Kids’ Best Friend

I highly highly highly recommend you get your kids a dog. I think every child should grow up with a dog. I only had one till I was about two years old. I don’t really remember her but I see in photographs and old home movies how happy I was to have her around. We got Coby about a year and a half before Eliana was born. He’s a mixed breed. Part German Shepherd, part kitten, we always say. We’re not sure he realizes he’s a dog. If I sit on the floor he tries to curl up in my lap. He has no idea he weighs almost as much as I do. He’d sleep all day in a patch of sunlight by the window if you’d let him. Before I had kids, I had a baby visiting at my house one day. The baby was napping on my bed, and when he started to cry, Coby charged at me and started barking (Coby NEVER barks) as if to say “The baby’s crying! Do something!” Coby is the gentlest creature. He lets the kids climb all over him and use him as a pillow or a couch. One rainy day

Read more

Stroller Consoles

I love my Phil & Ted’s Stroller with Doubles Kit. It has decent storage when used a single stroller and great storage when the Doubles Kit is attached and there’s only one kid in it (the second seat holds lots of stuff). But when two kids are in it, storage is a problem. What’s possibly even more useful than my Stroll’r Swivel’rs is a handlebar console. I bought this one, which is currently selling for $21.99, four years ago when I got my stroller, and I’ve never looked back. It attaches easily by wrapping velcro straps around the handlebar. It has two cup holders, which I use for sippy cups, water bottles, bags of snacks, flowers my daughter picks on the way home from school, and other miscellany, plus a zipper pocket for valuables. The only problem is sometimes I carry a child up the four flights to my apartment and then realize I’ve left my keys and/or phone and/or wallet in the console. But I guess that can happen with any stroller. Oh, and it could probably use a washing after four years, but I don’t want to remove it and have to be without it! You can get

Read more

Stroll’r Swivel’rs

Sometimes it’s the little things that you just can’t live without. (Like your kids, for example.) My stroller has limited basket space and no storage in the handlebar, either. Enter Kel-Gar’s Stroll’r Swivel’rs. These ingenious little hooks hold your purse, shopping bags, child’s lunchbox, etc when you have nowhere else to put them. I’ve read reviews about them breaking easily, but used the same set for years with no problem. Just make sure you put both handles of your bag over both hooks, to distribute the weight evenly. And obviously don’t hang anything ridiculously heavy. At $7.92 a pair, even if you have to replace them every once in awhile, it won’t break the bank. I keep a second pair in the house just in case. Note to husbands: Do not use these hooks to hold your dog’s leash when you go for a walk. And if you do, for goodness’ sake don’t tell your wife that’s how they broke. She will just give you THE LOOK and walk away, disgusted.

Read more

Simply Good: For you and your baby

I have found a line of products that I simply love: Simply Good. They make wraps and slings, (I bought their cozy wrap at Shilav and it is so soft and cozy), diaper bags (I like this square one — but they all come with these innovative one-at-a-time wipes dispensers and little pacifier pouches), fun pillows, and more! Look at this adorable little booster cushion!But what I really want is this Poncho for 2. There were a few times when it was a bit chillier out when I was wearing Hila and then had to tuck blankets into the cracks to keep her warm and then my coat didn’t really fit over us so then I was cold too and it just wasn’t so comfortable. This poncho really solves the problem, and maybe someone will see you and think you’re really fat or pregnant, but then they’ll see a tiny little head popping out. So cute. I can’t seem to find where to purchase these products, but there are other wraps and slings that are similar to them, like the Moby Wrap. And there are baby carrier coversavailable too, and while they take care of keeping baby warm, you’ll still

Read more

Super Soothies

Shhhh…be very quiet…Hila is sucking a pacifier and one loud noise or wrong move could disturb this exciting new experience… We’ve bought all pacifier options available in Israel and nothing has worked. And then, a conversation with Tiffany:Tiff: Why don’t you get those pacifiers that they give newborns in the hospital?Sar: You mean the bottle nipples stuffed with cotton? No, with the bottle rims they’re too heavy and fall out of her mouth.Tiff: Ummm…do you live in a third world country? I’ll look into it and send you some that will work for Hila. And she did! A package arrived filled with goodies from Tiff and Penina and at the very bottom was the Soothie Infant Pacifier that has already changed our lives! This pacifier is made of latex free silicone and is used in over 2000 hospitals (in America that is, not Israel). Some people think it’s ugly, but I happen to think they are much cuter than those big plastic ones that cover a baby’s whole face. I think she looks like a Cabbage Patch Kid. And look at this Soothie Pacifer Attacher you can get to go with it! Right now she’s content in her swing sucking

Read more

Swaddle Me / Happiest Baby on the Block

Menachem thinks it’s cruel to wrap your up so tightly that they can’t move around, so when he’s not around and Hila is screaming, I do just that. The problem is that I’m not so good at it and Hila is quite the little arm-flailer, so I end up with a crying baby is a mess of blankets. The solution: The Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe Swaddler. Now, I haven’t tried it yet, but I have one on it’s way from America and I’m looking forward to the soft cotton easy to swaddle cloth. Easy diaper access and a slit for a carseat buckle make it practical too! Swaddling is an ancient art of baby soothing, as described in Dr. Harvey Karp’s The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer. Dr. Karp has a very my-way-or-the-highway attitude, but so far, I’ve followed his way and seen fantastic results, particularly the windshield wiper moves that utilizes the 5 S’s. If you have a colicky or just a baby in a bad mood, I recommend trying these tried and true moves to a happier baby.

Read more

Boon Squirt: Baby Food Dispensing Spoon

This dispensing spoon is just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, so even though it’s a long ways away for me (especially since my baby is still in utero), I thought I’d share it with you. It’s the Boon Squirt: Baby Food Dispensing Spoon. You fill the bulb with food (it holds about 3 oz.), attach it to the spoon, and then squeeze the food onto the spoon. You control the amount that gets on the spoon. It’s a one-handed feeding device AND makes for easier clean-up and a less messy eating experience (maybe)! It even comes with a protective spoon cover. Good for traveling. Cute, right? You want one don’t you? In other news, our site seems to be attracting attention! Somebody from chulamama.com found us through Google (How, I don’t know, I think we come up at around search result number 112), and wanted us to let our readers know that they can get 10% off their entire order by using the coupon code “Babythingsiwant.” Pretty cool! I’ve never had a coupon code before! Their site seems pretty neat, and they’ve got amazing prices – frequently cheaper than amazon.com, even before the coupon code. I’ve linked to where

Read more

Nursing Covers

Menachem has expressed his discomfort of immodest breastfeeding practices in public. I find these specially designed “nursing covers” to be sort of silly–won’t a normal blanket do the trick?–but for the sake of reliable modesty, I am open to the idea. Also, all of these covers come with a strap that goes around your neck (to hold it up) that then opens up a bit before relaxing again to cover breast and baby. This allows you to see the baby and maintain eye contact and to make sure baby doesn’t overheat down there. There’s quite a market for these covers with prices ranging from about $10 upwards to $35 or $40. I guess my main qualification is that it is lightweight and compact enough that it can be folded and fit into our diaper bag. Here are a few I’ve come across, and would appreciate feedback if anyone out there has experience with these (or others). 1. Peanut Shell Nursing Cover – Fun colors and prints, 100% cotton, and looks like it’s not too bulky. 2. Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover – Not much to add for this one except there’s a print called Chocolate Mint, which is quite tempting.

Read more