Welcome to Big Sibling Week.
I’m mighty curious as to how Sy is going to react to having a new baby in the house. Jenny and I were discussing tactics to help the eldest cope. Nothing says coping like a new present, right? We both think it’s nice to give the big sibling a gift, not the wee one, since really, the baby doesn’t need a whole heck of a lot, do they? I think books are always superb gifts; they don’t make noise, they are easy to pack and you usually learn something. Not only that, but you can breastfeed your newborn while reading to your older child. Two birds with one stone, my friends.
When I told my pal AJ I was going to have another baby, she immediately sent us, “I’m a Big Sister,” by Joanna Cole and Maxi Chambliss, published by Harper Collins. They also have a boy version, I’m a Big Brother with similar verbiage, just a different gender.
Today’s GHM Giveaway is from Bawl Baby, a Mom-Run company that at least makes spit-up a bit more fashionable. Bawl Baby’s “Ultimate Burpie” boasts extra length and width, keeping mom and dad in the same outfit for at least another few hours. Not only is this product decked out with posh fabrics, it is actually functional with its convenient pockets for toting everyday essentials, i.e., tissues, nursing pads, diapers, and even a safe place for pacifiers, all in one. It’d be a good one to hang over the side of your glider or sofa. Check out their line of groovy fabrics to choose from.
You can even customize the burp cloths to match your nursery.
Congratulations to winner Elise!
How To Enter:
Just enter a comment below, and make sure to enter your email so we can contact you when you win (it’s never shared, sold, rented, nor will others be able to view it). Contest ends Wednesday, 7/09/08 at 11:59 p.m. CST. See full GHM Giveaway rules here.
My friend Lisa’s second daughter just about goes nuts for her little BPA-less giraffe teether. We often see them on walks, her daughter in the stroller gumming away happily on her giraffe. She got it over at the Soft Landing, a fantastic site committed to BPA, PVC and pthalate-free shopping and blogging. They focus on healthier feeding and teething options for kiddos.
The Soft Landing has cool BPA-free sampler sets for bottles, sippy cups, stainless steel drinking devices, teethers and feeding sets. Everything seems to be on sale right now, too! Good ideas for shower gifts! I know when Sy was wee and couldn’t breast feed for the first few months, I tried every bottle out there. A sampler would have been a great thing to bust out.
Make sure you check out their blog, too. They have an incredible amount of information on safer plastics.
When Sy was little she seemed to actually enjoy playing in her Gymini activity “gym” by Tiny Love. It’s not like she could tell me in so many words, but she was happy batting at toys and looking at all the stripes. Usually for about ten minutes, and then we had to move on, but ten minutes of free arm time is golden with a four month old.
You know, a play mat is sort of a silly thing and it seems excessive, but we used it all the time. If your cleaning habits don’t resemble Martha Stewart’s, it’s nice to know you have a clean spot for them to play at any time (the mat is easily unsnapped and washed). Yes, you can throw your kid on a blanket and call it a day, but Sy really liked playing with all the little dangly things and scratching at the circus scene on the mat. I’ve kept mine handy as my pals have had second kids, it’s nice to be able to bring it out when they stop by for a play date and my carpet is looking a little less than tidy (shocking, isn’t it?).
It’s also pretty portable if you are going to a relatives for the day. The “bars” unsnap easily and can be rolled up in the mat.
I’m making the (thankfully small) list of gear that we still need for the next babe. Ohdeedoh’s conversation about bumpers reminded me that I want to try out a mesh bumper like this one from Breathable Baby.
Has anyone used one before?
Omigoodness, I just got the cutest socks in the mail for Offspring, Version 2.0. I had no idea Karen Neuburger even had an infant line. My favorite chenille wear-around-the-house-at-night socks are from KN and I LOVE them. I honestly wear them every night. I’ve had them since before Christmas and they are just starting to show signs of wear. I will definitely replace them.
I’ve been sorting through Sy’s old stuff getting ready for the next offspring, version 2.0. Poor kid is going to be dressed in stained hand-me-downs from the get go. I do want to get a few new things, I just can’t help it.
Enter the New For Baby clothing line. How cute is that one piece outfit? It feels slightly reminiscent of Star Trek, which is probably why I am so drawn to it. New For Baby has a great line of clothing for the wee ones. You won’t find any trucks, ducks or taglines here. Just rich, vibrant colors in hip, sleek designs. Sounds good to me.
Welcome to Day 2 of the GHM Mother’s Day Giveaways featuring an Ultimate Burpie from Bawl Baby.
Congratulations to winner Katrina!
The Rookie Mom’s Handbook has arrived on the shelves.
I’ll start this review by saying that I’ve been given (and purchased) plenty of “new mom” type books. I flipped through them, smirked, and then put them in the “to sell” pile. Not so with the latest offering from the Rookie Moms. I wish I’d known about their site when Sy was born. It would have given me a LOT of new ideas and ways to keep the crazies at bay. So with another kid on the way, I am determined to actually implement some of their great ideas.
Ed. Note: You know how much I love Mom-Powered projects, so I was stoked to review the Rookie Moms’ new handbook. In honor of their book launch, I invited Whitney and Heather, the Rookie Moms themselves, to be the GHM Guest Reviewers today. I’m not sure when they had time to review something for me, in that they are both Moms, run a wicked cool site and just finished their book, The Rookie Mom’s Handbook! They probably even brushed their teeth today, too.
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When we heard that Gearhead Mom was expecting baby #2, we felt it was critical to begin our campaign of convincing her that she must use the Amazing Miracle Blanket. There are simply no substitutions.
A rock solid swaddle is the key to good sleep for a newborn, hence the postpartum nurses wrap an hours-old baby as tightly as a San Francisco-style burrito, but rarely can an inexperienced (or out-of-practice) parent do the same. Add a few weeks of consistent sleep deprivation, and even the most coordinated parent can only produce a flimsy swaddle with a regular receiving blanket.
Ed. Note: Thanks to my pal Ashli, mother to her fabulous one year old, for writing her first GHM review today!
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I received “Baby 411” as a gift from a friend of my mothers. “It’s written by a local doctor,” she told me, and visions of would-be-Dr. Spocks danced in my head. I took one look at the cover (the version I have is a bit tacky) and thought, I don’t need another baby book. But eventually I cracked it open and like a frog turning into a prince, this has become my favorite book for that first year.
Written by Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields, the book offers a mixture of good practical daily baby rearing advice and medical knowledge. It tackles all those questions that no one else really seems to know the answers to (it was the only book I found that broke down - by ounce - how much formula or breast milk a baby takes in each month).
I was reading Jen’s Top Ten yesterday and I was thinking of all the clothing changes that comes along with pregnancy and post pregnancy.
One of my favorite items to extend the life of your wardrobe just a leeeetle bit longer before taking the plunge into the sea of maternity clothing options is the bra extender. You just hook it on to your existing bra and it gives you an extra 3 inches of breathing room. They are most helpful during the first few months of pregnancy when you can still use your regular bras and then again post-pregnancy when you are gleefully *almost* back into your pre-pregnancy wardrobe.
Since Jen’s sister just had a baby (Congrats to you, Mama K!), she has new baby on the brain. Here are some of her all time favorite board books for wee ones.
Top Ten after the jump.
I am thinking about my sister, who just had her first baby on Friday (Woohoo! New cousin!), and about her husband, who might be underfed and neglected (as most people cooking only for themselves tend to be) at the moment if it weren’t for his own mother staying at their house, cooking and helping out. I am also thinking about my neighbor, who had her second baby on Friday, and her husband and son. When I crossed the street to congratulate the father, I asked him if I could make and bring him a home-cooked meal. “When?” he asked, “You mean when my wife comes home from the hospital with the baby?” “Well,” I replied, “I was thinking I could make something for YOU and YOUR SON for TONIGHT…” “Oh, no, we have Fast Food,” was his response. Of course you do, Dad! We all have fast food. Not The Point.
I brought him a pan of Missy’s Mom’s Enchilada casserole* a couple of hours later.
Oh my goodness, how striking is that orange kimono? Makes me almost wish I had a newborn to dress up in such bright, joyful colors. Almost.
Check out the gorgeously designed goods over at West Coast Baby, another Mom-powered company. Co-founders Amanda Moat and Nicole Vaslo found it hard to find modern and comfortable gowns to replace the hospital provided options for their newborns. Inspired by the ease of the hospital gear and a kimono brought home from Japan, Amanda and Nicole designed their New Beginnings Layette line. The infant kimono wraps are made from cotton jersey (95% cotton, 5% spandex) and have an open bottom and just two easy ties on the top. How nice for middle of the night diaper changing!
