Baby "Stuff" Reviews- Part 3

I haven't forgotten this series! Here's some more "big girl" stuff I've bought recently and what I thought!

Sippy Cups: The First Years Take & Toss

Pros: I tried about 3 or 4 other kinds of sippy cups before we ended up with these. They are the only ones Leah would actually drink from. Most of the other cups have a valve inside that keeps them from spilling. These don't have one (they still don't really spill that easily), making it a little easier for her to get the drink out. These are the most inexpensive cups out there. I think I got 5 or 6 for $3.50. That way if you accidentally lose one, it's no big deal.

Cons: You have to make sure the lid is on tight enough or everything spills out. They are not that easy to just throw in a diaper bag because if it was to catch on something, the lid might come off. They also don't have any handles, which hasn't really been a problem for Leah, but could be for some kids.

For the record, they also make spoons, bowls & snack cups in the "Take and Toss" line, and I have loved those too! The snack bowls are the perfect size to throw in her diaper bag and the spoons are also just the right size. And you don't feel bad if they get lost because they're inexpensive. I'm thinking of going to get some more of everything (perhaps in the Disney Princess variety for my growing princess?).



Formula: Enfamil Lipil

I've tried several different types of formula (thanks, Similac, for all the samples!) and I really just like this the best. Leah could really care less, I think-- she'll drink any, including Walmart brand if that's all I have money for. But I think the Enfamil mixes the best without leaving "chunks" of powder in the bottle. I also really like the "Next Step" brand, which is made for older babies to help the transition to regular milk. So I know she's getting the nutrients she needs. It's also a fairly inexpensive brand, as long as they keep sending me the $5 off coupons in the mail!

Convertible Car Seat: Evenflo Generations Booster Seat
I haven't really installed this just yet, because Little Booger isn't quite 20 lbs. so she needs to stay rear-facing for awhile, but here's what I forsee as being the pros & cons!
Pros: We chose this because it will last the rest of her childhood. The weight limit says up to 100 lbs. (In hindsight, I think up to about 60 lbs. would have been just fine, because after that they don't really need a booster anymore, anyway, right?). It turns into a booster once they outgrow the seat part so it lasts awhile. I also liked the color of it, and how plush it is and that it had arm rests & a cup holder.

Cons: The big thing is that it's not convertible, meaning it ONLY faces forward, not backward & forward. So we can't use it until she's more than 20 lbs. But I knew that when I bought it & could have bought a different kind if I wanted! From the reviews online and from just playing with it, the straps are a little difficult to buckle & unbuckle (although they do loosen up very easily, which I like), but maybe that will change with time (plus I don't want it to be easy for Leah to unbuckle while she's in there!). Some of the reviews also said it doesn't recline well & their kids' heads fell forward when they tried to sleep in it. That was a problem with Leah's first seat, but we figured out a way to fix that, so maybe if we play with it enough, we can figure that out too.



Safety Gate: Safety 1st Lift & Lock Security Gate

Pros: It does its job. It blocks the doorway. And we're using it at the top of the stairs. So it serves its purpose & can't be knocked over easily. It was also one of the more inexpensive gates. And I don't think it was that hard to install. (But you might want to ask Brett, since I didn't really do it.)

Cons: It's not really that easy to open & close with one hand. You have to really push in a button & then pull up hard in order to get it to open right. I can do it, but it's not easy.




Other cool things I've gotten (or want to get) over the past few months that I highly recommend having if you plan on having more than one child:


- Fisher Price portable high chair- This is pretty much like a booster seat that straps to any regular chair. It also has a tray with it, so it is the perfect high chair for traveling or for friends' houses where there is no high chair. It collapses and you can use the straps as a carrying strap & just throw it over your shoulder. We'll probably be able to use it as a booster seat & just pull it up to the table when Leah gets bigger. This was a great find!


- Collapsible "umbrella"-type stroller-- I got so sick of pulling the huge, beastly travel system stroller out of my trunk all the time (and it's ripped now because it never quite fit in my trunk without rubbing the top) I had to find something smaller. Elizabeth found one for me at a consignment sale. I love how I can open & close it one-handed while holding the baby in the other. And I can put other things in my trunk when it's in there!! It's a little hard to push, because my feet keep getting tripped on the bottom, and the handles are a little low, but that is probably to be expected with any smaller stroller. I think Leah likes to be closer to the ground & being able to see out a little better, too!


- "Snack Trap"- This is a great snack cup that has a sort of plastic "mesh-like" covering that the baby can put her hand in to get out the snack, but when she tips the cup over, nothing falls out. At first I didn't see the point, but since we got a stroller with no snack tray, it really has proven to be helpful-- even as a diversion if the baby's not even really hungry!

- Travel Placemat-- I don't have one of these but I have really really been contemplating getting one for when we go to restaurants. There is a really nice plastic one that rolls out and can just be washed clean when you're done & then rolled back up. Usually I just toss her food on a high chair or the table, but at some restaurants it just doesn't seem sanitary!




Best Baby Toys


Well, these are the things Leah liked best. I'm sure every baby is different.

0-6 months:

- The play mat
- links of rings with a rattle or something colorful attached
- mirrors
- flashing lights & music

6-9 months:

- The Exersaucer
- Stack & Roll cups
- stuffed toys/ dolls
- rattles & things that make noise when you shake them
- rubber ducks & small bath toys
- small blocks


9-12 months:

- Balls, all sizes & shapes
- bowls, cups & spoons
- anything that has buttons to push to make music
- toy phones & remote controls
- board books
- ride-on toy
- Laugh & Learn Learning Home playset (she plays with this the most at preschool)

Supremo Baby "Stuff" Reviews- Part 2

As our baby showers are now 7 months past us, we've had to buy lots of new things to keep up with our quickly growing girl. It's still tough to know which brands are best, and what it worth the money, but usually I'll try to spend some time researching online. More often than not, the cost ends up being the biggest factor for us. Here are some more reviews of items that I've purchased or gotten as gifts for the baby.


Diaper Bag: Carter's Brown Suede Messenger Diaper Bag

Pros: lots of space, easy to clean inside, not too "girly"
Cons: too big, hard to open & close

We bought this bag on recommendation from a friend who has it, and said it was great. It was kind of expensive, but it seemed like most diaper bags were! Brett liked it because it isn't too feminine so he wouldn't be too embarrassed to be seen carrying it. The inside has a plastic lining, so that is a positive feature. It also has two side pockets that fit a bottle perfectly. It is quite a roomy bag, but it is hard to keep things organized inside, and you really can't fit as much as you'd like in a way that makes it all easy to find. I also don't really like how it closes-- there's a flap that covers the main opening & it can be hard to open with one hand. Most of the time, I end up using a smaller bag I bought made by Baby Sac, because it's easier to carry around. That one's still not 100% great, but I like it better than the Carter's one.


High Chair: Eddie Bauer Wooden Highchair

Pros: high back for babies at all stages, fashionable, tray pulls in & out easily, easy to clean
Cons: none

I really love this chair. First of all, it is really pretty in our kitchen. The wood matches our furniture. It only took Brett about 15 minutes to put it together. Leah was able to sit up in this chair starting at about 4 ½ months, before she could sit up on her own, and she doesn’t slide down or anything. The tray pulls in & out easily and there is a plastic part on top of the wooden tray that can pull off to make cleaning easy! The seat cushion comes off for easy cleaning, too. It has several different capabilities, too, for when she gets older, we can take the whole tray off & pull the chair up to the table.


Crib: Carter’s Classic Sleigh Crib

Pros: easy assembly, very pretty, spacious, sturdy
Cons: none

We saw this in Babies R Us and loved how it looked! We’ve always wanted a sleigh bed for ourselves, and now our baby got one before we did! This seemed to be one of the more inexpensive cribs, even though it still seemed pricey to me. The changing table & dresser in this collection were definitely too expensive, but we were able to just use what we had. The color (“chocolate”) is a little difficult to match, but we did end up finding a rocking chair in “espresso” that was almost a perfect match. It has a convenient shelf on the bottom to store blankets & sheets on. It has 3 levels for the mattress, as well, so it will grow with the baby, even though it does not convert to a toddler bed. That wasn’t an issue for us, because we figured when we have a 2nd child, we will still need a crib.



Playmat: Baby Einstein Seek & Discover Deluxe Activity Gym

Pros: lots of variety of toys, keeps baby well-entertained
Cons: not a lot of padding, doesn’t store well

We got this mat as a gift, and Leah still likes it, although she’s quickly out-growing it! It has a good variety of toys, and all of them come off & on easily, so she can play with them outside of just the playmat. You can also attach other toys, too, with the rings. She especially loved the flashing musical star when she was littler. It’s fairly easy to wipe clean, also. It folds up for storage, but it is difficult to keep it folded together—it pops open too easily. Since we got this, I have seen some mats that I do like better than this one, but all in all, I have no problems with this one.


Stationery Entertainer: Evenflo Exersaucer Mega

Pros: lots of variety of toys, different heights to grow with baby, keeps baby contained, durable
Cons: takes up a lot of space, does not store easily

I bought this used when Leah was 5 months and it was already put together. She loves it! She squeals when she’s in it and always concentrates very intently on each of the toys she’s playing with. She jumps around a lot when she’s in it but it doesn’t even come close to tipping over or being unsafe. I can usually keep her in it while I take a shower or something and know she’ll be fine. It seems to be really helping her learn to keep her feet flat so she can learn to stand up. There are a lot of different toys on it, and they can be taken out easily to clean them, but Leah really loves the one that is on a plastic rope that she can pull toward her and put in her mouth. There are different heights, so I’m hoping she’ll still enjoy sitting in the thing for a few more months, even when she gets taller. The only thing I don’t like about this is that it is not really easy to collapse and even when you do, it doesn’t get very small. It takes up a lot of space.




Next edition (i.e., "Things I'm Currently in the Market For..."): toys, carriers, baby gates, sippy cups