Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Baby Items- Misc. edition.

Hello! I didn't really know how to group these items, so it's going in a "miscellaneous" edition. (You can view my other editions here.) I'm trying to only write about items that I haven't mentioned in my other posts.

1. Boppy Pillow- I didn't use this as often as some other moms do, but I still think it's worth having. I used it occasionally to nurse, only when I wasn't nursing her on our bed (which I usually did/do), when she was younger. As she got older, I used it often to prop it behind her when she was learning to sit up. We have one from Pottery Barn Kids, but you can get them lots of places. (Make sure you get a cover to go with it too!)


Verdict: I would get one!

2. Boppy Waterproof Changing Pad Liners- These are amazing and everyone should have them, especially in the newborn stage. Newborns have a knack for peeing or pooping while you change them, and it's so much easier to just throw the pad liner in the wash if it gets dirty than the whole cover. Also, it's really easy to clean the poop off with a bleach pen, hence my next item. 


Verdict: Absolutely.

3. Clorox Bleach Pen- Upon researching this, I just discovered that there is also a bleach pen for colors! I need to get this. The bleach pen for whites is a must have for getting poop stains out of white onesies and changing pad covers. 




Verdict: It's a must have.

4. Miracle Blanket- Some people can write volumes on swaddling and all the different products they used or tried for their baby. I can say virtually nothing- Norah hated being swaddled. We had a few of these blankets, but hardly used them. We tried and tried, but she never liked it (we tried it with several different kinds of blankets, too). For Norah, they weren't worth it at all, but maybe our next kids will like it? 


Verdict: Personally no, but if your baby likes to be swaddled, then yes.

5. Motorola MBP33 Wireless Video Baby Monitor- I personally think it's worth it to buy the more expensive monitor. One of my good friends is pregnant and she asked me if I thought it was worth if to get one with video, and I immediately said yes. They are much more expensive than ones you can just hear and not see, but I love having both (sight and sound). It's more reassuring to me to be able to see her. 

I really like this monitor. You can adjust the volume, and I feel like it's really sensitive. At night, I sleep with it on the lowest setting, and I will definitely hear her if she cries or wakes up (I am a light sleeper, though). Also, you can talk to your baby through it and play music. There are two things I don't like- the battery life isn't very long (it lasts for naps during the day, but it won't last all night), and when the camera is plugged in in her room it makes a faint high pitched ringing noise. Norah sleeps with a fan on all the time for white noise, so you can't hear it with the fan on. Other than that, I would say it's great. 

Verdict: Yes, I like it, but there could be/probably is something better out there.

6. Itzbeen- I LOVE this item and would highly recommend it. It's a timer that keeps track of diaper changes, feeding, sleep, and a misc. category. It also has a backlight, flashlight, and a nursing L/R tab. I used this all the time, all day long, for the first 4-5 months of Norah's life. I used it the most to remember how long it had been since she ate. I always thought I would remember, but in the mommy fogginess, I rarely did. 

Yes, there are tons of apps on your phone that can do the same thing, but clicking a button was much easier and faster for me than entering the information manually in my phone. Also, I didn't want to put it in my phone, because then no one else could use it except for me. My mom would click the itzbeen regularly when she could change her diaper (when we were living with them for a month), and it was so nice. 


Verdict: Yes, definitely!

7. Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter- I used this nipple butter all the time for the first few months (probably about 6 months), and I really think it helped so much. I was thankful to never have cracking or chaffing, and this helped. My favorite thing about it is that it's lanolin free. Many nipple creams have lanolin in it, and I don't like that because it's very sticky. This isn't sticky at all. 


Verdict: Get it!

8. Pack and play- We don't have our own pack and play, but I wanted to talk about it. Lots of people say you need one, and that's something you have to think about for yourself. For most people, I would say that you don't need one. We had one on our registry and got it, but it immediately became my parents. We leave it at their house for when we visit, and Kley's parents also have one here, if we ever need to borrow or use one. We have been totally fine not owning our own, and I have never wished that we did. The only time I could see it as beneficial is if you travel often. When we do travel, I wrap blankets around the outside, and that's really helped Norah be more comfortable because it's darker inside and she can't see that she's in a new place. (There have to be other babies like that out there- why has no one created a darkened pack and play on Shark Tank or something?)

9. Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail- I feel like the Diaper Genie is way more popular, but we have the Arm & Hammer and have been happy with it. I actually registered for the diaper genie, but when my mom was going to buy it for me, she said there was another mom there that highly recommended the Arm & Hammer, so she switched. It works great! I have never once smelled the diapers with the lid closed. Occasionally, when there are a lot of poopy ones in there, I can smell it when I open the lid, but not too often. The refill bags are expensive, but they last a long time. I only have to change it once a week, occasionally twice. You can also buy these fresheners to keep inside.

Verdict: I would recommend. If you are wondering if a diaper pail in general is worth it, it is. It would be annoying to take the diaper to your outdoor trash bin every time, and it would most definitely smell if you just put them in a regular bag.

10. Prince Lionhart Premium Wipe Warmer- The picture is what Norah has, but I can't find that exact link, but there are several different kinds. Norah got a wipe warmer as a shower gift, and I feel pretty mediocre about it. Sure, it's nice to have warm wipes, but the wipes coming straight out of the pack aren't really that cold I don't think. It is nice to have a place to store wipes, because if you buy wipes in bulk, they don't usually come with a storage container (although you could buy a storage comtainer for much less). The one thing you have to remember about a wipe warmer is that there is a sponge in the bottom that you have to re-wet about once a week, which could be annoying for some people. 


Verdict: Take it or leave it. You could easily live without it.

11. Trendlab Fleece Crib Rail Covers (brown)- I did not buy these in advance, and I so wish I would have. The second Norah could pull herself to stand in the crib, she started gnawing on it like a beaver, and by the time I ordered these and they came, her crib rail looked rough. I ended up having to call the crib company and they mailed me a bottle of the exact finish, so we refinished the rail, but it still doesn't look like it originally did. Save your expensive crib and buy these beforehand! (They also have a narrow version and multiple different colors.)


3 comments:

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  2. Things have changed a lot since my boys were babies! My youngest is turning 16 this summer and I can't believe how quickly the time went! My list also very simillar to yours at that time but without those tech gadgets like white noise machines , wireless video baby monitors and things,,

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    1. Yes, time does go so quickly and before we know it, our daughter will be 16. A good reminder to soak up the moments! And I'm sure there are classic baby items that always have been on the list and always will be!

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