our favorites

once again, i've taken a good 2-month long (and some...) break from blogging but with good reason. actually, probably with the best reason there is. on january 19th, i gave birth to our second baby girl and we just spent the last months or so soaking up every minute of this new baby. i promise, the birth story will come... i'm very excited about sharing this beautiful experience with you all but this morning, i felt like i wanted to share with you all some of my (our) favorite products. those that have saved us in a bend, those that always come in handy and those we've only just recently discovered.

1. baby carriers - for anyone who's never used one, tried one or even seen one... they are soooo worth looking into. my sister kindly passed on her ergo baby carrier over to us when i got pregnant and i was so thankful for it... especially when i saw the price (they retail for anywhere between 115-160$ depending on the model). i remember thinking it was insane to pay that much for, let's face it, a bag but after having used it time and time again... i'd pay that much twice over in a heartbeat!

i was also fortunate enough to have one of my best friends make us a mama kangaroo wrap... frankly, my fiancé much prefers the sturdiness of the ergo whereas i'm a bigger fan of the flexibility of the wrap. he hates the tangled mess that can come from wrapping a mama kangaroo - it really is only a long piece of fabric when you look at it - and even feels trapped in it. i, on the other hand, rather that than the heavy straps of the ergo. everyone has their preference and there are so many out there that you are bound to find the one that best suits you and your needs. i'm typing this with baby in the wrap, sitting comfortably at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. lovely!

here are some of the options out there when it comes to baby carriers:

carriers - http://www.bynature.ca/baby/baby-slings-baby-carriers/soft-pack-buckle-carriers.html
wraps - http://www.bynature.ca/baby/baby-slings-baby-carriers/baby-wrap-carriers.html
slings - http://www.bynature.ca/baby/baby-slings-baby-carriers/baby-slings.html



many other websites carry baby carriers but the best thing to do if this is your first is to find a store that carries each kind and to go ahead and try them. don't be shy, you are, after all, going to spend a pretty hefty sum on it and lots of time using it so feel free to take them for a little test drive!


2. video monitor - my second go-to product was also given to us by an aquaitance we met... at the dog park! working as a garbage man in a wealthy neighbourhood in montreal, he stumbled across a video baby monitor that was being thrown away and thought of us. we thought it was absolutely silly at first and i'm sure a few of you are rolling your eyes as you read this but we just got hooked! so much so that when we dropped and broke it, we went out and bought another one! the main reason why we love it so much: you can check up on baby without disturbing him! so great! we have horrible squeaky doors in our house and everytime we open and close them, we manage to wake someone up... and every parent knows how horrible it feels to have spent the last hour(s) trying to put baby down only to wake him up trying to check up on him... no more of that with a video monitor!

again, quite a little sum to be dropped but if you're lucky like us, you can find a used one in perfectly good condition on websites like amazon for 50$. we have the Levana Wireless and what we loved about it was the cute little wireless screen monitor that can be carried about to a distance. we what adore about it is that you can purchase extra cameras and monitor up to 4 cameras from the same base monitor! what?! yeah! so, with the arrival of the new baby came a new camera... seems a little creepy? it is a little, until you want to watch a movie cuddled up with your significant other. babies sleeping, monitor is hand, volume up we can safely keep an eye on them and enjoy a little alone time!

many different models out there, again you can research into which one suits you best. we had chosen this one based on price but turns out we are satisfied customers!

3. aden + anaïs swaddle blankets - any swaddle blanket is a must but i particularly like these ones bcause they are big, extra soft and very pretty... ok, that last bit isn't necessary but always a nice plus! these muslin blankets were created by an australian mother living in the US who had trouble finding proper swaddling blankets like the ones she remembered from her childhood. the ones she found at the time were too small, too thick, too warm and not very attractive. these blankets are so big they can not only be used to swaddle but also as burping clothes, nursing covers, stroller covers... and really, the list goes on.

i love the soft, breathable texture of these blankets. i love how they are so big that they can used as a cover or folded into a small pillow or used as a swaddle blanket when folded in half. i love the pretty designs - there is bound to be a collection you love! i love that my 18 month old now uses it as her blankie. i just simply love the versatility of these blankets. again, i thought the price was a little much at first and ended up buying one individually. about a month later, i went back and got a pack of four and we now use them exclusively on a rotation with our newborn. they are amazing and i could never say that enough!


4. sweet almond oil - this little jewel of nature, derived from the sweet almond tree, works wonders for a plathora of reasons and uses. it's usually used as a massage oil, which can be great during pregnancy for little aches and pains (some sources do mention possiblity of premature birth if used during pregnancy whereas many other sources deny it). it can also be used during birth for perineal massages. it's great for diaper rashes (unless you have a history of nut allergies in the family in which case you can turn to coconut oil). it can be applied to the scalp for craddle cap. we've just recently begun making our own baby wipes and we add one tablespoon of oil to the mix (1 cup of water + 2 tablespoons of whatever baby soap you use - we make our own, also - added to half a roll of bounty papertowels in a plastic container.)

all in all, it's been our go-to product of choice. we've never used diaper rash cream on her as they can often clog pores and make the rash worse off than it already was. other than during teething periods, our daughter has never had diaper rashes of any sorts and i attribute that greatly to our use of oils instead of creams. it also be used as a muscle pain revliever, as a treatement for dry hair, as a healthier substitute for olive oil in cooking, a skin moisturizer... and really the list goes on and on. look it up, try it out and you'll love it, i'm certain!


5. my breasts - let me explain this one: with élie, i stopped breastfeeding exclusively pretty early on. we introduced the bottle as early as 16 days old because feeding was so painful for me. i had a lack of proper support, or at least i didn't reach out the right people during that period of time for encouragement to keep going. anyways, now that i'm getting a second chance at it, i'm proud to say that we are going on almost 3 months of exclusive breastfeeding with émile... and what a relief!

it's been a relief on me, on yann, on our bank account, on our baby bag and just on prepation/organization in general. i used to feel so bad giving élie the bottle and now i'm just so happy every time feedings come around. i'm proud of me, of her, of us... i'm so happy and humbled that i got a
second chance at breastfeeding (which i can about more in detail in this previous post: http://www.gypsy-mommy.blogspot.ca/2012/11/es-birth-part-3-or-breastfeeding-best.html). actually, we've all gotten a second chance because not only does émile breastfeed but i've pumping as much as i can for élie... and yann's been relieved as it's working out so well and it's just less stressful for us all.

being able to exclusively breastfeed has allowed us to splurge on other things like little family dates/outings and we've also been able to keep saving up for our wedding this fall... so exciting! speaking of outings, one of the great things about breastfeeding is the ability to dress baby, pack a diaper or two and just simply be out the door! no bottles, no cleaning, no sterelizing, no powder... just some already attached boobs. and freedom.


well, these are some of our favorites... what are yours?