A Blonde Baker’s Baby Dozen 2.0

Published September 12, 2013 | By Rebecca Nixon

After I finished my last list and shared it with a newly pregnant friend, I starting thinking of a few more baby items that we love. Since I already had 14 (15 if you count how many product links I have) items on my list, I decided I’d just make another list. 🙂 Most of these aren’t really NEEDED items, but they sure are nice to have if you are gifted them or can find a good deal. Also, the pictures are also links, for your convenience. Here we go!

1) Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair It can be used with just about any table. I love it. It allows baby to sit at the table with us & folds up flat, so we can take it anywhere with us. I happened to find ours at a secondhand baby store.

2) Bumbo Seat I have always loved using these – both when I babysat and now with our daughter. Lightweight, portable (I love portable things), easy to clean, and with the little tray table it’s the perfect little picnic chair for baby. I would put baby in this, on our bed, against the wall (so she can’t fall off the bed – although, Bumbo specifically states this is a ground seat and shouldn’t be used on raised surfaces) while I got ready or was cleaning the room, etc. She could watch what I was doing and we could interact but it also kept her from lying on her back or tummy all the time. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about her rolling off the bed.

3) Swing There are lots of options – some more space saving or portable than others. We were given a swing by a friend. It is similar to the one pictured (same brand and similar design). One thing I must tell you about our swing & this brand – they are durable! Swings may only be useful from birth to around 6 months (depending on the size of your baby) but they can be used over and over for subsequent babies. That’s bang for your buck. Movement helps soothe babies and some great early naps happened in our swing. We love that thing. We just recently stopped using it because our baby started arching her back trying the baby in the mirror – this lead to minor safety issue of her hanging off the side of the swing (thank God she was buckled in, so she would just hang & not totally fall out) – didn’t seem to bother her.

4)First Years Bathtub This comes with a sling to use with newborns and then the tub has a reclined side for newborns/babies who can’t hold their head up or sit up and an upright side for babies/toddlers. We don’t use this at home. Generally, one of us just gets in the bath with our daughter and the other helps. However, my mother bought this tub for her house. Our daughter loves being able to sit up, on her own, in the water and play. I will put her in this with toys & a little water in the shower with me. That way she can play while I shower & then I can bathe her. Win – win!!

5) Steam Sterilizer Bags I love using these when we travel and for quick things at home (like the paci that rolled under the fridge). Each bag can be used 20 times before tossing.

Posted in Family Life, Random Ramblings | Tagged Baby, baby gear, favorites, list, useful | Leave a comment

A Blonde Baker’s Baby Dozen

Published September 10, 2013 | By Rebecca Nixon

Here are 14 things that I’ve come to love in the past 7 months with baby. They’ve either been extremely useful for us or are just too adorable to pass up. All of the pictures in the list are links, for your informational and purchasing convenience. At the bottom of the list, I’ve included pictures of us using some of our favorite things. This is my Blonde Baker’s Baby Dozen. 😉

1) Bean Bag I don’t have a picture (link) for this because you can probably find one cheaper at your local big box store than online. Seriously, a plain bean bag (kid’s size, I guess) has been FANTASTIC. She loved napping in it when she was smaller. It gave the feeling of snugness and security without actually needing to swaddle her. Now that she’s older and more mobile, she still naps in it on occasion but she also loves to sit in it and play with her toys. We’ve used it as a prop in pictures, too. Multipurpose indeed!!

2) The BRICA Fold N’ Go Travel Bassinet More portable than a pack n’ play & less expensive than a portable crib. We used this on our long road trips this summer and at home, in our bed. It gave our baby her own space & allowed us to co-sleep with her without fear of rolling over on her.

3) The Moby Wrap I LOVE MY MOBY!! We used this wrap in the hospital and throughout the beginning. Our baby loved to be worn in the wrap, too. One of the best things about it – nobody tries to grab your baby when you are wearing her. There are multiple colors and patterns to choose from, too.

4) The Beaufort Bonnet Company I seriously love so many of the items TBBC offers. I took my sweet bow swaddle to the hospital and had our little girl swaddled before she was 10 hours old. Pure sweetness. Check out everything they have to offer. Great baby gifts!! Bonus – TBBC is located in the heart of Central Kentucky and all of their (very high quality) items are made in the USA!! They are carried in boutiques in several states – you can check their website to see if a store near you carries TBBC or you can order directly on their website. Seriously, some of the sweetest ladies and best customer service!!

5) The Woombie BEST. NIGHT. SWADDLE. EVER. Our daughter LOVED to be swaddled at night but it was hard (especially for my husband) to get the blankets wrapped so that they’d stay wrapped. It was especially difficult at 3am when we were bleary eyed and exhausted. This makes it so simple! You just zip them in!! Oh the peaceful slumber and easy diaper changes we enjoyed when using this. They have winter and summer fabric options, as well as multiple sizes and convertible swaddles.

6) Evenflo Classic Glass Bottles Economical, easy to clean, & sturdy. Since they are glass, you don’t have to worry about them being cloudy or somehow getting stained. You can be sure they are clean. They are also amazingly sturdy. I’ve dropped them on numerous occasions (not purposefully) and haven’t broken or cracked one yet.

7) Britax Head & Body Support Pillow Our baby was on the smaller side (at two months she was still under 7lbs). I really liked how this gave her a little extra support & it’s double sided. One side to help keep her warm in the winter and the other to help keep her cool in summer. The headpiece is also adjustable, so it’s pretty easy to get a good fit for your baby. It can be used in your car seat or stroller.

8) Britax B-Safe Infant Car Seat I liked the look, the price range, and the safety ratings of this seat. Bonus – my niece outgrew her non-Britax Infant seat by 8 or 9 months but still fit in our Britax with a room to grow. Since our daughter is on the small side (10th% for height & weight), I’m fairly confident that we’ll be able to use the Britax for another year or so. There are several colors available.

9) Britax B-Agile Stroller Easy to open & easy to fold. It’s also lightweight (as strollers go) and fairly compact once folded. It has an over-sized canopy, so it’s easy to keep the sun out of baby’s face. The recline option is a fluid design, so you have multiple options for how far you want baby to recline. The undercarriage is also bigger & more roomy than first appearance suggests. It also came with the adapters needed for our car seat to snap right onto it. You have to purchase it separately but with the Britax Stroller Organizer, it’s pretty much perfect.

10) KidCo Go-Pod An activity station for junior that folds up and is as portable as a camping chair. Genius! Bonus – It has toy latches, so you can attach your baby’s favorite friends to help entertain him. This means you can entirely forego purchasing one of those activity center things & just get this. You can rotate toys, to keep things fresh (for baby and to clean the toys), and it’s portable!! Great space saver, if you don’t have a lot of room, too, since you can fold it up and toss it in a closet.

11) Cloth Diaper Liners I use these because my baby is not exclusively breastfed, which means her solids are more similar to big kid/adult solids. I have no desire to rinse that, so I love these. You line your baby’s cloth diaper & then you can just drop the liner and solids in the toilet. It’s flushable! 🙂 I love how economical they are. I don’t feel like I’m wasting anything if my baby only wets her diaper.

12) Boppy Pillow This should be standard issue to all new mamas. Breast or bottle feeding – doesn’t matter. It is so useful. I used it for support while breastfeeding. We used it to prop baby up in a reclined position when she was learning to hold her own bottle but couldn’t quite manage it sitting up (because she was wobbly sitting up more than anything). Now, we use it as a little extra support for her as she is sitting up & a soft thing to help catch her if she falls over. She’s loved rolling all over it, climbing over it, gumming on it, the list goes on. Oh, we do love our Boppy and find so many uses for it!!

13) WASHABLE Playard/Pack n Play Center We have this exact brand. LOVE IT. It was easy to set up, comes with so many features, and the fabrics are removable so they can be washed. I am not a big fan of pack n plays because they don’t seem very portable to me BUT we love keeping this in our home. She naps in it, plays in it, and the changing table is at the perfect height. This is her place in our living room.

14) Rugged Butts Fedora I purchased this as a gift for a friend. Super cute & so dapper. I was so excited when I opened the package to check this hat out before wrapping it up for my friend. It felt sturdy, like it would hold up to anything a baby or toddler might do to it, and looked FANTASTIC in person. If we are ever blessed with a boy – I’m buying him one of these in every available color. 🙂

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Travel Bassinet works wonderfully as a little “boat” for photos. We placed the Boppy inside to help her sit up and tossed a few toys in there with her.