My Favorite Things: Baby Edition

 This post is pretty lengthy and is catered more to New or Expecting Mommies.

Consider yourself warned :)

It's been ages since I posted a favorite things list and I thought it would be fun to post a baby edition. Here are all of our favorite baby items at the moment. As a new Mommy, I highly recommend all of these products- some of them are survival items, while others just make life with a sweet little bundle a little easier sweeter! I also included a few items we thought we would love, but ended up not working for us.

Sleep Sheep: We do not leave home without this little guy. He is our lifesaver!

 Little Tummies Gas Drops: You will never catch us without these one hand. Our sweet bundle is a gassy little thing! They are especially handy now that MG is on a Similac rather than Nutramigen.

 

Multi-Use Disposable Pads: We put these down in MG's bassinet, crib, and on her changing table. If she spits up or makes a mess, just toss it and place a clean one down. We can never have enough of these. {Much easier than changing sheets all the time}

 

Summer Infant Day/Night Video Monitor: This has really come in handy for this new Mommy now that we are placing MG in her big girl crib for daytime naps. It makes me nervous having her in another room alone, so this really helps ease my fears.

Medela Pump In Style  On-The Go Advanced Breast Pump: Medela is the best. Period. If you plan to breast feed, this is worth the investment.

Baby Trend Expedition Jogging Stroller: I wanted a jogger, so after much research I settled on this one. It is perfect for what we need {the roads around the lake are not known for their smoothness} and you cannot beat the price {compared to a BOB}. It's so easy to steer which makes it perfect for everyday use, too.

Gowns: I thought I would like these, but when MG was tiny they just didn't work out for us. However, we started using them again a few weeks ago and they make life so much easier {especially in the diaper changing department}. Now that MG is a bit bigger,these are my go-to outfits for lounging around the house.

 Boppy Pillow: This was really helpful when I was breastfeeding, but it's just as handy now that MG is getting older. We use it to prop her up during playtime and it still comes in handing during feedings since she's getting oh-so heavy!

 

Aden + Anais Blankets: Best baby blanket, hands down. We have dozens upon dozens of baby blankets- every size, shape, color, texture.... you get the picture. Well, they are all nicely laundered and tucked away somewhere because the only blankets we use are Aden + Anais. These are the best baby blankets- the perfect combination of lightweight, soft material, yet they can be folded for times when a heavier blanket is needed.

 

Cloth Diapers: When it comes to serious spit-up, you can toss all the fancy schmancy {yes, I said schmancy} burp cloths because plain jane cloth diapers are hands down the best. MG has dozens of cute, monogrammed burp cloths and what do we use day in and day out- cloth diapers. You thought for a minute I was going to say I use those instead of Huggies, didn't you!  ;)

Cradle Swing: MG loves, loves, loves her swing. It's out lifeline when things start to get hairy.

 

Aveeno Baby Care Products: We started out using the traditional Johnson & Johnson baby products, but ended up switching to the Aveeno brand. Not only do I love their scents better {their nigh time bath wash smells soooo good} but they keep MG cuddly and baby soft without irritating her sensitive skin.






And now for the items we dislike.

Safety 1st Turtle Complete Bath Center: If I had it to do over again, I would choose a tub without mesh. Our tub has a turtle cushion that is removable. However, there is a mesh fabric that is necessary for the baby to lean back on while bathing. I have to wrangle it off the wire frame and wash it at least twice a week because it gets slimy and mildewy. Yucko! I'm considering tossing it and purchasing one like this:

 

 

Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Bottles: These sound great, in theory, and were the bottles I had registered for. When I first switched MG from breast to bottle, these were the only ones she could latch onto. The gas issue quickly arose and we realized the bottles were making it worse. They did a horrible job at diffusing air bubbles. We scrapped them after only one week of use and now we have a cabinet full of bottles we cannot use. We went to the Playtext Nursers, which work great except that you cannot buy the liners in our small town. It became frustrating having to drive 45 minutes just to buy refills. We ended up giving our set of Nursers to Nanny J for times when MG is at her home. We finally ended up using the Dr. Brown bottles {which I hate despise}. But hey, if they work for Little Miss, then they are worth the headache brought on by the tedious task of cleaning them.



There you have it. The best and worst baby products {in my opinion, of course}. I'm gearing up for another jam-packed weekend. Today we are off for a special retirement celebration and tomorrow is Chickadee's bachelorette party.

See you Monday!

Babyland: The Nursery Reveal

I could not be happier with how the nursery turned out. We decided to keep the gray walls and go for a more neutral, soothing nursery. I know pink is part of having a little girl, but I'm not a big fan of it, so I went with more grays and creams.  We purchased the furniture, bedding, and a few of the decorative pieces from Woodstock Kids, located in Meridian, MS. Woodstock has always been our go-to place for furniture and accent pieces, and as usual they were unbelievably helpful when it came to outfitting the nursery.

 One of our sweet church friends brought us this cute wreath to hang on the front door.

 Looking in from the doorway.

 Close up of the bedding- the Grace collection from Bananafish.

 Her coming home gown I made for her!

 Looking toward her bathroom. { Notice the bellycast on the floor? :) }

 Her bathroom / linen closet.

 I stumbled upon some cute initial pictures made from button on Etsy. Rather than spending $60+ on one, I made my own for less than $8!

I know it's hard to see, but these are the curtains I made for her.

I am always in her room. I love to go and just sit in there, read stories to her, and dream of the day when she will finally be here!

Getting Started

Saturday we officially decided on nursery furniture/decor and we bought Mary Grace's baby bedding! The hardest part was going through fabric swatches- I bet I looked at 100 before deciding on what I wanted for the chair/ottoman. I'm starting to get the nursery 'fever'. Things are starting to come together in my head of what I want the nursery to be. I'm ready to dig and start decorating!

My husband moved out our guest room furniture from the nursery. Now all I have to do is empty out one of her closets. My mom is coming to help steam clean the carpets. The room is pretty much a clean slate- now time to start filling it up with sweet baby girl things!

For the nursery, we had already painted the walls a nice mellow gray after we moved in. I love the gray and we didn't want to change the wall colors. I'm not really into loads of pink- I know that pink sort of comes with the territory when you're having a girl. Here are some nursery ideas we've found.

Below is the baby bedding we bought. It's the Grace collection from Bananafish. I love that the detailing is very girly, but without the usual pink colors.