4 THINGS EVERY MOM FINDS OUT...AFTER THE FACT

1. Anything Will Do As A Chew Toy. Save Your Money.

Yes, that is my son's ipad holder. :) Teethers? He can't be bothered with them.

2. Anything Soft = Stuffed Animal

 All babies want comfort. When mommy & daddy aren't available, anything soft will do. Stuffed animals are cute but not necessary. The blue polka-dot thingy he is holding came with a play mat I bought him. Its suppose to be a tummy time pillow. My boy wouldn't let this thing go for 2-3 weeks.

3.Fancy Toys Aren't Necessary OR Necessarily Wanted 

That my friends, is a bonafide, vintage-style rattle. As you can see, my son was enchanted. lol. On top of the fact that this toy will only run you about $4.00, the other great thing is that the solid handle will help with your baby's hand dexterity. 

4. Hand Mittens DO NOT Work...

^^socks on hands and not on feet-- imagine that. :) ^^

... Especially on little, new born hands. Unless you give birth to a 12 lb. baby (& God bless you if you do!) those mittens will not fit snugly enough around your baby's wrist. It's best you use socks. The elastic on socks is much more reliable.

Baby Snug and Activity Tray

What I love about the Mamas and Papas Baby Snug Seat and the activity tray (sold separately)is that it promotes independent sitting for your baby and (a big bonus) promotes socializing! When your beautiful bundle is at that age that they cant sit on their own, crawl, etc., where are they usually? That's right, on mommy's hip. While that is great strength training for you moms, it puts a damper on baby's socializing if there are other babies around. The booster seat allows for you to put baby down on the ground, putting him right where the action is. Look at the picture below; it is probably the first "play date" RJ and his cousin had together. It was too cute.

What if there aren't any other babies around? The Mamas and Papas Baby Snug seat is good for your baby's development anyway. The inner seat (removable for when your baby is big enough to sit up on his/her own) gives baby the support he needs to sit without you holding or propping him! This is where the activity tray transforms from cool to outright amazing; the activity tray will keep your little one distracted, all-the-while stimulating his/her brain through color, texture, noise, fun! And while all of that is going on, baby's muscles are growing stronger from sitting in the upright position!

The Baby Snug also comes in different colors (I bought RJ teal at Babies"R"Us). The whole kit-and-caboodle will run you about $80!

Happy Shopping! 

SIT & STROLL BY LILLY GOLD

I'm sure you remember how I raved about the Orbit G2 stroller and I'm still in love with it. (I'm actually about to buy the 'Next Step' system now that my little one is not so little.) Anyways, I bought the Lilly Gold 5-in-1 stroller because it was recommended by my mother-in-law (she used it with all 5 of her children) for traveling purposes; this is a FAA-certified stroller which means that airlines will allow it onto their planes!

Let me tell you, this stroller is so versatile and I LOVE it! It has a wide seat and neck support pillow attachment so baby is comfortable even on long trips. The wheels tuck into the bottom of the seat and release with the simple pull of a lever. The steering handles slide into and out of the top of the stroller just as easy as the wheels do. The picture below was taken off the Lilly Gold website and shows how the stroller/car seat can be used.

Now that my household has two strollers, one stroller is in my husband's car and one is in my SUV. The Lilly Gold stroller is an excellent purchase (it will run you back about $350) if you plan on traveling with your little one or just enjoy the simplicity of all-in-one type products. 

Happy Strolling! 

AVENT BREAST PUMP:: TRIED + TRUE

First, let me say, before I tell you how much I like this pump: The Avent brand pump was the only pump I tried so I cant say how great of a product it is up against its competitors BUT I was so satisfied with this pump that I had no desire to try another pump out. (I hear that that is a normal occurrence in the mommy world.)

Anyways, the pump is electric and can also be used manually. This double pump allows you to pump both breasts simultaneously (a great help for the 100% of moms who don't want to spend all day pumping and storing milk!)It's super easy to put together and the instructions are simple and to the point. Yes! This pump also has memory! This means that you can manually pump until you figure out the speed and suction strength you are comfortable at, pump at that desired rate for 3 or 4 pumps, hit the blue button on the pump handle, and the machine will mimic what you were doing! Even after you turn the machine off, when you're ready to pump again it pumps at your desired rate automatically. Now, how cool is that?

The Avent Double Breast Pump also comes with these nice suction pads that also work as massagers for your breast as you pump; it actually feels pretty good (especially if you have to pump multiple times a day to keep up with your baby's appetite.Your boobs can get pretty sore). It also comes with two starter, 4-ounce bottles that may be great for most babies but, if you have a baby with an amazon appetite like my child who went from 4-ounces to 8-ounces in a matter of a month and a half, you may need to buy bigger bottles from the beginning! 

I bought mine at Babies"R"Us but I no longer see it on their website or on the Avent brand site. Avent does have another breast pump with the same name so, I think, it's safe to say that the pump has just been given a cosmetic makeover. The pump will set you back $251.

The down side to this product is that, besides the machine that powers everything, the pump breaks into a lot of different pieces (more things to clean and keep track of), and small amounts of milk gets lost in between the plastic and suction cup ( a bummer for moms who don't produce a lot of milk in the first place. Hey, the little milk loss could be one good gulp for baby!) Anyways, I still love my pump. :)  

Bottom Line: good investment, good quality, good purchase.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: ADEN + ANAIS

Alright ladies & gents, my fav' website for the month of June is the aden + anais product site. This brand is absolutely amazing. The products are made of a pure cotton muslin material.

I am absolutely obsessed with this brand (my fav' design as of now is the 'Make Believe' line). The muslin material gets softer as you wash it and even in this blistering, Texas heat, the swaddling cloths are still breathable and do not over heat my boy while I'm using it to cover him from the sun. 

They have great designs for both baby boys & girls (including an adorable Hello Kitty line that I'm not allowed to buy my son, says my husband! lol), the colors are vibrant and the feel can only be described as "yummy". They dont stop at swaddling cloths either! Aden + Anais offer crib sheets, burp cloths, blankets, and an organic line!

The website has great info on the benefits of swaddling and how to swaddle. They also ship quickly and I have never had an issue with using the site. Aden + Anais might deserve this month and next! :) 

Happy Browsing + Shopping!

-Ashly & RJ (covered in Aden+Anais in the pic below)

BOPPY PILLOW:: MOM'S BREAST FEEDING FRIEND

Ok, moms, let's face it: no matter how small your little one is, holding them up to each boob for 15-20 can seem more like an hour and can take it's toll (on the bright side, look out for sexy arms in the upcoming months. burn, baby, burn!). For those of you who would prefer to simply relax and enjoy the breast feeding session without it being coupled with an arm workout, this product is for you.

The Boppy is a c-shaped pillow that you place around your waist while breast feeding. It provides support for your arms while you are holding your baby up for feeding by filling in the space between your lifted arms and your lap. (see picture below) Perfecto! 

Check out the Boppy Website to buy products, gather care instructions, check their blog, and all that other great stuff. While you can get everything you need from the website, here are my favorite selling points for the product:

• Cover comes off for washing purposes 
• Covers come in all different colors and designs and can be bought separately to satisfy the mood of the day(yay!)
• Transitions into a prop for tummy time & lounging

You can find your new friend and Babies 'R' Us, Target, Walmart, etc. 

Bottom Line: Your arms will thank you.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: LAND OF NOD

Every month I will pick a website that is a fabulous find for everything and anything BABY and post a link to the site on my blog*! 

This month I have chosen the Land of Nod website.It has amazing baby & child products including furniture, play-time products and ideas, bathing and feeding, and much more! Land of Nod only has 5 stores nation wide ( Illinois and Washington, how I envy you) but the website is amazing! I have ordered a lot of products and am always satisfied with the ease of shopping on the website and the quality of their products.I also registered with them for my baby shower and the customer service reps are extremely friendly and helpful. Check them out! 

*You can find the link to Land of Nod in the right hand column of Rock-A-Buy Babies blog under 'This Months Favorite Website'.