Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Baby Essentials



Going from having no children to the possibility of having multiple children can be quite overwhelming when trying to gather supplies. Not to mention the fact that we're accepting children between the ages of newborn-3, and we have no idea how long any of those children will be with us. I've spent the last several months hitting up the thrift store on half priced day to gather clothes and toys, that's how much of a bargain hunter I am ; ) However, a couple of my good friends and my sister all worked together to throw us a shower to help us get some of those bigger items. We were given so much stuff as well as enough gift cards to cover quite a bit of the cost of extras!

Now, I don't intend this post to seem as if these baby items are actually essential. However, I will admit that after being a nanny for 10 years, these items do make taking care of kids a little easier! There are other things that we'll need to purchase, such as a pack and play, swing, and double stroller, but we decided to save those for if/when we actually needed them.

Britax B Agile Stroller

This is seriously one of my favorite strollers ever. It's awesome when carting around a little one and it's super light. It maneuvers really well, due to the swivel wheels (which can also be locked into place), and doesn't feel cumbersome if you're in a crowded store. It has the one hand fold system and locks closed so that it doesn't open before you want it to. It is safe for newborns up to children 55 pounds, which makes this stroller really versatile. Another thing I love about it: it reclines all the way flat so that a sleeping baby can lie down. It's not good for jogging, but it does great for regular walks outside. You can check out the full details HERE

Prince Lionheart BoosterPOD

Since I knew that there was a chance we could get a 2or 3 year old, I knew that there was a possibility that the kiddo would be too big for a highchair, but still too small to sit in a full size kitchen chair. So, I set out to find something that we could use at home, that would double as a portable highchair for a younger child. There were several features that I knew I wanted in a booster seat: I wanted it to strap to a chair so that it wouldn't fall off or slide around, I wanted it to have a harness system to secure a wiggly kid, I wanted it to be comfy, and I wanted it to be light. I quickly found that there weren't a lot of options that met all of that criteria. However, The Prince Lionheart BoosterPOD fit everything I wanted and was prety reasonably priced. You can check out the full details on the product HERE

Ingenuity Chair top Highchair 

Since space is limited in tiny kitchen,  and we aren't sure how long we'll be using a highchair, I wanted to find a highchair that was portable, convertible and didn't take up a ton of room to store. This highchair is actually a brand new product by ingenuity and so far I've been really impressed by it. It straps to any kitchen chair and has 4 different height levels to adjust to the height of your table. It features a 5 point harness to secure even the youngest of kiddos and has 3 reclining levels. The tray is dishwasher safe..which I LOVE! And best of all: this seat grows with your little one and converts to a booster seat to be used by a toddler. You check check out the full details HERE

Dr Brown's Bottles


I am actually not overly picky about bottles and chose these bottles based on the fact that I had experience with them during my nanny years and I knew how to use them! Sounds silly, but I wanted to choose something that I knew I liked and wasn't taking a shot in the dark. Dr Brown's bottles are some of the most popular bottles on the market and are great for babies with sensitive tummies.
You can check out the full details HERE


Baby Italia Convertible Crib 



I have a problem that I call expensive taste without an expensive budget. I wanted so badly to find a Pottery Barn crib without spending Pottery Barn prices! So, I scoured Craigslist for months waiting for a great deal. I knew we needed a convertible crib, because we didn't want to store a crib and swap it out for a bed as soon as a kiddo turned two. After a couple of months of searching, I found this awesome crib for $75! The woman actually threw in a bunch of baby stuff once she learned that we were becoming foster parents, which was awesome! I love this crib because it had the look I was hoping for, and it converts from a crib to a toddler bed and then to a full size bed. You can check out the full details HERE

Infantino Fresh Squeezed Squeeze Station, Pouches, and Spoons


I plan to continue working part time for as long as it makes logistical sense, so I need to be ready to pack up baby food and toddler friendly snacks. We drink a lot of smoothies at our house, so I plan to make homemade baby food as well. This product takes homemade baby food to the next level and makes it portable, disposable and fills it for you! All you do is steam and mash your food, and then the squeeze stations fills the pouches for you. For added convenience, they even have spoons that you can attach to the end of the pouches so that you can spoon feed the baby. You can check out the product details HERE


Skip Hop Grand Central Diaper Bag



Anyone that knows me knows that I have an extreme purse addiction! One of my favorite parts about gathering all of our baby gear, was picking out a diaper bag. This diaper bag is not only super cute, but it's functional, organized, and is big enough to accommodate packing for more than one child. It has 3 divided sections, 11 pockets, and 2 insulated pockets for bottles and sippy cups. It has a fleece lined pocket, made especially for sunglasses, a phone pocket, and comes with a cushioned changing pad. And because it is made by skip hop, it features their special stroller straps that make securing the diaper bag to your stroller super easy. The icing on the cake is the fact that it doesn't look like a diaper bag! You can check out the product details HERE

I'm sure I'll need to update this list a year from now, but hopefully we're off to a good start. Feel free to comment with any items that you felt were particularly helpful with little ones, foster or not!

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