a good one. Its the play mat/gym we bought off etsy. The concept was awesome, its very portable and you can easily switch out the toys BUT its flimsy and small. G used it while he could and liked it a lot, I just wish we would have gotten a nicer one that he would have been able to use longer.
We got some dinner (finally, I hadn't eaten anything since dinner Sunday night so I was famished) and now we are chilling out in the hotel room and recovering from such a busy day.
