4 Baby Registry Must-Haves
Is it really possible that this little peanut:
is now this big?
It seems like just yesterday we were preparing for her birth. I was asked to share my 4 Baby-Registry Must-Haves as part of a sponsored campaign with Levana. There are so many things that you think you will need, and when it comes down to it — you just don't. All the fancy gadgets are nice and all, but sometimes you look back and realize that you didn't use those things nearly as much as you thought you would.
So here are four must-haves for your baby registry:
1. A car seat. If you have a baby, and you want to go anywhere, you need one of these! Bonus if they can get you a matching stroller, unless you're the babywearing type. Then you should ask for your choice of wrap or carrier. People need to know details so they can get you what you really want and need.
2. Diapers and wipes. Every baby has to have them. You will be grateful for every single diaper someone gives you. Most people know that diapers and wipes are good baby gifts, but they won't always know which brand you prefer. If you want to get the kind you like, you'd better put it on your registry.
3. Clothes – People love picking out cute little baby clothes, but..ahem…everyone has their own interpretation of the word “cute”. If you want to get what you think is cute, then register for specifics.
4. A baby monitor. I like to put my babies in their own room as soon as possible so that I can sleep without hearing every little baby noise. Baby noises are cute and all, but they keep me awake. Tired mama = grouchy mama. Not good. If baby is going to be in their own room, it's nice to have a little peace of mind that a monitor can help give.
The kind folks at Levana sent me an Oma+ monitor. It is the most unique baby monitor I have ever seen.
It is cordless (battery-powered) and it actually senses baby's breathing. You clip it onto baby's diaper right at the belly button and it senses his or her movements. The sensor will gently vibrate to help encourage the return of regular movement after 15 seconds of complete stillness and will beep loudly to alert you if no movement is detected for more than 20 seconds.
Levana is dedicated to the safety of precious babies, keeping abreast of what's important to parents by asking real moms their needs and developing solutions to meet those needs. They exclusively manufacture baby monitors so they can focus on perfecting their products, and all monitors are digital and wireless to eliminate the risk of cord strangulation. The Oma+ is exclusively available at buybuy Baby in the US.
Watch the video below for more information on choosing a baby movement monitor. (Can't see the video? Watch on YouTube.)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Levana. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Evenflo Symphony DLX Car Seat Review (It’s Pretty Awesome)
Thanks to the opportunity to partner with Evenflo in a sponsored campaign, we were able to try out the Evenflo Symphony DLX convertible car seat.
The Evenflo Symphony DLX convertible car seat takes safety and comfort to the next level with its NASA-developed Outlast® technology, a temperature regulating fabric that keeps babies and toddlers comfortable during hot and cold weather.
We recently took a day trip up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked to Linville Falls (a perfect hike for our family — just a tiny bit challenging for the littles without being too overwhelming), and it was one of the warmest days we have had so far this spring.
Our Suburban was parked right in the sun. When we returned from the hike and started buckling the kids up, I was honestly surprised to find that my little guy's car seat was perfectly cool to the touch.
And in spite of the fact that it is already spring, we have had some pretty cold mornings. But this little guy has not had to deal with the discomfort of climbing into a cold car seat. The temperature regulating fabric has absolutely delivered on its claims. Evenflo's goal was to ensure a safer, more peaceful ride for both mom and child A distracted driver is a risk on the road, and nothing can be more distracting to a mom driving than a crying baby or toddler. According to a study conducted by American Baby and Safe Kids Worldwide, new moms are 300% more likely to get into an accident than other drivers, in part due to tending to an upset baby. Keeping your child comfortable will reduce instances of fussiness in the car and thereby reduce the danger of distraction as you try to comfort them.
Additionally, the car seat features buckle pockets, a simple yet ingenious feature. The metal part of the buckles tuck neatly into the sides of the car seat, keeping them from getting hot and burning your child's delicate skin during hot weather. Having them tucked into the side also eliminates digging around under your child to find the buckles when it's time to go somewhere.
Another thing I like is how easy it is to adjust the straps. There is a little button on the front of the seat that I can push, and when I simultaneously pull the straps out they will loosen up. To tighten them I simply pull the strap on the front. This makes it very easy to make sure my little guy is buckled properly.
The car seat includes an insert that should be used for smaller babies to make sure the car seat is safe for them.
This is an all-in-one seat that accommodates children ranging from 5 – 110 lbs, making it the only car seat you will ever need.
The only downside is that it is big. If we were to need 3 children to sit in the back of our Suburban, they would not all fit back there with the Evenflo in there.
Overall, I think the Evenflo Symphony DLX convertible car seat is a very well-made and well-designed car seat. If space is not an issue, this is a fabulous option for your child to use from birth until they no longer need a car seat!
What is your favorite feature of the Evenflo Symphony DLX?
Cooper Tire Spring Savings Event
This post brought to you by Cooper Tire. All opinions are 100% mine.
As the warmer weather comes, so the opportunities to get out and do more as a family. That makes me happy!
When we go places as a family, we want to make sure we are as safe as possible as we drive. One of the things my husband does is to make sure we have good tires on our suburban.
Cooper Tire is offering some great savings and amazing prizes for their customers this spring.
Cooper wants to help prepare drivers for safe travels by offering up to an $80 Visa®prepaid card on popular passenger and light truck tire lines during its national “Spring Savings Event,” as well as the chance to win a “Roll With Cooper” prize pack to get travelers started on their journeys.
Starting now and running through April 15, you can get a rebate when you purchase a new set of four qualifying Cooper tires. Visit Cooper Tire Rebates or stop by a participating Cooper Tire deals to see eligible products, obtain full terms and conditions and a mail-in reward form.
In addition to the rebate offer, Cooper Tire is celebrating life’s everyday road trips with a $1,000 prize pack sweepstakes. Visit Cooper Tire on Facebook to post favorite moments of daily travels in the car, or tag #RollWithCooper on Twitter or their new Instagram page to be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for a gas card and Cooper merchandise. They want to hear how you #RollWithCooper, whether it’s singing along to favorite songs while carpooling to school or commuting to work.
Where would you go if you won the gas card?
Apparoo App of the Week – Blinkbuggy
This post is sponsored by Apparoo.
I've partnered with Apparoo to highlight a new app each week. These apps will be free or highly discounted during the weeks I post them, so grab them while you can!
How do we always find time to post super-adorable kid pictures on Facebook, but somehow never get that long-planned baby book done? Well, guilt-trip no more. Blinkbuggy is an online baby book that puts all your photos, milestones and funny stories in one place – and it’s as easy as a status update. You can keep it completely private, link to social media (it can even grab the photos you’ve already posted), or share with whomever you choose – great for grandparents! These precious years will disappear faster than that photo you posted last month, so don’t spend another moment procrastinating. Create an enduring – and endearing – album with Blinkbuggy online and in print!
It’s Time for Spring Cleaning!
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.
I was so excited when Dollar General gave me a kick in the pants to get started on my Spring Cleaning! I had plenty that needed to be done around the house, and when they challenged me to shop for cleaning products and try them out in my house, I was happy to take them up on it.
Although I still have plenty of cleaning to do, here's what I got done in just a couple hours yesterday (a record for me since I usually get interrupted abot 4,682 times while I'm cleaning!)
The first thing I picked up at Dollar General was trash bags. I do lots of purging while I'm spring cleaning, so I knew I would need lots of trash bags to remove trash, and to carry unused items up to the attic.
I honestly was a little bit skeptical of how the Dollar General trash bags would do. I've purchased off-brand trash bags before and been pretty sorry about that decision. But after I loaded up the baby's clothes that she has grown out of (sniff, sniff) into one of the bags, I realized that I would not regret buying the Dollar General bags. Score #1 for Dollar General.
Next, I had quite a bit of scrubbing to do. My daughter has been quite creative lately with the crayons, as you can see below. The Dollar General super erasers took the lighter colors off without any effort. The dark blue required me to scrub very hard, and I haven't fully removed it because my arm was killing me! I'm not sure if the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers would take off the dark colors any easier than the Dollar General erasers did. I think the best solution will be to make sure my little girl doesn't get ahold of crayons in her room again!
Then it was time for lunch. While the kids were eating, I washed up a few dishes. I had been using Ajax dish soap, which I hate, but my husband does the shopping for me, and he buys whatever is cheapest. I like the Dollar General dish soap much better. It was thicker and more sudsy. It's not the best I've ever used, but it was much, much better than the Ajax, and still an inexpensive option.
After lunch, I headed to the bedroom to do some (long overdue) dusting. I usually use a Swiffer duster because it makes the dusting go really quickly. I actually thought the Dollar General duster worked better than the Swiffer brand!
We have a lot of laminate wood floors in the house, and many times the quickest way to get them clean is to run over them with the Swiffer sweeper dry cloths. I found the Dollar General brand dry cloth refills while I was at the store, so I decided to give them a try. They did the job, but I didn't feel that they worked quite as well as the Swiffer brand. If price is an issue, they're a good alternative that will work almost as well.
Our bathroom gets that scummy pink gunk so quickly! I just read the other day that it tends to be a lot worse if you have well water (which we do.) That makes feel a little less like a disgusting slob. I grabbed a canister of the Dollar General disinfectant wipes because they were a great price. It's hard to see in the picture, but it removed the pink gunk very easily. I like keeping these wipes under the bathroom sink for those “little boy messes” in the bathroom. I thought the wipes were a great buy for a price. 
I had boiled over some potatoes on the stove (not that I do that very often), and the stains would not scrub off. The Dollar General soap pads worked great! I was kicking myself for not picking some up earlier.
Remember the pink gunk? It shows up all the time in the toilet too. Eww, gross, I know. I tend to be a little unconventional with how I clean my toilet. I don't normally buy toilet bowl cleaner; I just use whatever soap happens to be nearest to me. I decided to give the dish soap a try. I loved it! It made the water so sudsy and gave me some good scrubbing action. 
And I often scrub the pink gunk on the tub the same way as the toilet – using whatever soap happens to be nearby. The dish soap worked great on that too!
I have a lot more cleaning to do (with 4 little ones, it's pretty much never-ending), but I got a good start. Seeing things clean motivates me to clean even more!
Have you started your spring cleaning yet? What projects do you need to tackle?
Sealy Baby Cool Gel Crib Mattress Review {Plus a $100 Gift Card Giveaway!} #SealyBaby
As a Kolcraft Mom, I have the privilege to represent Kolcraft and Sealy Baby, and I am excited to introduce you to the Sealy Baby Cool Gel Crib Mattress!
Disclosure: I received a free mattress to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% my own.
The following video highlights my favorite features of the mattress:
The very first thing I checked out when deciding whether or not to accept this mattress was whether or not it would be safe for my infant. When I went to the product page, I was happy to see that this mattress is GREENGUARD® Gold certified for indoor air quality and low chemical emissions. And perhaps one of my very favorite things? Made in the USA! You don't see that much anymore these days, and I am always happy to support American-made!
A little more info about the mattress:
The Sealy 2-Cool 2-Stage Crib Mattress is available in-store or online at Buy Buy Baby.
Giveaway:
One winner will receive a $100 gift card to Buy Buy Baby to help you pay for a new Sealy Baby Cool Gel Crib Mattress!
To enter, just complete the form below.