Due to budget, my maternity wardrobe was limited to the bare essentials. As for my nursing wardrobe, it pretty much consists of a couple of nursing bras and that's about it! Thanks to products such as nursing covers, Undercover Mama, and The Naked Nursing Tank, you really can get away without tops designed to be breastfeeding or pumping friendly. That said, I went almost a year without being able to wear a dress!! Very frustrating!! Had I known there were amazing nursing-friendly dresses out there (especially ones that will carry you through your pregnancy and nursing days and beyond), like the ones I just came across from Larrivo, I would have purchased these a looooooong time ago!! I guess better late than never! Larrivo has got mom-to-be's and new moms covered in sexy, functional, and fashionable gear - everything from dresses to swim suits to sleep wear! Here I am in Larrivo's Ying Sleeveless Ying Maxi Maternity and Nursing Dress: Made of a 90% rayon and 10% spandex blend, it is about the softest and most comfortable dress you could imagine. It will definitely become a staple in my wardrobe as it's incredibly cool and comfy - equally good for lounging around the house, meeting our mommy and baby friends for a coffee and play date, or even spruced up with some jewelry and heels for a romantic night out with the mister! I love that it looks and feels just like a regular dress, but OH! Wait!! Just lift up the elasticized bust and you're ready to nurse your little one!! WOW! No need seek refuge in a bathroom or to wear leggings all the time so you can hike your entire dress up over your chest. No need to avoid dresses altogether. Larrivo to the rescue!! Here's the Ying Sleeveless Dress in a knee-length cut, made of the same amazingly comfy and flattering material. Use it as sleep wear or for a day at the zoo. The sky's the limit! I'm nearing the end of my breastfeeding days with baby number one, but that won't stop me from wearing these dresses after my boobies have closed up shop! No one needs to know they're nursing-friendly, it's my little secret! You can buy one of Larrivo's dresses or any of their awesome maternity and nursing wear, and you can also enter to win one of their Ying dresses in my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways ending at midnight tonight!!! Enter here to win!
*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.
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I could not have been more informed about my pregnancy and birth. There was no possible way! I read books, went to classes, listened to podcasts, you name it! Unfortunately, it stopped there. I totally forgot to prepare myself for what to do AFTER THE BABY ARRIVES!!! My husband and I were totally clueless. Thank god the learning curve is steep, but let's just say the first few days, weeks, let's face it months, were a blur of exhausted confusion!! I had a hand-me-down copy of What To Expect The First Year, and read through the first chunk of it during middle of the night nursing sessions but eventually gave up on it. From there I pretty much used Doctor Google for random stuff like "Is it possible my baby's belly button didn't close" (haha yes, this was actually a concern of mine I brought to our pediatrician when my baby was 7 months old, you can see my blog about it!!). Unfortunately Doctor Google, while often helpful, can really bring out the paranoid hypochondriac in you and lead you very very astray. I recently discovered Dr. Carey's Baby Care book which is really an amazing resource for new parents (or parents-to-be) to have on hand. It's basically a users guide for your baby's first year, covering the following topics:
Dr. Carey's Baby Care book is easy to read and concise - only 80 pages - so you get the really important info without all the filler that will put you to sleep or make your foggy new mom brain wander! It's also very very graphic and by this I mean it has 180 full color photos for when you have those "Is this normal??!??!?!!" freak out moments about your baby's rash, poop, or etc. Here's an example of what you'll find: The photos are also really helpful in showing you how to care for your baby. Here, look, 4 steps to make the perfect baby burrito!! Dr. Carey, a pediatrician in Ventura, California said, “In a world of information overload, I aimed to keep this book short and to the point. Despite the quick read, if a picture is worth a thousand words, one might say I spoke a lot. The photos that I share in my book depict items that I am asked about every day in my office.” I'm very visual myself, so this book really speaks to me and I think it will to you as well!! Order your copy of Dr. Carey's Baby Care book on Amazon (also available for Kindle), or enter to win one along with a whole slew of cool products for baby, toddler, and mom in my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways going on through May 26! Enter to win here!
*Disclaimer: Although I did receive these products free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. I'm a strong promoter of breastfeeding your baby for as long as you can, and love products that help make it easier for moms to do so! Items such as Boppy and My Breast Friend nursing pillows, Miny Moe's 6-Brand Nursing Pad Sampler, Nurse Purse, Bravado nursing bras, Bebe Au Lait nursing covers, and Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter to name a few! I recently came across one more to add to my list: The Naked Nursing Tank! It's basically a tank top you wear under your shirt. The bra-area is cut out, so wear it with a nursing bra and you can pull your regular non-nursing shirt up to nurse your baby (or pump) without exposing your tummy and back. Here's a photo from their website demonstrating how it looks and showing the Naked Nursing Tank in action: I got the Luxury Bamboo in Midnight Black (it also comes in white), which is really soft and stretchy, made of 67% rayon from bamboo, 27% cotton, and 6% spandex. They also make a Classic Cotton version in light grey and charcoal grey. Here's a photo of me modeling my Naked Nursing Tank over a shirt, because, sorry ya'll I'm not about to bust out a photo of me in my bra on here!! The design does make you feel a bit silly, like a German girl in a bustless dirndl! haha! But it's functionality definitely outweighs the silly-factor. It's an awesome product that allows you to forgo purchasing an expensive nursing wardrobe - just wear this over a nursing bra and under any shirt! It's great for the more modest moms who don't want to show skin when nursing. I mean, even when you wear a nursing cover your back is exposed, something that's always peeved me as an avid cover user, but the Naked Nursing Tank has got your back, literally!
You can buy a Naked Nursing Tank here, or win one in my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26!! Enter to win now! *Disclaimer: Although I did receive these products free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. Ideally we would all be receiving the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals through our diet, and if you are, bravo my friend! If you're not so sure, supplementing with a multivitamin is probably a good idea, however all vitamins and supplements are definitely not created equal. Nervous about the vitamins you've been taking? Here's one brand you should definitely check out: Rainbow Light vitamins are food-based and the #1 most trusted natural vitamin brand. They have an extensive line and cover everything from standard men's / women's / children's multivitamins to ones especially for bone or immune health, Omega-3's, prenatal, you name it! Rainbow Light vitamins are produced in their own certified organic facility and are free of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and synthetic ingredients sometimes found in nutritional supplements. I got a nice family pack - from the "Certified Organics" line for myself (no, I'm not pregnant, but I prefer to stick with prenatals til I'm done breastfeeding) and my husband, and the "One" line for our son.
I have to confess, upon opening the Women's Certified Organics Prenatal Multivitamin I did the sniff test. I'm used to an extremely foul smell when opening a bottle of vitamins. That's just what I've come to associate with vitamins! But not in this case - the smell was mild and not offensive. You can see the size of the men's and women's multivitamins is pretty standard, however the serving size is FOUR capsules! Wow. At least they didn't attempt to pack all of that into one giant pill! (Side note, the "One" line of vitamins has a serving size of just 1 capsule). Just for an example, the serving has 1,000mcg of Folic Acic (125% DV), 18mg of Iron (100% DV) and all the other usuals, along with some rather unusuals, such as "gentle Digestive Support", Liver Support Botanicals, and "Strength & Energy Blend" with items such as Red Raspberry leaf, organic cranberry, pomegranate, blueberry, broccoli, kale, and beet! Loving that! The Kid's One Multivitamin (gluten and soy-free) is very chalky. Actually a poof of chalk escaped when I opened it! But, it was nice and soft to chew and had a mild palatable taste without seeming like candy. One serving is just one chewable tablet, which includes probiotics, 5mg of Iron, 100mg of Calcium, 400 IU of Vitamin D, for example, and it states suggested usage "for children of all ages". Still, it's probably best to consult your pediatrician before starting your child on these or any other vitamin or supplement. You can shop Rainbow Light's line of vitamins here, but you can also win a variety pack including a Women’s One Multivitamin OR the Prenatal One Multivitamin (winner’s choice), Men’s One Multivitamin, Kid’s One Multivitamin, and the Omegalicious Gummies in my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26!! Enter to win here!! *Disclaimer: Although I did receive these products free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. I feel so incredibly lucky that I could stay home with my son, nursing him on demand and never have to deal with the drama of pumping. I did pump here and there, and we went through a very shortlived period where we thought I would pump and let my husband feed our baby once a day, for the bonding experience. You can see how that went here, but long story short baby wouldn't take the bottle and daddy thought it was "boring" LOL!! Apparently baby refusing a bottle can stem from a few different issues. Of course the nipple of the bottle is not the same as mommy's nipple - the shape, the feeling, the flow. Baby also has a keen sense of smell and boy oh boy, baby knows what mama smells like pretty much from birth. Of course you've got all those pheromones flowing as well! I'm pretty fascinated with a new product I came across that is trying to help with the issue of babies refusing the bottle: Mamascent. In a nutshell, Mamascent is a fabric that you place in your bra to absorb your scent and then it attaches to baby's bottle so baby smells you and picks up your comforting pheromones when bottle feeding. So simple yet brilliant!! Here's a graphic and a video on how to use Mamascent: Of course my 16-monther is way beyond the need for Mamascent, so I didn't have a way of testing it out, but I played around with the kit and it's very easy to use! The petal material is almost like a thicker sturdier gauze, and it's perforated so each petal tears off easily. You can order a pack of Mamascent here, or you can test your luck - one pack of Mamascent is included in my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26! Enter to win!
*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. I recently wrote a post for Mommy Nearest about crazy things my toddler has eaten. One of them being his horrifically dirty and disgusting stroller tires! Well, he didn't eat them, but he went through a phase where he would lick them!! SERIOUSLY!! We have a small apartment so the stroller just sits in the entry way. Wait, scratch that. The stroller just SAT in the entry way. That's right - past tense - because I found... The StrollAway by MetroTots!! The StrollAway is made of heavy-duty steal that can hold a stroller of up to 40 pounds! I got a white one which is great since all of our doors area white! Look at the photo above, it just blends right in! Unfortunately the stroller does not... but at least it's up out of the reach of my toddlers eager mouth!!
The little arms on the StrollAway can swing left and right freely, so they easily adjust no matter what kind of stroller you are hanging up and can fold flush to the door when not in use. My favorite part is there is NO INSTALLATION or setup! It's ready to go as soon as you open up the box, which to be honest, was the hardest part (it's a super thick plastic box)! Haha! Emptying out the stroller, folding it, and hoisting it up to hang on the StrollAway is certainly not a fun process. But the alternative of it sitting in the middle of your entryway or living room or whatever precious real estate it's taking up? No thanks! Never again!! Oh, and FYI, a little birdie tells me they have a wall-mount version coming out soon. You can buy your StrollAway here, but one is part of my $1500 Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26 so why not take a shot and enter to win!! *Disclaimer: Although I did receive these products free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. Diaper rash - yuck yuck yuckity yuck! And ouch! Of course the ultimate goal is to prevent it (and if/when it occurs, to heal it ASAP), but are you willing to lather your baby's bottom with all sorts of chemicals to do so!? I certainly am not! I know a lot of moms who smear your standard butt cream on after every single changing and think nothing of it. I mean, not judging, but I just can't do that. For one, it's super messy and often stinks! But the main reason is I'm just not comfortable with the ingredients being on my little one's skin around the clock! Luckily my little one's never had a bad rash, so I skip the whole preventative smearing and just use diaper rash cream on the rare occasion that he gets red and irritated (like only a handful of times in 16 months). I recently came across Baby Butz Diaper Rash Cream, which states that it is 100% natural, hypoallergenic, and contains no alcohol, chemicals, perfume, parabens, or gluten. The active ingredient is Zinc Oxide 30%. OK, sounds good to me! How's it work? As you can see, it's really thick. I'd almost call it more of a paste than a cream. At first I thought it was too thick, because my first smear onto Kenzo's butt didn't stick! But then I got into the hang of it and now I think being thicker actually gives better coverage - you can really slab it on there!! Also the smell is very mild. Of course, it's not a NICE smell as there are no perfumes in it, which is good because those can cause irritation. But it's not an offensive smell as some of the other diaper rash creams I've come across are. You only smell Baby Butz Cream if you stick your nose in the tub, not after baby is diapered and clothed. Who wants their baby wreaking of stinky butt cream?? Ick!
Two things worth mentioning: while Baby Butz Diaper Rash Cream does contain lanolin, it's "highly refined" pure lanolin, so if you've had a reaction to products with lanolin before, they were most likely not "highly refined" pure lanolin (the reaction was probably due to the impurities from the sheep that had eaten fertilized grass and chemically treated food, etc). Such impurities have been removed in the "highly refined" pure lanolin, so it is extremely unlikely you'll have a reaction with this one. Also, it's a product of Canada, so while the label says to "Store between 15-30 degrees" that's probably Celsius. I can't imagine we're meant to keep it in the freezer, LOL!!! Unfortunately, or fortunately more like it, we haven't had a diaper rash to really test it out on yet. But they claim it clears up mild diaper rash in only 6 hours, and severe diaper rash in 24 hours - which sounds pretty amazing!! 1 large tub of Baby Butz Diaper Rash Cream is part of my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26 - enter to win here!! *Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. I love jewelry but have not been able to wear much since my son was born 16 months ago. Of course I'm terrified of him ripping out an earring (OUCH!!). On top of that you have the worry of him yanking off a necklace and breaking it (which he has done, my favorite one no less!!). So when I came across the baby friendly necklace idea I was all over it!! There are several brands out there, all offering very similar designs and colors of silicone necklaces and bracelets which are safe for baby to chew on and have an easy break-away clasp that won't actually break when baby yanks it (and he will, I promise!!). But I recently came across La Stella Della Mamma at The Mamas Expo and saw a design I had not seen before, and really love!! It's the same bpa free food-grade silicone material we all know and love (same kind that's used in pacifiers and bottle nipples), but this one comes in a double chain design - awesome!! I really love this design and the fact that the beads go all the way up and very close to the clasp, so you don't have a bunch of string just hanging out around your neck. Also, the length of each chain is set, it's not one long strand that you wrap yourself and have to keep adjusting. Baby and mommy tested and approved!! Stella Mamma also carries a number of other really unique and beautiful designs, which you can see on her website and order from Amazon. Stella Mamma is having a really great promotion - if you buy one of her 2014 designs from Amazon and leave a review, she'll send you a pendant of your choice for FREE (you just have to contact her on Facebook, Twitter, or email to let her know and choose your color).
Annnnnnnd Stella Mamma's double chain chewable teething necklace (winner's choice of black & gray, black & clear white, or white & turquoise) is part of my $1500 value Mother Of Giveaways running through May 26 - enter to win here!! *Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. We've all seen those stickers they make for baby's onesie when you take his photo every month the first year. They're cute and all, and a great way to keep track of how hold he is in that particular photo, but that's about all they do. I came across a really really cool product at the recent Queens Mamas Expo that is so simple yet so awesome... get ready to have your minds blown... I give you: Grow With Me Tee The basic idea of the Grow With Me Tee is that you buy one size, taking photos of your child in the tee at age milestones, coloring in that age on the tee. Their tagline: Our shirt stays the same size, it's your kid that grows! Grow With Me Tee comes in 3 size options: 1) Baby's First Year Onesie - you color in each month on the "age clock" (what an awesome baby shower gift or something to bring when you visit the baby for the first time!!), 2) The Preschool Years Tee - you color in each 6 months on the "age ruler" from 1 to 5 years (hello - amazing first birthday present!!), and 3) School Years Tee - it's a collegiate style "Class of 20XX" t-shirt that you customize with your child's expected high school or college graduation year, and take a photo of them each year in it. I really wish I'd discovered Grow With Me Tee sooner!! But I guess better late than never... we went ahead and got the Preschool Years Tee and for the sake of this review went ahead and did his first photo it in, even though he's not quite 1.5 yet. Included with your tee is a Crayola Bright Fabric Marker and it's super easy to color in. What's not easy is getting your little one to pose for the darn photo! haha!! Hopefully you'll have better luck than me! You can go buy a Grow With Me Tee now (get 15% off with code "USJAPAN15"), or win one in my $1500 value "Mother Of All Giveaways", running through May 26. ENTER TO WIN HERE!!
*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. Music is so important for our souls, and children should be exposed to it from as young an age as possible - even in the womb!! Some parents think they should limit baby's musical exposure to classical, which is great for quiet time, nursing sessions, or as white noise while baby sleeps! But I say no, children should experience ALL kinds of music and learn to appreciate them!! They all bring such a different energy, and you know what kind I like best? The poppy dancing kind!! I'm a big fan of dancing - for fun, to de-stress, by myself, with my husband, with my son, in a club, at home, anywhere anytime!! Unfortunately music these days is not always appropriate for kids. That's why I love KIDZ BOP!! They basically make kid friendly versions of the songs we adults know and love - sung by and for kids! How fun is that!! I got my hands on their just released Party Pop album and it's been on around the clock over here ever since. I mean, check out the track list!! I'm not sure who's enjoying the beats on the KIDZ BOP Party Pop album more, me or Kenzo... You can buy your own copy of KIDZ BOP Party Pop, or win one in my $1500 value "Mother Of All Giveaways", running through May 26. ENTER TO WIN HERE!!
*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased. |
About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, saving moms time finding the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! Categories
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