Favorite Things: Mom Edition, Volume 2

 Hello all!!  Time for another edition of things that we like at our house.

Things no one paid me to talk about.

Just things that make our life with a baby easier!

First up.  Boon Flair Highchair.

It also come with a pretty serious harnass,
 but I took it out to run through the wash
and it never made it back on.

When I was newly pregnant and at the mercy of others, the highchair that was most recommended was the Fisher Price Space Saver.  So that's what we registered for and that's what we got.  It's still sitting in my junk all purpose room in the box.  Never used.  I'm sure it's a great seat.  I'm sure it's space saving potential is fabulous.  However here's our situation.  We have a pretty large dining area, but only four chairs.  So I have plenty of room for a highchair, but don't really have an extra chair to sacrifice so it just wasn't a good fit for us.  I started looking for a traditional highchair around Christmas time.  I liked the look of the wood ones but consensus said they weren't very comfortable and difficult to clean.  I quickly passed over all the babyish ones, just not our style.  That's when I came across the Boon.  Modern.  Good reviews.  Not overly bulky.  Seat raises up a down.  Wheels that lock.  SCORE!  Fast forward a few months and I'm in love.  The entire thing comes apart in about 2.5 seconds using only one hand.  This feature is a must for us because apparently my son is one of the messiest eaters ever.  If I had one of those fabric covered ones I'd be washing it after every meal.  Seriously.  I love that I can practically hose this seat down.  And the tray is small enough to fit in the dishwasher if needed, but since it came with two snap on covers I can usually just toss those in and wipe down the tray.  Several of the complaints on this seat were the small tray, but really, how much room does a kid need?  In my eyes...the bigger the tray the bigger the mess.  This highchair just works for us.  And when I ordered the seat I was able to get an extra seat cushion for free.  I choose brown since it was mentioned the white stains easily.  So far so good!

Next up.  Zippered One Piece PJs.

I'm not partial to one brand, though now that we're past 9 mos sizes I've found only a few places carry the one piece PJs.  I'm not sure who decided once you hit 12 mos sizing you want two pieces because it does not work in our house.  Lil J is ALL over the place and the shirt is practically over his head by morning so one piece is a must.  And zippers are essential.  Either a man or a woman with no children must have invented snap up PJs because they're no bueno.  During the newborn phase, messing with 1,985,883 snaps in the wee hours of the night sucks and now that's he's moving, boy does not sit still long enough to get a diaper on let alone worry about catching all the snaps.  So at our house, it's zippers all the way!  And don't you just love the short summer version I found from Gap??  So cute!

Baby Dreft Stain Remover and Clorox Anywhere Spray.

It's no secret.  Babies are slobs.  Mine perhaps more than most.  I'd heard through the grapevine when I was pregnant that Dreft makes an awesome stain remover so I picked up a small bottle.  Well a few bottles gallons later, it's a staple in my laundry room.  This stuff seriously gets out everything.  I've even started using it on our own laundry.

My other go to cleaning product is Clorox Anywhere spray.  Jamie puts everything in his mouth.  And I mean everything.  He even tried to eat the dog the other day.  Well after the great stomach bug invasion of 2010 I was bound and determined to keep Lil man from getting sick and stumbled across this little gem.  It's safe enough to use on his toys yet kills all the germies.  I spray this stuff on pretty much everything we own...including the dog.  I kid.  But it's tempting.

Hanes Ankle Crew Socks

My kids favorite pastime is taking of his socks.  No joke.  During those early months I just gave up and succumbed to the searing glares from old ladies everywhere.  Whatever.  He wasn't going to keep them on so what was the point.  Well come winter time I really didn't have a choice.  The boy needed something on his feet.  So the great sock search of 2011 began.  I think I've tried EVERY single brand out there until finally I found these at Target.  Not sure what it is, but they stay on 85% of the time....which around here is pretty impressive.  Plus they're cute and kinda look like big boy socks.  They come in gray/white and navy/white so pretty much match everything.  I will say they run a bit small considering Jamie doesn't have huge feet, he's still wearing a size 3 shoe.  The 6-12 mos size was starting to push it, so we've moved up to 12-24.  For all the girl mamas out there, they do make a girly version, but I can't vouch for those so you're on your own.

Fisher Price Musical Microphone

This is currently a favorite toy around our house.  I'm sure it's no better than any other standing toy just happens to be the one we have.  It has two different settings and real working microphone.  I like that it moves up and down on the stand making it work for a sitter AND a stander.  Any toy that grows with the child is a winner in my book!  Plus it has 2 different volume levels.  Also a plus when dealing with any musical toy.  Those sing songs can get annoying real fast!

Cloth Diapers

Wool Soaker by Wild Child Woolies

Groovy Guitars by MamaMade

Didn't think I could have a favorite things post and not mention my most favorite baby item did ya?  Our current stash involves mostly BumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diapers.  The velcro makes them easy for daycare and when stuffed with a JoeyBunz Hemp insert they are super absorbent and trim.  No ghetto booty here!  The awesome thing about hemp is it can hold an amazing amount plus its naturally antimicrobial so there are no stink issues like you can get with synthetic inserts like microfiber.  For at home I've been using more fitted diapers.  The prints are all so cute and paired with a wool soaker overnight it's bulletproof.  No leaks here!  Some of my favorite WAHM (work at home mom) brands are Twinkie Tush and MamaMade for diapers and Wee Little Woolens and Wild Child Woolies for....you guessed it....wool! 

Now you all may be wondering how I can possibly still be saving money with cloth when I'm constantly buying new dipes.  Well here's my secret.  The Cloth Diapering community has a HUGE Buy/Sell/Trade market making it very easy to sell your gently used diapers.   I know what you're thinking.  People buy used diapers?  Is that even sanitary?  Yep!  As long as you're buying from reputable companies and mamas, it's actually a great way to get a deal.  In fact, that's how we got a majority of our newborn stash.  So as Jamie outgrows things or I find styles that don't work for us....I sell them and use the money to buy new ones.  That way I'm not spending anything addional out of pocket and can still feed my fluffy addiction!

Plum Organics Pouches

We are slowly eating less and less "baby" food and more table food but still loving our Plum Pouches!  For awhile there when Jamie first started eating solids these were the only ones that didn't make him choke and gag.  Plus a lot of their Stage 2 foods are fruit/veggie combos which makes it easy to sneak the vegetables past picky eaters.  Their Spinach, Peas and Pear blend is still his favorite!  I also like how easy the pouches are for on the go!  There's even a special spoon attachment you can purchase, but we always did fine just squirting it onto one of the spoons we already had.

So there you have it.  Another round of reviews!  What are some of your faves, I always love getting real mom advice!