My favorite baby things

In the spirit of Oprah, I thought I would put together a list of some of my favorite things that I loved while I was pregnant, and that I've loved since having Baby Henry. (Although unlike Oprah, I will not be giving any of these away to my audience!)

My favorite things during pregnancy:

Bra extender
OK, this isn't a very glamorous start to the list, but it's got to be, penny for penny, the best investment I made in clothing while pregnant! I got an extender for less than a dollar at Macy's (is it even possible to get anything else for less than a dollar at a department store?) and I used it constantly while pregnant and even after, while I was rapidly fluctuating between sizes. Lingerie department employees always seem to hate bra extenders, saying they mean your bra isn't really the right size--but really, when your size is changing every other day during pregnancy and after delivery, do you really want to invest in a new bra each week?

Bella band
This stretchy strip let me wear my pre-baby jeans a little bit longer. It's a great idea--and much like the bra extender, means you get a little extra use out of your pre-pregnancy clothing.

Ann Taylor Loft Maternity
Other than the bra-strap extender, my black maternity dress pants from Ann Taylor Loft were the best thing I bought. They were more expensive, yes--about $78, if I remember right--but I swear I wore them at least three times a week all during my pregnancy, and for way too long after! (I tried to find a link to the site, but it's down right now--poop.)

No- and Low-VOC paints
There are many brands to choose from now--it's important for a pregnant mom and baby, and really, for everyone pregnant or not. Offgassing stinks. (Haha.)

Z Recommends
Essential for checking out bottles, toys, pacifiers, anything you might register for, for BPA, phthalates, lead, and other toxicity issues.

Skin Deep: Cosmetics Database
I used Skin Deep before pregnancy, because I wanted to see what was in the products I was using, if the companies tested on animals, and what the safest products were. When I was pregnant, I researched for new shampoos, deodorants, makeup, skin care, and, of course, baby products with new zeal. I still refer to it all the time before buying a new product for Henry (or me).

My favorite things for baby:

Miracle Blanket swaddling wrap
This has been--and still is--indispensable for us. Henry busted out of every other swaddling blanket we tried--the "SwaddleMe," with its Velco, lasted all of about two minutes, even when he was a tiny newborn. We swaddled him with just receiving blankets ourselves (following The Happiest Baby on the Block's swaddling instructions) for his first month. Then I discovered the Rookie Moms' awesome registry tips, and they recommended the Miracle Blanket--and that's exactly what it is. Henry still loves to be swaddled in it at seven months old.

Angelcare motion monitor
My fellow Beetle Mom recommended this monitor to me while I was pregnant, but I thought I wouldn't need it. "Hey, it can't be good feng shui to have a movement pad underneath my baby, right?" Haha. You know what's not good for energy flow? Not being able to sleep because you're so anxious about your baby breathing. Thank goodness for this amazing bit of technology.

The sensor pad goes underneath the cradle/crib mattress, and is so sensitive, it detects the baby's movement (i.e., breathing). On our "deluxe" version, you can adjust the remote unit's settings so it only sounds if your baby makes noise at a certain level (so you don't have to hear static all the time). And I love the temperature reading (and setting so the alarm will sound if the temp drops or rises more than your settings).

We actually had Henry in our bed for the first several weeks, in the also excellent (and recommended by Beetle Mom) Snuggle Nest. I love the Snuggle Nest, too. When Henry started wiggling out of it, though, and we moved him to the cradle next to our bed, this monitor saved what was left of my sanity.

The first night using this monitor, I slept deeply enough that I had my first post-baby dreams. That's worth the price right there.

Snuggle Nest
I applaud cosleeping if it works for everyone involved--and by "works," I mean "everyone gets some rest." But when Henry was brand-new, I was too anxious to sleep next to him "loose." The Snuggle Nest saved me--he could be close to his parents, but I could rest easy knowing he was tucked in his own little "nest." (Thanks, Brooke!)

Spa Baby tub
I remember seeing this years ago online, and laughing at how funny it was. The babies were in buckets! But when the high-tech tub we registered for didn't fit in our kitchen sink, I traded technology for what is essentially a bucket...and my baby and I loved it! (Henry's even on the Spa Baby photo gallery page: http://www.spababytubs.com/gallery/)

In the Spa Baby bucket! I mean, tub.

Motherlove nipple cream
Again, it doesn't sound glamorous, but this is the best! For one thing, it checks out on the Cosmetics Database. For another, my lactation consultant (yes, Rebecca, it's a real job!), loved that I had this. And even after I gave up breastfeeding, I still use the cream on any skin rash Henry gets, and it works fabulously. I got mine at Whole Foods.

California Baby skin and bath products
Again, great rating on the Cosmetics Database for most products--the Super Sensitive bath wash and lotion are great for brand-new skin. And no fragrance! (I know, the Burt's Bee's Baby Bee stuff smells sooo good--and I do use it sometimes because of that--but California Baby works better for Henry's skin.) And...even my local Target sells California Baby! Let's hear it for Target!

Ergo Carrier
The Baby Bjorn was good, until Henry doubled his birth weight. Then my back protested. And then I got the Ergo Carrier (from http://www.myfavoritebabycarrier.com/, because they offer a free trial period--very important!). I can't carry him for hours, but it certainly makes shopping a lot easier on me and my back! (The only drawback: Henry can't face outward, which he enjoyed in the Baby Bjorn. But he seems to like snuggling up to me and peeking, anyway.)

BabyLegs
I love Baby Legs! They're adorable, they're fun to coordinate with outfits, and they're practical: changing a diaper on a wriggly baby is much easier without the extra step of getting pants on and off. Plus, I'm planning on wearing the very soft, extra long organic Baby Legs on my arms after Henry's done with them! (One problem with those fuzzy organic Legs, though: they seem to shed fuzz everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE on a baby!) I get mine at http://www.mom4life.com/, a shop that only carries mom-created products.

Flame Baby Legs + Elvis jumpsuit

Seventh Generation wipes
I love Seventh Generation stuff in general, but even if you're not especially into them, these wipes are great because they're not too wet. Some we tried are just soaking wet and don't feel good to me.

Speesees bibs
So, I like a lot of cute baby clothes and bibs (those are posts in and of themselves!). But I had to mention Speesees because they're so soft, they're so big, they're stylish (important, since Henry wears a bib constantly because of major teething drooling), and they work. Oh, and they have snaps at the back instead of Velcro, which scratches his poor little neck.

Combi play yard
Combi makes great-looking, sleek stuff, and I would love to recommend so many products, but some of them have had sound problems. Until I get them resolved, I'm just going to recommend the (silent) play yard. It's cool, but also totally portable, even coming with a tidy little bag that it really folds up in nicely. I don't mind walking through a hotel lobby carrying this thing.


Baby's favorite things:
Henry likes a lot of the above. (And for some reason, always wants to eat the California Baby creams.) He also likes many things that cost nothing, such as chewing on his own fingers and ours! But here are a few more things:

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
I don't like for him to jump too long in this every day, because (like the Baby Bjorn, too), I'm a little worried about what the suspended seat might be doing to his boy parts. But man, he LOVES to jump in this toy! It's been his favorite thing to do for months. He also loves to chew on the weirdly floppy dragonfly toy, spin the gecko toy, and look at the flashing lights.

Enjoying the Jumperoo

Honestly, I was a little skeptical about this at first. In Elisha Cooper's charming, hilarious, and touching book, Crawling: A Father's First Year, he refers to some baby toys as being like Las Vegas and Atlantic City--all gaudy flashy things that don't go with his place's minimalist decor. But, like his kid, my baby LOVES this thing, and so I love it too and even like seeing it in my living room now. It's at the point where, on a recent visit to Target, I saw the "new" model of the Rainforest Jumperoo and exclaimed, "Ooh, the new one's out!" and rushed over to examine it. (Mostly the same as ours, but curvier and sleeker-looking.)

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio black-and-white dot carseat
Speaking of good-looking items, I like it, strangers like it, our doctor likes it, and, most importantly, Henry likes it! He still loves looking at and touching the white dots.

Good luck, expectant moms! And happy shopping. :)

The swingin'est baby boy clothes!

If I were a guy, I would wear retro-styled bowling shirts, hipster T-shirts and jeans, and all the tiki stuff I could find. (As a female, however, I don't think the aloha shirts tend to flatter me.)

But, the universe solved my dilemma by giving me an adorable baby boy, who I can dress and will contentedly smile and coo at me no matter what he's wearing! And he's going to be wearing some awesome threads!

Tiki shirt and plaid shorts from Georgie World. Details below.

The one problem with dressing a baby boy, I've noticed, is that there simply aren't as many cute boy clothes to choose from in stores. Or even as many clothes, period. If you visit a baby clothing shop in any mall, I predict the store will be set up to appear to have half girl clothes and half boy clothes. But you may notice that, sneakily, the register and check-out display is on the "boy" side of the store--meaning no clothes can be displayed there. And if there are tables in the center of the store, girl clothes fill them up. So the boys are really getting maybe a third of the store for themselves.

In many ways, this is probably a good thing for my bank account. Girl clothes are irresistably cute. Even the tacky ones are often way more stylish and cute than the boys' offerings.

So I am indebted to Cool Mom Picks for running a Q&A highlighting their past reviews of boys' baby clothing retailers. I literally could not order fast enough from Georgie World!

The backside of some impossibly charming boy shorts.

Tiki shirts! Bowling shirts! Retro cuteness! I love it all. And I ordered big, so hopefully Baby Henry will be able to grow into the clothes and get maximum use out of them.



I'm pretty sure that between visiting Janie and Jack yesterday (which has all-encompassing cute clothing, even if the boys get less retail space than the girls) and Baby Gap, for some retro T's (courtesy of a much-appreciated gift card), Henry will be better-dressed than me for a while. And I am totally fine with that!

JunkFood at BabyGap Beatles T-shirt

Photo from BonittoKid, since it's no longer on the J&J website. But from BonittoKid, I just noticed another older J&J design, a parrot T-shirt! Oh man.

In conclusion:

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." -- Mae West

The Beetle gets no respect (but that's OK with me)

Brad is officially able to drive again, having passed doctors' exams, the DMV's requirements, and his wife's own ambiguous requirements. This means it was back to me and the Beetle again. (Of course, I could well have driven the Beetle the whole time, anyway, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it, knowing there's a new Prius sitting around.)

Anyway, Henry and I piled into the car today, and I was completely surprised by how HEAVY the Beetle felt. Motor Trend says the curb weight (whatever that means) of the 2003 New Beetle is 2,961 lbs., and that the curb weight of the 2008 Prius is 2,932 lbs.--practically the same. But the Beetle drives like I imagine one of those old cars in film noir movies would, the cars that are always plunging into rivers or racing trains or that sort of thing. I think it's a good thing in a car, personally. (The heft, not the charging-into-rivers part.)


How I might imagine the Beetle: 1946 Packard from Old Car and Truck Pictures

Anyway, I navigated onto the main thoroughfare, feeling like I was driving a boat, and was promptly cut off, and then someone drove about 2 feet behind the Beetle's cute little rear for a while. Well, that's more like it. I'm back in the Beetle again. And I'm happy to be there, even if it doesn't command respect. At least I can be comfortable in the driver's seat!

Trying on your car

So, as some of you know, Brad was in a car accident in our 2007Prius a couple of months ago. The old Prius really took one for the team, as they say, and is no longer with us, but thank God, the universe, the airbags, total luck, and anything else that played a role, Brad came out of the accident perfectly fine. The Prius was a mess, but it did its job, and we had no hesitation to buy another one, exactly the same (only in a slightly different shade of blue). And, it's definitely fun to have a brand-new car!

2008 Prius in Spectra Blue Mica (our color, Toyota's picture. That's not us hopping out of the car at a chic hotel--if it were, we'd be lugging around a lot more stuff! LOL)

Actually, since Brad hasn't been able to drive, he hasn't even gotten to drive the new car (which is no fun for him!).

(Let me take this opportunity to give a public-service announcement about voluntarilly waiting a few minutes after receiving a new vaccine for the first time to make sure your body responds well to it!)

Brad will be able to drive again in a couple of weeks, but so far, I've been the only driver of the new car, and the Beetle's been mostly sitting in the garage. Although I'm a fan of saving gas, and the Prius's four doors certainly make it easier to hoist Henry around, I have to say that I'm looking forward to mostly driving the Beetle again.

The Beetle is a good fit for me--and I don't just mean in looks or "personality." I mean in the way I sit in the car, it is vastly more comfortable for me than the Prius.

I love the Prius. It's a testament to how much I love it that, knowing that the driver's seat is uncomfortable for me, we still got another one! (OK, so it's intended to be Brad's car, so my driving comfort didn't really matter that much. It's just an odd circumstance that I happen to be driving it exclusively right now.)

But that darn seat makes my shoulders and back hurt and my arms tingle if I drive it more than a couple of hours a day. (And, alas, in traffic and if I'm dropping off Brad and picking him up, that could be over 3 hours of driving!) And the crazy thing is that, at least on the 2007 and 2008 models, I cannot figure out how to really adjust the seat or the wheel satisfactorally. The rental car we had for a while had fancy automatic tilt adjustments and everything--it was awesome. The Prius, for all of its futuristic features, has a seat that's stuck in the Stone Age. I really hope they change that in the 2010 model.

Fred's car has more seat adjustments than our Prius offers (by the way, I found this photo at a funny account of driving a Smart Car).

The weird thing about the seat is that it's not something I would ever have noticed on a test drive, because it only bothers me when I've been driving for a long time. The passenger seat, by the way, is totally comfortable. It's something about the position of the seat, pedals, and steering wheel that's all wrong for me.

Anyway, my point in all of this is that whatever our next car might be, however far in the future, I'm going to try and rent the car and drive it for a week before buying it.

Fortunately, Henry doesn't seem to care what car he's riding in--he's happy to look out the window, play with toys, and usually fall asleep! I think that despite the seat issues and the accident, we're having pretty good automotive luck overall (knocking on my Ikea wood desk). Getting from A to B safely, and even happily with a 5-month-old, is good enough for me.

Safe furniture

It's been a while since the last post, and a lot has changed: I left my job to stay home with Henry full-time, and we have been having a great time together! (But I admit, I am always really glad when Brad gets home from work and I have another grown-up to talk to.) Henry is 5 months old, a real little person, and he cracks me up.



I love his sweet smile and laugh, and he happens to laugh a lot while on our beloved changing table.

So, today, I am scouting out more adorable organic baby clothing (Speesees brand, if you're wondering) online, and I come across news that says there are high levels of formaldehyde in products by the manufacturer of our changing table/dresser combo.

This is our dresser, only ours is in black. It's the Jardine Olympia combo unit.

That article lists the biggest offenders of formaldehyde emissions, and our changing table/dresser combo isn't on there. But does that mean it's safe?

With our carpets, and builder's paint on the walls, and curtains bought with "eco-friendly, energy-saving" thermal backing (that I now realize is made of PVC), and various cheap furniture throughout our house, I know there's more off-gassing happening than I'd like to think about. Hopefully we can change that one piece of furniture at a time.

But I was hoping for the baby's room to have as fresh a start as possible, to have at least one room in the whole house that was "safe." It ticks me off that it's not as safe as I thought--and that these manufacturers have been selling their products knowing what they contain and not warning consumers. And it ticks me off that we've got a solid wood piece of furniture that cost upward of $400 and it might still be unsafe!

Of course, I'd rather not re-buy a different piece of furniture. Then again, I'd also rather not wonder constantly just how "low" the levels of toxic chemicals are. I hate that parents even have to wonder about the safety of products--but I'm really glad that there are people out there watching out for this, and making the companies change.

I hope that if Henry decides to have kids, he won't have to worry about the chemicals in baby food, bottles, clothing, furniture, or homes. I'm sure parents will always worry. But hopefully it won't be about something that should get fixed now, at the turn of the century. I'm very proud to live in a state that's a leading force in making that happen.

Beetle and a baby-carrier

Despite my previous post's wonderings about the implications of genetic testing, I am still also concerned with the more pressing matter of getting around town with Henry in the Beetle. I love looking in my rearview mirror and seeing Henry's reflection in his own little backseat mirror. He seems to like looking around, out the back window, and he still loves to snooze while I'm driving.

The only problem is actually getting him into the car. As of 4 months of being a parent, I maintain that it's doable to have a Beetle and a baby--but I now realize that bench-presses really should have been and important part of my pre-baby planning!

So, I have a Peg Perego 2007 Primo Viaggo car seat (in "revi black"--white dots on a black background. Henry LOVES looking at the dots!). There's room for the car seat in the back of my 2003 New Beetle--it's just hoisting it back there that is the challenge with the 2-door Beetle (OK, it's a hatchback, so techincally it's 3 doors. But you know what I mean.)

I just surmised a probably unscientific weight for the carseat. (weighed myself, then held the carseat and weighed us both, found the difference. Makes sense, right?) I determined that the carseat, by itself, weighs 10.4 pounds.

Henry now weighs about 15 pounds (using the same method). No wonder my back's sore! That's 25 pounds of baby + baby-protection I'm manuevering past the folded front seat and into the back!

Sometimes, I opt to crawl into the backseat and place or retrieve Henry from the carseat, instead of taking the whole thing out. I think that will be my new preferred method...unless he's sleeping. Then I will hoist him, carseat and all, until my muscles completely give out, rather than wake him up!

So, it's very possible to travel with the baby and the carseat in the back of the Beetle. But I am starting to see (or feel, I should say) the intrigue of the less stylish but easily accessible minivan (or a lighter-weight car seat)!

Not that I'm trading in the Beetle any time soon, or opting for a lighter carseat, either. (Although it would have been nice if this seat could have been stylish, safe, AND lightweight. I guess I'll settle for safe and stylish, though.) Besides, Henry clearly appreciates the mod look of it, and for now, that's worth some heavy lifting. We'll see if my back agrees with my aesthetics.

jeans and genes

I tried to find some decent-fitting pants today, as Brad wandered Ann Taylor with Henry, looking wide-eyed at all the bright and sparkly holiday clothes, and very happy facing out (finally!) in the Baby Bjorn. I was unsuccessful in finding any jeans (or other pants) that were better than the maternity pants I was currently wearing. So yes, I am still wearing maternity pants!

Anyway, after Henry was sleeping soundly tonight (maybe dreaming of colors and shapes he'd never seen until visiting today's Christmas-decorated mall!), Brad and I settled onto the couch to watch DVR'd shows we'd been meaning to catch up on. Brad fell asleep almost instantly (he got up with Henry last night so I could sleep some more!). I, having had a nap AND a Frappucino this afternoon, took this as a sign it was a good time to watch my recorded Oprah of the day.

One of the topics of today's show was 23 and me, a company that seems to make it shockingly easy to find out all about your genetic history and predisposition to traits and diseases. It was like I was suddenly watching a sci-fi movie. But it was just Oprah.

It's amazing to me that you can get this information for $399. I know it's a lot of money, but you'd have this information about yourself for the rest of your life--and maybe the information you get could make your life better. Or not.

I didn't opt to do any genetic testing while I was pregnant. The only condition I was concerned with, due to a slight family history, was one I'd had the test done long ago for anyway, and I wasn't a carrier. I just didn't really want to know any more. And, as crazy as this sounds, not only did I not want to find out the baby's sex before it was born, but I started to think--toward the end, after having many ultrasounds--that maybe I shouldn't even be getting so many ultrasounds. Maybe it's not good to intrude on what's still a mystery. (OK, they were necessary for health reasons, so of course I would have gotten them. And I did like peeking in on the baby. But I started to feel a little weird about it.)

But, I'm still interested in the concept of this DIY genome kit.

Maybe the difference now has to do with wanting to protect myself and my family however I can--and now that we're all here, if I find out I have a likely chance of getting, say, osteoporosis, I could make myself and future children eat a lot of organic milk. (Or whatever could help prevent that.) You get the idea.

On the other hand, percentages are not guarantees, and maybe learning there's a good chance of a certain condition would only make you focus on the negative, and be afraid of it. I don't know. How could you know if the results would make you confident or worried?

It is undeniably, crazilly futuristic, though. I am still impressed at the amazingness of e-mail or IM, sometimes (seriously!). So this just blows my mind.

I wonder what kind of traits it tells you. I'm sure it covers many diseases, but what else? Can it delve into nature-vs.-nurture topics, like "natural" talents or skills?

I don't know if I'd ever do the test. But it's pretty intriguing to know I could. And it would really take the family tree concept to a whole new level.