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When I was preparing for Alexis’ arrival, I was planning on pumping, storing milk & having daddy feed Alexis from the bottle occasionally. That meant that, even though I’d be exclusively breast feeding (EBF), I would still need all the supplies of a mom who bottle feeds. There lay 2 very big and important dilemmas: bottles that don’t contain toxic chemicals and bottle warmer’s that don’t kill all that is good about breast milk in the first place.

I’m iffy about plastics, even plastics that claim that they are BPA/pthalates free. I always worry that if BPA is one component of plastics that disrupts hormones and just completely screws up our system, what’s not to say that there isn’t some other chemical that hasn’t been tested yet, considering most chemicals used by us in every day life haven’t been evaluated as to the effects they have on our bodies. It turns out my fears were not unfounded. While most companies did away with BPA, the question is what DID they replace it with? The answer for some of them – equally dangerous BPS that hasn’t been studied as well as BPA. I won’t go into detail but you can read more about it here if you’re interested.

So the only reasonable solution to the plastic bottle dilemma was glass. Glass bottles don’t leech any chemicals. Yes they are heavy and slightly more expensive but who can put a price on our kids’ health (did you know BPA is also linked to kids’ behavioral problems?). The problem with glass was they are pretty limited with what you can get. I wanted a wide neck and some kind of system that helped with the air bubbles. After spending hours searching the internet and lists of best bottles of each category, I found  the bottles that are the closest to what I want. You might not have the same needs or concerns, but this is what worked for us.

Glass bottles tend to be limited to a standard bottle and nipple. But when you’re a new mom, you’re worried about everything, including ” If I give my baby a bottle, it will screw up breast feeding”. The other concern that glass bottle manifactorers sometimes ignore is the flow of the milk and air bubbles that can cause gas. Ideally I wanted a system that prevents gas bubbles from forming and isn’t dripping with milk (I.e. more difficult to suck, mimicking a breast).

The closest I found to what I needed/wanted was Born Free glass bottles.

All their bottles have a wide nipple base to sort of mimick the shape of the breast. This way your baby should have minimal breast/bottle confusion, as the latch is not much different from the breast. They have a fancy-shmancy system called Active Flow Venting that according to their website “… [mimicks] mom’s natural milk flow, helps prevent nipple confusion and reduces air ingested while feeding, helps reduce colic symptoms like gas pain, spit-up, crying, and fussiness.”

Ok, EXACTLY what I needed. How did it fare in the real world? Exactly how you’d expect! Alexis has never had any gas pains or tummy trouble and the bottle definitely didn’t add to it. She did have reflux, but I hadn’t noticed any increase in that after bottle feeding, and even though we did introduce a bottle before the recommended 6 weeks, she’s obviously still breastfeeding, so no nipple confusion for this little lady.

All in all, there aren’t any other brand or bottles I am ever going to need to buy, because Born Free does exactly what I need.

I had contacted Born Free to help me run a giveaway for you guys and they would LOVE to give you a chance to win a Born Free 3 pack glass bottle set. When you’re done reading, scroll down to enter.

LEARN MORE:

*** Born Free website *** Facebook ***Twitter***

BUY IT: Amazon.com

WIN IT: See Rafflecopter at the end of this post.

The second discovery I made as I was researching a feeding system other than my breasts was that bottle warmers aren’t all that they are cracked up to be.  You aren’t supposed to heat milk in the microwave- that is well known. But almost any other heating system that uses steam or boiling water is just as detrimental to our natural breast milk. There’s the issue of hot spots, loss of those precious antibodies and nutrients we breastfeed our babies for, and the leakage of chemicals from the plastic containers. You can’t imagine how happy I was when I found a super cool looking Kiinde warmer.  It’s a warmer that can be used for breastmilk, formula, bottles, bags, baby food, pretty much anything that fits into it.

The concept is the following: it uses “… low temperature, nutrient-safe water bath that is safe for ALL bottle and bag types. The water in the warmer is about as warm as warm tap water.” Awesome, right?  Here how it’s achieved, if you’re curious for that type of thing ( I always am. Love the “How things work” documentaries)  It has “…circulating bath of warm water that improves warming efficiency, allowing the use of lower temperature water without compromising warming speed. The thermostatically controlled water bath is maintained at the temperature of warm tap water…” In layman’s terms, “it’s the flowing warm water that gets the job done safely and fast.”

Kiinde Kozii has a timer knob that you turn and it shuts off completely on its own when it is done. {Did you know how many bottle warmers that I looked into do not have an AUTO shut off button? That’s ridiculous} It also has a technology that ensures that the milk is always warmed up to approximately the same temperature, so your baby enjoys it like she/he would straight out of the breast.

It’s really a wonderful invention, especially for working moms and isn’t like anything else I’ve seen on the market.

LEARN MORE:

*** Kiinde Kozii website *** Facebook ***

BUY IT: Amazon.com

WIN IT: See Rafflecopter at the end of this post.

3 Pack Glass Bottles from Born Free & Kiinde Kozii Bottle Warmer

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are 3 mandatory entries for each giveaway, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 2 daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily. This giveaway is open to continental US residents only.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Each giveaway has specific rules, so read them on the widget (including which countries are eligible). See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Companies provided me with a product sample to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I’ve been preparing for this post for a while and whew it’s finally here!

As many of you know, my husband and I resolved to try our best to use organic clothing for Alexis for the first 6 months.

The reason for that is, like any other change we’ve made, to prevent Alexis’ exposure to chemicals as much as we can handle it. The number 6 months came from the fact that for the first six months of a baby’s life, her skin is very porous and absorbent, which means anything put on her skin gets right through to her bloodstream ( a percentage of it, anyways). That was also the reason why we attempted to cloth diaper at first (though it didn’t work for us when she was little, but I am hoping to resume within a month or two, unless Elements Naturals’ new 100% natural and compostable diapers turn out to be amazing). The other reason for using a 6 months limit was to give ourselves a sense that it doesn’t have to be that way forever, in case we find it more difficult or more expensive than we expected.

Obviously, everything can’t be changed to organic overnight or even ever. Our clothes all can’t be organic and she spends a significant amount of time in our arms, swings and seats and beds can’t all be organic. That’s something we expected and don’t fret about. Though I gotta tell you, if I had all the time in the world, I’d start an all organic baby line, including strollers, swings, mats, seats and rockers. I know I’d buy that.

Initially, I thought it would cost an arm and a leg to buy organic clothing for her, but shopping sales and using Zulily is turning out to be no more expensive than conventional stuff I would buy. In the last 4 months I have learned a lot about organic baby clothing, and I am happy to say that  while we won’t stay exclusively organic after 6 months, I will most likely continue shopping at my favorite organic stores and brands as much as possible.

I already posted about some of my favorite organic brands, but I have a different perspective on them now, since Alexis has had a chance to try them all. So here’s the update you’ve asked for and a big giveaway that you can enter to win a lot of baby clothing {details of each brand’s giveaway item are in the descriptions}

BAMBINO LAND

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* * accessories

Bambino Land has plenty of organic baby clothes, but I think their true strength is in their muslin swaddles. I wrote about Bambino Land’s swaddles before, but if you’re new to this blog and you’re still swaddling your baby, you need to check these out. Unlike most muslin swaddles out there,  these organic ones truly give you a tight swaddle. As a little newborn, Alexis could wiggle out of her A&A swaddle in a matter of seconds, so pretty quickly we learned that if we use our pretty Hawaiian swaddle, she’ll wake up still swaddled. It’s stretchy but taut.
The gown, hat and receiving blanket combo was used by us when she was first born and thus holds a very special place in my heart.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 2 pack organic muslin swaddle Open to US and Canada.

Polarn O. Pyret

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *adult* *accessories*

This was my recent discovery and it got bookmarked immediately. Polarn O. Pyret isn’t an exclusively organic clothing brand, but they do have a very cute Eco Line that I was able to pick some items off of. They also offer really cute maternity & nursing clothing and matching dad style. I have to say, just like some other brands above, they stand out in terms of style. I would even have to go so far as to say that the styles definitely beat most conventional brands. You know how you look at a brand and you know they have IT. That’s how I felt about PO.P. There’s something about the patterns that makes them different from any other brand. And you are guaranteed that your baby will NEVER wear an ordinary outfit, or the same outfit as another baby. Go see for yourself. My favorite item is this little playsuit. It has a ZIPPER! Who was this brilliant person who finally put a zipper on a baby’s overall? I mean we’ve been struggling to snap those clips on all her footies and here… Ziiiiip! Done! I am in love with the pattern here: navy,white, fuscia,orange and blue- Who would have thunk it? :) It looks striking! Again, I am so going to shop there more. This playsuit is currently on sale, so if you love it, you better get it.

The white onesie is a part of the  ruffle collection with adorable ruffle butt tights that I couldn’t get since they were out of our size. So instead we wear it with equaly matching colorful heart capri from Jefferies Socks.

Deals: End of season Sale and Mama Liquidation sale (up to 70% off)

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 2 Polarn O Pyret baby/child/toddler items,  US only

NOSILLA ORGANICS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

I initially got introduced to Nosilla Organics through Zulily where I buy most of my organic baby clothes. I purchased quite a few items from their winter collection. Unfortunately, by the time the items arrived from Zulily, our short Florida “winter” turned into a ridiculously hot spring, and I didn’t get much use out of their cute clothing, except for warm footies. That’s when Allison told me about their new spring line and sent me this romper. I LOVE the spring line. One little silly fear of going organic that I had was that I’d be saddled with dressing my baby in drab looking clothes, but companies like this just have proven me so wrong. I want all of their stripped styles and their adorable new prints! One thing my husband noted was that the footies that we got from the winter collection are really “solid and warm”. It’s simple cotton but it’s so thick that it makes it a perfect sleeper without any need for a blanket. SO if you keep your house cold at night, this is probably the thickest cotton sleeper you’ll ever find. It’s always been his favorite. The spring line, though, is light and free and beautiful and happy!

Deals: Some cute styles heavily discounted,  including this playsuit I really want!

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 1 or 2 items not exceeding $50, Open Internationally

BOOB DESIGN

Types of clothes: *baby*  *maternity* *nursing*

Boob, ah, Boob! You know how much I love Boob (I feel funny saying that). It’s one of those companies that I can easily say I want every single piece of. Up until now, I’ve been talking about Boob in terms of maternity and nursing wear, but really they have a very cute, alas small, organic baby line. From the Mama and Baby sets that you see below to onesies and baby terry sets,  they do have clothing worth taking a look at. Two things that make their onesies stand out from the rest of the clothes Alexis has. They are meant to grow with the baby.  The one size onesie lasted her from birth to 4 months (at 18 lbs and 26.5 in of length). There’s enough stretch in each piece that even with Alexis who hates getting dressed, I am able to slip these over her head without too much fuss. They have a great fit since they snap back to their original shape once on the body. And another feature that took me a few months to even notice (yeah I know I can be oblivious sometimes) is the double crotch clips, designed to extend the life of the onesie as you baby gets longer. Amazing! Everyone should do this, seeing how babies grow so fast. Oh wait, but then they wouldn’t sell as much clothes :) Duh!

Deals: Outlet discounts up to 50% off baby stuff and more

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Green terry set open Internationally

FINN & EMMA

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

Another favorite of mine! Honestly, I’ve been very surprised to have discovered so many cute and unconventional looking styles in organic clothes. Finn and Emma cuts the line between “earthy looking” and “cute as hell”. I can freely say that this footie was our favorite item for the first month of Alexis’ life until she grew out of it. Doesn’t she look adorable in it? So little and newborn-y looking :) It’s also very very thick, so it makes  a great sleeper or a winter footie. I loved the feel of the fabric- it was the thickest but softest outfit for that first month. Finn and Emma goes out of their way to add nice decorative touches to their clothes, which is one of the reasons I love them so much. That flower on her foot  is what makes the footie so special for me and the reason why I picked this particular style. It takes ALL my willpower not to spend all my money on Finn and Emma. They are expensive, no doubt about it, but well worth it, so I am waiting until Alexis gets a bit bigger and doesn’t grow out of her clothes so fast and then I am stocking up. And in the meantime, F&E, pretty please do a Zulily sale!

DEALS: 15% OFF for readers with the discount code: PreBaby15

GIVEAWAY ITEM: 1 coverall. Open Internationally

NOHI KIDS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

Ah… I smile when I think of their name. Maybe because their clothes are so happy, maybe because no other clothing item has gotten SO much love and feedback and notice as this owl onesie from strangers and friends alike.

This onesie surprised me with continuing to fit Alexis from birth all the way to her 3rd months’ birthday when EVERY SINGLE piece of clothing has long been put away till the next baby. I had to actually go and double check the size and sure enough it said 0-3 months. Alexis hadn’t worn anything 0-3 months since she was 2 months old :) So yeah, it’s stretchy and fits for a long time. I did find the pants to be very tight in the waist and we weren’t really able to wear them at all, since we were cloth diapering. So if you do cloth diaper, I’d be careful with pant sizing – they have a very tight elastic. The new summer line has another owl onesie that is more summery and I’ve been drooling over that one for a bit now. I do love their other styles as well- Nohi Kids is one of the few organic companies that makes it fun to dress your baby in organic.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a onesie or a tee. Open to US and Canada

THE SPUNKY STORK

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

Fun fun fun onesies! That’s where you can have your creativity shine! Custom organic onesies, as well as cute pre-made ones. I couldn’t help but sing “Lexi is Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”  every time I’d put her in it. It’s very stretchy, so it actually lasted a long time. That’s the one thing where companies differed a lot. Some literally lasted a week, while others she couldn’t grow out of.  The next ones to buy for us are MUGGLE onesie, When I grow up I want to be a zombie and trouble! I still can’t help it but crack up at the bottom picture: crossed eyes, arrow on her forehead and Live Long and Prosper sign{almost}

Deals: $12 Teeshirts

GIVEAWAY ITEM: any non-custom onesie. Open to US only

Funkoos

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

Funkoos took a simple white onesie and made it fun. Their collection is blue, pink and white organic pieces with beautiful embroidered graphics of whimsical characters. We’ve been wearing a sleepy fairy gown which is fairly large for the size and that’s always a bonus. The fabric is soft and simple- that means no harmful dyes, no chemicals, and being organic, no pesticides. I really love their bath set, but unfortunately it’s out of stock. But I do need to get a little bath robe for Alexis, it’d be so much fun! They have a really cute ducky one. I hate leaving her in a cold wet towel until we get her dressed so the robe will be perfect.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Carousel or Trucks onesie. Open to US only.

B NATURE ORGANIC

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *accessories*

This is the company that took the word organic literally and made their clothes look truly earthy and organic. The colors are muted whites, ivories, olives and brown, very earthy and very soft. We got a gown and booties and I think it looks adorable, though now I wish I would have skipped all gowns and just got the cute rompers and onesies instead. I love how the stitching gives it a colorful twist. Also, there are starter kits which I think is a brilliant idea. All you need for a newborn depending on the season it’s going to be born. In organic. Brilliant!
The fabric is soft and simple. They use color grown fabric in most cases and if dyes are used, they’re low impact dyes. And the clothes arrive in the most adorable “green” packaging. This is the company that truly takes the word ORGANIC to heart!

GIVEAWAY ITEM: Essential B Gift (2 super soft onesies). Open to continental US only.

Bungalow Bebe

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *accessories*

Every time I look at Bungalow Bebe styles, they make me think of Japan. Is it only me or they have this undeniable Far East feel to them?

We got a good wear out of these items and loved it. I appreciated a generous amount of snaps on the dress, because Alexis is so difficult to dress without fussiness, that any wide opening gets a 5 star from me (ok that sounded wrong). Again, the organic fabric is soft and it held up great in the wash, not fading or wearing off at all.

If you have a boy, they have an adorable Monster Hoodie that I almost want tot get for Alexis. I can totally picture a boy or a girl going to karate lessons in that hoodie and red is such a flattering color. For girls I can’t get enough of Alejandra Sash Shirt, the ultimate in girly elegance and I am all about that. {Isn’t it funny how I can love a karate style hoodie and a girly top at the same time? I was the exact same way as a little girl: a tomboy and a girly girl}

Deals: 10% OFF first order, 30% off the Eva dress ( in the picture below)

MY NATURAL BABY BOUTIQUE

Another “all you need is here” type of store. Bpa free products, organic toys, organic blankets, suncare, teethers, loveys, bath products. I just discovered a sun hat with UPF 50+ that I HAVE to have in Florida sun. We got to use the Swaddle Design’s organic towel and organic lovey. The lovey has been incredibly useful in the first few months. It is small enough that you do not have to worry about it obstructing airways and Alexis has always been able to grab onto it. She’d have it in the swing, in the stroller, in a carrier. At first she’d just place her hands by the sides of it, but soon she was grabbing it and bringing it to her mouth. When we had that teething episode, we got the lovey wet and froze it a bit, then let her chew on it to relieve her gums. Whenever I go out with our Nordic carrier, I make sure to place this lovey over the top of it, so that Alexis was chewing and sucking on the organic lovey rather than non-organic carrier (she sucks on EVERYTHING nowadays). The towel is great and absorbent too. If there was one thing that I could have in organic (not including things she puts in her mouth), it would be a towel, since a baby’s skin absorbs more when it’s wet.

DEALS: Sale up to 40%

Swaddle Designs

Types of clothes: *baby* *accessories*

While not an exclusively organic company, Swaddle Designs does have a decent organic collection. In the pictures below, Lexi is wearing one of my favorite ZzzipMe Sacks. I have to say, it’s the best most flattering fitting sack I’ve ever seen. As soon as you put your baby in it, they become a baby-model looking all prim and proper and dapper {or again is it just me?}. We’ve used the sack quite often, because she grew out of swaddling early on and yet I was always worried about  her being too cold. We’d use a footie and this sack or during the day when the sun warms up our bedroom, just a diaper and the sack. First of all, it’s SOFT! It has always amazed me how 100% cotton can mean so many things in terms of the feel of the fabric. Here there’s a bit of “fuzziness” to it. Just a warm soft sack that makes me wish Swaddle Designs would release one in adult size {hint hint} As you can see my chubster is plenty comfy in it and I just want to hug the bejesus out of her when I see her chubby arms sticking out of this pink cuteness.

Deals:  Save 10% with Promo code: Celebrate
GIVEAWAY ITEM: ZzzzipMe Sack. Open to US and Canada

Estella-NYC

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child*

I have a soft spot for anything NYC. Really. As soon as I see a company that is based in the city, I go “Aaahhhh, New York”. I’ve had lots of good memories there. Ok, wait, I’m supposed to talk about clothing. Yeah ok… So Estella NYC (“Ahhhhh New York!!!”) is a designer baby clothing shop taht stocks and sells some of the coolest baby designers out there, as well as their own nice collection of organic cotton, 100% cotton and bamboo outfits.

Now here’s where I am torn. I got sent two bamboo pieces out of their new layette collection and OH-MY-FREAKING-GOD, it is the NICEST FABRIC I’ve have ever had the privilege to touch. I’m not kidding you! Bamboo is just Ah-mazing. So I got obsessed with bamboo, literally obesssed. To have my precious baby dressed in something so light, so soft, so huggable – that’s beyond a dream of mine. Heck, before she was born I was hoping to only clothe her in items that had no tags as to not irritate her in any way. But here was this out-of-this world goodness. I went on buying everything and anything I could in bamboo, it is THAT good. When she’s wearing the romper, it feels like I am holding her naked but better.

That’s where I got smacked in the face… One of my readers brought to my attention how bamboo is made. See, I’ve always thought (and I am sure it’s marketed that way on purpose) that bamboo being so “eco” and so “sustainable” is of course FREE OF CHEMICALS that we’ve been trying to avoid. I was wrong. Most bamboo is made WITH the use of chemicals. If you use conventional clothing (non-organic), then it’s no big deal to you, ignore that whole part above and concentrate on how incredible the fabric feels. But if you are after as chemical free living as we try to be, then just keep in mind that bamboo doesn’t equal organic.  I didn’t stop using them, they are just too soft and feel like skin, but I did make sure to wash any new bamboo clothing several times before use.

I’ve also bought many other bamboo items from different retailers, but none of them compare to this Estella Bamboo layette collection. This is by far the softest, thinest set of clothing I’ve ever seen.

DEALS: up to 70% off Sale Items, plus free shipping over $100

HALO

Types of clothes: *baby*

Very few people haven’t heard of Halo SleepSacks. They are almost a household name in the world of wearable blankets. The concept is simple, it’s an armless sack with a zipper to be worn at night. The one we have is made out of simple 100% organic cotton and is very generously sized. Alexis had plenty of room for her legs in it and I really liked how the bottom was very wide and loose so she didn’t feel constricted.  And most importantly she was always warm in it. This particular blanket is on the thicker more solid side of cotton, so it’s perfect for colder nights.  I am also a fan of anything that has a zipper and doesn’t have arms when it comes to baby clothing. Just makes it so much easier to put them into, when it’s late at night and babies are tired and fussy. So needless to say, we’ll be wearing the Halo until we grow out of it. Oh and if you’re a Disney fan, they are some ADORABLE Disney princess styles, as well as very cool boy designs.

DEALS: Clearance on some organic items.

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a standard cotton Halo sack. US and Canada

BEST BABY ORGANICS

Types of clothes: *baby* *toddler* *child* *mama* *accessories*

One of the two websites that are online retailers for all things organic and natural. At Best Baby Organics you can find literally ANYTHING, from maternity bands to swim diapers, to organic clothing, to cribs to nursing clothes. I’ve discovered so many useful items from their website. Nursing clothes, nursing bras, baby clothes- they have made it a point to sell only the most interesting and often unusual and unusually useful items. Alexis got to wear their  Lukeeno onesie and a Lukeeno tee. Lukeeno onesie is the one we took to the hospital to dress her into once she was born. It’s a good warm thick onesie that lasted for quite a long time as well. She still fits into the long sleeved tee and wears it occasionally when the house is toocold from the A/C and we need an additional layer.

DEALS: 15% OFF + Free shipping over $35

GIVEAWAY ITEM: a Lukeeno tee and pants set. Open to US and Canada.

Other organic brands that I use and like who unfortunately couldn’t participate in this post and giveaway at this time are: Sage Creek Organics, Broken Trycicle, Little Shrimp, Green Baby.

Now that you’re done reading about these brands, some of them were generous enough to offer a giveaway item or two for my readers to win. I went back and forth trying to decide whether one person should win them all, or we should have 1 winner per brand with a total of 11 winners. Let me know what you think. But for this one I decided 11 winners would be better. That way more people would get a little treat.

The following are the prizes: 1 Finn&Emma coverall, 2 Polarn O.Pyret items, 2 Nosilla Organics items, 1 Lukeeno Tee & Pant set, 1 Boob terry set, 1 Swaddle Design’s ZzzzipMe Sack, 1 Halo Sleep Sack, 1 Funkoos onesie, 1 Spunky Stork onesie, 2-pack Bambino Land muslin Swaddle, 1 Nohi kids onesie or Tee, 1 Essential B gift from B Nature.

So this giveaway is a bit different from others, but it’s pretty simple. The only 3 mandatory entries are to follow The Art of making a Baby, answer a simple question and to create a Pinterest Board. After these two you’ll have a bunch of other options to enter if you wish. So read below in the RULES section on how to create a Pinterest Board.

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are three mandatory entries:

1. Follow this blog

2. Answer why you’d like to win (and brand preference in case you do win)

3. Create a Pinterest Board. Login into your Pinterest account (or create one if you don’t have it) and create a new board named Baby Clothing Brands.

For 10 entries you can simply repin every single pin from the board I already created, called BOBG: Big Organic Baby Giveaway {MANDATORY ENTRY}

To get an additional 25 entries, you can pin your own favorite items from each brand’s website.  Make sure to tag each pin with #BOBG {VOLUNTARY ENTRY}

Here’s the list of brands to visit and pin: Finn&Emma, Halo, Swaddle Designs, Funkoos, Polarn O.Pyret, Nosilla, Boob Design, Spunky Stork, Best Baby Organics, Bambino Land, Nohi Kids, Swaddle Designs, B Nature.

And that’s all!

After you’ve done that, you’ll have the option to do all the additional usual entries.

The giveaway is open internationally, however some brands aren’t able to ship internationally, so the prizes will be distributed accordingly.

The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. The above mentioned companies sent me a sample of their product for review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Welcome to Alexis’ Nursery Final Reveal

To view the progress, follow the links below:

Nursery Part I
Nursery Part II- bits and pieces

All the items in the room and where you can find them will be listed at the bottom of the post.

Overall, I am happy with how it turned out. The room we had for her is the smallest in the house and I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to decorate it the way I wanted. I am not great with styling or design, I am not crafty and we didn’t have a huge budget. But I feel that we were able to do exactly what I had envisioned with minor concessions. There will be some changes to the room in the future and it’s not 100% complete, but it is as complete as it will be until Alexis starts sleeping in it ( which she currently isn’t and probably won’t be for a long time). I am planning on adding pom-poms in the ceiling corner and a bookshelf, but this is as final as it’s going to get for a while.

So let’s start:

The chair is the only thing that doesn’t completely match, but in order to get a white chair I would have had to either sacrifice my comfort or price. So this was a good middle of the road rocker/recliner that is insanely comfortable. The rug is temporary, as well. I haven’t been able to find a rug that fit the room perfectly, so this cheap Target rug will do for now until I find something more appropriate.

The blinds will get cord winders soon (if you know of good ones, please share)
The crib skirt and bows were made by my sister who lives in Russia. She did an amazing job, considering she’s not a seamstress and went off of our measurements. We opted for no bumpers (even though I had a very cute one in mind) and an organic muslin crib sheet and a Naturepedic mattress.

I debated buying children’s canvas art for the room or framing my own photography. I am glad I went with frames, because that means I can switch out photos once in a while when we get bored of them.

The dresser was a old craigslist dresser that we had refinished. And yes, I am aware the handles are upside down. No, it wasn’t on purpose :). Since the dresser is old, the only crafty thing I managed to accomplish was lining the drawers with pretty purple and white fabric that I ordered online.

We have two mobiles over the crib. Wispy soft and cute one for looks and for when Alexis is a bit older to be interested in such delicate things (see how to win one), and another developmental crib mobile made out of black, white and red plastic shapes that encourage baby’s visual development. Needless to say, Alexis loves it as much as she does her black and white board.

It took nearly to my due date to find a chandelier that we both liked. I didn’t want it to look cheap with plastic crystals and anything with real crystals was either too big or over the top. This one came in black and was exactly what we needed after some spray paint action.

The butterflies offer some entertainment for Lexi while she gets her diaper change ( that is when we use that area to change her diapers). The beautiful owl and birdie mobile is courtesy of Denise from my favorite Magical Whimsy Etsy shop

The closet dividers are courtesy of Erica from Fifi’s closet on Etsy and can be made in a variety of color schemes

Nursery Details:

Paint: Zero VOC Olympic Paint in Iris Isle

Mirror: Rooms To Go Disney Princess Mirror

Lamp: Shade from Layla Grace, base from Ebay painted white.

Owl: Red Envelope

Cloth Doll: Haba Organic Doll

Flower vase: vase and flowers from Michael’s, cut and arranged by me.

Frame: a gift from ex-neighbors. They framed Alexis’ announcement which I thought was so creative.

Dresser: an old craigslist dresser and night stand refinished. (bought for $150, refinished for $500)

Drawer Liners: Made using foam board from Michael’s, cut to size. Fabric ordered online.

Chandalier: Overstock.com

Butterly mobile over the changing table: Amazon

Owl & Bird Mobile: Magical Whimsy Etsy shop (WIN IT! see below)

Black and White Mobile: Manhattan Toy

Black and White Board: on Amazon from Manhattan Toy

Canvas: Easy Canvas Print

Crown: HomeDecorators.com

Sparkle statue: Zulily

Framed Photos: Frames from Michael’s, photos taken by me printed at Bay Photo Lab

Recliner/Rocker: Matter Brothers

Crib Skirt and Bows: handmade by my sister in Russia

Rug: Target

Shades: JCPenney (super cheap solution, but not cordless)

Shelves: HomeDecorators.com (painted white)

Organic Changing Pad: Naturepedic

Organic mattress: Naturepedic

Ugly Dolls: Amazon

ABC Nightlight: Pottery Barn Kids

Closet Door Handles: Pottery Barn Kids

Closet Organisers: Fifi’s closet

Closet cubes: Homedecorators.com Martha Stewart Collection

Closet canvas totes: Homedecorators.com Martha Stewart Collection

Flag Banner: Etsy

And that’s pretty much it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

Denise from Magical Whimsy Etsy shop would like to offer my readers a chance to win $100 to her Etsy shop.
So if you have a little one on the way or just need a nursery revamp, feel free to enter.

Magical Whimsy $100 Credit

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries for each giveaway, after which you will have additional entries available,
and daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily. This giveaway is open internationally.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Each giveaway is open has specific rules, so read them on the widget (including which countries are eligible). See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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{I would like to say a huge THANKS to Isabella Oliver for supplying clothes for this photoshoot. IO is and has been one of my favorite maternity and womenswear stores. Their clothes are the perfect mix of classy and sexy.  From maternity styles that take you from pregnancy to postpartum to a classy womenswear collection, they have the best styles and great quality. Check out my maternity dress from Isabella Oliver here and don’t miss out on an awesome giveaway of this Jersey Drape Dress  in honor of all the Mothers out there at the end of this post. If you’re pregnant, check out their amazing resource, Isabella Oliver World: Pregnancy in Style}

Elena’s outfit:

Top: Cool Cotton Shirt in Blue and Sequin Jacket

Bottom: The Skinny Jeans

Jewelry: Luna Wrap Bracelet

Mom’s outfit:

Top: The Perfect Tee

Bottom: Zip Pencil Skirt

Jewelry: Chelsey Necklace

Alexis’ Dress:

Alphabet

Growing up in Russia, we didn’t have Mother’s Day. There was an International Woman’s Day on March 8th, which was pretty big and celebrated all over. But somehow mothers were never singled out. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. I think all the women deserve to be celebrated (and so are men), but our Moms do hold a special place in our hearts.

Being new to this, the identity of a “Mother” hasn’t synced in with me yet. I don’t feel like a MOM. I feel like I have this precious little baby that I love more than life and want to spend every second with and take care of and help in life and put on the right path. If that’s what it feels like to be a mom, then I am it.

So Mother’s Day this year for me is a Day dedicated to My Mother, as well as my own emerging identity of a mother, as well as the future possibility of Alexis being a mother if she chooses to.

It has been incredibly rewarding to have my mom here with us for the last 3.5 months, witnessing the first weeks of Alexis’ life. It’s special for her and it was special for me. I know Alexis will forget her grandma was here with her, but  it meant a ton for my mom, as well as me. Having support of a mother during your own transition into motherhood is incredible. Yes, it’s challenging, because being “seasoned”, my mom had her own ideas of what’s right and what’s wrong. But what makes my mom so great is that those ideas were never set in stone and absolute.

Yes, I did have to tell her about a million times why Alexis’ newborn acne isn’t a heat rash from bundling her too warm but from my hormones, or that it’s ok to assist a baby in sitting up without “bending her spine permanently”, or that the reason why she can’t lie on her back is reflux (“What? You and your sister didn’t have that!” Yes, mom and she does!).

Yes, she did hover and second guess me and herself 5 times a minute.  But all of it was CLEARLY done with the best intentions possible, with the care and concern in her eyes. It was never said in a mean or judgmental way, neither did she ever get offended when I would tell her she was wrong.

My mom has always put her kids first. That might have destroyed her marriage, but she doesn’t know how to be any other way. I want to be like my mom but find a balance in taking care of my kids while sustaining my relationship with my husband.

I’ve always said she was selfless. She’d do anything and everything for us. Growing up, I ALWAYS knew that my mom will do whatever it takes to help me succeed. I was brought up with an unspoken “you can come to me with everything” rule. She trusted me to make my own decisions, yet always worried about my safety. {she’s a worrier}

I’ve never been afraid to ask her for something or feel like I am inconveniencing her, because she’s always let me know that nothing that I would need is an inconvenience. It’s truly a blessing to have a mom that will never think of herself  first, even though I wish sometimes she would. And I, in turn, would do anything for her as well.

I believe we have kids to give them all that we can in terms of love, support and attention. We don’t have kids for ourselves, because we’re bored or because we need someone to love us.  We have them to add a hopefully better human to this world, arm them with all the best and let them live their life.

I am new to motherhood. I have a lot to learn. I have to learn patience and tolerance, which is not one of my virtues. I have to learn to be nurturing, more than I already am. I have to learn how to be the best example for Alexis. I have to learn how to foster her identity without losing my own. I have to learn how to most beneficially work with Alexis’ personality and bring out the best in her.

Alexis brought change, a lot of it . Not only in our lives but in our thinking. I welcome change. I thrive on changes. Motherhood has been “different” but oh so rewarding. It has been hard but oh so easy and natural. It has been EVERYTHING and NOTHING I expected. I have worked hard to stay flexible and fluid in my doing and thinking. A baby is so unpredictable and changes happen so fast that sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s all good, it’s all normal, it will all pass and unfortunately it will go by too fast.

As I am sitting here writing this post, Alexis is in her swing with my husband in front of her. They are talking and she’s cooing and squealing and laughing even though she didn’t sleep much last night (was awake from 12am to 4 am). And even though I didn’t sleep along with her and I am so tired that all I want is for her to fall asleep so that I could nap too, I absolutely adore hearing her laugh and suddenly I DON’T want her  to sleep. Suddenly I’d rather hear those wonderful sounds of my daughter being happy.  And that’s what motherhood is all about.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY from OUR FAMILY to YOURS!

In honor of Mother’s Day, in conjunction with Isabella Oliver 365 Womenswear Collection, we’d like to offer a giveaway of a dress that would make ANY mom feel like a million bucks. Please read the rules and enter below.

And until Monday, May 14th, you can get 20% off on their Mothers and Daughters In Style collection.

Isabella Oliver Jersey Wrap Dress

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries for each giveaway, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 2 daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily. This giveaway is open to US residents only.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Each giveaway is open has specific rules, so read them on the widget (including which countries are eligible). See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Another fabulous item as a part of the feature BEST FOR BABY is Cleanwater tub.

This brilliant collection is meant to get your baby from birth through 7+.

I remember when I was pregnant, I was looking at infant tubs with all the millions of choices, most tubs being pretty much the same. As soon as I read about Cleanwater, I immediately added it to my registry and hoped that someone would think it’d make a cool gift :) Well, now, having actually used it, I can say “It makes a REALLY cool gift!”
Just today my husband declared while bathing Lexi: “What would we do without our Clearwater tub?” It made me happy because when it comes to products, it’s hard to impress him.

4Moms is a company that is well known for their innovations in the world of baby gear. They are behind the cool and sleek MamaRoo (which I still really want), the even more advanced and futuristic Origami Stroller, and their first product was this Cleanwater Collection.

Just a little bit about the company since I feel it deserves a mention. It was named after their first focus group consisting of 4 moms ( well, really 5, but it’s too long to explain. Read about it here) and the goal of the company has always been making our (moms’) lives easier with the most innovative products. They have this really cool program, called 4moms Insiders, where you can receive news and exclusive opportunities to win 4Moms gear. Recently, they ran an awesome 30 day Origami giveaway and guess who was one of the lucky winners? Yours truly! I’ve never won anything in my life, so this was a shocker! Once Lexi is old enough to sit up and face out in a stroller, I am going to show it off here.

Imagine this: A sleek and clean looking bathtub with a soft cushy infant insert in it. Now add a precise temperature gauge to make sure your baby’s water isn’t too cold or too hot. You turn on the faucet, let the water pour past the gauge into a little container and then spill over into the main tub area, all while measuring the temperature of the running water. The tub fills up and the excess water pours out of the hole in the side, constantly cycling. The temperature gauge turns red and peeps, you promptly turn the faucet towards the cooler water and slowly the screen returns to green. Ahhh! You lower your baby into the tub cushioned by the spongy insert. Your baby’s feet rest on the curved area of the tub ( Alexis loves kick her legs on it). You pick up your favorite bottle of Lavanila body wash from one of the cup holders, lather that baby up, use the rinse cup to rinse her off, all while she’s busy kicking the Lavanila bottle off the baby tub and under it and having loads of fun. At one point I had loads of fun too, by laughing my butt off at my husband who totally felt into the bathtub while trying to fish that Lavanila bottle from under the Cleanwater tub. He didn’t think it was that amusing, though.

So my point is if you want the queen of baby tubs, this is it.

When your baby grows out of the tub, you can still use the spout cover with the temperature gauge to make sure the water is the right temperature for your not-so-little one.

;

PROS:

• Coolness factor
• Convenience
• Won’t let your baby freeze.
• No need to rely on elbow water testing to make sure it’s not too hot
• Keeps the water in the tub constantly cycling and renewing
• No need to rinse the baby off
• No sitting in dirty bath water
• Additional temperature gauge faucet attachment that can be used on any faucet and in any tub
• Soft removable infant insert
• Two cup holders and a rinse cup

CONS:

• Price
• Relatively short life span that can be prolonged by using the spout cover
• Needs batteries for the temperature gauge ( but what baby product doesn’t?)

BUY IT:

4Moms.com $89
Amazon.com $89

WIN IT:

See Rafflecopter to enter a Cleanwater Collection giveaway.

Cleanwater Collection

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries for each giveaway, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 2 daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily. This giveaway is open to continental US residents only.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Each giveaway is open has specific rules, so read them on the widget (including which countries are eligible). See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. 4moms provided me with a product sample to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Today I start a series of reviews focused on baby carriers as a part of BEST FOR BABY feature. I had the opportunity to try out 5 different carriers and would like to share my experience with you.

BOBA CARRIER

I’ve always been a fan of hard carriers over wraps and slings, because the latter confounded me. It turns out they are not as hard to use as I thought, but hard carriers still remain my favorite. Before I used any of the carriers you see above, I had bought an Ergo with its infant insert. To be completely honest, I hated it and Alexis hated it. The carrier itself was fine, but the infant insert was like being wrapped in a down comforter. The process of putting a newborn into an infant insert and the an Ergo was ridiculous. And within a few seconds we would both be sweating. And with Alexis being the stubborn girl that she is, if she didn’t like something, she DID NOT LIKE IT. It would have been fine later on, but I needed something for when Lexi was still small. So I knew I needed to find a carrier that would allow newborns to be carried without any sort of “insert”.

That’s how I came upon BOBA carriers.

They have a really wide base, so instead of having any kind of insert or seat for infants, you simply fold your child’s legs into a frog position, like you would in a Moby wrap. I was concerned that Alexis wouldn’t like it or that the stiffer fabric would be rough on her feet, but surprisingly enough, she went with it. And as you all know, she’s not the kind of baby to just go with anything :)

Moreover, she seemed pretty comfortable being seated that way. It has head support flaps for when her head needed it and now that she has good head control and is bigger, she loves being able to see around and the little flap still supports her head when it’s a bit boppy.

I love having a cute looking carrier other than the standard black and Boba offers quite a few adorable designs besides Soho (which what I am wearing).

I haven’t tried using it in a front carry position yet, as I don’t think Alexis’ legs are quite long enough to fit comfortably, but I cannot wait to try it out since the seat is supposed to sort of cradle your baby’s butt and body. You can see that little bit of a curve to the carrier in the pictures.

I am still pretty new to baby wearing and I am sure I am doing some things wrong, like not pulling the back strap for better back comfort. But with Alexis it’s less about my comfort, more about “how do I get her into a carrier fast enough so she doesn’t start fussing?”.

A few other features that will come in handy in the future when I am able to get out and about a bit more:

• 2 zipper pouches in the front of the carrier
• a head sling for baby’s sleeping head ( though I doubt Lexi will ever be the kind of child to just fall asleep anywhere aside from in my arms on the rocking chair)
• and the coolest footrests for an older child ( I am really excited about this one for some reason)

And the most important thing is, as you can see from the pictures, Alexis is enjoying the carrier just as much and was so focused on checking out the trees that she didn’t mind the hot weather and pictures snapped of her.

Speaking of hot weather, the carrier isn’t thick. It’s hard but thin, which makes it ideal for Florida weather.

Boba also has a cute wrap that I haven’t had the chance to try, along with two organic options, so be sure to check that out, as well.

BUY IT:
Boba Family Website $120-125
Amazon: $120

WIN IT: Boba is running an awesome igiveaway below and you can win a Boba carrier and 2 Boba wraps. Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Boba provided me with a product sample to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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So when I was writing the breastfeeding products post, I didn’t mention the one thing that has been invaluable during these times. It has so been a part of my routine that I didn’t even think of it as a product.
That thing is PUMPEASE hands free pumping bra.

It’s a simple concept: a band of stretchy fabric with holes in it for pump cups. Ok, I admit it looks darn funny, that’s the sole reason why you won’t see a picture of me pumping here. But… it has saved me from boredom and helped me get things done. If only now they could invent a battery powered double electric pump (I am sure there is one on the market, if we look).

I had PumpEase back before Alexis came along. So I never had to deal with pumping without one. Until one day I thought, “Well, it can’t be that bad! I only need one breast pumped. Rather than put the bra on, I’ll just hold the pump”.

Yikes! It was uncomfortable! I didn’t know how much pressure to put on it, my arm kept getting tired, I was restricted in what I could do. I am sure women who pump like that from the beginning are just fine pumping while holding the cups, but it’s like wine. Yes, wine! If you have drank bad wine all your life and you try a really expensive bottle, it seems good, but not THAT good. But it’s when you have to go back to that bad wine after having indulged for a bit in the good stuff that you clearly see the difference. Well, I clearly saw it. I am never pumping without PumpEase again! Seriously.

If I wasn’t so into organic everything ( and to be fair, I didn’t really need an organic pumpease, but it seemed right since it was one of the options), I’d totally go for one of those 50′s red polka dot bras. I might have even done my hair all Merilyn Monroe-ish and put one red lipstick while wearing it. Ok, maybe not. Just please say no to leopard! That’s just…. Just please say no!

;

So here’s how it works:

It’s a band of stretchy fabric that has clasps all the way down the front, along with two holes where you put your pumping cups through. You get the cups through, position them on your boobies and fasten the band. Then you grab your laptop ( well, if you’re smart, you did that before attaching yourself to the pump), sit back down and hit “Go!”. Voila! Your hands are free, your milk is going and you won’t believe how fast the time goes. It’s absolutely essential for working moms.

So this is a MUST on my list of breastfeeding supplies. Register for it along with a pump, you won’t regret it!

;

WHY BUY IT: Um…. did you just read all that I wrote above?
WHY NOT BUY IT: Because 20-60 minutes of your time daily aren’t worth 38 dollars. Mine is!
***
BUY IT: $38. USE FREESHIPEARTHDAY to get free shipping on organic bra today only at snugabell.com
WIN IT: PumpEase will give away the bra to one lucky reader. Giveaway open internationally. For details and to enter, see below.

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAYS RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries , after which you will have additional entries available,
and 2 daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Each giveaway has specific rules, so read them on the widget (including which countries are eligible). See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook OR just by using your name/email.

If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Snugabell sent me a sample of this product for review. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Also read:

Birth Story Part I
Birth Story Part II
Reflections on Birth Experience
Breastfeeding Journey
Follow Up to Breastfeeding Journey

Finally, the post so many people asked about. Breastfeeding Helpers: What I used that I found helpful during the initial weeks of breastfeeding.

You always have to try things out before you find what works for you, so here’s what worked for me. Pay attention to the section WIN IT or scroll down to the bottom of the page for  4 different giveaways of some of these products.

Let’s start with

BOOKS

Before I gave birth to Alexis, I read a few books on breastfeeding to be a little more prepared for what I was about to do. As I wrote in my Breastfeeding Post, they were a huge help.

The two books that I liked the most and found the most valuable were: The Baby Bond (The science behind what’s really important when caring for your baby) and Breastfeeding Made Simple (Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers).

The first book (The Baby Bond) isn’t a breastfeeding book per se, but it talks about breastfeeding A LOT. The benefits, the studies, the science, the bonding- it’s just an amazing resource that I recommend anyone pregnant read. It talks about the benefits of breastfeeding BEYOND what everyone has heard of. It cites amazing studies on how cow’s milk is creating long lasting problems in our babies due to their leaky intestine in the first few months of life. Problems that we can’t exactly see or can’t connect to dairy until you look at the long term studies. This book is the reason I gave up dairy until Alexis is 6 months old ( aside from the fact that I plan on going fully vegan once I am no longer breastfeeding)

Breastfeeding Made Simple is a 100% breastfeeding book that covers the early weeks along with the rest of breastfeeding, problems, issues- EVERYTHING! This was my favorite breastfeeding book. It’s simply written but not dumbed down. I read it before Alexis came, to be ready, and went back to it multiple times during the initial weeks of breastfeeding. As a matter of fact, I need to read it again to see if it has any tips for babies who are in that stage of distracted nursing, because we’ve been “battling” that for a few days.

BUY THEM:

The Baby Bond  $11.35
Breastfeeding Made Simple $11.67

PUMP

The pump I used is a Simplisse Double Electric Pump. I am actually very happy with it. I remember being somewhat terrified picking pumps during pregnancy. Admit it, they look kinda scary! Little did I know that pumping would be kinder on my nipples than my baby itself. You can read about Simplisse pump here, but here’s the jist.

The inside of the cups are made out of this nice soft and almost ”fuzzy” plastic that feels good on your skin and isn’t cone shaped, so  the sucking is much gentler than I expected, yet does the job.  You can select 10 speeds and 5 different pressures and adjust them after you elicit a let down based on how comfortable you are. To me, the cups felt so soft and gentle that I would just stay on speed 10 the whole time to get it done faster. I know it varies from person to person but the pump would empty my breasts in less than 10 minutes on speed 10. You can pump both breasts or choose to only pump one. The cups are super easy to assemble and clean ( I throw them into a steam sanitizer, but you can use your  dishwater, or plain old soap and water as well). It also comes with a portable bag full of stuff that would be AMAZING for moms who have to pump on the go:

• 2 Extra Collection Bottles w/ Storage Caps
• Insulated Cooler Bag
• 2 Ice Gel Packs
• Wet Bag for used parts
• 10 Breastmilk Storage Bags
•  4 Disposable Breast Pads

I actually really like their storage bags and have used them all up already. And for what it’s worth, the bag is not all that bad looking, like some, so you won’t be embarrassed carrying it around.

Simplisse actually has a ton of other great products and I am very happy I discovered them.

BUY IT: Simplisse Breast Pump $181.77

WIN IT: FREE Simplisse would like to give away a free pump to one of  The Art of Making a Baby readers. See Rafflecopter Giveaway at the bottom of the post for details.

NIPPLE CREAMS

I tried and used 3 different nipple creams and found all three very good for different stages of breastfeeding and different preferences.

One of the most important things for me was to make sure the nipple cream was safe for my baby to ingest and preferably with organic ingredients.

Motherlove nipple cream

PROS: Organic, incredibly soft and smooth, smells good and is very moisturizing.  It feels like a cloud on your finger. Comes in a small convenient jar. I love using it when my nipples feel dry and when I know I can walk around topless for a bit. Received ZERO toxins on EWG Database.

CONS: The only problem I found is that because of how moist it is, if you put a bra on immediately, most of it gets transferred to the bra. If you can wait a few minutes, then it’s not an issue.

WHO SHOULD BUY: If you prefer a soft feel of a moisturizer, this cream is for you.

BUY IT: Amazon $7.35 for 1 oz

Zoe Organic Nipple Balm

PROS: Food grade and organic. It is a VERY thick cream, so it’s perfect for protecting your nipples from clothing. I found that once my nipples healed a little bit and I didn’t need to walk around topless so that no fabric touched them, this cream was awesome. I put a thick layer of it and put a bra on immediately. It protected my tender skin from rubbing on my clothes, but because of how it stuck to your skin, it didn’t really rub off on it.
CONS: Because of how thick and sticky it is, I’d be worried about putting it on cracked raw nipples, because you really need to rub it in. But it’s awesome, once your nipples have healed a bit.

WHO SHOULD BUY: If your nipples aren’t rubbed raw and cracked, this will protect them and moisturize them at the same time without sticking to clothes.

BUY IT: Zoe organics $18 for 2 oz
USE CODE prebabyblog to get 15% off till Friday

WIN IT: Scroll down to the bottom of the post for details and enter in Rafflecopter giveaway of Zoe Organics Nipple Cream

Simplisse Nipple Cream

PROS: Very very light, comes in a pump which is the more hygienic way of using a nipple cream (reduces risk of infection from changing diapers), lanolin free and safe for baby and mom, glides on smooth and fast, dries off really well.
CONS: Not organic like the two above, maybe too light for some women.

WHO SHOULD BUY: If you don’t like the idea of sticky, gooey or wet creams and want something light that will dry off immediately, this is it.

BUY IT: Simplisse Nipple Cream  $10.37 for 60 pumps.

NIPPLE SHIELDS

I had to use a nipple shield for the first 5 weeks and was really afraid I would never be able to breastfeed without one. Here’s what worked for me:

Initially I was given a nipple shield at the hospital. It was the Medela brand 20mm shield. I did like the shape of it and how well it stuck on the breast, but it did have a few issues. First of all, it has a MASSIVE nipple. Alexis would sometimes choke on it and I saw that she didn’t enjoy having such a big nipple in her mouth. She would end up sucking on the nipple itself, rather than learning how to latch properly. However, it is very thick, so it does a good job protecting the nipple from the pain. So if you have extreme pain, you simply have no choice but to use it. It beats breastfeeding without it.

However after the initial few weeks, as my nipple were getting better, I started using the Simplisse Nipple Shield. It is very thin, paper thin, so it doesn’t reduce the pain as much as Medela, but if your pain is not severe, you’ll be better off using the Simplisse one. It feels more like skin, so the baby enjoys it more. It doesn’t have a humongous nipple, but I wasn’t crazy about the square shape (I wonder if there’s a reason for it). It has many more holes in it than Medela, and they are much smaller. All in all, it felt much more natural breastfeeding with the Simplisse nipple shield. So I’d recommend getting a Medela one for the first week  of breastfeeding and then try to switch over to the Simplisse one when the pain starts getting better, if you do end up using a nipple shield. I also read that some LCs recommend the Simplisse one as a way of weaning yourself and the baby off the Medela shield.

BUY THEM: 

Medela 20mm shield $10.20

Simplisse Nipple Shield $5.52

BOOBIE CREAM

While I am a huge fan of Boob Tube by Mama Mio and am planning on using it religiously once Alexis gives me 3-4 hours between feedings, so that it would get absorbed before she goes to feed again, I did struggle to find a moisturizer for my breasts that I would feel comfortable with Alexis accidentally ingesting it. Boob Tube is 100% pregnancy safe, but I just don’t know that it’s ok for a baby to EAT IT :)

For the first several overwhelming weeks I didn’t even think about a need to moisturize anything but my nipples. That is until I looked in the mirror one day and realized that what I thought were veins on my breasts were actually stretchmarks. (Gasp!) I luckily avoided any stretchmarks during pregnancy and still cannot believe my belly and thighs are 100% free of stretchmarks ( thank you Tummy Oil from MamaMio).  However, I just didn’t think I had to worry about my boobs past the time when my milk came in ( and to be fair, with a baby that would wake up every hour at night to eat that was the last thing on my mind). I didn’t want to use any moisturizers because I didn’t really find  a 100% safe one aside from the Tummy Oil, but the Tummy Oil has SUCH an amazing scent that would totally mess with my mommy scent and it’s recommended that you keep yourself free of fragrances so that baby could recognize you better in the beginning.

So one day, I was in a hurry and my boobs felt so dry that I grabbed the first thing on the counter that happened to be the Extreme Cream by Zoe Organics. It’s meant as a intensely hydrating cream for baby’s sensitive skin and eczema that’s so common at that age. Alexis didn’t have any dry spots aside from the initial dry skin on her eyebrows that this cream promptly cleared up, so the jar was sitting on my counter barely touched.  I thought: “Hey, it’s organic, meant for babies and smells nice like the nipple cream I am already using. Why don’t I use them for my breasts?” OH-MY-GOD! It was heaven! The cream goes on like butter. Like take a stick of butter out of your fridge ( you shouldn’t be eating butter anyways, lol) and smear it all over your dry skin- that’s how it feels. It just dries a lot faster than butter would. It’s smells amazing and yet doesn’t have any added fragrance. And Alexis loved it the first time she nursed. She just kept running her fingers back and forth on my buttered boob in a very purposeful manner. It was so cute! I became a quick convert and used it every day until I ran out yesterday. Now I’m really upset I didn’t order it sooner, because it’s not sold on Amazon and I can’t get it with Prime, like I usually do.

BUY IT: Zoe Organics Extreme Cream $18.00 for 2 oz
USE CODE prebabyblog to get 15% off till Friday

WIN IT: Scroll down to the bottom of the post for details and enter in Rafflecopter giveaway of Zoe Organics Extreme Cream

BREASTFEEDING PILLOWS

I use two different breastfeeding pillows. Here’s my take on them.

MyBrestfriend

The very famous MyBrestFriend pillow is everything you’d want a breastfeeding pillow to be once you’re a seasoned pro. It’s shaped nicely to fit around your midsection and supports your baby’s curves.  It has a pouch for a bottle of water or your precious cell phone that will save you from boredom during sleepy midnight feedings. It comes with an organic cover for those who are health conscious, as well as an array of cute colorful conventional covers. It has an adjustable clip to fit any shape and size. It flips backwards for easy access to whatever it is you need to do in between feedings. Basically, it’s a well thought out pillow that has been created to help nusring mothers feel more comfortable while breastfeeding. If your baby eats for very long times, this is a MUST HAVE.

BUY IT: Amazon $34.88

WIN IT: MyBrestFriend would like to give away a nursing pillow to one of the readers. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for details.

SIMPLISSE GIA PILLOW

This is more of a quick feeding pillow for me. Alexis was never a slow feeder. She was in, she ate, she was out. No sucking for comfort, no taking too long. Her initial feedings were 12-15 minutes at most and now she goes for 5-8 minutes on average. So at this point I need a pillow that  I can grab on the go and not mess around with, and throw it aside when she’s done eating so that I can burp her and, if lucky, put her to sleep. Gia does the trick. I love that it’s machine washable, so that’s the first thing I did to remove any kind of residue from the manufacturing. It has a sloping egde to raise your baby’s head a bit, which also helps with reflux. It’s soft and curvy and light. I would take Alexis, grab the pillow, put it on my lap along with Lexi, and then when it wasn’t comfortable anymore ( Lexi tends to squirm a lot), I’d toss it aside. So I found it very convenient especially considering the quick feedings Lexi would have.

BUY IT: Gia Pillow $33.30

BREAST PADS

I tried cloth re-useable ones, a few different brand ones that I don’t remember the names of and finally ended up using Simplisse Pads that I liked the most. They are thin, they have a rougher side to stay put on your clothing and a soft cotton side for your breast. They hold a surprising amount of leaked breast milk, while staying somewhat inconspicuous beneath the clothing. I just ran out of a box of 60 of them and I’m definitely buying more.

BUY IT: Simplisse Breast Pads $9.99 for 60

BREAST SHELLS

LOVED THESE THINGS! When my nipples were at their worst, any touch of clothing to them meant agony, but I couldn’t walk around topless because it was uncomfortable without some sort of support. I even cut out holes for nipples in some of my bras but somehow that didn’t do it (plus I wasn’t digging looking like a cheap hooker). These things saved me! These are basically cups with a hole for a nipple in them and holes for air, so that your nipples weren’t rubbed by clothes and were able to air out. I would use the Motherlove nipple cream and put these things on under my support bra. They are a bit visible under clothes and my husband called me “Robo-boobs”, but it was such a relief to be able to wear a bra and not deal with nipple pain, that I didn’t care. Plus, when I was breastfeeding, these cups would catch the leaked milk from the other boob. Definitely recommend. Supposedly they help small and inverted nipples too, and I do seem to remember it making a difference for my small nipples.

BUY IT: Simplisse Breast shells $11.79 for 2 pack

MILK SUPPLY HELPERS

This is my favorite category, because it’s TASTY! I used two things to help raise my milk supply during the time when Alexis was feeding a lot and didn’t seem to get enough.

Of course, the traditional Mother’s Milk tea that I drank religiously every day. The taste is kind of funky, but that was the least of my troubles at that moment, so I didn’t even notice. What “sweetened” the strange taste of the tea were my favorite Milk Makers Cookies. I had read about them on a blog months ago, back when I was pregnant, and thought it was a great idea. I am actually salivating right now just writing about them. The idea of these lactation cookies was started by a mother of  three, who needed help keeping her milk supply when she went to work. So after experimenting with different recipes, she finally found one that tasted delicious and contained oatmeal, brewer’s yeast and flax seed that are known to act as galactogogues. Just 1 cookie a day can increase your supply, but, let’s be honest, who can limit themselves to 1 cookie a day. I know I couldn’t. Not at the time when I was in pain, a new mother and hungry as a wolf. Milk makers come in a dairy-free version which is really cool of them. So I had a few bags of the dairy-free oatmeal raisin cookies and, not being a fan of oatmeal, I loooooved these. They had a touch of cinammon, I actually liked the faint taste of brewer’s yeast and they were so perfectly chewy. Oh man, today is NOT a good day to write about cookies, since it’s the first day that I am watching what I eat and exercising, which means I am dying to cheat and have something sweet.

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OH-MY-GOD!!!!!!

If I thought it was hard to take pictures when I was pregnant ( you know the whole “gather up the energy, put make up on, wash my hair, possibly style my hair, put clothes on, go somewhere pretty to take pictures), well it is twice as hard trying to get a good picture with Alexis in tow. I still have to do all the preparations listed below, all while she’s hopefully sleeping, then pray for good mood on Alexis’ part, so that all the pictures didn’t look like this

And even when she’s in a good mood, how on earth do you get a 2 months old to pose? You don’t! So you take a million shots hoping that at least in ONE of them she’s going to look decent in and you don’t have a closed eye or busy shushing her. It’s even harder with Alexis because she tends to make all kinds of faces that might look cute in real life, but definitely don’t when they’re frozen on a photograph.

So nowadays, I have to be content with 1 photo out of about 100 that looks good. And after yesterday’s Mommy and Me shoot, this is The Photo:

I think the result is decent considering yesterday was a fussy day!

We’re both wearing a Mommy and Me set from Boob Design, my absolutely favorite item in their store. If you’ve been reading my blog since I was pregnant, you’re aware of my undying love to this brand. I think they have the cutest maternity  clothes and absolutely THE BEST nursing wear on the market. They just opened their US store which makes it impossible for any pregnant or nursing woman to resist buying something. I wasn’t planning on running another Boob giveaway, but after numerous requests from readers, I finally have it ready. So enjoy! It’s open internationally and anyone who’s pregnant or nursing or planning on becoming pregnant or has a baby can enjoy Boob Design clothing. I also have a DISCOUNT CODE if you plan on purchasing something. It’s 20%OFF any purchase except for Outlet and it’s valid till April 12th. Use BOOBDESIGN-APRIL-20% code to get the discount.

Some of the other Boob items that I have:

So for those who aren’t familiar with Boob Design ( and note: this is not a review, I just love them this much), their nursing dresses, tees and tanks have a special pocket that opens up without exposing your belly so you can breastfeed in public without the darn cover-up. They are definitely my prefered online retailer of nursing clothes. I’ve nursed in Boob tees in public and it’s a breeze!

It’s funny that I had to nurse Lexi during the shoot, but it looks damn good, doesn’t it? You open the top pocket and latch the baby on- VOILA! No boob hanging out :) Most items are made out of organic cotton or  lyocell and are very nice to touch and are very stretchy ( which is a key to baby onesies, because Alexis has developed hatred of clothes going over her head, so I have to stretch the neck to make sure it doesn’t touch her face as I put it on)

So here are a few other photos taken that I am somewhat ( but not fully) happy with.

This was taken after the shoot, while I was putting Alexis to sleep in the stroller (more on that later)

BUY IT:  Use BOOBDESIGN-APRIL-20% code to get a 20% off discount until April 12th.

WIN IT:

So now, due to popular demand, I present to you a Boob Design giveaway.
There will be 3 winners of $150 credit to Boob Design Store each. The contest is open internationally and there’s a new entry that can be entered in once a day.

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAY RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 2 daily entries for which you can come back to enter daily.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Please make sure to visit Boob Design facebook page and write on their wall what you’d buy if you won.
The giveaway is open to INTERNATIONALLY. See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

UPDATE: You can now log into the Rafflecopter through Facebook or just by using your name/email.

If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then I’VE DONE IT once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is NOT a review.

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LAVANILA

Today I bring to you a line of baby skin care products from Lavanila, a healthy skin care brand.

I was first introduced to it as a company that makes healthy fragrance. Most perfumes have parabens in them even if they are not listed (FDA allows manufacturers to not disclose the ingredients of the fragrance of their products due to trade law, so the listing that has “fragrance/perfum” as an ingredient can very well contain some of the worst chemicals).

Little did I know that they carry a small but amazing baby skincare line!

Babies don’t need much when it comes to personal care: a lotion, a wash, a diaper rash cream and maybe sunblock. It’s got it all.

What appeals to me the most is the fact that besides being 100% natural, it also delivers 30 essential vitamins and minerals that support the development of baby skin. However, many companies claim that their products  are “100% natural”, but it doesn’t always mean they’re harmless ( Hello, 7th generation cleaning products containing the 100% natural SLS!)

So I checked out the ingredients and I love it. See for yourselves:

BODY WASH

MY DIAPER RASH CREAM ORDEAL

The next test for me personally was the diaper rash cream. See, I’ve been striking out on diaper rash creams. When Alexis was first born, we used disposables and sorry to say, but we weren’t the greatest at changing her diaper promptly, because she never displayed any discomfort. So she developed a diaper rash and our pedi recommended A&D ointment or Destin. We immediately went to Walgreens to pick one of them up. I happened to glance at the ingredients of Destin and instantly put it back on the shelf: PARABENS! Seriously? They still TO THIS DAY put parabens into baby products???? That’s just ridiculous!

So we found A&D ointment. That one was better, however still contained a slew of known questionable chemicals. So I ordered an Earth Mama bottom balm, 100% natural ointment. The problem with it? No zinc oxide, which means no HEALING. The diaper rash would laugh in our faces when we put the Bottom Balm on it ( I’m sure it’s good for prevention, but not as a cure). So after some time I found a cream that both had zinc oxide  AND wasn’t too bad on the rest of the ingredients. It DID have mineral oil, which can dry out skin in the deeper layers of it, but I figured that beats parabens.

So (are you still with me?) when I saw the inredients for Lavanila Diaper Rash Cream, I did a happy dance! No parabens, no mineral oil, and YES to zinc oxide- hey these people know what they are doing! Needless to say our Lexi bottom has never looked so baby pink and smooth ( seriously!) and it took all of 2 days to clear it up. {I just had to stop writing and change Alexis’ diaper and I noticed how little of the Baby Bottom cream you need per diaper change, which is bonus}

Here’s what Lavanila’s promise is:
NO: Sulfates, Parabems, Phtalates, Silicone, Petrochemicals, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Formaldehyde, Synthetic Fragrances or dyes

I say yes to something like that!

I also love the smell of the Healthy Baby body wash and the fact that it’s a foam and not liquidy soap.

Anyways, I am personally sold on this company and their products. I know I’ll be back there when my products run out. I am looking forward to trying out the baby sunblock in months to come. It promises to be safe (and ingredients prove it), it smells mild and doesn’t leave your skin white like most physical sunscreens do.

I find it funny that I had to stop writing this post 3 times before I was done with it {A diaper change, a bath and a feeding and rocking to sleep}… Oh Lexi! I love you!

So if your baby struggles with diaper rash and you had no idea the conventional ointments have such harmful chemicals, or if you just want to have an awesome cream at hand, here’s how to get it:

BUY IT: Use this code  LAVELENA to get 40% OFF Baby products at Lavanila.com ($15)  {till 3/30}

WIN IT: You can enter a giveaway below to win Healthy Baby Bottom Cream

BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAY RULES
and Mandatory Entries: {read carefully}

There are two mandatory entries, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 1 daily entry for which you can come back to enter daily.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Please make sure to visit Lavanila  Facebook Page and write on their wall which product you’d love to try.
The giveaway is open to US residents only. See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.

If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)

{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then ENTER once the action is completed}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated by Lavanila. I received their products in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions represented here are 100% my own