I am on a mission to lessen our use of plastic. Especially for the children. And especially for things that end up in their mouths (which is most things they come into contact with). It’s a health thing for me, but there are of course environmental aspects as well.

I’m not going crazy with this but I am trying to make some changes:

GLASS BABY BOTTLES

I started with the most obvious: baby bottles. We’ve switched to Life Factory glass bottles.

I love these bottles. They make me so happy. They have lovely, sunny, cheerful colors in every shade of the rainbow. They’re easy to care for – you just wash them in the dishwasher. And they are solid and sturdy – they stand up to drops on the floor (thanks to the silicone sleeve) and they can take extreme temperature changes (as you might have when cooling a bottle of almost boiling formula for a baby). There are sippy cup tops for these bottles as well, so I’ll be using them as a sippy cup for Louis when he’s ready.

On the downside, they are significantly heavier than plastic bottles. I think it will be longer before Louis can hold his own bottle, but it’s no problem for Alec to hold these (although they really are heavy when full, even though the largest size is much smaller than the large plastic bottles we were previously using for Alec). So I am keeping a few plastic bottles to use for when we are out and about or traveling. I am also keeping a close eye on the nipples because I can already see marks where Alec bites them, which concerns me. I definitely think I will need to switch nipples more often than normally. However, I also believe that you can use any bottle nipple with these bottles, so we could just switch to another brand of nipples. Finally, Life Factory glass bottles are not cheap. But I think the fact that they will hold up much longer than plastic bottles will make up for this. We’ve invested in a good stash of bottles now (both small and big) and I don’t foresee us needing to buy any more baby bottles – just new nipples – ever again.

STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLES

I’ve switched the whole family to Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. These also come in a ton of delicious juicy colors and you can switch the cap from a regular closed cap to a sippy cap for toddlers, to a sport cap. I have a big one that I try to keep with me at home and a medium one to bring along with me when I am out and about. And Alec has a small bottle with a sippy cap. They’re lightweight, convenient to bring along, and easy to care for.

GLASS FOOD CONTAINERS

I think good BPA-free plastic containers are still the way to go for when we are out and about. But for food storage at home – in the fridge or pantry – I’m trying to use more glass and less plastic. We have some great square glass containers with lids from IKEA that I love – but they don’t sell them any more. So I am on the hunt for some new glass food storage containers (with plastic lids).

TOYS

This is a hard one, because Alec has a lot of great plastic toys that he really loves. I find it hard to make the decision to switch them all out for other materials. I do want to provide him with non-plastic alternatives to play with though. He has lovely wooden blocks, a brio train set, wooden puzzles, and some great learning toys by Plan Toys that I really like.

Louis also has a few plastic toys, but as his toys tend to find their way into his mouth, I am trying to have him play more with his natural rubber chew toys and wooden or soft rattles and other toys.

 

Is avoiding plastic something that you think about for your family too?

I think TRIWA watches are so cool. They don’t break the bank. And they are a little more relaxed and dressed down than the everyday office watch, so they are perfect for Dad’s Dad-time.

Darth Vader & Son. Too cute!

In my opinion shoes are always a wonderful gift. If I were shopping for Father’s Day right now, I would get my husband this awesome and very daddy-appropriate Cole Haan Seawall slip-ons. Perfect for Saturday mornings at the park!

Such a cute way to customize a phone!

A wallet feels like a very “fatherly” gift. This one is from Nordstrom.

These custom notebooks by Blurb would make such a lovely gift!

A pair of Happy Socks peeking out from under strict suit pants will definitely make Dad smile.

No Dad (or Mom, or Grandparent) could resist an enlargement like this one from Ixxi to hang on the wall. LOVE!

A great way to help Dad feel more involved and independent with small children is to help him prep his own go-to Daddy diaper bag. Make it a stylish messenger bag that he will actually want to carry like this one from Club Monaco.

My good friend Annelie was as shocked as everybody else when she found out that she was expecting triplets two years ago. She and her Mats now have three fabulous little girls, Elin, Tilde and Hanna, who are just past 18 months old. I cannot even fathom how they got through that first year with the triplets, but they did and Annelie and Matte really are the most cool and collected parents I know! They are a wonderful family and we look forward to seeing tons more of at least one of the girls, since Annelie says Alec may have his pick of the three little beauties (she also refers to him as her future son-in-law)!

Here are some of Annelie’s favourite things!

A mother of triplets top tips! I spent a lot of time wondering whether I would have different advice than other mothers just because I happened to have had three little ones all at once, but I quickly realized that that isn’t the case. Partly because there aren’t so many products out there that are specific to multiples, but also because the best things, whether practical or just beautiful, are the same for all parents.

1. CAMCORDER. We bought a camcorder when the children were already three months old, which was much too late. Time goes by so quickly and you forget how small newborns can be. Ours weighed only 2kgs (4.5 lbs) when they were take out and we hardly even have any pictures of them then, let alone video. So my best and most important tips is a little camcorder! Buy it while you’re pregnant and don’t forget to film your tummy!

2. TOMMEE TIPPEE BOTTLES. Bottles are a science unto themselves, and I think that everyone has their favourites, but for us, Tommee Tippee have worked perfectly. We tried tons of different ones before we found the one that suited our children and our needs.Tommee Tippe is a breast-shaped bottle that facilitates transitioning between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. Easy for the child to hold themselves too! Ours have been feeding themselves from their own bottles since they were six months old.

3. BONDE OF SWEDEN STOOL. A completely superfluous but wonderfully charming stool. My dream stool! But I have to buy three so I’ve been waiting. Check out their personalized puzzle stools with your child’s name as a puzzle on the top! Lovely! I’ve even signed up for a woodworking class this autumn so that I can make my own. They also have really cool 3D carpets.

4. MONOGRAMMED GIFTS. The best christening present that our girls received and that we love, and that I through the years have given to all the babies I know, is a pillow with the babies’ names embroidered on it. The name is at the top of the pillow so that it doesn’t bother the child when she’s sleeping. Wonderful to sleep on, to have in the crib or later on, to have as decoration in the room of an older child. Get them, or a monogrammed blanket (isn’t that the perfect gift?) at Floralin & Junior.

5. KRAMA TOWELS. Maybe not so glamorous but for us, with three little spitter-upers, they were an absolute essential. IKEA’s small towelettes, are cheap and perfect when you have vomiting newborns or when they’re older and pee all over.

6. PATERNITY LEAVE. Mats has been home on Wednesdays which has made the weeks very manageable Two days of chaos before you can exhale a little. We have both found this solution invaluable. Mats gets an extra day with the children and I get a break in the middle of the week when the weekend seems impossibly far away. Of course it’s a financial question, but it’s wonderful if it’s possible.

7. BEAN BAG CHAIR. For when you’re pregnant and then for the child or children. I lived in the bean bag chair when I was super pregnant and now it’s the kids’ favourite toy. They throw themselves on it, climb it, and sleep on it. Friends who’ve had a second or third child say that a bean bag chair is the best when an older child is holding a new baby – it’s easy to shape so that it’s safe and comfy. It’s also perfect when you’re nursing. I could go on forever about this.

I also have to add one last thing that isn’t actually a thing: I know it’s a cliché but it’s all about taking one day at a time. Once the children are asleep in the evening, try to really feel good about having gotten through the day so well. All parents go through the same things in some way or another.

A special Favourite Things List today! Featuring my husband, and Alec’s dad, Sumit.

Sumit is a wonderful husband and I knew he would be a wonderful father, even though he had hardly even held a newborn before Alec arrived. When we had our little baby and became a family, Sumit immediately realized that there is no such thing as “quality time” with little kids. It’s all about quantity, about being there as much as possible through all the mundane, every-day stuff. As a result of this realization, Sumit has really prioritized spending as much time as possible with Alec. With or without me.

Here are Sumit’s favourite things from the first months with his son:

1. THE MORNING SHIFT. The highlight of my day since Alec was born has been our mornings together while mum catches up on some sleep. Babies are often at their best early in the morning and our morning playtimes before I go to work have been so much fun. Thanks to pumped breast milk, I’ve been able to spend several hours alone with Alec including diaper changes, feeds and putting him down for a nap. Our wonderful mornings together were made possible by pumped breast milk, so that we got a few hours together without needing mum, the baby gym/play mat to give us a place to play and to give me a chance to get a few other things done at the same time, and the bouncy chair, so that I could have a shower and get dressed with Alec right there with me.

2. SWIMMING WITH BABY. I was looking forward to swimming with our baby even before we knew we were expecting. I love the water and it makes me so happy that Alec does too! It’s been so fun seeing him experience weightlessness and develop his little swimming skills at our H2O Baby classes.

                

3. WUBBANUB PACIFIERS. These pacifiers with a little monkey attached have really helped Alec to develop his fine motor skills. I also like that he isn’t constantly sucking on a pacifier; quite often it’s enough for him to have the little monkey to play with.

4. HALO SLEEP SACK SWADDLE. Alec seemed really comfortable sleeping in these swaddles and they served as a good cue that it was time to sleep. Of course the best part is that Alec immediately started sleeping for much longer stretches at night when we started using these swaddles. Also, one of my favourite moments with Alec was watching him stretch and squirm around for several minutes when we opened up the swaddle in the mornings. So cute!

5. BABY BJÖRN TRAVEL BED. This bed is really foolproof. You can assemble or disassemble it in less than two minutes and it is so light and portable. A really good buy.

6. SONY A55 DSLR CAMERA. Especially the extra portrait lens which we have used a lot. We had professional newborn photos taken, but really almost didn’t need to as we got such great portraits of Alec with this camera.

7. PLAY MAT/BABY GYM. We had two of them, one from IKEA and one from Baby Einstein. This has been great to keep Alec busy for the few moments you need to get yourself some breakfast. Also, for the long period when Alec hated to lie on his tummy, hanging out on the play mat really kept him happy and busy on his back. I have actually spent alot of time lying on my back with Alec checking out the hanging toys together when he was smaller.

8. BABY BJÖRN BOUNCY CHAIR. When Alec was still too small to sit up but not thrilled about lying around on his back, the bouncy chair was the perfect place for him to hang out. Especially great to have after his morning bottle as sitting a little more upright minimized spit-up. During our mornings together, Alec would sit in his bouncy chair with me in the bathroom while I had a shower and got ready for work.

Here are Ulrika, Oscar and their boys’ favourite things:

1. BUGGYPOD. A clip-on side car for older siblings to ride alongside your stroller until they’re big enough (or disciplined enought ) for the stroller board. It’s perfect for picking up August at day care and since it folds up, I can just have it attached to the stroller when I’m out and about and don’t have to stop off at home to get it before picking August up. If it’s just me and the little ones going out,  just detach it completely and leave it at home.

     

2. PEPPA STUFFED ANIMALS FROM BABYLONIA. I love the strong colours, the sturdy cotton terry cloth material, the fact that they’re Fair Trade, and that they are machine washable at 40 degrees (other stuffed animals “can be wiped with a moist cloth IF necessary” – what a joke, those manufacturers cannot be parents!). Considering how scared to death we are that big brother August’s beloved lovey is going to get lost since it’s no longer available, we really appreciate that “You can always replace a lost Peppa. Any model that is discontinued kan be replaced by Babylonia for at least three years.”!

3. ORGANIC DRIED MANGO FROM GO FOR LIFE. Mommy-candy. Divinely delicious and smart if you want something to munch on and still get into your pre-pregnancy jeans!

4. THE BOOK “GE DITT BARN 1000 MÖJLIGHETER ISTÄLLET FÖR TVÅ“. “Give your child 1000 possibilities instead of two” by Kristina Henkel and Marie Tomicic. This book gives you a lot to think about from a gender perspective. For example, these days we often dress our boys in pink, polka-dots and florals and August has several dolls and other typically “girly” things to play with. I wish everybody would read this book!

5. THE BOOK “TITTA VAD JAG KAN! – VAD FÖRÄLDRAR BEHÖVER VETA OM BARNS UTVECKLING“. “Look what I can do! - What parents need to know about children’s development” by Ylva Ellneby. This book made me understand that children learn something from every little thing they do. Jumping in puddles and pulling themselves across the floor on their tummies is not just “play”, it develops all their senses in a significant way.