October 07, 2021

TOP BABY PRODUCTS WE USED DURING MONTHS 4-6

I can't believe Tanner is 8 months old. Someone recently said he's closer to one than he is to being a newborn and that made me nostalgic. Time is going so fast but also he gets more active & more fun every week.  Sharing some of our top used items during months 4-6. It's been fun doing these every 3 months and seeing how they change.

1. Hello Bello Diapers - We absolutely love this diaper subscription and I can't remember the last time I actually purchased diapers in a store! I love that these diapers are made with more gentle/natural ingredients, come in the cutest prints and get delivered right to my door every month. 

2. Love To Dream Transitional Swaddle,  Zip-a-Dee-Zip Sleep Sack - When Tanner started rolling over, I was excited for him since it's a major milestone but I also got so nervous about interrupting his bedtime routine. Now that he was rolling, he could no longer be swaddled to sleep. We immediately moved him into the love to dream transitional swaddles. He sleeps the first few nights with one arm out and once he masters that, you take the other arm out. He did great with one arm out but still had a bit of a startle reflex so we tried the Zip-a-Dee-Zip sleep sack which looks like a starfish shape and allows baby to move their arms and legs but still keeps them secure in the sack so limit the startle from waking him up. We used that sack for about a month before we were able to transition him to an arms out sleep sack. 

3. Skiphop Bathtub - We registered for the Stokke bath tub but ended up getting the Skiphop bath when we went on vacation and liked it even more for Tanner at this age. It has a mesh cradle for him to relax in and I think he was more comfortable lounging in this tub than the other one we owned. 

4. Lovevery Play Kits - These play kits have been so much fun for Tanner and so useful to me by providing ways to play with your baby at certain ages and ways to help them build their skills. Everything is Montessori based and has no lights or synthetic sounds. 

5. Baby Bjorn Bouncer - When Tanner was first born, I didn't understand the hype around this bouncer but as he got older and more alert, it became an essential to us. He loves lounging in it and watching us around the house. This summer we brought it to the beach a few times and it was a great place to dock him in the shade. 

5. Earth Mama Products - This brand has been a staple in our bathtime/diaper change routines since Tanner was born and I love how gentle it is on his skin. I swear by the diaper balm & knock wood, Tanner has yet to have a diaper rash!

6. Angel Dear Footies - I absolutely adore the Angel Dear brand. Their footie PJs are so stretchy and soft and come in such cute prints. 

7. Mockingbird Stroller - Researching strollers can be so overwhelming since there are sooo many on the market. We chose the Mockingbird & have loved everything about it since it arrived. It is similar to the Uppababy but a fraction of the price. You can purchase a bunch of accessories for it to make it work for your family. We currently have Tanner in the 'toddler seat,' but also purchased the bassinet attachment for when he was a newborn. We love the flexibility to reposition the seats for 1 or 2 babies and the oversized storage basket. 

8. Bumpkin Bibs - Since Tanner started food at 4 months old, these rinsable, washable bibs have been key. They come in a bunch of colors/patterns & are machine washable.

9. 4Moms Pack n Play - We road tripped to the beach a ton this summer so having the pack n play was key for Tanner to sleep in. We found that the mattress that comes with the pack n play (and with all of them really) is pretty thin and hard. We ended up ordered the Hiccapop mattress to insert into the pack n play and immediately Tanner started sleeping great. It was firm but so much more comfortable and similar to his crib mattress. 

10. Skiphop Activity Center - As soon as Tanner could hold his head up, he wanted to be standing! This activity center became one of his favorite places to play and has kept him busy for several minutes at a time which has been great for me ;). It comes with a handful of suction cup toys but we also bought a fun extra ones on Amazon so we could switch them in and out to keep him interested.

Some items from his newborn days are still essentials to this day! The Nanit monitor, the Doona, Dr. Brown's Bottles, the Lovevery Play Mat & my TwelveLittle diaper bag are all still used on a daily basis and continue to be some of our favorites but I wanted to highlight some new products that we used during these last few months.

XO,

Michelle Paige

July 13, 2021

RECENT AMAZON ORDERS

 Sharing some of my recent Amazon orders... I feel like a new Amazon package arrives everyday...oops. Sometimes I can't resist the Prime shipping.

July 07, 2021

TOP BABY ESSENTIALS WE USED DURING MONTHS 1-3

Tanner is 5 months now and getting more fun everyday but also growing so fast & getting so interested in the world around him; I can hardly believe it! I thought I would share some of our most used items from his first 3 months of life. 

1. Doona Car Seat/Stroller - This car seat/stroller is an all-in-one game changer. It was one of the more expensive items that we registered for but it is SO worth it. PROs: The Doona is super safe infant car seat that has wheels and pops up into a stroller. It leaves our trunk free as well as our arms. Super easy to transform from car seat mode to stroller mode and compact enough to fit down the aisle of an airplane! CONs: No storage so this stroller doesn't really work as your only stroller. Also it's much heavier than your typical car seat because of the wheels. But remember, you don't have to lug it for long - just in and out of the car!

2. Nanit Monitor & Owlet Sock - We have used both of these from the day Tanner came home. I read some mixed reviews on the Owlet but it has worked so well for us and we love the peace of mind that we get when we see Tanner's oxygen and heart rates while he is sleeping. The Nanit has been great as well. It connects via Wifi and can be watched via an app so even when I'm not home, I can peek on Tanner while he is napping. The Nanit also comes with insights that track Tanner's sleep habits for the first year. 

3. Boppy Pillow - We loved this pillow in the early baby days. It provided extra cushion for us and family members while holding our newborn baby. It also raised Tanner up a bit from your lap so he was closer for cuddles.

4. Burt's Bees Burp Cloths & Touched by Nature Bibs - Babies spit up a lot so bibs & burp cloths are a must have for the first few months. I learned this quickly and stocked up on Burt's Bees burp cloths & Touched by Nature bibs. Both are organic and the bibs have the cutest puns on them. We have almost all of the collections now!

5. Boppy Lounger - This was the perfect docking station for Tanner when we needed to give our arms a break. Tanner seemed to prefer this lounger over the Snuggle Me since the Boppy props his head up a bit higher so he could look around. 

6. Lou Lou & Company Gowns & Target 'Cloud Island' Footies - I had heard a ton about zipper footies when babies are little but gowns are so underrated and so awesome. We ordered a handful of Lou Lou & Company newborn gowns for Tanner. They were SO soft and so easy to change him in. We also love zipper footies, especially Cloud Island which unzip from the foot, also for super easy diaper changes. 

7. Lovevery Play Mat - From day 1, we've been big on floor time. It's the best way for baby to explore, get strong and prepare for crawling & sitting. The Lovevery Play Mat comes with a mat & play gym that's easy on the eyes and a booklet that gives you tons of ideas for how to use it to play with your baby depending on their age. 

8. Nail Filer - Tanner's nails were so sharp when he was first born. This nail filer took the anxiety out of clipping his tiny fingers while cutting his nails. Instead we just file them shorter & smooth.

9. Halo Bassinet w/ Newborn Insert - After a few sleepless weeks, we borrowed a halo bassinet from friends. I purchased the newborn insert that went with it and almost immediately Tanner started sleeping better. I think he enjoyed being up against the mesh from the insert and found it to be comforting. Definitely purchasing a Halo bassinet for our next child!

10. TwelveLittle Diaper Bag -  I chose to get a backpack to be hands free & then chose the leopard print bc how could I resist? I love how lightweight this bag is. The straps are also padded so they are super comfortable and there are tons of pockets on the inside & outside of the bag. I carry diapers, wipes, toys, extra outfits, a blanket, bottles, formula + all my own personal items when we go out. 

11. Baby K'Tan Wrap - Baby wearing is the sweetest way to keep baby close and allow yourself to be hands free in the early days. When Tanner was fussy or wouldn't nap, put him in the wrap and he was comforted instantly. As he got heavier, this wrap got more difficult to wear but I love how easy it was so use as a new & tired mom.

12. Baby Brezza Bottle Warmer - Tanner is formula fed and took a liking to the ready-to-feed formula. While a bottle warmer was not on my registry, as we made more bottles and stood in the kitchen at 1am, 4am, and 7am and so on waiting 6 minutes for the bottle to heat in a cup of hot water, it became evident that it was going to be worth it to us to splurge on a bottle warmer. This warmer heats bottles in half the time using steam heat. It is so easy to use and those 3 minutes saved are so worth it.

13. Soothie Pacifier - These are the only pacifiers Tanner will take. Simple as that.

14. Dr. Brown's Bottles - Similar to the pacifier, these are the only bottles that Tanner likes. We like them too since the vent inside it supposed to help with air bubbles/spit up. More parts to clean but hopefully less outfits to wash...

June 29, 2021

BABY REGISTRY ITEMS I WOULD CHANGE/SKIP/ADD

Planning to share the top baby items that we've used in Tanner's first 3 months of life but also wanted to share the products on my registry that I would have skipped, swapped for something else, waited on or added. Hopefully all you mamas to be find this post helpful!

3 Items I Would Have Skipped:

Baby Brezza Formula Pro - Tanner ended up being strictly formula fed after he was born so I thought the Brezza Formula Pro was going to be amazing until I realized the kid had a picky palate. He loves & chugs the ready to feed formula, but would not drink the powder version so the Formula Pro ended up not being used by us. Instead, we ended up purchasing a bottle warmer to prepare the RTF formula in record timing (more on that below)

American Red Cross Healthcare Kit - I also registered for a bunch of Frida Baby items and have used those so much more than I use the regular healthcare kit items. I would recommend the Frida Baby items, as I think they are a little more advanced than the ARC kit.

Baby Shoes - Babies do not need real shoes until they are able to walk, so those cute little sneakers & moccasins that I registered for are currently sitting in his closet waiting for the day when he needs them. Also, most of the time early on, we have just put footies on Tanner so there isn't even a need for socks or shoes. 

2 Items I Would Swap for Others:

Motorola Baby Monitor - I originally loved this monitor (& still do in theory) because it came with a video monitor but also allowed you to watch baby via an app on your phone. I was thrilled with the idea that I would have options to watch baby however when we tried to set up the monitor over the crib, we were unable to find a placement for it that allowed us to see the entire crib. We ended up getting the Nanit Pro monitor which is designed to mount over the crib and has a wide angle lens 

Hatch Sound Machine - This product is great in theory but it doesn't have an actual white noise sound!! It has everything else you can imagine but no standard white noise. Right now we use it as a nightlight during night feedings. To help Tanner sleep, we've been using the Hushh portable sound machine. It works great to lull him to sleep & it's helpful that we will be able to travel anywhere with it.

4 Items I Would Wait On:

Bottles/Pacifiers - Bottles & pacifiers come down to baby's personal preference so while you definitely want to have a few on hand when your kid is born, I wish I didn't register for full sets from brands. He has taken to liking the Soothie Pacifiers and Dr. Brown's Bottles. Once we figured that out, we stocked up on those brands and ended up putting the other brands away. 

Swaddles - Another item that's all about baby's preference. We started out using Halo Swaddles but once Tanner discovered his hands, he has liked sucking on them to soothe himself. Because of that, we recently switched over to Love to Dream swaddles. Both have worked great for us, but similar to the bottles, I would have waited to register for multiples of any type of swaddles until we saw what baby preferred. 

Blankets - Once baby boy was born we received sooo many blankets. They are so sweet too - personalized or hand made and much cuter than anything I registered for. This was definitely not an item that I should have put on my registry. We are drowning in blankets! LOL

Outfits - Clothing is a silly thing to register for because similar to blankets, once your baby arrives, you will get so many cute outfits!! Looking back, I would have either skipped clothing or registered for some outfits in larger sizes. We received a lot of newborn & 0-3 month clothes but now that Tanner is growing, we notice his closet has thinned out! We need to stock up on 3-6 month outfits & beyond for him!

3 Items I Would Have Added:

Halo Bassinet - I thought a bassinet was a silly product to add to my registry since I figured baby wouldn't be sleeping in it for too long and while he was, he could just sleep in the bassinet portion of the pack n play in our room. Well, he didn't end up liking the pack n play during the early days. We ended up borrowing the Halo bassinet from friends and buying the newborn insert for it. Tanner immediately started sleeping a bit better thanks to the comfort of the insert that he could nuzzle up against. I also liked that the Halo bassinet's height could be adjusted. 

Baby Brezza Bottle Warmer - A bottle warmer was never on my list because I thought, we can just heat the bottles in a cup of water but once we were feeding Tanner a bottle every 3 hours, and feeding him in the middle of the night we quickly learned that time is precious. Heating a bottle in a cup of water was taking us 6-7 minutes each time. I purchased this bottle warmer in the middle of the night and we have used it for every single bottle since then & it only takes about 3 minutes.

Owlet Sleep Sock - I had this sock on my registry, then I removed, then I added it again, then I removed it. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use it or if it would end up creating more anxiety for us as new parents. My mom ended up gifting it to us and we have used it and loved it every night since Tanner came home. Jody loves to ask me 'how's his heart rate?' while we watch him sleep at night. I definitely see where this product could create additional anxiety, but for us, it's given us a lot of peace of mind. 

June 23, 2021

5 WAYS TO STYLE A BLAZER

Today I'm sharing 5 ways to style a blazer. I love throwing a blazer over a casual outfit to dress it up a bit. They always give my outfits more structure than a cardigan or light weight jacket. How do you style your blazers?

XO

Michelle Paige

 

Neutral Outfit with fun accessories

Dressed up for a night out

A bold color over a dress

A printed blazer with jeans

Bold color over jeans & a tee