Tag Archives: Baby Products

Age-Appropriate Toys for Your Infant Sprout

Blog Post 4.25.15 Toys Cover PhotoThis topic is a highly requested one among my readers, and for one reason or another, I’ve always put it off. I think it’s because I’ve either been inspired by a more pressing health topic or because part of me wanted to write a post – something along the lines of – My Must/Wish/Ditch List  A post that featured things I couldn’t survive without, toys or gadgets I didn’t know existed until it was a little too late (but want to make sure to order for baby #2), and things that ended up being over-marketed, overrated, and/or a waste of money that could’ve been much better spent on a better, cooler item (like, why didn’t we get a stroller that could CONVERT to a double stroller? Hindsight is 20/20). Kinda like a Baby Buyer’s Guide, helpful for grandparents, mamas prepping to register for gifts, baby shower guests, etc.

So maybe that’ll come in the next few weeks. For now, I’ll stick to what my readers have requested – toys that correspond to your baby’s developmental age.

Onto the TOYS! … Continue reading “Age-Appropriate Toys for Your Infant Sprout” »

Product Spotlight: Green Mountain Diapers’ Workhorse Fitted Diapers

GMD Fitted Jia 2Just right before New Year’s I had the honor of being asked to conduct a review of Green Mountain Diapers’ Workhorse Fitted Diapers. I was ecstatic, eager, and couldn’t wait to try them out! 

Let me start off by sharing a brief story:

Back before I was even pregnant, I knew I wanted to cloth diaper my babies. However, in my lazy and very short-sighted search for a cloth-diapering system while pregnant, I picked some great Thirsties Duo-Wrap diaper covers but unfortunately, chose some “antimicrobial microfiber bamboo inserts,” that eventually proved to be a waste of money for us. I didn’t do any research on how you really cloth diaper. I naively figured “What’s to know? Just get these diaper inserts and covers and that’s all!” I didn’t know what prefolds were. I really kick myself for this, because the inserts I chose ended up being a big waste of money. Not only is microfiber a bit of a hassle to clean, the fabric also retains smells and stains really easily. I thought using inserts under the diaper cover was all we needed! I ended up with 24 of these really soft but essentially unusable inserts that didn’t do the job like it should’ve.

A little research and asking around BEFORE Jia was 2 months old would’ve saved a lot of time, money, and loads of poopy outfits and diaper covers.

As Green Mountain Diapers says, “You can’t be successful at cloth diapering if you don’t own good cloth diapering supplies!” (greenmountaindiapers.com; About Us) 

Continue reading “Product Spotlight: Green Mountain Diapers’ Workhorse Fitted Diapers” »

Baby-proofing (for) My Sprout

Blog Post Babyproofing Your SproutStaci, one of my really good college friends had a baby a few months after Jia was born, so we exchange thoughts and ideas since her son, Benji, is not far behind Jia (in age, though developmentally they are neck-and-neck)! Anyway, Staci wanted me to write a post about baby proofing, so I wanted to list the changes we’ve made to our house. As a warning, I didn’t go and get every baby-proofing device out there. Baby-proofing gadgets are pricey and add up very quickly, so I am going about baby-proofing in sort of a “buy as we need” fashion. 

The Important Part

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lists 12 must-have devices to childproof your home. The most important tip they stress is that in order for childproofing equipment to be effective, it must be installed correctly. Be sure to read instructions on all products that you purchase to ensure your child’s upmost safety. Also, they want you to remember that children are smart, crafty, and persistent. Even if you childproof your home, that doesn’t mean your child can’t figure out a way around it. Click here for the link.

Remember to ALWAYS lock away chemicals, medications (prescription and over-the-counter), alcohol, ammunition, knives, and other harmful products! This cannot be stressed enough!

The National Capital Poison Center states that in 2013, 44% of poison exposures were found in children under 6 years of age.

They identified the most common exposures for these children to be cosmetics, cleaners, pain medications, and foreign bodies. Others include vitamins, antihistamines (benadryl), batteries, plants/mushrooms, antimicrobials, pesticides, arts and crafts supplies, and “gastrointestinal preparations.” (I’m a nurse and I’m not sure what this refers to but it doesn’t sound appealing) Click here for other statistics from poison.org. 

All of the products I am listing (besides our safety gate and trashcan) were purchased at Buy Buy Baby, and the prices I list are pre-20% off-coupon. Remember, save those Bed, Bath, & Beyond coupons, because if they are NOT expired, you can use them! (expired ones, unfortunately can’t be used) There are other products out there, these aren’t the only “good ones,” and there are others that look less obvious but I am just writing about what we have, in case it helps guide your choices! Continue reading “Baby-proofing (for) My Sprout” »

{*Tiny Giveaway Winner*}

tiny rider grey 1.1Congratulations to Megan Williams for winning our Tiny Giveaway! Just goes to show what entering twice can really do for you! You will be contacted shortly by The Tiny Collection about the specifics. I’m so excited for you and beautiful little Jane Rose!

Thank you to all who entered our first giveaway and thank you for spreading the word about Little Sproutings on Facebook and Instagram! I have loved all of your Sproutings Suggestions and will work hard to do some good researching into those topics. A special thanks goes out to Lindsey at The Tiny Collection for making this giveaway happen!

Keep posted for a Springtime Giveaway with The Tiny Collection’s new set of adorable designs and keep reading Little Sproutings!

{*giveAWAY!*} A Tiny Collection for your Tiny Sprout

tiny tag TTC

I am so excited about Little Sproutings’ VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY, just in time for the HOLIDAYS!

The Tiny Collection is a great baby clothes company based out of Richmond, Virginia. Lindsey Frank, owner of The Tiny Collection and brilliant artist and interior designer, was constantly disappointed by the lack of variety while shopping for products for her son. She created The Tiny Collection to take the designing and production into her own hands to offer unique, beautiful, comfortable, and high-quality baby clothing.

Jia in the Lucky Horseshoe Onesie

Jia in the Lucky Horseshoe Onesie

All of Lindsey’s designs are lovingly designed by hand and are printed with baby-friendly water-based inks (even the metallics!). From a sweet Galileo quote, a dreamy night’s Pleiades constellation, to a whimsical Ship & Anchor design, all Tiny Tees and Onesies are made and printed in the USA. 

Each Tiny Package is artistically wrapped and packaged, most complete with a Tiny Tag filled with a matching Tiny Tattoo (pictured above). Lindsey’s attention to detail does not go unnoticed and the special touches don’t skip a beat.

I LOVE The Tiny Collection! Seriously, The Collection’s tees and onesies (both the organic and non-organic) are incredibly soft and the designs are so beautifully illustrated and printed! The metallic ink is so eye-catching, and well, every girl’s gotta have her shimmer!!   Continue reading “{*giveAWAY!*} A Tiny Collection for your Tiny Sprout” »

*~{GIVEAWAY COMING!}~*

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We are teaming up with The Tiny Collection for a great giveaway, just in time for the holidays! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to win adorable Tiny Freebies for your Tiny Tot! Open to US Residents only.

Follow Little Sproutings on Facebook.com/littlesproutings and both of us on Instagram (@littlesproutings & @the_tinycollection) for additional entries!

Details coming soon this Saturday’s Sproutings post!

For Crying Out Loud…!

Blog Post Crying Out Loud

Crying. Screaming. Tears. Red-faced. Sweaty. It can drive a newor even an experienced parent crazy,  left feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, confused, and fed up.

We have been really lucky – Jia really was never much of a crier. The only time we really experienced much crying with her was in the early days when she was trying to teach us what she needed – to be fed. After that, around 3 months old (like the photo above), she only cried when she was in an unfamiliar place and someone else wanted to try holding her, or if we were in the car. Yep, the “drive the baby around the block to stop their crying” didn’t work for us at all. She’d be a happy smiley baby and the second you got in the car, you better hope you didn’t hit the red light on your 1/2 mile drive to Target.

Anyway, we attribute our happy hardly-crying baby to white noise and swaddling, which we started literally from the day she was born. Jia was swaddled basically the whole time we were in the hospital and when she cried, Jeff immediately placed her on her side and shushed then jiggled her and she became serene. Immediately. I wanted to share with you what tips for white noise and swaddling we swear by. Continue reading “For Crying Out Loud…!” »