Today’s real mama, Trina is an active lady who takes her sweetie Samantha along for lots of fun adventures. She’s got a great list full of “fun” favorites but also some very practical ones like the hearth gate and carbon monoxide detector. I know you’ll enjoy reading her fabulous product descriptions and a big thanks to Trina for sharing! If you’d like to share – email me for the easy details!
I am a first time and very proud mom of a little girl, Samantha, who is 15 months old. She is indescribably fun, sweet and precious to us. We live in a suburban area near the mountains with our dog, Axle. Our home is 900 square feet upstairs with an unfinished basement. We are reminded daily of the gratitude, joy and hard work that encompasses being parents and are thankful for products that help us share our world with her.
1. Bella Tunno Bink Link
2. Baby Brezza
3. aden + anais Cozy Plus Sleeping Bag: Like so many parents, we are concerned about safe sleeping. This sleeping sack helps assure us that Samantha stays warm and safe throughout the cold winter nights! I chose to buy the four layer sack because the temperature in our bedrooms can be in the sixties at night. With fleece pajamas and this cute and extremely soft sack, Sam stays warm and cozy until morning.
4. GroVia Hybrid Cloth diapers and Rockin’ Green laundry detergent: As Samantha gets older I must admit that we are using more disposable diapers and less reusable. That being said, we love our Grovia diapers. We have some that velcro close for a perfect fit every time, and some that snap shut to make it a little more difficult for wandering toddler hands to remove the diaper before her onesie is on. These diapers have a shell and a snap-in insert (called a soaker) that is easy to put in and remove. If the insert only gets soiled, then only the insert needs to be washed. For us the Rockin’ Green detergent is a must once a baby starts on solid foods. This was something we learned the hard way, but let me tell you this was the only product we could find that would remove the “funk.”
5. DEUTER Kid Comfort III Child Carrier: We love to get out. We love it. Hiking is something we have always done together as a couple, and introducing her to one of our favorite hobbies has just made it more fun. We had used another, smaller hiking backpack before transitioning to the Deuter 3 but prefer this one because Samantha seems to be more comfortable and it offers more storage. This backpack puts Samantha in a comfortable seated position, has a nice chin rest for when she gets tired, and offers good trunk support so when she does fall asleep the head bobbing is limited. There is enough storage for several liters of water, the Ergo (we always take the Ergo on long outings so she can have a change in position if needed), her food and water, and spare clothes/diapers. I can even fit an extra coat for me, gloves, hat and dog leash. The weight is nicely distributed with a thick waist strap and strong pack frame, and I have no problem carrying her on my own.
6. B. Parum Pum Pum Drum musical instruments and “Snuggle Puppy ” by Sandra Boynton: Oh my goodness, Samantha goes crazy when we sing along to books. She will go find the instruments, in whatever room they may be, bring them to us and start shaking her head and waving her arms in anticipation.
7. Patagonia Bunting Bag: Warmth is essential for a happy baby, and therefore a happy mama. I have no concerns that Samantha is warm enough when she is wearing one of these uberly cute outfits. We have two bags-one with feet (called the reversible tribbles bunting) and one without (called the reversible puff ball). I definitely prefer the one with feet, even though it makes walking a little tricky. However, on days where we plan on having Samantha out playing in the snow we use the bag without feet and put on some snow boots. For this I recommend putting two grommets on each leg that can attach a small cord or strap to go under baby’s foot like a stirrup. This prevents those not-so fun pant leg ride-ups. On particularly cold days, I put Samantha in Smart Wool socks, tights, Capilene long underwear top and bottom, and a fleece vest. This matched with a warm hat and her sunnies is the essence of a winter outing for us.
8. Smoke Detector’Carbon Monoxide Detector: As the wife of a firefighter, I can attest to the importance of having one these on every floor of the house (at a minimum). We have one in our main hallway, and another in Samantha’s room. These are not the most fun or aesthetically pleasing things to buy, but it gives me great peace of mind to know it will alarm us if anything is awry.
9. Melissa and Doug “My First Colors” magnetic book. I have just recently allowed Sam to play with this and she loves it! She gets engrossed with taking the magnets off and trying to put them back on again. This is a great book for matching, talking about words and colors, and I love how interactive it can be.
10. Kidco HearthGate: We mainly heat our house using a wood burning stove, and this gate is an absolute must for us. It was fairly easy to assemble, looks as nice as a gate can look, and is sturdy enough that Samantha can stand up to it and shake it without fear of her getting too close to the stove. It also has a nice feature that allows us to detach it from the wall after Samantha goes to bed if we have company over.
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