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Stuff Parents Need

Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

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Baby Einstein Discovery Cards: A Great Activity for Babies

September 29, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

 

Affiliate links included at no cost to you. All opinions are my own.

One of the things I quickly noticed about having a young infant is that “playing” with them is sort of hard. What sort of activities does one do with an infant that isn’t even crawling, yet? Baby Einstein discovery cards for infants are the way to go, people!

The wild animal flash cards by Baby Einstein feature 30 pictures of live animals (as opposed to drawings of animals). They have animals you would find relatively close to your home, such as dogs, cats, and squirrels, and they have more exotic creatures like reef fish, tigers and elephants. The animal flash cards are sturdy, though not indestructible.

I purchased these discovery cards for my niece, and gave them to her when she was 10 months old. She has thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, and at 1 1/2 years old now, they remain in her toy chest as a favorite!

When I bought the cards for her, I bought a second set and tucked them away for my little bundle. While the package suggests that these flashcards are most appropriate for ages 9 months and up, I have to say that Darah already enjoys looking at these pictures at 7 weeks old. We’ve actually been showing them to her for weeks, and she seems intrigued. Keep in mind that for small infants, “looking” is one of the big things that they do, so having interesting things for them to look at is always a good thing. We rarely go through the entire set of Baby Einstein discovery cards with her at one time, as this can overwhelm her. I’m sure that when she gets older, though, we’ll go through the set several times without her tiring of looking at the animals. The back of the cards also have animal facts that we read to her now (simply to expose her to as many words as possible).

I wanted to highlight these baby Einstein animal flash cards because this is an educational product that I’m sure our baby will use for at least the first 1 1/2 -2 years of her life. Considering how quickly babies “outgrow” their toys, this makes this a terrific find. I’m sure that other picture flashcard sets would be equally exciting to your little one! I find the best selection at Amazon, though you can sometimes find them at Toys R Us, too.

This post contains an affiliate link. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Filed Under: Parenting Tips · Tagged: animal discovery cards, baby einstein animal discovery cards, baby einstein animal flash cards, baby einstein animals, baby einstein cards, baby einstein discovery cards, baby einstein flash cards, baby einstein flashcards, baby einstein nature discovery cards, baby einstein review, flashcards for babies, jungle animal flashcards, review, wild animal flashcards

Good Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding: Mother Love Nipple Cream

September 27, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

nipple cream 2 oz motherlove When I was learning about breastfeeding while pregnant, I mostly read that breastfeeding hurts a little, but you get past it. And I read over and over again that if it hurts, you are doing it wrong. These breastfeeding tips were really counter-productive, I realize in hindsight.

Can I please let you know that this advice is ridiculous? Breastfeeding DOES hurt. And yes, you might be doing it wrong and should explore any and all possibilities for remedies when you are in pain, as breastfeeding is also not as intuitive as many people would have you believe. But please do not beat yourself up if you are in pain. Get some help and fast! Today I want to talk about one product that helped me a great deal.

Breastfeeding Nipple Cream I Use

The breastfeeding nipple cream put out by Motherlove was recommended to me by two moms: my best friend and my sister-in-law. They both said that they found this cream to be superior to the lanolin creams that are found in the majority of stores. I received a jar of Mother Love Nipple Cream at my baby shower, and I took it with me to the hospital so that I could start using it as soon as breastfeeding commenced. While this good nipple cream is designed for sore, cracked nipples, I began using it even before the soreness began. While I can’t scientifically prove it, I believe that using this product from the start kept my nipples from getting as sore and cracked as they could have been (though they definitely got sore, and I experienced one crack, I believe). I had a sample of Lansinoh’s lanolin that I also tried out, and I found it to be much stickier than Motherlove’s product.

I also thought Motherlove’s cream smelled much nicer! From Motherlove’s website, you can read about two other great benefits to this product. It reads, “Does not contain lanolin which contains several pesticides; or Vitamin E which should not be ingested by infants. According to the Skin Deep toxicology database, Vitamin E is considered a health concern by the American Hospital Formulary Service because it can cause liver dysfunction and is “potentially fatal” to low birth weight babies.”

I highly recommend this product by Motherlove. It’s a really good nipple cream that helped me get through the toughest part of breastfeeding for me (the beginning!) and it was 100% safe for my baby.

This post contains an affiliate link. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Filed Under: Parenting Tips · Tagged: breast feeding, breastfeeding nipple cream, good nipple cream, mother love cream, mother love nipple cream, motherlove cream, motherlove nipple cream review, motherlove reviews, nipple cream, nipple cream 1 oz motherlove, nipple cream breastfeeding, nursing cream, review

Playskool Lullaby Gloworm (Glow Worm) Review

September 25, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Playskool lullaby gloworm toy blue

image from toysrus.com

Ok, I’ll admit it. I never had an original glow worm when I was a child (early ’80s) and I ALWAYS wanted one. When I realized that glow worms toys were still being made in some form, I immediately added one to Darah’s baby registry. When she received it, I was absolutely thrilled. So I suppose the answer to the question of who the gloworm belongs to is just a little bit debatable.

Given my overall excitement about having a glow worm in my house, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that it is a big hit around here, and not just with me, but also with the baby, it’s intended playmate. Darah started to really enjoy listening to and watching her Playskool Lullaby Gloworm at about 3 weeks of age, and she seems to enjoy it more and more each day. At 7 weeks, she now smiles when I turn it on, and she eagerly follows the face and the sound as I move it around her. She has even attempted to reach for it!

As a warning, I will say that the music it plays when you squeeze its tummy only lasts for 15-20 seconds. Therefore, if you are trying to use the glow worm to put your baby to sleep, I don’t think you’ll have much luck (go for a white noise machine for this purpose). But I think it is a terrific toy for teaching your baby to track movement and sound. Overall, it is a terrific toy for playtime, especially when your baby is alert, but quiet. These retail for around $15 and come in blue or pink.

This post contains my Amazon affiliate link. If 10 of you buy a gloworm, I might be able to buy a cup of coffee. Ha! My thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Filed Under: Parenting Tips · Tagged: glo worm, glo worm toy, glow worm, glow worm toy, gloworm, gloworm toy, playskool, playskool glow worm, playskool gloworm, review

Best Baby Wipes: Huggies Naturally Refreshing Wipes!

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

baby wipes newborns. Newborn baby wipes

Are you searching for the best newborn baby wipes out there? I think I have found them! Tim and I have used several different types of wipes over the past 7 weeks, and on the whole, we’ve found that a wipe is a wipe is a wipe. That is, until we opened up the box of Huggies Naturally Refreshing Baby Wipes we had tucked away (we stockpiled wipes before Darah, our daughter, was born). These were by far the thickest wipes we’ve seen, and the smell was just fantastic (they are cucumber and green tea scented!). These are definitely the best baby wipes on the market, and a fantastic baby wipes for newborn option, too.

We also really loved the box it came in, and while we’ve run out of these wipes, we are putting the other wipes we are using in this box. The top of the lid has a little catch on it to help the wipes separate from one another, which is really useful when you are trying to grab a wipe with just one hand. It also has a cool little button you can push to open the wipes lid, and the lid is easy to close! Sometimes these are tricky to find in stores, but Amazon definitely has them (watch out…some options include free shipping and other don’t!). I can’t say that they are becoming the only wipe we’ll use, but we’ll definitely be picking them up every time we find them on sale.

What are your favorite newborn baby wipes?

Filed Under: Parenting Tips · Tagged: baby wipe, huggies, huggies natural, huggies natural wipes, huggies naturally refreshing, huggies naturally refreshing wipes, huggies wipes, review

How to Clean Baby’s Ears: Johnson’s Safety Swabs Cotton Q-Tips

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

best way clean ears
(image from Johnsonsbaby.com, affiliate links may be included at no cost to you)

Is anyone else out there totally confused about the best way to clean ears, and more specifically, how to clean baby’s ears? I have to admit, I was skeptical about purchasing cotton Q-tips that were designed for babies. That just smacked of “Let’s see if we can make you pay more for the same item by stating that it is for babies.” In fact, though, these really are quite different from your standard Q-tip in some important ways.

If you look closely at the picture, you will see that it has a smaller tip, and then a larger bulb section. This larger section provides an actual barrier so that you can’t accidentally insert the swab too far into your baby’s ear. Any new parent can tell you that it can be terrifying to perform certain maintenance tasks on your baby (cleaning baby ears, nose, and trimming nails) for fear of accidentally injuring the child. I have found that these swabs really do a great job of building my confidence, because I know that I’m not going to hurt my baby. I also use these to wipe out my daughter’s nose, too!

These run about $5.25 for a package of 55, and they are totally and completely worth it, because they do their job of cleaning baby’s ears safely, and they provide peace of mind.

Filed Under: Parenting Tips · Tagged: cotton q tips, cotton swabs for babies, johnson and johnson cotton swabs, johnson safety swabs, q-tip swabs, q-tips cotton swabs, review, safety q tips

Welcome to Stuff Parents Need!

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

A great big welcome to all of the folks out there who are trying their hands at this thing they call parenting! My husband and I have been in the club for 7 weeks now, and we simultaneously feel as though we have no clue what we are doing, and that we’ve learned VOLUMES of helpful information. We are starting this blog to provide an outlet for sharing our insights with others, particularly as it relates to products we have tried. We are also hoping to connect with other parents who can share information about what helps them do their jobs as mom and dad better, and thus, help us feel a little less clueless. Please join in on the conversations!

Filed Under: General · Tagged: parenting, parenting blog, stuff parents need, welcome

Contact Me

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Do you have a post idea or a question for me? Are you a new reader and just want to introduce yourself? I’d love to hear from you! Email me at stuffparentsneed@gmail.com

Do you have a product that you’d like me to review? Check out my review and disclosure policies, and then please contact me at stuffparentsneed@gmail.com

Filed Under: General · Tagged: contact, contact me

Review and Disclosure Policies

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Review Policy

Stuff Parents Need is a review blog, and as such, is on the lookout for products that help make life easier for parents in some way. I am also interested in reviewing products from mom-owned companies! Reviews require a non-returnable sample for use, since being able to review a product honestly requires that I use the product.

To submit your product or service for consideration on this blog, please email me at stuffparentsneed@gmail.com. The following information is appreciated:
Company Name
Web Site
Contact Name
Contact Email
Name of Product
Link to Product or Picture of Product
Brief Description of Product

I will make every effort to respond to your submissions within 72 hours.


Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 24 September, 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The owner of this blog may compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for posts or advertisements, she always gives honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. If compensation has been provided in the form of paid sponsorship or free product samples, that will be disclosed on the post. Otherwise, no compensation was given. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Filed Under: General · Tagged: disclosure, policies, review

About Me

September 24, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment


My name is Tiffany and I became a mom for the first time in August of 2009. My husband and I have learned so much in this short period of time about products that help us do our job of raising a baby better and maintain our sanity! This blog is a means by which we can share our insights with you, and also warn you about things we purchased that were complete duds! I still have so much to learn about this whole parenting thing, so I’m hoping that this blog will also connect me with other parents out there who have their own tips and tricks to share!

Filed Under: General · Tagged: about, about me, tiffany, tiffany merritt

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Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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