Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

I am slowly making my way through the list of My Top 10 Most Used Baby Items and seeing that I currently have a 7 1/2 month old silly grinning two-toothed baby with more on the way, I have to  include Sophie, the wondrous teether toy!  So, this will have to be my #5 pick!

I was first  introduced to Sophie the Giraffe when I received it as a shower gift for my first baby.   Being a clueless mom-to-be I didn’t really understand the reaction when seasoned moms in the room erupted in a collective outburst of excitement about how much they LOVED their Sophies.   I looked at the little rubber, rosy cheeked giraffe and didn’t get it.  Yet.

Fast forward 6 months later and seeing my little teething baby gnaw with such joy on her Sophie, I finally got it.   And, I got how you can justify spending roughly $23 on a teething toy.

My friend Jenny got Morgan her very own Sophie the Giraffe as a baby gift and it is her favorite.  I don’t know what it is about that giraffe, but she possesses a magical quality of fun and function.  Pick one up as a gift and you are sure to give one of their most used baby items!

{If you consider buying online at Land of Nod Tiny Oranges is an Affiliate – Click HERE for the product link!}

My friend Pam is my mothering guru.  As a mom to three (ages 7, 4 and 2) she has been through it all.   She is my sanity when I am having one of  THOSE days. I can always call her and say “you ever have one of those days/moments when…” and the answer is always “yes!”  Her advice has gotten me through many rough parenting times!

In her 7 years in the mommy trenches, she has been though many diaper bags. Out of all of them, her absolute favorite are the super functional (and pretty reasonable!) Skip Hop bags.   Pam was nice enough to get me one of these great diaper bags as a baby gift for Morgan and I absolutely love it.  That’s why it is my #4 pick on my list of “My Top 10 Most Used Baby Products!”

It has large pockets on the outside for easy to access items, a side mesh compartment for a bottle, a rear pocket with included changing pad, two top zipper compartments to secure your keys and wallet, and inside pockets too.   There is also a separate side compartment on the outside made for your cell phone.  This feature to me is key as it always seems like my cell phone can get lost in the abyss of my bag.

But my favorite feature is the strap.   You can wear it over the shoulder, or messenger style, and the design is made to be placed over the stroller bar.   You can even detach the big strap, and use the included stroller attachments, so that the bag hangs directly on the stroller.   Very easy to get in and out of your bag.  It can be used on single bar strollers or double handle ones like the pic on the left.  Brilliant!

You can buy it at the Land of Nod, it’s called  “Diaper Bag # 1 and # 2.”   Highly recommend it.  And, at $54, easy on the wallet too!  And, while you are there, make sure to check out their newly expanded baby section!

Happy Friday everyone!

{Tiny Oranges is a part of the Land of Nod Affiliate Program}

My number 3 pick in my “Top 10 Most Used Baby Products” is a mom product, not baby product, but I have used them so much, they deserve to be on the list!   If you are a nursing mom or mom-to-be, these tanks are a MUST!

The Glamourmom long nursing tanks are absolutely fabulous!  I have LIVED in them.  In fact, in the early days, I literally wore them every single day. 

In the beginning, when you are nursing around the clock the “easy access” design is just SO convenient.    They are also great when you are out in public so you don’t have to fumble around with the nursing cover, a top and a bra. 

Also, in those blurry sleep-deprived days, it is nice to not have to pick two clothing pieces (a nursing bra and separate top.)   Too much effort and too many decisions for a delirious mom!   So, it was great to throw on one of these tanks and be good to go.

I am tall, so I LOVE the long style, as they don’t ride up.   Plus, it has that nice little bunching effect around the mid-section, which is very forgiving post-partum!

They were awesome for the hot summer months as you can even wear them on their own because the material is thick enough.   But now that it has cooled off, I have been layering the tank with a blouse or sweatshirt over it. 

I have to tell a funny story about these tanks you moms will appreciate!

When I went to a Milkalicous event last spring they had a buy two Glamourmom tanks, get one free promotion.   The free one was a black one with the “Glamourmom” logo in glittery silver writing on it.

On one particularly bad day, Morgan was inconsolable. Cried and cried and cried.  I was at my wit’s end, exhausted, and looked like I had gotten hit by a train.    I had the logo one on that I normally saved for wearing around the house.  Since I was desperate to help her stop crying, I put her in the stroller and took her around the block.

There I was, shuffling around the block with a screaming baby, hair throw up in a tangled pony, no make-up, teeth un-brushed wearing a tank top that said “Glamourmom.”  For a moment I thought about what I must look like to those driving by.  Then I started laughing to myself so hard I started crying because I really couldn’t have been farther away from being described as “glamorous.”     However, it reminded me that I still had my sense of humor which ended up getting me through that day!

{If buying online, consider supporting two of my wonderful sponsors that sell these tanks!  La Dolce Mama & Milkalicious}

Since all of this stuff is so fresh in my mind, I wanted to do a series on my personal ”Top 10 Most Used Baby Products“ - and the things I use about a gazillion times a day!   So, if you are a mom-to-be looking for items to add to your registry or a mom looking for a super practical (yet still fun!) gift for a baby, these items are pretty much guaranteed to get a ton of use!  BTW, they are in no particular order!  The first one in my list of 10 is the Sleep Wrap, see previous post.

My # 2 pick is the Aden + Anais Muslin Baby Wraps.  They came in a pack of 4 and I use them every day.  They are this wonderful gauzey (is that even a word??) type of material that is super light weight.  For a summer baby, they are amazing.  I use them for swaddling, as well as for covering the carseat when we are out on errands.  

I bought mine at Milkalicious in Aliso Viejo (you can also shop online.)  My sister just told me she saw them at Target.  I am interested if they are the same quality?  Anyone have the Target ones?  Are they the same? 

Since they are a TAD pricey, for a gift you can even buy a 4-pack, and give only one or two at a time  with something else.  I like to wrap mine with a little raffia ribbon when I split them up this way.

I have a very, very fussy newborn.  The Sleepy Wrap has seriously been a God send.  I don’t know how I would live without it.  I am not being dramatic, it works miracles (at least it does for us.)

I got mine at Milkalicious, a breastfeeding boutique in Aliso Viejo, before she was born.  The girls there raved about it.   I even overheard a customer at Milkalicious the other day saying that they were going to let her try it out with her baby before buying it.  Talk about customer service!

Warning: the thing seems like a major contraption and can be intimidating at first.  It is just this huge long piece of fabric and you will wonder – how on earth am I going to figure this out?  Or maybe that was just me!   But once you get it down, it is wondrous.   You just have to get the hang of it, and then once you figure it out, it is not that hard at all.

She can be fussing up a storm, and within minutes of tucking her into the “newborn” wrap (there are different wrap techniques for different ages) she will literally fall asleep within 5 minutes.  I wear her in it for the better part of the day.

I have even mastered how to have her nurse in it so I can blog!  Talk about multi-tasking!

Fabulous gift idea for a new mom who is at her wit’s end with a fussy baby!   Or, really just a great gift idea in general!