The great diaper bag decision...

There are SO many diaper bag choices out there!! How do you make heads or tails of the options?  Well let me help a little...Hi, my name is Frances and I am a diaper bag snob.  My all time favorite diaper bag brand is Ju-Ju-Be.  There are so many features to mention, they are washable and have amazing organization.  When they designed these bags they thought of everything from a mommy pocket to an insulated bottle pocket and all kinds of great little pockets inside to organize everything for baby.  You could use one of each JJB but a few for the starter diaper bag addict would be the BFF, PackaBe and BeAll.  And you will need some of the super awesome accessories too.  You'll want a few BeQuicks (great for packing diapers, wipes, extra clothes, and more!) and even a fabulous BeRich or BeMajor for yourself.  Even the wallets are machine washable!!  We can't say enough good things about Ju-Ju-Bes, they are amazing and completely cover all of your diaper bag needs!!

What do you really need for baby?

Recently I have had several friends asking for advice on what they need for their new babies. Most of them first time moms but a few moms with a second kiddo looking for things to accommodate both kids.  So here are a few of my "must haves" for your new little one.

1.  A good stroller.  Trust me, you will use your stroller A LOT and spending money on a quality one will serve you well (skip the travel system!!).  A few of our favorites are the Bumbleride Indie and Indie Twin, Baby Jogger City Mini and City Select, BOB, and the UPPABaby Vista.  And when baby gets a bit older and you want something a little more compact, we suggest the Joovy Kooper.

2.  If you are even considering part time cloth diapering then you'll definitely need a few essentials.  First, our all time favorite diaper is FuzziBunz Perfect Size.  They come in the cutest colors and fit our kiddos perfectly.  You will also need cloth diaper detergent and once again we have a favorite (of course we do!) and that is Rockin' Green.  They have a great tool on their site to determine which formula (Classic Rock, Soft Rock or Hard Rock) is best for the area that you live in.  And last but certainly not least is a Wet Bag, and you can get one of those when you pick up your FuzziBunz diapers!

3.  A good soft structured carrier (SSC).  If you want to grocery shop, then you need an SSC!!  Skip the Baby Bjorn and head straight for our two faves the Boba Carrier and the Beco Butterfly II.  Trust me, you'll be glad you did!!!!!

4.  This one might be kind of a duh but it's the type that we are looking at.  Skip the infant car seat, you use it for less than a year and need a convertible seat eventually anyway.  Instead head straight for the convertible seats, our faves are Britax.  We brought our middle child home from the hospital in a Britax Boulevard and she is now over 3 and still riding in that seat.  And remember, keep your kidlet rear facing until he/she is at least 2!!!!!!

5.  And last but certainly not least are the blankies, sleep sacks, and of course toys!  Our favorite blankies are Everything Happy Blankies (we LOVE the One to Love, One to Give mission and you can use code frances25 for 25% off!!) and Little Giraffe blankets, hooded towels, and of course Little G.  Halo sleep sacks are by far the best out there and we just love them!!  Then our favorite toy for little ones is by far Sophie the Giraffe and all of her friends!!

Well that should get you shopping for now and I'm sure we'll have more to add later!!!  ENJOY and happy baby gear shopping!


*I was not compensated to write this post.

KinderCare's Winter Science Camps ROCK!!!

Wondering what your kiddos will do during the Winter break??  Still haven't finished all your shopping??    Don't worry, we have the PERFECT solution!!! KinderCare Winter Science Camp!!!!!!  These camps are running at a KinderCare near you from December 19th-23rd and December 27th-30th.  Both school age and preschool kids will love these amazingly engaging and educational camps.

We got to check out some of the awesome activities yesterday at the preview day here in Chula Vista.  Our three year old, Gracie's, favorite activity was the dry ice bubbles.  The experiments that these directors and teachers have come up with for the camp are just amazing.  Kids will learn through educational and hands-on science themed activities and of course reinforce key subjects like language arts, math, and creative expression. 

 Learning how to make your own bubbles and bubble wands had Gracie learning how hard to blow to make bigger or smaller bubbles.  This activity combined the perfect balance of fun and learning and the KinderCare Winter Camp will be filled with these kinds of activities!  Listening to the excited teachers and directors talk about the activities planned for camp got me excited to go to KinderCare's Winter Science Camp!

 

Gracie loved spending the morning as a scientist and has asked multiple times to go back and play!!  Your kiddos can enjoy this amazing learning camp too from December 19th-23rd and December 27th-30th at a KinderCare near you!! 

We also got a special treat and had the opportunity to play in amazing San Diego SNOW!!!  KinderCare filled the playground with snow and let the kids make snow angels, build snow people, and of course throw snow balls.  Gracie had an amazing time, and so did I!!!  

This post was sponsored by KinderCare.

The Posh Little Urbanites Show (PLUSH)

On Sunday we went to the Posh Little Urbanites Show (PLUSH) in LA. What an amazing experience!!! It was baby gear heaven!!!! We learned about a bunch of new products and companies that we just love!!! Here are a few of our faves:

1. Kleynimals They are non-toxic "keys" that your kiddo can play with as an alternative to your keys in the grocery store!! Super cute animals and they won't fuss that they don't feel just like your keys!!

2. Lollacup Amazing straw sippy cups for 9+ month olds. They are beyond adorable and already kid tested by our two year old who LOVES them!! The straw is weighted so it stays down and keeps the cup in the juice/milk/water. We nabbed a green and orange one at the event and they even have names now (thanks to our five year old...the green one is Wizzle and the orange one is Lola)!

3. Layla Grayce This is a GREAT online baby gear/decor shop. If you are looking for the shabby chic look, this is THE place for you!!

4. Cutie Covers With their "Cutie Covers Cash" in the VIP swag bags we couldn't go wrong buying one of these for baby #3 (no...not pregnant yet!!!)...we ordered the Hooty Hoot Owl and it looks beyond adorable!

That is a just a small view of what was there...and of course we want to see MORE next year!!!!!!! Mutsy, Bumbleride, Ju-Ju-Be, Joovy, Rockin' Green, Happy Heinys, FuzziBunz, BinkLink and many of our other faves!!!!!

Shopping the deal sites

We love a good deal (who doesn't???) especially on stuff for the kiddos!!! Here are a few of our favorite deal sites:

Zulily: There is always a great selection here!!! Anything from nursing bras, little girls' dresses, little boys' togs, shoes, toys, diaper bags, and even clothing for mom!! Only downside to using Zulily is the shipping can take awhile since things ship from the manufacturer to Zulily and then from Zulily to you, they do have wonderful customer service though. Keep an eye out and you are sure to find the high end item you are on the hunt for at a really good price!

Babysteals and Kidsteals: Babysteals and Kidsteals each have a daily deal that is sent to your email, actually Babysteals is up to two (one at 9AM MDT and one at 9PM MDT). These deals are typically 30-70% off of the retail price. You can get anything from kids' clothes, diaper bags, cloth diapers, to toys and shoes. They have wonderful customer service and super fast shipping but watch out, if it is something popular it will sell out really fast!

Mamapedia: These are deals similar to those on Groupon and Living Social although typically for an online shop like Rosenberry Rooms, ecomom.com, etc. They are slowly expanding the deals in specific cities.

Gilt Groupe: This is definitely the super high end stuff. Again they have everything for kiddos you can think of and even designer stuff for everyone you could think of! Wonderful site and one to check daily.

Mamabargains: This site moves a little slower depending on what is up for sale. They have "one hot deal at a time until it sells out". Lots of stuff for brand new moms and infants.

Our new favorite blankets!!!

Looking for a great "blankie" for your little one?? Or maybe a super special blanket for yourself?? Check out the blankets at www.bornplatinum.com!! We particularly like the giraffe and pink combo! And of course you can get them personalized with your little ones initials. She also does some super cute little guy ties!!

Looking for a great way to organize your life??

Check out the organizing products available from Thirty-One!!! They have great totes and bins to get kids' rooms, toy rooms, garages, cars and everything in between organized!!

I can't wait to get the all-in one utility tote!!!

http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E523191&from=DIRECTLINK