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.