This week's obsession

DockATot

Remember back when I was pregnant with my son- I used to post about baby products that I was crushing on. in all honesty I planned to also do that this go 'round but never had the opportunity. However, as I continue in my sleep deprived stupor I can't help but think of ways to entice my little girl to stay in dreamland for more than  four hour stretch.  I came across this from an Instagram follower and was intrigued!

Product Info

Doesn't it look comfy cozy and sleep enticing?! DockATot's are basically little baby sleep stations made from breathable fabric. It's makers cite it's many uses such as tummy time, cuddling, changing, resting, the list goes on! And I could think of a million reasons why I need to get one too.

Y3W: T-W-O

TWO = this week's obsession
Y3W = your three words

So remember my obsession with baby products while I was pregnant? Now that baby is here I actually get to get all these cute little products! One of the very first things I gushed about were baby legs. Well, they were having a sale this past weekend and look whose got baby legs:

I feel compelled to do a a good review as I have learned from the best. However, this is NOT a sponsored post, I was in no way compensated for this, in fact I am pretty sure that Baby Legs do not know that I exist!

What I like:
Fast turnaround
I ordered them on 2/2 and had them on 2/4. They were washed and ready for super bowl Sunday although I had no idea it would be here so soon! The address on their website says they are located in Washington and I chose first class mail at check out. I do not like to pay a lot for shipping and on average whenever I order something I always order the slowest (read:cheapest) shipping option, which normally means I can expect a few days to a week to receive my product. The time stamp on my order confirmation email says 6:23 am. Seeing as how Washington is 3 hours behind my time zone- this may play a role in such a fast turn around. I was in no way shape or form up at 6:23 on 2/2 so I am assuming I must have had one of the first orders of the day.

Product quality
I must say these two little tubes of fabric are pretty good quality. I don't think my son is an ideal baby weight for his age and he's quite chunky as most babies are. I was leery about the way they would fit but lo and behold they fit quite well! They are a little long in length but I am assuming because it is one size fits all so taller babies can use them as well.

Cost
I almost never pay full price for anything- I try not too. So when I found out that they were doing a 50% off sale, I had to jump on it. I also ordered some socks because my little guys feet are huge plus he needed more socks anyway. Now the real test comes in if I would pay full price for these. My answer: probably not. It's not because I don't think it's worth it but because I just don't have to.

What I didn't like:
Product quality
I know this is a double edge sword. I kind of don't like the one size fits all. I felt like they were a little too long for his legs right now. They only have two sizing options: newborn and toddler, and my baby boy is too big for a newborn size. I guess in the end I will get a longer use out of them if he can grow into them- assuming they will last that long without fading, shrinking, or just becoming downright- used. Depending on how those factors play into them I can't complain too much.

Selection
Okay, the product selection isn't really bad. The 'i love mommy' and 'i love daddy' babylegs from my previous post weren't available- I am not sure if this is a seasonal thing and they are only available in May and June for Mother's and Father's day. If they were available I would have purchased both of those. I guess it worked out because he had the football ones for super bowl Sunday. I also think they need more of a gender neutral selection. The ones they classify as gender neutral I feel aren't really gender neutral... maybe it's just me.

Overall:

I love these baby legs and will likely get more if they have another sale. And this concludes my first officially unofficial baby product review.

I'm linking this post up with Jenni's Y3W blog hop

This week's obsession

It's no secret that I'm a crafty wannabe. I've always had an appreciation for creativity and the great things that come of it. I came across this blog while I was still trying to conceive and I completely forgot about it until it resurfaced in my twitter TL. Now that I think about it- I came across a lot of great things that were shared via the message boards- none of which I bookmarked, all of which I regret. But anyway to my point...

photo credit

I am so excited about the release of this book! Basically this mom would create scenes around her baby while she was napping based off what she thought the baby was dreaming about. I fell in like from the first time I saw this. She used only fabrics and household items to create the scenes and I am so impressed that she was able to do this without waking baby. Actually she explains this in her blog: http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

If you have a moment please hop on over and have a look see. While she has removed all of 'Mila's daydream photos' due to the insensitivity of a lot of people- you will get the gist of what she's done. I wish you could have seen it before mean people started stealing photos of her daughter (which is why I am deathly afraid of posting pictures of my little guy- thank goodness for watermarks) {but check out what is now her first post}. Also check out her FAQ page. It gives a lot of insight into how something so sweet ballooned out of control.

While you are browsing her FAQ page to understand what she, her daughter, and her blog has been through, i'd like to point out something I find to be a little "unfair" for lack of a better word. She talks about Finland's (where she's from) maternity package which contains clothes and other goodies for baby. And if you peruse the site a little further you will come across the maternity AND paternity leave allowance. While I understand American customs such as baby showers help the parents a lot with baby goodies I think their government is pretty supportive of mothers and new babies. Did you see that you may take maternity leave no more than 50 days before your due date and no later than 30?? I know some moms who didn't even get the standard 6 week leave but rather had to use PTO (personal time off) days. I'm not saying- I'm just saying

My hubby and I were very blessed to have supportive family and friends to help us celebrate the birth of our first born and we are truly grateful for everything we have been blessed with. I just find it nice that their government also celebrates with mom and dad rather than penalize. I am sure that Finland may have issues that Americans may not have ( I am in no way versed in wordly governments)- my husband always says "Yea, the grass is always greener on the other side". So I should be grateful for what I did receive... Now back to the regularly scheduled program.

It's no secret that I love good photography. I even want to start a photography project dedicated to my son this year - all which is why I'm excited about the release of the book. I know it takes me a while to get to the point. I love it when ideas come to life to be enjoyed for years to come. So the book release along with Jen's 365 tips, and Lacey's link to the helpful list, I think I may be able to pull off the Love Letters to my son. Wish me luck!

This week's obsession

The past two weeks I have been slacking on with my obessions. First, I didn't post one obsession due to my extended weekend and my obsession last week was totally about being a foodie. So, I going to try to get back on track.

Belly Casts!

Initially, I thought this was a cute but unnecessary idea. Actually I still feel that way. I like it as a reminder of how your belly was during your pregnancy and captures that memory in a way that a 2-D photo cannot. The problem is after you cast your belly then what?? Here are some ideas that I've seen on the interwebs: Hang it in the nursery, flip it over and use it as a chips and dip serving tray, display it at your baby shower.

These are all great ideas (side eye to the chips and dip platter... I don't foresee anyone eating out of my boobs) but I think it will outgrow the 'nursey' by baby's first birthday although it is a really cute idea for the gift table centerpiece at the shower. After that, I have no where to put it. I would like to keep it- but storing it seems like it's going to be a problem. We haven't cleaned out the second bedroom yet and have no idea where we are going to put that stuff.. let alone my baby belly :/

I really like this kit from Maternitique because it is a little on the modest side- kind of like the cast is wearing a shirt. There are some casts where your boobs are really prominent and that just doesn't sit all that well with me. I mean it gets to the point of casting how you look- but not if this is actually going to be seen by other people.

I also can't exactly justify the cost. Especially if I can't keep it forever. So I think this one will just stay an obsession.

This week's obsession

Smoothies!



Okay, I know this isn't exactly a baby product- but I can't get enough of these (and I'm pregnant so there!)! There is this little deli shop steps away from my job that makes the best strawberry banana smoothies. One day I am actually going to ask them what they put in it besides strawberries and bananas. I also enjoy Rita's Misto Shakes (try bahama mama).  I'm trying my best not to have one everyday - so far I've only had one this week- because they are LOADED with sugar and calories which is not good for weight gain and the risk of gestational diabetes. Normally I try to justify it by walking to go get one- which will burn some of the calories I consume.

Lately I feel like I've fallen off the healthy pregnancy wagon so I've been trying to increase my water intake and replace most of the beverages I have with meals with water. I'm not at my goal yet but I am increase my daily intake little by little everyday. So here's to healthy drinking!

This week's obsession

Wonder Bumpers!

Crib bumpers have come under scrutiny. They have come under fire for several reasons. It's been said that they increase the risk of SIDS by blocking a sleeping baby's airflow, they give children a "boost" when trying to climb out of a crib thereby increasing the number of children who fall out of cribs, children can get wedged in between the bumper and another object, the bumper ties can get tangled around baby's necks, the list goes on. Some of these pose the question how? (how does a child get a boost from a piece of fabric... I didn't think it could be sturdy enough). But I'm not taking the chance- I don't want to be an example. So Go Mama Go came up with this alternative. I'm not completely sold on it yet- but I do think it's a good idea. It maintains it's purpose of protecting body parts from harm (head hitting crib rails) while addressing the concerns of normal crib bumpers (there are no ties- it zippers on and off, doesn't block air flow, etc.). Besides the fact that there aren't any that would go with my "design theme" it's very expensive. Our original plan was to use breathable bumpers, but I would consider this as an alternative.

breathable mesh bumper

This week's obsession:

I'm loving the concept of the Unisar AlwaysClean pacifier. It's designed to close when dropped... genius! I haven't seen this thing in action just yet but it sounds like a good idea. There is a 50/50 mix of good/bad product reviews but most of the complaints are reasonable like "it leaves a ring around my baby's mouth", "it's big on my baby's face", "my baby doesn't like the shape of the nipple"- all reasonable but not life threatening. With the lack of color choices and nipple options I thought this was a fairly new product but the earliest product reviews are from 2008- so I am not sure why the manufacturer wouldn't address some of these issues, especially since the only color choices are pink and blue... come on... really?!

This week's obsession:

Bottle Labels!

I'm loving Inchbug's orbit labels! They come in fun colors, are personalized, and practical! I already know that our little one will be spending a considerable amount of time in daycare and this will help the staff to identify which bottle, sippie cup, whatever belongs to our baby! This retailer also sells a bunch of other practical labels which I'm sure can come in handy for those with little ones (or husbands that misplace things).

These labels are dishwasher safe, microwavable, non-toxic, and have a non-slick grip! Can you tell I love these! The only downside (that I see so far) is that they do not fit Dr. Brown's 4 oz. bottles- which I was considering using. I'm sure it will work out either way, but I am definitely loving these bottle labels!

This weeks obsession:

Baby legs!



photo credit

 I think these are the cutest! They come in different colors and patterns and are quite stylish :) Our little one will be arriving in late summer so we wouldn't need them right away but will definitely be used during the cooler months. If baby is anything like me s/he will not like to wear clothing while at home so once it starts to get cool I think these will help keep baby warm while wearing just a onesie. It also make diaper changing easier and will protect little crawling knees.

I love "unique" products and think this fits the bill- for more reasons than one. They have 'em for all different types of "legs". From newborn to child and some of the cutest designs!

From Lil' Football Fans to Fashionista's-to-be:

                   

                                           

And these must haves! I can see little bit going to the mall with his or her Uncle (my brother already made this a must!)  rocking these cute little baby legs in his or her stroller :)