the great bottle debate

I know I've written about our adventures in bottles before. But did I ever mention that when I was pregnant with Hadley how paralyzed I was about registering for a bottle? So much so that I didn't register for any and we dealt with it after she arrived.

We tried a total of two bottles - the Adiri and Born Free. We settled on the Born Free, not that they were used much until she was a year old and then we put sippy lids on them. WE STILL USE THEM! Two years later.

So when we were waiting for Hayden's arrival, I picked up a pack of Tommee Tippee bottles from Babies R Us to have on hand. The clerk informed me that they were good bottles, especially for breastfed babies. I figured they wouldn't be used much, they were affordable, so why not? I got two bottles for the price of one Born Free.

Little did we know when she arrived that we would have the feeding trouble that we did and would need to use bottles as frequently as we do. The Tommee Tippee's leaked. And leaked. And leaked. And were super annoying.

I asked for a recommendation from our lactation consultant and she recommended the Breastflow by First Years. Basically, the Breastflow has two nipple chambers that baby has to suck extra hard to get the milk through both into her mouth. Makes sense, simulates nursing. Hayden did well until we had to feed her formula (long story as to why, since I had oodles of pumped milk in the freezer) and a chunk that didn't get mixed got lodged in the nipple and she stopped sucking. And refused to suck after that.

So I found one of Hadley's Born Free nipples and fed her with that. SUCCESS! I picked up a few more to add to our collection. But of course, Hadley was not happy that her baby sister was drinking from her bottles. After all, she was "eating momma's boobs" too, which was what she used to do (and may I add, LOVED). I had to once again find another solution.

And Avent we went.  These worked well. Comparable in price, perhaps a little cheaper. But it curbed toddler tantrums and the baby was eating. We were set, even though I liked the Born Free's so much more.

Then one day a couple months a go I was in a pinch. Out with the baby without the bottle, and she was refusing to nurse. So I bought a NUK bottle, washed it in the bathroom and prepared a bottle with the formula I had in my purse. And she really took to it. Plus, the bottle cost around $4 (vs. $10). I grabbed several more!

So here's where we are now... I really like the NUK because Hayden will chew on it as we embark on teething adventures and can hold the small bottles. I'm about to send the Avents, as I did the Tommee Tippee's and Breastflows, to the recycle bins because they leak around the rim. And if I could convince myself it was OK to go spend $10 a bottle for Born Free's to replace all of our bottles, I would. But since we are getting close to sippy cup time, I will not be able to be comfortable with that.

But those original Born Free bottles keep on ticking!

What bottles do you like? Are you a bottle manufacturer and would like us to review your bottle? Comment below or send me an email at minimalmom@gmail.com
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Don't forget to enter the Sweet Olivia giveaway of $30 to use at SweetOlivia.com

bottle maham

I remember when I was pregnant and preparing my registry for my upcoming baby shower I was completely overwhelmed. There are so many gadgets and do-dads that a mom's head can spin. But I remember the one thing that just about made my head spin off my neck was selecting bottles.

There are bottles that prevent gas. Bottles that for colic. Glass bottles. BPA free plastic bottles (which they all are, now). Bottles that fed the baby without your assistance. So many choices... What was a mom-to-be to do?

I planned (and did) to nurse, but thought I should be prepared in the event that didn't happen - immediately or ever. So I registered. I thought I wanted glass bottles, but I got the opinions on those. And I was in some agreement. Since plastics had all become BPA free, it made sense to venture down that road for when we get to the point that the baby could hold their own bottle. Finally, I settled on the basic, BPA free Evenflo bottle that didn't have any bells and whistles. At least big bucks weren't spent should it not be used OR it be the wrong bottle all together.

Then Hadley arrived. And while we did the nursing juggle the first couple of weeks, she was able to nurse. But these bottles... The no frills bottles fed her so much quicker that she preferred them over my boob, making nursing a bit of a challenge. But could you blame her? She's a hungry growing baby, who would want to work for food?

Off to Babies R Us I went... Again. In search of something else. Something that made her work for her food until we could make it work together. There I stood. With all my baby gear that I thought I had to have on me... Baby in the car seat, popped in the shopping cart. The hated diaper bag with enough diapers and wipes for a week, plus two changes of clothes (It was a ridiculous amount of stuff and I learned to minimize in the coming weeks). This nice woman with an older newborn saw that my new mommy head was about to spin again and offere

d her two cents. "Try the Born Free." Of course, they were the priciest of the bunch at $10 per bottle. But I grabbed the $50 starter pack and off to the counter I went to shell the cash out.

The same day, my mother arrived to help with Hadley. We went to Day One baby center, which was up the street from our house. It's one of those one stop shops... The sell clothes, strollers, toys, baby wearing gear, books. They offer lactation consulting,

baby care classes, and new mom groups. It's an awesome place (and pri

cey, too). There, my mother purchased a bottle that looked like a boob. Literally. It looked like a big ole boob. And that sucker was pricey, too. Like $14 or so.

So we went home with our wares and took them for a test drive. The boob leaked. Like my boobs were leaking, only worse. Which was a pisser considering it was so expensive. That boob found it's way into the trash can that evening. But the Born Free seemed to slow my ravenous child down.

We still use those Born Free bottles with sippy lids. They are the only cups that Hadley will drink milk from. She will use regular cups for juice and water, but milk must be in the Born Free's and nothing else can go into them.

With Hayden... Well, nursing is a different struggle. The lactation consultant recommended that we use First Years Breastflow bottles. These bottles are $5 or so a bottle ($12 for a three pack) and are awesome for a baby you are trying to teach to nurse. Maybe more awesome than the Born Free's. Basically, there are two nipple chambers that the baby has to suck the milk through, replicating what it is to nurse. The feeds take some time because the babies have to work, but considering I am trying to get her onto the boob I feel like she isn't getting used to a quick flow.

When moms-to-be ask my opinion on bottles I recommend the following... Wait till the baby is here! Figure out if they will nurse. If they are gassy. Don't spend a lot of money on bottles until you are sure you know the kind of eater your child is. And don't let the process make you lose your head... Your baby will eat, whether its from your boob, or a Born Free, or Breastflow, or Dr. Browns, or Evenflo. It will all work out.

gadget love

Greetings from my new iPad!

I don't know when it happened, but I became a sucker for gadgets, especially Apple gadgets. I've been a Mac user most of my professional career and have probably owned a good handful of their products.

I made the mistake of test driving an iPad at Best Buy on Sunday. It was all I could talk about, which was probably a nice reprieve for Jonathan from my normal convo of boobs and milk and latching. Obviously, I was in love with this thing! And he fed my new obsession by purchasing me one as a surprise yesterday.

Things I like about the iPad:
- I love that it syncs with my Mac Mini desktop, keeping data updated on both machines. Since Hayden's arrival, I have been using my old Mac laptop, that is beyond glitchy, doesn't stay online well, and doesn't sync with my desktop. But its handy for laying in bed with nursing babies.
- Who wouldn't love it's sleek, pretty design!
- There are lots of cool, free (or low cost) apps.
- It supports iWork, even though I will likely stick to my desktop for projects that require iWork.
- Its portable... In my purse!

Things that could be better:
- I wish there was a camera for still photos and to iChat. I bet future models will have this feature.
- the keyboard is a little cumbersome, but I will get used to it. I just don't know how they can make it better. At least they offer an external keyboard.
- The cost of some apps and books.
- A USB port might be handy, but then again its meant to be an addition to your computer, not just your computer.

All in all, a really neato burrito gadget!

double strollers and mini vans

I learned something about myself when Hadley was tiny...  That I really am a "less is more" kind of gal.  Despite my love of purses, I never really carried a diaper bag.  Strollers were cool, but unless we were on a long walk, a trip to the mall or other major outing, I didn't use one.  I preferred the sling, and I think Hadley did too.

Naturally, when we learned of Hayden, I really didn't think upgrading our beautiful stroller to a double was necessary.  I would put Hayden in a sling and push Hadley in the stroller. Sounds like a good plan, right?  Until  you realize, on that extended trip to the mall, that you have no place to put your slinged baby.  What if you needed to pee?  What would you do?  (Well, I do know how to conquer that with a sling, but it's a legitimate concern)

So I set forth to find a second hand double stroller on Craigslist.  Double strollers are like mini vans to me...  A little too "mommy" for me.  Not that I am a young hipster by any means, but they just aren't me.  And being the minimal person that I am, it is just way too much equipment for me.  Needless to say I was being quite particular with this purchase.

I looked at a used double stroller that was so incredibly long that you almost needed a back up alarm like on big trucks.  While it was a nice, clean, used stroller for $100, I could see it would annoy me so much that I would never use it.

I looked at a new high end stroller that was about the size of a single stroller and has a lower sling for a second child... Very cool, but it would always have two pieces (which on our single stroller was the case and somewhat annoying - especially at the airport) and what happens

 when the kid who has to sit in the lower seat wants to see out. Not to mention, once you got all the appropriate pieces purchased, the system was upwards of $1000.

I settled on a new stroller system that is all one piece... The City Mini Jogger. It's a double wide, but fits through standard sized door ways.  The seats operate separately and can sit straight up, or lie all the way flat, which is an excellent feature for a baby/toddler

 situation.  A car seat adaptor is available, but I am not one to lug a car seat anywhere out of a car, so we just lay the seat back and we put in an infant cozy to help keep Hayden in place.  This stroller basically folds in half for storage.  It's still double wide, but folds up pretty flat so it really doesn't take up any more room than a standard stroller.  While it's a bit heavy - it is designed to hold 150 lbs or so of kid - it steers beautifully. Since we received the stroller, we have been looking for reasons to take it out.  I've been on a few walks through town, been to Target (much easier than trying to wrestle a shopping cart) and the mall, all with great success.  Also, Hadley thinks it's pretty cool!  I would recommend this stroller to parents with two kiddos who are looking for a simple solution.

Now... I don't know if I will ever be convinced that a mini van is a good idea for me.  

But I guess I should never say never.

dora!

After some thought and in an effort to coax my little one into sleeping in her bed all night long, I broke down and bought her Dora the Explorer sheets to put on her twin sized blow up mattress. What a hit! She sat on it for a half an hour pointing out each and every Dora, saying "DORA!"

We put her in her crib with the Dora pillow and she slept sound for a few hours. She woke up and cried and cried and cried to the point that I gave in because it was clear she was not going back to sleep. I picked her up and she shouted "DORA!" I followed her direction and grabbed her pillow and brought her into our room where her Dora covered twin blow up mattress is. We laid there for a bit before she asked her Daddy for some milk. She snuggled in the covers and enjoyed her milk and watched the evening news with me. Eventually she asked to get into the bed with me and off to sleep she went.

She woke this morning at 5:30 a.m. (damned time change) shouting "DORA!" Tossed her pillow onto the floor and climbed onto her Dora mattress before she decided that she was ready to get up. We are now dragging this Dora pillow around the house.

Even though we didn't achieve the outcome I hoped for last night, I am delighted about the $20 purchase because she is so excited about it. Oh well. Parents for hundreds of years slept with their kiddos, right? Perhaps the world was a better place then for that reason. Who knows... In the mean time, my kid is happy.

g (I'M ANNOYED) diapers

So I made the investment to go back to G Diapers for the sake of my kiddos now rashing "who-hah" since we stopped nursing. They are cotton, non-bleached and lets her skin breathe. Makes sense that it's a good investment, right?

G Diapers are down right impossible to locate in a store, so I ordered them off of Diapers.com (very cool site, if you aren't familiar) and they ended up being cheaper than what I would have paid in the store. But I have four packs of them and I am considering discontinuing use, yet again.

Hadley seems to be in between sizes. The mediums should be the right size, but they seem like they are snug to avoid the velcro from sitting on her skin. The larges are too big, but we can fasten them so the velcro doesn't irritate. BUT, they leak. This is the third time this week and they weren't on a horrible amount of time. At least it's just pee and her poop is pretty solid these days, but it's annoying! G Diapers are not cheap!

So we are going to go on a rotation between the traditional diaper and the G Diaper. Maybe that way her skin can breathe, we'll feel better about what we dispose of 50% of the time and we'll cycle through the investment I made through Diapers.com.

SO FRUSTRATING!

new boots

Big purchase from Target, but will be well worth the buy when we are in Boston in December. Ugg like boots and she is insisting on wearing them. LOVE!

rainy day fun

The last couple of days have been wet here in sunny California, which is welcomed by me. Today as an activity, I thought we'd give Play Dough a go and it was a hit, to say the least. Hadley made balls, squished balls, put the dough in the container, took it out and even tasted it (she wasn't a fan of the taste). She loved it and has been jumping around her high chair asking to do more. Who knew flour, water and food coloring is enough to entertain a 15 month old for the day.

nutzo

I worked a trade show last week for Somersault Snacks and was positioned next to the CEO of Nutzo. Nutzo is a new peanut/almond/hazelnut/flax seed butter that is organic, local and YUMMY! Hadley keeps asking for more, and I am happily giving her because it is so good for her. Jonathan even likes it and he is a Jiff kind of guy. Their distribution is growing, so try to find them in your local natural grocer or purchase online. It's a wonderful product with a wonderful story.

we've gone G... again

I switched back to G Diapers today. Not that they are more affordable, because they are not by any means. But because, while considered hybrid, they are nearly all cotton - no plastic - which will help with my little one's new issue with diaper rash.

If you aren't familiar with the G Diaper, it's a part cloth, part flushable/disposable/compostable (it's up to you). Pretty cool. Better for the environment (however, they usually take two flushes, so it really isn't that great in that respect - we toss them). And better for my little one's who-ha. Pretty cool little things!

little twig trunk show

My favorite products for my little one, Little Twig, is having a trunk show at Nordstroms at the Grove in Los Angeles this Saturday, September 19th from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. I may be partial because this is a good friend of mine's line, but it is just wonderful stuff. Not only are the graphics fun, but the soaps and lotions have wonderful scents, are all natural and gentle on Hadley's sensitive skin. I use the stuff too! We are headed there to support and pick up some more body wash and bubble bath because we are just about out!

second hand

I have found that shopping at second hand stores geared towards infants/children is a mommy's dream come true. You can find lots of great stuff for your ever evolving child. You can buy, sell, buy back... it's great!

A couple of months a go I sold our co-sleeper nest (that we NEVER used) and a push walker because Hadley insisted on climbing it instead of pushing it. I was given $27 credit, albeit not at all the money I spent, but it goes far with the further discount offered to trader iners.

So, today, in an effort to stock up Grandma's house with Hadley appropriate toys, I used my credit towards a new (still in the wrapping) Baby Einstein DVD and a sprinkler worm attachment for backyard fun. Next week I plan on bringing in the toys that have gone to the closet graveyard because she has out grown them (I LOVE to declutter). And if we find out that baby #2 is a boy, you better believe I will be trading in outgrown girls clothes for boys clothes.

Here are a couple of great second hand shops in Orange County:

Wee Peets - San Clemente

Childrens Orchard - Various Locations

some of my favorite things

Some of my favorite things I have for my little one (in no particular order):

1. ModMum and Hotsling slings. I don't know what I would have done with out these. No, I didn't really need two, but the ModMum sling was great when Hadley became wiggly because it offered more fabric to help keep her on my hip.

2. BeBe Au Lait nursing wrap. This made nursing a snap and kept me going when I thought I couldn't do it in public.

3. Baby Legs. What an adorable and simple way to keep my kiddo warm. With a simple onesie, under a dress or jeans, these leg warmers were super cool!

4. Bugaboo Stroller. I am not a huge stroller user, but this nifty thing steers beautifully and is very convertible.

ergo baby carrier

Yesterday I was looking for means to getting some exercise while being outside.  Lucky as I am to live in beautiful Orange County, hiking trails and paths are plentiful, we ventured outside - though, not to take advantage of the beautiful path right outside our front door.

We walked the 2.5 miles to Barnes and Nobles and it was great!  The weather was warmish, my significant other was by my side and our little one was happily strapped to my back in our comfy Ergo Baby Carrier.  

I love this product for the longer adventures because it distributes her weight nicely and I don't have a sore back or shoulders at the end of the adventure.  I can wear her on my back or in the front, which I did on our way home and fell sound asleep in the process.

Complaints:

It takes a little bit of work to put it on, but I wouldn't say it's difficult.  I tend to use a sling for simple, quick trips instead of the Ergo for this reason.  Also, sometimes I feel that I need help placing her, but that has improved with use.

All in all, I am happy with this product and it was worth the money spent on it.