It’s Spring! As we all know, Spring brings many changes. The trees go from dreary sticks to bright and flowering branches. Children go from winter coats to light jackets (at least here.. but no season in Oregon is ever without some sort of jacket. Haha) We also take the time to purge the old and welcome a cleaner, brighter start. Well, my friends, that is exactly what we have done here at The Diaper Bag Confessions. We’ve cleaned up. We’ve brightened. We’ve changed.
Recently we decided to take the blog to a new platform in hopes to give us a little more freedom, a little more flexibility, and a little more function. What better time to do it than the Spring? We hope you enjoy the changes we’ve made and we can’t wait to bring you more of the latest and greatest children’s products we love.
In what ways have you embraced the change of season?
As you all know, I aim to obtain the best possible items for myself and my children. This tends to result in slightly more expensive.. and slightly more prestigious brands. This usually means I won’t see them everywhere I go. At least, that’s what it once meant.
Lately, my love for Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags has become less of an obsession, and more of just a love for the brand, simply because they are everywhere now. Don’t get me wrong, this is fabulous for Petunia. I could not be more happy that a fabulous brand is doing so well and I do continue to buy their products. Only, now I find myself buying more of their other products and less of their diaper bags. I don’t want something that every other person has. It’s just not my style. Am I still loyal to them? Yes. Just perhaps in less-than-typical ways. This same “sheeple” moment came to me in regards to my beloved stroller.
We recently took a multi-family vacation to Disneyland. With us came our Baby Jogger City Select stroller. While its function at Disneyland will be featured in another, more helpful.. less vanity-induced, post… The stroller in and of itself is the subject of this post. The decision to purchase that stroller two years ago (!!!) did not come easily for me. I researched high and low, compared and contrasted all of its uses.. heck.. I even owned a competing stroller simultaneously before finally settling on the City Select as my “it” stroller. Not quite my perfect match.. but pretty darn close.
So, there we are.. Unloading our stroller from the hotel shuttle. About to embark on an amazing vacation with friends. My husband gets it all unfolded and set up and we begin to walk towards the park entrance. I look left. “Oh, hey look! Someone else has our stroller! They even have the second seat!” I said to my husband. That was pretty cool, right? Then I looked to my right. “Ohhh.. look at that. Another one. I don’t like it in red. Glad we got black.”
We weaved our way through the gate and I again, to my right, see another one. This time in the diamond color. I hadn’t seen that color yet. “Pretty cool, though.. my children would have that fabric stained in 2 minutes,” I thought to myself.
Then it hit me. Every time I turned around. Looked left or right.. there it was. Most of them in the same simple black color. Most of them with the second seat attached. I found myself switching up the seat configuration just so I could easily determine which stroller was mine when parked in the sea of strollers outside each ride. Just as I am with Petunia Pickle Bottom, I am SO thrilled for Baby Jogger. When we first bought ours, no one had really heard of it. People would stop and ask me about it all the time. So seeing them in such an abundance? The love was starting to wear off for me.
As I glanced around.. there were two other strollers almost as populous as our City Select. Those being the Britax B-Ready (The other modular stroller we once owned and is now owned by the other family we vacationed with!) and the Joovy Caboose. By the end of the 2nd day in the park, I looked at my husband and said “It’s time for a new stroller.” He knew what I was getting at. There are other brands of strollers I have wanted for a while, so I found myself looking around to see how many of them I saw and how they looked in function. What better place to look at strollers than Disneyland? It’s a less creepy form of people watching, right? I started observing.. how do they maneuver in the sea of people. Was it stable? How much *ehem* crap can it hold? (I have three children for heavens sake. It takes a lot of stuff to keep kids happy for several hours on end!)
These observations have now put two strollers on the top of my list for possible purchases after the new year. You know, when my bank account recovers from Disneyland and Christmas.
One of those strollers I have mentioned on this blog before: The Orbit G2. I watched someone set their Orbit stroller up after getting off a shuttle.. whew, it looked so easy. That alone ignited more lust for it than I had before. I saw a few of them.. but in contrast to the other three brands, it really wasn’t many. I even saw one with a color kit on it which was fabulous. It maneuvered the crowd of people pretty well.. I spotted one with their Side-Kick board and side panniers. They had a lot of stuff in those side panniers! Perfect. The stroller bag underneath easily comes off to be removed for safe keeping of personal belongings when getting on rides. I was impressed with it’s usefulness. And let’s face it.. for it’s lack of over-population. Add to that the fact that we currently have two Orbit Toddler G2 car seats, it would be a nice possible investment for us.
The other stroller is not new to my lust-list.. but it is new to my current list of stroller obsession: The Stokke Xplory. (Oh heaven help my husband!) When I saw that stroller easily being maneuvered through the crowd after the infamous Disneyland fireworks, I was quite impressed. It’s one of the few times I have ever stopped what I was doing to stare at a stroller. I only saw two of them while we were there. I’m sure there were more, but the fact that I only noticed two means they weren’t nearly as infiltrating – and trust me, if you saw one you’d notice it. It’s gorgeous, sleek and modern. It stands tall, but not too tall.. Which, for short people like us.. is nice. The last thing I want to have to think is “Hey, does this stroller make my legs look short?” hahaha. After seeing its ease of use in the park, I looked into it more back at the hotel. Would it be a reasonable purchase? Would it hold enough stuff? Would it be practical with a preschooler as well as a toddler? What sort of extras are available? Is it as customize-able as the Orbit? How travel-friendly is it? (Uhh.. again, I will address this in another blog post.. but my Baby Jogger may be less-than-travel-friendly…) My research found that they, too, have a stand-on/boogie-board type attachment for the Xplory (perfect!) and the storage bag seems to hold quite a bit and is also removable. It looks to be quite versatile in it’s function modes. (Two wheeled and pulled behind you??? Awesome!) Plus — it’s rarely discounted price tag still keeps it in quite an elite market. I like that. I also am in love with the Black Milange fabric option. It’s gorgeous and classically modern.
So, there you have it. The ugly side of this elite-baby-gear addicted mama. I can’t help it. While I do ever-so-love my Baby Jogger City Select, and I’m so thrilled that they took off in a big way.. I can’t help but be turned off from its newly found commonness. It does, however, go to show that more and more parents are choosing to invest in more premium strollers. Even in this economy. It’s a wonderful thing for high end baby gear companies as well as those stores that sell them. I’m excited for my next stroller investment, too.
Now let me hear it. Have you ever been turned off from a more premium product because of its sudden popularity? (Coach bags, anyone?) Does vanity ever control your purchases?
I’ve sat here many times attempting this post, only to quickly realize how difficult it is to put into words my love for a diaper. No, I am not excited about any poop filled diaper. In fact, most diapers instill fear in me. If you have ever experienced a blow-out you know this fear. However, I am googoo over gDiapers.
I tell the world about my love for these diapers all the time. When my friends are expecting, I show them my diapers. (I’ve converted quite a few, too!) I tell them how easy they are to use. How simple it is to change. How not traditional they are. I am amazed by how many people still think that cloth diapering involves plastics covers and pins. Yes, you can still use those methods.. but why when you don’t have to? When you have something that is as convenient as a disposable diaper, without the guilt.
I often volunteer, when given the opportunity, to work in the gDiaper booths at trade-shows. Telling people about gDiapers is simple there. I show off my baby’s g-Clad bum and then talk about how simple it all is. I am able to answer new parents’ anxiety-filled poop questions. Tell them about how gDiapers has helped reduce my carbon footprint. I get to explain about my kids’ sensitive skin and how gDiaper’s has never given them a rash. I get to brag about how I have never had a blow-out in our gDiapers and I can explain all the differences in using gDiapers with their flushable/biodegradable/compostable insert, using gDiapers with their cloth insert –or– using plain old disposable diapers. (Currently, I am a biodegradable only user. I did cloth inserts with my middle son.. and my first son was a ‘sposie kid. Eep! I know the ins and outs of it all) Yet, to write it all out here? The words don’t flow. So, I am going to attempt to SHOW you how wonderful, adorable and simple gDiapers are. If there is one thing I have a lot of, it’s pictures of my kids in g’s.
Starting Out Tiny..
Let’s start with the TinyG’s. Rated for Newborns (Or, more accurately 6-10 lbs) these diapers are all one piece with a soft cotton exterior lined with a water resistant lining. Please observe, gDiapers all close in the back. While this takes a little getting used to with a wiggly, squishy newborn.. you will thank them for it as your child gets older and can start attempting to remove diapers that close in the front. (Trust me..) They recommend that these newborn diapers only be used with the biodegradable liner. Which, for newborn poop, I recommend using that particular liner anyway. There are snaps in the front to allow you to lower the rise as to not get in the way of a drying/healing umbilical cord and they are so sweet to look at. All of the TinyG’s come in this print and I couldn’t get enough of it. My baby was in the TinyG’s for longer than most (about 3.5 months) but he was less than 6 lbs at birth and only 8 lbs when I moved him into the smalls.
Some babies will never wear the TinyG’s, but if you can get your baby in them, even for a short amount of time, I recommend it. It is a wonderful way to get into the routine of gDiapering and a great learning tool. You can get the TinyG’s in packs of 6 or you will find them in the gBaby Bundle. (The gBaby Bundle is, in my opinion, the best value.. even if you don’t use the Tiny’s for long. You get 12 TinyG’s, 6 size smalls and 80 of the Biodegradable Refills.)
Getting Bigger:
As you Transition into the small gPants, (Small gPants rated from 8-14 lbs) there is a little bit more of a learning curve, as you will now have 3 pieces to your diaper. The soft and adorable cotton exterior, a nylon snap-in liner (or “pouch” as they are often referred to.. Each diaper comes with this pouch but you can buy extra) and then your choice of cloth or biodegradable insert. While this might seem slightly intimidating or complicated, it is definitely not. I typically pre-prepped all of my diapers and then switched them out at each change. If he was just wet, I would simply toss or flush the biodegradable insert, let the diaper and snap-in liner dry out and put a new diaper on him until the next change when I would go back to the previous diaper. Often only using 2-3 diaper exteriors and snap-in inserts per day.That is, unless I wanted to put him into a different color. Which, sometimes happened often. Especially during the summer when I used his diapers as part of his outfits. I think the thing I loved most during this period of time, compared to when my oldest son wore disposables at this age, is that I never had an outfit ruined by “blow-out” — My g’s have always contained the mess and protected his clothes. (Unless of course, I was 1/2 awake and put the diaper on wrong. But, that never happened. Nooo..) I kept my babies in small gPants (I have gDiapered two babies) until they reached about 12 pounds.
Growing Up:
The transition from Small to Medium was a little bit more interesting. Width wise, my baby still needed the small.. but length wise, the rise was too short. (Medium gPants are rated from 13-28 lbs) Thanks to the amazing community of gParents, I was guided into the “Small to Medium Transition Phase” of using a size Medium gPant (The cloth exterior..) with a size Small snap-in liner and biodegradable insert. This worked perfectly until he was about 14.5 pounds and able to fit the Medium snap-in liner more appropriately. The practice, by this point, will be second nature and there is no difference in gPants from Small through Extra-Large except that the Small gPants have a thinner waist band than the Medium, Large and Extra-Large. I’ll be honest, though. I have never used anything larger than the size Medium. When my first gDiapered baby was ready to potty train, he was only 25 pounds and still in Mediums at 2.5 years old.
An Addictive Collection:
Now that I’ve explained the basics, Let me talk about my addiction. As if the cute array or colors aren’t enough, gDiapers releases Limited Edition gPants and also gStyles Sets (that are also Limited in production) Often, these styles sell out promptly which has caused me to be “victim” of a lack of adorable gPant on a couple occasions. Often, they will throw out hints here and there on their Facebook Page to let you know that these diapers are coming soon, so I often plan accordingly to budget in one or two of them.
While these Limited Edition diapers have an excellent re-sale value, I have never been able to part with mine. I mean, what if I had another baby?? The thought of not having these adorable diapers makes me sad. You’d be surprised that, while all gPants have adorable names (Most appropriately starting with g’s..) most people will call out the name of a Limited Edition or a gStyle faster than you can even remember what your child’s name is. It’s a slightly (okay, not slightly..) addicting diaper obsession.
There are SO many amazing things about gDiapers that I can’t even begin to tell you all of them on a simple (yet adorable..) blog post, so I definitely urge you to go to the gDiapers site to see what they are all about. The community is strong and helpful. The staff is amazing.. and most of all, you will see that g’s are, above all other gWords, Genuine..
If you have any questions about gDiapers, if you use gDiapers, or just want to tell me how adorably cute these things are… Feel free to comment here. gDiapers quickly became more than just a purchase for me. They became a passion.
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, we love them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
I am currently at that dreaded point in my baby’s life that I have to begin to search for the next stage of car seat. He’s 15 months, however, he is roughly the size of a 6-9 month old baby. Or — that is what the tag on the inside of his only-recently-fitting clothes says, anyway. (What gives? Babies much younger than mine are towering him in size. He is the mini-me to their Incredible Hulk!) So, at 15 months, he still has a lot of room to grow in his infant car seat, however, not needing the “convenience” of the handle and “carrier” style of the car seat, it’s time to move on.
Knowing that it will likely take me a while to decide, I have been looking into the latest convertible car seats for a while. Now that I’ve narrowed it down to 3-5 that I really like, it comes down to safety, longevity and best value for the price. (Note: this does not by any means mean cheapest. It means, am I getting the most feature for my money?)
My other two kids have always ended up in Britax car seats. The baby’s infant car seat is a Britax Chaperone, but that doesn’t mean that I will stick with Britax necessarily. Yes, Britax is known for their fairly advanced safety features and quality. They also offer me a wide variety of models that can leave my baby rear facing for many different lengths of time. These models also offer many different price points for me to choose from. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for with Britax. Their seats are very fairly priced and the increase in price from model to model definitely represents the increase in features and longevity. The Britax at the top of my list is the Boulevard 70-G3. This seat will allow him to rear-face to 40 lbs, which is more than my nearly 4-year-old weighs and barely less than my almost 7-year-old. After that, it forward faces to 70 lbs. He could be in this for a long time! It’s designed to optimize head safety, which is a huge plus. It’s also a good value for the features, currently ranging from $240-$320 depending on where you find it. They have other models above this one that I looked at, however, the size range is pretty much the exact same, but their prices were more, so this model outweighed the other’s simply because of the value.
Outside of Britax, a few other brands have caught my attention enough for me to look into them. A few have made my list of possible seats for my tiny cargo. The first; the Orbit G2 Toddler seat. And no, this did not just make my list because I lust after the stroller. (Though, the toddler car seat can be used on the stroller! Optimal for travel and car-sleepers!) I love that unlike a lot of car seats on the market, Orbit is not swarming with harmful chemicals that our children are forced to inhale. It also gives you the option of using it rear-facing with a base, allowing it to come in and out of the car with ease, and rotation to make loading baby in and out simple as well. This seat can rear-face from 15-35 lbs which for some kids isn’t an extraordinary amount of time, but my almost 4-year-old still falls into the category of fitting this seat rear-facing. It also forward faces to 65lbs and 53″ which, again, even my nearly-7-year-old would still fit in. (Though, I have heard that the seated height is not very accommodating for children with taller torsos.. however, this is not an issue for my children.) With it’s rarely discounted price tag of $380 without a base, and $500 with a base, it does make me weigh its features a little more. It’s “green” status definitely solidifies its worth and its price, to me at least. Having the option of paying more for the convenience of the base is a great perk, though. I don’t have to buy the base and can save a bit of money that way.
Then comes the Clek Foonf. Ohhhh, any car seat with a German name deserves my attention! (They also have one named Oobr. Virtual high five to Clek!) Outside of it’s completely awesome name, what caught my attention was this seats width. Under 17″ at it’s widest point, and 13″ at the base! They were posting a variety of pictures of their seat in countless models of cars, 3 across, safely! What?!? And the range of size for rear-facing is phenomenal. 25-46″ and 14-50 lbs??? Not only could my baby and almost-4-year-old rear-face… but so could my almost-7-year-old?!? Insane. It then can forward face to 49″ and 65 lbs. Height wise, not the longest when forward facing.. but well within reason for my vertically challenged children. (Point of reference, my oldest is nearly 7 and roughly 45″ tall.) The Clek Foonf is also a “green” car seat, with outstanding safety features. However, my one (and only.. really) big snafoo with this seat is its price. Between $474-$499 depending on color/print. (As much as I love the Paul Frank print.. I struggle..) Worth the price? I’m fairly certain it would be. Does it’s price outweigh the similar price on the G2 with a base? I don’t know for sure, but one thing I do know that makes me lean towards saying yes is – Clek decided purchase 100% of their materials from North American suppliers. Including final assembly. Amazing. I do have one hesitation, and that is the fact that, while Clek’s booster seats have been on the market for a while now, this car seat is not yet released. (Due to release this October, 2012) The lack of long-term usage information is slightly (very slightly!) weighing on my decision.
So… Now you’ve gotten inside my mommy-shopper head. You can all feel bad for my husband now. He has to listen to these purchase debates on a regular basis. His answer has, so far, been “I don’t know. I’m sure whatever you choose is a good decision. Can I watch Grimm now?” He’s trusting, you see. Well, trusting and smart. He knows my decision will win regardless. (He learned quickly after naming 3 little boys..)
We’ll be making this purchase in the next month or two, so watch for a post with my decision.. and how I settled upon that particular seat. As you can see, it’s going to be a doozy of a decision. Haha.
What car seats are you considering? Does your purchase process look like mine? Don’t forget, you can always go check out Lela.com for more car seat recommendations and reviews!
Note: I am not a car seat expert. Just a mom, shopping for a car seat the best that I can with the safety and well being of my children in mind. Most of us moms are not car seat experts, so we weigh the information that is provided to us. I recommend doing your research and selecting the best car seat you can with the information that the manufacturers provide to you. Best of luck in your purchases!
My husband is, and always has been, a technology guru. He has worked in the IT field since he could legally work. He wrote his first program at the age of 3 and has always kept up on all the latest and greatest. I always knew that when we had kids, technology would be a mainstay in their lives.
Our home, unlike many of our friends, is not one without a television, or with restricted television. Pair that with my husband’s “latest and greatest” attitude about tech, and my home is full of button-mashing gaming systems and play-til-your-eyes-bleed tablets. The only thing we both agreed upon was that we will not be buying any hand held gaming consoles for our children. No Nintendo DS. No PSP or PSVita. Why, you ask? Because I want my children to grow to enjoy educational stimulation.
With this in mind, we combined my desire for education and my husband’s desire for tech and invested in LeapFrog toys. Over the years, we have had many of them. Most recently, though, we bought our kids the LeapFrog LeapPad’s and I only wish they had been around earlier.
The LeapPad is portable and durable. I throw them into the diaper bag to keep the older boys entertained during doctors appointments, long drives, anything that they may need to sit and be quiet for any length of time. Let’s face it, I am raising 3 boys. If I can find something to keep them sitting and quiet for longer than 3 minutes and it’s going to teach them something at the same time?? Sold.
I am pleased by the abundance of games that they make for the LeapPad. All educational, by the way. Yet, also all very appealing to my children. From their favorite Disney characters to an animated pencil, they have drawn my children into the games and allowed them to enjoy learning. Sometimes they realize they are learning, other times, they have no clue. You even have the convenience of buying App cards for the LeapFrog App store and just downloading games straight onto the LeapPad.
We bought our first LeapPad a month before my oldest started Kindergarten. He was on the verge of knowing how to read, but wasn’t quite there yet. By the time Kindergarten began, he was reading full speed ahead. Now in first grade, he is well above the reading level he should be, and above a lot of the students in his class.
Before we bought the second LeapPad. Our youngest played with the Leapster Explorer.
We bought our second LeapPad about 6 months later, right before we left on a short road trip to attend a funeral. We knew we would need to keep our 3-year-old entertained in the car and he had always loved playing with his brother’s LeapPad, so we knew it would be an investment worth making. He is not-yet-four and is already able to write his name and learning the basics of reading. I am not a mom who tries to push advancements on my kids.. so everything he is learning is more than likely learned from the games he plays on his LeapPad. (As much as I’d love to take credit..)
LeapFrog has since released a new LeapPad, the LeapPad2. I can guarantee you that both of my boys will be getting one for Christmas this year. My oldest will be 7 and my middle son will be almost 4 and I know that it will be one of the best things we can buy for them. Learning without feeling like you’re learning. Reading and enjoying it. (How many boys actually enjoy reading anymore? Not many. A sad but true statistic.) It’s well worth its $99 price tag.
If you’ve never thought about the LeapFrog brand of toys, I highly suggest it. If you have a child of preschool through elementary school age, I definitely recommend looking into the LeapPad. Don’t fall back on the “but I have an iPad that my child uses already” argument. So do we. It still doesn’t compare to the value we have seen come from the LeapPad.
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, we love them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
When I had my first baby, I had no idea about baby products. None of my friends had kids. I had to figure out what was wonderful and what was a disastrous waste of money all on my own. The internet was there and there was some reviews on various sites, but nothing like today. It was honestly trial and error. For everything.
Most things I purchased back then I would never purchase again. Ever. There was one thing, however, that opened me to the world of luxury, stylish baby products and I have never turned back. (I guess after reading this, my husband is regretting ever making that purchase.. haha)
My oldest son was about a year-and-a-half old, my husband brought home this gorgeous brown and teal brocade diaper bag. It was large, had a million pockets and a built in changing pad. It held everything I needed, and a million and one things I didn’t need.. but brought along anyway. (Don’t judge me. I bet every one of you has more unnecessary things in your diaper bags than you do necessary ones! Haha.) This bag, was a Petunia Pickle Bottom“Camellia Roll” Boxy Backpack.
Stroller Blanket – ready to leave hospital
Another Stroller blanket.
I had gone through several cheap, ugly diaper bags. Never happy. Never satisfied. And then.. THIS. Oh. It was gorgeous. Practical. I would never settle for mediocrity again. I used that one bag for years. Roughly 6 months into my second baby, I bought a second Petunia bag. Another Boxy Backpack, this time a glazed (aka: wipe-able!) one, in a beautiful teal color. Tranquil in Tibet, was it’s name. I went between the two bags on a constant basis. Each had a purpose. If I was going somewhere nice, I used the Brocade. If I was going somewhere that I thought the bag may get dirty (the zoo? the beach?) I used the Glazed.
When I was pregnant with my 3rd baby I was opened to the world of new Petunia Pickle Bottom products. Clothes, blankets, stroller bunting bags, Ergo Carriers, Nursing covers, wallets, travel bags, iPhone cases.. and of course more diaper bags.(Yes, I own one of each of those items!) I got smart and learned that I could still be thrifty with some of my Petunia purchases, too. Every so often they do an online outlet sale. (Go register! They’ll email before the next sale!) This helped me convince my husband to buy not one, but TWO more diaper bags. A small, purse sized bag (The Oasis Roll Touring Tote) and yet another Boxy Backpack. The Moroccan Mint. I love my collection of bags. With three kids, one in cloth diapers, I do get much more use out of my Boxy Backpacks (though, I have yet to convince myself that I need the larger, Abundance Boxy.. but you never know!) so my Touring Tote has found another home.. but don’t get me wrong. I loved that thing.
Petunia Pickle Bottom is one of my go-to brands for baby shower gifts, and I can honestly say that I will never buy another brand diaper bag again. Ever. I will continue to expand my collection of Petunia until I no longer need to carry anything with me. They make the perfect laptop/tablet/carry-on bags!! The quality of the Petunia bags is outstanding. The quality of all of their products is outstanding. My baby spent many days laying on the soft and fluffy recieving blanket I bought him and once the weather gets cold again, he will spend many nights snuggled up with it again. He was swaddled to sleep in his Petunia Swaddle until he wouldn’t allow me to swaddle him any longer. Should I have any more babies, they will also get Petunia swaddles and receiving blankets.
You should go look at the Petunia Pickle Bottom site and tell me: What would be the ultimate Petunia Pickle Bottom product of your dreams?
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, we love them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
It has been no secret to anyone who knows my baby, that very early on in life, he became infatuated with owls. While he loves pretty much any owl baby toy in existence, his favorite owl has, and probably always will be, the Skip*Hop Hug & Hide Owl that was given to him at my baby shower. We expanded his owl collection… but really, we expanded our Skip*Hop collection. We even found ourselves looking for more of the Skip*Hop owls that we already had, but came in different colors at Pottery Barn Kids.
The size of the gym isn’t too incredibly large, but it definitely isn’t small. It gave the baby the right amount of space to roll around a bit, and enough different toys to keep him occupied long enough for me to get things done. Our baby is rather small for his age and has some gross motor delays, so this activity gym also acted as a means of physical exercise for him when he really wasn’t capable of much. It even inspired him to sit for longer periods of time without the assistance of a baby seat.
The quality of the Skip*Hop products is wonderful. Most are washable, and trust me, in a house with three boys, our Skip*Hop toys have had numerous turns in the washing machine. I have only had one product not really make it back into rotation after the washing machine, and that was the cow mirror that says it is machine washable, but it contains a squeaker inside that seems to retain water after being washed — and for 2 days following, any time you squeaked it, water would squish out. Yuck. I removed it from rotation and got the rabbit version..The cow version was a favorite of the baby’s, and the quality was amazing.. just needed to avoid washing it. The rabbit found his home on the anti-rebound bar of our car seat.
The Activity gym is no exception to the durability of the Skip*Hop toys. It has been thrown around, stored, tossed in a closet and thrown in the back of our car for 2 weeks during our recent move. The washable pieces have been washed a few times, and it has been well chewed, gnawed and sucked on. It is still pristine!
I love this product so much, I am having a hard time deciding if I can part with it or not. We are sitting in limbo about whether or not our family is done expanding.. and until I know for sure, one way or another, I don’t want to give it up. So, now that our baby is 14 months old and past the baby gym phase, I have it sitting in our closet, knowing that if I need it again, even years from now, it will still be just as pristine as it was for him. And all the little tree friends hanging from it, the owls our baby loves so much? He gets regular use out of them still. They squeak and rattle and entertain him still. Some of them will find their way into his memory box. A token of his babyhood for him to share with his kids. I bet they will still be just as perfect then as they are now.
If you are in the market for an activity gym, or really any baby toy, definitely go look at the Skip*Hop line of products. I hope you and your baby love them as much as me and my baby do! As our baby gets older, and our other kids are in school, we have started expanding into Skip*Hops other lines of products, too, like the ZOO Dinosaur Lunch box that our oldest son proudly trots with him to school every day.
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
I always heard about this giraffe baby toy. Apparently, it squeaked like a dogs chew toy and was non-toxic for your kids to chew on. Reviews I had read claimed it to be the best teething toy. I thought it was all hype. During one of our many stops at our favorite local baby boutique, our baby spotted it. Hanging on a wall display. In a cute little brown cardboard box. This Sophie the Giraffe teether. Not the original Sophie, but rather one with handles, in the traditional white with brown giraffe spots. He FLIPPED. With hands flapping, the squealing began and we knew at that moment, we weren’t leaving that store without that little brown box.
Our older boys insisted that we needed to immediately go find a replacement. Back to our favorite boutique we went. They were out of the same teether. What? What were we going to do?? Then, the arm flapping and shrieking started up. Had he spotted one? No. Well, not exactly. What he spotted was a Sophie the Giraffe green colored Vanilla teether. I don’t know how he knew it was the same giraffe, but he did. We, once again, were not leaving that store without that giraffe.That Sophie teether went everywhere with us. And then, the unspeakable happened. While out of town for a funeral, we lost the teether. Heaven help us. My guess is that it is somewhere in a Starbucks parking lot. (What? Isn’t that the most logical place for us to have stopped in order to lose something?) Crying began, sad whimpering. I don’t know what it was about that giraffe, but it found a place in our baby’s heart.
I am very happy to say that we have not lost that teether. After the first mishap, I made sure to tether that thing to anything and everything possible. The love… the infatuation.. didn’t stop, though. Each and every time we go to that baby boutique, or any other baby store for that matter, our older kids go on a Sophie hunt. Once she is located, the baby’s arms start flapping and squeals begin. He doesn’t talk, you see. Talking or not, though, he makes it very clear how much he loves that giraffe.
As I said in the last blog post, we helped at an event this past weekend. Right across from the booth we were working in he spotted her. “PHIE PHIE!!!!” he shrieked. He called for her for the first 15-20 minutes we were there. I didn’t want to lose his “Phie Phie” so I left her in the car. I should have brought her. I almost had to go buy him another one.We eventually ended up with the large, squeaks-like-a-dogs-chew-toy Sophie. He snuggles it. He smiles when he sees it. He actually started referring to it in as much of a word as he can. “Phie Phie.” He spots “Phie Phie’s” from anywhere. We cannot leave without seeing all the “Phie Phies.”
Tell me, do you have any Sophie products? How do you or your kids like them? If you don’t, which Sophie do you wish you had?My piece of advice to you: If you have a baby or are expecting a baby, get a Sophie. Any Sophie. I don’t know a baby yet that has one and doesn’t love it. I have a feeling we will be adding more of the Sophie products to our household, as well as perhaps Sophie’s friends, the Chan Pie Gnon.
Note: These products were not provided to me. We bought them, our children love them, so I am showing them to you in the hope that you will love them too.
This past Sunday I helped man the gDiaper’s booth at the Northwest Biggest Baby Shower at the Portland Convention Center. After doing my shift and showing people the diapers that I love ever-so-much, (That is a post to come..) My husband and older kids arrived and we decided to walk around the booths.
Overall, I was disappointed in the show as a whole. Not many vendors, not a good representation of baby GEAR, however, there was one thing that jumped out at me like a kid on trampoline. Sili Squeeze.
All three of my children love the Plum Organics squeezable pouches. They love all the Plum Organics foods, but most of all, the squeezable pouches. We freeze them and send them in our oldest son’s lunch box, we throw a handful into the diaper bag for when we are on the go with the younger two, and we keep a stash of them on our kitchen counter for times when they just want a snack. Deep down, though, I am a homemade baby food mama.
It started when my oldest was an infant and allergic to nearly everything. Processed, jarred baby food was an allergy risk for him, and honestly, just smelled disgusting. As I sat and made his food, there was something so much better about it. WE would eat it. Bananas tasted like bananas and didn’t have an odor that instantly triggered a gag reflex. From then forward, all of our kids ate REAL food, made by me. Until I realized how inconvenient it was with three kids, one jaunting back and forth to school. That’s where we found the Plum Pouches and loved the convenience of good options made easy.
Enter Sili Squeeze. I can put any smooth food I want to in it and take it to go. It’s a pouch, just as convenient as the Plum pouches we came to love, but I can fill it with the food I make, or foods that they love that maybe taste a bit better than the pouches. Let’s face it, the Greek Yogurt pouches do NOT taste good. I can’t even get the baby to like those.
I filled the Sili Squeeze up with Vanilla Bean yogurt this morning and my two youngest kids downed it. My middle son had been begging us since we bought the two Sili Squeeze’s yesterday “Can you wash that so I can use it, please?” He was so excited. We bought one of each of their two styles. One has a valve of sorts that prevents it from free flowing. My baby was flinging it from side to side and we didn’t have yogurt flying everywhere. We got the “squeeze with eeeze” for our older boys, as it’s more free flowing and they (should) know better than to fling it all over the place.
I am very pleased to say that this is one product that I’m excited for. It’s safe, it’s fun, it’s whatever you want it to be. It’s also freezable, which means I can still send them in my oldest son’s lunches and know that it will arrive there cold at lunch time. It has a nice, strong lid, so I won’t worry when I throw it in the diaper bag, either. A big plus, I have to say, is that it is very easy to clean. There weren’t a million pieces. I wish sippy cups were this easy. I can’t wait to buy more!
Note: this product was NOT provided to me. I bought it and I loved it, so I am showing it to all of you in hopes that you love it to.
You see advertisements for dating websites every where. The idea that you input a handful of facts about yourself and you are shown a list of people that best compliment you.
Well, I’m married. I no longer need to find my compatible love match. I do, however, constantly find myself searching for my compatible consumer match. This is where Lela.com comes in. Lela.com has shown me a new way to find the perfect products for my family and myself.
I’m incredibly picky about baby gear. I am willing to spend a little more to get a better product, if I need to. I also have a fairly modern style, with a love of all things new and high tech. Finding the “perfect baby gear” has been an adventure. I’ve gone through many strollers because they simply didn’t fit my criteria in the end.
Lela.com linked to my Facebook profile, looking at my likes. It also asked me a handful of questions, then Lela.com became my baby gear match maker. I was impressed almost instantly. I clicked on strollers. I have an addiction to strollers. What did I find? Not only had Lela.com matched me with a stroller I lust after, but it also matched me with a stroller I currently own.
Okay, so it works for strollers. What about car seats? The world of car seats is insane. There are a million and one car seats. Some hideously old fashioned and some are far more advanced than I’d even know what to do with. Like strollers, having three kids has given me the opportunity to know what works for me. Again, matched me with a few car seats I currently own, one I lust for, and the ones I don’t care to own are far down the list.
Better than just showing you your ideal match, Lela.com also shows you where you can buy the product and which retailer has the best price, as well as link you directly to those retailers.
This is very promising. I can see it being especially helpful for new parents who are looking for a certain style, but unsure of brands and where to shop.
To put Lela.com to the ultimate test, I unleashed my husband on it. You see, Lela.com doesn’t just match you with baby gear, but also with tech products and home goods. It matched me with a gorgeous LG television, but outside of being pretty, I don’t know if that television is a good match for me. This is where my IT professional, tech-loving, geek of a husband really helped. I made him also sign up. What were his matches like? Well, he was appropriately matched with an enormous Samsung television and iPhones. He was also matched with a Blackberry which made him scoff, but overall, he was impressed by the design and matching ability.
Blackberry aside, Lela.com is a very helpful site for shopping. Especially when shopping for product categories you aren’t too familiar with. Now, I need to convince my husband that since Lela.com matched me with a Stokke Tripp Trapp and an Orbit G2, these items should be purchased immediately. Let’s just hope he doesn’t try the same with the Samsung television. 🙂
I have one request of you readers. Click this link to Lela.com, sign up, answer the questions and let me know: What are your favorite matches? Did Lela.com successfully find products you were happy with?
You can also go “Like” Lela.com on FB here: Lela And, while you’re at it, go “Like” my friend, FaVe Mom, who introduced me to Lela.com, here: FaVe Mom
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