Real Moms Favorite Baby Products – Pam
The Wise Baby
The Wise Baby - The Definitive Baby Blog
Happy Wednesday y’all! This week is an especially fun and sweet real mama whose list I throughouly enjoyed reading. Sure, she loves lots of the favorites we all do but she has put some not-so-common products on her list so I know you’re going to love diving into mama, Pam’s list! A huge thanks to sweet as can be Pam (ps, check out the end for sweet words from one mama to another – that’s how we should all be talking to each other)! We love having real mama’s around these parts and always need volunteers, check out the details, here.
Hi! My name is Pam and I’m a first time mom to a wonderfully sweet 5 month old baby boy, Henrik. We live in a 1600 sq ft house in suburban North Jersey (oh man, I’m from the Shore, I never thought I’d say that!) but are always ready to travel because my husband is European and I’m on maternity leave for a year from the travel industry. We have lots of friends and family to visit and we love to entertain so we enjoy things that are portable, multipurpose and used often. We love our PUJ tub, momaroo, Fischer Price Piano activity gym, and city mini stroller. I’m a junkie for a good product review (I did loads of research, including finding wise baby, while I was growing master Henrik and didn’t want to move from the couch) but some of our favorite things were gifted to us and we’ve enjoyed them so much we thought we’d pass them on!
– I can’t say enough good things about this mobile! Seriously, don’t stop me in the store because I’ll talk your ear off about it. This was gifted to us at my shower from another mom friend whose son also loved it. For some silly reason I resisted using it for the first couple of weeks Henrik was born (ok, the animals don’t match our nautical nursery, I said it was silly) but Henrik got his musical ear from his dad and the classical music this mobile plays is soothing, not too loud and can be muted. He has loved this mobile from the second we set it up and we bring it about our day with us from his crib, to his carseat to his playpen. The music lasts for 30 minutes and in the beginning I used that time for wonderful things like showering, now he’s started reaching and grabbing at the animals so we probably won’t be able to use it for much longer and I’m sad to see it go!
2. Trumpette socks, Rad Johnny
– These socks are the best because they actually stay on his feet. Although baby shoes are adorable they never worked out for us and I wasn’t willing to splurge on something that he didn’t really need. I ordered these online right when I got home from the hospital and none of our cute fuzzy socks were staying on his feet. I love that they come in multiple colors and enjoy matching them to his outfit.
3. My Brest Friend Inflatable Travel Nursing Pillow
– We’re exclusively breast feeding and we love our Brest Friend Nursing pillow. I wish I knew about this travel version earlier! We traveled to Europe for the holidays and I just couldn’t imagine being without our pillow for that long (but couldn’t imagine walking around the airport with our pillow either). Thank goodness for google and amazon. Days before we were due to leave I wondered if there was a travel version of our pillow friend and in two days it showed up at our door! The inflatable version inflates and deflates in a breeze and is now a diaper bag staple. Since it’s inflatable it’s not as sturdy or breathable as the original so I would still recommend both, but if you plan on nursing anywhere outside your home I’d say it’s a must.
4. Jolly Jumper Snuggle Cover
– Although we get quite warm in the Moby when the temp dropped I wanted something else to cover Henrik while he was in the Moby. This has been a great solution paired with some BL baby leggings (since pants ride up) and a hat (we love the knit So ‘Dorable knit seasonal hats, we get tons of compliments and the pictures are priceless. He’s been a pumpkin and a snowman!) Henrik is plenty warm for a little stroll. It really came in handy when we were traveling and in a city and didn’t use a stroller. It also doubles as a car seat cover, the elastic bottom stretches right around the bottom of the car seat so I don’t have to dress and undress my warm little guy and all that fluff doesn’t get in the way of his seat belt harness.
5. iBaby feed Timer app – This app is great in the beginning if you’re nursing and can’t remember what side you left off on before you get in your groove. (For those new mommas, you’ll get there! I often doubted it but it does happen!). We’re sort of addicted to it and still use it a lot. We’re still feeding on demand and it helps me keep track of his trends with fancy charts or realize we’re in the middle of a growth spurt (Oh I DID nurse for a whole extra hour today…). The hubby downloaded it too so when one of us is away but can’t make a phone call we can check in on how the day is going (that is if the caretaker is putting in the data).
6. Carter’s Octopus Activity Plush – Another great shower gift, Henrik loves the mirror and chewing on the knots at the end of the tentacles. It hooks onto his car seat and entertains him for hours. He always reaches for it and is happy to see it.
7. WubbaNub
– We didn’t introduce a pacifier right away so Henrik doesn’t always take it but when he does want it these are the best! I know it’s been on lots of lists but it’s for good reason! They are adorable! As a newborn he only took it if our finger was nestled inside so these were really the only way to go. Now he can hold it himself or nibble on the stuffed animal part. We have a bear and a dino and my husband calls them Pal 1 and Pal 2 since they’re always around.
8. Mamas & Papas Dreampod
This was a present from Grandma that we started using after we stopped swaddling. They are soft and toasty and unzip flat and unbutton from the top so if you’re lucky you can slide baby in for a nap if you haven’t donned it ahead of time. At first I thought they were a bit silly (my husband used to joke that Henrik looked like an emperor) but we have an adorable whale print one and I wish we had more. They are a little pricey, so we’re greateful for the gift! Henrik sleeps really well in them and it’s a great bedtime comfort no matter where he’s resting.
9. Moby Wrap
– Very happy with our wrap selection. It did take some studying but now I can have it on in seconds. My husband expressed an interest in wearing Henrik too and I wanted a one size carrier that we could both use. I’m definitely the one who uses it more, but it’s been great to be able to trade off
10. Vanish Stain Stick
– This last one isn’t a baby item ,but without it Henrik and I wouldn’t be left with a thing to wear. I first was introduced to Vanish pre-baby when a girlfriend saved a white dress of mine with it that I wore to a wine festival and ended up being jostled and doused in red wine. Like I said, it was pre-baby, but the lesson learned is that this stuff gets out EVERYTHING. Henrik loves a good blow out and I’ve saved many a onsie with this stuff. I was prepared to get peed on having a boy, but no one mentioned to me that it is completely normal for breast fed babies to have explosive poop. Consider yourself warned. It’s from the UK, but if you don’t have a European friend to import it from I’ve seen it on amazon. The Dreft spray is a wonderful alternative and we use whatever is handy. There’s probably nothing organic about it, but I try not to think about it because it works.
These are just a few things that make our life easier. For all you other new moms out there I hope you’re found things that work for you. You’re doing a WONDERFUL job.
Real Moms Favorite Baby Products – Pam
Lindsey
