Aden + Anais Archives - The Diaper Bag Confessions

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I love to shop. If this is the first time you’ve come to my blog, now you know. Shopping is my pleasure.. Something I’m very good at. (Much to my husband’s dismay..)

When it comes to my children, that is where the bulk of my shopping expertise is put to use. There are a million and one products on the market that all do the same thing.. All at different prices.. All of different quality. Especially for babies.

You must consider a few things when shopping for baby products.

1. Price-point – Are you on a strict budget, or is your budget more flexible?

2. Form or Function – Where does your priority lie? Do you simply want something that does the job, or something you don’t mind being a long-term piece of furniture in your home?

3. High or Low Tech – Are you a gadget lover or do you prefer less complicated gear? Or perhaps you don’t care one way or the other?

4. Brands – Are labels important to you, or do you not care who made it, so long as it works?

Once you’ve answered all of these questions, most shopping comes easy. You’ve figured out which brands are common, which brands are expensive, you can see which products have bells and whistles.. and you can obviously see which products will look like a toy store exploded in your house versus a magazine-esque photo shoot.

Now that you’ve decided on these criteria for yourself and your budget, it’s time to build your registry. Registries are good for more than just telling Baby Shower attendees what you desire. They are a good way for you to keep track of the products you need and want for baby even if purchased on your own. You’ll have a list of what still needs purchased, what has already been purchased and can see in front of you what it all will cost. If you know you will be thrown a baby shower, I would include items of all sizes and a variety of price ranges to easily accommodate your attendees preferences and budgets.

With my oldest, the only registry options were going into a store with the registry scanner and manually scanning each desired item. I thought that was fun at the time and my husband loved the scanner. Since then, I’ve learned. Online registries are so much better! When you create online registries, you have a larger array of items to choose from, you can compare products easier, there is a wider selection of premium brands that often aren’t carried in big box stores, and you can keep track of what is discontinued or out of stock.

My favorite online registry? Diapers.com – I’m on baby number 4 and the first thing I did for him was start my registry. Not for a baby shower per say, (…he is baby number 4..) but as my own shopping list and a place to send people when they ask. Why Diapers.com? First, they have such a wide variety of products, they accommodate nearly all of my very particular tastes of baby gear. Second, once you reach $500 in purchases from your registry, you earn credits. When you’re buying large furniture, car seats and strollers.. The numbers can quickly add up and the credits pay off! Lastly, my favorite part of a Diapers.com registry.. FREE 1-2 day shipping on most items (unless shipping direct from manufacturer which may take longer, but is stated as such) It doesn’t matter if its a crib, a stroller, a bottle of baby shampoo.. No item too big or small, it will ship free. If others are shopping from your registry, they can opt to have it mailed directly to an address you have provided or delivered to themselves. This is particularly nice for out-of-town family that may want to buy a gift for baby but can’t deliver it to you in person. They can even request gift wrapping on many items.

In addition to all of those wonderful features, they provide a “Ship Later” option. Something can be purchased that you won’t need immediately, and shipped to you at a later specified date. Also, a “Thank You Manager” to keep track of who sent or purchased what, and check off when you’ve sent a Thank You note. The “Dollars for Diapers” option allows people to purchase credits that will be added to your account to be used for diapers as you need them! A fabulous feature, which allows you to not over-purchase one size of diaper that baby ends up outgrowing. Just use your credits as needed for the size you need. (They’ll arrive in 1-2 days, after all!) And last but not least is the “10% Registry Completion” perk that allows you to purchase any of your remaining registry items after baby is born at a 10% discount.

Go forth, find your baby gear preferences, enjoy building your registry and start shopping for baby! It’s such a fun process! (Might I recommend adding some Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets.. A Diaper Bag Confessions Favorite!)

If you’ve never shopped at Diapers.com, or their sister sites, before — feel free to take advantage of 20% off your first order: Use code SIMP0570 or click the image below.

use code: SIMP0570

New customers to Diapers.com, YoYo.com or other Quidsi sites only. $20 maximum discount. Subject to change or cancellation.

Note: This post is not sponsored in any way by diapers.com – the opinions I’ve expressed are my own, simply because I love shopping with diapers.com and the registry program they offer.

It all started with an addiction to giraffes and a desire to get my toddler weaned. You see, we were bed-sharers. Our toddler slept soundly snuggled right between us.. so long as his “breast friends” weren’t far away. When I decided to wean, I knew our only solution was to move him into his own bed. I had to make this bed as welcoming and desirable to him as possible. So, I went on a hunt. He loves “PhiePhie’s” as many of you have seen. So, I knew that having giraffes integrated into his new bed would be critical. I found the perfect thing. A simple white sheet with adorable giraffes all over it. We ran to our local boutique and bought it. Upon simply opening it, I knew it was amazing. Made from muslin, it was quite possibly the softest sheet I have ever held. After washing it? Even more soft. The brand? Aden + Anais. I was hooked instantly, in fact, my toddler refuses to sleep on any other sheet – so when I was given the opportunity to review a few of their products, I jumped at it.

Aden + Anais is everywhere right now. Rightfully so! What mom doesn’t want her baby wrapped in the softest, lightest, breathable blanket? Especially one that also comes in sweet prints. I asked some of my readers if they had used A+A blankets for their babies. The response was amazing. Several of them even sent me pictures. Sweet babies snuggled in adorable blankets.

(They also were kind enough to give me permission to share these sweet babies with you all! Enjoy! Baby E, Baby M and Baby G.)

When the box arrived, I was thrilled. My children are almost as addicted to blankets as I am to baby gear, so they were just as excited as I was. We washed the blankets and quickly got them into use. A Dream Blanket that my 4-year-old immediately claimed and a Sleeping Bag perfectly sized for my 22-month-old. I am completely in love with the Dream Blanket. In fact, I instantly threw a glance towards my husband and said “We need this!! A big one!” (They have big ones, by the way! The Daydream Blanket!) Four layers of ridiculously soft muslin. I could melt into that blanket. Clearly, so could my son.. because he did. Blissfully to sleep, snuggled up with it. When he awoke the next morning, still wrapped in his blanket, I asked him if he liked it. His reply was simple and quite matter of fact.. “Yes! Can I get more? Do they have one with fire trucks?” Two weeks later and I have to fight him to let me wash it. He makes me promise to give it back once it’s done. And, while they don’t have fire trucks.. they do have monsters. He might be just as happy about that.

The Sleeping Bag had me worried. Our toddler is almost 2 and while he is less mobile than most kids his age, he is still mobile. How would he react to having his legs confined within a blanket all night long? However, after I had washed it, he grabbed it from me and kept attempting to put his arms in the holes.. so I became hopeful. His typical sleep routine goes something like this — Sleep.. toss and turn in order to kick feet out from under blanket.. roll over and go back to sleep — His first night in the Sleeping Bag was no different, however when he attempted to kick his feet out from under the blanket, he couldn’t. I panicked for a moment and then I remember something amazing about this Sleeping Bag. It zips from the top down. I quickly went to him, raised the zipper enough for his feet to peek out and he drifted blissfully back to sleep. This actually made me love the blanket more, as typically I would have to go cover his feet back up before I went to bed to assure he stayed warm enough at night. Instead, just letting them peek out of the Sleeping Bag meant that as he rolled over and adjusted himself in his sleep, his feet migrated themselves back into the Sleeping Bag and thus, remained warm at night. I also love that it’s light weight and airy.. but managed to keep him cozy and warm! It also, surprisingly, didn’t limit his mobility as much as I thought it would. While a little more difficult, he was still able to move around the crib.

Along with the blankets came two bottles. You see, Aden + Anais doesn’t just make blankets. They have a fabulous line of baby skin care products. Wait, I take that back. Family skin care products. The A+A “mum+bub” collection. While formulated to be gentle enough for baby’s fragile skin.. they are just as fabulous for everyone else in the house. It is exactly as the bottle says “Made for baby. Designed for you.”

We are a family of eczema sufferers and have always been loyal to one brand of skin care products. It was the only brand that has thus far kept my children’s skin soft and free of rashes. This would test my loyalty to that other brand. They sent both the ultra gentle lotion and the hair+body wash. I was nervous, but seeing how natural it was I decided to give it a go. I tried the lotion on myself first. Let me just say that I have never smelled anything so good. I don’t like heavily perfumed things but I do enjoy smelling nicely. This had just enough scent to it that it was noticeable, but not so much that you turn heads. The only thing better than the smell was how soft it made my skin. My hands went from feeling like cardboard to feeling like satin.. and without any sort of residue being left behind on them. I loved it. After a few days of using the lotion on myself, I decided it would be worth trying out on my toddler. His skin is sensitive, but not as much as his brothers’ so he was the best person to try it on. I opened up the hair+body wash and got excited to try it on him. Following his bath, his skin was so smooth. Again, it was like the lotion.. his skin felt like satin. Also like the lotion, he smelled so good. I am sure that the smell is attributed to an ingredient like “fresh, fermented pawpaw fruit” but I choose to believe that the smell comes from my favorite ingredient on the list: LOVE. (No joke. It’s on the ingredient list. More products should contain LOVE, just saying..)

Aden + Anais is a household name for so many moms. So many products to help make life with a new baby a little more natural. A little softer. A little cozier. Now I can enjoy them for more than just blankets. I look forward to filling our home with more Aden+Anais, especially more of their mum+bub products! (.. and perhaps a Daydream blanket.. preferably in “branch out“..)

How many of you have used A+A products? If you have, which product is your favorite? If you haven’t yet had the chance to use A+A products, which products on their site would you be most interested in trying out?

Note: This post is my honest opinion of Aden+Anais products. I was not paid to write this blog post, nor was my opinion swayed in any way. The products reviewed were provided to me by Aden+Anais.