Babysitter Balance

Usually I don’t like to post a review on a product from the same company twice in a row, but I’ve really had this chair on my mind this week and decided to break my own rule. The chair in the photo isn’t exactly the one I have; you see we got the older model then bam the new one was introduced like two months later. Oh well. And so you know, I can’t remember what they called it exactly when we got it, so I’m going with what they call it now: the Babysitter Balance. So here’s the thing: Little Moxie wanted nothing to do with this chair until about 3 or 4 months ago, yet I love it, and if I had a “normal” baby I think she would have loved it even as an infant. Having a bouncer that bounces with their energy is fun and soothing for babies and no batteries or wall plug-ins to worry about.

The Best Bouncer
The Babysitter Balance can be adjusted to three positions “play, rest and sleep,” basically low, medium and high. We had a friend over with her 2 month old who loved this chair in the medium setting because she could bounce and see what was going on. The security belt is super easy to use and nice and secure without being tight. The fabric is easy to wash, it slides off easily and machine washes and it’s Oeko-Tex Standard 100, class 1, which you have to love (not sure about the older model but the new ones for sure are). While on the subject of fabric, if you get the Babysitter Balance Air, the seat is mesh so that it’s super breathable. Living in the unforgiving heat of the desert this is the seat that I would get if I were to buy another one, and who knows if we have another baby we might, though getting the hubby to agree to that might be a tough sell. They also offer organic fabric now too. When a baby is sleeping in the Babysitter Balance their motions make the chair move so it soothes them and when they are awake they learn to bounce themselves, so fun to watch. Now that Little Moxie is older she uses it as her own little chair and loves it soooo much. I’m pretty sure she has found a few ways to use it that are not recommended by the manufacturer (like bouncing while standing on the seat backwards, and remember I’m not advocating this) and the seat is holding up wonderfully. It is really well constructed and the new seats are even easier to switch from one position to another, though I’ve never had a complaint about the old system. It also folds down really flat so it’s very easy to take with you where ever you go. When Little Moxie was 3 months we took it camping so that we could set her down once in a while, it was very convenient. Oh yeah and there is a toy bar that clips on, ours came with it but the new ones are sold separately, and I found it difficult to put on. The new bar looks like it’s more fun and easier to use. Each position has different weight limits but on the highest setting Little Moxie is sure to get at least another 6 months or so out of it. I would highly recommend this chair.

Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light

When Little Moxie was six months old she learned to roll all over the house. It was so cool to see her move herself around. But that also meant new challenges. One such challenge was how to contain her when need be. You know, like when I’m in the shower and she rolls from the bathroom to the landing by the stairs, only feet away from tumbling to her doom. We decided that day that she needed a play pen of some sort, or “baby jail” as we affectionately call it. Since there has literally been about three hours out of her whole life in which she has slept in a crib we weren’t so concerned about using it for sleep but wanted the option in case she decided one day that cribs were the most fabulous invention ever (hasn’t happened in case you were curious). We were looking for something big enough to play in, small enough to fit in a bathroom and portable enough to take with us wherever we felt like taking it. We landed on the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light and it is perfect in every way I can think of.

It’s so Easy
With baby around, easy is the name of the game and this travel crib could not be any easier. Check out the video below (I put it down there because it didn't look good up here) and tell me if this doesn’t look super simple. We went for silver and it looks so nice, it’s not full of primary colors and silly patterns, again it’s simple. Like I said, she’s never slept in it, but the sides seem breathable and the mesh, of course, is great. I also think that it’s a nice size crib and it’s a rectangle instead of square like some of the play yards we looked at which makes it easier for us to get it through doorways from room to room. Here are the measurements: mattress: 24 x 42 x 1.6 in, base, inside: 32 x 44.8 x 24 in, folded: 24 x 19.6 x 5.6 in and it only weighs 11 pounds. It’s so light but it’s very very stable. The fabric zips off for easy cleaning and is Oeko-Tex Standard 100, class 1, so you know that it contains no chemicals that are hazardous to humans. The folding and unfolding is really the most amazing part. It could not be easier. Lastly, the mattress is nice; a good padded surface and nice and snug. Baby Bjorn also makes (really pricey) fitted sheets for the Travel Crib Light. I didn’t buy any because I read reviews of other people using regular crib sheets, so that’s what I did. That was fine for playing, but they did loosen up quite a bit so if I had a baby that was going to sleep in there I would want the sheet made especially for this mattress for sure, it would be a lot safer.

The sad sad end to this post is that Little Moxie can climb out now and I can no longer shower when she is awake, unless someone else is here to watch her. I actually shed a tear when this happened at 13 ½ months. Someone else I know was excited by what she had learned, but then HE wasn’t the one loosing the ability to take a much needed shower after the morning walk…I’m just say’n. IF your child will stay in the crib, the manufacturer says that it can be used through three years of age.

Get it now from Amazon:  BABYBJÖRN Travel Crib Light - Silver

Urban Baby Bonnets

modBonnet

Raise your hand if you have a hard time keeping a hat of any sort on your little one. Granted I can’t see into cyber space but my guess is that there are a lot of hands in the air right now. The answer is the modBonnet by UB2! What a lifesaver these adorable little pieces of art have been. Our fist experience with one was when Little Moxie was 3 months old and we went “camping” in a condo while the rest of the family was actually in the campground. If you camp with an infant props to you but I was just not into it and I wanted a real bed and shower (wimpy I know). Anyhow, we were at the campground most of the day times and needed something to keep the sun off of her face and something to keep her ears warmer and as it happened a bit of rain out of her face as well.While other hats stuck fear at the very sight, Little Moxie didn’t seem to mind this one, and as she got older we moved on to the skiBonnet for winter. This was the ONLY hat we could keep on her head, and with the exception of one other one (sometimes) it still is. She can’t pull it off because it snaps under her chin and unlike beanies, it doesn’t constrict her head, so I really think she’s more comfortable and doesn’t want it off as badly. Perhaps she likes that it’s wicked cute too, I know I do. Now that she’s 1 (eeek) she has two for this summer (which needs to end, I’m sick of the heat) and they have been real lifesavers. Now which one to choose for this winter? So many cute patterns to choose from, I think I'm leaning towards butterflies...

Hats Off (or on rather) to modBonnets

skiBonnet

UB2 makes both modBonnets and skiBonnets. The only difference is that the skiBonnets have fleece, making them ideal for winter while the modBonnets are simply cotton which is obviously better for hot summers. The skiBonnet can be used even if you don’t need sun protection because all you have to do is flip back the visor part and the rest of the head remains warmly surrounded by fleece. For all other times when you don’t need fleece the modBonnet is awesome, it seriously can’t be beat. First off, it’s reversible, so you have two adorable fabrics; important for the fashion conscious baby (and parent) of course. The visor is rounded just right so that the sun stays out of the eyes and can flip back when not needed. The flipping visor is so nice, go into the shade, flip it up, back to the sun and down it goes. There's no need to constantly be taking it off and putting it on again. It doesn’t bend out of shape and has a good amount of element coverage. I have washed our bonnets several times and probably not been as careful as I could have been and they are still perfect. They have gotten wet, muddy, stepped on, sat on and thrown in a bag and they still work (FYI - this obviously is not the recommended type of care they should receive). They do not keep sun off the back of the neck like some wide rimmed hats, but we just throw a little extra sun screen back there and it’s fine. Don’t let the price tag scare you ($34ish) because this is the only hat that you need. Buy one each time they grow and you can’t grow wrong. So far the size chart provided has been dead on and even when they are a little big they still work fine. Lastly, I should also mention that UB2 even has "boy" fabric, so these aren't just for girls!

For the complete line of bonnets head to the UB2 store at etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/urbanbabybonnets?ref=top_trail