BEST TOY Reviews for Babies Under 12 Months

Illumination Station by Sassy


Ever get tired of retrieving toys for your baby while he’s seated joyfully (or not so joyfully) in his high chair or bumbo seat? This illumination station by Sassy is a life saver. It suctions onto a tray or other hard surface and stays in place. Your baby can pull on it, push on it, spin it, bite it, try all he can to tear it from its base but this thing doesn’t budge. On the not so positive side, the rattles in it are quite loud (like most toys that catch babies attention). However, the vast array of colors and patterns of black and white help baby’s eyesight mature. There are several variations of this toy, therefore I would definitely recommend one with the most black, white, and red patterns on it, as those colors tend to hold baby’s attention for much longer than similar colors (orange and yellow, blue and green, etc). Another feature this product offers is the option to remove the base from the main spinner section. Either way, it is a great investment.

Winkle by Manhattan Toy

The best thing about this product is that it is multi-purpose. It serves as a rattle and a teether. The black and white pattern in the middle catches baby’s attention and the multiple rings make it easy for baby to grasp the toy at any angle. Even babies just learning to grasp usually do not have a problem holding on to this product. The rings are soft and serve as an amazing teething ring. You can also put it in the freezer and freeze it for extra therapy for sensitive, sore gums. On the downside, as a rattle it isn’t very loud at all (sounds more like a dainty jingle than a rattle). This toy also comes in a variety of colors and styles, and again I would recommend the one with the black and white striped cube in the center for baby’s eyesight.

Go Green! Switch to Cloth Diapers!

Let’s go over some basics here. Some of this may surprise you.


- Disposable diapers are BAD for the environment. You won’t realize exactly how incredibly bad until you look at some statistics. It is estimated that it takes 250-500 YEARS for a disposable diaper to decompose. Over 1 billion trees are used worldwide in the creation of disposables, and nearly 5 million tons of human waste is introduced into landfills yearly in the US alone (imagine the bacteria?). Furthermore, human waste leaks out from these landfills into the soil and from there it dissolves into groundwater . . . maybe investing a good filtration system for your faucet isn’t such a bad idea?

- Cloth is better for your baby’s skin, especially for sensitive infants. Cloth is less likely to cause rashes, mainly because cloth diapers lack the dyes and chemicals that disposables require to live up to their absorbent nature. With cloth, the baby can feel the wetness after peeing/pooping (don’t underestimate the absorbent power of cloth though!) and they don’t like it, which leads to more diaper changes per day, and better skin for baby.

- As for these dyes and chemicals, they can be more harmful than helpful. Disposables release VOCs (volatile organic compounds) when poop is introduced into the diaper. These VOCs have caused cancer and brain damage in the studies conducted on them. Sodium polyacrylate is the main absorbent filler in many disposable diapers. This chemical alone has been linked to respiratory problems, like asthma, and is the main cause for skin rashes in infants.

- Cloth costs less. Name brand disposables can cost between $700-$1000 for the first year alone. (which could equal as much as $100 a month). Cloth diapers are reusable; that means that all you have to do is buy a basic 24 count laundry load and reuse, reuse, reuse. And when you’re done with them, save them for the next baby (saving even more money in the future), or pass them to next expectant parent.
Perhaps the #1 hesitation that usually keeps moms (and dads) from switching to cloth is the fear of cleaning them. No, you do not have to listen to your mother-in-law about ringing out a dirty diaper with your hands in the toilet before throwing them in the washer. You could do it that way, but I wouldn’t advise it. There easier, painless ways to handle a dirty diaper. Read on!

*****
To begin your cloth diaper journey, you will need:
- A bucket or trash bin equipped with a lid that seals or clamps to keep the smell from leaking (this will be your diaper bin)

- A ‘wet bag’ to line your diaper bin with. It’s nice to have an extra on hand for when you do laundry and need somewhere to put a dirty diaper while waiting for laundry to be done. (A wet bag is a fabric bag used to protect your diaper bin from getting soiled)

- A clothes line or inside drying rack for drying your diapers

- At least 24 cloth diapers (either the less expensive prefolds or the fancy, more costly All-in-Ones). 12-24 diapers makes a good laundry load.

- Detergent for your diapers (this gets picky – you’ll probably have to do research this depending on your diapers of choice. This topic is a totally new post in itself! One thing’s for sure – detergents must not contain enzymes, dyes, perfumes, residues, etc. Here is a link http://www.littlefornow.com/hh-detergent-scoop.pdf for more info!)

*****

A ‘How-to’ on cloth Diaper Duty:

- Have your next diaper prepared before you fetch the child (if using AIOs with inserts, make sure the insert is stuffed into the diaper and adjusted beforehand. All you should do is snap, pin, or Velcro and go)

- Make sure baby is on a secure surface (as always)

- Fold down the front of the soiled diaper and see what awaits you!

- Remove the diaper and set it to the side.

- Wipe the infant's booty thoroughly and apply the powder or cream of your choice.

- Put on the clean diaper.

- Let the baby go his/her merry way!

- As for the soiled diaper, it’s a pee diaper, all you have to do is throw it in the bin and shut the lid (if using AIOs, you will want to take the liner out to wash them separately). If it’s a poop diaper, there are options. If the poop is solid or semi-solid, take it to the toilet, dump as much out as you can, flush it, and return the diaper to the bin. If the poop is soft, leave it be and just throw it in the bin. It won’t hurt the diaper (or you!). If you prefer, you can purchase a high-powered diaper sprayer to get out any poop (bumgenius sells a good one).

*****

A ‘how-to’ for Laundry Day:

- Start your washer!

- Fetch the wet bag from your diaper bin (it should be full of diapers and liners). If using AIOs with Velcro, make sure the Velcro strips are attached to their catch tabs beforehand.

- Make sure liners and diaper covers are separated and throw diapers in individually. Throw in your wet bag as well.

- Add detergent and start the load

- Go back to your diaper bin and attach your extra wet bag (for diaper duty during laundry!)

- When washing is done, do not put the diapers in the dryer. This will not only shrink them, but repeated drying will shorten their lifespan drastically. Hang dry them inside or line dry them outside in the sunlight (hint: the sun will get rid of any staining!) You will want to flip them when one side dries to allow the opposing side to dry

- When diapers are completely dry, they are ready for use! You can return them to the diaper stacker, drawer, or storage place of choice where they can await diaper duty once again!

My Birth Plan and Preferences

 My OB and I have reviewed my birth preferences and she was somewhat understanding of them. She is aware that if this wasn’t my first pregnancy, then I would deliver Craven at home with only my husband’s help and bring him to the hospital upon delivery. Unfortunately, she only promised she could fulfill about 75% of my preferences (which is not good enough for me.)

As long as Craven and I are fine, my preferences for labor and delivery include:


- The most natural delivery possible

- To labor as long as possible at home before going to the hospital, even if my water has already broken

- no pain relief (yeah, I know some people will tell me that I’ll change my mind, but I’m assuring you I won’t)

- no pitocin or other artificial procedures to induce labor – I would rather try natural ways (exercise, breast pumping, sex, etc) before resorting to this

- I would like to take pictures and film the labor and delivery

- I would like to bring my own music

- no medical students, interns, etc present for the birth

- Only my husband, my mom, and pre-selected individuals will be present during the actual birth

- I would prefer to drink water to stay hydrated than get a routine IV

- freedom to move around and labor as I please

- Freedom to use a birthing ball, tub, or chair to labor or deliver with

- freedom to choose any birthing position as I please

- freedom to allow my labor to progress free of any stringent time limits

- to push when I feel the urge to or during a contraction (after I am fully dilated) - not to be coached

- no episiotomy whatsoever

- If I tear during delivery, I would like to heal naturally without the help of stitches

- Immediate skin-to-skin contact with my son as soon as he is born

- To wait on cutting the cord until the placenta is delivered (this will allow the baby to absorb ALL nutrients before having his life line cut from it)

- Unneeded newborn procedures WILL wait until my son has met both me and his father

- All newborn procedures are to be done at my bedside

- To breastfeed during the first 30 minutes-1 hour of my son’s life

- 24 hour rooming in with my child – I do not want to be separated from him, not even once

- If for some reason I cannot be with my son, his father is to be at his side at all times.

- Please do not offer my son the following: formula, pacifier, sugar water. He will be exclusively breastfed

- Please do not circumcise my son

- I am interested in checking out of the hospital early

Of course, in case of emergency, I am definately open to a C-section. The unexpected does happen, and Craven's wellbeing has been my top priority during these past 8 months and it will continue to be during labor and delivery and beyond.


My OB states that she can only have me deliver in a bed on my back, I HAVE to have an IV, I may need to be given a routine catheter (wtf??), and some procedures must be done at immediate time of birth due to hospital policies (she didn’t get detailed, probably because she knew it would piss me off). Even more to my misfortune, my insurance company will only cover my labor and delivery if it is in a hospital setting. So I’m pretty much stuck between a rock and hard place, which is only going to cause some major drama if the docs don’t ease up. I’m not an easy patient to deal with. This is going to be MY birth. It’s MY body. I’ve done a ton of research for a reason and I refuse to let anyone’s opinion or preferences override my own.

One word of advice to all you pregnant ladies out there – trust your own instinct, because more often than not YOU will be right.


My OB really has no idea what’s in store for her. =)


I desire a birth that will be the most delicate way for little Craven to enter the world. I will rant more about my views on home birth vs. hospital birth in a later post for sure.

Recommended Reading!

I don't read often, so when I decide to, the book has got to be both entertaining and informative. Two of my favorite books at the moment were found while browsing Barnes and Noble on a random day, and I just HAD to buy them.

"Why Men Love Bitches"
by Sherry Argov
This book very empowering for women to read, but perhaps the overall best part about it is that it makes a lot of sense. It seems as if its's a 'how to' on understanding the emotional and mental concepts of men in relationships, but I see it as rather a way a woman should handle a relationship in general. The chapters cover both basic and complex aspects of men and women and how they compare to one another and how they balance out. It also covers the concept of how a man will come to respect a particular woman. Several scenario examples, pop quizzes, attraction principles, and mood boosters help this book stay original. You will love it!

"Hands Off My Belly!"
by Shawn A. Tassone, MD and Kathryn M. Landherr, MD
If you are experiencing your first pregnancy, this book is a MUST HAVE. Or if you find yourself surrounded by people showering you in myths, stories, birth preferences, labor preferences, or if you just get tired of people telling you what your particular labor will be like, you need to pick up this book. To me, this book was a life saver. There are so many false facts and myths floating from mouth to mouth in the world of pregnancy it can make somebody sick - literally. This book busts every myth, every lie, and every worry of fertility, conception, diet, miscarriage, mood, gender predictors, old wive's tales, multiples, labor, birth, and afterbirth. At $19, it's worth every penny.

My Pregnancy So Far =)

[You'll have to forgive me for the horrible quality photos taken by me with my phone - No one ever takes pics of me, so this is my sad attempt to capture the moment - I am 31 weeks in the photos]

Let me first say that I LOVE being pregnant. I love the feeling of carrying my son with me everywhere I go. I love feeling his movements (even his merciless kicks). I love it when he gets the hiccups. I’m going to miss the little love-taps he gives me when he’s finally here and driving me utterly insane, but at the same time, I can’t wait to actually hold him in my arms . . .

My husband and I have joked around and talked about having children ever since we first started dating (I was 16 and he was 15). We both soon realized that becoming a parent was part of both of our dreams, amongst all the crazy things we wanted to accomplish! He wanted to be the ideal, cool, laid-back father and I wanted to be the loving, strong-hearted and fearless mother. And we couldn’t imagine not having a little one running around with us. Perhaps one of our biggest fears was finding out that pregnancy would be a difficult thing for me . . .

Well I had NO trouble getting pregnant. 10 weeks after my husband and I married, I found out I was 10 weeks gestation with my little man. We were surprised that it happened so fast, but at the same time not surprised at all. It’s not like we tried to avoid getting pregnant, if you get what I mean! I guess this would technically be considered an "unplanned" pregnancy, though my husband and I have been preparing all along!

So I went to the doctor. OMG let me say I HATE doctors. Especially the “woman” doctor, as I call it. Yes, it sucked, but everything checked out fine, despite the slight spotting I had afterwards. And that’s the only time to this day that I have spotted during my pregnancy.

I’ve been told that I’ve had the ideal pregnancy so far. I am considered low risk, passed my sugar test at 28 weeks, experienced PLENTY of fetal movement daily (you gotta trust me on this one!), and all blood work checked out fine. The ultrasound concluded that I have a good placenta, good water, and everything is normal. My OB even approached me at my 28 week appointment regarding my seemingly perfect blood work results, and congratulated me about how I had to be one of the 15% of her patients that actually take the prenatal vitamins . . . how she got this percentage I have no clue. [CONFESSION: I cannot swallow pills – not even an aspirin – so I did some research and compared the prescription prenatals she wanted me to have to Kid’s Flintstones chewable vitamins. I found out that taking 2 ¾ Flintstones chewables a day equals EXACTLY what was in the prenatals, so I settled for that . . .without telling her . . .] Apparently it has worked! Ha ha!

My pre-pregnancy weight was a healthy 120 pounds. And at 5’5’’, my BMI was approximately 20.5 and I was overall quite happy with my body (aside from wanting to tone up). Now, at almost 32 weeks, I fluctuate between 148-149. I have yet to hit 150! I try to walk plenty throughout the day, but I eat whatever I want. And nobody is telling me any different at this point! I will deal with toning up and losing baby weight AFTER my son is born. No sooner.

SYMPTOMS! – Probably the WORST part of being pregnant was the hunger-induced nausea I experienced from 10 weeks – 17 weeks, which caused me to eat nearly 10 full meals a day, literally. My coworkers would playfully joke “It’s not gonna be a 60 pound baby!” Additionally I have suffered from extreme heartburn, slight fatigue, slight backaches, stretch marks, bleeding and sensitive gums, Braxton hicks contractions, sciatica pain, leg cramps, minimal swelling of my ankles (1 time only so far), and slight moodiness. My nesting instinct also kicked in around 20 weeks and it has been at full force ever since!

Craven is also in very good health and is growing just as expected. He responds almost too well to my voice, his father’s voice, and my mother’s voice. He has been head down since he was 28 weeks along – I know this because of the pressure on my bladder and the little footsies that keep teasing at my ribcage. At my 30 week ultrasound, they confirmed this. I opted to not have the amniocentesis done, simply because the outcome of the test was not relevant to me. Even if he was born with a genetic problem, it would not cause me to love him any less. To me, even the smallest risk of miscarriage is not worth knowing a few scientific readings. The outcomes of amniocentesis tests are not even 100% correct, more like 50% or less. My son is a completely normal, healthy little man, and that’s all I need to hear.


I’ll try to keep updating often. Being home alone while Jon is at work is very . . . lonely! And quite boring to boot! I’m going to post about my birth preferences as well in the near future, so stay tuned!

*Craven's 4D Photoshoot Experience*

I first asked for my 4D ultrasound at my 26 week appointment. My OB told me I could get it done next time, so I didn’t fret about it and went on the schedule my next visit for 7/21/10. Well, 4 weeks later at 30 weeks pregnant, I was told to schedule for my 4D next time. I was a little frustrated, but I expected it. I was after all at a hospital (which I’m not a fan of). At the checkout counter, the lady stated, “well we don’t do 4D ultrasounds after 30 weeks.” I insisted, and bitched a little . . . maybe even threatened a little . . . ^_^ . . . but I got an appointment for the very next day.
That’s more like it.

7/22/2010
10:15 a.m.

Craven was scheduled for his first actual 4D ultrasound. He was 30 weeks, 1 day gestation and he was KICKING! He must have known what awaited him! Well . . . when the lady turned on the machine, our loving son failed to show us his face. He scrunched up into a ball, clenched his fists and buried his little visage into those fists. We saw arms, knuckles, legs, ears, a forehead, and even his penis . . . but very little of his face! At this point, we were convinced that this boy was going to be a handful from the start! We did managed to measure him though. His heart rate was 149 bpm and his estimated weight was 3 pounds, 13 ounces.

So we were scheduled for a recheck that following Monday at no charge. The poor lady must have felt sorry for us!


7/26/2010
10:15 a.m.

This time, my mother came with my husband and I. Truthfully, we probably should have brought her with us the first time. Craven is already so relaxed around his grandmother, it’s unbelievable. All it takes is for him to hear her voice and he stops what he’s doing. During the ultrasound, he tried to throw a fit, but my mother’s calming voice stopped him in his tracks. He fell asleep! That seemed like a first haha. We got some amazing pictures, which helped us determine exactly how much he takes after his father. This time, his heart rate was 160 bpm and his estimated weight was 4 pounds, 2 ounces. He even smiled!!!!

  

It Starts.

Ok so it's a little past 7:50 a.m on a Friday....I am 31 weeks, 2 days pregnant and feeling pretty good aside from my calf muscles, which is COMPLETLELY my own fault for stretching so much that I give myself charlie-horses in them. bleh. Whatever.

As it is probably very obvious, this is my first post. I'm not sure what to type [not that I can type at all anyways!] but I'm going to try to keep this from being a complete and utter fail. All I can see myself posting about is my pregnancy, my husband, my son, my hobbies, fashion, and reviewing products.

So let's get started, shall we? ^_^



Here's a little insight as to what I've been up to recently (or somewhat recently). I'm going to try to make this LONG story as short as possible:

I am currently 21. I married my sweetheart of 4 years on Dec 23rd 2009. About 2 months beforehand, we began the process of moving out of our parents' houses, so to make things run a little smoother (or so we thought) we decided to spur down to the courthouse one morning, get hitched, and finish things up after that, mainly for tax purposes, home-buyer's closure, and whatnot. Well. We got our 'house' as I call it [it's actually a cute little newly built single wide mobile home, customed just for us] and began the rather LONG process of moving in it while at the same time attempting to plan our ceremony for our marriage. Well. In the midst of planning our wedding, I found out I was 10 weeks pregnant. I was overjoyed. And so was my hubby. So much that we both completely put off our ceremony in exchange for planning for the baby (not to mention that my chosen dress was designed as a cold-hearted corset with no thought for an innocent young one in my midsection!)

That was back in mid Feb this year. Now here I stand (or sit preferably) nearly 8 months pregnant, trying to sort out and prepare for both the day my son will arrive and the day that my husband and I will FINALLY walk down the isle together. It will happen!

I swear it.