baby faves: bumbo baby seat {er... make that a 'bimbo'}

In my house, this little blue wonder is called the "bimbo". After five months of trying to teach my husband to say "bumbo" I finally gave up. He just can't get it. So... bimbo it is.

We started putting Levi in his bimbo at three months old. It was love-at-first-sit! This was weeks before he could sit up on his own, but he loved being able to sit up and check things out around him from a different vantage point other than laying on the floor on his back or tummy. (Or being on mommy or daddy's lap.)

He's now almost six months old and has been sitting up independently since four-and-a-half months old (not sure if the bimbo helped him to be an early sitter?). But even though he can sit up by himself, we still use the bimbo all the time, especially if we want to keep our little scooter contained in one place.

He sits in the bimbo on a chair right next to the shower so that I can pick up the toys that he constantly drops and give them back to him... we set it up in front of the computer so he can have skype dates with his grandparents without wriggling off to chase his ball... we use it to feed him his solids since he's still a bit dwarfed in the regular highchair... and the list goes on.

Overall this is a great product and has definitely made it on my must-have list of baby faves. Although I got mine from a generous Freecycler, it's well-worth the $35-$50 you would spend on it (or make that $85 if you are in Australia - yikes!). We also have the tray which you can buy separately. I don't put the tray in the "must-have" category, but it's certainly handy to have.

And lastly, I figure you can get a good four months use out of this little wonder, which is a relatively long time in baby life. I think we'll need to retire it around seven months since he's getting a bit rambunctious and will--I suspect--be ready to bust out of it within the month.

By the way, this is not a sponsored review, just a tip from one mommy to another. {grin}

Dear mommy-friends, what's your latest must-have baby fave?

i heart... George {baby fashion}

I'm lovin' these little shorts by George at the moment:

They are so preppy and funny to me, but I really love them on him. We have a navy blue polo shirt that goes really well with the shorts... but both together in one outfit is just a tad bit *too* preppy for me (and makes me think I'd also need to tie a sweater around his shoulders). I prefer to pair them with a plain white onsie tee instead. (My favorite are the onsie tees from Just One Year by Carters.)

In other news, big boy five-month-old thinks he can stand up all by himself... momma was entertained and nervous to let him. I had one hand snapping photos and the other ready to catch him just outside of the frame.

He sure was amused... and it made for a very impressive little baby fashion photo shoot, don't you think?

Love us? Vote here!

i heart... SOOKIbaby {baby fashion}

Getting a 5 month old to model baby clothes is... impossible. But I just wanted to share one of my favorite Australian baby fashion designers with you: SOOKIbaby. Levi has their little owl shirt and it's definitely one of mommy's faves.

Can't say Levi was successful in showing off the front of his shirt very well... but we sure tried.

(And the super cute jeans are from BabyGap.)

Love,  l o v e,  LOVE,  L O V E  the baby fashion from SOOKIbaby. Check it out and support a fab Australian company!

If you enjoy The Mommyhood Memos, please vote for me:
(You can vote for me once per day.)

baby loves a shopping trip

Shopping just got so much more fun thanks to Levi’s latest milestone and our new Jeep Shopping Cart Cover!

Last week Levi sat up on his own for the first time... but what was really amazing to me was the fact that he went from being able to sit up for about 30 seconds on his own to lasting for several minutes all in the space of a week! As much as I was surprised at his latest (seemingly) overnight milestone, I was also really keen to try out our shopping cart cover.

You can tell by the photo what he thought of the whole experience! He’s never smiled and laughed so much on a shopping trip before. His new big boy status was obviously thrilling to him and the excursion was a big hit.

So, now that this Jeep Shopping Cart Cover is being added to my list of baby gear faves, I wanted to pass along the tip from one mommy to another. I did a lot of shopping around and comparisons and reading reviews online before I decided on this one. [Note: this is not a sponsored review.] 

Let me tell you why I personally recommend it:

Price. I got this one for $24.99 with free shipping on Amazon. That’s half the price of similar covers from other leading retailers (and a third of the price of one purchased in Australia). Bargain!

Germs. It covers not only the seat part of the cart, but also the sides and handle and anywhere that baby (and mommy for that matter) can reach. This is especially great at the moment since bubsy has decided that  everything is fair game to chomp on and put straight in his mouth for devouring. Genius!

Comfy. There’s lots of padding, making it oh-so-comfy, even for the novice sitter like my little guy. Lovely!

Safe. It has a safety harness to attach over little one’s chest to help keep him secure in the cart. Good for little monkeys like mine who are still perfecting the art of sitting up independently and also good for little monkeys who are older and want to be on the move. Phew!

Stylish. I love this brown, blue, green, and orange graphic combo. It’s a little more “boyish” looking than “girly”, but is still unisex enough for me to use for the next several years as we add to our family. Funky!

Convenient. I could easily put the cover in/over the cart with one hand while holding Levi with the other. (If you want to tie it in place with the little fasteners, that will obviously need both hands after bubby is in… but I personally don’t think that part’s all that necessary.) Great!

Portable. When not in use, the cover easily folds/rolls up inside an attached carry bag with handles – perfect to throw in the trunk of the car. Nice!

Handy. There’s a large zippered pocket big enough for a spare diaper, a small packet of wipes, and a burp cloth, as well as my keys, wallet, and phone. Oh, to consolidate! Bye bye diaper bag - woohoooo!! Freedom!

Detail. There are a few little cloth rings sewn onto the front of the cover so that you can attach a couple of toys or teethers without having to worry about you kiddo constantly throwing them over the edge. Wonderful!

Multi-purpose. It’s is also able to double as a restaurant high chair cover… And—though not marketed this way—I also thought you could use it as a change pad if you find yourself in a bind and need to use the floor or a bench or the back seat of your car for a diaper change while you’re out and about. Perfect!

Washable. This cover is fully machine washable. No explanation needed!! Fantastic!

So mommy-friends, I just wanted to pass on my latest and greatest baby gear find. We love it!




If you enjoy The Mommyhood Memos, please vote for me:
(You can vote for me once per day.)

who’s the cutest baby on the block? (give-away!)

This give-away is now closed.

Do you have the cutest baby on the block? Maybe your "babies" are now grown up... or your “babies” have their own babies. Or maybe you’ve not yet entered into babyville yet at all. Whatever the case may be, there’s surely a sweet little one in your life that would love a set of hand-made, adorably funky wooden blocks.

Well, you’re in luck!

Magens Bay Designs is offering one reader from The Mommyhood Memos a $36.00 gift certificate, which will get you either a large set of alphabet blocks or two smaller sets of blocks! This could be you, dear readers...

Let me give you ten reasons why I loooove these wooden blocks from Magens Bay Designs:

• They come in some of the cutest colors and patterns you can imagine – everything from super girly to all boy, from funky retro to ultra modern, from bright and cheerful, to subdued and earthy. (I’ll be honest, this is what caught my eye in the first place... and probably what I love most about them. Gotta love a good design! *grin*)

• They are a great educational tool, especially the sets that come with the alphabet and numbers on them. (Perfect for little developing brains!)

• They encourage creativity. (What little kid—and mommy or daddy or auntie or grandma—doesn’t love to get hands-on in designing and building towers and castles?!)

• They are individually hand-crafted and uniquely designed. (Can we say oh-so-artsy?)

• They are made by a local small business, meaning profit made from them goes right back to the family that crafted them. (Love supporting small family businesses and the local economy!)

• They have sanded edges and are covered several times over with non-toxic varnish. (No need to worry about what we’re exposing the kiddos to!)

• They are easily cleaned with a damp cloth. (Mmmmm, so essential!)

• They come with a free canvas bag to store them in. (Very practical!)

• They can be customized for free. (What?! Yeah, really... for free!)

• They come from Portland, Oregon. (Ok, so that part’s irrelevant... but since that’s my home state in America... it makes me like ‘em even more.)

Now I personally love wooden toys because of the “timeless” feel they have to them. (Love classic toys!) But I also love them because they are great to chomp on (for the younger set) and they offer an alternative to cluttering up the house with lots of tacky plastic.

These blocks would be great for any little one between the ages of a couple months old (supervised of course) right through to school age kids learning to spell words, practice counting, and do simple math. 

I’ve poured through Magens Bay Designs website many times trying to figure out my own favorite, and I’ve found it really hard since there’s so many I love. I think my fave is the Alphabet Wooden Blocks set of 30 Cars and Traffic Signs... but I also really like the Grass and Sunshine Plaid (perfect for both boys and girls - bonus), the Robot Madness, and the Girly Bliss. (And I could list at least five others that I really like... but thought I should stop at four!)

 

What are your favorites?

 

Oh, and the other good news is that Magens Bay Designs is offering a 20% discount to all my readers from now until the end of June! (Just mention that you found them through The Mommyhood Memos in your order.)

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1) If you’d like to win this gift certificate for blocks for your little one (or as a super-cool gift for another little one in your life), just visit Magens Bay Designs, choose the set you like best, and leave a comment here on this post. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I would choose the “girly bliss” blocks!

If you’d like additional entries to win, there are several ways you can increase your chances of winning:

2) Follow The Mommyhood Memos on google connect, and leave a comment that you’ve done so. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I follow The Mommyhood Memos!

3) Subscribe to The Mommyhood Memos by email, and leave a comment that you've done so. (Counts for one entry.)

Example comment: I subscribe to The Mommyhood Memos by email!

4) Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs by clicking the graphic link below and then leave a comment here that you did so. (You can vote once per day until the contest finishes. Leave a comment for each day you vote. Each vote-and-comment will be counted as one entry. This one’s based on the honor system guys, so no cheating please!)

Example comment after voting: I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs!

 5) Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the graphic link below and then leave a comment here that you did so. (You can vote once per day until the contest finishes. Leave a comment for each day you vote. Each vote-and-comment will be counted as one entry. This one’s also based on the honor system, so keep it above board!)

Example comment after voting: I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs!

 6) Blog about this give-away on your own blog (linking back to The Mommyhood Memos) and comment here with the link. (Counts as five entries.)

Example comment after blogging: I blogged about The Mommyhood Memos give-away on my blog: www. yourbloghere .com!

Contest details:

This give-away will close at 12:00 midnight on Wednesday June 16th, Pacific Standard Time, USA (5:00pm Thursday, June 17th Eastern Australian Standard Time). The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be announced here on the Mommyhood Memos shortly after. Once announced you will have 48 hours to contact me via email and claim your prize! (If you don’t claim within 48 hours, I will select another winner through random.org.)

And don't forget mommy-friends (and friends)... if you mention The Mommyhood Memos when placing your order at Magens Bay Designs you'll receive a 20% discount for a limited time!

Good luck!

P.S. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so that all your entries will be counted/considered in the random.org draw. AND... make sure to leave your name somewhere in your comment if you don't have a google account so that I know who the winner is if it lands on an "anonymous" comment! :D

baby faves: fisher price aquarium bath centre

This Fisher Price Aquarium Bath Centre is the BEST baby bath! A friend of mine got it for us as a shower gift and I’m so glad she did. If I was to buy one, I’m sure I would have bought a simpler one (ok, cheaper one) without any “bells and whistles”. While this one doesn’t have any actual bells or whistles, it does have a baby hammock and a couple of toys for “showering” which are attached. It’s the baby hammock that I find so genius. The hammock attaches across the top of the bath for when bubs is a newborn. It allows you to rest the baby in the bath with his head well and truly above the water line as well as be semi-hands free. (Which is so helpful when you’re trying to get that washcloth in between all the chub folds of your precious bub.) Having this hammock insert is wonderful for when your bub is a newborn, especially for first-time-parents getting used to giving baths to a tiny little person. Then, when he outgrows the hammock, there is a reclining“seat” on one end of the bath (with a thin layer of foam on the bottom to help prevent slipping) which is perfect for babies just learning to sit up on their own. And then at the other end of the bath is an area big enough for babies that can sit up independently. It's a genius three-in-one. Love it!!

Love us? Vote here!

baby faves: just one year onsies

I loooooove a baby in a plain white onsie! (Or in a white onsie and teeny little baby jeans!) It’s just my absolute fave. Since we live in the tropics, our son lives in onsies most of the time. We have plain onsies from about four different brands and the best ones I’ve found so far are from Just One Year (a division of Carters). They have nice, soft material and hold their shape well through lots of washes.

Love us? Vote here!

baby faves: childcare captiva pram (stroller)

This is a perfect out-and-about stroller. We were given a Baby Love jogger (which my hubs calls the 4-wheel-drive, even though it’s a three-wheeler:) that we use for tromps around the neighbourhood and on bush walks, but we wanted something smaller to keep in the car that would be useful for me when I’m doing errands around town or going to the shopping centre. The Captiva has a smart, stylish design, it’s one of the lightest ones we found, can be opened with one hand, and only cost us $150 at Target Australia (on sale). The seat folds almost flat and is perfect for newborns, and the incline is on a pulley that adjusts as your child grows older (which also can be done with one hand). It’s exactly what we were looking for… and the price was fabulous considering you can spend SO MUCH MORE.

Update: After having this stroller for a while, I'm still generally very happy with it. BUT, there are a few "cons" that I thought I should pass on. Firstly, the shopping basket is quiet small, and it is also hard to get to when the seat is reclined for a newborn. And secondly, the one-handed steering capabilities are less than to be desired! You can steer with one hand, but not easily. I didn't realize how much this would bother me in the long run... and it's now one of the first things I say to new moms buying a stroller - make sure you can steer it one-handed! (I mostly notice this when I need to make or answer a quick phone call.) Overall, I still consider it a great purchase - good price, small, compact, lightweight, and stylish. It's a great "zip around town" or travel stroller for sure.

This is not a sponsored review, just passing on what I've experienced from one mom to another.

Love us? Vote here!

baby faves: babylove snap-n-go infant carrier

We had a “normal” reversible car seat when Levi was first born, thinking that the infant carrier seats were just one more thing to spend money on that we could do without. Then I went to America and borrowed one from a friend for 10 days while we were there. I was instantly converted! I could go on and on about infant carriers but I won’t. In short, they’re useful when in restaurants, when shopping, when bub falls asleep in the car and you want to let him finish a snooze without disturbing him, and so many other situations. When we got home to America I researched what was available in Australia and this is the one we bought -- the Babylove Snap N Go. It had the best safety and ease of use ratings and was also mid-priced and fairly light weight. We love it and think it was worth every penny, and we’ll certainly use it until Levi grows out of it (and with any subsequent children we have). Great purchase!

Love us? Vote here!

baby faves: moby wrap

I used to see these Moby Wraps on ladies and think they were so hippy-ish. Well, maybe they are but when I was having trouble getting my son to take naps, a friend loaned me hers. I put Levi in it and within 30 seconds he was out! On days when he wouldn’t nap (as a newborn) and I was desperate to get some things done around the house, I’d pop him in there and get nearly an hour-and-a-half sleep out of him. Genius! It was also a life-saver when we took our trip to America at 7 weeks. (Read more about that trip and tips on traveling with an infant here.) You can also use these wrapped in different ways to hold older babies, but we’re not there yet so I can’t comment further. But especially for my son’s newborn days, this worked a treat! You can call me Hippy Momma, but I love my Moby Wrap!!

Love us? Vote here!

baby faves: kiddopotamus deluxe piddle pad

The piddle pad is a small insert to put in your car seat and/or stroller so that when accidents (leaks and blow-outs!) occur you don’t have to remove and wash the entire cover – just the Piddle Pad. (As you can see by the photo they hold up to one cup of fluid. Hopefully our little ones aren't producing a cup of pee at a time, but anyway...) These are a great idea, and only cost about $10. I got one in the car seat and another one in the stroller. Such a fab idea!

Love us? Vote here!

the word “booby” will always get your attention

One of the most entertaining things I’ve found since beginning my journey into mommyhood is the amazing array of ridiculously named products. I’ve wondered at times if there’s actually a secret competition to see who can come up with the funniest, cleverest, and most absurd names for their companies.

Some of my favourites so far are for nursing covers: Peekabooby, Hooter Hiders, Udder Covers. (By the way, I looove my Peekabooby – see my review here.)

And then there are the breast feeding pillows. The winner, hands-down is My Breast Friend. Seriously?! I can’t believe I own a pillow that is named something so outlandish. Perhaps my favourite part about even owning this pillow was emailing my friend that was travelling from America back to Australia and asking her if she’s mind bringing me “My Breast Friend” as her carry-on! (Something sure to cause embarrassment for a 20-year-old single girl.) But actually...... I really like My Breast Friend. I once even made a salad while breast-feeding my son thanks to this pillow. (But more about that in another post!)

Another fave is the cleverly named The Deluxe Piddle Pad – a great little piddle and poo proof pad (by Kiddopotamus) that can be inserted into a car seat or pram/stroller to protect that oh-so-vulnerable bum area from your dear little one’s leaks and blowouts. (By the way, I love this product… it’s so much easier to wash a little insert than to wash the whole seat cover!)

What are your favourite funny baby/mommy product names?

baby faves: swaddleme blankets

Love, love, love these Swaddleme blankets by both Kiddopotamus and by Summer. As most new mommies know, little babes love to be swaddled. The theory goes that it makes them feel more cozy and secure and helps create a womb-like environment for them. Mommies love swaddling because it keeps bub’s arms from flailing about as they drift off into sleep (especially when the “startle reflex” hits) and that means they will fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer. I love Swaddleme blankets because they velcro close! When Levi was first born it was easy to swaddle him tightly in any blanket, but after a few weeks he became a little Houdini and could always work his way out (inevitably cutting his naps short). With the Swaddleme blanket, that was solved. He wore the size small until about two-and-a-half months until he started working out how to escape that one too (as you can see by my tarzan-baby photo), and now he sleeps in the large size. Love these!!

baby faves: peekabooby nursing cover

I love to play peekabooby!

Ok, not really… But I do love my Peekabooby nursing cover!

Let me explain.

Early on in my pregnancy I emailed a bunch of my trusty mommy-friends to ask them what products they thought were “must haves”. There are a bazillion things out there to grab your attention. You know the ones? They’re either too handy, too cute, too time-saving, or too perfect to pass up. And yet, I didn’t want to be suckered in by the allure of this whole new world of spending opportunities. Add to that the fact that my husband and I both work as full-time volunteers for a non-profit organization and so you can appreciate that I’m always looking to make my pennies count! (Not that we have pennies in Australia!)

But yes, I sent out my email soliciting advice, and within minutes my inbox was beginning to fill up. I loved my quick responses from these wonder-mommies! (I’ve since learned that moms LOVE swapping tips – so fun!)

Several of my American friends recommended breast-feeding covers. Now, being in Australia I had never seen these. (They are just starting to catch on here – I’ve seen them sold in one store and have yet to see anyone else in public using one.) When my friends described them to me I immediately thought “gimmick!” I wondered what could possibly be so great about a piece of fabric specially designed to cover up my boobs from accidental public exposure. (I mean, isn’t that what receiving blankets are for?!) I reasoned that surely this wasn’t something I needed to be spending money on.

My friends not only disagreed, but two of them sent me covers before I even knew what hit me.

And now let me just publicly say I was wrong!

I looooooove my Peekabooby Fashion nursing cover in particular! It never falls off, I can keep an eye on my little one to make sure he isn’t falling asleep, and I don’t have to worry about flashing unsuspecting Sunday strollers (until my babe gets a bit older and wants to lift it up himself I suppose!). Oh yeah, and let’s not forget they come in such cute and stylish fabrics. (Being obsessed with all things Asian, I absolutely adore my "Samurai" model - here it is pictured below!)

I also use the cover to slip over the pram (stroller) as an extra sunshield, as well as to hang around my neck and cover over bubs when he's in my front carrier. It both blocks out the sun as well as cuts back on visual stimulation when I'm trying to get him to sleep (and I still get my little peek-hole to keep an eye on him and admire him as he snoozes, which I love).

And one other thing, it gives me a great conversation-starter with other Aussie mums when they stare with wonder at my clever American-made mommy's-helper. :)

So yes, I stand corrected! This is no gimmick.

I not only love my nursing cover but have now recommended them to several friends – both mommies that have bubs older than mine (oooooh, can I really give advice to more experienced mums?!) and also to my friends who are glowing moms-to-be. In fact, I recently purchased four of these during a Baby Steals sale to have on hand as gifts. (Unfortunately it was another brand... but a deal too good to pass up.)

I am now a nursing cover evangelist – buy one of these and it will save your [breast-feeding] life! (grin.)

Yes, I love my Peekabooby... and I don't leave home without it.