Agh. My little baby (I mean toddler) is growing up fast. His ever growing self, requires new stuff to go with him.
The last time I posted about B's favorite things and our baby gear was quite awhile back. The list has changed just a little bit since then. (And while I should go back and update the post itself, I'm happy to report that we LOVED all of the gear listed in the post and didn't have any problems with any of it. I'll soon get to the couple items that were still on our wish list at that point...)
I am a little crazy when it comes to researching products before deciding what I want- I literally spent the better part of a year deciding on a couch for our upstairs. So when it comes to baby gear that I know can make my life easier and my baby safer, you can bet I was a little research crazy. I'll save you the time and effort and share my recommendations here for you! :)
Convertible Carseat: Britax Boulevard.
In looking for a carseat, I wanted something I could use for extended rear facing,* something with higher weight limits, a seat that exceded higher safety standards, and a seat that had good reviews on the child's comfort. A lot of the message boards I read about carseats had moms saying that all carseats have to meet the same safety standards so any choice is a good one. This is absolutely not true. Not all carseats are created equally and while it's true seats have to meet a basic level of safety standards, there are many seats that barely meet the standards while others easily exceed them.
While knowing we wanted to go Britax, we ultimately chose the Boulevard. I knew we could find a less expensive carseat but when it came to finding ways to save money, B's safety wasn't an area I wanted to skimp on. (That being said, we were blessed with several gift cards from family that we were able to use for B's carseat so it didn't cost us hardly anything.)
*If you aren't sure whether you'll want to do ERF or not, this article and this article might be helpful for you. (Thanks, Megan for sending me the link again!) :) Also, while we are on the topic of carseats, read this article to make sure you are strapping your baby/toddler in correctly. Thanks. :)
I most often get asked about our stroller and I always recommend it to other moms. (Though as I was looking for a link to it, I found there is now a City Micro that looks just as nice!) Things I love about it: lightweight, swivel wheel which makes it super easy to navigate in tight spaces (you can even maneuver this thing in the Crazy 8 store!), you can easily fold it up and unfold it using just one hand, enough storage space for baby gear and shopping bags, comfort features for B, adjustable canopy that can be used several different ways. We opted to have this as our primary stroller from the start (we used a snap n go with his infant carrier in the very beginning) and have loved it! I was worried I would regret not having a full size or travel system stroller but I am so glad we went this route instead. It really is the easiest to push stroller I've ever used!
There is one con with this stroller though: it doesn't come with cup holders so you have to buy the parent console and child tray separately. That being said, we haven't yet used our child tray but the parent console is definitely an upgrade you'll want and the inconvenience of buying it separately is worth the hassle to have a stroller that makes your life easier. :) (It might be easier for me to say that since B's stroller was gifted to him by his grandma so we didn't have the initial expense but I do think if I had to save my money to splurge on a baby item, this would be one I'd want to splurge on.)
We have tried a TON of sippy cups. We've tried straws, no straws; handles, no handles; flip top lids, and not; etc, etc. We literally tried nearly every style of sippy cup there is. (We probably wouldn't have tried as many styles as we did but we had several hand me downs and gifts to test out so we tested them all in search of our favorite one.) For awhile, B struggled with holding the cup himself and tipping it back to drink from it. We attribute this to the fact that he had very, very few bottles and rarely needed to hold the bottle himself. An early favorite sippy cup was the straw cup with handles. The handles were great to help him grab ahold of the cup and the straw was great because he didn't have to tip the cup back for drinking. While this cup served it's purpose for quite awhile, it did leak (A LOT) and also as B got older, he would chuck the sippy cup down from his booster seat and across the kitchen floor so hard that the handles would break off. They weren't exactly B proof and we had a million sippy cups with sharp edges on them laying around the house. As he transitioned into the 'bigger kid' room at church, they served snack with a different style of sippy cup and B quickly learned to grab hold of the cup and drink. At that point we transitioned into the no handles cups and I randomly found the Nuby Super Straw cup while at TJ Maxx. They are by far our favorite sippy cup. They don't leak when left laying on the floor (or even when being shaken upside down!). They don't have any easily breakable parts (like handles) and there aren't a million parts to it which makes it easy to clean. I've asked several other moms about their favorite sippy cups and this one seems to be a common favorite!
Moving forward, we'll stick with the Nuby but I'd love to try out the WOW Kids Cup. (They also have adult versions!) :)
Video Monitor: Summer Infant Video.
Okay, this one isn't the exact one we have but ours is almost two years old now and the market of video monitors has grown a ton since then! There are a lot more choices now than when we purchased ours and if purchasing one today this isn't the one I would go with. That being said, we haven't had any problems with it and we absolutely love it. A video monitor is a must. I thought this when B was tiny and I wanted to make sure he was breathing (like every second of the night) without going in his room and waking him. I think this even more now that he is growing and pulling books off the shelf during nap time and stripping his clothes off and trying to climb out of his crib. Not too long ago he fell asleep sitting up during nap time and watching him sit swaying back and forth in his sleep was the funniest moment of R & I's day. So safety and convenience reasons aside, the video monitor is a must just for the entertainment value. ;)
Other Toddler Gear We Love.
-B still uses and loves his Aden & Anais swaddling blankets. We don't swaddle him anymore but they are his favorite blankies to snuggle up to.
-Amber teething necklace. Kelsey recently posted about these and if you're curious as to whether or not you want to try one, the general consensus is they cant hurt.
-Shoes that stay on his feet. He wore the boot version of these ALL winter long (to the point that we wont be able to hand them down to anyone). As it's getting warmer out, we've mixed it up with some hammy down Jordan's and Toms and I have these on my wish list for him. SO cute and the perfect mix of R & I's styles. :)
-We use (and wash often) this Munchkin Snack Trap bowl ALL the time. We have a few other snack cups but this one seems to be the easiest for him to use while creating the least amount of mess. I'd love to try this spill resistant bowl out though.
-B got this Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster seat as a gift from his grandma (we had previously been borrowing one that is supposed to be at my mom's house). While he could still use the high chairs we have, we love having him at the table with us and it has really improved his eating habits. A lot of language and learning happens at the table and since we spend A LOT of time there these days, it's great to have him sitting right there with us. (We remove the tray and scoot him right up to the actual table with us.)
Toddler gear I need help with:
-A potty chair. I've looked into them a little bit and think I want to go with this one but I'm not sure. Does it matter? Do you want one in each bathroom? Or at least on each level of the house? What are your recommendations here?
-Toddler bed. We have the kit that converts his crib so we're planning to do that but WHEN do you make the switch? Is there a magic age or do you wait until they are climbing out of their crib? (I think he could be close- yikes.)
-Head phones. I know they are only recommended for ages 2+ but is that because screen time is recommended for ages 2+? We are going to be doing a little traveling for spring break and I'd love to be able to let B watch some videos or read some iPad books on the airplane but I'm wondering if I should even bother with them. I'd love to get these headphones for him (I think?). Any thoughts?
What is your favorite baby (eh, I mean TODDLER) gear of the moment? Any recommendations for us??
