Halo swaddle sleep sacks are our favorite since Preemie Princess is so small the long strips of Velcro can adjust to her tiny body while keeping a tight swaddle. Swaddle Mes and other brands of swaddle sacks only have small bits of Velcro and a designated place for them that didn't work for Princess. She broke free easily, and when that happens sleepy time is over :(. I also like that I can swaddle half of Princess's pacifier so it stays in her mouth while she's trying to fall asleep. Otherwise, I would be in her room every couple of minutes to replace the paci. I can't wait until she can put her own paci in her mouth! Princess also loves the Halo sacks because she likes to burrow down in them (I'm sure on purpose to give me a SIDS heart attack hehe).
Living in Ohio the winters get cold so the microfleece sacks definitely keep Princess warm. They were especially great when Princess was in the NICU and after she was discharged when her body still wasn't 100% able to regulate it's own temperature. Now that Princess can regulate her own temperature (yay!) she can get really warm in them at night. So much so that I only dress her in a short-sleeve onesie for bed. I actually need to go and buy her some cotton swaddle sacks so she doesn't overheat as she continues to grow.
I will say finding the swaddle sleep sacks are increasingly harder to find in sizes bigger than newborn in stores. However, they are available online. This is frustrating since Princess likes to have them a little larger than her size (which isn't newborn anymore). Also, the fleece swaddle sacks are also much more prevalent than the cotton ones (at least here in Dayton).
Another nice thing about them is that when you are trying to transition baby out of swaddling they can still be used as sleep sacks just by velcroing the swaddle part under baby's arms.
*Please note I am not compensated by Halo for this review, and this only reflects my personal view on the items mentioned here.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Dressing Princess
Shopping for baby clothes is one of my favorite things to do! I love shopping for Princess more than I love shopping for myself (she ALWAYS looks adorable, me not so much hehe). I am a practical person and I don't like dressing Princess in anything complicated. Sleepers with buttons are about as complicated as I'm willing to go. So my favorite outfits to dress Princess in are onesies with pants. Pants are so much easier to deal with during diaper changes than 20 buttons on a sleeper. The one downfall of this outfit is the need for socks. Princess's right foot curves out a little and struggles to maintain a sock. So keeping track of her socks can be a bit of a pain. The ultimate easy baby outfit is the zip-up sleeper. Why aren't all sleepers zipped?! I wish these were more abundant because changing a baby in a zippered sleeper is super easy! I dress Princess in sleepers when we are hanging out at home but do a onesie-pants combo when we go out. Princess actually doesn't even sleep in sleepers since her sleepsacks are fleece and she would overheat. At bedtime, I just put Princess in a short-sleeved onesie and swaddle her in the sleepsack. Happy dressing mommies!!
Washing Bottles
We have a dishwasher in our house but it isn't the greatest. I don't trust that it cleans Princess's bottles good enough to put them in there so we hand wash her bottles everyday. Though yes, it is an extra chore, through trial and error I've come up with the following system to make it as efficient as possible.
I use one of the wash basins you get at the hospital, but if you already have a similar basin at home it will work just the same. The basin sits on the counter in the kitchen and throughout the day after Princess is done with the bottle we just toss them in the basin. At the end of the day or the next morning I will disassemble the bottles (we use Dr. Brown's so there's several parts involved), rinse out the bottle of any leftover milk, then place everything back in the basin. Then I fill it up with hot water and dish soap. From there I just scrub out the bottles and nipples and rinse everything else off. I can wash her 12 bottles and parts in about 20 minutes. Because the bottles are soaking while you are washing them it helps cut down on the need to scrub them out as much. When I'm done I hang everything out to dry on my Munchkin High Capacity Drying Rack (which I love!).
Now as far as what I use to scrub out the bottles I use the Dr. Brown's bottle brush, however I'm not a fan of the nipple cleaner on the opposite end of the brush. I actually bought a Munchkin brand brush to try but found it was too big for the regular Dr. Brown's bottles and created a big mess when I pushed the brush in and pulled it out of the bottles. Soap and water sprayed everywhere! That's a mess I only cleaned once before ditching that brush. However, the nipple cleaner on the Munchkin brush is great! So I use the Dr. Brown's bottle brush with the Munchkin nipple cleaner. Before I used the Munchkin nipple cleaner my nipples were getting cloudy, however I no longer have that issue. I also just use Dawn soap to clean Princess's bottles. Happy washing mommies!!
*Please note I am not compensated by Dr. Brown's or Munchkin for this review, and this only reflects my personal view on the items mentioned here.
 |
| My supplies: Basin from the hospital, Dawn dish soap, Dr. Brown's bottle brush, Munchkin nipple brush |
 |
| My bottles and bottle pieces ready to be washed. |
I use one of the wash basins you get at the hospital, but if you already have a similar basin at home it will work just the same. The basin sits on the counter in the kitchen and throughout the day after Princess is done with the bottle we just toss them in the basin. At the end of the day or the next morning I will disassemble the bottles (we use Dr. Brown's so there's several parts involved), rinse out the bottle of any leftover milk, then place everything back in the basin. Then I fill it up with hot water and dish soap. From there I just scrub out the bottles and nipples and rinse everything else off. I can wash her 12 bottles and parts in about 20 minutes. Because the bottles are soaking while you are washing them it helps cut down on the need to scrub them out as much. When I'm done I hang everything out to dry on my Munchkin High Capacity Drying Rack (which I love!).
Now as far as what I use to scrub out the bottles I use the Dr. Brown's bottle brush, however I'm not a fan of the nipple cleaner on the opposite end of the brush. I actually bought a Munchkin brand brush to try but found it was too big for the regular Dr. Brown's bottles and created a big mess when I pushed the brush in and pulled it out of the bottles. Soap and water sprayed everywhere! That's a mess I only cleaned once before ditching that brush. However, the nipple cleaner on the Munchkin brush is great! So I use the Dr. Brown's bottle brush with the Munchkin nipple cleaner. Before I used the Munchkin nipple cleaner my nipples were getting cloudy, however I no longer have that issue. I also just use Dawn soap to clean Princess's bottles. Happy washing mommies!!
*Please note I am not compensated by Dr. Brown's or Munchkin for this review, and this only reflects my personal view on the items mentioned here.
Baby Carrier Review
I have been on a plight to find the perfect carrier for my
preemie princess for the past two months. The search has finally ended when I took the time to learn Moby! Here you will find my review of the Moby and all the other carriers I have tried.
My NICU occupational therapist actually recommended it to me. The Moby wrap is great because it is so comfortable (I've fallen asleep with baby strapped to me it's so comfortable), it keeps baby snug for safety and bonding, but my favorite feature is that once I wrap it on me I can keep it on me while I drive around town running all my errands. Now of course baby comes out when I'm driving but it's so much easier just to pop her in and out when I get to each destination, as opposed to having to hook up the carrier each time. Also you can just wear a coat over it so coats can be easily removed so you aren’t juggling baby and trying not to sweat to death ;). Now I will say I spent a good 30-45 minutes acclimating myself to the tying procedure when I first got it. The instruction booklet is helpful but I also recommend the Youtube videos. I actually had tried one before and didn't like it because I hadn't taken the time to really get the tying down. However, that time is so worth it; and thank God I gave it a second chance!! The straps that take up your whole back divide out the baby weight better than any of my other carriers. I have chronic pain issues so this was a HUGE plus for me to not be sore an hour after strapping baby on. I feel it is well worth the money as it can be used until baby is 35 lbs, and reused for future babies. The one recurrent complaint I hear about it (besides needing to learn how to properly tie it) is that baby can get too hot in it. I haven't found this to be an issue, however I usually only wear a t-shirt when I wear her so I can remove sweaters, coats, etc. if I get to hot. I am shocked this is my favorite because having to tie it originally deterred me, but, again, it is well worth your time and money!! It retails for $49.99, though I've seen them secondhand for $15-20. I do feel it is worth the $50.
UPDATE: I don't really use my Moby anymore because now that Princess is bigger we both get way too hot in it. I would absolutely recommend it for newborns and babies until they turn into furnaces.
Click this link to buy Moby Wrap at Babies 'R Us
Click here for Moby Wrap Instructional Video
 |
| The Moby Wrap print I have and love! |
My NICU occupational therapist actually recommended it to me. The Moby wrap is great because it is so comfortable (I've fallen asleep with baby strapped to me it's so comfortable), it keeps baby snug for safety and bonding, but my favorite feature is that once I wrap it on me I can keep it on me while I drive around town running all my errands. Now of course baby comes out when I'm driving but it's so much easier just to pop her in and out when I get to each destination, as opposed to having to hook up the carrier each time. Also you can just wear a coat over it so coats can be easily removed so you aren’t juggling baby and trying not to sweat to death ;). Now I will say I spent a good 30-45 minutes acclimating myself to the tying procedure when I first got it. The instruction booklet is helpful but I also recommend the Youtube videos. I actually had tried one before and didn't like it because I hadn't taken the time to really get the tying down. However, that time is so worth it; and thank God I gave it a second chance!! The straps that take up your whole back divide out the baby weight better than any of my other carriers. I have chronic pain issues so this was a HUGE plus for me to not be sore an hour after strapping baby on. I feel it is well worth the money as it can be used until baby is 35 lbs, and reused for future babies. The one recurrent complaint I hear about it (besides needing to learn how to properly tie it) is that baby can get too hot in it. I haven't found this to be an issue, however I usually only wear a t-shirt when I wear her so I can remove sweaters, coats, etc. if I get to hot. I am shocked this is my favorite because having to tie it originally deterred me, but, again, it is well worth your time and money!! It retails for $49.99, though I've seen them secondhand for $15-20. I do feel it is worth the $50.
UPDATE: I don't really use my Moby anymore because now that Princess is bigger we both get way too hot in it. I would absolutely recommend it for newborns and babies until they turn into furnaces.
I will do a quick review of the other carriers I have owned
before Moby for a comparison. I have had the Bjorn, Ergo, Infantino Mei Tai, and K’Tan.
The Bjorn was my first and is SUPER easy to
use. I used it when Princess was only 5
lbs, however now that she's 8 lbs it hurts my back. Though it can support up to 35 lbs I can't imagine carrying a baby that size in it! Additionally, it's a
"crotch dangling" carrier which isn't recommended. This is my husband's favorite carrier due to the ease of use, and he still uses it for Princess when she needs held for an extensive amount of time. It retails for $69.99, which I feel is a little steep. I got mine for $20 secondhand, which I would recommend doing if you are going to get this carrier.
Click here to buy the Bjorn at Babies 'R Us
The Ergo is great for Mommy's back, however it is just so cumbersome to put on by myself I had to throw in the towel. It was a deterrent for me to use it when I'm be doing my errands around town to have to spend the 5 mins to get baby strapped in, then the 2 minutes to get her (and myself) out of it, and then repeat at each destination. I also haven't a clue how anyone does the back carry by themselves. It's also a bulky carrier, which I'm sure is great for the support of a larger child but definitely not what I needed for my preemie. I have the infant insert but wouldn't recommend it. It's even more massively bulky, and all I ever used was the little pillow to prop a princess booty on (which did the trick). If you don't want to buy the insert I've read other mommies just roll up a blanket to prop baby on. Ergo does, however, properly position baby's hips. Also, it’s hard to wear anything over the carrier since the straps are so large, and I’ve been trapped in a coat underneath it because I didn’t want to deal with having to take the carrier off and on. Lastly, it is the most expensive of these options selling for $135 plus $25 for the infant insert. I bought mine used for $80 (included the infant insert) and would recommend doing the same if you felt comfortable buying secondhand. Ultimately, I would still recommend this carrier to a friend for an older/bigger baby as I also plan to give it a second chance when Princess is much bigger.
UPDATE: I also tried a Tula which is VERY similar to Ergo with just a few minor differences. Ultimately it felt the same on and me and wasn't any easier for me to get off and on. It does have a wider panel which doesn't work on it's own for my preemie princess. A rolled up or blanket or infant insert would need to be used for little, little babies (like my 10 lb, 6 MO).
Click here to buy the Ergo at Babies 'R Us
The Infantino Mei Tai is easier/quicker to put on by myself than the Ergo but does lack the back support of the Ergo. My back hurt quickly after strapping baby in so that wasn't going to work for me at all. However, I have had a mom tell me she's worn her 40 lb child in this without issue. So perhaps this carrier just isn't made for the mommy with pre-existing back issues. It retails for $34.99, which makes it the cheapest option listed here.
Click here to buy the Infantino Mei Tai at Babies 'R Us
Finally, the K'Tan is an easier version of the Moby to put on, however, the way it sits on the back is not comfortable for me since the straps are not wide on the back like the Moby. I could also feel the middle piece on my back, and I did not like that. Additionally, this is not a one-size fits all carrier. Because it fits like a shirt you have to buy the size that corresponds with your shirt size. Contrary to this picture, it is unlikely both mom and partner will both be able to use this carrier. As far as how baby sits in it, it's exactly like the Moby. However, moms who don't want to deal with tying the Moby tend to really like this carrier. It retails for $49.99, so it's decently priced (and equal to what the Moby costs).
Click here to buy the K'tan at Babies 'R Us
*Please note I am not compensated by any of the brands/store linked here, and this only reflects my personal view on all the items mentioned here.
Click here to buy the Bjorn at Babies 'R Us
The Ergo is great for Mommy's back, however it is just so cumbersome to put on by myself I had to throw in the towel. It was a deterrent for me to use it when I'm be doing my errands around town to have to spend the 5 mins to get baby strapped in, then the 2 minutes to get her (and myself) out of it, and then repeat at each destination. I also haven't a clue how anyone does the back carry by themselves. It's also a bulky carrier, which I'm sure is great for the support of a larger child but definitely not what I needed for my preemie. I have the infant insert but wouldn't recommend it. It's even more massively bulky, and all I ever used was the little pillow to prop a princess booty on (which did the trick). If you don't want to buy the insert I've read other mommies just roll up a blanket to prop baby on. Ergo does, however, properly position baby's hips. Also, it’s hard to wear anything over the carrier since the straps are so large, and I’ve been trapped in a coat underneath it because I didn’t want to deal with having to take the carrier off and on. Lastly, it is the most expensive of these options selling for $135 plus $25 for the infant insert. I bought mine used for $80 (included the infant insert) and would recommend doing the same if you felt comfortable buying secondhand. Ultimately, I would still recommend this carrier to a friend for an older/bigger baby as I also plan to give it a second chance when Princess is much bigger.
UPDATE: I also tried a Tula which is VERY similar to Ergo with just a few minor differences. Ultimately it felt the same on and me and wasn't any easier for me to get off and on. It does have a wider panel which doesn't work on it's own for my preemie princess. A rolled up or blanket or infant insert would need to be used for little, little babies (like my 10 lb, 6 MO).
Click here to buy the Ergo at Babies 'R Us
The Infantino Mei Tai is easier/quicker to put on by myself than the Ergo but does lack the back support of the Ergo. My back hurt quickly after strapping baby in so that wasn't going to work for me at all. However, I have had a mom tell me she's worn her 40 lb child in this without issue. So perhaps this carrier just isn't made for the mommy with pre-existing back issues. It retails for $34.99, which makes it the cheapest option listed here.
Click here to buy the Infantino Mei Tai at Babies 'R Us
Finally, the K'Tan is an easier version of the Moby to put on, however, the way it sits on the back is not comfortable for me since the straps are not wide on the back like the Moby. I could also feel the middle piece on my back, and I did not like that. Additionally, this is not a one-size fits all carrier. Because it fits like a shirt you have to buy the size that corresponds with your shirt size. Contrary to this picture, it is unlikely both mom and partner will both be able to use this carrier. As far as how baby sits in it, it's exactly like the Moby. However, moms who don't want to deal with tying the Moby tend to really like this carrier. It retails for $49.99, so it's decently priced (and equal to what the Moby costs).
Click here to buy the K'tan at Babies 'R Us
*Please note I am not compensated by any of the brands/store linked here, and this only reflects my personal view on all the items mentioned here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)