Baby Gear

Got a great product for kids or their parents?
If you would like to see your product featured on this site for review or your web site listed under my links section, email me by clicking the “contact me” button on the right side of the page.

baby gear reviews, baby gear, kids, children, baby products, kid products

Bryan and Victoria tagged me for seven unusual things about me post, so here you go:

1) I hate bananas but love banana bread, muffins, smoothies anything with banana in it, but I hate the texture of a banana.

2) I knew I was going to have twins since I was a little girl. I have no idea why I have no twins in my family.

3) I wear black shirts 90% of the time. I love black, I always buy black, I think everything I like looks best in black. If I love something and it doesn’t come in black I will go for a blue or brown.

4) I know all the words to all the song in the movies Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz and Aladdin. Sadly, I knew these all before I even had children.

5) I love spinach and asparagus

6) I have germ phobia and I think I am passing it onto my kids, even though I really try not to.

7) I love buying towels. I hate when my towels are not soft or fluffy anymore. That is when I run out to the store and buy all new towels. Then I donate my old, non fluffy ones to the animal shelter.

So after reading those do you still want to read my blogs? I tag anyone who wants to do this, let me know in the comments so I can read how unusual you are.

I hope your children have all these cute T shirts for Father’s Day!

Daddy rocks and let’s make sure he knows it.

t-shirts, kids, childrens, I love Daddy, Father’s day, dads, fathers

Victoria from our San Diego blog tagged me to do a meme on 5 reasons why I like to blog, so here you go:

1) I love babies, baby stuff and everything baby, so I have many baby things. I wanted to write here about things a baby needs and what they don’t. I don’t want to read a review blog that has things only Hollywood moms would have. I am a regular suburban mom that loves Target, Gymboree and the Gap. That is why I review what I do.

2) It gave me a creative outlet.

3) Being a SAHM doe snot pay well at all, I thought writing could buy me a pair of shoes or two (hundred).

4) I have a lot to say and my husband has heard it all.

5) Why not??

I tag, you and you and yeah, you. Leave me a comment if you do this meme so I can read why you blog.

meme, kids, bloggers, mommy bloggers, baby gear

With the percentage of cesarean sections going up every year, now more and more mothers know what it is like to heal from major surgery. I had a C-Section with my twins and it was a hard recovery. Perhaps if I had this C-Section recovery kit, my recovery may have been a little shorter or even maybe a little easier.

The kit includes 100% USDA certified organic Postpartum Recovery Tea, Happy Mama Spray, a C-Section Recovery CD, Mama’s ultimate scar and skin balm, C-Mama Healing Salve™.

It seems like a great idea and a great gift for expecting moms.
Has anyone every used something like this after their C-Section?

\ pregnancy, new moms, cesarean section, C-Section, VBAC, C-Section recovery kit, recovery kit

Of course when you are shopping for your new baby, there are many things on your want list. Many you don’t know you won’t need and many that you register for or buy because you like the idea of it or you think it will make your life easier.

The one thing, I think that should be on everyone’s registry is a boppy.

Boppys are wonderful for so many reasons. They are perfect for helping nurse or to feed the baby, it can be used for tummy time and strengthening the baby’s head and neck muscles or even for your baby to lie in while playing with a gym or other toy.
I have used it for a balancer when my children were learning to sit up on their own. When they were older they would even watch sesame street while lying in it on the floor.

It is the most versatile baby gear ever, and now it comes in so many more patterns and colors then it did when I was pregnant. They also have boppy covers so you can wash up any spills or spit ups.

Definitely a must have for any new mom.

boppy, registry, pregnancy, new moms, infants, babies

This site is currently in need of a writer. If you have any interest in writing on the topic this site covers, feel free to submit an application at 451 Press. Thank you.

451 Press, Baby Gear, Writers Needed

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

For a couple weeks now I have been using a meditation CD with my kids. In fact the meditation is designed specifically for children. The meditation we have been using is from Shambala Kids and it called “One with the Universe”.

The idea behind this CD is to help children learn to calm themselves naturally. It uses guided meditation and beautiful imagery such as a rainbow balloon that that clears out negativity and restores peace and confidence. One with the Universe also teaches self acceptance.

I have really enjoyed this meditation CD as have my two oldest children (3 and 6). In the morning….after a hectic time getting up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, packing lunch, and getting off to school, etc…I pop this CD into the car stereo while driving my son to school. He really enjoys listening to it and decompressing before school. We do the breathing exercises together and then he just relaxes back against his seat and listens to all of the imagery regarding colors and the rainbow balloon. And of course he always smiles when it comes to the part about giving everything your best and having a winning attitude. It has been a great way to start our mornings and use the drive to school in a productive way. And I have definitely noticed he is MUCH more calm in demeanor when I drop him off at school and as a child with spirit and energy in abundance I am thankful for that.

I also use the CD with my three year old daughter…usually around the time she starts to get grumpy and agitated before her usual nap time. We rest on the floor together and listen to the CD and just relax. I think some of the concepts are a bit over her head but she absolutely loves the talk of colors and a rainbow balloon. Many times she wants to draw the rainbow balloon after we are done listening. She and I have also listened to the CD in the car while picking her older brother up from school and since we wait about 45 minutes for him it gives us something to do together and concentrate on besides our long wait. I think I have come to like the CD just as much as they have. It relaxes me to listen to it.

And I would have to say it definately relaxes the baby too. He seemingly listens to it and often falls asleep.

I think this meditation is wonderful and I can’t wait to try some of the other products available on Shambala Kids. In fact I have already ordered the Joyful Parenting CD and can’t wait to get it!

meditation, children, school, spirit, relaxation, kids, toddlers, relaxation techniques, life with kids

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!

baby, carrier, evenflo, snuggli, mom, babies, infants, shower gift idea, baby carrier, pregnancy

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

If your baby is anything like mine then I do not have to tell you how they love bath time. Whereas this may be a wind down time for moms when they take a bath, babies get energized by bath time…it is great fun. I am always on the lookout for fun bath toys for my little son and this particular product seems like a winner.

Kel-Gar Tubbly Bubbly Hipo - Creates tons of bubbles while promoting bath tub safety in a soft protective cover for hard metal faucets in fun Tubbly the Hippo design! No more bumps or goose eggs from smashing their heads into the hard faucet. Soft plastic faucet cover easily fits over standard metal faucets to protect your little one from accidental bumps and bruises. Just pour your bubble bath into Tubbly the Hippo’s trunk and watch tons of bubbles form. Cool!

There is also an elephant cover too.

Bath Time, Baby, Bubbles, Dispenser

If you have a hard time clipping little baby and toddler nails then you may like this product. I know I sure do! It is the Snappi Nail Clipper.

The mini manicure for little people. A nail clipper disguised as a BUTTERFLY . . . Why?

To reduce the fear and anxiety from clipping children’s nails. This nail clipper is unique in its presentation in the shape of a butterfly and innovative safety features, making nail clipping a FUN experience for both parents and children. My daughter would not let me clip her nails until I picked up this fun tool.

SAFETY features include:

* concealed blade design which only clips the nails and will not nip the skin, so mothers cannot hurt their children
* nail clippings are collected in the body of the butterfly - no stray nails for a child to swallow!
* butterfly concept captures a child’s attention to help prevent little hands from pulling away
* for older children it encourages fine motor skill development as they can easily manage the Butterfly nail clippers on their own

The Snappi nail clipper is a creative, clever “must have” for children up to six years of age. Just wait until you see it!

Baby, Snappi, Nail Clippers

I recently found a wonderful book entitled “Nature Babies - Natural Knits and Organic Crafts for Moms, Babies, and a Better World“. This book was wonderful and such a rare treat! Any mom that loves to craft and will love it.

Basically it introduces and gives instructions for numerous fiber arts and crafts projects. All of the projects incorporate natural or and/or organic materials such as wool, organic sherpa fleece, organic cotton, etc. Some of the projects included in this book include a hemp stroller tote, nursing shawls, baby hats, clothing, robes, and sweaters, hot water bottle covers, wool play toys, organic baby dolls, baby mobiles, and so much more. It has complete instructions, templates, a techniques guide, and a listing of places to get all of the materials you will need. The BEST part about this book was the full page color pictures of the crafts and some pretty adorable child models. It made me want to start crafting the second I put the book down!

This book would be an excellent holiday gift or even the basis for you to make handmade holdiay gifts for the moms and babies in your life.

Nature Babies: Natural Knits and Organic Crafts for Moms, Babies, and a Better World offers a wonderful, holistic approach to caring for our babies, ourselves, and our planet. Author Tara Jon Manning has created the ultimate guide to treating babies and mommies to the joys of nature and the pleasure of crafting. Explore how to combine handcraft and gift making with the philosophy of “living lightly.” Practice the adage “reduce, reuse, recycle” while creating handcrafted, one-of-a-kind treasures. The inspired designs are supplemented by information about holistic approaches to raising baby and the stewardship of your baby’s world.

Natural Babies, Crafts, Organic, Knitting