Thursday Thirteen #13

Thirteen baby products and whatnot that I love and hate.

I didn’t want to get off the couch today to blog. Ikey had fallen asleep nursing and it was so nice to just hold him and smooch his mushy sleeping lips. But despite the surging endorphins and salivating mouth, I stuck him in his bed where he immediately stuck his beautiful bum high in the air and took a deep sigh. Now I’m here and ready for my T13 which I’ve been excited about all week long. It’s a big one but pay attention!!

1. Wipes: LOVE The Huggies Naturals. They have no scent and they’re very thick and poo doesn’t leak through them. They clean up the mess with less wipes than cheaper brands. I really disliked their shea butter ones because of the powerful scent. It’s just an ass…it doesn’t need to smell like perfume. HATE the Wal Mart brand wipes. Takes like 100 wipes to clean a messy toddler bum and the poo would soak through onto my hands. Just awful.
2. Sleepers: LOVE Baby Pekkel brand that’s always at costco. They last a long time, are incredibly cute, and because they have elastics at the feet, they stay on the feet properly. They also don’t stretch out like a lot of sleepers do. I’m in love with these sleepers. They also make PJ’s for the older kids and they’re just as nice and very cool styles as well. The sleepers are only 7.99, the best price ever. HATE most other brands because the feet never stay in the right spot.
3. Diapers: LOVE Kirkland Signature brand. Lovely stretchy waist band and they’re just as good of quality as Huggies, they’re actually a tad more expensive than Huggies but for good reason. Plus they don’t have stupid Disney creatures all over them. Stupid Disney,  My child’s ass doesn’t need advertising on it. HATE Pampers with a passion. They are perfumed and it makes me ill. The normal Pampers are the worst because no stretchy waist band. Oh the stench of fake baby power smell along with a ripe poo. There’s no masking the poo smell anyway people!!  Plus, babies already smell good!
4. Shampoo and soaps: LOVE Derma Med shampoo and I just use it all over the body as well. It’s all natural and the proper PH balance for your skin and hair (4.5-5.5). The smell is great and it’s wonderful on sensitive little babies, the smell is also natural so it wont give us sensitive people headaches. There’s also one without smell for extra sensitive skin. HATE anything from the drug store. For example…Johnsons claims to be oh so gentle. It shouldn’t EVER be used on a baby unless you’re planning to perm their hair. Yes, it has been used to successfully PERM a person’s hair…temporarily. The PH balance is around a 9 which is awful for the skin. Poor Johnson’s babies. Stop buying that crap!!
5. Lotion: LOVE the Derma Med baby lotion BUT to help the eczema, chapped hands (from all the sucking) and teething rash, there’s nothing like mixing together Glaxxal Base with Vaseline and slathering it on. It’s amazing to see those chapped hands healed in a day and that teething rash gone in no time. Vaseline is super amazing stuff, it’s kind of been forgotten. Hate any stinky smelly perfumy stuff. Ha ha…I’m on a roll with the no fake scented stuff. Yucky.
6. Clothing: I Really like Joe (from Superstore), Mexx (only get that when granny buys it for the kids), Old Navy, Please Mum and Gap (except shirts that have the brands on the fronts of them). HATE Vitamins….falls apart really quickly.  I also hate any clothes with media stuff on it.  My child isn’t a walking advertisement.
7. Free stuff: Nothing like getting free stuff to help you with your first child. Freecycle is a massive online community. It started because people were trying to get people to stop throwing perfectly good things away. It’s all around the world so I’m sure there’s a group close to where you live. You post things that you have and want to get rid of. Usually loads of people want it so you choose one and they come pick it up. There’s always a lot of baby items on there and you can always post wanted ads. I’ve gotten everything from cribs to clothing to bouncy chairs, even our beautiful pillow-top mattress we sleep on. There’s only one catch to the group, it’s gotta be free! Getting rid of stuff on there is great, people will take stuff that you thought was garbage. EVERYONE should freecycle!
8. Baby Food: LOVE the PC brand organic baby food. Sometimes they have amazing sales. It’s the cheapest baby food I’ve found and Silas loved it. I believe in feeding you kids organic for the first year of their lives. Heinz makes really good cereals but they do have sugar in them. I think I’ll make my own. Also, the Magic Bullet is an amazing tool for making baby food along with grinding flax seeds for their cereal. Kids who get their omega3’s at a young age have less of a chance of getting ADHD and having behavioral problems. With ADHD in my family, I’m taking no chances. HATE the foods that are made for babies but are full of junk.  Parents will buy them thinking they’re OK but they’re just filling their poor tummies with sugar and a bunch of chemical.  I make sure to read the labels.
9. Toys: Love Discovery Toys because they’re triple tested for safety and they have a lifetime guarantee. Plus they’re all about development and learning. HATE anything from the TV or media. No Disney or FREAKING DORA!!! My child isn’t a walking advertisement. Except Thomas the Tank Engine….I’ve made an exception.  If it really is an excellent toy, I’ll make an exception.
10. Books: I really love those board books you can get at Costco, they usually come in packs of 4 and are called Bright and Early Board Books. They usually include a Dr. Seuss book. All of the books are poems and I think toddlers and babies like that a lot more than a story because it’s rhythmic and melodic. It bugs me when people don’t read them that way though. HATE really cheap board books because they always fall apart…boooo…or media books…I’m sure you figured that one out already though :).
11. Music: HATE The Wiggles with a passion. They must heavily medicated people…speed? Do people get them just because they’re the new rage or can parents actually stand listening to them? I got a few songs for Silas and he went nuts for them, kids really do love them but seriously, mother’s need sanity!!! LOVE Raffi, he’s great! “baby beluga in the deep blue sea…”
12. Advice: LOVE advice from other parents. HATE advice from people who haven’t had kids yet.
13. Peanut Free Food: Love that Cheerios and Bretons are totally peanut free. HATE that a lot of natural foods aren’t. A lot of natural foods were made to give people with wheat allergies something they could eat. Too bad for you if you’re allergic to peanuts and wheat!! I also hate it when people make me feel bad for being anal about Silas’ peanut allergy.