Babies have a lot of stuff.

Plus stores like to tell new parents and parents-to-be that they need it ALL. If you take a look at the "must-have list" they hand over with the almighty registry scanning gun, it's a bit overwhelming. Here I'll tell you about some of my favorite things..and some things I think are way over-hyped. I'm no expert, but in my crash course of parenting so far, here's what I've come up with:

Chicco Keyfit Car Seat/Travel System
This system is fabulous for many reasons--for one thing, the car seat is one of the highest rated for safety. Secondly, it's great for tall parents because the handle adjusts. It has a big sun shade. It's a smooth ride. It's a bit bulky in the car, as are all travel systems, but once you get the hang of it, it's quick to get in and out of the car, fold and unfold. One of the models is good up to 22 pounds, the other is 30. As with all car seats, I could not imagine carrying Little in it up to 30 pounds so I don't mind that ours is the former. It just clicks into the base and you're good to go.

Frugal tip: We got ours from diapers.com when they were having a sale. As you'll notice, the Amazon link to the left has the best price as $400. We got ours for $230. Shop online and find a coupon. To do this, type the store name and "coupon code" into Google. More than likely, you'll find something. (Except Amazon--those are like unicorns)

Gerber Birdseye Cloth Diapers

These would qualify as the "traditional" style cloth diapers, but fear not, we

don't use them for that purpose. We found that these make terrific burp cloths. They're

big and soft and absorbant. We have the white ones, but they come in different colors as well.

Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Swing

The Hubs and I have to laugh everytime we see yet another person with this swing. We have it, his mom has it, our daycare provider has a couple of them...they're definitely popular and for good reason. It's an adorable swing. We happened to get ours for less than half price (Thank you, BabiesRUs clearance section), but ours is without one key feature that we highly recommend: A power cord. Trust us. Get one with it. You will save oodles of cash not having to buy 4 D batteries all the time. (I don't believe the photo/link for this is the one with the power cord.)

Rechargeable batteries

Speaking of batteries--do yourself a favor and invest in rechargeable batteries (and obviously the charging unit.) You will go through so many AA and AAA batteries. We got ours at Costco for AAs, which has been a lifesaver since I'm a bit of an obsessive picture-taker. During maternity leave, I could burn through a minimum of 4 a day. The rechargeables actually last way longer.

Playtex Ventaire Bottles

Yes, Dr. Brown's are all the rage, however, we found even the slow nipples were too fast for Kaelyn when she was a newborn. We also tried Born Free and Soothie brand. She was having a lot of gas issues so we decided to give these a try and we won't use anything else. They're easy to clean and the only time they leaked was when I had a mommy moment and didn't secure the bottom. We prefer the wide bottles and just upgraded Kaelyn to the 9 oz size (she's getting about 6oz for each meal).

Fisher Price Precious Planet Happy Giraffe Bouncer

I swear, Fisher Price isn't paying me for endorsements. (Dear Fisher Price executives, If you would like to sponsor my humble little blog or send me products to review, I'd be more than happy to oblige.) Bouncers were definitely the gift people seemed to love to give. We have two, one upstairs and one downstairs. This is our downstairs one and the reason I'm giving it 2 enthusiatic thumbs up is because it seems so very comfortable. I would like an adult-size version, as a matter of fact. Now, we don't use the toy bar very much, but it's super cute and the lion even makes noise. We also like the different settings for her legs. You can adjust it to cradle her more or to sit more like a chair.

Oh and the price seems a little steep, but do a little comparative shopping and I'm sure you can find it cheaper.

Sound Soother

Ours is a Sharper Image sound soother with something like 50 sounds, which I've had for years. (Little is still in our room) Really, any good sound soother will work. Just make sure it doesn't only have a setting to stop after 15 minutes or something. Kaelyn will wake up the second it turns off so we keep it going all night. We love the ocean waves setting. (There are probably 6 different versions)

Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier Original

Buy one. We tried on so many carriers trying to find the comfiest and cushiest and this beat them all (and I was really trying to not jump on the Baby Bjorn bandwagon.) If you're tall, get the XL version--XL=extra long straps. This is great for times when Kaelyn doesn't want to be put down, but we need to get something done. She also now loves the height and being able to see everything and they say it's good for babies to be carried. (The whole Attachment Parenting phenomenon.) I used it at the zoo and we like to use it in stores (especially Costco).

It's definitely worth the price (actually, the price has dropped because when we were shopping it was $79), but being the frugal deal-finders we are, I got it on eBay for less than $30 shipped.

Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump, Backpack

I remember how we laughed that the breastfeeding class we took seemed to be sponsored by Medela, but it's for good reason. They're the best. Worth the price. I tote this thing around with me to work and yesterday, in my cold-induced stupor, thought that "My Buddy" jingle would fit perfectly. Oh and get extra bottles and the car charger...and get their brand of lanolin cream. (A lactation consultant pointed out that Medela's version has healing properties/ingredients that other brands don't.) Trust me.

You might be able to find this a bit cheaper--try drugstore.com. They always have coupons, but honestly, that's a decent price for it.

Side note: Lansinoh pumps are crap.

Nubunz Diapers

I shall continue to sing the praises of this WAHM's company. Great quality, great price, and they work/wash great. The Hubs says this was our best purchase. The one-size, all-in-one style is awesome and I can't get over how cute they look. We love the snaps version. Now, like all cloth diapers, they're bulkier than disposable so expect to buy up a size in shorts, pants, etc. For Kaelyn, we use one liner during the day and two at night. (Each diaper comes with two.)

As odd as it sounds, we both love washing these. In fact, the Hubs usually beats me to the punch to wash them. He bought one of those rolling clothes racks to hang them up to dry. (They'll last longer if you air dry them.) Tip: If you live in the dry desert like us, try hanging them in garage...or in our case, roll the clothes rack out to the garage. They dry in no time.

Savings-wise, here's the breakdown for right now:

Kaelyn goes through 10-12 diapers a day. She'd probably be in size 2 disposables, which comes in a box of 184. Each box is $42 and she'd go through almost 2 boxes a month. That's $84/month in diapers. Nubunz currently has their diapers going for $8. We have 40 diapers=$320. Sooo the diapers have pretty much paid for themselves at this point. Since the number of diaper changes decreases as she gets older, let's just say she'd got through a box and a half a month until she's potty-trained. To be hopeful and conservative in my math, let's say she's potty-trained at 2 years. $63 x 20 more months=$1260 savings. (Can you say "front load washer and dryer"??)

Now, this math takes into consideration that she is 100% in cloth diapers. We were really fortunate that our daycare provider is all for cloth--all the centers said no. Based on that, though, you can see how much you could save if you have multiple children.

Cloth isn't for everybody though. Our diaper bag would be a lot lighter and less bulky with disposables, for example and I definitely get the convenience factor of disposables.

Planet Wise Bags

These are incredibly functional bags. They are lined with waterproof PUL to keep the water (or spit up or pee or poop) away from everything else in the diaper bag. We have the small size (pictured left, but in the stones print) for short trips out. They're great for soiled outfits, bathing suits and cloth diapers. This one is pretty small, but would work for most people and is nice and compact in the diaper bag. We also have a large size (in geometric shapes), which we use for daycare or longer trips out. It will fit a LOT of diapers, but it's almost too big. I think if I could do things over, I'd opt for a small and medium size. We also have a pail liner from this same company for our step trash can we use for the cloth diapers. It also has the waterproof lining.

There are a LOT of fabric pattern choices--we just opted for the gender neutral ones. All of these bags wash well (we wash them with the diapers every time) and are made of quality materials. Now, I will say that when I was shopping for these, I tried and tried to find a bargain to no avail. Everyone has them for the same prices. Just make sure to find a store that offers free shipping.

First Years Microwave Sterilizer

This things is fantastic. It's made sterilizing bottles, breastpump supplies, and binkies a breeze. We have a sudsy bowl that we throw everything in, then we rinse, and fill this thing up, microwave 5 minutes, and voila. Some people prefer the dishwasher organizers, but we just don't run our dishwasher enough.

Sleep Positioner

Before Kaelyn was born, I had read how sleep positioners are a waste of money so I had sort of written them off. I wouldn't buy it until you know you'll need it, but Kaelyn wasn't a fan of her crib or lying on her back. We started using this sleep positioner in her pack 'n play and it's made a world of difference. I think it makes her feel cozy and secure, rather than having a lot of wide open space. It also has a little cushion for her head, which helps to prevent flat head issues.

I'm not sure the pictured sleep positioner is the one we have. The wedges are mesh to allow airflow. You get the idea though

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll post more must-haves as I think of them.

Nubunz Diapers: First Impressions

The first order of Nubunz diapers arrived. Obviously Kaelyn is still baking so I haven't actually gotten to test drive them yet, but I did wash about 7 of them as a trial. I figure we'll give them a go for a day and see what our opinions are and go from there. (They'll refund for unwashed, unused diapers in case we decide not to go with them after all.)

A little info on the diapers. They're AIOs (all-in-ones), which are the easiest form of cloth diaper. It requires no folding, no diaper cover, and these are one-size snaps so they grow with the child. This way you're not having to guesstimate how many you'll need in small, medium, large, etc. This particular brand got very high reviews and they're a fraction of the cost of comparable diapers. They're about $9.50 each, while other similar diapers go for $20+ each. The savings for cloth diapers vs. disposable varies per household with what type of diapers are used and so forth. I'm not debating one is better than the other because I'm new to all of this so we still have to see what will work best for us. The reason we went with AIOs was because of the ease of use--for us, for family, for day care. The reason for trying cloth diapers at all included: cost/savings every month, the whole "green" idea, has been shown to make potty training easier, and cloth cuts down on occurences of diaper rash. There are more reasons, but that's the gist of it.

First impression had me a bit confused. I knew each diaper came with 2 inserts (so you can double the absorption power at night), but I opened up a diaper and the inserts were just sitting in there. I didn't like the idea of them bunching up or spilling out the sides, but turns out I just hadn't looked closely enough. After washing them, I discovered they have an opening to stuff the insert into. Ahh, that made much more sense. I couldn't understand why no one would have complained about it otherwise given all the reviews I looked over before taking the plunge.

They washed very well and the construction and quality looks good. I decided to air dry everything because I read the inserts tend to pill if put through the dryer. The actual diaper part required minimal drying, it's really just the inserts. The material of the inserts is a little--I'm not sure how to describe it--it's soft, but it's sort of like the faux-fleece lining you'd find in a sweatshirt. Hopefully Kaelyn doesn't have a sensitivity to it. That's really my only complaint. I'm excited to give them a try. I really hope cloth diapering works for us. It might just save us enough to justify another purchase...

I can dream, can't I?

So step 1 is complete. The stack of trial diapers is awaiting Kaelyn's arrival up in her nursery. I'll update once we have a chance to use them on her!

I never thought I'd say this, but

I love our laundry detergent.

Now, I'm not getting paid to endorse this product, nor am I getting freebies. Though should they want to cut me a check or ship me a 5 gallon bucket, I would not object.

It's a wonderful product called Charlie's Soap. It's non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypoallergenic. I came across it when researching baby-friendly detergents. I had discovered that some of the most popular (and expensive) "gentle" baby detergents actually do have chemicals and fragrances in them that can irritate skin. One of the bloggers I follow recommended this soap. Other reviews I found were very positive so I pitched my find to the Hubs before placing the order. (It's only available online and it's cheapest to buy direct.)

At first I was leaning toward the liquid variety. I've had bad experiences with powder detergents not dissolving and winding up with it stuck all over the clothes (even after letting the washer fill up). Reviews set my mind at ease that this product didn't do that. So I ordered 2 of the 80 load bags. It came to $14.41 (with a discount for multiples of 2 or more) each plus free shipping and no tax. This figures out to 18 cents per load. Already, this was a much cheaper option than other detergents we've used.

When I got my FedEx delivery notice, I admit, I was excited. Then we got home and the Hubs presented me with a much smaller box than I had anticipated. I opened it and sure enough, there were two small bags of Charlie's Soap inside. I had my doubts. No way was this enough to do 160 loads of wash. Then I went to do the first load of laundry, following the instructions to only use one tablespoon (they include a one-tablespoon scooper in each bag), again doubtful. That wouldn't possibly be enough to clean a load of wash, right? I'd use at least twice that amount of other stuff. I remembered my blogger friend mentioning that she thought the same thing so I emptied the tablespoon into the washer, let it fill a little and loaded up the clothes. Not only did it clean the clothes, they felt fresher and softer. So far, so good.

In the product sheets that come with the shipment, it does say that they recommended first running the washer empty (or with a load of rags) with just a scoop of the soap, but I was too excited. In that case, they advise that it may take 3 washes to see the full benefits of their soap because it takes that many cycles to get the build up and grime off the clothes and out of the washer (which redeposits on the clothes...yuck).

That was around Thanksgiving. It's now well into January and the other night I noticed that we still have about half of the first bag left. (I had to show this off to the Hubs, of course.) Now, with detergents in the past, we went through it fast. I think it had to do with using extra of other detergents because I thought the load needed it or I didn't trust it to get especially dirty clothes/towels clean with just the standard amount. Not the case with Charlie's Soap. One scoop per load no matter what. I've never had a problem where I'm not confident it got everything clean.

I can now confirm that the more times you wash with Charlie's Soap, the better your clothes feel. The other thing I'm really stoked about is that my skin has been far less itchy. Before, I would scratch my legs like mad and finally figured out it might be a reaction to our laundry detergent. I had tried switching us to "free and clear" varieties before, but to no avail. I attribute the improvement to the fact that Charlie's doesn't leave residue on clothes and doesn't have the chemicals and additives of other detergents. I've also never had an issue with the powder not dissolving and getting stuck to clothes.

We use it for everything and it does the job. The other detergents still left on the shelf haven't been touched. Speaking of which, you know how I mentioned how small the bags are? It is laughable how huge the Surf box looks next to this little bag. I believe it's supposed to do the same number of loads or maybe less. Same for the liquid detergents we have. This humble little bag puts them all to shame.

I can hardly wait to wash Kaelyn's clothes. I also think this stuff will be great for her cloth diapers because I've read that other detergents that leave residue make them less absorbant. (We're going to use Nubunz, by the way, which come highly-recommended, but since we haven't used them first-hand, I'll wait to post a review.)

Cost-wise, it's much more economical. In addition to the cost per load difference, I also turn to Oxiclean less. I use it only for whites to make them really bright. Before, I'd want to "boost detergent performance" with the power of Oxiclean. No longer. I don't need to. Considering how pricey Oxiclean is, this is also a savings. Oh and the highly-pushed "baby detergent" Dreft? If you buy in bulk, works out to an average of 32-39 cents per load. I plan to buy the 5-gallon bucket of Charlie's next time and that'll cost us about 12 cents per load. (Right now it's about 18 cents for the bags I purchased.) Dreft also contains fragrances and chemicals a lot of people have found actually irritate baby's skin, especially little ones who have eczema, despite the "gentle" claims. So, the way I see it, you get a better product for 1/3 of the cost. Not too shabby.

If you do plan to try it, I'd probably start with a bag or two of the powder (I've never had a problem with it and now would really hesitate to switch to the liquid anyways) to make sure you like it. They do offer a money-back guarantee if you don't like it, but I'm not sure why you wouldn't to be honest.

Oh and if you happen to have a front load high-efficiency washer, this stuff is compatible. (I hope to claim myself one sometime within the next year or two)

Now, I prefaced this review by saying I didn't write this to get free stuff. That said, when I pulled up their site to get info on prices, I noticed a "Refer-A-Friend" button. Apparently if you mention my name when you place your order and probably my email address, they'll send me a buy one, get one coupon. I'm not gonna lie, that would be awesome and by all means, mention me if you decide to order, but this review is only my opinion and experience with the product. I wanted to spread the word on a product I really like. In other words, if you just really don't like it for some reason, don't send me hate mail ;)

For more info, visit their website: http://www.charliesoap.com/

MommySox Review of the Original Design

This is day 3 of me wearing the original MommySox throughout my work day. My assessment of them is mixed. The reason for this is that my ankles look awesome. You can actually see the bone. The tops of my feet are another story.

As I previously mentioned in my review of the athletic socks, MommySox have certain areas that are more compressed than others. The ankles are very compressed. The tops of the feet and toes...not so much. It makes sense then that when I take them off at the end of the day, my feet are still swollen, but my ankles look comparatively dainty. All the fluid simply has no other place to go.

So, do they work? Yes and no. I do believe they are helping to keep Shrek and Donkey under control while I'm at work with circulation and whatnot. They also keep my feet warm and toasty in our freezing office. Not the true purpose really, but a perk at least.

Would I buy them again? No. At this point, probably not. I'll keep using the pairs of MommySox I have and see if my opinion improves and to help ward off Shrek feet, but I'm not going to go singing their praises from the mountain tops quite yet.

We've decided to go hybrid.

For diapering, that is. We both want the ease of disposable diapers, but with all the different cloth diapering options, including all-in-ones (AIO), and the fact that even with electricity used to wash them, the potential savings per child is upwards from $1000, it's hard not to at least give cloth diapers a try.

Our solution? We'll start with both. We can use disposables when we're going to be out and about and stick to cloth when we're at home. Then we can see about using cloth more frequently and if it'll work for us. If we end up using cloth diapers full-time, the savings could earn me the front load washer and dryers I would so love to have. Yeah, I'd say it's worth it to give them a whirl.

Cloth diapering has come a long way and after doing some research, we've picked AIOs as the best bet for us as something we'll like and that we can stick with. It's the most like disposables, except, of course, you wash them. I'll leave out the details of what I've read for the process, as I know talking or reading about dirty diapers isn't for everybody--I'll probably offer some reviews of products when we get a chance to use them though. 

The diapers I plan to order are Nubunz. They've gotten excellent reviews, are a great deal in comparison to some of the pricey AIOs, are made in the USA by a work-at-home-mom, and in my opinion, are really cute. I also like the fact that they're one-size. (The snap closures allow for an adjustable fit.) While researching other options, I started to get really overwhelmed by trying to figure out how many of each size we would need so the fact that these are one-size and can be used from 8-38 pounds made a big difference for me. I don't plan on ordering until at least January because they have a 60 day guarantee and it'd probably be best to wait until Kaelyn's closer to making her appearance so I can test them out.

I did, however, make a purchase of another Planet Wise wet bag (I previously bought a small one), as well as a diaper pail liner (which can be washed along w/ the cloth diapers). Wet bags are supposed to be great for soiled clothes, used cloth diapers, bathing suits, and the small bag is good for holding wipes...and keeping these things separated from the rest of the stuff in the diaper bag.

I also bought some Charlie's Soap, which came highly recommended to use both for regular laundry, as well as for baby clothes and diapers. It's eco-friendly, biodegradable, hypoallergenic and doesn't use any chemicals. It's supposed to be really good for people with sensitive skin. (ME!!) It's also supposed to be way cheaper than regular detergents. I thought we'd give it a try and see how we like it. I'm going to use it for our regular laundry and I'll report back on how we like it!

MommySox review: Athletic socks

I was so stoked in the midst of my first bout of "Shrek feet" to stumble upon MommySox. The reviews all seemed to be positive and I felt hope that these would help me reclaim normal-proportioned feet. I quickly ordered two pairs. I decided to try the athletic ones with treads for at home, that go up just over the ankle and a black pair of the originals that are almost knee-high.

I would have liked to get delivery sooner, as I was desperate for some relief, but not desperate enough I suppose to upgrade standard shipping to expedited. I ordered on a Thursday and received them the following Thursday. (Standard shipping was $4.95)

As soon as Brady presented me with the package, I tore into it and dug out the athletic socks to try out. Perfect timing, as I had worked a very long day sitting at my desk and then made a few stops on the way home. Shrek and Donkey were trying to seize the opportunity to make a comeback. I slipped them on and they were pretty comfortable. They didn't have the compression socks feel I was expecting. They are tighter around the middle of the foot, for arch support perhaps. I went about my evening, split between doing laundry, having dinner, and propping my feet up to watch TV. Oh, just a side note, Brady pointed out right away that the symbols on them (I ordered the blue version--pictured is the pink) looked like the Walmart symbol and you know what, he's right, so every time I looked down at my feet I think of Walmart. I'm not sure how I feel about that, hehe

Just as we were turning in, I decided to take them off to see the results. Plus, I have a hard time sleeping with socks on. As I took off the left one, I started to see an indent in the middle of the top of my foot. This would be wear the arch support had been. The areas around were swollen with fluid. I laughed and pointed it out to Brady. Yes, the $9.95 socks were successful at diverting any fluid in my feet to parts of my foot that had been covered by looser parts of the sock. Not exactly what I was expecting and I kept thinking of how I had paid $10 for a single pair of socks, but had debated in TJ Maxx earlier about spending $5 for 3 pairs.

Yes, so as far as the athletic MommySox are concerned, I'm not entirely thrilled with them. Today I have the ultra attractive knee-highs on and they do seem to fit the bill a little more as compression socks and I have more confidence that they'll help. They are, as expected, tight, as to promote better circulation and to prevent fluid from building in one spot. I'm sort of expecting big ol' fat toes at the end of the day because that part of the sock is loose, but I'll know more in 5 or 6 hours. Without having the hard evidence (or squishy in this case), my initial assessment is that I think the original design makes better sense.