Closing one chapter, but don't worry...there is a sequel!

A Message to Readers from the Editor of Baby Buy Products-

You might be wondering what has happened to BBP in the last few months. Well, the transition to working full time was much harder than I thought, and trying to run a blog, while also working eight to ten hours a day and, oh yeah, raising two kids, and moving into a new home...well, it was a little too much.

BUT don't be too sad about Baby Buy Products leaving the blogging scene. There is a new and BETTER site for you to keep up with all your baby and kid product news, reviews, and great giveaways.

Kid Buy Products is being run by the lovely ladies that you have grown to know and love here at Baby Buy Products. They have been doing some awesome reviews already and have multiple giveaways happening right now! So hurry on over and check them out.

I leave you in great hands, and this is not goodbye, I will be doing a couple posts here and there over at Kid Buy Products every now and then, when my busy schedule allows.

Thank you all, vendors, readers, parents, and anyone who took part in this blog over the last year. I had a great time, and I hope to not be done with blogging forever. This is just a "see you soon" and not a sad goodbye.

--Laura M.

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A Few of My Favorite (Mom) Things: Lansinoh Lanolin

How in the world could I have forgotten how wonderful this lanolin ointment/crème is? I used Lansinoh Lanolin with my first breastfeeding experience and am using it again this time. It was not hours after new baby arrived that I begged my husband to bring a tube back to me in the hospital. The lanolin is so soothing, calming and mild that after one application, my poor breasts were ready for baby to nurse again. It is thick, so a little dab goes a long way and man, does it work well! All the irritation from friction and constant feeding just disappears. A tube is spendy; about $10 for 2 ounces. You will not care about the price once you feel how well it works. The lanolin is even soothing after the abuse of pumping. Also, watch for sales at Target or babycenter.com, which makes the price more reasonable.

As an aside, it also cures chapped or severely dry skin. I have used it on my babies (and self) when the elements dry our skin to the point where lotion will not work. A friend and I joke that this lanolin will cure what ails ya... but I don't think either of us is actually joking!

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Ohhhh I Wanna Try That!: Medela Freestyle Breast Pump

I had a horrible first few weeks of breast feeding with my gal. I won't go into the gory details, suffice it to say I resorted to going "commando" on top as often as I could to help my nipples heal, making my husband feel like he was among an African tribe. However, I managed to stick it out and got in a good year of it.

During that year I was hoping to pump enough for my husband to give her a bottle before bed time and for any periods that I had to be away longer than a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, like most hopes with parenthood, that did not work out. I HATED pumping. I had the Medela Pump In Style Advance which I had read positive reviews about. However, I just could not get enough out via pumping to make it worth while. My gal ate every 2 hours around the clock for the first three months, so in my spare time the last thing I wanted to do was spend another 30 min. connected to a machine that wouldn't even allow me freedom of both hands to do anything else productive.

Fortunately I was very lucky in that I was staying at home, I'm sure if I absolutely had to I would have toughed it out like I did with the actual breast feeding and started getting more and more from each session. I don't attribute it to the In Style as I lent it to my friend (who used all her own attachments of course). She had no problems with it, as did most people I know.

Now with baby #2 on the way I'm committed to give it another go with the hopes that I'll have more success early on and won't give up. When I heard about this new Medela Freestyle Breastpump I immediately wished I could get it. I can't validate buying a new breastpump considering the one I have was almost $300 and I hardly used it with #1. It looks like the Medela Freestyle is $380, but I saw it for $350. If I were working I'd beg and plead the hubs for it.

Basically, they had me at "hands-free". It's about time someone offered that, I have seen some bras designed to allow hands-free which I may consider getting this time around vs. shelling out big bucks for this unit, but if I were a first-timer I'd definitely want to give this a go. Not to mention the fact that it's super small (weighs less than 1lb and fits into the palm of the hand), is supposedly easier to clean, has a rechargeable battery that lasts 3hrs., and has a lit LCD screen for those late-night sessions. The only downfalls (besides the high price tag) arethat it only works with top flap nursing bras, and, to get the product to be "hands-free" requires the use of a waist-belt, adapters, and straps....looks a little complicated, and time-consuming. I'd still love to give it a whirl....what about you, has anyone tried this???

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Review: Little Twig

There are a lot of scary things out there and a lot of them are in our cosmetics and bath products. I have been trying to weed out all the scary products from our bathroom and replace them with ones that I feel I can trust to not be exposing my children to chemicals that just don't need to be there.
Little Twig is a company that is commited to making bath and body products for children that are free of just these kind of "scary" things. All organic, not tested on animals, and best of all, effective- They won me over. And another great thing about Little Twig? Check out this tidbit from the website:

To promote the reuse of our highly recyclable bottles, we are offering a BIG discount! Simply return four full-sized, empty containers to us. In exchange you'll receive 30% off of your next online purchase. It's that simple. Give a little, get a little. The planet will thank you.

Pretty cool huh?
To read the full review, please click "Read Now!"


Price **: They are a bit steep at $10.50 for a bottle of shampoo, but you are getting a quality product with natural organic ingredients. You also can make it last- You only need a small amount to wash your little one's hair each night.
Smell ***: Except for the bubble bath which is scent free, the other items smelled wonderful. My favorite was the lotion which has a very nice lavender, tea tree smell to it. I actually have been using it myself and have been very pleased with how well it works on my dry/chlorinated skin.
Effectiveness ****: My babies are clean and smell great, and I feel better about not dousing them in the "scary stuff" at evening bath time.
Over All Rating ***: A bit pricey but worth it.

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A Few of my Favorite (Kid) Things: Kilp and Teach Me Time

Smart. Really, that should sum up my whole post on American Innovative's two products that they sent over.
Just smart. Seriously.

The Teach Me Time is a talking alarm clock that allows parents to assist their children in teaching themselves how to tell time. I am all for old school learnin', but this is just fun.

Among the many functions of this fun little product, is that it turns a different color when it is "awake time". You can set the awake time yourself and let your child be responsible for staying in bed until the appropriate time. I am pretty sure this wouldn't work for every child, but I personally know at least one that this is perfect for. You can also set up the "teaching mode" to help your child guess the time, and have a happy voice ask them what time they think it is- it is a pretty neat little interactive feature. What I like the most is that is a product that can grow with your child and be a bed time companion from birth up to the teen years.

The second product is the Kilp! The Klip has become our go-to time out charm. Little Miss has entered a period of whining and crying. I am not sure why, but that seems to be the stage that we are in as of late. This behavior has brought on a rash of timeouts as you can imagine. The Klip has allowed Little Miss to concentrate on the time that she has to spend in time out and not totally lose her mind screaming and crying. She is happy to watch the time tick down and the bars recede and the timer go off. And since it has captivated her enough to stop the meltdown, we can then have a conversation about her behavior. In the past we had used an old school egg timer but the Klip is pretty cool because it can live as a magnet on the fridge and be in arm's reach when we need it. Kids can also wear it on the lanyard if they like.

Click "Read More!" to find out more...

You can find these products in some brick and mortar stores as well as several places on line. I like them both quite and bit and I keep finding more uses for them everyday. American Innovative also has some fun products for parents. I think that the Never Late 7-Day Alarm Clock would be a great gift for a student going off to college.

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Ohhhh! I Want to Try That!: Art Jar

Currently Anastasia is too young for this item, but it grabbed my attention. A big jug filled with a variety of art supplies crying out for kids to design with. It seems made for us moms who want to encourage creativity but who are either not that creative ourselves, or are new to this parenting business and don’t yet have the wonderful stash of art supplies at the ready. I found similar products available at landofnod.com and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Land of Nod ages and prices the product for 8+ and $29.00. And the Metropolitan Museum ages and prices the product at 3+ and $24.99. It struck me as a good idea to help some of us parents kick-start the art supplies while letting the kids have fun being creative at the same time. The price seems reasonable for a start up kit as it appears to cover many artistic bases. It could also be a life saver for the dreaded rained out summer day where the kids can’t play outside and you, Mom, can’t stand another movie.

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Natural Pod

This post is going to be less of a review and more of a rave on an awesome store that I discovered: Natural Pod. As Nadia has grown into a toddler, I've gotten to watch her play evolve. Since day one, my princess has never really been all that interested in toys, at least not necessarily for their intended purpose. We would go to playgroups, and while all the other kids played with the toys, Nadia would be off exploring the rest of the house, getting into just about anything she could get her grubby little paws on. Playgroups were a blast, let me tell you. We also had to completely "Nadia-proof" our house, too. If it could be opened, she would open it. Now, she plays with her toys a lot more, but usually in a unique way, which is not unlike the way I've seen other toddlers her age use toys as well. Stacking cups are not just for stacking and sorting, but they also hold "soup" and "milk." It's amazing how early on kids start to use toys in a much more imaginative way than just their original intended purpose. This is why when I discovered Natural Pod, I was immediately drawn in by their unique toys that lean toward a much more open-ended sort of play.

Click on Read More! to find out more about Natural Pod.

Natural Pod has a large variety of beautiful and natural toys. Nadia has really enjoyed playing with the beautiful play silks and their accompanying play clips. We've built some awesome forts and tents using the play clips and blankets as well. We've also been using the Yesteryear Clothespin set. It takes a little help from me, but she's able to clip things onto the line. Eventually, when our house is back in order (we've been in the middle of what was supposed to be a simple kitchen remodel for 4 months now-don't ask,)I'd like to set up an area where the clothesline can be out and accessible for play all the time.

Natural Pod has some beautiful wooden stacking toys. They also have some cute wooden sail boats and if you're ready to go completely all-natural: organic playdough. My all-time favorites on the site are the cardboard playhouse and rocket made by Paperpod Cardboard Creations in the U.K. While we've been using the huge boxes our new appliances came in as "houses," the main problem is that they take up so much space in our Chicago condo. The same goes for our Ikea tent. Fun, but not functional. It would be great to pull the cardboard house out, play, and then be able to fold it up and hide it away when necessary.

I could go on and on about the huge selection of beautiful and natural toys that Natural Pod has to offer, but I think it would be best to go take a look for yourself. While everything at Natural Pod does not fall into the "cheap" price range, they do seem to have a wide selection with something for every pocketbook. If you're looking for natural toys that foster a more independent play for your children or maybe for a beautiful heirloom quality toy as a gift for someone special, then Natural Pod has what you're looking for.

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Review: Sara Rose Tutus

Oh My Total Cuteness! How adorable is a little girl in a tutu? Well they are so much more adorable in these handmade tutus for each princess in your life be they daughter, grand-daughter, niece, or cute little neighbor. Sara Rose Tutus are the inspiration of just another mom like most of us, but she actually makes it work! I had the privilege of being gifted an adorable Retro Tutu, which is made from fuchsia, turquoise, and dark purple with a black ribbon waist. The color combinations that Stacy has developed are unique and can make any tomboy want to twirl.

Click on read more to find out more about Sara Rose Tutus!

My new fav is the Watermelon Tutu made from pink, fuchsia, and green tulle with a pink ribbon waist. I may just have to purchase this one for my little girl’s first birthday! The tulle is adorable and not too scratchy for our little one. Our thirteen year old baby sitter thinks they are quite the bomb as well; she tried to sneak out wearing it one day!
That being said the Sara Rose Tutu has held up extremely well. The pulling on and off by a two year old boy, a thirteen year old girl, and the added drool of the tutu’s owner, a ten month old precious princess slash future tomboy. In addition, the tutu is nice and full and covers any embarrassing diaper peekage (yes, I just made that word up, but it works for me).
Love it!
Review Time
All Ratings on a **** Scale
FUN-ctionality **** - Totally cute, pretty, whimsical, what more can you ask for in a tutu. The ribbon waistband is super soft even directly against a baby’s skin. Our little Badger does have sensitive skin and she did not seem to have a problem when wearing the tutu.
Style *** - A wide variety of colors and a few different styles to select from are available. You are also able to choose and make a custom tutu for that special day. I mean what would be cuter than a tutu that matches the birthday theme! Hey that gives me an idea.
Cost *** - Starting at $19 and going up to $30 puts these tutus in a great price range, I have seen tutus much higher than this locally and on the web.
Overall Rating **** - I think every little girl should have the opportunity to have an adorable little tutu to twirl in, play in the sand, go to McD’s, etc. I mean you can be tough and pretty right?! So, these are on my must have list and the colors and cost of Sara Rose Tutus rate this four star.

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