Little Lifesavers

What are your favorite "little lifesavers"?  There are lots of products out there for moms and for babies. What do you need? Which should you choose?  Our moms are sharing some of their favorite life saving products this month. However, you don't have to stick with these. Remember that there is a difference between brand name and knock-off; sometimes this is good, and sometimes not so great. Every mom is different and everyone will have different preferences. Try what works for you. 

Here are our favorite products!

Feeding

Dr Brown's bottles

"The vent system allows the air to go to the end of the bottle instead of my baby's tummy. She spit up less and burped less as well." -Stephanie

Note: not all the moms preferred these bottles. Some felt they where too tedious to clean and cost too much. 

The Bumbo!

Lots of moms use these a pre-high chairs. Littles ones who may not be able to sit on their own can be supported by the shape of the Bumbo allowing them to sit to eat solids. 

Pre-measured formula packet

No matter what kind of formula you use, these packets sure come in handy. They are especially great for emergency kits and the extra in the car "just in case", but the sure make easy diaper bag formula as well. 

Formula dispenser

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These are awesome for a mom on the go. Having the formula pre-measured saves so much time and stress about whether or not you have enough. These also work great for snacks like Cheerios when the baby gets too big for the bottle. 

Portable High Chair

My sister got one of these from ikea, but I got mine at Walmart for less a year later. It hooked right on to the table. It doesn't take up much space and is easy to put away if you need the space. 

Note: these do not work with older tables with the small ledge and large framing. You need a little less than a foot to hook it onto the table. 

Sippy cups with straws!

Seriously, best invention ever! Little ones have a hard time with the concept to lifting the Sippy in the air to drink sitting up.  The straw is a much easier concept to grasp. The older they get the more they understand and you can move to the actual Sippy, but the straw was a great I between for getting rid of the bottle. 

Fruit holder

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These are great for little kids who are big enough for squished fruit, but not for all the chunks. Put it inside, and let them go at. The mesh allows the juice and small bits of pulp get through without lettings seeds and chunks slip out. 

Lanolin

Here's one for my breast feeding mommies. Chapped nipples are the worst! Lanolin is a lifesaver for mommy.  

Note: you can use a little bit of breast milk instead of lanolin. For some moms it works better, especially those with reactions to lanolin. However, for some moms there is no benefit in the milk. It can go either way. 

Health/Wellness

Forehead thermometer

Okay, no matter what type of mom you are, thermometers are a major lifesaver. However, no mom enjoys (or at least I hope not) using or cleaning a rectal thermometer (EEEEWWWWWW!). Under arm thermometers are better, but not as accurate. Pacifier thermometers are nice, but what if your child won't take a pacifier (especially when they don't feel good)? Forehead thermometers are a life paver because of how easy the are to use. However, they do run pricey. 

Baby Vicks Rub

Regular Vicks can be a little too strong for little bodies. However, even with its lack of potency, the baby Vicks can still be too strong for little chests. Instead, you can put a little bit on the bottom of each foot (put socks on after to keep them from wiping it everywhere) to sooth a little one's cough. Works better than I thought it would. Don't know why it works, but it sure does. Lack of a cough sure helps little ones sleep better too. 

Baby Tylenol 

Little ones have a lot of things that can make them sick. Immunization s are especially hard on a little baby. Now, I don't like medicine for me or for my baby, so we try to use it as little as possible, but for a teether or a shot fever, baby Tylenol is wonderful.

Note: some baby's have a hard time processing Tylenol. Some end up with constipation because of it. So, even though they feel better on it and the doctor says to keep up on the dose for a day or two, you may not want to use it as much. Remember, you're trying to help the baby, not change the problem. Do what's best for them. 

Teething toys

These are wonderful. When babies are teething, they bite things the shouldn't or even normally don't bite. Evangeline doesn't put anything in her mouth that isn't edible...unless she's teething in which case she bites everything, including ME! Teething rings and other teething toys are so helpful. Once again, there are many different kinds and not every kids likes each of them. Some are the normal squishy ones that come in different shapes, odors, and sizes. Some have a gel inside so you can put it in the fridge or the freezer so it's nice and cold. Others have a vibrates inside them so they get a gum massage when they bite down. Whatever you kid likes, it's better than them chewing on you!

Hyland homeopathic teething tablets

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Now, before you say anything, these are NOT the kind you buy at the grocery store! DO NOT GET THOSE ONES! They contain "belladonna," a substance which in recent study has been proven to be poisonous to babies in any amount. You can get the tablets without belladonna at homeopathic specialty stores. These tablets are nice and soothing to the baby and are nice for my "granola mommies." Just remember to check the label first. Know what your looking at before you get it. 

Diapering

Disposable diapers

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Now, I am not saying anything in the realm of moms that use fabric diapers are bad, because they are not!  I give the biggest kudos to moms who use fabric diapers. You are awesome for the environment and are simply amazing. I just can't imaging washing every time my daughter needed a change.

For a mom on the run, disposable diapers can be a huge lifesaver because it ends with the change. Kudos to fabric diapering, but I'll keep my disposables.

Remember that not all diapers are created equal. I'll be doing a special post about diapers later, but we'll just toss in a bit here to say how you need to makes sure the diaper you get FIT your baby. 

Diaper Rash Cream

Aquaphor, Desitin, monkey butt, knock off, you name it. There are a bazillion types of diaper rash creme. That being said, find one you like because you will almost undoubtably use it more than once. Some babies seem to come with a predisposition for diaper rash. It will make your life and your baby's attitude so much better to ease their poor little buns. 

Disposable Dirty Diaper Bags

These are wonderful when you have to change a yucky when there is nowhere to dispose of it. Powder in the bag helps to seal in the yucky stench. Arm and Hammer makes the strongest baggies, but any baggy works. You can even get these lovely helpers at the dollars store! 

I use these when I go to friends houses! I hate leaving a stench bomb in a friends garbage no matter what else in in there. Just tie it up in a bag and I don't feel bad leaving it there. 

These also work great for other messes you don't want rolling around in your diaper bag. Baby had a blowout at the restaurant? Put the yucky clothes in a bag so they don't smear all over your clean bag. Just make sure no one tries to throw it away before you get home! ;)

Quality wipes

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There are lots of ways you can save on baby stuff. Sometimes you can get a great knock off that works just as good or better than the original product. Wipes are an area where you really don't want to skimp on just due to cost. Granted, there are lots of knock offs that work really well, but there are others that are pointless. Wipes are designed to get poop off without getting it on your hand! If you get a "cheep" bag of wipes, it may come back to bite you. With cheep wipes, you use way more wipes. Overall, the bag may be cheaper, but you will have bought 2 bags verses 1 of the quality stuff. Suck it up and pay the dues in wipes; it will be well worth it. 

Other

Hemorrhoid pads

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Okay, we're going to jump back to birth again. Even if you don't get an actual hemorrhoid in labor (lucky! I'm so jealous!), hemorrhoid pads can be very soothing for stitches or just sore mommy parts. There is a reason they offer these at the hospital. 

Lavender baby wash and lotion

Bath time right before bed can be stressful, but it can also be fun. Little ones are tired and a bath can be a great way to slow down for bedtime. Lavender also has a wonderful ability to calm and sooth. Many moms said that they use lavender in the bath every night before bed. It helps calm baby and the smell will help calm mommy as well. 

Mesh shower chair

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Some babies simply do not like the baby bath. Some moms don't like the baby bath!  ;)  It can be difficult to figure out how to clean both you and the baby, especially if you are in a hurry. Solution: have them join you in the shower. At my house, we have daddy pass mommy the baby while she's in the shower to do a quick baby shower then pass back out to dry. However, daddy's not always there. That's when a shower chair can come in real handy!

Essential oils

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You don't have to be a granola momma to find use for essential oils. Each oil can be used for several different purposes and in replacement of things we don't want around baby. I'll be doing a bit about this later, but here are a few examples. Instead of plugging up your baby, or like my nephew who is allergic to Tylenol, peppermint oil can be used as a fever reducer. Lavender oil, much like the bath wash, can be used to sooth a baby especially when their teeth are hurting. Make sure you know how to apply oils and which ones you can and cannot mix together before you use these, but they can be most valuable in times of need. 

What our your little lifesavers? Feel free to share with us what you think. Tell us about the little things that made a big difference.