Whether you are becoming a mom for the first time, or expanding your family, or just know a soon-to-be mom, selecting the right products can be overwhelming. How do you know what you need, let alone what products are actually on the market to meet those needs. As I’m nearing the delivery of my second child, a baby girl in August, I wanted to compile a list of some key products I used with my son over the past three years and then new or unique items I’m excited to introduce into our family as we expand.
But it’s not just for me to have all the fun, one lucky follower will WIN all of our BABY SHOWER GIVEAWAY totaling more than $1000!
- To enter, head to @familyentourageforyou
- Follow all the brands and bloggers we are following (must follow all accounts for entry to count)
- Like the photo and comment with what you are looking forward to about bring a mom OR what you enjoy now about being a mom. (Like/Comment must be on this photo.)
(Giveaway runs 7/23 7AM PST through 7/30 11:59PM PST. Open to US residents. Not associated with Facebook or Instagram). If you have won a prior contest within the past year you are ineligible.
PRIZES INCLUDE: one Thule Urban Glide 2 Stroller, one bbluv Vizio All-in-One Digital Video Baby Monitor, one Boppy Nursing Pillow, one Boppy ComfyFit Baby Carrier, one Halo SleepSack Swaddle 2-Piece Gift Set of choice, one Joovy Boob Baby Bottle Starter Set, one Audrey’s Bear Personalized Hat & Blanket Sets, one Pink Elephant Organics Newborn Delight Trunk – Signature Logo, one Isabelle Grace Just for Mom Bloom Necklace of choice, and one Lansinoh Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra with Lanolin.
Picking the perfect stroller is really about the needs of your family. Will you use it more for city living, malls and shops, and busy streets? Will you use it to be active, jogging, walking or any natural terrain like the beach or trails? Many times families want both options and the Thule Urban Glide 2 Stroller would be a great choice.
It’s an all-terrain stroller with a sleek, lightweight design, that is easy to maneuver wherever you go. It has large 16″ rear wheels, and swivel front wheel that can lock into place for jogging. It also has a one-handed, compact fold that makes storing and transporting a breeze.
Keeping an eye on your newborn, or even toddler, can create such a great peace of mind that your bundle of joy is safe and doing well. Whether it’s nap time or night time, every parent knows you want to minimize, or eliminate disturbing your baby’s sleep. The bbluv Vizio All-in-One Digital Video Baby Monitor can provide that comfort of being able to observe and monitor your child without even having to be in the room.
There are so many great aspects to this monitor including the CrystalVu™ technology that gives you an impeccable motion activated sound & image during the day. Plus it even lets you see your baby clearly at night thanks to the invisible LED light. It has a one-thousand foot range with ultra clear vision and low interference. It has an automatic infrared night vision with two-way communication, a temperature sensor, eight soothing lullabies and a nightlight function. For added safety there are four alerts and alarms too: low & high-temperature alert, low battery alert, out of range alert and baby feeding alarm
This monitor will definitely help your whole household sleep better!
Boppy Nursing Pillow & Baby Carrier
Many are familiar with the original, award-winning Boppy Feeding and Infant Support Pillow that celebrates nearly three decades of supporting moms, dads and babies. The Boppy Pillow not only lifts babies to a more ergonomic position for comfortable feedings, but also transitions to support them as they grow offering the perfect spot for tummy time, playing, sitting or just discovering little fingers and toes. It’s great to have an extra nursing pillow slipcover on hand for in-between wash cycles.
What you may be more unaware of in the Boppy family is their new Boppy ComfyFit Baby Carrier. It enables confidence in babywearing because of its simple and supportive structure that is both comfortable and comforting. Inspired by yoga apparel, the lightweight, soft fabric moves with you and your baby supporting your active lifestyle. What we really liked about it is that it is machine washable and the Stash n’ Go Pouch makes the carrier small and portable so you can easily fit it in a purse or diaper bag. There are two carrying positions — front face-in and front face-out — and recommended for babies weighing between 8 to 35 pounds.
When our son was born the Halo SleepSack Swaddle & Wearable Blankets quickly became the swaddle of choice. You can see if the precious pictures above of our little guy, I liked that it made swaddling simple, provided the snug and comfortable feeling while most importantly keeping him safe while he slept. We own more than a handful in different sizes and patterns. But don’t just take my word for it, Halo is the #1 trusted choice of hospitals, and parents, for 25 years. It’s three easy steps as you can see below. 1) Dress baby in regular sleepwear and close zipper. 2) Fold left swaddle wing over baby’s right arm and torso, tucking under baby’s left arm. And 3) Swaddle wrap should be snug, below chin, and aligned with baby’s shoulders.
So it’s no surprise when we found out we were expecting baby #2, that I immediately was excited about having my Halo products but then of course needed more in different colors and patterns as this time around we’ll be welcoming a baby girl. While I knew it was easing my mind as a first-time mom, what I didn’t know was the incredible story behind the brand.
When HALO’s founder, Bill Schmid and his wife Cathy lost their daughter, Hayley, to SIDS in 1991, it became his mission to make simple, innovative products that make safe sleep easier for parents and more comfortable for the baby. As an engineer he created the HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket, which is intended to eliminate the likelihood that a baby can get entangled with clothing and loose bedding during sleep. Bill also launched the HALO Safer Way to Sleep Hospital Modeling Program which provides free HALO SleepSack wearable blankets, training and educational tools to help hospitals educate parents about safe sleep. To date, the HALO SleepSack Swaddle is used in over 1500 hospitals and growing throughout North America. Plus they have donated more than $5.4 million in the mission to help fight SIDS.
Another product we used all the time with our son, was the Joovy Boob Baby Bottles.They are the most innovative baby bottles on the market today. Ergonomic and beautiful, the Boob is made with premium materials and offers the very best functionality. It stands up to repeated sterilization and prevents odor or color absorption. Each bottle is individually shrink-wrapped to ensure the highest level of cleanliness.
What was important to me was the ability to be able to transition from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding and bottle-feeding to breastfeeding as easy and natural as possible. I nursed but also introduced the bottle early with breast milk as I wanted to make sure my husband could take a night feeding or my parents could help us out when it came to bottles and a routine. The Boob developed the most advanced bottle venting technology,, CleanFlow™ Vent, to prevent nipple collapse, negative pressure, and colic symptoms. This one-piece ring vent is the only internal quad-vent in the baby bottle market. It provides consistent venting regardless of how the bottle is held and fits perfectly into the bottle’s neck to eliminate any misfitting that can cause leakage and inconsistent liquid flow. The large diameter base and nipple length assist your baby in properly “latching” onto the nipple. Our nipples are molded, not cut, with the appropriate size hole and tested for consistency throughout production. Joovy also took the extra step of baking their nipples, which strengthens the silicone to help prevent nipple collapse while providing constant softness.
When I came across this brand, I immediately loved what I saw: the personalization, designs, color an the reflection of the family’s personality and style. The company is Audrey’s Bear and everything is made in the owner, Rachel’s, studio. The quality is great and the fabric is unique and made specifically for them. The Audrey’s Bear Personalized Hat & Blanket Sets are perfect for newborns and I can’t wait to snap photos of our baby girl, due next month, in her personalized swaddle with matching headband. There are so many styles and patterns to choose from that it is tough to decide which to pick! Plus they have items for both babies and toddlers as your little one grows. Another really cool aspect to the brand is that your blanket purchase makes a contribution to the swaddle4swaddle program, which gives a blanket to a baby in a NICU or pediatric cancer center.
When it comes to quality, Pink Elephant Organics uses the highest quality cotton – organic cotton. Founded by a grandfather, who owned a successful woman’s clothing company, he went on a mission when his granddaughter was born in 2013 and he didn’t find anything that lived up to his expectations when it came to quality, comfort and fashion, so he decided to create his own apparel for better options. Teaming with a bunch of moms, they create a whole new approach to girl’s clothing.
We can’t forget about mom at this time too! Isabelle Grace has a beautiful jewelry collection and I own an amazing necklace with my son’t name on it and I’m excited to add a complementing necklace with baby girl’s name on it. They have a collection right now called Just for Mom Bloom Necklace Collection. There are four different designs that all say “Mom” on the front and “You Make Me Bloom” on the back. Everything is made by hand in the owner’s studio in Massachusetts and designed to be effortless, elegant and timeless.
Whether you are a working mom, a mom that likes to plan and pump to store more milk, or you are like me, and starting pumping early so that other family members can feed baby at different times of the day… the Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra can be a huge help. It makes it easy to pump in your home, office, or even car… anywhere and everywhere on-the go. Lansinoh has a bunch of great products to support nursing moms. I was definitely surprised which my first child at much breastfeeding hurt. No one mentioned the pain of my little one latching on or that it would dissipate with over time. But lanolin lotion, the heat and cool packs and nursing pads all helped make the process a bit more bearable.
Remember don’t forget to enter to WIN all these great items at @familyentourageforyou! But if you can’t wait and want the items now… you can shop all these looks below:
We were gifted items from bbluv, Halo, joovy, Audrey’s Bear, Boppy, Isabelle Grace Jewelry, Pink Elephant Organics and Lansinoh but the thoughts and opinions in this review are our own.
