Zipadee-Zip Review

Disclosure: I received the Zipadee-Zip in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Oh, the swaddle.  Right now the swaddle is my enemy.  Ask my child...the swaddle in his best friend.  The issue with having a very large 5 month old who likes to be swaddled is that most do not even fit him anymore.  The ones that do are easily broken out of but honestly we have to get rid of the swaddle anyway.  My child, like very many, has gone through the horrid 4-month sleep regression.  This is also the time that I am needing to undo the swaddle the habit.    I found the Zipadee-Zip on Facebook and thought I would give it a try.  

When you first pull it out of the package you will question whether or not it is a a flying squirrel Halloween costume...you'll get past that.  We put it on as soon as I was able to get it out of the wash.  It was for his last nap of the night.

He is smiling...IN HIS SLEEP.  Can you tell he likes it.  He actually stayed asleep right through his bedtime.  You are probably saying to yourself, "That looks like a sleep sack."  What keeps my baby up and probably yours is the Moro reflex, which is when they flail their arms out of no where and jolt themselves awake.  My baby's startle reflex is very strong and most likely why we are still transitioning from the swaddle.  The Zipadee-Zip has a bit of resistance in the wing span that dampers the startle reflex, while allowing the baby to safely roll and turn in his sleep.  Your baby will not outgrow the startle reflex until 6 months of age, so it is best to transition slowly and know that it may not happen on the first night.  It definitely hasn't for us.

Not only is this a great transitional tool, but they are pretty awesome pjs as well.  We all know that the current guidelines call for nothing extra in the crib, including no blankets.  You do not have to worry about your baby getting cold since the Zipadee-Zip is completely enclosed.  It is also much easier than footed pj's or anything that comes with snaps.  They also come in some of the cutest prints I have seen!  Nugget is sporting the Lil' Dinos here.  He is in a size small and weighs about 16lbs and is 28 inches long.

I know a lot of people may notice that the hands are enclosed so that their baby would not be able to self soothe by thumb sucking.  I will tell you that my baby still sucks on his hands through the Zipadee-Zip and does not mind it at all.  

Although we still have to revert back to the swaddle on some nights, the Zipadee-Zip is our go to pajamas for nap time and will soon become part of the every night bedtime routine.  Want to pick up a Zipadee-Zip of your own?  You can use the coupon code SLEEP for $2 off one Zipadee-Zip.  We will also be giving one away for My Jordanian Nugget's 1 Year Anniversary, so check back for the giveaway!

My complete list of must haves and a chance to win some is right here!

Disclosure: I received the Zipadee-Zip in exchange for a honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

   

Nuby Jiggle Giggle Review

Disclosure: I am a Nuby Mommy Blogger.  I work with Nuby to review their products.  I have received the Nuby Jiggle Giggle in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Teeth.  They aren't fun...not for mom...not for dad...and certainly not for baby.  I remember being so excited when Nugget first showed interest in a toy.  I wanted my baby to chew and play with something so bad!  Now the excitement has come and I need to fulfill his need to chew on everything with fun and enjoyable teethers.  What I look for in a teether:  Little hands must be able to grab it and I would like for it to do something cool as well as provide relief from teething pain.

The Nuby Jiggle Giggle is a vibrating teether.  When I first handed it to Nugget, he did not know this.  The look on his face when he found out was priceless.  One side vibrates and the other contain purICE gel that can be cooled to provide relief to your baby's gums.   It took him awhile to know what kind of pressure needed to be added to make it move, but now he knows exactly what to do.  After about a day of use, I think this can be put in as a favorite of ours.  It is actually the only thing, so far, that when he drops he cries.

The Nuby Jiggle Giggle is available for purchase at Kohls.com, Walmart.com and Blain's Farm & Fleet.  

My complete list of must haves and a chance to win some is right here!

When did your baby get their first tooth?

Disclosure: I am a Nuby Mommy Blogger.  I work with Nuby to review their products.  I have received the Nuby Jiggle Giggle in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

WubbaNub Review and Giveaway!

Disclosure:  I was provided with this product in exchange for a review.  The opinions are 100% my own.

I was one of THOSE mothers.  I wasn't going to give my child a pacifier...no, not me.  Dufda always would say that he couldn't wait for the moment that he gave his baby a pacifier.  I never had this yearning.  Two days after birth I realized that I needed a pacifier in my life since my baby was using me as his.  We had a couple of pacis on hand that we had picked up at the store prior to bringing Nugget home.  They worked o.k but my eager sucker kept flying them across the room, down the hall, I am sure he could have propelled that thing straight out the window while I  was driving down the road.  Pacifiers grew wings when inserted into my babies mouth.  With the wings they also had this magical ability to be flown places that were a point of no return.  Where did all the pacifiers go?  At this rate I would have to buy stock in pacis to keep the family sane.

Then we found The Wub.  The what?  The Wub!  Once you go Wub, you never go back.  I remember showing Dufda the WubbaNub on Amazon and him not really getting the concept.  It took a couple of days but in one of my late night Amazon Prime ordering fest (You know you do it too), The Wub made it into the cart.  Nugget's first Wub was Mr. Froggy.  He was life changing.  Nugget could not fling Mr. Froggy across the house, he couldn't even propel him out of his mouth.  Mr. Froggy became very well known in our house.  Before we go anywhere we need to track down Mr. Froggy and keep her whereabouts known at all times of the trip.  Anytime Nugget is crying...it is usually because he misses Mr. Froggy.  To illustrate just how much we love The Wub I thought I would put together the likings of a children book titled:

The Adventures of Mr. Froggy and Nugget

The secret to this magical paci is the weight behind the pacifer keeps it in the babies mouth longer.  It is also a great lovely.  Sometimes I find Nugget chomping on Mr. Froggy's bum and I think it is really funny.  One of the other benefits:  How many of you have chased a bouncing paci through the mall or down the street?  You no longer have to do that with The Wub.  It falls and stays put!  When Mr. Froggy gets dirty, I just pop him in the wash and let him air dry and we are good to go.

Do you think you need some Wub in your life?  Go check out their website to see all the different WubbaNub friends you can get!  Leave a comment below with which one is your favorite.  You can also "Like" them on Facebook to stay up to date on all the WubbaNub news!  

If you haven't heard...My Jordanian Nugget is turning 1 this week!  I have paired with Wubbanub to get this must have baby item in your house.  My complete list of must haves and a chance to win some is right here!

Disclosure:  I was provided with this product in exchange for a review.  The opinions are 100% my own.

My Jordanian Nugget's 1 year Anniversary!

Last year, around this time, I started to compose my first blog post.  I had no idea what I was doing or where I would go with it.  I had no Facebook page, no Twitter followers and I still had .blogspot.com after my name.  Have you read my story from the beginning?  If not, kill some time and start here.  

After a year of blogging I will tell you that it is my greatest form of therapy.  Not only is it great to get out what I want to say, but I have my own little spot to express my opinions and if people want to read....great...if not...oh well.  What I have learned though, is that you want to read it!  When I was starting the journey of becoming a mom, I too, turned to blogs written by people just like me.  I wanted someone who I could relate with, an actual person, not "What to Expect, When Your Expecting."  Most of my parenting ways have been found right through the Google searches that led me to other blogs written by strong willed women raising children in this crazy world.

Blogging has also given me the opportunity to remember and reflect.  My pregnancy wasn't easy but I almost all but forgotten about the struggles of day to day and the excitement of the high points.  I can click back to when we found out Nugget was a boy, or to when I was throwing up everyday and could barely look at food, or to my birth story to reminisce about the day I brought Nugget into this world.

I never knew that when I started that anyone would care about what I wrote.  I didn't think anyone would read.  Well people did read and they actually took something away from what I read.  Someone the other day told me that they decided to breastfeed their baby because of the knowledge they got from reading MY BLOG!  I was told by another new mom that she was a more confident mother because  I gave her the courage to get out with her newborn and not stay cooped up in the house.  These two occurrences have made me keep writing down everything.  My experiences aren't any different from yours, mine are just in print for everyone to share.

Are you at a point in your life that you don't want to forget?  Did you just get married, just have a baby, thinking about trying to conceive, just started a new job or whatever is happening in your life?  My advice is write it all down.  You will never regret journaling your thoughts and feelings, but you may forget them over time if you don't.

To celebrate My Jordanian Nugget's 1 Year Anniversary I am bringing you several days of reviews on Nugget's favorite things followed with a giveaway where you can win every single one of them!  I have teamed with Britax, HALO SleepSack, Wubbanub, Smart Mom Jewelry, Zipadee-zip, Bamboobies, Preggie Pops, Little Monster Diapers, Daddy Scrubs, Lansinoh, Nuby,  and Simple Wishes to thank my readers for keeping up with us for one whole year.  Be on the look out to enter to win this great prize pack. 

I am 5 months old!

Outfit is the making of Haddon & Co.  Head over to Facebook and like their page because their stuff is seriously adorable!

Yep, freaking adorable!

Nugget weighs: about 17lbs...bathroom scale, so not exact

Nugget is wearing:  He still fits in his 12 month clothes

Nugget's Firsts this month:  Nuggie found his feet and that is all in terms of milestones, but I am pretty tired so I could be forgetting some

Nugget's Adventures:
This month was a month of sight seeing for Nugs.  We took an impromptu trip to Mill Creek Botanical Gardens and looked at all the flowers.  Nugget loved all the colors and water fountains.

We also took a short little hike with Nugget's cousin through the Laurel Highlands and came to this wonderful water fountain.  Nugget loved it because it sounded just like his sleep sheep.

We got Nugget's five month pictures taken and everyone loves them!  Here are some of the highlights:

Breastfeeding Myths Debunked w/ $50 Giveaway!

As many of you know...I am obsessed with breastfeeding.  I would love to shout from the rooftops all that I have learned in my short breastfeeding career.  So, in honor of World Breastfeeding Week 2013 I teamed with 3 other bloggers to bring you a giveaway to celebrate a wonderful week.

The girls at The Baloney Bug, Granolaish, and Thank You Ma'am have not only teamed with me to bring you this giveaway, but they have also been part of my support group that I turn to when having any issue breastfeeding my son.  We all have charm babies, born between March 1 and March 30.  It has been amazing to be able to share my journey with them.  In our discussions we have come across some things that it seems everyone will try to lead you to believe about breastfeeding that just aren't true.  So here it goes, when you hear these just close your ears and smile because they are all myths!

Pumping tells you how much milk you are making:  If I had a quarter for every time I heard, "Well I only pump one ounce I must not be making enough milk."  Your baby is far more efficient than a machine.  Your pumping output is not correlated in anyway to the amount of milk your baby is getting.  You may just not respond well to the pump.  It is a plastic device that isn't cute and doesn't coo or cry at you, so this is understandable.

Newborns need supplemented with formula:  Here is another one I here all the time.  My milk didn't come in right away so we needed to give the baby formula.  Your milk won't come in right away.  Your baby needs that super nutritious colostrum that your body is making.  A newborn's stomach is about the size of a large marble, they do not need a lot but this fact has been lost on many people, medical professionals alike.  Keep your baby at the breast, it will only urge your milk to come in sooner.

You cannot work full time and breastfeed:  Working and breastfeeding is a commitment but it can totally be done.  You cannot let your supply tank by eliminating pumps at work.  Exercise your rights as a breastfeeding mother and demand time to pump.  Pay close attention to the amount your care provider is feeding your baby.  Breastfed babies only need 1-1.5 oz per hour of separation   The older they get, your milk adjust to their needs so no reason to increase volume.

Nursing your baby to sleep will spoil them:  Repeat after me: You cannot spoil a baby.  They do not have the mental capacity for manipulation...yet.  Breastmilk has some amazing properties within it that support brain development.  Your baby's brain does a lot of its growing at night.  Why deprive them of these nutrients because so and so told you not to rock, nurse, or do any other act to get your baby to sleep.

You should prep your breast for feeding:  I was definitely told I should rough off my nipples prior to my baby coming.  Why this is a crazy myth; Nipple stimulation causes preterm labor, that is a fact.  Don't risk carrying your baby to term because of this wonderful piece of advice.

Breast is Best:  What's that you say, this is a myth.  Yes.  Breast is in fact best, except for when its not.  There are plenty of people to provide support and encouragement if you want to breastfeed.  There are also situations when another option would be better.  Maybe you need to be on medicine for post-partum depression that doesn't jive with breastfeeding, don't be hard on your self, happy mommy equals happy baby.  Maybe you are unable to breastfeed due to breast trauma earlier in life.  Maybe you are also one of the women who truly does not make enough milk.  There are situations out there that breast is not best and we, as mothers need to understand that.  There are alternatives.  You can feed donor milk through bottle or SNS system if you still want the breastfeeding experience.  Don't beat yourself up a fed baby is a happy baby, no matter how they are fed.

Breastfeeding is free:  Breastfeeding isn't free...well it could be but you are most likely going to have to buy some things.  Nursing bras, tops, breast pads, breastmilk storage bags, nipple cream, breast pump...it goes on and on.  Definitely cheaper than formula but not free.  Well we are here to help.  Scroll down and enter our $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway.  Not only will this help with breastfeeding supplies, but I promise during your late night nursing sessions you will find yourself buying random stuff on Amazon for your baby.

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Gia Angled Pillow Review for World Breastfeeding Week

Disclosure: I have received the Gia Angled Breastfeeding Pillow from Dr. Brown in exchange for a review of the product.  The opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Today marks the beginning of World Breastfeeding week.  The theme that they have picked for the week is Close to Mothers.  Mothers need the people around them to support their decision to breastfeed.  It is even better that they encourage and cheer them on while doing so.   Along with my family I also seek support online.  There is no better way to connect with lots of different mothers at once than through an online forum.  I have leaned of these women for so many different issues.

Any other breastfeeding mother loves to give advice to the new mothers, be it whether the new mother wants to hear it or not.  Here are my Top five tips for successful breastfeeding:

5.  Establish a support group:  Mine came in the form of a weekly check in for all breastfeeding mothers in my Birth Month group on Facebook.  We talked about struggles and triumphs and bounced questions off of one another.  I gave birth in a Birth Center that also had a lactation consultant call me weekly.  If I had any questions she would be able to help me right away.  The combination of these two things were essential to my success.

4.  Don't Stress:  Stress isn't good for milk production.  There is no need to do weighted feeds and be at the pump all day if your baby is doing fine.  Don't stress when your milk hasn't come in.  Keep the baby at the breast and that little one will get all they need.  Don't stress about how much milk you are making.  Your body is magical and works on supply and demand and knows just what your baby needs.

3.  Month 2 feels a lot different than month 1:  My baby had a great latch and was gaining weight like crazy.  That didn't mean that breastfeeding was easy for me.  It was actually the opposite.  I cried several nights because I didn't know when I would ever get a break.  It lasted 4 weeks...just 4 weeks out of your babies whole life to give them something so important.  I had pain in the beginning even with a correct latch, that pain went away in the second month.  I know when you are in that first month you are dead tired and you think you won't make it through one more feeding...you will get past it.  I am in month five, I pump all day at work and breastfeed on night and weekends and it is easy peasy.

2.  Invest in clothes that give you easy access:  I didn't want to spend the money at first.  When I finally bought breastfeeding friendly clothes, I was much happier.  It was much easier to nurse in public and they were much more flattering on my post baby bod.  Get fitted for a really good nursing bra and make sure to have something that is comfortable, yet accessible to sleep in. 

1.  Get comfortable: When you start breastfeeding you may need some support.  Make sure you are able to have a space where you can relax and just feed your baby.  This will correlate into easier nursing sessions in public.  If you are comfortable you will probably have a better chance at getting a good latch as well.  One of my favorite breastfeeding items was my support pillow.  You have lots of options to chose from when picking a pillow to feed with.  The Gia by Dr. Brown is unique in the way that it is angled.  The pillow provides more support up top by your baby's head and tapers off towards their feet.

 This angle helps to reduce reflux and puts your nurslings in a better position to make breastfeeding more comfortable for mom and baby.  The pillow wraps around your body and provide a great deal of surface space for baby to lay on.  

The wider part is for the head and the small part for the feet.  This pillow really does grow with your baby.  When others seem to be useless after 2 months, the Gia was able to support my 5 month old with no problem.  He also enjoys lounging with the pillow in all kinds of positions.

The Gia is made with 100% cotton that is anti-bacterial and stain resistant.  You are able to use it with or without a cover.  I think the cover makes it more cuddly and cute so that is what I prefer.  

You can buy the Gia Angled Breastfeeding pillow here.  We are also giving FIVE away to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week.

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Disclosure: I have received the Gia Angled Breastfeeding Pillow from Dr. Brown in exchange for a review of the product.  The opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.