The In and Outs of Breast Pumps

My journey with breast pumps...

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When I had my son Lucas, I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding a try again. I had breast fed my other children briefly. But this time around I wanted to really do it for a longer period of time. Not only is breast milk one of the best things you can give your baby it is also way cheaper than formula! Lol. For me it was a no brainer.  O.k. so here is the reality of breastfeeding- it is not always easy, from latch on problems to painful engorged breast to difficulty with milk supply.  If you have decided to give breastfeeding a try and you are having a hard time don't give up - seek advise and help. If family and friends can't help seek out a lactation consultant.  Personally I researched all sorts of things online. I purchased the above pictured Medela breast pump. Which I could use on the weekends on the go.  While I did breastfeed I also bottle fed my son. I would pump the breast milk and give it to him in a bottle.  As a working mom it was a way of still giving him breast milk while I was working.  

©www.nurturingexpressions.com

To help with my milk supply I rented a hospital grade pump (pictured above).  This pump really helped me with milk production. Yes it a BIG heavy unit but it did the job.  It was fast and efficient. Additionally I was lucky enough to have a lactation room at work which also provided sterile hospital grade pumps.  Finally my insurance covered a breast pump! It was also a Medela pictured below.  I liked the one the insurance paid for because it also included a manual pump. But I also did purchase a Medela Manual pump also pictured below. 

©www.blibli.com

©www.happilyrooted.com

Recently a friend mentioned the Freemie Breast pump. I personally have never used this pump but she swears by it. To be honest if I would have know about this pump 3 years ago I would have probably given it a try. The hands free flexiblity is a great feature to this pump. I included a picture of the Freemie Pump below, go ahead and check it out.  So in summary if you are considering breastfeeding (because of all the benefits) and you are looking into a breast pump make sure you choose a good quality pump from comapnies such as  Medela or  Freemie! Its an investment that you will not regret. For more information on breast feeding visit www.laleche.com also click here for useful breastfeeding info (item 8).

Freemie Breast Pump System
©www.freemie.com

Fisher-Price SpaceSaver High Chair

I researched many high chair options. With limited space for a high chair in our apartment, we settled on the Fisher-Price SpaceSaver high chair. We got this booster seat (basically a high chair) for our son around the time he was 6 months old and began to explore with solid foods.  The seat itself is made of durable plastic and the cover can be detached and washed. The tray is also detachable and can easily be cleaned.  At first we used this chair in the "reclined position" (the chair is adjustable) as he got older we sat him up straight.  

We really liked this booster seat because it didn't take up much space, even though it did take up one of our dining table chairs and we were never able to push the dining chair under the table while the booster seat was on it. But even with that draw back we were happy with it. My son look comfortable sitting in the chair and it gave him support from sliding side ways.  Eventually he would sit in the chair to have meals and snacks and once we removed the booster seat from the dining chair and set it on the floor he would walk over to it and sit in it at random times! If you are looking for a high chair but have limited space definitely look into the Fisher-Price Space Saver! 

Make your own baby food!

©www.sagespoonfuls.com

Make you own baby food! 

Making my own baby food was something that I had wanted to do with my first two children. But for some reason or the other I just never got around to it.  With my youngest I started a lot of research into the benefits of making your own baby food. Not to mention that it is very very cost effective its just better for your baby. Again I am not getting paid for this review and I purchased the bundle pictured here.  

After weeks of going into stores and browsing the internet I came upon Sage Spoonfuls baby food making system. I loved that I got everything I needed in one bundle. Additionally I also got a recipe/cook book written by the founder of the company. The book was fantastic. I can't imagine what I would have done in the beginning without it! I'm sure I would have figured it out eventually, but this woman took all the guess work out of it for me! Her recipes made sense and were delicious. I purchased the Sage Spoonfuls Homemade Essentials Package it had all the items I needed. I started making foods for my son right away and made several batches of food at one time! 

©www.sagespoonfuls.com

Ok- so the real deal about making your own baby food. Its cheap, it healthy but it does take time and commitment.  But your baby is worth it!  

Alex and Ani "Completely Blessed"

Alex and Ani "Completely Blessed" Charm Bracelet.

Today I'm going to review an Alex and Ani charm bracelet.  I purchased a "Completely Blessed" Alex and Ani bracelet for myself this past Christmas. Of course I looked all over the web to see what people were saying about these bracelets. I quickly found out that they are the trendiest charm bracelets on the market right now. After purchasing mine I see why!

The quality of the bracelet is excellent. It looks delicate but is actually very sturdy, which I like.  The charms are well made and they have a huge variety of charms with different themes. The bracelet I got comes in two tones - silver and gold. I got the gold tone which looks more earthy rather than a brass shiny surface. I'm very happy with my bracelet.

Tip - there are other websites such as Amazon where vendors are selling "Alex and Ani" bracelets for a reduced price (real ones cost around $28); buyers beware authentic Alex and Ani bracelets with charms are welded shut that's how you know you have an authentic bracelet. If you buy it anywhere else besides the Alex and Ani website or the store in Manhattan just look out for this. If the charms are not welded and there is any gap of space on the rings that hold the charms then you do not have an authentic piece.

Wipes Wipes and more Wipes!

So many choices out there. I have tried at least five different brands. From brand names to store brands. With my first child I started out using Pampers baby wipes. Fifteen years ago it seemed like a good choice and with limited options I went with a well known brand that at the time was the best in quality in my opinion. 

Fast forward four years and I began to compare two brand name wipes - Huggies and Pampers. What i found was that Pamper brand wipes were thin and not sturdy compared to Huggies. Huggies felt like an actual cloth that was moistened.

Fast forward to the present I did use Pampers wipes again (it had been a babyshower gift) and Huggies (the wipes I purchased) and then one day while shopping at our shopping club - Costco my husband spotted the Kirkland brand wipes. And bingo! These were cheaper that Pampers and Huggies and the quality was very comparable to the wipes I preferred to use on my son. I was so impressed with the Costco brand that I drop the name brand and till this day we use the Kirkland brand. The wipes are study, feel like cloth, come in sensitive and fragrance free an all around win win. The only drawback is that in order to purchase the Kirkland baby wipes you have to be a member of Costco. Another store brand we tried were Up and Up baby wipes from Target. These we a good alternative to Kirkland.

On a side note I did try a sample of the wipes from the Honest company. These were fine but pricey and I felt very satisfied with Kirkland wipes. 

Now I feel that i have to share all the "baby wipe" options that I know or have heard about. Recently we had friends from Rhode Island visit. A couple with a brand new baby boy, the mom shared with me that she made her own baby (reusable) wipes! When i asked her how she said she cut flannel into squares and made a mixture (I will share what I found online about making your own) and moistened the flannel. I think if this would have occurred to me two years ago i would have given it a try since i was constantly looking ways of saving money - let's face it babies are expensive!

Click here for info on making your own! 

Click here for homemade disposable wipes!

Happy baby wipe hunting! 

FridaBaby Nasal Aspirator

FridaBaby Nasal Aspirator

Hi everyone,

So I haven't done a baby product review in over a year! Since then you can imagine that I have purchased many many products! First of all let me state that none of the products I review I have received from companies. All these products I have paid for with my own money. The reviews I post are my honest unbiased opinions. 

Ok- the FridaBaby Nasal Aspirator. I bought this little gadget becuase those of you that have small children know how hard it is to get little boogies out of stuffy noses. A friend of mine at work was talking about how her son was always stuffed and had a lot of mucus and she was able to relieve him using this. So I decided to give it a try. My son was usually fussy when he had a stuffy nose, but in general the FridaBaby did the trick. The key was to get it on his nose quickly and suck the boogies out fast! You would be surprised how much mucus gets sucked out by this little gadget! If you have a stuff baby and nothing seems to work, give this little sucker (no pun intended) hehehehe a try! Going forward baby product post can be found on my Baby Things Page!

DIY Lotion Bars!

Lotion Bars are the latest craze in body moisturizing! 

All natural with simple ingredients; I'm just loving these. There is a lot of information and recipes out there. Here is my favorite recipe - I will be trying to make these soon.

Lotion Bars Ingredients

•  1 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup Shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three)
• 1 cup beeswax
• Optional: 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil and other essential oils.

All these ingredients can be purchased on Amazon, Ebay and health food stores such as Trader Joe's. Whenever possible go with organic unrefined ingredients. 

Lotion Bars Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients (except essential oils if using) in a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a smaller saucepan with 1 inch of water in it. OR Combine in a quart size glass mason jar with a lid and place the jar in a small saucepan of water until melted. 
2. Turn the burner on and bring water to a boil. Stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth.
3. Remove from heat and add the essential oils.
4. Gently stir by hand until essential oils are incorporated.
5. Carefully pour into molds. I will be using silicone rose shaped molds. There are many molds to choose from, but silicone molds are the easiest to pop out.
6. Allow the lotion bars to cool (approximately 2-4 hours) completely before attempting to pop out of molds.

Note: This recipe can be adjusted to make any quantity that you’d like. For a small batch, this recipe could be cut in half or even one fourth. Other ingredients can be added - essential oils, oats, dried flowers and fragrances it you like. For now I will be trying this simple recipe and then working my own spin on it.