Baby Gear

As a parent you are always looking for the safest items for your baby…and the most gentle. So what kind of laundry soap are you using? Does it have enzymes, optical brighteners, fabric softeners, dyes, or artificial frangrances?

The above ingredients can be bad news. Many parents are opting for more natural laundry detergents to launder baby clothing. There is a great laundry detergent chart at The Diaper Jungle. It is geared mainly for laundering cloth diapers but the information is good for all baby items that need laundering. There is even a chart for HE or high efficiency detergents to. These charts rate detergents based upon the number of the non ideal ingredients that I mentioned above. You can even see which detergents that most moms are using and read their reviews. Pretty cool!

Here are some of the detergents that seem to be making the grade:

Charlie’s Soap - “Outstanding product! Everything comes perfectly clean without adding any additional cleaning agents. Great buy as well. You only need a small portion, since it’s concentrated. Cleans well even in my hard water area. Don’t need to use fabric softener with it.”

Dreft - Leaves clothes soft and smelling great!

Baby Soap, Detergen, Dreft, Charlie’s Soap, cloth diapers, baby clothes

The Snugli Comfort Vent is a soft carrier for babies ranging in weight from 7-26 lbs. It’s khaki in color lined with some black giving it a very casual, sporty look. It has padded shoulder straps that criss-cross on your back. It has a versatile flap-down front that can be adjusted for newborn facing Mom, or folded down to carry older baby facing away from Mom. It has a convenient front pocket for keys or pacifiers and has two snap air vents for those warmer days. All the straps buckle very easily for maximum comfort and safety. At $16.99 this is a great buy!

I’ve owned other Snugli-like carriers before because I have six children. However, the other two I owned were not as comfortable and not as easy to put on. This Snugli by Evenflo is very comfortable and is very easy to slide baby into and out of! I love the adjustable front flap and the front pocket. When I first bought it, I wore it for three hours at a picnic. I put my keys in the front pocket, along with a pacifier and I was ready to go. My baby was very comfortable facing forward and didn’t get over-heated on that warm day because of the mesh air vents. I feel like I got an excellent product for the price.

As a mother of six, I’m always looking for top products that are the most reasonably priced! This is one of them!

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The The Happy Hippo Gym is a baby mat with a toy bar above where baby lays. The mat is very colorful, but smaller than most baby mats. It has a slightly cushioned head-rest so that baby is slightly inclined.

The toy bar has three toys; A mirror, a crinkle toy and a musical teether. The toy bar sets inside two plastic couplings, which makes the toy bar removable. You can attach the toy bar to a crib. The Happy Hippo gym has an easy zip-up design. You simply fold up the mat in half and zip closed. It has a handle to make travelling very easy. This mat is one of the less expensive mats at $19.99. The age range for this mat is 0-6 months.

Overall, I liked the mat because of the bright colors and the lower price. It’s a bit smaller than most gyms, with only one toy bar, but serves the purpose and stimulates baby.

My only criticism for this baby gym is that the toy bar continually pops out of the plastic couplings. When my four month old baby pulls on one of the hanging toys, one side of the toy bar will just pop out of place. Perhaps for a younger baby this would not happen, but it was frustrating having to constantly put the bar back in place. This is why I give it a 4 in rating.

bby, hippo gym, play, mat, toy, babies, infants, baby toys, pregnancy, baby gifts, playmat

The Fresh Safe Feeder is a 3 part feeding tool for babies and young toddlers. It consists of a soft mesh bag which food is placed in, a plastic ring collar and a round handle that the bag and collar screw on to that baby can hold it themselves.

The feeder is wonderful for babies who have started on solid foods but who don’t have a lot of teeth. You can place a bit of chopped carrot, apple, grape, orange or other foods that might ordinarily be a choking hazard for your baby into the Feeder and your little one can enjoy fresh raw fruits and vegetables safely. This is more nutritious but also preferable to some babies who don’t like the texture of mushy baby food or who prefer to self feed. It also saves you money. You might not have to buy baby food at all if you use the feeder

Review: My babies loved using this product. I also loved it because it made feeding solids easier and stress free for me. I didn’t have to worry about the baby choking but I also didn’t have to mush everything and spoon feed either. Babies who are old enough to hold onto the feeder enjoy feeding themselves with it.

One of my favorite uses was during teething. I would put a frozen strawberry into the feeder and baby would gum it. They loved the flavor but it also provided instant teething relief and something to gnaw on other than my fingers!

The feeder is also easy to clean. Just unscrew the collar, take the pouch out and throw the 3 pieces into the dishwasher and you’re done.

baby, feeder, fruit, food, fresh food feeder, eating

Babies love going for rides in the great outdors. This adorable toy makes it easier! Cozy Push and Ride Car by Little Tikes: This little car has lots of big fun features including cute ‘bug’ styling, a cozy roof, and a removable push handle. It easily adapts to a child’s growing skills, with a working drivers side door that locks with the turn of screw, and unlocks when the child is old enough to scoot around on their own. Theres also a working gas cap and horn, built-in cup holders, ‘ignition switch’, and key. Ages 1 - 5 years.

Car features cute styling, a cozy roof, and converts from a push-and-ride to a ride-in. When used as a push-and-ride car, the working door is locked. As the child grows, it converts to a ride-on by unlocking the door and removing the floorboard and push handle. Includes a working gas cap and horn, build in cup holder, clicking key and caster front wheels.

baby, car, Little Tikes, toy, outdoors

Jump-O-Lene Castle Bouncer. Jump, jump, pretend-play and jump some more; the Castle Jump-O-Lene? is the ultimate inflatable kids trampoline combined with an imaginative pretend-play castle setting! Cushiony, double-mattress inflatable floor for safe, soft, bouncing fun! Built-in crawl-thru door included so your kids can use the Castle Jump-O-Lene? as a playhouse or a big fort! Let your kids’ imaginations soar! Castle includes two detachable inflatable soft swords for protecting the castle. Includes 24 Fun Ballz?; the Fun Ballz? can be tossed into the tops of the battlements and pushed through the sides of the walls. Constructed of thick and durable material and the side walls are high for safer bouncing play. Brightly colored and interactive fun that encourages physical development, balance, coordination and excercise. Use indoors or outside. Well balanced; won’t tip or wobble. Safe and non-toxic material that cleans easily with soapy water. Hypoallergenic! No need to worry about allergies with this toy. Affordable kids fun! Deflates compactly for easy storage.

This is the answer to the child who never seems to run out of energy! Finally, a place for my toddler to bounce around and wear himself out without my having to worry that he’s going to fall and crack his head on something!

If you’ve got a reasonably open space indoors, you can use it inside during the cold months or rainy days. In the summer, you can leave it outside with no problem.

We weren’t sure if this would be too small for our 3 year old, but it’s definitely large enough for him to play with for a few years to come.

jump, bounce, children, balls, play

I’ve become addicted to this Dusting Powder by Burt’s Bees!  Burt’s Bees focuses on providing all-natural products, and they provide a full list of ingredients on their site so you can check it out before you buy.

I use it in place of an anti-perspirant and am very pleased with the results. I’ve found that I can’t live without it during our humid summers - it worked wonders with my children’s heat rash and it a wonderful soother for those really sticky days. 

I think my favorite part about this powder is that it doesn’t smell like your typical “baby” product. I’m not a big fan of the scent of baby powder, especially not on me. 

As you would expect from a company like this, their Dusting Powder is 100% talc-free.  It does have a mild scent but we love it!

Budget-wise, this product is a pretty thrifty buy - though you’d never guess it when you saw the powdered rosebuds in the ingredients list! 

I’ve been using the same bottle for over a year now.  I use the powder daily, with two applications a day in the summer.

My children have sensitive skin, and we’ve used this product for over five years with excellent results.  I would not hesitate to recommend the Dusting Powder to anyone!

baby, burts bees, dusting powder, sensitive skin

Description: Peg Perego’s Primo Viaggio car seat.

- Adjustable, latch-compatible base, works great for getting that perfect fit into the van/car.
- Side level indicator tells you when you’ve got the right angle.
- Thick padding for comfort and safety
- a five-point harness to keep the child in.
- Infant head insert to prevent head rolling.
- Belly pad to protect from chafing.
- Can be put right into Perego Stroller.
- Large adjustable canopy.
- Comes in different colors.

Review: I purchased this car-seat after shopping around for quite some time. All of the other car-seats simply didn’t meet my expectations on what I believed to be a safe and logistical car-seat. This car-seat works great with, and can fit in, all kinds of cars/vans. I was pleased with the sturdiness of the seat. It can be locked in firmly and feels very safe. It does not rock or move when turning, even sharply. (Not recommended! haha)

What I love most about this car-seat is the ability to fit it right into the stroller. This is so perfect for those trips around the mall. You can just unlatch the seat, pop it out, and put it right into the stroller, without waking the baby.

The carrying handle is nice and firm, it doesn’t shake or rattle, or feel like it’s coming off or breaking. I feel this is the safest and most portable car-seat out on the market. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a safe and convenient car-seat for their child.

Criticism: Now if they could only lower the price! Ouch!

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This product does have a very mild scent but we love it! We’ve had total strangers comment on how sweet our children smell.

A little bit will go a long way with this product. I’d estimate that our family uses three or four bottles per year. I put the oil into a pump-top container so we can control each application a little better.

My children have sensitive skin, and we’ve used this product for over five years with excellent results. We use this Apricot Oil by Burt’s Bees year-round. In the winter, we like to apply this oil (mixed 50/50 with Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Skin Creme) as soon as we pop out of the shower to seal in moisture. It works like a charm! It’s great by itself as an after-shower oil in the summertime as well.

Burt’s Bees focuses on providing all-natural products, and they provide a full list of ingredients on their site so you can check it out before you buy.

I would not hesitate to recommend the Apricot Baby Oil to anyone - and I love it as much as my kids do!

Criticism: I love the fact that this oil comes in a glass bottle but would appreciate some kind of built-in dispenser to help prevent spills.

Burt’s Bees, Apricot Oil, Baby, natural, baby lotion, lotion, babaies, infants, pregnancy, skin

I just found a beautiful diaper bag from Calliope! The Chocolate Ice Tote Set and Diaper Bag is simply gorgeous and looks more like a purse then a diaper bag.

Description: Change your priorities - maintain your style. This incognito diaper bag is built for function with just the right amount of pockets and space. The Classic Tote Set is the quintessential bag, sized perfectly for all your gear. The Classic Tote comes with coordinating accessories, including a changing pad, cosmetic bag and wristlet bag to keep you organized and chic no matter what kind of day lies ahead. Features include quilted micro fiber easy-clean wipeable fabric, zipper closure, coordinating changing pad, cosmetic bag and coin purse, a large zippered interior pocket, two open interior pockets perfect for sippi cups or to keep your drink nice and cool, two adjustable interior bottle pockets, two exterior side pockets, and metal feet on base.

This is one cool diaper bag for one cool mama!

diaper bag, changing pad, purse, sippi cups, cosmetics

Recipient of the National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval, Baby Mozart music CD is a 15-track, 28-minute collection designed as a playful introduction to the genius of Mozart, the child prodigy from Salzburg. Bring to life the Classical Period (1750-1830) with the brilliance and grace of classical music by Wolfgang Mozart and enrich your child’s life by exposing them to melody, harmony in this audio journey of some of Mozart’s best work. Re-orchestrated for little ears, this collection is sure to bring joy to your little one’s playtime or bedtime. Tracks from this delightful CD are featured on our Baby Mozart video and DVD.

Baby, music, CD, mozart, classical

Rub-a-dub-dub. The Infant Newborn-to-Toddler Bath Center & Shower is a great product for mom and making bath time a bit easier.

From earliest infancy to toddlerhood, this bath center and shower provides five options for getting your wee one squeaky clean. The removable battery-operated shower provides a (very) gentle rinse spray. A three-position bath sling grows with Baby, allowing parents to bathe her/him in the sink, fully reclined in the tub, or upright in the tub. Remove the sling when the child gets a little older, for a comfy kid-size tub and shower. And finally, for your big girl or boy toddler, remove the tub altogether but keep the shower for use in full-size tub. Features foam pad for comfort, a wide design for stability and easy access to bathe child, fabric sling that can be located in three positions depending on baby’s size, drain plug for easy water removal, removable battery-operated shower unit, and a color change strip on shower unit that indicates rinse water temperature. Tub hangs for convenient storage.

If you are frugal parent that wants something that will last beyond the infancy stage then this tub/shower is for you.

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You’ve received an invitation to your friend’s baby shower. She happens to be a tree hugger. Now it’s time to shop for eco-friendly baby gifts. Feeling lost? Don’t know where to begin shopping, or what types of green baby gifts are available?

We would like to share the best green gift ideas we’ve found online. These planet friendly baby shower gift ideas will make shopping for your loved one’s baby shower a breeze.

GREEN GIFT IDEA: For the nursery
An organic cotton baby blanket or crib comforter is a perfect fit for a new baby’s crib. Made with organic cotton, these blankets are lightweight, yet keep baby snug and warm. These blankets can be purchased at Amazon.com for just $39.49.

GREEN GIFT IDEA: For baby’s care
Shop Natural offers an enormous range of awesome baby items. They offer everything from organic shampoo and calming lotion, to wipes and lullaby CDs. They have a great gift basket available called the Baby Be Natural Gift Basket. The gift basket can be purchased for $39.95.

GREEN GIFT IDEA: The baby’s wardrobe
If you’re looking for a organic baby clothing then Green Nest is the place for you. They have adorable organic long johns, caps, and blankets. They also have organic baby slings to make toting baby around an easy job. These baby items start at about $40.

GREEN GIFT IDEA: For the new Mommy
Don’t forget about the new Mommy when you’re shopping for your green baby shower gift. Earth Mama Angel Baby offers a nice line of pregnancy products, like natural nipple cream and butter, pregnant belly oil, booby tubes and maternity pillows.

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