Favorites of the summer

Summer's over, but......

Here were some of our summer essentials:

1)Re-useable swim diapers- originally I had planned on ordering some of the cute colored/designed ones, but realized that the white swim diapers are better because they pretty much match all the bathing suits
This one is a the iplay diaper which I bought at Target, but you can get some super cute girl ones on Amazon here

 The second swim diaper was ordered from Target, it is Charlie Banana brand, PC is pretty small still so I got the small. What I like about this swim diaper is that there is a draw string inside so that if it's a little big you can tighten it up.

2)Cute sun hats(gotta shield the eyes, head, face and neck)- also a super cute Target purchase

This pink polka dot one goes with her Old Navy bathing suit.

3)Swim Hat(overboard??) I dunno I don't want her white hat to get all water stained, so why not invest in a hat made out of swim material? Purchased from Target, it is Speedo brand and has a UV50+ protection...gotta protect her cute lil cranium.

4)Sunglasses(she's not the biggest fan of these) I'm a little worried she'll pull them back and snap them on her little face.

5)Sunblock-I purchased Neutrogena pure & free baby SPF 60+

6)Baby Pool- which I scored for FREE! BOOOYA!

7) Swim Suit: I originally invested in a super cute pink polka dot one from Old Navy, but realized that a two piece makes more sense because PC will wear the swim diaper on the bottom and then just wear the top, that way it's a lot easier to change her
I purchased this bathing suit from Zulily- a website I love. Such CUTE stuff! It's soo dangerous too, dangerous for the wallet- LOL

8) I also invested in a long sleeve rash guard for PC- We used it a lot this summer! LOVE! Nothing like extra sun protection for precious baby skin

9) This baby floaty from Target, but you can also purchase it on Amazon. They are on super sale right now at Target though. Clearance!

I WON!

Did I make you think I won the lottery?

 Did you think that I was one of the two people who won?!

Ha! Well I didn't win that and....even if I did, I would not be posting about that. Although, if I did I might have a higher viewership- lol.  All things in time.

I rarely win....I think most of can say that phrase, maybe even, "I NEVER WIN!"

However, over the last few weeks, I've won two prizes!(Yes, I may be bragging a little).
One was a radio call in, I had to answer 5 question and either beat the radio show host, or tie her and I'd win $100.  Guess who won?! I did!! I am still waiting for the check to show up, but I know it will come soon.....hopefully. I think I was lucky that the guy who was asking the questions was new at it and kinda helped me out a little bit more than the normal radio host.  But, that's not me complaining! I'm very excited and will be putting it towards my new camera fund, hopefully it shows up soon.

The second thing that I won was from another mommy blog, you can visit her here. I've entered my share on blogs and there are always plenty of ways to enter, but of course I never win, until this time!

This kinda sums up how I felt when I got the, "You've Won," email.

What did I win you ask? Well....I won City Grips and two City Hooks(the hooks are in one package).  Actually, the City Hooks were an added, unexpected surprise, so double win!! I was asked to choose which pattern I wanted and that was a seriously hard choice, at least for me it was.  I am a huge fan of chevron and would have loved the chevron pink for my lil PC, but I also knew that my husband probably wouldn't be such a big fan of pushing a stroller with pink handles(although he said he'd suck it up).  I also loved the black and white polka dot and the animal prints.  Ahhh choices....if you know me I tend to weigh out all the pros and cons of items. I'm sure you're like, "what?! You have to do that to decide what grips to get?" And the answer is, "yes." I wanted to make sure that the hubs wouldn't mind pushing it, that it would match our stroller and that I could use it for future babies, like if we had a boy.

Anyway I received my winnings and of course I was super excited! I ended up getting the chevron navy, which the hubs liked too. I like that these grips will lessen the wear and tear on the stroller handles. They attach with velcro and can be machine washed and dried= WIN!!! I mean our hands get germy/sweaty/sticky throughout the walk/run, but then you just remove, clean and re-attach. You can get them for single stroller bars or double bars(you know like
for umbrella strollers).

PC tapped out on our rather long walk.

I like that these products were created by a mom (kinda wish I could think of something cool that other moms would want). Who better to know what mom's want, than a fellow mom?

Chevron city grips in action 

The grips were super easy to attach and were stretchy so I could pull them tight and they had no trouble covering up my worn handle. I love that I have the ability to personalize our strollers, it gives them that little something extra!

A view of the city hooks holding groceries and my purse.

 I was a little nervous because there wasn't a weight limit on the city hooks package. It held up great for our mile long walk back from the grocery store. I think that I was more worried that my stroller handle wouldn't hold up. But both did fine. I like that the hooks are super easy to attach and can be secured really tightly with velcro and that the hooks swivel 360 degrees. I like that the hooks gave me additional storage that I needed for our trip to the grocery store. I am a big fan of convenient the hooks don't take up needed hand space and if I don't want them on there, super easy to take off and store in the stroller. Nothing fell off during the walk, despite bumps and having to tip the stroller every now and again. So for their first maiden voyage, both the grips and hooks worked well. Looking forward to many more walks!

First Cold!

Our second health adventure.  Poor PC has her first cold. No mother likes to see their baby sick. She's all stuffy and congested.  She also has a this phlegmy cough that is so sad to hear.  She coughed so hard and much today that she threw up more mucus.  Poor little panda.  She's of course been fussier than normal and my heart aches for her. I just don't want her to be uncomfortable.

We currently have this guy that we got from the hospital, we have two of them....I don't actually think this one works very well.  I mean it gets some mucus out, but I don't think it is as effective as the product below will be.  It can only do so much sucking with it's little bulb before it runs out. Plus, I am not sure I actually clean it. I've only used it today, but I'm pretty sure I need to figure out a good way to disinfect this sucker(haha).

I had this guy on my registry, but no one bought it for me. Tragic I know and me being I dunno what, didn't buy one until the other day and now I wait for Amazon to deliver it. Hopefully baby girl can hang on until then. If not I will be going to Babies R Us to buy one and then I'll give this one away as a gift.

Being the over paranoid mother(first baby) I called the pediatrician, just in case. She said that she's been getting a lot phone calls lately about babies with colds. It is just the season and I knew we wouldn't be able to avoid it although I was very much hoping we could.  Thankfully when Gary and I were both sick lil love bug stayed healthy.  I'm just hoping that she is able to sleep peacefully, as much as possible, throughout the night.

So far she has been able to feed ok and she's still smiley so that's a good thing.  

Poor boo didn't nap at all today and then finally fell asleep on me later this evening.  Nothing sweetie than having your sick lil one fall asleep on you....well I guess the only thing sweeter would be a healthy one!

Sleep sweet little one!

Any tips for a baby with cold? Things that you've found that work?

To Swaddle or not to swaddle

Which works best?

When I registered for our panda cub I of course, like most mothers did my research.  I read the reviews and had friends recommend different products.  Like any new mother, I of course wanted what was best for my little cub and I still do.  I wanted to have what was recommended, "what worked." Of course we learn that what works for some may not work for others. Some babies love to be swaddled, others do not.

Why Swaddle?

Swaddling can help to comfort agitated infants, or those that cry excessively.  Some feel that it provides a "womb-like" environment.

Arms are free mom and I'm wide awake!

We learned at the hospital how to swaddle with her blanket. We pretty much just used her Aden and Anais blankets to swaddle and also the stretchy pink and white stripped blanket from Carters. We liked the stretchy fabric because she could kick and move without coming out. Eventually panda cub got stronger, as babies should, and started to break free, kicking or trying to get her hands to her mouth. At this point I turned to our swaddle blankets.  Because, as any parent knows, sleep is important to both mother and child. So I was desperate to find a solution to her waking multiple times during the night.

 The miracle swaddle blanket: 

I actually used this one the least.  It has plenty of flaps to wrap the arms to prevent them from moving. It's true, it is almost impossible for a little one to pull his/her arms out, although I'm sure it isn't impossible. Several mothers that I hung out with though swore by this one and would wrap their babies in this at all times. They felt that it truly quieted their little one down.  Maybe if I had started with this one from the beginning I would have felt the same way, but I just felt there was too much wrapping and folding. 

The Summer Infant Swaddleme:

I received this in the cheetah print with pink border.  I also received the sage microfleece one for colder months.

Bother are nice. The cheetah one is more practical during warmer months since it is made with lighter cotton material. This was has velcro fastenings.  The swaddleme has the typical pocket for the legs/feet with velcro at the top. What is nice about the swaddleme is that it allows the parent to partially unswaddle to change the diaper without removing the arms. This is a great feature, but with anything that has velcro, it is loud when undoing it. We started using this when she was about 3 months old. What happened with our little one is that she would wiggle her arms out and then her arms would wake her up. She'd start sucking on them or they would hit her. If we swaddled tighter it would prevent this from happening, but she would cry out of discomfort. 

I think that if was had started earlier with this one it would have worked out better for her.  I like the option that you can purchase for different seasons.  Very practical.

HALO Sleepsack Swaddle:

We also had this swaddle. What I liked about this swaddle is that it was wider at the base which allowed for more leg movement. You also have the option to have your child's arms wrapped in, or they are able to be wrapped out.  The HALO sleepsack is available from newborn sizes all the way up to children who weight 36 lbs.  As the children get older the arm swaddle option disappears.  I like that this swaddle zippered from the top down so that the zipper part was away from the child's face.  This also allows for a parent to change their child without fully pulling them out of their cozy environment. 

The latest swaddle that we invested in was the Zipadeezip Slumber Sack:

Our PC has been sleeping in that since Dec 23rd.  She's now 4 months old and this has been working great.  We call her our little flying squirrel when she's in it, or our little penguin.  You can see from the picture why we do. You can also buy this in different sizes, prints and fabric(cotton/fleece).  They are more expensive than the other swaddle options.  With this "swaddle" your child is able to move their legs around, as well as their arms. Now however my baby's arms don't wake her up and she isn't struggling against her swaddle to free her arms.  This is more of a transition from being truly swaddled. We occasionally put her in it to nap as well.  What's nice is that your child can still hold things and even be buckled into their car seats, or other baby items that require a belt.  Your child can also be put to sleep on their stomach because they do have the use of their arms, whereas, normal swaddling does not allow for this.

I'm ready to fly!

I also like the story behind the zipadeezip.  Many of us don't have the ability to stay home, though we wish we could.  This sleep creation was designed by a mother who also really wanted to stay home with her daughter, but knew financially that it wasn't an option.  You can read more about their story here. 

I wish I could think of something like this.........wheels in my head are turning.....

These are just some of the swaddlers we've used, obviously there are many more out there. I just wanted to do a brief review of each of the ones we've used. Each has their pros and cons and you'll figure out what works the best for you and your little one.  Sleep deprivation is normal in the beginning and randomly throughout, but at some point we ALL want our little ones to sleep soundly and hopefully throughout the night. Peace of mind! Phew! Happy Swaddling!

What swaddle has worked best for you?

When did you stop swaddling?