The Perfect Bottle Temperature

Nothing is worse then waiting for the right temperature bottle when you have a crying hungry baby waiting for his bottle. My first bottle warmer was a Munchkin Bottle Warmer. (available at Amazon/Target for $17.99) It took two plus painful minutes for the magical beep sound to indicate the bottle was warm. At which point I would test the bottle only to find out that the formula was still too cold. Then I’d reheat it again in the warmer and it was too hot. Just like Goldilocks, I couldn’t get it right! Trying to get my formula the right temperature was an ongoing battle until I found the Beaba bib'expresso. This wonderful invention heats the water to the perfect temperature in 30 seconds with one hand. It mixes powdered formula quickly , reducing air bubbles and eliminating hot spots. You never have to worry about giving your baby a bottle that is too hot! You put the water in the top, put the powder in the bottle and in 30 seconds you have a perfectly warm 98 degree bottle. If you are a powder formula feeding Mama, I highly recommend this product. It will make your life a lot easier. It also has a sterilizing attachment and can heat jarred baby foods. It retails for $129 on diapers.com

Gourmet On The Go

Are you looking for great baby food, especially when you are on the go? Or maybe your little one isn’t a fan of your homemade baby food cooking? Both of these problems are easily solved by the great selection of organic baby foods currently on the market. Jarred baby food has received a bad rep in the past due to a variety of reasons. One being the nasty Gerber flavor called “beef and gravy”. Doesn’t sound or look too appetizing to me either!! The baby food companies have really upped their game now that parents are demanding healthy organic options for their baby.

My ultimate favorite baby food is made by Plum! They make yummy, healthy fruit combinations that are a wonderful consistency for the “first food “eater. Sebastian loves the Just Peaches and Just Mangos! And that’s all they have in the package! None of their food is filled with unpronounceable additives. Plum also makes some fun vegetable combinations, such as, Pumpkin Banana and Spinach, Peas and Pears. They sound so yummy I would eat them myself! Each food comes packaged in a convenient pouch with a screw off top that makes it neat and handy to carry in your diaper bag for meals on the go. The Boon Company makes a spoon attachment that hooks onto the Plum package. This allows the food to be squirted directly onto the spoon and into baby’s mouth. I’ve tried the Boon spoon for my baby and he just wasn’t advanced enough to make it work for him. I think it’s really designed for older babies because the spoon loads the food towards the back of the spoon instead of the front of the spoon. This makes it more challenging for a beginner eater. Plum also makes a Tot line. They have a variety of choices for snacks on the go. My nephew Lucas is 10 months old and his Mama can hand him a packet of Plum food when he is hungry and he is able to suck it down himself. I think Plum is a great baby food option. My only complaint is that they do not make any meat combinations.

Lucas enjoying his Plum Food

Speaking of meat! When my doctor told me it was time to introduce some meats and protein in Sebastian’s diet I tried it the old fashion way. I baked a chicken and pureed it with some fruits and vegetables. When I fed it to my baby he looked at me like I had lost my mind. He acted like it tasted awful but I kept re- introducing it in hopes he would change his mind. Guess what? He won that battle! Then I moved onto Earth’s Best Organic food. It has been a lifesaver! Sebastian is a VERY picky eater but loves their Sweet Potato and Chicken! He’s also a fan of Creamy Chicken Apple Compote. It’s loaded with half the daily requirements of calcium and protein. Earth’s Best makes some appetizing meal options especially in their gourmet meals selections.

Sebastian enjoying his Earth's Best Chicken

Another favorite brand of mine is Happy Baby. I especially like their cereals. They are creamy when you add your formula yet they are soy and dairy free. Happy Baby also makes great vegetable and fruit puree and some fantastic training meals.

So do what is best for your little one when it comes to feeding and introducing solid food. Don’t beat yourself up if you are not making your own baby food. Shop and read labels and try different consistencies and flavors. Not everyone will follow the traditional route of making your own food. And just when you think you have it all figured out, your baby will decide to change his mind and not like all the things that appealed to him before. Or only want to eat peaches all day! Good luck!

What is your favorite baby food brand?

Let's Get Pureeing!!

As a new Mom I couldn’t wait to start feeding my little one his first foods! I knew it would be fun to see his reactions and what foods he loved or hated! Since Sebastian has reflux, my pediatrician suggested I begin this process earlier then most. The hope was that once Sebastian was on more solid food he would have fewer issues with reflux.

My adventure began at 10 weeks when Sebastian tried pears. He LOVED it! His first foods came from Plum Organic pouches or Earth’s Best. I loved both of these products and they will be discussed on a future post. For now, I want to share my experience of making my own baby food!

As you know I am a sucker for a good product and so when I heard about the Beaba Baby Cook I was hooked! It was suppose to make baby purees a snap! All you needed to do was chop the fruits or veggies and put them in the holding container. The cooker steamed the food and then pureed it. The Baby Cook seemed amazing until one day I noticed it was leaking out all the nutritious juices from the steamer basket onto the counter. Because I lost fluids, my purees were not the right consistency. The Baby Cook advertised that all the vitamins that are steamed out of the fruits or veggies are suppose to go into the water. Then all you needed to do was add it back into the puree. Sounds great but the reality of this product is different. I checked the reviews on Amazon to see what other users said and found that so many people had the same problems as I did! Consumers said it was great at first but then it leaked around the blades. Some commented that they had issues with growing mold in the steamer! Conclusion...not worth the money!!

Babycook is $120 on Amazon.com

Plan B

After I scrapped the Baby Cook I still wanted to try and make my own baby food. So I ended up buying a streamer at Bed Bath and Beyond. It was a million times better because it was faster and I could do bigger batches. I also used my Cuisinart food processor to puree the food. I hadn’t found a use for it since I received it as a wedding gift so I was thrilled to dust it off and use it. This was a much better process and the food was notably smoother and creamier. So for many days I could be found happily chopping, steaming and pureeing in my kitchen. I felt like an accomplished Mommie until the baby got so constipated from my food that I had to move back to Plum and Earth’s Best foods for the sake of his digestive system. But that’s another story.

Hopefully you’ll have better luck with making your own baby food. If you decide to give it a try, I highly recommend the Beaba food trays. They are very easy to clean and they freeze the food in individual serving pods. When you’re ready for a serving, the food pod releases the serving with no problems. Besides they come in cute colors and make you feel like a real professional!

Food Trays are $20 each on Amazon.com

Do you like to make your own baby food? Any suggestions?

LET’S BE GREEN WITH BABY

Do you want to be environmentally friendly but you’re not brave enough for cloth diapers? I have not found 100% biodegradable diapers but Nature BabyCare is as close as it gets! They are eco-friendly and compostable. These diapers are made out of natural materials and are chlorine free and very absorbent. They have a great texture and feel very soft against my little ones tushy. Sebastian has been know to have some pretty incredible blow out diapers, but Nature Babycare has held its own. The only thing you need to be mindful of is the European sizing. Most of the time you will need to go up a size despite the weight guidelines on the packaging. If your baby has “chicken thighs” like mine, the legs fit really well and I have not had any problems with leakage. If your diapers leak, you probably need to go up a size, especially with boys. The only downside of Nature Babycare is that they are hard to find at local stores. I buy them by the case through Diapers.com with free next day delivery. If you add TAKEFIVER at checkout you receive a $5.00 discount on every case. The number of diapers varies per case depending on the size you need. Right now I am getting a 108 count case of Size 4 diapers for $43.99. They are also available through Amazon.com for about the same price. Nature Babycare also makes wonderful Eco-sensitive Baby Wipes. A 700 count refill is $23.99. I love the Sensitive Wipes with Lotion and the Aloe Baby Wipes. Both sell for $29.99 for a 700 count refill.

To keep Sebastian’s room smelling fresh, I highly recommend the Diaper Dekor Plus Size Pail. Retails for $31.99 at Diapers.com and at most baby stores. This is the simplest diaper disposal system around. Just step on the petal, drop the diaper in the pail and you’re done. The unique rubber sealed trapdoor locks odors inside the pail and there are no batteries or filters to replace. The reusable cartridge makes changing the bags easy. The refill bags are biodegradable and one refill lasts for about 40 diaper changes. The refill bags sell for about $15.99 for a two pack. Now I feel “green” about my diaper changes because I am using both biodegradable diapers and biodegradable bags to dispose of the diapers. A win for my baby’s carbon footprint!

Don’t you hate it when you open a fresh pack of wipes and within a few days they are already dry! My best solution for this problem is the Prince LionHeart Wipes Warmer. It is the ultimate nursery accessory. Not only does it keep your baby wipes warm but also moist , non-browning and anti-microbial. Simply drop in a stack of your favorite wipes, and the warmer keeps them fresh. It is thermostatically controlled so as not to be too warm for baby’s delicate skin. The wipes warmer is about $31 and the replacement pillows are $10 for two. You can purchase this at many baby store or on Diaper.com Treat your baby’s bottom to this since it’s especially nice for those cold, middle of the night diaper changes. You won’t regret it!

What are your favorite diapers?

Let's Go Shopping!!

Most technology savvy Moms already know about a time saving website called www.diapers.com. For those of you who don’t know about this site, let me introduce you to the best Mommy website ever!!!

Diapers.com is an internet shopping site that has literally everything you need for your little one. Not only do they have diapers but also wipes, clothes, food, formula, strollers, bath stuff, maternity products and so much more. The best part is every order over $49 qualifies for free overnight shipping. Frequently I order diapers and baby food in the afternoon while my baby naps and the next day my order is delivered to my front door. This saves me loading my baby up in his car seat and then the grocery store cart to shop for baby and household necessities at the store.

You do not need to be a Mom to appreciate diapers.com. The same site has sister sites as well. For example,www.soap.com specializes in household cleaning products. There’s a toy site called www.yoyo.com offering toys for sale at great prices. Finally, www.wag.com satisfies all your pet needs. You can click on any one of these sites and they all connect to the same checkout basket. For example, I can put diapers, baby food and wipes in my cart on the diapers site and then click on the soap.com site and get laundry detergent and shower gel. I can also click on wag.com and get my kitty food and litter. All the products are added to one cart and the next day, everything I have ordered from all three sites are at my front door. And again, if it’s over $49 it’s free overnight shipping! Win! Win!

Diapers.com will create lists for you of your preferred products so you can easily repurchase without researching products again. You can even order “on the go” by using the diapers.com app on your mobile phone. Their customer service department is very helpful and accommodating if any mistakes are made while ordering.

Give this amazing site a try and I bet you will LOVE it like I do! Don’t forget to enter TAKEFIVER at checkout and get five dollars off every case of diapers you order. That’s an added bonus, especially if you have more than one child in diapers.

Do you know of any other great Mom websites?

Let's Go for a Car Ride

Ok Readers, I have a confession for you! A big, dark secret! I let my baby watch movies in the car!!!! Yes, it’s true! I have a portable DVD player in my car! Unfortunately, I don’t have one of those awesome mini vans with a factory installed DVD player. But a girl can dream!

Even from the early days, my baby was not a big fan of riding in the car. Can you blame him? There is nothing very interesting or stimulating about staring at the back seat of a car. (even with toys or mirrors hanging there) At least not for my baby! I tried music and singing but nothing worked. It was difficult for me to focus on driving when my little boy sounded so miserable.

Then one magical day my Dad came over with an awesome present for the baby. It was a Sony portable DVD player from Costco, retailing at about $100. At Best Buy my Dad also bought a case that allowed the DVD player to be fastened to the headrest of the backseat and plugged into the cigarette lighter. It was a miracle! The baby was mesmerized! Sebastian obviously doesn’t understand the story but loves the colors and animation. Curious George movies are his favorite and every now and then I can hear him laughing. Dinosaur Train and Mickey Clubhouse are close seconds. When my sister and I took the boys to Disneyland, the DVD player was a godsend for the six-hour drive. The drive was only made sanely possible due to this wonderful invention. To me the DVD player is a must have for every Mommy car!

Little Guy loves his movie!

Disney Trip

What is your opinion on DVD players in the car?

Baby It’s Cold Outside!

When the colder months approached, I became hesitant to take my little one outside. He was used to warm spring and summer weather and so was I! Then one winter day, during one of my almost daily trips to Buy Buy Baby, I discovered my favorite winter stroller accessory! The JJ Cole Bundle Me! It’s a cozy cocoon for your baby that attaches to your stroller seat or car seat. It has a plush inner shearling lining and a luxuriously soft outer theraplush cover. You zip your little one right up in it and they are completely protected from the wind, rain and cold weather. The best part is your baby can’t kick it off! It comes in an infant size up to 21 pounds and toddler size from 1 to 3 years old. There are many colors to choose from to match your stroller or just for fun! There are four different styles depending on the temperature in your part of the country. I bought the Urban Bundle Me but they also make a Lite, Water Resistant, Arctic and Original version. The prices range from $50 to $100 depending on what weight and size you want. I recommend the toddler version for your stroller because it can grow with them. I love this product! I even bought two, one for my workout stroller and one for my lightweight umbrella stroller. Check out jjcolecollections.com to see all the great color options!

My favorite time to use it is when I go to Stroller Strides in the very chilly mornings. I zip my baby up in his Bundle Me and off we go! Stroller Strides has been a great way for me to shed the baby weight and to meet awesome Mamas! It is a stroller fitness program that Moms can do with their babies and toddlers. Check out www.strollerstrides.com to see if there is a program in your area!

How are you bundling up your little one this winter?