Monday, May 19, 2014

Monthly Favorites: Months Eleven & Twelve

When it comes to being a new mom, "free time" no longer exists. And if by some amazing miracle you happen to somehow get a couple of minutes to yourself, I doubt researching baby products is on the top of your list. Whenever my son is coming to a new age and needing new products, I heavily rely on my fellow mommy bloggers' recommendations. No need to waste precious 'you time' trying to navigate through the thousands of products out there only to find out they're poor quality or useless. So I decided to do my own monthly favorites posts to help out my fellow mommies!

I will also let you in on any deals or money saving tips with each product!



Monthly Favorites: Months Eleven & Twelve


Monthly Favorites: Months Eleven & Twelve by julia-crystal on Polyvore


1. Latt Table: I know this table is pretty popular in the blog world. A quick search on Pinterest and you will be barraged by makeovers as far as the eye can see. And there's plenty of reasons why: the main one being the price. At only $20, you can't go wrong. Your kids jump up and down on it, your DIY didn't go as planned, it gets colored all over... I mean, you can't really get mad when you only spent $20 on it. If it's owned by a child, there is a huge chance it's going to get ruined anyway. No point in spending a ridiculous amount of money when it's used for play. Even at the low price, it is still pretty good quality. We've had ours for almost a year now and everything is still intact. The size is perfect and the table has enough room for most any play: drawing, building, crafting, reading, and even snacking! It really is a great purchase and my top pick for a children's table. I happened to get mine for free when my boyfriend was buying a couch off of Craigslist. I had been eying it for a couple weeks, when he randomly brought it home one day without even knowing I wanted it. I was super excited and couldn't wait to DIY that baby. If you haven't seen what I did to it, checkout out our Latt Table Makeover. Even if I hadn't gotten it for free, I would have paid full price for this one; worth every penny.

2.  Summer Infant Sure And Secure Custom Fit Gate: When we moved into our new California house, we had a lot of baby proofing to do. With tons more space, rooms, and a second story, we needed to keep Myles contained to certain areas. After we decided to designate the formal living room to be Myles' playroom, we had to figure out how to block it off. It was no easy task as it is a huge open area right off of the front door. I could have used a regular sized gate if I put it up near the dinning room, but that would have made the stairs accessible to Myles. In that case, I would have needed two separate gates, which would have been more of a pain for us adults. So my mission was to find a gate large enough to fit a 10 1/2 foot entrance. It was actually quite easy because after hours of research, I only found one that would work. So the good part was that I didn't have to make a decision, the bad part was the price! $95 on a baby gate is a little extreme for me, but there was no other way around it. Mark could have made one for cheaper, but we were renting and didn't want to put too many holes in the walls. So I sucked it up and bought this gate. It is hardware mounted, so we had to put a couple tiny holes in the wall, but pressured mounted would have never worked with Myles. I still think it's a bit overpriced, but I will say that it is great quality and works perfectly for the space. It can go as wide as 12 feet and is adjustable to fit any weird or awkward spaces. It is very strong and sturdy, but easy to move and adjust. I also like that the walls are made of mesh and are soft versus the typical metal or wood. We've had it for almost a year and I can tell it has tons more life left in it.

3. Safety 1st Essentials Child Proofing Kit: This is just a very basic child proofing kit, but it has worked well enough for us. The outlet covers work great: easy to put in and take out, yet Myles can't remove them. We had to buy an extra pack of them because the set didn't come with enough; not a big deal though because they are so inexpensive. We also had to buy another box of the cabinet/drawer locks because we kept finding more places we didn't want Myles to be able to get into. These weren't hard to install, a little trying to get them lined up, but nothing too bad. Mark used his drill, so that made it a lot easier. Of course they are little annoying to open, but that goes for any cabinet/drawer locks in my opinion. It only took about a week to get used to having them and now I don't even have to think twice about pushing the latch down to open them up. Again they are very expensive and keep Myles out of places he doesn't need to be, so that makes me happy! We haven't had to use the door knob handles yet. Myles can reach the handles, but he can't get a good enough grip to turn the knob. We will probably have to test them out soon though!

4. Munchkin Two Snack Catchers: These are also a pretty popular item with my fellow mommies! When I first heard about them, I was a little skeptical. So many products promise so many things, and I've learned to not trust most of them. When it comes to the 'no spilling' claim, I haven't found many to actually hold up. Of course, it's probably impossible to be perfect in that realm, but these catchers come pretty close. My son is one to have a habit of dumping all his snack out of the bag when he doesn't want anymore, so these are a must in our house. He can easily get out little snack pieces like goldfish, puffs, cheerios, and cut up fruit, but when he turns the container over, they don't all come spilling out (like he wishes they would)! It is possible to dump the snack out if you turn it upside down and hold the flaps open, but luckily he hasn't figured that out yet!

5. Toy Story Pull String Woody: Myles knew nothing about Toy Story or Woody before I got him this guy. I picked him up at a garage sale because I love Toy Story and was hoping someday Myles would too. I got it when he was 10ish months old and packed it away because he had no interest in it at the time. I brought him back out once we moved and he slowly began to take interest in him. Once he figured out how to make him talk by pulling his string, he loved him. He would set him right next to him in his chair whenever he wanted to watch a movie. It only took a couple of months of constant pulling before his pull string stopped working :( so I plan on getting him a new one for his birthday this year. He has kind of moved on after about 6-7 months with him, but I want him to have a new, working one for the future. (I've become re-obsessed with Toy Story right along with Myles)!

6. Carters Infant Boys 4-Piece Pajama Set: I can't say enough good things about these pajama sets. These sets come with one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, and two different patterned shirts. I love these sets so much because they can be mixed and matched to be worn for any season. They can be used all year round based on the varying temperatures in your area. For us, this set works the best, but they have tons of other options based on your needs. Check out the other 4-piece sets with 2 pants, 2 shorts, long-sleeved shirts, mixed shirts, etc. And of course, with Carter's the patterns are super cute and the prices are just right. I actually bought the couple of sets I have on major sale at Target, but they have great deals on these at pretty much any Carter's retailer. 

7. Peek-A Who?: Myles moved on from last months favorite book Ten Little Ladybugs onto this one. Both are books my aunt picked up for him a while back. Once he started to show more interest in books, I brought out some of my massive stash. He instantly took an extreme liking to this one! I also love this book tons. It's short, sweet, super cute, and keeps Myles' attention. When we first started reading it, he loved giving himself a big ole kiss in the mirror at the end... every single time! He wouldn't give me kisses, but boy did he love that cute little boy he saw in the mirror! We still read it, but now he does most of the reading because he has it memorized. He still gets so excited though! Really great book!



8. Junior Pro Golf Set: Myles got this play golf set for his birthday. Since he still loved any/all things balls, I knew this would be a hit! It was by far his favorite birthday gift. Once I showed him what to do, he would knock that ball around the kitchen all day long. And I had a blast watching him try so hard. I was actually quite impressed with his skills; he's got better hand-eye coordination at 12 months old than I ever had (although that's not saying much!). This is also a really great way for him to work on his fine and gross motor skills while having fun. An all around win in our house!



9. Schwinn Trailblazer Double Bicycle Trailer: Mark bought this bike trailer at Goodwill for $40 before Myles and I even got to California. It was such a good deal that he couldn't pass it up. This thing is amazing and Myles loves sitting in it for bike rides. I feel that he is definitely safe ridding in it and that is the most important feature. He gets strapped in with a harness and a lap buckle. Plus there is a bug and weather shield (which we use when it is windy). It is really roomy inside and has space enough for two riders. It has places for drinks and such and a big spot in the back for anything you want to bring on your ride: toys, picnic lunch, beach stuff, etc. Mark installed it on his bike, so I don't know what level of difficulty it is to put on, but I imagine it isn't too hard. Mark is also the one who rides with him the majority of the time. I just feel that he is more coordinated and better at maneuvering out of danger than I would be. I did ride once with him on Mark's bike and it wasn't too bad. It took a little adjusting to get used to the new turn radius and width of my cargo, but I did okay. I had a couple curb checks and other than an 'uh-oh, sorry' Myles wasn't bothered. He stays very tightly in place with both the harness and lap belt, but I think I will stick to letting Mark take the reigns on this one!
  

What toddler items are on the top of your list? What are your opinions of these products?

12 comments :

  1. Yes I love Toys Story too, I cried at Toy Story 3,!!

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  2. This is a great list. We have the snack catchers. I was like you, a little skeptical...but they work great! I need to look into buying the golf set. So cute!
    www.amominneedofadvice.blogspot.com

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  3. Did you seriously get that bike trailer for 40 bucks?! SO JEALOUS! I want one so bad. Lol at curb checks. Haha that would so be me too. It sounds like a mini trailer with the place for drinks and all that. Uhm..room for two? I WANNA RIDE!

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  4. I get choked up every time at the end. When Andy give away his toys to Bonnie and then Woody and he talks about how loyal he is; gets me every time! I remember watching the first one so much and just loving all of the characters. And now my son gets too.. it's pretty awesome! Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Now that is it summer I'm sure most places will have some version of the golf set. And it's something they can grow into playing. Right now he hits the ball, but he can't really aim. When he is older he can still play with it and really work on getting the ball in the hole. It really is an awesome toy! Fun for me too!

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  6. So I was at the Goodwill today and I saw another trailer. I so wanted to get it and send it to you!! But I am guessing the shipping would be a little pricey lol. I have taken him a couple more times now since I wrote this and I have only curb checked once! Granted the ride to the gym is like 5 minutes.. still pretty proud! Everything that Myles has I want to ride too. Like can someone push me around in a stroller on a nice breezy day.. shoot I'd nap for hours. And going down a hill on a bike trailer... best thrill ever... I think I will check the weight limit right now!

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  7. This is such a great list, hope to find it on day in the future when we start a family. Thanks for linking up with us at the countdown in style linky x

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  8. April @ 100lbcountdownMay 25, 2014 at 3:19 PM

    I so want a bike trailer, Julia! I'm keep an eye out for one on sale! Of course, I need a bike first so I can drag it along. I saw one where the two kids could sit comfortably in it and I need it! My other son can ride his own bike. It'll be a great day.. lots of outside bike riding for the kids. I look forward to it. I love those Munchkin things. perfect for little hands. I feel like my little Butterfly will be using one very soon. I've never childproofed anything. Well, that's not exactly true. I child proofed some cabinets until I realized that my child could get into it easier than I could ~ and out the front door! Thanks for sharing with Countdown in Style!

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  9. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're able to use it one day too :)

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  10. That's so funny about the child proofing thing! Kids can be super determined when they want something! Our cabinet locks have worked so far, but I am sure it won't be long before he figures it out too. Most of the cabinets are okay for him to get into, I just don't want everything all over the floor, which is what would happen!

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  11. OH YEAH! That shipping would have been so much! BUT DANG I need a road trip to your goodwills! lol I feel the same way about the kid toys/equipment. When we got Dylan a mamaroo all I wanted was an adult version so that I could have my own rotating seat that put me to bed. The weight on that thing did NOT check out lol

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  12. Brittnei WashingtonMay 27, 2014 at 3:59 PM

    Funny about those sippy cups. JR didn't really start regularly drinking out of one until he was 18 months. I guess he didn't want to work hard to get the water to come out of it because many have those leak guards on them. My aunt gave him one without it and he has been drinking water from that ever since. The little car you have on this list is so adorable. :) Thanks for sharing this with us at Countdown in Style!

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