Stylin' Shoes for Adorable Feet

When the temperatures started to drop I realized my baby's wardrobe was missing a critical staple...shoes! So, what to get? I did some research (as I do before buying anything, even diaper cream) and read that the best shoes for a little tyke like mine are something with a soft, flexible sole. Softer shoes let baby's foot develop naturally. They also make it easier for them to balance and "grip" the floor. My cousin mentioned a good source for soft-soled crib shoes that she found held up beautifully. Minitoes! (Minitoes is an Etsy vendor as well) These are handmade, soft-soled shoes available in an unbelievable selection of styles of colors. Now, you can find similar shoes in major department stores, but take my word for it, they won't hold up like the Minitoes. I have bought such shoes and they literally fell apart. Meanwhile, his Minitoes are still holding strong! The soft leather material is totally flexible and keep his little feet warm. He has no trouble getting around on these shoes, even on our hardwood floors. And perhaps best of all, they NEVER fall off! Never ever, I promise. You're sure to find a number of styles to love here. My only problem was choosing a pair! So I got them in brown too!

Dining Out with Your Little Darling

There are lots of things to dread about dining out with a little one. Will he throw a temper tantrum and disrupt other customers? Will he like what you put in front of him or will he fling it on the unsuspecting, undeserving woman in the next booth? And who knows? Sometimes dining out with baby goes as smoothly as can be and everyone enjoys a lovely dinner. However this meal out goes, there's one thing you'll never have to worry about again, and that's the germs on the table your baby will be eating off of. Because finger foods are generally placed right on the table for baby to pick up, you want to know that surface is clean. With the Tiny Diner by Kiddopotamus, you know his cheerios aren't being tainted by whatever was left behind from those grey dish towels you see the bus boys using to wipe down all the tables. This handy rubber place mat has suction cups on the bottom so it stays securely in place on almost any surface. The tray on the front catches most of what your little one loses on the way to his mouth. When dinner is over, you fold the sides in, fold the top down and roll the whole thing up into the tray. Its rolled up form is very compact and can fit right into your purse - hopefully after you've already rinsed it off. The other thing I love about this product is that I'm not leaving a big mess for our poor server to have to clean up after we've left. The majority of the mess is contained in the Tiny Diner and we either dump the mess into the trash or I roll it up, stick it in a plastic bag and clean it when I get home. I'm sure your next waiter or waitress will appreciate this product as much as you do.

Gifts with a personal touch

People LOVE personalized items these days. Consumers love knowing that their this or that is the only one like it. Your friends and family members who are expecting will love it too. Just imagine what a hit your gift would be at the baby shower when mom-to-be opens your onesie gift with baby's name already on it! Bray Bray's Closet is a lovely source for finding cute, personalized baby items that make wonderful shower gifts or gifts to welcome a new baby.
For an extremely reasonable price, you can purchase personalized onesies, burp cloths, bibs and more. There are also embellished burp cloths because if baby is going to barf, shouldn't it be on something cute? Seriously though, bookmark this site for the next time you need a baby gift. It will be your one-stop-shop for your next baby shower. Or buy something cute for your own little one!

Rub-a-dub-dub, I love this tub!

Bath time is my favorite time of the day. I love the nightly routine of putting my baby in his bath (which he LOVES) and washing the little dusting of hair on his round pumpkin head, squeezing soap in between those little toes. I attribute a large part of our bath time enjoyment to his Primo Euro Bath. This is the BEST baby bath tub you can buy! This is the largest baby bath you can buy which may actually turn some people off from it, but just think about how much more comfortable baby will be! This tub is perfectly molded to cradle babies 0 to 6 months in a reclined position. This molding keeps baby in place leaving both your hands free to bathe him or to play pat-a-cake. (of course, when I say "hands-free" that doesn't mean you can walk away! NEVER leave the baby alone in the tub.) The other great thing about the Primo Euro Bath is that once baby can sit up on his or her own, you simply move him to the other side which, again, is molded to suit a sitting baby. There are little trays for holding soap and shampoo bottles and a drain plug in the bottom. I am sure that bath time wouldn't be quite as wonderful if we didn't have the Euro Bath to look forward to each night.

Keeping it private

If you're planning to nurse a good cover-up may be in order. You may quickly find that while receiving blankets get the job done, they're not always totally reliable when it comes to staying in place. Most of us want to know our cover is going to stay put when we're nursing on a bench in the mall - if you're up to that sort of thing. A product I used (but not at the mall - I wasn't brave enough!) was one of these great nursing cover-ups from BumbleBabyMommy on Etsy. This cover up is kind of like a big apron that goes around your neck and has an adjustable neck strap. Boning in the front holds it open right under your chin so you can see baby and baby can see you - but no one can see what baby is doing! Genius! Mine was an adorable yellow and white plaid with white embroidered flowers but she's got lots of other sweet prints as well.

Smart Bottle Accessories

I went to a baby shower over the weekend and picking my gift was easy because savvy mom-to-be, Courtney, registered for my all-time-favorite baby item. The Avent Express Steam Sterilizer is the one baby item I have used EVERY SINGLE DAY since my son was born. Naturally, when I saw this item on her registry it was an easy choice. I hope she'll enjoy it as much as I have. This thing is so simple to use and gets those bottles clean in minutes. It's so much more efficient than running the dishwasher too. I do soak them in soapy water first, but still! You can even put your breast pump pieces in here. And I toss pacifiers in too for a quick, thorough cleaning. Be careful though - I have melted a medicine dropper or two. It does get pretty hot!

Here's another bottle accessory that I'll bet I would have used a lot too if I'd ever gotten around to buying one. An insulated bottle bag probably would come in handy considering my baby boy is SO picky about the temperature of his bottles. I could have put bottles of warm water in one of these babies to keep it at a palate-satisfying temp for longer periods of time. It's not too late - maybe I'll still order one. Diaperbags.com has these bottle bags in lots of cute colors and patterns not to mention TONS of adorable, fashionable diaper bags.

When did he....? How long ago did he....?

These are questions tired, frazzled parents will ask again and again in those first few sleep-deprived weeks. There is an answer. It's called the Itzbeen. The simple push of a button (yes, that's really all you have to do) will count the minutes and hours since baby's last bottle, nap, or ... you know. My mom bought this for me during my first week home after she realized how completely out of touch I was. It was a lifesaver. We still use it to track baby's medicine dosing. This is one gadget I would recommend to any new mother.

This Aint Your Mother's Motherhood

It's a good time to be a mom. Manufacturers seem to be understanding what it is that babies and parents need. If you haven't stepped inside a baby department lately, you'll probably be surprised to find all the great products available to new parents. When I was pregnant I had two baby showers where friends and family practically drowned me in gifts. One thing I heard occasionally was, "We didn't have that when I was a mother," or "You don't need that. I raised 4 children and never had one of those." Well, too bad, Grandma! It's here and I'm using it! It's too bad "they" didn't have "those" when you had your babies - your life might have been easier. Boppy Pillows, Bumbo Baby Sitters, and Baby Bjorn are all examples of things Grandma didn't have and, according to her, aren't necessary. I think Grandma is a little jealous. My plan for this blog is to post products that I come across that I feel might benefit some mother or child out there. If I see something, I'll share it, and invite you, whoever you are, to do the same.