Momessentials

Push Presents...

I never understood the meaning behind a "push present".  SO when my husband asked me what I wanted after the baby was born - i always said "nothing" i rather spend money on our baby....WELL, after being in labor for 23 hours and pushing for 4 - i said -okay - i deserve something!!!  I always loved how new moms have their child's initials integrated with their jewelry - so i gave my husband some direction.  I was so surprised as to how well he did!  He had the most beautiful necklace made by love rocks ny.  Every piece is custom made - so whatever our personality is - the designer can create a one of a kind piece just for you.  The best part is - you can have a custom design in under 2 weeks!  I get so many compliments every time i wear my new necklace.  Watch this post for a special discount in the next 2 weeks to help out with your holiday shopping. 

   

ThinkBaby

My daughter Samantha is one picky eater...I wonder where she got that from!  So when it came to feeding - I went to the local baby store and bought 1 of every bottle brand that i could find.  I knew that i wanted a bottle that was BPA Free, as I, like other moms, are obsessed with safety.  After sampling about 6 or 7 different bottles, ThinkBaby won out.  The nipples are extra soft so its comfortable for feeding.  They have an internal venting system, that doesn't slow down the feed like other bottles venting systems do and so far - no leaks!  They have a fun looking logo with orange accents - so it makes feeding fun. The bottles also heat up quickly, so I'm not wasting time in the middle of the night waiting for her formula to warm up.  The baby bottle comes in 2 sizes 5 oz and 9 oz and has 3 stages of nipples.  ThinkBaby also makes a conversion kit to turn your baby bottle into a training cup and they just launched a new sports bottle for adults.

       

My Brest Friend Pillow

The My Brest Friend Pillow sets the new standard for nursing pillows. After one single minute of use I fell in love with the many features including the back rest that supports your posture, the arm and elbow rests, and the convenient pocket that I can store some essentials in. The front cushion is firm and flat, which keeps baby from rolling off. The unique wrap-around design helps eliminate any gaps and helps keep both the baby and the pillow in place. The soft, plush cover is machine-washable.

Reisenthel Reusable Shopping Bag

I love finding products that combine style, function and that are environmentally-friendly. The Reisenthel Reusable Shopping Bag has this down to a science. This trendy bag neatly folds into its own round, zippered pouch. It is made of durable rip-stop fabric and has long handles for carrying over your shoulder. The colors and designs are breathtaking, and I appreciate that the bag does not have a logo on it. The bag is light and small enough to keep in a purse or diaper bag, and the larger ones can hold the contents of 2-3 plastic grocery bags. Most styles are under $10.

City view (by Risa): The Reisenthal bag is perfect to keep in the diaper bag or stroller for both planned and unexpected shopping trips. I often make unplanned purchases when walking in New York and I like having this fabric bag on hand instead of taking a plastic bag or simply throwing the items at the bottom of the stroller. The Reisenthel bag and case even clip to the side of our stroller so I don’t have to dig for it when I need it.

Suburban angle (by Tina): I looked in my pantry a few minutes ago and counted nine reusable shopping bags with different store logos on them. I used to try to keep them in my car so that they were handy when I was shopping at specific stores, but almost always found myself missing the bag from the particular store to which I had pulled up and felt guilty using a bag that had the logo of a specific store on it while shopping at a competitor's store. Reisenthel takes care of this problem in one stylish, logo-free, compact reusable bag.

Day to Night Baby Log

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I usually do things on the fly...I'm pretty organized when it comes to my work - but when it comes to my personal life - well...thats another story!  (I can't believe I'm admitting that out loud!)  So when I gave birth to my daughter - I knew i needed to make a change - a lifestyle change - I promised myself and my husband that i would become organized when it comes to our daughter - So, I discovered this new product by the geniuses at Skip Hop: the Day to Night Baby Log. 

This log forces me to be organized.  It's like organization for dummies!  There are columns for all the days activities that you check off..a column for feeding:both nursing and bottle, a column for changing where you check off pee or poo and of course my favorite Sleep!  It especially comes in handy now that I'm back at work - The book allows me to see what Samantha did  for the day (there is a notes section at the bottom of each page), I can see what her sleep pattern is and at what times she ate and so on.  At the very beginning of the book there is a chart to track doctor visits as well as a couple of pages dedicated to baby gifts....which admittedly i filled out the date, from who and the actual gift...the thank you note column...i'm still working on that! 

Oh, and the best part is that it has a an illuminated time capsule, so I can see the exact time and date all without turning on the lights!  Now to complete my baby log - i'm off to finish those thank you notes! 

   

Safety 1st Clear View Ear Scope

I was so lucky with my son in that he did not have his first ear infection until he was old enough to say, “Mom, my ear hurts!” But my one year old has already had at least 2 ear infections and I completely missed the first one for three days. Last month I dragged her all the way to the doctor and waited for 30 minutes just to have him take a quick look and say, “nope, all clear.” How many times have we all wondered if our babies were teething or if they had an ear infection, if they were just playing with their ear or brushing hair off of it? The new ProGrade Health line from Safety 1^st includes the very cool Clear View Ear Scope. It works by lighting and magnifying your baby’s ear canal so that you can skip the drive and long wait and take a look inside your baby’s ear for yourself. The name is fitting, it is a very clear view indeed. This is more than just a great idea, it is a great idea that works, because the ProGrade Health line of infant health products was designed and developed with professionals in the infant health field. I would suggest getting it before you need it, so that you can get used to the way your baby’s ear looks, making it easier to detect changes that may signal a problem. You’ll want to follow up with your pediatrician but this will help you rule out ear infections.

Splash

 

Who new that a bottle drying rack can look so good and be so functional at the same time...  Skip*Hop, an innovative leader in designing a variety of products for babies has done it again with The Splash.  The Splash is a unique drying rack for holding your bottles, bottle parts, pacifiers, cups, etc. It comes with a bottle brush for cleaning your bottles and it comes in red, white, and blue. The base rotates and the draining tray can be removed.

When Hallie was a baby I went through many different types of bottle drying racks that fell apart easily and were not visually pleasing. Luckily for me, The Splash launched around the same time as the birth of my twin boys.  I have been using the splash since the boys were born for all the infant basics (bottles, pacifiers, etc). Now I use it for sippy cups, straw cups, etc.   The Splash is a great product!