Category : Baby Products

Baby Products

Prince Lionheart WashPod – European Baby Bathtub Review

prince lionheart wash pod

For my first two children, I used the First Years sure comfort newborn to toddler tub. It was OK from about the time they were able to sit up until the time they were big enough for the regular tub, but it wasn’t great for newborns. Like all baby bath tubs, it leaves them splayed out (which most newborns hate) and cold. I heard about “European” tubs like the tummy tub and spa baby and I was intrigued, but couldn’t bring myself to pay $40-$50 for something that looked like a plastic bucket/flower pot. Or, as DH said, a trash can. He said it looked like I was planning to “throw the baby out with the bath water.” Bwahahahaha!

prince lionheart washpod 1

This style bath tub is supposed to be more comfortable & soothing for small babies since they can be covered to their chests in warm water, and are curled up snugly in the fetal position. I did some searching and found the Prince Lionheart WashPod for $24.99. Babies R us had it, but it was online only and not eligible for in-store pickup. Buy Buy Baby had it, but we’re an hour (no traffic) from one. Long story short, hubby ended up just down the road from Buy Buy Baby and got one with a $5 off coupon, so $19.95 plus tax!

prince lionheart washpod 3 back prince lionheart washpod 2 side

Though I haven’t seen the other brands in person to compare, I like this one a lot. It has a wide base, non slip handles, and seems very sturdy (obviously, you would never take your hand off your baby, but it’s nice to know it’s unlikely to tip over if they heave their weight around.)

prince lionheart washpod 4 inside

I love that it comes with a soft, contoured pillow to make it more comfy. I can’t help but wonder how it will hold up over time, but for now we just empty the tub and dry it and the pillow before putting it away (it fits under our bathroom sink.)

prince lionheart washpod 5pillow

It came with instructions in a zillion languages, but I think it is pretty self explanatory!

prince lionheart washpod 6 instructions prince lionheart washpod 7 instructions

It comes with stickers to put on marking the proper water line. The first time you use it, you have to add water, put baby in, then add or remove some until it’s at the right level for your baby. When bath time is over, mark the water level after taking baby out, and you’ll know how high to fill it next time.

prince lionheart washpod 8 water line stickers prince lionheart washpod 9 water line

My first two kids screamed endlessly through baths for months. My little guy screeched and threw his arms out when his feet touched the water (he was startled!) but as soon as he was in, he was perfectly content.

prince lionheart washpod 10

This kid gets crazy red eye with my point & shoot camera. I need to start using DH’s awesome camera, but it’s like 10 MP and the files are huge. Plus, I can just stick mine in the drawer or my pocket, but his fancy schmancy camera is far too big for that.

Anyhoo, I think this would be easiest if you put the wash pod in the kitchen sink and had two adults handy. At this age, babies aren’t really “dirty,” so a tiny squirt of body wash in the tub or on a washcloth, and a few swipes with the washcloth is plenty I think. Just like our old tub, it took a lot of my attention in addition to my constantly holding his head to keep it above water. I don’t think that’s unique to this tub style, it’s just part of bathing a newborn.

prince lionheart washpod 11 prince lionheart washpod 12

So to sum it up, I love this trash can flower pot bucket bath tub, and it was definitely $20 well spent!

FTC compliance: I purchased this item at normal retail prices. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Baby Products Review

aden + anais Muslin Swaddle Wrap for Your Littlest Sweetheart!

aden+anais

I talked about aden+anais during my “virtual baby shower,” when I received a muslin sleep sack, but I had never tried one of their muslin swaddles, A.K.A. swaddling blankets.

aden+anais aden+anais


Twinkle Pink
, Radiant Red and Sweet Heart Swaddle are three adorable prints of the swaddle wraps, perfect for your little Valentine. They even come packaged in a cute muslin bag.

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The wraps are extra-large at 47″ square. They are breathable thanks to the open weave, soft (they get softer with each wash) and durable. The classic swaddling blankets retail for $22, but buying various print collections in 4-packs brings the price to under $12.50 per swaddle wrap!

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You can also buy organic blankets, bamboo muslin blankets (I want to feel one of these!) and they even have a cozy collection with 2-layer blankets!

The blankets can stand in as burp cloths, nursing and stroller covers (pictured below over a stroller!), portable crib sheets, stroller and car seat liners, tummy time blankets, change table covers, and more. An aden+anais swaddle would be the perfect gift for yourself your little one, or another special person.

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Check out the full aden+anais collection, find aden+anais on Facebook and follow aden+anais on Twitter.

FTC compliance: While I did receive a product at no charge for review purposes, I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Baby Products Review

Graco Stanton Affordable, Convertible Crib Review

graco stanton

For some reason, I always feel the urge to justify my purchases to the interwebs (especially a crib since I know so many people are totally anti-crib.) I’m not sure why. I guess I feel guilty for buying anything that’s not 100% necessary. Probably why I wear the same 3 shirts & 2 pair of jeans over and over and over again! Anyway, I’ll try not to do that. I’ll just say that we wanted a crib for the new baby, and we didn’t want to pay an arm & a leg for it. We were hoping for black (so it would match the dresser in what used to be the spare bedroom) but the main requirements were that it be inexpensive, but not “cheap” (and yes, there’s a difference in my book!)

I had been eyeing up the deal sites and checking sales. It seemed like you could get a halfway decent crib for under $200, but they weren’t necessarily our style, and weren’t black. We weren’t really in a hurry though, since I am determined to make cosleeping work!!

I ended up finding the Graco Stanton Convertible Crib on Amazon. The crib is actually made by Lajobi for Graco (they make a lot of baby furniture for different brands.)

The MSRP is $159.99, but Amazon had it for $139 with free shipping. It was one of those “Temporarily out of stock, order now and we’ll deliver it when available” items, so I was worried it would never show up, but it did! The crib is available in white, cinnamon, cherry, black and espresso. The price has gone up to $149 since I bought mine, but it’s still a good deal!

I did read the reviews before I bought, and they seemed OK. I knew I wasn’t buying a $700 crib! I mean, a convertible crib for $139 couldn’t be that great but whatever. Well I was actually pleasantly surprised! My husband was able to put it together quickly, even with “help” from the kids. The crib converts to a toddler bed (no guard rail needed for conversion), daybed and full-size headboard with footboard.

Graco Stanton 1

I commented that the highest setting seemed pretty low. Hubby said it was just because the mattress wasn’t in yet, but once I put the mattress in, he agreed that it is kind of low! It still seems high enough for shorty-short me (5′ tall if you round up or let me leave my shoes on) to lay a newborn in it without much trouble. It has a total of 3 height settings.

Graco Stanton 2 inside

Overall, I’m pleased with it. I think it’s a nice looking crib, and I like it more than some of the $800+ cribs we saw at the bigger stores. It seems sturdy and well made. Then again, it’s not an $800 crib and it’s definitely not perfect. Most noticeably, the paint is kind of sloppy.

Graco Stanton 4 paint flaws

One thing I was expecting based on the reviews, is the bed skirt trouble the corner support weirdness causes.

Graco Stanton 3 corner supports

You can see in the stock photo I used at the top of the post (you may have to click to enlarge it to see what I mean) that the bed skirt doesn’t come all the way to the corners of the crib because of the supports (and may not work at all depending on the style/if the corners are split.) That will definitely bother me, so I figure I will just cut the bedskirt, then maybe use a diaper pin (or a few quick hand stitches) under the mattress to hold it back in place. The brackets will still be visible though, which is super annoying, but what are you gonna do?

Overall, sure, I wish someone would deliver a crib on my doorstep that didn’t have the paint and bracket issues, but if someone handed me $800, I’d keep the crib we have and use the money for something else!

FTC compliance: I paid normal, retail price for the pictured item. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own. Post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Baby Products Breastfeeding Giveaway Review

Comfort & Harmony Mombo Deluxe Nursing Pillow Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 2/2)

mombo

I had the pleasure of being one of the first to try the Comfort & Harmony (by Bright Starts) mombo nursing pillow & infant positioner.

Mombo 1 in pkg Mombo 2 out of pkg

I’ve been using mine since my son was born last month, and now they are available or purchase exclusively at Babies R Us.

Mombo 3 close up of soft side Mombo 4 firm side

The mombo has a soft, plush side for lounging, and a flat, firm side for feeding. I received the Pinehurst, which is a beautiful green print.

Mombo 5 zipper opens Mombo 6 vibrates
Mombo 7 instructions

Optionally, you can press a button through the pillow to activate soothing vibrations.

Mombo 8 hubby Mombo 9 hubby

The mombo works for all sizes and body shapes. My husband thought it would be too small for him, but it easily conformed to him.

Mombo 10 other pillow and gap Mombo 11 no support

My almost 7 year old is petite, and “the other pillow” sits too far from her body (even when she tries to shove it behind her back like she did here) and essentially gives her no support to hold her brother. He just sits in the “hole.”

Mombo 12 mombo works for 6 yo

The mombo works great for her! It works better when she takes a second to make sure it’s snugly against her body.

Mombo 13 nursing

I like the mombo for nursing because it has a firm, flat side, and sits close to my body.

The pillow is available with several covers, and costs $39.99-$49.99. A coverless pillow is $29.99 and covers are $12.99-$25.99 separately.

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Giveaway: One reader will receive his or her choice of Comfort & Harmony mombo Deluxe Pillow in the Taggies™ Fashion (ARV $49.99.) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, nor associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and understand that the information entered on this form will not be disclosed to Facebook.

FTC compliance: Although I received an item for review purposes, I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Baby Products Giveaway Made in the USA Review

Carousel Designs Crib Blanket Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 1/26)

carousel designs crib blanket

In October, I posted about the Carousel Designs Custom Baby Bedding Designer.

carousel-designs

We haven’t ordered anything yet, since our son isn’t sleeping in his room just yet, but we’ve picked out what we like!

design

The design I created uses the gray zoology fabric, but what we liked is a little different than their standard set. (I made the bumper white since I won’t be using a fluffy bumper!)

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Carousel Designs sent me their gray zoology crib blanket, which retails for $54, but is on sale for $49.

carousel designs crib blanket

There is is next to the fabric samples I ordered. As a side note, I love that they included a very large piece of the print (probably can’t tell how big it is in the photo), and they also included two gray samples, since their dye lot would be changing soon. The difference was hard to notice, but I thought it was a nice touch.

carousel designs crib blanket

The crib blanket has minky on the reverse side.

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Blankets measure about 34″ x 43″.

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They are made in the U.S.A.!

carousel designs crib blanket

Apparently I’m not very good at following directions, because even though I took a picture of the washing instructions, I proceeded to wash the blanket on warm & dry it in the dryer. After washing & drying, the two materials shrunk at different rates leaving the edges rolling and overall messy looking. Doesn’t affect function but I find it very annoying. If I had hand washed on cold and line dried, I probably wouldn’t have this problem, so it’s really my own fault. Though even if I’d washed it correctly initially, it would be a matter of time before I tossed it in without thinking! The blanket is super soft, adorable, and perfect for cuddling up, or to put down when baby is playing on the floor/for tummy time.

carousel designs crib blanket carousel designs crib blanket

Giveaway: One reader will receive his or her choice of Carousel Designs crib blanket (ARV $54) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, nor associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and understand that the information entered on this form will not be disclosed to Facebook.

FTC compliance: Although I received an item for review purposes, I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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