Gear

There are so many work-at-home moms out there doing cool things! One mom based right here in Leesburg, VA finds used clothes and turns them into something new for babies, hence her name — Recycling Babies.

Fun Finds for Mom is another mom crafted blog. This one is full of unique products. The author, Elena, got my attention by reviewing my favorite kid’s sunhat before I got around to it…

… there’s exceptionalcaresolutions.com

It turns out I wasn’t wasting time while surfing the web this evening. I came across this site which sells a potty watch and a pair of Drymids boxers that might work for my potty-challenged four year-old.

If someone told me five years ago that the phrase my favorite potty would come out of my mouth today I would laughed at you, but I do have a favorite potty. It is the Baby Bjorn Little potty and we love it because:

• it is cheap ($10), so you can buy lots if you want extras for car, stroller, upstairs, etc.
• it is small
• it is comfortable and puts the kids in more of squatting position which is kind of how mine poop in a diaper.

When I looked it was hard to find locally, but you can get it online at the EC store. They also sell a similar potty that is see through for really exciting potty times…

robeez.com

Either everyone in the universe now knows about Robeez and this post is old news, or my universe has changed completely in the last four years. I am guessing that a combination of the two is true. But it is also true that not everyone has discovered their booties. In my opinion the booties are their best product. I like things that are soft, fuzzy, warm and machine washable.

Robeez are cute and comfortable, and they are a great gift. As a general rule socks fall off and Robeez stay on.

They are hard to find used, so if you find used Robeez you should be very proud of yourself, and if you have to buy them new you should cut yourself some slack. They are worth the price. If you can’t afford Robeez you can probably find cheaper knock-offs some place like Target. New Robeez can be bought online, at Nordstrom’s kids shoe department, at the Vancouver Aquarium (if you happen to be there), and at many independent children’s shops.

You can google soft soled shoes online and find experts who will tell you why it is good to keep your children in these as long as possible. Mostly I agree… except when hanging out on unnatural tile or cement floors. When I am somewhere where standing and walking barefoot makes my feet and legs tired, I try to give my kids some padding on their feet too.

Also, I have met some folks with wide footed or chubby babes who find that the elastic is too tight. So keep that in mind if you have a cherubic little one.

naartjie.homestead.com

Ever since my kids were born my mom has insisted on showering them with gifts. We have come to a wonderful understanding… I will appreciate the gifts she lovingly gives and she will accept a little guidance on what we need, value, and have room to store. Part of that understanding is that she can buy them anything she wants from Naartjie.

The company is from South Africa and naartjie means tangerine in Afrikaans. They are expanding their operations in the US, but are still mostly found in shopping malls on the west coast. So at this time Naartjie clothing is still unique here on the east coast. Even when it is everywhere I believe I will still appreciate the way this company combines fun prints, details and colors with super comfortable cotton clothing.

Some items are very loudly branded with the word Naartjie - good marketing, I guess, but I prefer the pieces where the branding is more subtle.

Bonus for cloth diapering families: Everything we have bought from Naartjie so far has worked well with cloth diapers

This is one of our many favorite kid products. The Kiddopotamus placemat suction cups onto the table, and has a “catcher” that hangs over the edge. We first saw it at the home of a child I was taking care of when my son was two, and he loved it. It helped to define his space at the table during the transition into a booster seat without a buckle, and was useful to control the chaos created by his younger sister – a self-feeder from that day she started solids – by catching the spills (especially important when we took her out into the world where there was not a dog eager to clean up all that fell).