Favorite Things- The Mommy Endorsement

I have had a little mental list going in my head of some of my favorite baby/mommy things for a long time. These are things that have made my life a little easier over the past (almost) four years. I read my friend Tara's list the other day and decided to finally write these down.

A stationary entertainer.
Ellie loves her Bounce Bounce Baby. We drag it from room to room and outside when we can.

A pizza cutter.
I saw an interview with a mom of multiples who listed this as one of her "must haves". I adopted it as one of my "must haves" a long tome ago and it makes life so much easier! I use the pizza cutter for cutting pancakes, spaghetti, sandwiches, meat and so many other things. I have a metal cutter and a plastic one so I can use one or the other on pretty much any surface. It saves quite a bit of time when preparing food for a self-feeder.

Sippy Cups.
We own all sorts of Avent products (from the Avent Isis IQ Uno B.reast Pump, Avent bottles and pacifiers to the Avent Magic Cups) but both of our girls have started first using this sippy cup from Nuby. No matter what I've tried with the Avent Magic Cups I just couldn't get Ellie or Maggie to drink from it until they were older. I love Avent bottles and cups because ALL of the pieces are interchangeable, but this is our started sippy cup. The entire top is silicone and soft like a nipple and it's BPA free.

Sleep sacks.
I think I sleep a little better knowing that little arms and legs are snug as a bug in a rug at night.

The Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder.
This is great to give a teething baby! Ellie will be happy in the highchair for the few minutes it takes me to prepare the plates IF she has something to chew on. We have found that apples work best in our feeder. Pears were to juicy and bananas made a stringy mess. I've also heard that frozen grapes work great.

Sheet savers.
It's so much easier to change a sheet saver than it is to change the actual sheet. These are especially nice if you have a baby that spits up a lot.

Painting with water.

This was totally my mom's idea, but it keeps Maggie (and Callie) entertained for the longest time. All you need is pavement or concrete, a bucket of water, paintbrushes and a day warm enough to be outside.

Fanny cream.
I haven't had to deal with diaper rash very much with Ellie, (thanks to cloth diapers being SO much better on the skin) but we're in the middle of bad times around here! Ellie has been having a dirty diaper at nearly every change. I'm blaming it on solid foods and teething and it's wreaking havoc on her little bottom. I love the smell of Palmer's Bottom Butter and we've also used Dr. Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I think the original (or creamy) Desitin is hard to beat, but it isn't quite as easy to put on and wipe off. Triple Paste is great for bad rashes, but it's a little (okay, maybe a lot) pricier.

A toddler that's not having a tantrum.

I think the sunshine, warmer weather and fresh air had everything to do with this smile.

Have A New Kid By Friday
I really think this is a great book and it should help with the above! It really is about changing the way that we parent so that we can achieve the results that we want. I have found it very challenging to change the way that I did things, but it has helped with certain aspects of Maggie's behavior. This book really is about raising and parenting your child, not just changing the kids' behavior.