Day 9 – Tools of the Trade

Confession: I hate shopping.

But I love seeing pretty, fun and useful things that other people find. I like that they do the leg work and then I can just mull over the price (I also hate spending $$) and pull the trigger. No retail hunting involved. Perfection.

Since becoming a Mama the things I get excited about buying has shifted. Target baby clothes anyone?!

Here are some things I’ve found make my Mama job a little easier:

Bamboobies

Nursing pads. Kind of gross. Kind of wasteful. I like these because they do the job and you can toss them in the wash with that daily load of baby laundry. I have 2 overnight pairs and 10 day pairs so I always feel like I have enough. Sometimes I have to grab a fresh one if it’s been one of those days, but overall they’re just perfect. They also sit well under your underthings. I’ve never had one fall out or scream “hey! look what I’ve got going on under here!”

Charlie Banana 2 – in – 1 Reusable Cloth Diapers, One Size

Cloth diapers. Yep. I’m one of those Mama’s. I’ll do a post on our Cloth diaper experience, but the gist is this – do not fear the cloth. We have some Bum Genius All in Ones and some Inserts, but I really love how soft the Charlie Banana’s are, and the snaps really snap. I’ve told Merfman if I’m ever going to be diapered I request to have my hiney encased in the soft delight that is Charlie Banana’s diapers.

Ergobaby Original Carrier

I know, I’m totally on the hippie train…first cloth diapers and now babywearing?! I registered for the Baby Bjorn when I was preggo because that’s the one I’d heard so much about. Now, there’s lots of opinions on hip placement in carries for babies so some people prefer the Ergo over the Bjorn. I personally use both. The Bjorn is easy to throw on for short trips, like when I carry Merfbaby onto the Paramount Lot each morning for work. He doesn’t spend much time in it so I don’t worry about his hips. For longer trips, I love the Ergo. Target. Grocery shopping. Walks. It’s always the Ergo. We received it as a gift, and I’m SO thankful we did. Merfbaby has just about outgrown the infant insert, but I know we’ll be using the Ergo for a long time.

Baby K’tan

ANOTHER carrier? Yes. But hear me out. I was looking at getting a Moby Wrap, which lots of people love and I went into the baby store (Mia and The Dragonfly if you’re a Burbank Local!) and she had me try on the K’tan and it was so easy. Yes, there’s still some assembly required but it’s not half as intimidating as the Moby. So why do I suggest another carrier? Well, for me I wanted something that was a little less “serious” looking. You know, for when you’re at a birthday party or a wedding and you don’t want to be fronting the baby in the backpack. The K’tan also rolls up into a little ball that I stuff in my diaper bag, so I can pull it on if we’re out to dinner or over at a friend’s house.

Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier + Sound Spa

This is another item we were gifted and I’m so thankful for. I didn’t even think to register for one. We use it almost every night, and I love that it has the sound machine. It runs all evening,  no shutting off after 30 min. Merfman and I love that the white noise covers up the dog’s snoring :)

SwaddleMe – Cotton – Large

When Merfbaby was fresh from the hospital I would swaddle him in receiving blankets, but he quickly outgrew those. I started using the SwaddleMe when he was about 5 weeks for nighttime sleeping. For napping I still wrap him in the aden + anais blankets because they are lightweight. The SwaddleMe helps him sleep longer since his hands don’t fly around and wake him up.

California Baby Calendula Cream

I found this through internet searching for something that would help with baby acne. It didn’t cure his acne but it helped soothe his face and it smells AMAZING. Now that his acne is cleared up I still use it on his face for dry spots. His skin gets super dry and flaky around hie eyebrows, strange? Merfbaby loves the smell too, he gets the biggest grin when I put it on his face.

So, those are the items I’m loving and using right now. Merfbaby is only 2 months, so I’m sure we’ll find some new things to love too!