We Talk Shop

While on vacation earlier this year, I made a snap purchase at a General Store — three placemats for my son to use at the dinner table. I got one with the alphabet, one with trucks and one with animals. They are colorful, durable and great entertainment at the table.My toddler son has already learned more of his ABC’s by having us pointing out letters on his placemat and I think he feels special that he gets to use something so colorful.

As a Mom, I like the fact that it’s large enough to keep the table clean(er). If I knew where to buy these in a store, I would get more.

Get it: $3.99 from Crocodile Creek.

Cleaning bottle parts and nipples is a pain for sure, but sterilizing them is made easy with the Medela Quick Clean bags. You just toss the nipples, rings, breast pump parts, small bottles, then add 2 ounces of water, zip the bag up and zap in your microwave for 3 minutes. There’s a convenient “spout” built into the bag so you can safetly get the hot water out of the bag, open the bag to release the steam, and viola! you have sterilized all of your equipment.

I’ve used these bags since my son was born. Early on I purchased a microwave sterlization contraption that took up space and was akward. Plus, I don’t even know if I could clean my breast pump parts in it. I returned it and then learned of these wonderful Medela bags. Even though I stopped pumping, I still use them to clean the nipples and rings to his larger-sized bottles.
They cost about $5 for a box of 5. Each bag can be used 20 times. There is a convenient “count down” area where you can mark off each time you use them so you don’t loose track.

Git it for sure! I buy mine at Babies R Us, but you can also find them at Target and I’m sure other places that sell breast pump supplies.

This post is for all those nursing moms and nursing moms-to-be. I never thought I’d make a post like this, seems a bit personal, but I think it can help a ton of moms out there. Breast pads, nursing pads, whatever you want to call them … they are a necessity for any nursing mother. BUT there are so many brands, so many sizes.  Here’s the information I now know and wish I’d had earlier (I’ll start with my favorite):

Gerber Reusable Nursing Pads: I started using pads that you toss after each use, but I got tired of having to keep buying them. The Gerber Reusable pads are the best. I wasn’t sure about how they would hold up when washed so I started by washing them by hand with Delicare. Then, one day I was in a hurry and tested one set in the washer. Later, I tried one set in the washer, then in the dryer. Each time they came out like brand new. The only downside to these pads is that, for some moms, they might be too thin. They do have a liner on the outer portion that protects from leakage, but guess that depends on how much you are leaking.

Gerber Ultra-Thin Nursing Pads: These were great throw away pads. I liked them because they were the thinnest I could find. I mean, your breasts are already huge if you are breastfeeding, you don’t need a 2-inch pad inside your bra too. But, like I just said, it depends on you. There are some women these just wouldn’t work for.  

Wether you go for reusable or disposable, know that I loved both of these also because I felt they were more discreet than the bulker options out there.

Get it! – Gerber Reusable Breast Pads. There are 3 sets in one box for less than $5.00 at my favorite stores for this kind of stuff … Babies R Us and Target (where else do I shop?).

I’ve tried a variety of different breast milk freezer storage bags and like the Lansinoh Storage Bags the best. The plastic is thick, you can write on them with ease, the ink doesn’t smear and they have a double zipper at the top for added “spillproofness.” By far, the Lansinoh bags are the best. They are the same price as the Gerber Seel ‘n Go bags, but soooo much better. The Gerger bags are thin and extremely hard to write on. Unfortunately the Gerber bags are more readily available in drugstores. I buy the Lansinoh bags at Target, but I think Babies ‘R Us carries them also (BRU just isn’t as convenient as Target.) The Gerber bags, however, are everywhere.

It’s been awhile since I’ve purchased these bags as we’re now at the end of the freezer stash, but I can say that these bags also held up well in the freezer. I feel they were quality bags to keep the milk freshest for my boy.
Price: About $4.99. Worth every penny to store your liquid gold.

We’re in the in-between food stage right now, not yet ready for full-on finger food, but beyond pureed jar food. I don’t know what I would do without my KidCo Food Mill. It’s a great way to introduce real food that is finely chopped. It’s better than using a fork because it’s easier, quicker and just more efficient. It’s only drawback is that it only allows you to mush up a small amount of food at a time (about 1/2 a banana) so I find that I need to do two grinding sessions for a meal. I’ve used it for a lot of different types of food, most recently pasta. It broke it up into nice tiny pieces that I was able to mix with other, soft food.

Git it! It’s 12.95, plus shipping, from One Step Ahead, but you can also find it at Babies R Us and sometimes Target (although I had a hard time finding it in stores).