Stuff Parents Need

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

PinkBlush Maternity Review and Giveaway!

· by · 59 Comments

A lot of things about this pregnancy are very similar to my first. Things like continually feeling nauseous, feeling completely exhausted all the time, and craving strange foods that I don’t normally eat. (Hello, bacon-wrapped pickles!) One thing is a little bit different this time though, and that is my rate of belly growth! Pretty much the day I found out I was pregnant, I was already feeling bigger around the middle. By week 10, I felt like a whale. At 14 weeks, people already started asking me if I was pregnant. (Which I think is a little bold!) I definitely don’t remember my belly popping out so fast the first time around! I realized pretty quickly that it was going to be time for maternity clothes a bit sooner than I had planned. My wonderful husband pulled the boxes of my old maternity clothes out of the attic for me but I was sadly disappointed by what I found. Everything is so outdated and frumpy looking! Oh no, this would not do.

Then I discovered PinkBlush Maternity, who sent me a super cute top to add to my wardrobe and review. They really have some super cute maternity clothes! I spent lots of time browsing their website, making a list of all the cute things I just had to have. My first choice, a striped top with lace on the sleeves, was unfortunately sold out in my size (I have a slight obsession with stripes!) but my second choice was available. And I have to say, I really do love the top I received. It is super cute, unique, and made of good quality material. I like that the fabric is thick and doesn’t look like it will fall apart before my baby arrives. I also love that it comes with a belt! With my first pregnancy I had NO CLUE how to wear a belt with a pregnant belly, and this shirt figures it out for me. I’ll be pairing this top with black or tan leggings.

PinkBlushMaternity_Top

I love how unique many of the tops are, and more interesting than the boring items you find in most of the chain maternity stores. Their clothes are also very affordable, which I think is a must for maternity clothes! I was a little disappointed to find that they don’t have a larger selection of jeans and leggings since that’s what I’m currently in need of, but their huge selection of tops and dresses more than makes up for it. (Looking for maxi skirts? They’ve got plenty!) I noticed that they have a lot of really cute things out for fall now, including pants and leggings. If you are pregnant and looking for trendy maternity clothes, I highly recommend browsing their site. I’m pretty sure you’ll find something that suits your style!

Win It!: PinkBlush Maternity Clothing is offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a $25 gift certificate to PinkBlush Maternity!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Milk Nursingwear Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 85 Comments

I’m not one of those “on the go” moms who runs errands every single day with baby in tow. I actually plan rather strategically so that I can do most of my shopping and other outside-the-house tasks done either by myself, or just with Darah while Tim stays with Layah. I’m not afraid to go out with her; I just know the tasks will be completed much faster without a baby.

But there are times when I simply need to be out for a long time, and my entire family is with me. For example, when we went to Atlanta for a mini-vacation a few weeks ago, we had several things we wanted to do during the day before heading to the hotel (a trip to Ikea, which I’ll blog about later, a trip to Trader Joe’s, and a trip to the Varsity for some dinner). I wasn’t going to let the fact that I needed to breastfeed Layah multiple times during that trip spoil it for me.

All I needed to do was dress appropriately so that nursing her would not be too difficult. Milk Nursingwear had the perfect top for me to wear during our marathon day, and I have to say, it made breastfeeding a breeze. It also made me feel stylish, which is a HUGE accomplishment for nursingwear.

Here I am at the Varsity enjoying my meal. Layah enjoyed her meal afterwards! Ha!

To get a better idea of what the shirt looks like  and how it works for nursing, here’s a image from the Milk website:

The cowl neck nursing shirt is really soft, and I love the color. I wore this all day, and probably fed Layah 4 times while wearing it. I was never uncomfortable and never had a hard time feeding her on account of my wardrobe. It was really quite refreshing! At home I just wear whatever, and often have to completely remove my top to feed the baby. That’s fine if I’m in my own house, but it actually gets kind of old. I’ve started wearing this shirt at home for convenience sake, and if I’m out with the baby, I almost certainly am wearing this. It’s my favorite nursing shirt!

Milk Nursingwear has the best selection of affordable and fashionable nursing clothing I have ever found. The company is also founded by a mother of four. Elisa knows first hand how important it is to have modern styles that support breastfeeding. She’s done a wonderful job with her company, I think!

I also want to point out the sale section of the site. That’s a great place to find a bargain! 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $35 gift certificate to Milk Nursingwear!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Affordable, Fashion-Forward Maternity Wear: Kiki’s Fashions Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

· by · 55 Comments

Welcome to Maternity Monday, where I highlight products and services for the expecting mom and family.

Today I want to talk about maternity clothes. My thought on them is that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that will only be worn for a few seasons (if you don’t outgrow them before the end of the pregnancy!). But since I don’t want to spend a lot of money, I also find that my maternity wardrobe tends to be quite sparse, especially as compared with my typical wardrobe. So, I learned the hard way last time around that even though I am budget-conscious about my clothing, I need to balance that with being fashion-conscious. If you have to wear something constantly, it had better be cute! With my first pregnancy, it was price alone that drove my purchase decisions, and as a result, I had clothes that I genuinely wanted to burn by the time I was 9 months pregnant. They were ugly, falling apart and I had no choice but to keep on wearing them.

This time around, I’m taking a more balanced approach. Inexpensive is very good, but if it is cheap and not cute, then it’s a waste of money, no matter how little it costs! Fortunately, thanks to other fabulous bloggers, I have learned about a wonderful online shop called Kiki’s Fashions. This is a store that offers very trendy maternity clothes, and the price tags are very much in line with what you would find at places like Old Navy or Target. Woo hoo!

I had the opportunity to try a long-sleeve maternity top from their fall line and it is, without question, my very favorite top to wear. I love that it has stripes on the top, which are so hot this fall, but that the stripes draw your attention away from the bump and the lower part of the shirt is in a slimming black. Yes, I know, there will come a point in the pregnancy where all the black in the world won’t help, but for now, I really appreciate having my bump not emphasized. The top is also very comfy to wear, and I’ve found it to be a piece that I can dress up with jewelry and black pants, or dress down with a pair of jeans. Basically, it’s perfect! The price tag is also perfect, at $22.99. That’s FANTASTIC!

Kiki’s Fashions is currently offering 25% off store-wide for all orders over $75. That makes it a great time to get stocked up on super cute cheap maternity clothes! I’m thinking about ordering this maternity coat. It’s super cute and only $35.99!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift certificate to Kiki’s Fashions so that you can pick out the perfect pregnancy look for yourself or an expecting friend!

[Read more…]

Just for Fun: Maternity Clothes Shopping

· by · 2 Comments

Are you thinking that I have a secret to share by talking about maternity clothes????

Well…….

Drum roll please……

Sorry to disappoint! There’s no big announcement coming from me today. But even though I’m not pregnant, it recently occurred to me that many of my readers are (or might be soon!). So just for fun today, I thought I’d do a bit of browsing for quality maternity clothes. And I thought I’d go hunting somewhere you probably aren’t looking….across the pond! Let’s see what the expecting ladies in England are sporting, shall we?

First, I spy some CUTE maternity maxi dresses. Isn’t this adorable? And black is such a slimming shade (said half in jest, as we all know there comes a point in pregnancy where no color will help!).

My next pick is for for this cutout back top (though I wish it was available in something other than horizontal stripes). What an excellent way for a woman to still show a bit of skin without doing that whole show-your-belly business (more power to you if that’s your thing, but it was definitely NOT a good look for yours truly).

Finally, I do love to see pregnant women rockin’ a print (don’t settle for all solids, ladies!). Look at this gorgeous top. So perfect for summer, and it can be dressed up or down with ease. Cute!

And now for the bad news. It doesn’t appear to me that those of us in the U.S. can make an online purchase from Very, the store that sells these cute clothes. How very unfortunate, and what a missed opportunity for them! Perhaps they can be persuaded to change their minds on that one, because one thing I do remember about being pregnant (2 years ago…feel like 2 decades ago, sometimes) is that I craved more variety and more options for affordable and cute clothes. I know maternity fashion has come a long way in recent years, but I was still pretty disappointed with the selection, at least in my price range.

So, all my pregnant readers….what are your must-have fashion items for the summer? Get me up to speed on what’s in style!

This post is in association with Very.co.uk. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.