Friday, May 2, 2014

1st time mom review series guest blogger // favourite baby products

Please welcome back 1st Time Mom Review Series guest blogger, Tara Regehr. Tara is a first-time mom of beautiful 8 week old Isla. Tara and Isla live in Port Coquitlam with husband/daddy Aaron and 2 cats. Click here to read Tara's first post about her struggles with breastfeeding. To connect with Tara, please check out her blog here. Thanks for sharing Tara!

My daughter is almost 11 weeks old. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! When I was pregnant 3 months seemed to take forever. Now that my favorite person in the world is here, 3 months seems like 3 weeks!

I read reviews on baby products just like a lot of moms and thought I had it all figured out. I was lucky enough to have very generous parents and family who asked me to pick out what I wanted and they would purchase it for me. I was also lucky enough to be handed down some great items from other moms. Some worked, some didn't. That's not to say that some of my "nos" might turn into favorite items later on.

Here's my list of things that I've loved so far:

I tried various bottles and some of them gave my little girl very bad gas, something I tried desperately to avoid. After turning to Facebook, the consensus was Dr. Browns Natural Flow bottles. I ran out and grabbed one and it totally cleared up her gas issues. I'm now hooked! There are a few parts to clean but it is worth it.

Speaking of bottles, I recently bought this bottle brush after trying all sorts of ways to clean the bottles. This brush, some hot water, and a little soap works even better than the dishwasher. It gets in all the nooks and crannies and the bottom screws off as a brush for the nipples. Wonderful!

I bought this used from a swap site after humming and hawing about getting one. It was cheap so I gave it a shot. It is quick and efficient. It is good during the day at home. You measure water out depending on the size and it heats it to the proper temperature.

We were given this swing by a friend. My only complaint is that we didn't set it up soon enough. I'm sure there are other swings on the market that may have more bells and whistles but this item has been a lifesaver for us. Isla naps in it, hangs out it in, and calms down in it. It has a mobile, a mirror, and 4 music settings. It also rotates either side to side or back and forth. This is truly a miracle! She loves looking up and seeing a reflection, and as a great side note, it is fairly easy to clean.

My best girlfriend arrived at my house our first day home with this gift for Isla. She wished she had it for her little one, and wanted to get me one. We loved it right away, but we didn't realize how useful it would be. When she was really little, before the swing was set up, she spent most of her time in this bed. She still sleeps in it inside her pack and play in our room. Since she's had it from birth, it is a comfort to her. Sadly, at almost 3 months, she has almost outgrown it but it is a great product for freshies! It zips up and you can put a blanket inside and transport it to family members houses for a quick bed solution.
 

Unfortunately our daughter didn't take to the bassinet feature of this pack n play, but she still sleeps in the crib part. It is a little heavy but it is collapsible and transportable. We will be taking it with us when we travel and when she's older we will use it to keep her safe. It has a change table and little cubbies to keep changing products. We know it will be useful again if we have a second baby too. We didn't know what we were having so it's gender neutral.


My mom apparently stocked up on diapers for us when we were pregnant because we have about 10 cases in our garage. My cousins wife swore by Pampers so that's primarily what my mom bought. I've tried other brands and other types of Pampers, but by far the Swaddlers seem to keep Isla dry the best.

My husband is the bath guy in our house. It is their time together and he loves how much she enjoys taking a bath. We were gifted with a lot of Aveeno and Johnson and Johnson bath products. Aaron's best friend and his wife sent us a package during our first week home that included these bath products. Isla was having slight rashes so I was trying out different products and we decided to try these bath items to see if it made a difference. Oh my gosh - they smell delicious and lingers a while, they leave her skin very soft, and a bonus - they are all natural. They are expensive but it's a nice treat for her and us!

Yes, this is for me, not my baby, but in the moments where I'm alone waiting for her to doze off in the dark and quiet, having something quick to entertain me is a bit of a relief.

I will save my other favourites for another time but I hope you find these useful.
 
Are you a 1st Time Mom and trying to figure it out as you go along too? Feel free to leave me a comment with any questions and I will be more than happy to get back to you. Thanks for reading!

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