Whether you are having your first baby or you are having your fifth, chances are that are overwhelmed on what you need to get for baby. There is a three-year difference between our first born and baby number two. And within those three years, many products have drastically improved and there are several new products out there. We are excited to share with you over the next few weeks some of our favorite baby gear.
PLUS, Don’t forget to enter for your friends or family that are having a baby or just had a baby too. Trust us, they will be thankful to you!
ENTER HEREOne lucky winner will win: Sophie the Giraffe and Mii bottle set (one glass bottle, one plastic bottle, one nipple set and one brush), a Lansinoh Smart Pump, Covered Goods nursing cover, a Lillebaby Ring Sling carrier, A Boppy nursing pillow and newborn lounger, Finn & Emma rattle set (one rattle buddy , one mini rattle & one wooden teether) Lorena Canals pillow, Yookidoo playmat, Soapsox bath buddy set, Dockatot, Ollie World swaddle, Tranquilo Mat, Big Bee Little Bee bath towels, Itzy Ritzy Posy Pop Diaper backpack, Feltman Bros $50 gift certificate, Isabella Grace necklace, Moderne Child $50 gift certificate and Binxy Baby grocery cart hammock. Prizes valued at over $2000.
Here are some of our must-haves when it comes to baby playing and resting.
Toys to Chew on
From day one, your baby will love putting toys in their mouth. Before having kids, we never really thought about the materials used in the toys that they would chew on. But as we talked with other moms, they shared with us the importance of knowing what is used to make your children’s toys. We love Finn & Emma clothing because of the materials they use and that same commitment to organic is found in their toys. Their wood toys are made from untreated Indian hardwood and finished with a vegetable seed wax and their knit toys are made with G.O.T.S certified organic cotton yarn and wool stuffing. They also use a phthalate-free rattle inside. Plus, they are super cute. We love the camera wooden teether, because hey we are social media moms! Big brother is going to have a hard time parting with the elephant rattle buddy because he loves elephants so much. The winner of the giveaway will get to select one rattle buddy, one mini rattle, and one wooden teether.
A Place to Play-When you are not snuggling your baby or they are sleeping, they need to have some play time. Whether they like it or not, they have to practice their tummy time too! Our little guy hated tummy time, but was distracted with all of the fun things to do on his play mat. Truth be told, we love having two play mats. We leave one upstairs and one downstairs. We have friends who if they have a relative or friend that watches baby quite a bit, just leave a play mat at their house too, rather than lug one back and forth every time. The Yookidoo playmat is great place for baby to learn and explore. It has three set-ups for each stage, back, stomach and sitting up. Each set-up has activities that promote development for that age. There is even a music-mode. I loved that it easily folds into itself, so we can put it away when we are not using it. The winner of the giveaway will win one Yookidoo Gymotion playmat.
One of the things that we have found difficult with toddlers, is keeping the floor clean. Whether you have an infant or a teenager, there is always something dropping on the floor and getting it dirty. We love the Lorena Canals rugs. They come in a variety of patterns and sizes that can be used in your nursery, children’s room, or just about anywhere in your house. Our favorite part is that they are machine washable!! We have found this especially helpful with our toddlers who have a tendency to make a mess around snack time. The rugs are soft so baby can crawl and durable for your older kiddos. One winner will receive a Lorena Canals pillow style of their choice.
Left: Lorena Canals rug (pic by The Better Business Babe) Right: Lorena Canals pillow (pic courtesy LC)
As baby gets a little bit older, bath time becomes less stressful and more fun. Now our toddler boys don’t want to leave the tub but actually getting clean can be a different story. Sometimes it is a struggle to shampoo the hair and scrub off the dirt from the playground. Soapsox are a fun way to get your little one clean. They come in a variety of different animals and Disney Characters. A bar or liquid soap is placed in the mouth and there are places to put your fingers so you can scrub your little one. They are super soft too. Our little guy wants his to go everywhere with him! The winner will win a Soapsox set.
A Place to Rest & Be Cozy
Like every new parent, the struggle for sleep is real. And if you are like us, you were or are searching for anything and everything that can help your baby and you sleep through the night! When we first heard about Dockatot we were skeptical, only because I am always at first skeptical about anything that everyone is fanatical about including Hunger Games and Harry Potter. But after my sister got a Dockatot and I saw how it helped her little guy with sleeping through the night, I became more intrigued. We decided to try it out with our toddler. He was having a hard time sleeping through the night in his toddler bed. He would wake up after a couple of hours and insist on sleeping in our bed. I share more about this on the blog…The first night with Dockatot, he slept in his bed the entire night and has consistently slept through the night. We are now believers and can’t wait for our newborn to get to try out hers. We also love that we can bring it anywhere. So if we are traveling or visiting someone’s house during naptime, we know that they will still be able to have their “cozy spot.”
The winner will win a Dockatot Deluxe+
left-Dockatot Grand right-Dockatot Deluxe+ with toy arch
One of the hardest things for us as new parents was swaddling our baby. We should have taken a class! So we are excited to put the Ollie World swaddle to use with our next baby. It is made of moisture wicking materials so it reduces the risk of your baby overheating. Swaddling helps the baby to feel like they are in the womb and swaddled babies sleep better and lessens their startle reflex. We love anything that will help the baby sleep better, which in turn means everyone else is sleeping better! It is also super easy to use. Instead of tucking a blanket, there are Velcro tabs which swaddles the baby.
When we were first trying to get our little guy to sleep, we tried making everything as quiet as possible. This is actually the opposite of what you want to do. In reality, they are used to all the noise and movements from being in the womb. We are looking forward to using the Tranquilo Mat with our baby. It helps to recreate the sounds and movement of the womb for baby to help them sleep. The mat is transportable so it can be placed in a crib/bassinet, on the floor, or used with a car seat over baby’s lap (after they are strapped in of course), or brought along to grandma’s house. There is even a travel-size that can be used with a carrier.
We were given Finn & Emma toys, Yookiddo activity mat, Soapsox, Dockatot, Ollie World Swaddle, and Tranquilo Mat. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own. We use affiliate links, thank you for supporting Family Entourage.
Thank you Andrea Gallagher of The Better Business Babe for helping us with the product photos (Finn & Emma right picture, Yookidoo left picture, Soapsox right picture, Dockatot right picture, Ollie World right picture) Tranquilo Mat picture courtesy of their website.
