Peanut and Product

During the last several months, I have had several friends announce their pregnancies. During my pregnancy with Dustin, I spent a considerable amount of time reading the Baby Bargains book and multiple, multiple websites and reviews of baby products to ultimately come to a conclusion about which items to purchase for my little man. I just love to pass on all of the good information that I found and that information which was given to me by many wise mothers who have walked the path before me!



And so, in honor of pregnant mothers who are making their registry lists, below I have listed a few of the products that have worked so well for us! As a bit of a disclaimer--none of the manufacturers have paid me to endorse their products. In fact, anytime I endorse a product, person, service or place on my blog, it is because I genuinely like their product/service/place/person.



First, let's talk about SIDS. While there is no product out there that will prevent SIDS, there are a few that I have used to reduce the risk of SIDS to Dustin. I was particularly paranoid about SIDS, since Dustin was born with a significant lung condition. But, there is lots of great advice out there; based on years of research and the number of infant deaths attributable to SIDS is at an all-time low. There are a few things that I have learned and implemented in our home:

• No co-sleeping;




• Firm mattress;




• No smoking around baby;




• Use a ceiling fan;




• Use a pacifier;




• No bumpers or blankets in the crib; and




• Back to sleep!

All of the above are certainly not absolutes. More detailed recommendations can be found at the American Academy of Pediatrics website, and other reputable organizations that provide education about SIDS. The above points were the rules that we followed, based on our own research. That being said, there are a few products that we use or have used that have provided us with more comfort regarding the chance for SIDS:

The product above is the Anglecare Motion Sensor monitor. The flat blue piece goes underneath the mattress and detects if the baby is no longer moving, including breathing. While this product does not reduce the chance of SIDS, it gave me comfort that if Dustin were to stop breathing the monitor would alarm. This product worked great, until Dustin began rolling all over the crib--at which point the monitor would alarm because it simply could not detect Dustin's movement (the pad is too small to cover the entire crib). By that time, Dustin was big enough to move around on his own and turn his head.

The second product that I still enjoy using is the breathable bumper. I elected not to use a bumper in Dustin's crib, after reading reports of severe and fatal injuries to infants who got caught in the soft fluffy bumper. But, we had troubles with Dustin waking up in the middle of the night with his little hands and feet stuck between the slats of the crib. And so, we found the Breathable bumper. The bumper is made of a very light netted material, which allows baby to breathe if his little head gets caught up against it. I really like this product!

This next project is a fun one. It is the excersaucer that Tim picked out. I must say, this was the Mercedes of excersaucers, but turned out to be well worth it! It comes with a play mat that baby can lie on and play with some of the removable parts. Once Dustin was older, he enjoyed playing in the circle. Now, the circle has been taken apart, to form half of figure eight. Dustin can walk around it and continue to play with all of the toys. And, the fun will continue with Dustin's brother or sister.

The last product review for the evening is a sheet set from Clouds and Stars. This was, bar none, one of the best gifts that I received. I received the gift after Dustin had been home for several, several weeks. By this time, I had struggled with changing wet sheets in the middle of the night. (If your baby mattress fits the crib snuggly, it is so hard to change the sheet.) This set completely took away that frustration! The bottom portion stays in the crib, while the top "sheet" simply zips in. So, when your baby wets the crib, there is much, MUCH greater ease in the changing. And, when I went to search for the URL for posting, I noticed that the set is a bit cheaper on Amazon!

I have been thinking about baby products more frequently lately. Our little "Peanut" is now approximately 12 and 1/2 weeks in uterus! Dustin will soon have a little brother or sister and we will have to replenish our baby products!

When I picked up Dustin from the daycare today, I received some good news! Apparently, my blog has now earned me with a referral fee for a parent who chose to sign their son/daughter up at Creation Kingdom after reading about it on my blog!! (Reminder--see disclaimer, above.) Of course, this is so unintended and unexpected!! I am pretty excited and this has now motivated me to update my blog more regularly. So, whomever you are -- THANK YOU!!