Diaper Gear

DIAPERS - we got two of the 18 diaper starter packs and have never needed more. They have held up well through 3 kiddos and when we are done I will gift them to another family and they will continue to do the work!

DIAPER PAIL - ideally you would have a metal pail with a large enough opening. This is the pail that we have. It works fine, but I do sometimes wish it was a bit bigger…though this forces us to wash diapers before anything gets stinky.

WASHABLE WIPES - we got 3 x this 15 pack. They have also held up well through all 3 kids.

FLUSHABLE LINERS - you will use 3-4 daily after solids have been introduced.

WIPE WARMER - This is essential in my opinion and a perfect place to store your washable wipes.

EVERFRESH PILLOW CASE - This case protects the pads that hold some moisture to keep wipes from drying up. The case lasts forever and comes with a few pads.

EVERFRESH REPLACEMENT PAD - Pads should be replaced every 6 months or so.

When we are out and about, we often use Hello Bello disposable diapers and these wipes so we don't have to haul around dirties!

Potty Training

POTTY TRAINING IN 3 DAYS - The G.O.A.T…for real, read the book and do this exactly, nothing else! It's a super quick read and worth the prep before you begin the process. You don't need a lot of equipment, but a couple things will make it easier. These SIMPLE SEATS are great, I would recommend having one in every bathroom that your little is likely to use. Hand washing can be hard to reach for little bodies, these FAUCET EXTENDERS help a ton.

Lastly, your little will need a stool to reach the toilet. You could get a simple plastic stool for this purpose.... OR you can get yourself a nice looking SQUATTY POTTY, fun for the whole family! Haha, but for real your colon health and pelvic floor will thank you.

I am admittedly a pretty minimalist mama. I don't have allllll the stuff, but I can totally see why someone would want more of the gadgets. The gear we choose for our baby is pretty personal and people are passionate about what they love. If you're a first time mama you have to jump in somewhere, so I hope this list is helpful to someone!

Sleep Gear that is Worth the Hype!

THE BEST SOUND MACHINE - set the sound machine to the lowest pitch white noise setting. Noise should be 65 decibels at your baby's ear level (you can find a free decibel meter app for your phone). Great customer service, they have sent us replacement cords for free (we travel with these so are a bit hard on them:)!

BLACKOUT CURTAINS - 100% worth the money and effort. We have ordered from blinds.com (we get these in the cheapest version - color: snow), they have great sales and code: RAMSEY saves you (you know I love that guy;)

SPACE HEATER - If you live in the frigid NW or just like to sleep a little cooler in the rest of the house, that’s great! However, your little one may need a little warm up. Ideal sleeping temperature for babies is 68-72 degrees. Get a space heater that has a thermostat, there are a ton of options!

DOC A TOT - This one was 66.6% effective for us! Haha, Ruben wasn’t into it, but the other boys loved it. It might be worth the investment for you.

SLEEP SACKS - Sleep sacks are great and you don't need the most expensive one for it to be effective! These SWADDLE SACKS are nice for infants who can't yet roll, but regularly escape their normal swaddle. This SLEEP SACK has been a great option once they can roll over. 

CRIB SHEETS - I just think these are cute and super soft! 

Teething

TEETHER - This one just makes sense! There are several texture options and their little hands don't get cold.

CAMILIA - This homeopathic remedy helps a lot. I would have a stash on hand if you are in teething season.

Out and About

RING SLING - I use this a ton when my babies are new. Some people swear by more expensive brands, I can't personally tell the difference. I also don't tend to prefer a ring sling once they are bigger, so a more cost effective option is better for me.

ERGO 360 CARRIER - I use this the most for carrying babies. When the baby is new, this INFANT INSERT helps to maintain the correct position (I didn't use it much though because I have a ring sling). I love this because you can carry them on the front or back.

OSPREY POCO PACK - we have this pack for our outdoor adventures with babies. It has a lot of gear storage space and feels safer if the terrain is more variable. It has a lot of internal structure and I feel more comfortable that the babe will be protected if I were to fall. 

THULE CHARIOT - I normally carry the babies when out of the house because we don't have a small stroller, which in hind sight might have been nice to have...but I didn't feel like it was worth it to get one now. Buuuuut, we do have a chariot and use it a ton for running, biking, and skiing. We got ours used on Craigslist (I would highly recommend looking in your area because wow....$$$$). We have these attachments: JOGGER WHEEL, BIKE ATTACHMENT, SKI ATTACHMENT, INFANT SLING

Four Sure(ish)-Fire Ways to Get Your Little 'Striding'

On Caleb’s second birthday we got a STRIDER, in Lightning McQueen Red of course, and couldn’t wait to see our little adventure babe ripping it up on the pump track. But...that DID. NOT. HAPPEN.  We quickly learned about the PAIN of ‘walking while straddling the bike’ walk around the block. The initial excitement of the gift wore off quickly, for everyone...thankfully with a lot of perseverance and a little luck we found four strategies that made a huge difference.

1 - If at all possible, let your child ride with a child that is better at striding.

We have found this to be hugely helpful in many areas for motivating our kids to try something new. Seeing a friend progressing at something ignites a powerful combination of wanting to keep up and accelerated brain development with the help of mirror neurons. This combo can result in huge gains. 

2 - Begin the striding practice on a slight downhill slope.

The joy of striding is in the glide, but for a little that is just learning, getting enough momentum to glide is really tough. A slight, and I do mean slight, downhill slope will give them just enough help to start to feel the glide without getting out of control.

3 - A little sugar goes a long way.

We are pretty stingy with sweets, so for us this might be a chocolate chip or two, but whatever a treat looks like for your little, it can go a long way in getting your child to at least try an activity.  We have also had great success with sticker charts. For example, tying 10-15 practice sessions to a small useful reward (like bike gloves) has worked wonders.

4 - This was our GAME CHANGER - Find some puddles

We stumbled on this idea completely by accident when we took Caleb out for the daily grind of trying to get this thing down. It had rained heavily earlier in the day and there were huge puddles everywhere. We quickly realized that he had no greater joy than trying to roll through the puddles and THAT WAS THAT! We had a strider! He worked on making it through longer and longer puddles without getting his shoes wet and from that day on he rocked it! We used the same strategy with Ruben and had similar results! Also, their shoes will get wet, but it's ok!

The older boys are now ripping on their pedal bikes! I'll share some strategies that worked for biking soon.

'Fiver Party' 

On our birthday party invite this year, we asked friends to forgo the gift and if they wanted to give our guys five dollars. The result was so sweet! The boys received precious cards from their friends and cousins and collected some cash to add to their spending money. There was a bit of an anticlimactic moment at the party when they realized there were no presents to open, but... a couple of days later, I was able to take each boy on a special evening of shopping and dinner with mom. They were able to pick exactly what they wanted and also a had a little practice of sticking to a budget (you know I'm here for that)! Overall it was a huge hit.

Coming Soon!

• Introducing Solids

• Sickness Prevention

• Sick Kiddo Routine

• Learn to Bike

• Learn to Ski

• Learn and Play Resources

• Pregnancy Resources

• Postpartum Resources

• Registry Items

• Parenting Books

• First Aid/ Med Kits: Travel and Home