bath time favorites for baby

I really did NOT look forward to bath time when Quinn was a newborn.  She did NOT enjoy it, and therefore, neither did we.  I remember asking a nurse in the hospital to show us how to give Quinn a bath before we left, because at the time it seemed like such an overwhelming task!  (Here is a bathing tutorial video that I watched when Quinn was a newborn for you new mommies out there!)  There are many baby bathing products out there, and I am sure that many of them are great.  It really just depends on personal preference.  But, I always appreciate when I know that someone else has used and liked a product before I buy it myself.  These products have been our favorites thus far (newborn-5/6 months).  I am sure we will start incorporating more toys now that Quinn wants to sit up and splash around in the tub more now.

 

1. Threshold Bath Storage Basket Gray (Small) Since you can't take your eye off the baby during a bath, organization is key.  It helps to have a small caddy that you can put all of your bath gear in and leave next to the tub.  I LOVE this one from Target. 

2. Pottery Barn Gingham Washcloth  These towels are the perfect size for washing a little baby and they are great quality.  I also really like our Burt's Bees Baby Organic Towel Set   It is super soft.

3. Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream We bought this lotion later on when we realized Quinn had a little eczema.  It's expensive, but treated the eczema  really well.

4. Johnson's Baby Bath Head to Toe Baby Wash  This stuff is very popular and for good reason.  I tried a variety of bath washes  in the beginning because I was curious about them.  But we ended up deciding that Johnson & Johnson was the best.  It's hypoallergenic, tear free, and has the perfect amount of sweet baby scent to it.

5. Nail Clippers I am sure any baby nail clipper will do.  Regardless, it's not an easy or fun task.  But, after bath time is a good time to check if off the list.

6. Safety 1st Turtle Complete Bath Center Safety 1st We have really liked this tub set.  When Quinn was a newborn we just used the green turtle sponge and sink.  Now, she lays back in the tub on a small incline.  However, if you are looking for a space saving tub, this probably isn't the best pick.

7. Nursery Critter Wraps How cute are these animal towels?!  Not a necessity, but just so stinkin' cute.

 

 

favorite snacks + weekend recap

Since we didn't have any plans, our weekend turned out to be very laid back and restful.  In fact, making this list of my favorite healthy snacks was definitely one of the more productive things I did.  Yes, "low key" would be an understatement to describe our weekend ;)

ANYHOW....If you are looking for some new and interesting snack ideas, these have been my "go to's" for a while now.

1-Quinoa with chopped tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, ground pepper and lemon juice (cilantro adds a nice touch too).  I have been toasting my pita pockets and eating them with hummus and the quinoa mix.  I will make a batch of this stuff and eat it all week.  It's so fresh and yummy!  Plus, it fills you up.

2-Greek yogurt (I am a big fan of Stonycreek Farms low fat plain) with slivered almonds, berries and bananas (you can also add some honey if you aren't quite ready for straight up plain yogurt ;)  I often eat this as a late morning snack.

3-Basically, I turned my breakfast yogurt snack into a dessert :) Just substitute the greek yogurt for low fat vanilla frozen yogurt (Publix brand is my favorite), or really any frozen yogurt would be delicious with berries.

4-PW's My Mom's Farmhouse Muffins have continued to be a favorite.  I have made these several times since my friend Mary introduced them to me.  They are perfect to freeze and warm up as needed.

 

Okay, enough about eating...let's talk more about how lazy we were this weekend, shall we?



Lazy/bored enough to actually play Bananagrams.  Why do I even try to beat Matt?  I think I have maybe won once when playing against him.  Although, if you can read upside down you might notice that some of his words were a little questionable.

 I cannot believe how big she is getting!  She sat up with all of the other munchkins on the playmat this week at church nursery.

I FINALLY bought Shauna Niequist's new book, Bread and Wine.  I was too lazy to order it online, and Barnes and Noble finally had it in stock.  So far, it has made me really hungry and want red wine...

 

If you have school aged kiddos, I am guessing you were a lot busier than us this weekend.  I made the mistake of going to Target on Sunday.  It was busy busy with back to school shoppers.  Anyway, whatever the weekend was like for you, I hope were able to rest a little too!

 

traveling with baby essentials: 5-6 months

I flew with Quinn by myself again this month.  It was definitely worth it.  Matt was going to be away for a wedding that he was in, so I figured I might as well go hang out with my family up north instead of stay at home alone with the baby.  Things went pretty smoothly.  The first time I flew with Quinn was when she was three months old.  I did things a little bit differently this time around now that she is a few months older.

These are some items that I found to be the most helpful while traveling with a baby at 5-6 months.  I also answered some more detailed traveling questions below.

1. I don' why, but babies seem to LOVE these simple links
2. The Ergo Baby Carrier is still one of my favorites, and is easy on the back.

3. We just bought this Baby Jogger City Mini.  It's not really for jogging, although I have gone for a short jog with it.  You can fold it up with one hand!!  It's wonderful!

4. I wish I had a Chicco Hook On Chair. We put Quinn in the exersaucer to feed her baby food, but this portable high chair would have been nice.

5. Q's teething got worse while we were away.  I was really glad I packed teething tablets. Seriously, babies change overnight!

6. I always bring single-serve powder packets in case I need them.

7. Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags are a quick way to cleans pacis and bottles.  You can use one bag 20 times!

8. My sister brought this Bumper Jumper when she travelled to Florida with her family.  It's a great  space saving substitute for a big exersaucer or jumperoo.

9. My Dad bought this rattle for Quinn.  A few toys small toys like these were perfect for keeping Quinn entertained on the plane.

10. I bought a car seat travel bag to help carry and protect the car seat since we decided to check it at the airport.  It actually worked out well because my luggage was overweight, and I was able to throw some stuff into the car seat bag to even it all out!

What gear did you bring for carrying the baby?

I brought the car seat (without the base) in a car seat cover bag (some have roller wheels, others you can wear like a back pack) and our new City Mini Jogger with the Ergo underneath it.   Most car seats can be installed without the base.  I prefer to not bring the base because we end up changing cars a lot anyway, and it's just one more thing to lug through the airport.  (Just follow the installation instructions carefully.)  We have a Graco SnugRide car seat, and it installs well without the base.  I chose to bring the big stroller, as opposed to our Snap n' Go, because we planned to be outside a lot and I didn't want Quinn to be stuck in the car seat for walks, etc.  When we got to the airport, we checked our suit case and car seat bag.  I kept Quinn in the stroller until it was time to board.  At that point, I put her in the Ergo carrier so I had my hands free and brought the stroller to the service counter where they gave me a baggage claim ticket.  They went ahead and checked it right at the gate.

What baby items can I buy when I get to my destination?

My mom already has some baby gear at their house, like an exersaucer and crib, which made it a little easier for me to pack.  For a baby that is five months old, it's helpful to have something to keep them entertained.  Luckily, they aren't really on the move yet so it doesn't take much!  My sister used the Bumper Jumper (above) with her little one who loves to jump and wiggle.  The nice thing about it is that it's small enough to travel with.

Here are some things that I found were just easier to buy when I arrived to my destination:

Diapers

Wipes

Formula

Baby Food (Quinn is just starting solids, so I didn't need to bring puffs or one of those pouches on the plane.  I did bring some baby spoons.)

What were your sleeping arrangements with the baby?

For sleeping, I always bring Quinn's Sleep Sheep from home.  I think it helps her feel more comfortable in a new place.  I have also heard of bringing a crib sheet from home because it smells familiar to the baby.  We don't especially love it when Quinn sleeps in our room....well, I don't because I wake up to every little noise she makes while asleep!  Most of the time we put her right outside of our room, or if there is a connecting bathroom, we try to get the pack 'n play in there.  The best part about the bathroom scenario is that it's really dark and the fan makes for a nice white noise.

 

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about traveling with a little baby!  Just post a comment or e-mail me.

 

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flying solo

Quinn and I took our first trip on the plane to see my family up north. I had a hard time with deciding how I was going to manage taking a 3 month old by myself through security and on the plane.  After combining what works well for Quinn with other experienced moms' advice, this is what I came up with...
(*Disclaimer-I realize that every baby is different. This is just what worked well for us. I must add that although the trip went well overall, Quinn DID cry and people DID stare at us. I mean, I was travelling with a little baby, so what can one expect, right?!  So, my hope is that this post might be helpful for the first time mom, like me, with getting ideas on how to make travelling go as smoothly as possible.  There are no guarantees here ;)

1. Nuk Soft Pack of 8 Soft OrthoStar Pacifier, Pink/Purple,...-I realize different babies prefer different pacis and some don't prefer them at all.  BUT, Quinn really seems to like the Nuk brand and they stay in pretty well.  These were a must for keeping her happy, especially for take off and landing to help her ears adjust.  She was asleep for both (thanks to the white noise from the plane), but I still made sure she was sucking on the paci. 
2. Wet Ones and Hand Sanitizer-Always good to have on hand when going pretty much anywhere.
3. Ergo Baby Carrier Black with Camel Lining-I like this carrier because it prevents my back from getting too sore and it has a nice covering that you can put over top of your baby if they fall asleep or are outside in the sun (perfect for a Florida baby!).  There are some cons though.  It is a little bulky (the Bjorn seems more compact) and the baby can't face out.  I used the Ergo for getting on and off the plane.  It was nice to have two hands for checking the stroller and car seat at the gate.
4. BabyJJ Cole Collections Stroller - These clips have really come in handy.  They hold the diaper bag so that you can access it easily, which allows for extra space under the stroller.
5. Gap petite straight leg jeans-I am in love with these jeans.  They are light and stretchy, and you can dress them up or down. 

6. Gap dolman sleeve top-This shirt is loose and airy.  I wore it with a nursing tank underneath.  The combo made it easy to nurse in public.
7. L'ovedbaby 4-in-1 Nursing Shawl-This shawl is a little fancier than the DIY one I made, but either would work well for covering up your back.  Even with the shawl, Quinn still took her sweet time and played around a lot while nursing.  But, at least I didn't have to worry about staying covered up!
8. Luvs Ultra Leakguards-So far, I have a good experience with these preventing major leaks.  They worked well for travelling, but I do prefer to use Pampers most of the time.  They seem a lot softer on Q's skin (and, they smell sooo good!).
9. Granola Bars-Don't forget to eat something!  I packed some granola bars and ate them before I had to hold Quinn in my lap on the plane. 
10. Graco SnugRider Elite-This stroller has been a lifesaver! The car seat snaps in and you can literally fold it up with just one hand. I tucked the Ergo underneath so if Quinn would start to fuss, I could just slip it on. I did not take the car seat base with me since I was only staying for a long weekend.  I found a youtube video that was helpful in showing me how to install the car seat without the base and it wasn't too difficult.  

One more thing...don't forget your baby's birth certificate! :) 

What have you done or used that works well for travelling?  I know this will all change as Quinn gets older, so I would appreciate any ideas!