Baby-Related Reviews!

I sure got behind ... I have oodles of products to review so I'm going to group lots of them together in this post. Here goes:

We either loved them or hated them...some baby items we couldn't imagine life without and some we were happy to pass along to someone else. A single star rating just means the product wasn't a good fit for our family or our lifestyle ... this doesn't mean it won't be fabulous for someone else. The views expressed on this blog are simply opinions and not written maliciously.

Rock n Play by Fisher-Price

We are in love with the Rock n Play - this is a versatile bassinet that is great for naps but can also be used as a bed for the newest of babies. Breccan wanted to sleep with us and couldn't get cozy in his crib or the pack and play. We received the Rock n Play as a gift and immediately we were all sleeping soundly through the night. The Rock n Play folds small enough to take along (we brought it to grandma's the day of baptism so our little sweetie could take a nap). This is a great shower gift for a friend and is an absolute must have at our house!

Tommee Tippee

After several attempts at finding a bottle that would integrate with our goal of nursing for Breccan's first year, we FINALLY came across a bottle that seems to work like, look like, and feel like a natural breast. We are very happy with the Tommee Tippee bottle. And trust me... we spent over $50 before we found this one. The Tommee Tippee bottles are not super expensive and if there's a Target in your town, you'll find them right on the shelf (no shipping issues, no waiting, etc...). A great bargain and you shouldn't have any latch problems when nursing because this bottle truly is shaped like a breast.

our diaper stash & wipe warmers

We are super busy (as are all parents) and I've chosen to baby-wear as a way to keep Breccan happy while still meeting the needs of our businesses and our family. My favorite way to wear baby Breccan at this stage in the game (he's 8 weeks) is using either the Moby Wrap or the Ergo Carrier. The Ergo is quick and easy to put on where the Moby takes a bit more patience, but the Moby is less bulky and doesn't have any 'hardware'. There's certainly a time and place for each one and both are nursing friendly. I do not have a photo of either, but feel free to follow the links below to check them out for yourselves!

Moby Wrap: http://www.mobywrap.com/mw/Home.htm

Ego Carrier: http://store.ergobaby.com/

Here at the Otto Farm, we do our best to be thrifty as well as environmentally responsible. We have chosen to cloth diaper. It's a little too early to tell you which style diaper is our favorite. I can tell you we wouldn't be without a diaper wipe warmer (for cloth wipes) and our other must have is the Snappi which is used instead of pins to keep cloth diapers secure. Some of the diapers currently in our stash are: GroVia, BumGenius, FuzziBunz, SunBaby, Bumkins, and Goodmama. You may see some of them pictured at the right (along with TWO wipe warmers - that tells you how absolutely important those are)!

Now for the tough part....
items we didn't like...

The Medela Calma bottle seemed great at first but resulted in latch problems since the nipple is not breast shaped. I ended up with a little boy who only wanted to nurse off the very tip of my nip...ouch!!!

The Seven Sling was next to impossible to get both of us into - we got it for cheap, but its long gone...nice patterns, but not a great design.

Lansinoh cream may work for others, but it made my nipples burn. After 3 Dr visits thinking we had thrush, I tossed this stuff out! (we now use no creams and a washable nursing pad called Bamboobies)

WELL FOLKS - THAT'S WHERE WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW...HOPE SOME OF THESE THOUGHTS ARE HELPFUL IN YOUR PARENTING JOURNEY!

May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine. and products that make your life a little easier (one day at a time)!

Hugs,

~Crystal