Wee Baby Stuff Recent Posts

How To Love Motherhood Print

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:16:04 -0500

I came across this free download today and thought I would share it with you. A gentle reminder to every mother at the end of a long hard day.

Burley Vs. I-Bert

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:04:09 -0500

The Burley, a child bike trailer, was all the rage in the 90's and early 2000's, when bike trailers first came out and started replacing rear-mounted child bike seats as the most popular form of toting your kid on a bike ride. Now days there are several other brands of bike trailers to choose from, but it seems simple child bike seats might be coming back into style.

Burleys and other bike trailers, Chariot, InStep, and Croozer, to name a few, are excellent for toting older children, multiple passengers, and excess cargo (think beach bag, swim towels, picnic lunch, etc). But what if you just want to go on a simple bike ride around the lake or into town and back? Is it really necessary to have a large bike carrier which can seem heavy, bulky, and excessive at times? Child bike seats, although they seem to carry a stigma, are indeed becoming more and more popular again, especially with newer brands and models paving the way for a come back.

The I-Bert for example, is a front-mounted child seat that attaches to your bicycle's handlebar. Front-mounted child seats for bicycles have been popular in Europe and Asia for decades, but are far less common in North America. Many parents prefer front-mounted bike seats over rear-mounted versions, or even trailers. The advantages to a front-mounted bike seat are numerous and range from giving the parent better balance and easier maneuvering, as well as giving the child an unobstructed view of what's in front of him, and allowing parent and child to feel more connected during the bike ride.

Burleys and other child bike trailers are still the best option for carrying larger heavier loads, but, and I say this from personal experience, front mounted child seats (we have the I-Bert) are definitely the way to go if you are looking to truly enjoy your biking experience together with your child.

I-Bert Safe-T-Seat
$80.82
available at amazon.com

Recycled Baby Clothes - Plum Gear

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:59:17 -0500

My brother shared this great new service with me and I thought I'd quickly get it up on Wee Baby Stuff so all of you are in the know too.

Here's an ecologically friendly way to dress your baby. At Plum Gear you can get boutique eco-baby clothes in the sizes you need, and then send the clothes back when they're too small. How brilliant! For 49.00 you get seven different outfits, one for every day of the week! Choose from Kate Quinn Organics, Egg Baby, Petit Bateau, and Tea Collection. All clothes are laundered in eco-friendly 7th Generation Detergent and come to you in as-good-as-new condition. Clothes that are in less than perfect condition are donated.

DIY Birthday Party

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:24:43 -0500

It's been more than a month since my last post and all I can say is that I've been too busy planning Lena's first birthday party to do anything else. Pretty good excuse I know!

Seriously though, a first birthday only happens once and I wanted it to be a very special party. I put a lot of time and mental energy into the party planning, and it paid off this Sunday. Lena had a fantastic time at her first birthday party complete with balloons, cupcakes, party hats, presents, and most importantly, so much love from family and friends.

Lena loves puppies so I decided to throw a dog themed party for her. I started with this invitation I found on etsy.com as my inspiration.

A pink and orange color scheme was perfect for a one year old baby girl and polka dots made for some real fun flare.

A friend of mine made Lena a puppy shirt with a matching head band. She also made a party hat and matching bib for Lena to wear when eating her first piece of cake.

I found this amazing cupcake recipe on the internet and decorated the sweet little cakes with cupcake toppers I made by hand using the puppy image from the birthday invitation. For some extra fancy I made a pink and orange tulle wreath using this tutorial from Baby Rabies and paper pinwheels using this tutorial I found on Ohdeedoh.

I used the puppy image again to make stickers to brand the drinking cups and sodas.

And these pink and orange paper straws were from The Bakers Confections.

The best part of the day was that Lena had a great time on her special day. She loved eating her cake, playing with her friends, and turning One.

DIY Baby Leg Warmers

Tue, 31 May 2011 09:49:59 -0500

I have a few pairs of BabyLegs for O & S but I found myself wanting a few more options of color/pattern. While BabyLegs aren't crazy expensive, the $12 adds up fast. I figured since I know how to use a sewing machine, I would put my (limited) skills to the test.

Here is a short, easy tutorial for any DIY'ers out there who want to make a pair for their little one:

1. Purchase a pair of long socks. I picked out a pair of both "over the knee" socks in the girl's department, as well as a pair of "knee high" socks in the women's department. Both worked great. This particular pair was only $2.50 at Target.

2. With a pair of fabric (or very sharp) scissors, cut the socks at the ankle.

3. At the cut, fold the fabric under to create a hem. I folded mine under about 1/2". Place a few pins to hold the hem in place.

4. Pick out a coordinating colored thread. Using a sewing machine, sew a 1/4" seam around the socks. If you don't have or know how to use a sewing machine, this would be a quick project to stitch by hand.

Finished product.

5. Find a pair of chubby baby legs to put them on!

Boon Frog Pod

Thu, 26 May 2011 14:31:28 -0500

O & S’s bath time toys were taking over our bathroom and becoming a bother to put away each night. Before having the twins, I had heard of the Boon Frog Pod and it was the first thing that came to mind when I went on the search for bath toy storage.

I am so glad I spent a little extra money to get a well-designed, good looking storage option instead of the cheaper versions you see in most stores. I love that it mounts to the shower wall so it doesn’t take up any of the limited space we have in our tiny bathroom. My favorite feature is that the “body” of the frog comes off and you can just scoop up the toys from the bath tub, hang it back on the “pod” and the water drains out. Genius.

The Boon Frog Pod can be purchased on Amazon.

Mod Mom Furniture

Mon, 23 May 2011 10:00:24 -0500

I often have the tv on in the background during the day (shhh….don’t tell all the critics that say that is bad!). It happened to be on the Nate Berkus show last week on Friday. My attention was peeked by an image of this eco-friendly modern toy box.

It turns out it was created by a mom who was searching for modern toy storage for her kids. When she couldn’t find anything, she picked up some tools and put her creative mind to work in making her own toy box. She soon realized the potential profit she could make putting her woodworking skills to use. Since then she has been featured in several magazines, as well as featured on the ABC show Shark Tank and the Nate Berkus Show. Her brand is called “Mod Mom Furniture” and the website can be found here. I love supporting moms turns entrepreneurs. Eco-friendly? Yes. Good design? Yes. Better looking than the everyday wood toy bin? Absolutely.

Bugaboo Donkey Stroller

Sat, 21 May 2011 21:05:42 -0500

A stroller that's worth more than my car? Sad and hard to believe, but probably true. The $1500 price tag on the Bugaboo Donkey stroller is pretty impressive, but read this review and you might just be convinced to start saving up. Maybe I could somehow arrange a trade in?

Nuby Sippy Cup

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:01:53 -0500

I thought Lena would never drink from a sippy cup, until we tried the Nuby No-Spill cup with Super Spout. Seriously, we were ready to throw in the towel, and succumb to three or four soaked clothing changes per day, water all over the floors, and a crabby thirsty one year old. But the Nuby has changed all that, and I'm pretty ecstatic to have found a sippy cup Lena will actually drink water from, instead of just chew and/or throw to the ground.

Our discovery of this sippy was just a coincidence, as Lena "shared" a sip of water from one of her mates sippies. And then two minutes later, she was still drinking, and after that I decided I had to go buy one immediately. And I did. I added the Nuby to our collection of sippies, including the Munchkin and the Playtex (neither of which Lena has liked). My husband thought I was crazy, collecting sippies. We now had 10. But as Lena sipped on the Nuby that night after dinner, and successfully drank her very first entire cup of water, he realized I'd been right.

The Nuby features a soft silicone spout that is easy to use and easy to clean. According to the manufacturer, the the newly designed spout valve opens with minimum pressure and doesn't require constant sucking that can damage new teeth and soft palates, promoting natural drinking action and healthy oral development. Lena has definitely taken much better to the design of this spout than all of the others we have tried. I'm very pleased with this sippy cup and happy that I have finally found a way to hydrate my baby with water.

Nuby No-Spill Cup with Super Spout
available on Amazon for $4.99

On The Night You Were Born

Tue, 10 May 2011 09:33:56 -0500

I hope all the mamas out there had a fabulous Mother's Day this past Sunday. Does anybody else wish Mother's Day was a quarterly holiday? It was so nice to sleep in, be treated to a nice meal, spend some leisurely time with my family, and just be recognized for all of the hard work I do, day in and day out, to keep my baby clean, fed, rested, and happy. Seriously, it's not an easy job, one that certainly deserves a quarterly holiday!

And cheers to the babes, for helping us become the best version of ourselves. Lena received the book On The Night You Were Born this past weekend as a gift, and I thought it was a fitting present for a baby on Mother's Day. Because without babies, there would be no mothers, and without mothers, there would be no babies. Both are essential to the continued growth of life.

On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
$9.97 available on amazon.com

Pelican Bib

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:58:24 -0500

I don't know about you, but I am constantly battling to keep my daughter's bib on. She loves to play with it, tug at it, and pull it off. It was basically impossible to keep the kid clean, up until my sister-in-law gifted us with a hand me down Pelican Bib, and meal time hasn't been the same since.

The Pelican Bib has an extremely strong yet comfortable adjustable neck fastener so that no matter how hard Lena tries, she can't pull it off. The bib also has a large sized crumb catcher that keeps food and liquid off the floor. I also love that the bib, which is lead-free, BPA-free, PVC-free, and Phthalate-free, is so easy to clean - just rinse off or wipe with a sponge!

Unfortunately it looks like the company that makes this fantastic product has folded, and I haven't been able to find any available Pelican Bibs to purchase. But keep your eyes out for these, because they're definitely the best bib we've tried yet.

Pedi Peds Shoes

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:01:53 -0500

Lena has been crawling now for the past three weeks and she's getting better and better at it. It's also becoming harder and harder to keep track of her. I wonder if she'll be walking soon, and in preparation for that huge milestone, I've been thinking about shoes. Lena owns one pair of slip on slippers that I bought to keep her feet warm this winter, but I'm sure we'll need to get her some walking shoes or sandals for the summer as she starts to make her way onto the pavement.

I have a friend who's daughter just turned one year old, and although this baby girl is older than Lena by three months, she's much shorter and smaller. My friend has been having a rough time finding shoes to fit her daughter's tiny feet, and while researching she eventually came across Pedi Peds. These shoes are great for babies with feet of all sizes, but they are one of the few companies that make actual walking shoes for very very very small feet. Their shoes are super cute, and they look well made and comfortable. They are also affordable at thirty-two dollars a pair.

Pedi Peds
$32.00
www.pedipeds.com

find them on amazon.com for $24.00

Project Nursery

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:46:01 -0500

Are you pregnant and thinking about your baby's nursery? Or do you have a baby and maybe you're thinking about a facelift for his or her room? Or maybe you're just curious to see what other people's baby nurseries look like? Check out Project Nursery to find inspiring nurseries and interior design projects for your little one.

From the website www.projectnursery.com: "Project Nursery is all about showing real parents how to take charge of their own design and decorating projects.ProjectNursery.com offers readers a rich photo gallery of design projects submitted by parents & designers, hip finds for the family home, do-it-yourself projects, clever party ideas, expert design tips, fabulous weekly giveaways and much more!"

Family Friendly Vacations

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:36:05 -0500

Yahoo Travel released its list of the top 10 destinations for family fun. I would have to add Puerto Vallarta and the North Shore of Lake Superior to this list. Where do you like to take your family on vacation?

BabyLegs

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:24:40 -0500

Lena has learned to crawl! It's incredible how something just clicked, and off she went, from one end of the room to the other, without warning, without me even realizing she had traversed the entire living room. After a month of practicing the separate movements and positions associated with crawling, Lena has finally put everything together to become a mobile baby.

And so, I've brought out the BabyLegs. I had originally purchased two pairs of these leg warmers for Lena to wear under her pants during this winter's cold weather, but I've quickly realized that they're good for way more than that. They have been providing extra cushion for Lena's crawling knees for the past couple of days and really help her keep comfortable when moving around the room. We've also been practicing some Elimination Communication, and having Lena wear the Baby Legs instead of pants helps me get her on and off the potty faster and more efficiently.

BabyLegs Leg Warmers
amazon.com
from $7.00

NewAir Space Heater

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:42:32 -0500

A few weeks ago we received a NewAir space heater and we really like it. We've used oil filled heaters before, but tucked them away after our little girl became mobile.

We really like the NewAir heater (model AH-450) because it heats the room without getting too hot to touch. If it does become too hot, there's a caution light that comes on (although we've never seen it aglow because we keep the heater at a relatively low setting). Other great features of the heater include it's built-in 8-hour timer, three different heat settings (high, medium, and low), and a programmable electronic thermostat that monitors the room's temperature to conserve energy and keep you cozy.

We are so pleased with this heater because we never worry about the heater burning our little one. On a low setting, it adds warmth to the room, but never feels hot enough to cause injury.

You can find this NewAir heater at Amazon.com for $85.95.