Stuff We Like: Walking Wings and Video Monitor

Just a quick note to comment on two baby items I am loving right now.  First, we bought Eli these Walking Wings.  They are technically supposed to be for helping a child learn to walk, but I don't think they're actually helping him that much at this stage. However, he only wants to be vertical- he isn't loving the crawling thing and just wants to chase Seth around. So these have helped tremendously. I can support him and help him balance while he runs (yes, runs) after Seth. I used them at the library yesterday, too. 

Also, we bought a video baby monitor awhile ago.  Expensive. But I can say it's been 100% worth it. I love being able to look at Eli in his crib to see if he's just resettling or waking up. I can make sure he hasn't rolled over into the crib slats. I can check on him whenever I want, and as you can see by my picture, it's really clear. I can see him breathing. I love love love this. He is just such a noisy sleeper, I don't have to worry about him now. This would be a great "big" item for a baby registry!

Stuff We Like

I am planning to frequently post info about baby/kids items that we like.  I know it's hard to navigate the world of "junk" that babies and kids can accumulate.  Obviously, everyone is different, but sometimes it helps to hear opinions on some of the options.  Shannon already mentioned Medela pumps and bottles and I agree. But today I wanted to feature swaddlers.  Eli has at times loved/hated being swaddled, but it has always helped him sleep.  He went from "both arms in" to "one arm in" to now, "no arms in", with the swaddler just being used for warmth on his lower body.  I've used two kinds of swaddlers.  One was "The First Years" swaddlers, seen here. Now we are using the Extra Large Kiddopotamus swaddler, like this one. Basically, when it's time to sleep, I take Eli in, get the room ready (turn off lights, turn on his fan, etc), put him in his "swaddles" (as we call it), give him his paci, and then start putting him down. The swaddler is a great signal that it's time to sleep.  He feels safe and snuggled, and warm.  There are a lot of good swaddlers out there. I know a lot of kids fight them, and that's ok.  I still think swaddling's the way to go until they just get out of it all the time.  That's my opinion, of course.

This is an older post from another blog. I have copied it word for word and pasted it. It was written in late January of 2010. I can't say that everything I typed then still applies now, but I'm being lazy and just pasting it:

Here are some tips and tricks I have learned to make pumping and bottle feeding easier for me.

I began pumping when Katie was 4 or 5 weeks old. By that time she was on a solid 3 hour routine for feedings. She was also beginning to extend her nights. I had read somewhere, and absolutely found it to be true that your body produces more milk in the morning than in the evening. Therefore, in the morning I would feed Katie as normal. Then approximately 1 and 1/2 hours after she began eating, I would pump. I would have enough milk to store at least 4 ounces in the freezer, many times more. It would also not be a problem to feed Katie at the 3 hour mark, there was plenty of time to build my supply back up.

Here are some products related to pumping that I prefer and why:

-Medela Pump in Style pump-even though it is an expensive investment, I have found that it is a very reliable pump. When I had Brayden, I tried pumping with a cheaper electric pump and could never get more than a couple ounces. It is very easy to use and well worth the money in my opinion.

-Medela bottles- a small supply comes with the pump and I borrowed and purchased more to supplement my supply. Katie never had any issues accepting this bottle. It is very convenient because at times I just put the bottles that I have pumped into the fridge for later use. That way I don't have to transfer the milk and risk spilling any.

-Medela quick clean steam bags- I never looked to see if another brand carried these bags. They are fairly inexpensive. When I first began using my pump and bottles for Katie, I would wash and then sanitize the products on the stove for 10 minutes. Not only was it time consuming, but my water tended to leave a film on the products after I sanitized them. I have found that using the microsteam bags is much quicker and I do not have the problem with the film. With a high wattage microwave like mine, it only takes 1 and 1/2 minutes per load to steam.
***side note-Medela bottles are bpa free. Therefore they will take on a slightly cloudy appearance after they have been used and washed a couple times.

Last thought for the post-I have developed a washing/sanitizing system that works well in our home. I wash the bottles and pump parts. After I rinse them, I put them directly into the microsteam bag and steam them. When I remove them from the bag, I then put them on the drying rack on our counter. I usually put them away the following morning after all condensation has evaporated. When I am at work, my husband always knows that anything in the cabinet or on the drying rack is sanitized and ready to use.