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Shopping for Baby #2

July 27th, 2012

As promised – here is the list of everything we are getting for little Baby #2 who is due to arrive quite soon!

Since this is our second baby, we don’t actually need that much new stuff. We’ll be reusing almost everything from Alec. We didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl last time either, so all of our newborn stuff works for either (and we are not so into the blue and pink thing anyway). But of course, it’s fun to buy a few new things just for this little baby, and some of Alec’s old stuff needed to be replaced or refreshed…

Here’s what we’ve got:

CLOTHES, SLEEP & CARE

Mini Piccolini - Shopping for Baby #2

1. BABY CLOTHES. We have everything we need. We stocked up on a bunch of Gerber’s fabulous side-snap long-sleeved shirts that we loved so much for Alec, and his old ones have held up remarkably well and are actually even softer and more lovely now. We replaced Alec’s old Halo Sleepsack Swaddles with new sets in cotton, velboa and fleece. We have added a couple of colder climate essentials like this Polarn o. Pyret fleece newborn overall/wrap blanket and this wind fleece baby overall. Even though this baby will be a summer arrival, evenings can get chilly in Sweden, and autumn will be here before we know it.

2. WUBBANUB PACIFIERS. Alec still loves his Wubbanub pacifiers even though we are trying to get him to use more teeth-friendly pacifiers instead. The other day he actually chewed through one of the nipples so we need to do something fast. We’ve ordered a couple of giraffe wubbanubs for the new baby but this time we’ll try to transition onto a more tooth-friendly pacifier at around the six month mark.

3. SOPHIE. Alec doesn’t really use his Sophie anymore but we’re still going to get a new one for the new baby since it was such a constant must-have for those first eight or nine months or so.

4. CRIB MOBILE. I’m DIYing this one – stay tuned!

5. SLEEP SHEEP. We have a Sleep Sheep and a Mini Sleep Sheep (for travel) that we still use for all of Alec’s sleep (except in the stroller) every single day. At first I thought we would just use the Mini Sleep Sheep for the new baby, but I think we’ll get a proper new one for the crib so that we have the mini one easily available to pack for trips. Who knows, maybe we’ll need a second mini sleep sheep as well if our kids end up sleeping in separate rooms when we’re in the country etc.

6. BABY BATH TUB. We had a simple baby tub with a sling which we found so useful for newborn baths with Alec. Then we switched over to a Hoppop toddler tub which we loved. It got damaged in shipping to Sweden and now we don’t have a little tub at all. Hoppop also makes a bucket-style tub for babies, but I have a hard time seeing how it would work for a newborn. Since we couldn’t find a good sling option and are trying to find things that don’t take up too much space, we ended up buying the very cool Boon Inc. Naked tub. Read more here.

7. CRIB. We chose the IKEA Sundvik. You can see all the options we considered here and why we chose the Sundvik here.

8. BABY MONITOR. We had an Angelcare baby monitor for Alec in Atlanta and I loved the peace of mind that it gave me to know that an alarm would sound if he stopped breathing. I realize it’s a little over-zealous, but until we got it set up, I just could not relax about Alec sleeping in his crib. So it was a must for us. Once he started rolling off the sensor causing false alarms, we just stopped using the movement alarm, but it was still a great baby monitor. We sold it because we didn’t want to deal with voltage adapters etc (and actually don’t need a sound monitor in our old, thin-walled flat in Stockholm) when we moved back to Sweden. But we ordered We bought another Angelcare for the new baby too and now they make one that has video as well! Yay!

9. SIBLINGS WITHOUT RIVALRY. This is the one new parenting book I will be reading specifically in preparation for the new addition to the family.

 

STROLLERS, GEAR & FEEDING

Mini Piccolini - Shopping for Baby #2 (Strollers, Gear, Feeding)

1. DOUBLE STROLLER. We just picked up our new Bugaboo Donkey. See why we chose it here, and what we got in terms of accessories etc. here.

2. HIGH CHAIR WITH NEWBORN SET. Since we’ll need another Tripp Trapp for the new baby when it’s time to start solids, we decided to just buy one now and use it with a newborn set for the first months. This will provide a safe place for baby to hang out when I have stuff going on in the kitchen, and will also allow our new addition to join in family meals from the start.

3. BREAST PUMP. We also sold the Medela Pump in Style Advanced breast pump that I used in Atlanta. It worked well for me so I wanted another one of the same. Medela seems to be phasing out the Pump In Style in favor of a (more expensive) pump called Freestyle but it seems to be getting mixed reviews, and since the Pump in Style worked for me, I was quick to order one of the Pump in Styles that were still available on Amazon.

4. PUMP & BOTTLE PARTS. Most pump and bottle parts shouldn’t be re-used, so we’re getting new bottle nipples and extra sets of valves etc for the new breast pump.

5. DRYING RACK. The Boon Inc. drying rack that we already have seems always to be full so we got another one for Baby #2′s pump and bottle parts.

6. CAR MIRROR. We still have Alec’s infant car seat that we’ll be re-using for the new baby. We just a need a second EasyView mirror so that we can see the little one in the back seat from the front seat.

7. PLAY MAT. We had two for Alec – a Baby Einstein Baby Neptune one which we kept tucked away in the nursery because I thought it was too ugly, and a cute IKEA one. At the moment we’re using the bottom padded mat of the IKEA one as a play mat in Alec’s room (tucked into a SWOOP bag) so we bought a new one from IKEA for the new baby. The ones they have now have a circus theme and a really plushy soft play mat which is nice.

8. BABY CARRIER. We have the BabyBjörn Original Organic Baby Carrier that we used for Alec but it’s not one of the things we got a ton of use out of last time around. I found it a little too bouncy to use a whole lot with Alec while he was really little. And then by the time he really felt stable enough for us to take walks with it, it was quite heavy to carry. Admittedly it was indispensable when we travelled and for a hike we did once. I think we will be doing more baby-wearing this time around – just because we will need more hands-free carrying since we’ll have our hands full with Alec, and because we live a much more urban lifestyle in Stockholm than we did in Atlanta. We won’t be driving much, but we will be managing the logistics of a teeny tiny elevator and inner city living. So we bought a Dreamy Dot sling/carrier hybrid to start and will probably be considering an Ergo carrier in the future.

9. TRAVEL CRIB. We love the BabyBjörn Travel Cot that we have for Alec. For any travel we do the first few months, we can just use the stroller bassinet and/or a baby nest, but after that, we’ll need a second travel cot for the new baby if Alec isn’t really be done with his yet.

10. TRAVEL STROLLER. We keep a Baby Jogger City Mini in the trunk of our car so we don’t have to lift our main stroller in and out of the trunk unnecessarily. We also use the City Mini for travel since it’s so easy to fold and carry and so we don’t have to worry about travel damage to our main stroller (read about our city mini and how we like it here). With two babies, I think we will end up using a carrier a lot more for the little one and probably make do with our single City Mini for shorter outings. But for travel, we think we’ll probably end up buying a City Mini Double Stroller in the end.

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Posted in Alec, Baby, Baby Gear, Books & Reading, Favourite Things, For Baby, Lists, Nursery, Piccolini Shop, Toys | 2 Comments »

Favourite American Things for 3-9 month-olds

May 22nd, 2012

We have friends here in Stockholm with a three-month old. This week, Dad is heading to NYC for a few days and we were asked what should be bought and brought back to Sweden for the little guy. I’ve put together a list of great stuff for babies (but not the very youngest babies) that I would buy (and do buy when I get the chance).

Pretty much anything (strollers, gear, baby food, baby clothes, etc) you are going to buy for a baby is going to be cheaper in the US than in Europe, but only one thing on my list is there just for that reason. Everything else is stuff you can’t actually get over here. So here are my favourite American things for ca 3-9 month-olds:

  1. BABY JOGGER CITY MINI. This stroller is of course available in Sweden as well, but it is almost three times more expensive here. Since it’s so light and easy to transport, I would highly recommend buying one the in US. This is a great second stroller that would be perfect for this family that spends so much time on-the-go.
  2. WUBBANUB PACIFIER. You actually can buy these in Sweden here, but they are not super easy to find. We have given Wubbanubs to a few babies here and they seem to become the pacifier of choice every time! Alec LOVES his monkey wubbanubs and won’t take any other pacifier as you can read here and here.
  3. BOOGIE WIPES. These are so fantastic. They have the most delicious scent and magically dissolve the most stubborn baby snot to help your little one breath a little easier. I’ve mentioned them before here.
  4. BABY FOOD. We have HIPP and Ella’s Kitchen in Sweden, but I found the selection of baby food so much more inspiring in the US. Sprout, Plum Organics, Happy Baby and Ella’s Kitchen all have a ton of organic baby food in a wide variety of appetizing flavors. Even if you make your own baby food, it’s so great to have some yummy pre-packaged ones for travel and meals on-the-go. Also, there is not a lot of organic fruit available here in Sweden, especially not in the winter months. Instead of just eating pears, apples and bananas, some packaged baby foods can help to add some variety in flavors to the menu.
  5. BABY MUM MUMS. These rice rusks are the perfect first finger food/snack for baby. They dissolve quickly so you don’t have to worry about choking. Alec LOVED them and I never left the house without these in my diaper bag until he was past one-year-old. PUFFS.
  6. PUFFS. Alec was the world champion of the pincer grasp from an early age and I credit puffs with his well-developed fine motor skills. Organic, full of good stuff, quick-dissolving.
  7. BOON DISPENSING SPOON. It’s meant to be exclusively for Plum Organics, but it works on any squeezy baby food (with a screw-on cap). You just screw it onto the baby food tube and feed directly through the spoon. When I traveled to Canada with Alec alone, I don’t know how I would have fed him by myself on the plane if I hadn’t had these spoons (as I mentioned here).
  8. TABLE TOPPERS. Conveniently create a clean surface for baby to eat off on-the-go and make clean-ups easier when the meal is done.
  9. SNACK CATCHER. It’s actually available in Sweden, but still everyone comments on Alec’s Snack Catcher and it has been a great way to slow down snack-intake and make cleaner snacking possible when out and about.
  10. DESITIN DIAPER CREAM. I use several different diaper creams but Desitin’s two varieties are my favourite.
  11. ERBAVIVA BABY OIL. Organic and with a lovely scent. We use this baby oil daily for Alec’s massages after bath time.
  12. BABY GAP. For a small baby, I really like Baby Gap’s First Favourites. Alec’s pjs, onuses and bundlers from this collection stayed so soft and lovely and I’m already looking forward to using them again for Baby #2. Baby Gap also has such cute stuff for little boys and girls. A Gap hoody is a must-have for every age and we got so many compliments for Alec’s little caps.
  13. MZ WALLACE DIAPER BAG. If you’re going to NYC and you’re looking for the perfect gift for a new momma, look no further!

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Posted in Alec, Baby, Fashion, Favourite Things, Food, For Baby, Lists, Piccolini Shop, Travel | 2 Comments »

A Fantastic Diaper Bag: Kate by MZ Wallace

February 27th, 2012

At our first baby get-together, my mum and I fell instantly in love with my friend Maggie‘s diaper bag. I had already bought the practical but a little boring and slightly bulky Teutonia diaper bag to match our stroller, but the moment I saw Maggie’s bag, I knew I had to have it. My husband’s comment that evening as I browsed colors and placed the order: “these play dates are going to be expensive”.

I now have two Kate bags, one in bedford black and one in latte – you have to have something for summer and something for winter, right? And despite heavy – and often quite heavy-handed – use, they both look like they are brand new. These things have made three transatlantic trips and several trans-continental ones. They have been under seats on multiple airplanes, tossed in and out of our car several times a day in Atlanta, and snapped onto the handle bars of our stroller for hours and hours at a time in Stockholm. It doesn’t get a rest once we are home either – Alec’s favourite activity is rifling through it several times a day and un-packing and packing it over and over again. It is water resistant and has always kept dry and clean despite dust, rain, snow and muck.

This thing has 10 pockets – most of which you probably won’t use. The big outer pocket that runs along one side houses our entire changing kit. Several diapers, the changing pad that comes with the bag, a couple of disposable changing pads for extra messy changes, full-size diaper rash creams, and a regular-sized pack of wet wipes. In the two smaller pockets on the other side, I keep my mobile, some quick-access coffee money and sometimes a pacifier. In the larger pocket on that side, we have a snack-pack. Granola bars and nuts for me, mum-mums, puffs, raisins and other little snacks for Alec. We can even fit a few squeezies in here if we need to. Maggie actually put the little ice pack that comes with the Medela breast pump right in that pocket for storing breast milk! There are side pockets with elastics on each end – one for my water bottle, one for Alec’s bottle. On the inside there is a key chain, a removable change purse, several other pockets for organizing odds and ends, and a good zippered pocket for essentials like your day planner or other things you don’t want baby getting into, as well as a good mobile pocket.

So, basically everything I need to have with me on an everyday basic fits in these pockets, leaving the main part of the bag completely free for other things. Needless to say, I have no trouble fitting a change of clothes (for Alec and/or me), a blanket, hats and gloves and other pieces of extra clothes, a lunchbox (I use the little cooler box that came with the Medela breast pump since you can fit everything a little one needs for a meal or two in here – it’s the perfect size), a laptop (albeit a small one) and/or an iPad when you’re traveling, a shawl or other cover for the stroller or yourself, a high chair cover, toys, pacifiers, board books. No, you probably couldn’t fit all those things in there at once, but when do you ever need all those things at the same time anyway?

I snap the bag onto the handle bar of our stroller using JJ Cole stroller attachment snaps or just hang it over the handles using the shoulder strap (which is a real essential for when I am carting the bag, a heavy 14-month old, and whatever else we have with us up to our flat in the smallest elevator in the universe after dropping the stroller in the stroller room in the foyer). I thought the brassy hardware on the bag would get ruined by the snaps, but it still looks great.

All in all a super practical, super durable bag. But the best part is the way it makes you feel. Not just like a frumpy mom. On the rare occasions when I am out by myself without Alec, I don’t bother switching over to another bag. I’ve used the Kate diaper bag for work meetings, rare nights out or after-work get-togethers with my friends. Nobody would know it’s a diaper bag (except when I open it up and Alec’s monkey wubbanub jumps out). This bag does not look like a diaper bag, and out of your whole get-up when you are out and about with baby, this might be the most stylish thing on you. Enough said.

If you are trying to make the case for this slightly extravagant bag, I urge you to stress CPU (cost per use) in your argumentation. For the last year, I have used my Kate bags every single day, and often, we will be out all day. Pre-baby, I used to switch handbags several times a week, so no bag really got used that much (I have quite a few handbags).  This bag gets used a lot and I plan to get a lot of use out of it every single day for at least a couple of years to come. That makes it a bargain.

So, if you are about to have your first little one, if you already have one or two and still need to carry a few baby care items from time to time, if you are a dad looking for a different kind of push present to celebrate a new mom, or if you are a friend looking for a fabulous shower gift. Look no further.

 

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Posted in Alec, Baby, Fashion, Favourite Things, For Baby, For Mum, Piccolini Shop, Style, Travel | 4 Comments »

Kylie & Caspar’s Favourite Things

February 8th, 2012

Caspar's shelves with detail

how we montessori is one of my absolute favourite blogs. I check in every day and find so much inspiration. Mom Kylie is not Montessori-trained, but has chosen to incorporate Montessori philosophy into the family’s home environment and how she raises her children. Whether you are specifically interested in Montessori methods, or are just looking for new ideas and inspiration, I highly recommend a visit to how we montessori!

Kylie has two little boys, four-year-old Caspar and ten-month-old Otis. Today she has kindly agreed to share some of her favorite things for Caspar:

 

LYRA GEL CRAYONS. These crayons are amazing. The colours are vibrant and vivid. Caspar uses them almost every day. Otis (ten months) loves to draw with crayons too and uses Stockmar wax blocks.

 

KID O PUZZLES. There is something special about Kid O puzzles. They are good quality, simple and beautiful. Caspar is currently using the Exploring Nature – Woodland puzzle. It’s perfect for his skill level, challenging but achievable.

 

BOARD GAMES. We recently discovered some board games from my childhood. One of Caspar’s favorites is Trouble. It’s good for his counting skills and for learning to follow rules. He is also enjoying Snakes and Ladders and Twister.

 

ANIMALIA BY GRAEME BASE. We read a lot of books and Animalia by Graeme Base is a stand out. It’s our all time favorite children’s book. Caspar gets lost within it’s pages.  The illustrations are magical.

 

MONTESSORI PRINT CARDS. We always have at least one set of cards in use. Caspar is currently using the Initial Sound Cards and Phases of the Moon Cards from Montessori for Everyone. We order the cards online then print and laminate. The cards come with instructions and they are simple and fun to use.

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Posted in Books & Reading, Education & Learning, Favourite Things, For Kids, Kiddos, Lists, Mum & Baby Activities, Parenting, Piccolini Shop, Toys | 1 Comment »

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