In the past six years, I have been pregnant for 27 months (that is 2 ¼ years of flutters, excitement, great hair, and excruciating back pain), and I have nursed for 47 months (that is 3 ¾ years of bonding, free food, yanking, blebs, and bottle issues). If you do the math, I have been in a state of pregnancy or nursing for the entirety of the last 6 years. And while I am no parenting pro, I certainly have learned a lot and picked up a few tricks these past years! If you are having a little one, or heading to a baby shower, check out these five baby things that this veteran mama loves!

Boppy Luxe Cart Cover

Germs! Everywhere! I have heard approximately two dozen moms talking about strep throat and hand, foot, mouth disease recently. Our house has had both of those in the past and I do NOT want to go through that again this year if we can avoid it. The key to staying healthy during cold and flu season is prevention, and with a baby who explores the world by putting everything in his mouth, it can be tricky. Thanks to the Boppy cart and high chair cover, I feel safer taking my baby shopping and to restaurants because I don’t have to worry about him putting his mouth and hands all over everything. The minky seat fabric is more plush than my own bed comforter — baby stuff is always so soft and cuddly! It is also decked out with crinkly toys, and brightly colored ribbon to keep Baby happy while you shop or eat. In case your little one makes a little (or big) mess, the cover is machine washable! And guess what? It is self-contained and folds into itself for easy storage! This item is definitely a great baby shower gift — it is luxurious, but also keeps baby healthy.

Boppy Luxe Cart Cover can be found in major stores like Target and Buy Buy Baby, on the Boppy website and on Amazon.com.  Find out more here.

 

Nose Frida

I first saw the Nose Fridas as I was putting together my baby registry for my youngest son. It grossed me out, “Ew, I’ll never use that.” I actually dry heaved — pregnancy and being grossed out do not go well together. Fast forward to my winter baby having a stuffy nose. I must have googled “stuffy nose remedies for babies” too many times, as Nose Frida ads kept showing up whenever I was on Facebook. Desperate to find relief for my sweet boy, I gave into their marketing, and ordered one. And used it. And loved it. Because it works!

What do you need to know?There are separate chambers for mucous and where your mouth goes — it is much less gross than you’d think, and way more effective than you could imagine. You are able to use your mouth’s suction to clear out Baby’s nose in one breath, and you don’t have to jab at their little nose with one of those blue bulb syringes, which are, by the the way, actually disgusting! See the video of me cutting into one of them, here.

You have heard my seal of approval, but here is my baby, Vincent, totally okay with me using the Nose Frida on him.  Nose Frida can be purchased at many major retailers, at www.fridababy.com, and also on Amazon.com.

 

Finn + Emma

100% organic, fair trade items that are 100% adorable. Finn + Emma has sweet, modern clothing designs for fashionable babies. The fabric feels rich, and is available in boy collections like robots and vikings, girl collections like zebra, and gender neutral collections like arrows and elephants. Not only are the clothing collections cute, there are coordinating toys! Finn + Emma sells rattles, big buddy stuffed animals, lovies, teethers, stroller toys, pacifier holders, and play gyms! They will be releasing two new collections soon, Fawn and Origami — I can’t wait to see what the designs look like. If you’re looking for a unique ensemble for your baby, or for a gift for someone else’s babe, Finn + Emma is a one stop shop for cool kids.

Check them out online at: https://www.finnandemma.com

 

Mommy Xpress

This one is simple; if you’re expecting and would like a free breast pump through your insurance coverage, call Mommy Xpress. Submit your insurance information online, a breast pump specialist will call to discuss covered models and available upgrades, and finally a brand new, free breast pump will be delivered to your home. When I called my insurance provider to discuss breast pump options, I was on hold for 20 minutes, transferred to several different people, and almost decided to give up, and just purchase a new breast pump for a hundred bucks. Thankfully I met a representative of Mommy Xpress at the Baby & Beyond Expo who told me they would help make getting a breast pump through my insurance coverage easy. She was right. The process of getting my pump through Mommy Xpress was easy, quick, and free from start to finish.

Learn more at: www.mommyxpress.com

 

The Ultimate Baby Journal

This journal covers babies’ first three years of life with everything you will want to remember, including babies’ likes, dislikes, firsts, doctor checkups, special occasions, and more. There are also prompts where you write little notes to your baby. I have three Ultimate Baby Journals, one for each of my boys, because I love these journals so much. It is easy to take a minute to fill them out, and it is so fun to look back at what baby was like as a newborn, infant, and toddler. If you’re looking to purchase a scrapbook or journal for your little one, this is one that I absolutely adore! Check it out at local bookstores and on Amazon.com