Mom Necessities

When you become a parent- your life changes.  Drastically.  For example- I used to shower- wash and blow dry my hair every morning before leaving the house.  The old me used to take almost an hour to get ready for the day.  The new me- 15- 20 min is all I've got- in fact today I had exactly 15 min from when basic training ended to when I had to be at Monday playgroup- to shower- get ready and get to playgroup (I was only 5 min late!).  The old me used to spend my discretionary money on things like happy hours, a new pair of jeans, candy, frozen yogurt, going to the movies.. now I find buying a pair of skinny jeans size 12-18 months and a new sippy cup more exciting- and necessary.  Priorities change, and life becomes a balancing act.  A whole new dimension is added to your marriage, your friendships, and your social life.  The day is never long enough to fit everything in- but in the same breath- some days 6:30pm- bedtime-  can't come quick enough.  Either way- its awesome seeing this little girl grow- smile- and learn.  She's got such a personality now, and she makes me laugh every day.  There is nothing more fun than being a mom- and it just keeps getting better.

Now that some of my friends are (finally) starting to have babies or at starting to think about it- I figured it might be nice to share with you guys the things that I love, I cant live without, and that make my life as a busy mom much easier.*

Starting with things for myself:

• Dry Shampoo- if you haven't used dry shampoo before- you don't know what you're missing.  This stuff has pretty much changed my life.  It totally works!  In between washes- just spray some of this stuff on your roots- or wherever it feels greasy- and viola!  Dry Shampoo- and a fresh clean looking head of hair.

Klorane Dry Shampoo- you can order it off Amazon

• Kids Club- I don't know what I would do without kids club at the gym. If you are looking for an hour (or an hour and a half) a day for yourself- to get back into shape- to help socialize your kid- join a gym. With a kids club. Not only are kids clubs cheap (mine is $3 for an hour and a half) but its also fun for the kids, great for their social skills, and the best part of it all is you get an hour and a half to get fit- AND even shower after your work out. I find that if I don't go to the gym- not only do I never wake up- I usually don't bother to get out of my pajama pants either.. or brush my hair, wash my face.. (Even if you don't like working out- its still an hour and a half you can at least pretend to cycle- as you sit there on level 0 reading a trashy magazine, listening to music or watching tv... All. By. Yourself.)
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  Dyllan is in the pink pants

• Group Fitness Classes- staying with the gym theme-  I rely on the group fitness classes at my gym.  I find that if I dont do a class- I do exactly what i said above.. go through the motions- reading a magazine and listening to music- but I dont get the best work out.  Since time is limited I find that the classes give you the most bang for your time.  I am a huge fan of the Les Mills classes- my favorites are: spin, body pump, basic training, abs butts and thighs, and body attack- but there are tons of classes which means lots of variety- and I don't get bored. 

Now things for babies/toddlers/kids that I love and can't live without.   Many of them I received from my baby shower.  Some have really surprised me.

My girlfriends are to thank for a lot of these amazing gifts!
Photo from Dyllan's LA babyshower with my college girlfriends.





This pillow has been amazing!  Its a bunny pillow- and I use it every day- good for sleeping- its not too bulky- you can wash the pillow case- its not too puffy- Dyllan likes playing with the ears as she goes to sleep.  Carlye got it in Chicago - but you can order it from here.

•  I didn't think babies shoes A.) Were that big of a deal. B.) Mattered what brand, size, or style you got and C.) Should cost more than $5-$20... until Dyllan got some Pediped shoes from a girlfriend.  At first I thought they looked cute.  They came in a fancy box with nordstrom wrapping paper.  How could they not be great, I thought.  Well that was August- and its now May.  Dyllan is STILL wearing her pediped's -size 0-6 months..haha... but they still fit! - they must have molded to her feet- and keep growing with her.  They are the only shoes she wears.  To the beach- to the gym- with a dress- with jeans.. these are it.  They go with everything (for the most part) and they don't come off.  She doesn't pull at them- or try to take them off- she doesn't slip out of them- or lose one at the store.  They are amazing.  Its not like I haven't tried other shoes- I've bought a pair from target- and some flip flops from kmart- and even gotten some great (looking) pass-me-downs- but nothing compares to the pediped (that I have tried- so far- but I'm sure there are other great kids shoes out there).  I finally ordered a second pair!  A girl just can't have enough shoes, right?  The only problem?  They are a bit pricey.  But I justified this by saying that one pair of these- lasts longer than 4 pairs of cheap ones- plus they actually stay on her feet!

Pediped Shoes: you can order them here or get them at Nordstrom

• Sleeping bag- I recently discovered this crazy sack when a girlfriend brought me over a stack of her daughters sleeping bags that she had outgrown.  At first I thought they were strange- bulky and uncomfortable- and didnt think Dyllan would go for it.    But it didnt take long for me to figure out why these things were made.  Genius.  Most babies kick their covers off in a matter of seconds.. meaning that you have to periodically go in an tuck your baby in again.. and again.. and then go to sleep wondering if they will be warm enough in just their pajamas.  This sleeping bag zips on over the pajamas and comes in a variety of different fabrics- from thin to thick depending on the outside temperature you can choose one that suits best.  I was surprised that Dyllan didn't mind sleeping in this sack one bit.  She can still move around and even stand up in her crib while inside her sack.  I now put it on her every night. 
  

  

  This one is from The Bambino Store

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  Baby Monitor- we only just started using this here in Australia.  Its great because we can turn it on in Dyllan's room- give Yunny and Lozzo the walkie-talkie- and go out.  They can listen for her- and we have freedom to run down to the store- get a movie- or go out.  The only thing I don't suggest (and this is TOTALLY just my opinion..) is using it all the time- turn it off when you go to bed.  Turn it off if you don't want to hear your baby cry.  Turn it off unless you are specifically listening for something (ie- if your baby is sick)  Otherwise you will sit there feeling bad that you are letting your child "cry-it-out", you will lose sleep listening to static and/or rustling around, and you will sit there and worry or stress over nothing. 
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  Sony Baby monitor from Babies R US

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  The Bob Stroller- This stroller is amazing!  We have my grandpa Sussex to thank for this bad boy.  We use our Bob every day- Its awesome for so many reasons- you can put all your gear in the bottom (I do my grocery shopping with this stroller!)- it has a back pouch- and you can buy a cup holder/ wallet pouch for the top.  The front wheel can be locked straight (good for running) or swivel for everyday use.  It folds up super easy- and you can throw it in the trunk.  The seat reclines so your baby can nap- and the hood comes up to block sun and rain.  You can buy accessories  like the infant car seat clip- which you can clip your infant car seat into straight from the car.  After they grow out of the infant car seat- you can convert that into a snack tray.  All around- great stroller.  I highly recommend.
• Tent- This Kidco tent was a lifesaver.  We used this tent every day.  Its essentially a portable crib- that folds up nice and small like a windshield sunshade.  I brought it to work- and Dyllan would nap in the other room for hours in this tent.  We traveled with it- we would take it with us to friends houses for dinner so we could put Dyllan to sleep on time- it also serves as a shady place to put your baby while in the park, at the beach, etc.  On top of all that- you can zip it up and rest assure that your baby wont get out.  It comes with a blow up mattress (which we never used) and a cushy liner.  The only trouble with this tent- and it was a big issue for us- is that if you don't fold it up exactly according to the directions- it gets a kink and you can't ever fold it up again.  We went through 3 of these tents (luckily just exchanges.. but still a hassle) Kidco Peapod tent from Toys R Us.
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The Moby Wrap- I actually splurged and bought this thing just after Dyllan came home from the hospital.  I bought it initially because Dyllan was too little for a baby bjorn- but still loved being close to me.  I was sold on it because not only can it fit preemie babies- but it serves multiple purposes- and continues to be useful as your baby gets bigger.  There are like 40 different ways you can tie this long piece of fabric- each serving a different purpose.  I forgot to pack it to bring to Australia- and Dyllan is probably getting a little big for it now- but I could probably still use it- and probably would if I had it here.  I guess I also mentioned the moby along with some of my other favorite things in this post

Moby

• Sesame Street Keyboard- um- Dyllan LOVES this thing.  She will set it up on the coffee table- and DJ while Dancing for minutes (minutes are good with toddlers attentions span).  I took a good video I will have to post on here.
  

And something I wish I would have known about before... also a great baby shower gift idea:

Monthly onsie stickers from EtsyEileen- look, you didn't have to actually cook the cupcakes to show your kids age..wish we discovered this earlier.

 *Im sure I will have to update this list- because there are so many things I am forgetting to mention here.