Teething Bling

I never thought I’d be so excited about getting jewelry that my little guy can gnaw on. What have I become?! Seriously though, I’m REALLY hoping I get some teething bling for Christmas this year (hint hint). Noah is so fascinated with whatever jewelry I have on, so I’d prefer him to drool all over some pendants or beads that are made just for that purpose (BPA free, of course). The added bonus is that they’re fairly fashionable.

I’ve found a couple of websites that offer teething jewelry. One comes recommended from my brother-in-law’s sister. She wore these almost every day when her daughter was teething and loved them! The have an impressive list of positive press on their website, too. I think they’re all (or mostly) this pendant style, so if you’re into that style, then you’re in luck.

This other website is similar, but their jewelry is more beads and less pendants. They have different styles of beaded necklaces and bracelets, and also have a nice collection of positive press. I don’t know anybody who has any of this jewelry, but it look pretty awesome. 

Do any of you mamas out there have any teething jewelry? If so, what do you recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Sophie Teether + Itzbeen = Must Haves (for babies)

 

At one of my baby showers, we played a Price Is Right game. My sister got a bunch of baby items together and people had to guess which item had the higher price. If they guessed correctly, they got a lovely floral centerpiece, and I got the cool baby item whether they guessed correctly or not. See? It was a win/win for me.

Anyway, there were a number of items that I admittedly scoffed at or simply had zero familiarity with. One item was a thermometer shaped like a turtle so you knew the temperature of your baby’s bath water. Good idea, in theory. But call me old-fashioned: couldn’t you just stick your finger in the water and determine whether it was too hot? Perhaps that’s not how you’re “supposed” to do it.

Two other items I didn’t know existed were the Sophie Teether (by Vulli) and the Itzbeen Baby Timer.

Apparently Sophie the giraffe is THE teether to have. Why? I have no idea. But recently I have learned that this $20 teether totally lives up to the hype. I don’t know what it is about this squeaky giraffe that makes babies fall in love, but it works. Every new parent I’ve talked to swears by it. (Just don’t put it in the dishwasher, or it won’t squeak anymore – advice from one of our friends). Maybe it’s the fact that there are soft and hard spots on Sophie that babies like to chew. Or maybe it’s the fact that it’s easy to make squeak and most babies (that I’ve seen anyway) are totally enamored by the squeaking sound, especially when they’re the ones that cause that sound.

The Itzbeen was a total lifesaver, especially in the first couple newborn months. All it is is a timer. Well, four timers in one: diaper changes, feeding, sleeping, and whatever you want. In the middle of the night when your baby is waking up every couple of hours and you can’t remember if you changed him, or how long it’s actually been since he ate, this device was a godsend. There’s also a switch on there to let you know which side you last nursed on. There’s also a flashlight button, which I swear has saved my life numerous times as I stumble to the nursery in the pitch black. Even now that Noah’s almost 5 months, I still use the Itzbeen. Life is getting crazier and we’re running every which direction on the weekends, so I do often forget when the last time he ate was, or when I changed him last. I’d be lost without this silly timer!

Every Mom Needs a Moby Wrap!

Being the first of my friends to have a baby means I have to figure out most of this parenting thing on my own. I’m a big fan of baby boards like Babycenter.com when it comes to the “is this normal?” questions that I constantly have. I guess I’m a product of my generation – always resorting to the interwebs for my answer. Well, it’s worked thus far.

OK, back to the subject at hand: babywearing. While I was pregnant, I never really stopped to think about whether I’d be one to wear my baby or not. In fact, I might have scoffed at the idea not understanding the reason behind it. I did register for an Ergo baby carrier because I just figured everyone was supposed to have one, and this one looked unisex enough for Mark to use (but would he ever need or want to? That’s questionable). I didn’t know when it was appropriate to use and why you wouldn’t just use a stroller. But alas, I registered for it and I got it. I’ve used it all of once, because I think Noah was too small for it. I’ll try it again now that he’s bigger, but I haven’t found the right time for it yet.

Anyway, I got the Moby Wrap in April because I thought the Ergo looked too outdoorsy and thought I might want something for when I’m at home, lounging around the house. (Haha, I thought I’d have time to lounge with a newborn. Silly me.) I didn’t actually give it a shot until sometime in June, at least a month after Noah was born. Part of the reason was that I couldn’t figure out how the heck to fold, wrap, or tie the 34′ piece of green fabric that I had just spent $30 on. A quick Facebook post to my “friends” and a search on YouTube did the trick. It took a good 15 minutes of practice and has been a breeze ever since.

Pros

• Great for babywearing around the house
• Once you get a hang of it, it’s quick and easy to wrap
• Calms my baby down almost instantly!
• Allows both Mom and Baby to catch a few ZZZZs

Cons

• Heavy! As in, not ideal for the summer unless you’re in some air conditioning
• I haven’t figured out a good way to use this while running errands – I imagine I’d have to keep it on me, wrapped, while driving. That wouldn’t be comfortable
• I think it’s good for babies up to 25 lbs or something, but my little guy can wiggle around pretty easily in it now. He’s 15 lbs and I feel like he could wiggle right out of it if I bent down a certain way. But maybe this is a result of user error…

In general, the Moby Wrap helped me learn that I am, in fact, a proponent of babywearing. Who knew?! It’s been a great help in getting Noah to calm down, especially in the second and third months. Nevermind that the Moby Wrap makes you look like a mummy. To be honest, I only wear him at home. When we go out, I still stick with the carseat/stroller getup, but feel like that might be changing now that he’s getting heavier and it’s a bulky process. I want to try my Ergo more now for running errands, and I’d also like to try a ring sling. I’m not sure I can justify buying a ring sling just because I want to try it out though. But, we’ll see.

Are there any mom’s out there who have suggestions on when and where to wear your baby? I’d love suggestions because I feel like the opportunities are there, but I’m just not thinking of them.

Apologies for the picture quality. You can thank my Blackberry