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I was talking with a friend, who has a newborn and recanting some of my *must* have favorite things. Here are a few of mine, what are yours?
*Sleep Sheep
this is one of the best, compact sound machine. It's so easy to use and times out depending on the setting you choose. It also comes with a velcro strap you can use to attach to a car seat etc. Make sure you get the 'On the Go' version, the other one is quite large.
*Adan & Anais blankets
these blankets are large and come in great prints. They also keep their swaddle really well. Now that our little one is walking around, it's so light weight she drags it around and actually covers her lovey with it. She still loves sleeping with it.
*Trumpette socks
they come in great patterns and colors and are the only socks that do not fall off, even when our litle one tugs on them to get them off.
There are tons more.. but these are the ones I have loved from the start and still love.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your families!
I can't wait to be able to paint Soph's nails. Now there is a non-toxic, all natural polish especially made for little girls. They come in tons of fun colors. They also have non-toxic polish remover. Soph might just be getting her first mani pedi sooner than expected!
www.piggypaint.com
We have the GoBaby Outmat and it is awesome. It's lightweight, easy to transport, and machine washable. We use it all the time. It also comes attached by zipper to a carrying pouch. You just roll in out and up like a yoga mat. It's so light weight that I have walked all over Chicago carrying it and didn't feel a thing.
Tomorrow ONLY, GoBaby is having a 50% off everything sale.
www.gobaby.com
If your child is between the ages of 6 months and 35 months and received their H1N1 vaccine, please read on. Sanofi Pasteur is voluntarily recalling 800,000 doses of their vaccine because they say the doses do not meet the potency levels they should. The CDC says that parents should not be concerned because tests show that a slight decrease in potency does not effect the level of protection.
The article has details on the lots being recalled and the CDC statement.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/15/flu.vaccine.recall/
I've started looking at everything I make for lunch and dinner and wondering if it's Soph appropriate. They say once babies start eating toddler food it gets easier because you don't have to make 2 meals. Um - that might be true if you're already eating well balanced meals. I'm pretty sure things like taco night (full of packaged seasoning and salsa) and cereal for dinner night don't qualify as the well balanced meal Soph should be getting. The good thing is that it is definitely helping us make sure we have some healthier meals. I've also become a pro at adding vegetable puree into everything. It's amazing how much better you feel about eating mac n cheese for dinner when you've added some butternut squash and broccoli puree into it.
Some of my favorite books about feeding and recipes for our little ones are:
Baby Bites - great month by month feeding guide
The Healthy Baby Meal Planner - a lot of great easy recipes broken out by month. It also includes weaning schedules and tips on helping ensure you baby gets all of their vitamins.
Healthy Meals for Babies & Toddlers - concise book with tips, recipes (with clearly marked cook times), storage tips and most importantly, pictures. I love recipe books that show pictures of the food.
One great website that I visit often for recipe ideas is: http://weelicious.com/
She has great unique recipes that are fit for parents & baby alike.
Happy Feeding!
Today (12/15) and tomorrow BRU is giving and extra 20% off of certain toys for all FB fans.
The offer is valid for toy items on the following link only: http://bit.ly/FacebookBabyToySale
Enter the promo code: FB151292OFF at checkout.
I love Old Navy & GapBaby sales. They always have cute stuff for great prices. Especially casual clothing and pjs! Although I did get Soph the cutest pea coat (bright pink) from Old Navy this winter.
From now until December 15th get 20% off of your entire order at oldnavy.com
Enter promo code: ONSAVE20 at checkout.
Land of Nod (one of my favorites!) is offering free shipping on your entire order (excluding furniture) from now until December 14th.
Enter the promo code: SNOW at checkout.
Usually you think of buying books and music from B&N but they have a surprisingly decent selection of toys and games online.
For a limited time, you can save $10 off any toy & game purchase of $19.95 or more when you pay with your Mastercard. Use the online coupon code A7P8Y9A at checkout.
Skip Hop is giving away their Chow Baby Food Organizer (great space saver) with purchase of any feeding item. Offer is good thru December 25th, while supplies last. Just put any feeding product into your cart, and the Chow Baby Food Organizer will be automatically added.
We have the Palette Plate and love using it. It is super handy when we're serving Soph a meal with a few different components. It's also great that all of their products are BPA free.
While you're on the Skip Hop site, some of my other favorites are the Splash bottle drying rack, the Studio diaper tote (it's like Mary Poppins bag, and looks great when you have to go somewhere nice), and the Farmyard Animal Chime Balls.
There are so many great Facebook pages for moms (and dads). A few of my favorites:- Cool Mom Picks - They find great products that are often made by small business. It is also nice to be looking at items that are unique versus shopping at BabiesRUs (though I do love BRU for many things). They also have great member discounts.
- The Average Parent - It's a refreshing to hear someone talk about finding food in a drawer and other mishaps that we all go through. They also do a great job of spreading the news about discounts at some of our favorite stores, most of them online discounts.
- MightyNest - They make it much easier to find items that are non-toxic and make them easily available.
- StrollerTraffic - If you are looking for fun unique gifts, they are one of my favorite stops.
- Babysteals.com - Become a member and you will be notified of their daily steal. They have amazing prices and things do go fast, so be sure to check each morning.
- Etsy - This is not specifically a parent website, but it has amazing handmade products, especially great baby & kids stuff.
There is so much information and support available for new moms (and dads) that I find it almost overwhelming. Where to start? Usually I find myself turning to my closest mom friends hoping they have somehow waded through the sea of information and can give me the answer for the question of the day - basically the Cliff Notes version. So, I feel the need to return the favor when I've discovered something (whether it be good or bad) and tell as many moms as I can. Hopefully I'll be providing someone else the Cliff Notes. I find myself writing emails to my mom friends with my latest discovery and then forwarding them onto another friend who either got forgotten on the first email or just had a baby.
As much as I enjoy email (what a great way to be able to keep in touch with friends while your child is sleeping!), I thought it would more efficient for me to start this blog. It's all about efficiency these days right? If I can multi-task and get 2 things done at once in a day, that is a big win!
I'm also hoping that my friends (and their friends) will chip in and add to this blog so that it can become the c.notes that every mom needs. Who has the time to research 10 different types of bottles or to search 10 different stores to see who has the cheapest price or has free shipping and to do this for everything by themselves? Please add your own comments and discoveries!
I'll try to keep this blog as organized as I can by breaking out the posting by type (ie gear, book, tips, feeding etc) so please feel free to email me directly if you have a posting you'd like to create.
