Posts Tagged ‘Mommy Must Haves’
Mommy Must Have: Safety Tat
January 20th, 2011 | 
Author: By Natalie, Contributor, Mommy of a Monster and Infant Twins (@mommyofamonster)
I found a new Mommy Must have…something that you won’t have to use very often, but will be glad to have when you need it. Have you ever heard of SafetyTat? SafetyTat is a fun and colorful temporary safety child ID tattoo that’s uniquely offered either customized with your mobile phone number or blank so you can write in your cell phone number on them. When you put it on your child’s arm, it provides an immediate, highly visible form of child identification that stays in place even when wet.
Going shopping at the mall? To an amusement park? Is your child going on a field trip, or staying overnight at a friend’s house? These tattoos are perfect for just about every scenario. The tattoos are easy and quick to apply, and can help get your child back to you quickly in the case that they get lost in the crowd.
SafetyTat was invented by a Baltimore Mom of three kids, which I think is great because that means it was tested and approved by moms. And let’s face it, we all know that moms do not mess around when it comes to products for their children, especially products that will be placed directly on their children’s skin!
The Original SafetyTat can be customized with your personal cell phone number on it. They are easy and fast to apply and will stay on for up to 5 days. You just apply some water and press on your child’s skin, just as you would a fake kid tattoo. It easily removes with baby oil. The Original SafetyTat comes with either one or two lines of information (you choose), and you can get them with pictures a boy or girl, dinosaur, butterfly or several different options.
The Quick stick write-on! are very cool and if you child has food allergies or medical issues these are perfect to let others know. You can write any emergency information on with the included waterproof pen. These tattoos will last up to two weeks. Removal is easy: you lift the edge of the tattoo with a fingernail “low and slow”, and it peels off just like a bandage. The tattoo is made of materials that are hypoallergenic and skin safe.
I cannot even begin to tell you how crazy I am about SafetyTat! And I am SO happy with and feel SO strongly about this product that I became a Safety Tat affiliate!
This is a Mommy Must Have that every mom can use. You can give them to grandparents or aunts and uncles if they are taking your child somewhere for the day. It’s a precautionary and inexpensive way to help keep your child safe.
If you haven’t yet, I absolutely recommend that you click over to the SafetyTat website and see for yourself!
And just for Our Mommyhood readers, Safety Tat is offering you a 10% discount off of any order of $15 or more! So you can try Safety Tat for yourself and have it become one of your Mommy Must Haves, too!
The coupon code is: OurMommyhood. It is case sensitive, so if you do make a purchase, make sure to type it exactly as shown. The coupon good January 20 through February 3, 2011, so hurry and get your Safety Tats today!
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Mommy Must Have: 7 Yards Of Fabric and a Pouch Sling
By Mommie V, Staff Writer, My Little Slice of Mommie Heaven (@MommieV1)
Two items I could not have lived without as a new mother: baby slings. Specifically a pouch style sling and a huge swatch of fabric I use like a Moby Wrap.
A pouch style sling is essential for newborns and little ones without head control who like to be carried, snuggled, swaddled or pressed against you, warm and rocking in order to sleep or be content. You know those days when the baby just will not allow herself to be put down, despite how badly your back and neck hurt or how much you would really like to get the smell out of the kitchen sink that’s been growing for days. Those are the days you need a pouch style sling.
Be prepared for the little old lady in the store to be shocked, “Oh, there’s a BABY in there!” But whether you use your sling to wear your baby at home or out and about it definitely frees your hands to do other things – even just relax! – while still keeping your baby close and comforted.
But then there comes a day when your baby will be bigger. They will have head control, they will emerge from the Fourth Trimester and you will say “Ah, there is that human being I’ve been looking forward to meeting!” They will no longer wish to be confined close to your chest, being comforted by your heartbeat and rocked by your walk. They will now wish to look around at the world around them. They still like being close to you, they will still sleep on your chest if you let them, but they will protest at the close confines of the sling.
Enter cross-chest wraps. On a hint from a close friend, I found some great material on clearance at Wally World and bought 7 yards of it. It was 60 inches wide, so I cut it (yes, all 7 yards of it) into three long strips 20 inches wide. For 15 dollars I had three wraps. One lived in my mom’s car, one lives in my car and the other stayed in the house for fussy, clingy days.
I used the instructions from the Moby website to learn how to wrap it. Try it just a couple of times and it will become second nature. My daughter loved being in the wrap so much she would bring it to me when she wanted to be carried in it.
My wrap wasn’t hemmed, so after months of wear the ends of the fabric began to unravel. A quick hit with the scissors helped that. If you’re not a plus-size mama, you probably don’t need 7 yards. My first attempt was with a fabric remnant that was only 5-and-a-half yards long and it wasn’t long enough to wrap around to tie to the back. I’d rather have too much than not enough fabric at the ends.
Going out for a day of shopping? Put your wrap on before you go. Wear it in the car while driving, then you can just pop baby in for a hands-free shopping trip. If you wait until you get to your destination, you’ll be wrapping in the parking lot, meaning the fabric will rest on the ground. Ick on a normal day, REALLY bad on a rainy day!
Now that my toddler is, well, a toddler, we haven’t used the wrap as much. In fact, I’ve actually gone back to using the pouch sling in the hip carry now when I need to carry her, rather than letting her walk on her own. So don’t think you’re done with the pouch sling after the newborn stage, they are useful even when they are older.
As always, please practice proper safety precautions when wearing your baby. Check on them often, position them properly and make sure your are following manufacturer’s instructions for using the particular carrier you have. Never try to wear an older baby that is fighting or refusing to go in the carrier. Never put your baby down to sleep while still wrapped in the carrier. Always use your best judgement.
Did you wear your baby? What sling, wrap or carrier did you find most helpful? Did you need to switch carriers as your child grew? Tell us your experiences in the forum!
Cold Weather Mommy Must Haves
By Sarah, Contributor, The Stroller Ballet (@StrollerBallet)
Unless you are living in the most tropical of all climates, your baby’s warmth becomes a prime concern as the winter months approach, particularly if you anticipate spending any amount of time outside. If you are an urban mommy like me, it’s likely you spend almost every day walking. And even if you have a more suburban lifestyle, there may be times when you and your little one are outside in cold temperatures for an extended period of time.
We are mommies, and regardless of where we live the weather rarely stops us. That’s why a stroller sack is absolutely essential for any mom (and baby) living in an area where the weather dips to chilly for several months of the year. A stroller sack is basically a large pouch that attaches to your stroller. The idea is that your infant or toddler slips in the pouch where he or she can stay warm and cozy regardless of what it is like outside. With a waterproof coating, the right stroller sack will even protect you child from sleet and snow.
*Photo credit
Some recommendations:
The JJ Cole Urban Toddler Bundle Me can be purchased for about $50. Some of the pros: the quilted nylon outer is water resistant, the sack is light-weight but warm and it is totally washable. Good for: cold (but not freezing) weather.
The Snuggle Bub Lamb’s Wool Stroller Wrap is available for around $70. Some of the pros: the Snuggle Bub is made from 100% Australian Lambs Wool, so, in the words of the company, it keeps your baby warm “naturally”. It’s also completely washable. Good for: very cold to freezing weather.
The 7A.M. Enfant “Blanket 212 Evolution” Extendable Bunting Adaptable for strollers is the most expensive option at around $189. This is what I used in Boston last winter (it was cold, people. Trust me.) Some of the pros: this is extremely warm and water-resistant. The downsides: although I haven’t had any problems with my 7A.M. sack, some online reviewers complain about bad customer service. Good for: very cold to freezing weather. In fact, I haven’t even put this on my stroller yet because it’s still almost too warm in New York!
How do you keep your little one’s warm in the winter months? Tell us about it in the forum!
Sarah is a recent transplant to New York from Boston. She is a stay at home mom who spends her time with her husband and daughter (Peanut), who provide great fodder for her writing. Sarah loves the urban lifestyle and treats her stroller as an all terrain vehicle. She shares her sometimes embarrassing, always entertaining experiences at The Stroller Ballet.
Mommy Must Have: Itzbeen
By Mommie V, Staff Writer, My Little Slice of Mommie Heaven, (@mommiev1)
When you’re on bedrest in the hospital for almost three weeks you have lots of time. Time to do things like search the internet for all the last-minute baby stuff you MUST HAVE. Because, you know, your nesting instinct is also kicking in about this time and you’re stuck miles away from your nest with strict instructions to only get up to go the bathroom.
This is how I came to have the Itzbeen. And I’ll tell you, I used that damn little thing for months!
It’s a great little gadget. It has four count-up timers and little buttons next to them, so you can use one for feedings, one for diapers, one for sleeping and one for whatever else you might need a timer for. To start the timer, hit the button.
It’s the middle of the night and I’m in a dead sleep. “Waaaaaaa” from the cosleeper next to me. Immediately I’m awake, but in a fog. When we the last time she nursed?
I check the timer; she’s right on schedule, three hours and counting. Hit the button to start again, nestle her in the bed next to me, snooze while she nurses.
To be honest, I used it the first few days to track diapers, sleep and feedings. Once I started to fall into a routine, I really only used it to track feedings. I was really trying to get her to eat a lot, and then get to two hours (and then three hours!) between nursings. I could keep an eye on the timer during a nursing session to see how long she had nursed, and then look at it later to see how long it had been since she nursed.
Sure, it seems silly to get a timer to keep track of that. But when you look at the clock and you can’t remember if it’s only been two hours, or two-and-a-half, did she start nursing at 1:30, or was that when she was finished? Or was that when she was supposed to nurse but she didn’t wait and we nursed at 12:30? Or was that when she napped?
If you’re OCD Mommie, you can use all four timers to track everything that’s going on. For most people that might be overkill, but you can totally do it with this device.
If you’re just normal Mommie, you probably have one thing that you’re trying to keep track of. Does the baby have a rash and you want to remember (or want Daddy to remember) to change diapers every two hours? Leaving the baby with Grandma and you want to know how long she slept when you get back?
Not sold yet? It has a bright LED light that you can use for diaper changes when you don’t want to turn on a big light. I used the light to help with latching on in the middle of the night darkness before I could do it by feel. It has a L/R switch to help you keep track of which side you last began nursing on if you are breastfeeding (and can’t tell by your fullness and leaking). It has a clip on the back so you can wear it around the house to keep it handy to refer to.
And when I headed to the doctor with my teeny little 5-pound-something baby, I could tell him exactly what our nursing schedule had been thanks to this handy little gadget. It might seem crazy, but to a brand-new, sleep-deprived mama, it was worth its weight in gold!
Mommy Must Have: Wen Hair Care?
By, Brook, Staff Writer, Baby and Sofia (@babyandsofia)
When I became pregnant, my life changed completely. Obviously, I know. I knew having a baby would change everything, and I was so excited for my life’s coming transformation. But aside from the obvious-becoming-a-mother change, two other major things happened to me.
- I took being green to a whole new level, dedicating ridiculous amounts of time, energy and resources to creating a healthful, energy-efficient, chemical-free home for my small family.
- I realized that my primping time had been cut to almost nothing. I had to learn to beautify in a fraction of the time I used to dedicate to my personal appearance.
While I was pregnant I started becoming very conscious of what I ate and applied to my skin and hair. I realized that every little chemical that I ingested or applied via beauty products could potentially effect my baby. This has continued on, as I am still a breastfeeding mother and pass everything on to my little one. The more research I did, the more I realized how important it is to be informed about products I purchase, as their use and disposal have a huge effect on both the health of my family and our planet. I suppose it was a good time to cut back on the amount of beauty products as I now have about 38 seconds to beautify each morning.
Enter Wen Hair Care. I am in love. I have always had long hair, requiring loads of shampoos, conditioners, oils, sprays, de-tanglers, you name it. I used to be able to spend loads of time washing, de-tangling, conditioning, blow-drying, curling and styling my hair. But now-beh!-those days are temporarily retired. My mom actually introduced me to Wen, claiming this all-natural one-step hair care system had, “Changed (her) life.” I giggled a little, thinking that it really couldn’t be that amazing, but my interest was piqued. I looked it up, wanting to learn more and to see if it actually was all-natural. So many products claim to be “all-natural,” but are actually chuck full of chemicals, masked with a fruity scent.
After a bit of research, I found that Wen actually is all-natural. The key active ingredients are all chemical-free and derived from natural resources. I also learned that it truly is a one-step system. The shampoo and conditioner are blended into one product, the Cleansing Conditioner. As opposed to a shampoo that strips your hair and scalp of its natural oils, followed by a conditioner that replenishes your hair with synthetic moisture, Wen gently cleanses and conditions your hair naturally.
So I ordered it. The first time that I used Wen to wash my hair was the first time that I was able to comb through my wet hair without applying an oil to help de-tangle; I was hooked. Gone are the days of shampooing, conditioning, leave-in conditioning, applying oil, applying de-tangler, etc., etc. Now I can cleanse my hair in the shower and comb through it. Plus it’s chemical-free, which makes the green part of me very happy. Sometimes, I can even make time to blow dry (sometimes even style!) my hair, which makes the woman in me very happy.
To learn more about Wen Hair Care, please visit www.wenhaircare.com.
