My 12 Baby Item Must- Have's!

A lot of people I know are having babies, so since it's "baby season" I thought I would share some of the most important baby items that we have.

My Baby Must Have's are:

1. Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair- This is a huge deal to me. It really does save space & you can put in on the floor or on a chair! It reclines and has a pretty large tray as well.

2. Graco Pack N Play- We have the Graco Pack N Play Capri with the removable bassinet & changing table. I will be honest. We use our pack n play a lot. Baby A likes to sleep in it, however, knowing what I know now, I would have gotten a different pack n play as we didn't use the bassinet very long & maybe used the changing table twice.

What we have.

Here's the playard I think we should have gotten:

Baby Trend Deluxe Nursery Center

3. Sleep Nest.-We never bought one of these, but we should have. It would have saved us a lot of sleepless nights, as Baby A would only sleep when she was with us. 

Here's what we should have gotten:

Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper

4. Bright Starts Bounce Baby. -Baby A loves this! I love the bright colors and the floor board, it also takes up less space than a traditional exersaucer.

5. Pacifier. -Not any pacifier though. I like the Avent Soothie & the The First Years Gumdrop Pacifiers. I like that they are one piece and are made out of a safe material. There are no little pieces that could come off and be swallowed.

Avent Soothie

The First Years Gumdrop

6. Fisher Price Calming Vibrations Bouncer.- Baby A loves this. She has loved it since day one. It's her favorite place to hang out, and at 24 weeks old she still loves it. They make another model now that has butterflies and matches the space saver high chair.

7. White Onesies. -Lots and lots of onesies. You will need them.

8. Burp clothes.- Tons of these too. Babies spit up, a lot.

9. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe.- Our daughter has a ton of teethers, but the only one she likes is Sophie.  Sophie goes everywhere with Baby A.

10. Baby Carrier.- Any kind of baby carrier that suits you! We have 2 different kinds of structured Infantino's and a Moby! We have used them all! 

11. Baby Trend Jogger in Gray Mist. -We love our jogging stroller! It is amazing. We like to take Baby A for walks in it. It takes the bumps well and is just an all around amazing stroller.

12. Breast Pump.- If you are breastfeeding, this is a must in my opinon. I have two different pumps. A manual Medela and a double electric by Avent. Find what works for you. But my opinion is any pump by these two brands is good!

These are just my opinions from what has worked for us with Baby A. Of course all babies are different! There are tons of products that we have and use for Baby A on a daily basis but these are my favorites so far!

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

New Baby Checklist: Are you ready for baby?

When I was pregnant, I scoured the internet for the perfect new baby checklist. 

But I couldn't find just one that worked for me. So I compiled several lists together to make the "perfect" list for Baby A. 

I  hope this list helps some soon-to-be new mama's.

If you are already a mama, what was your must have item/ what is your most used baby item?

•   Cloth Diapers
•   Diaper Sprayer
•   Diaper wetbags (2)
•   Pail liner
•   Burp cloths 
•   Disposable wipes. 
•   Diaper rash cream ( I love California Baby!)
•   Diaper pail ( I like the Diaper Dekor Plus)
•   Diaper bag ( We have a few, one for daddy, one for mommy, and a mini one)
•   Baby monitor
•   1 or 2 pacifiers
•   Pacifier clip
•   Pack 'n Play
•   At least 6 bottles, including nipples
•   Bottle brush
•   Bottle Warmer
•   Steam Microwave Sterilizer
•   Bottle drying rack
•   Breast pump ( I have a manual & an electric)
•   Boppy breastfeeding pillow
•   Nursing pads
•   Nipple Cream
•   Breast milk storage bags (lots of them!)
•   Thermometer
•   Baby first aid kit
•   Baby hair brush
•   Baby nail clippers
•   Baby  Saline
•   Infant bath tub 
•   Baby shampoo /body wash
•   Baby lotion
•   4-5 hooded  bath towels
•   10-12Baby Washclothes
•   Crib
•   Changing table 
•   Changing pad
•   Glider
•   Bouncer
•   Swing. 
•   Activity mat
•   Crib mobile
•   Crib bumpers
•   2 fitted crib sheets
•   A rear-facing infant car seat (w/ base)
•   Baby carrier /Moby wrap
•   Stroller
•   A weather appropriate take home outfit
•   At least 8-10 onesies, some long sleeve & some short sleeved 
•   At least 5 pairs of pants
•   6 or more sleepers
•   Baby mittens to keep baby from scratching themselves
•   A few hoodies or sweaters
• · 1 snowsuit
• · 1 to 2 pairs of mittens 
• · At least  8 pairs of socks
• · 1 sun hat
•   1 pair of baby sunglasses
•   Baby sunscreen
•   3-4 baby hats of various styles for different weather
•   4 to 6 blankets. 
•   At least 4 bibs
•   Halo Sleep sack

This is the check list that hubby and I used for Baby A, this really helped me out a lot when we were preparing for her. The pack n play with the newborn bassinet in it and the bouncer have been our most used items! The second most used item has been the baby carrier.

♥

Lolli

Keeping the Nursery Smelling Fresh!

Using cloth diapers doesn't have to stink.

One dilemma we faced when planning for Baby A was what diaper pail to use.


Since using cloth diapers, we knew a simple Diaper Genie wouldn't do the trick for us.

After looking through some baby stores we ran across the perfect diaper pail!!

The Diaper Dekor Plus!

Instead of the bag refills for the diaper pail, we use a reusable wet bag that we toss in the wash with the diapers.

My favorite features of the pail are the locking top & the easy access front panel for removing the bag of soiled diapers!
I love the Diaper Dekor Plus because it truly does keep the odors at bay & Baby A's nursery stays smelling fresh!

*I was not compensated for this review. Review is of a product I already own.*
❤ 


Lolli 

Hamilton Beach True Air Odor Eliminator [Review]

As you all know, hubby and I have been working on the nursery. While the new furniture is beautiful, it can also be a little "stinky". The furniture needs to air out.

Well, when we were at the store the other day, we saw the Hamilton Beach True Air Odor Eliminator. It retails (on their website) for $14.99! Not a bad deal!

Here's where to find it:http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/products/odor-eliminators-true-air-plug-mount-odor-eliminator-04530gm.html

It comes with an optional fragrance cartridge. I didn't want to use the fragrance cartridge, so I plugged it in without.

We went back into the nursery later, and the air smelled fresh & clean!

The best part is the carbon filter lasts for 3 months, and we bought a replacement filter pack ( there are 3 in the package). So this should last us through Baby A's first year. I also like that it has a filter change indicator on the front so I will know when to change the filter.

I think this is an amazing addition to the nursery & at a great price!

I am excited to see how well it works on keeping the air fresh when the diaper pail is full :)

♥
Lolli

*These are all just personal opinions of the blogger. Blogger is not associated with the company in any way. The blogger did not receive compensation of any kind for this review.*

Weekend Ramblings.....

It's amazing how fast time flies. Hubby and I are rushing around trying to get things ready for Baby A.

We have had a plan from the beginning and followed checklists the whole pregnancy to keep things going on schedule, so that we can be ready when Baby A arrives.

It gets difficult to stay on schedule though when things arrive broken in the mail....like the changing table. Now we are waiting on new parts for the changing table...which can take up to 2 weeks. 2 weeks is a long time when you are 37 weeks along.

Thank goodness though my hospital bags are mostly packed, and the crib is put together.

We are still waiting on the glider, but that should be in soon. 

However, Baby A has started to show signs of wanting to come out early....which could then throw all checklists out the window.

But that's okay. Sometimes life has other plans. And we can't predict every situation.

Hopefully the nursery is completely ready in time, but if not, well it will be done as soon as we can get the changing table & glider taken care of. 

Did you have issues when getting the nursery put together?

Did your baby arrive early and throw your check lists out the window?

What's your story?

♥

Lolli

How We Chose Baby A's Bedding.

If you haven't read the post on nursery furniture, please click here.

The baby bedding for our nursery finally came in on Tuesday! I was so excited to finally see it in person! After a long time searching the internet for something that wasn't jungle theme, butterflies, or disney princesses, I finally found what I was looking for. 

Here's what we bought for Baby A's room:

JoJo Designs "Sophia"

A closer view of the bedding.

I love that it's a 9 piece set! A lot of bedding comes in a 4 piece set, which is okay, but I like everything to coordinate without too much effort. So this set was perfect. I have always been a fan of black and white damask, but what is even better is that there is a splash of pink to make the room extra girly!

We looked at several other sets in planning for Baby A's room. 

Here are some of the others we thought were pretty:

JoJo Designs "Isabella"

JoJo Designs "Princess"

JoJo Designs "Geo"

Carousel Designs "Black and White Damask"

Carousel Designs "Dainty Damask"

Doodlefish "Amore"



I hope you enjoyed seeing our journey to the bedding we chose for our daughters room! I cannot wait to get it all washed and put together with her crib!

What are some of your favorite baby bedding designs? Did it take you a while searching for the 'perfect' set or did you know right away what you wanted?
Or did you design your own?




❤

Lolli

Weekend Ramblings....

It's hard to believe how quickly time flies! Baby A will be here so soon! I am very excited to be a first time mommy. I have been a homemaker for several years now, occasionally working on weekends here and there. I love the cook and take care of the house, but being a mom has always been a dream of mine.

I have an amazing hubby and will soon have a beautiful daughter!

The best [and sometimes most frustrating part] of this whole process is the preparation! Being a Type A personality, I have checklists for my checklists! Seeing everything that still needs done before her arrival can be overwhelming. However the anticipation of holding my baby girl, is amazing. I cannot wait to hold her in my arms.

Only a few more weeks now! My belly keeps getting bigger and bigger & my checklists are getting shorter! Next off the checklist this weekend is the crib! Hubby and I decided on the DaVinci Kalani. It's so beautiful in pictures, I cannot wait to see it all put together!




Obviously we won't have this bedding! (picture from boscovs.com)

 

We still have a lot to do, but it is all worth it and so exciting in the process!

This coming week holds the challenge of packing my bags for the hospital. Looks like I have to make a checklist for that too!

What did you pack in your hospital bag?

Thank you for taking interest my blog. I hope that my readers have an amazing weekend!

Any plans?

❤

Lolli

Nursery Furniture!

In my last post about Baby A's nursery, I mentioned how much I loved espresso furniture!

Well, I found yet another color of furniture I like! 

Black Finish. 

Here are what the hubby and I chose as our final picks for the nursery:

Davinci Kalani Crib in Ebony

&

Badger Basket Sleigh Changing Table with Hamper & 3 Baskets (Black)

&

Storkcraft Tuscany Glider with Ottoman (Black/Beige)

What do you think of these picks?

I tend to be a darker wood person, liking a cherry, espresso, or black finish. Are you a dark or light wood person?

♥

Lolli

Preparing for Baby!

I could not be more excited for our baby girl to arrive. Hubby and I have been anxiously awaiting her arrival! 

My favorite part right now, is picking out things for her nursery!

I have discovered that I love espresso colored furniture!

This Storkcraft .glider from Target is one of my picks! Not only is the price great, but the color is beautiful! I only wish that I could see it in person.

I have found myself doing a lot of searching online, as most stores don't seem to have a large selection of  items in store to view.

Another pick of mine is the matching Storkcraft Tuscany crib:

I chose this because it is a 4 in 1 crib, which means that it can grow with baby!

What are your favorites in baby furniture? Do you go for style, affordability, or both?

In addition, a major pick of mine that landed on the baby registry, was this mattress!

The Sealy Soybean Foam Core mattress! I like this because according to what I have read its a soybean based foam & hypoallergenic. Not to mention the price is right!

I am looking forward to when I can put all the baby furniture in the nursery & decorate! Until then I continue to scour the internet for beautiful products at reasonable prices!

♥

Lolli