mom tips and tricks

i really doubt i have anything new to offer. mind boggling wise. even creative... but these are a few of my tips and tricks with two kids... so far.

when buying for baby number one, go neutral on reusables. the swing, stroller, jumperoo, infant car seat. these are the more pricey items and you want to be able to use on multiple babies. unless you are fortunate enough to buy new for each baby.

register for an infant car seat and the next stage car seat. you will be shocked {well... if you have big babies like me} how soon you pop them out of that infant car seat and into the next one. i much appreciated both those gifts.

shop around for deals. use the babies r us 20% coupons. read reviews on amazon. i adore amazon for their reviews. and moms love to rate things.

amazon mom... magical. it's a subscribe and save program. we get diapers delivered to our doorstep {worth a million dollars in connivence alone} and save around 30%. we also get our diaper genie refills sent automatically. plus, amazon gives you a little heads up email so you can cancel the next shipment if you don't need the item yet.

or go costco. big boxes of diapers are tricky when babies start growing and sizing starts changing. otherwise it's just so handy to have 4,000 diapers on hand. and oddly you use them all... quicker than imagined. luckily my two monster babies are BOTH in size 4. very helpful for my tired brain.

the 97 cent bottle of suave shampoo works great for bubble bath. and the suave 'no more tangles' spray is one third of the price of johnson's and johnson's and works just as well. plus i am a sucker for anything that smells like green apple. moo gets sick of me sniffing her head.

check out www.babysteals.com. buy the ergo when it goes on sale. it soothed my colicky girl for those first few months. there is also kidsteals and scrapbooksteals.

i believe in sound makers and baby monitors. i prefer to buy large ticket items at costco because of their incredible return policy. since ryan is a car industry guy, and does not believe in extended warranties, we don't buy them for other things either. costco's return policy is my warranty. i appreciate companies that stand behind their products.

be weary of the baby food aisle. just because the box says 'organic' toddler food doesn't mean it's healthy. i grabbed the fruit bars. i believe it was gerber. gerber screams 'baby' right? well, it was loaded with ingredients and hydrogenated oils AND high fructose corn syrup. {insert huge sad face here}. not to mention you get 10 for three times the price because it's in the baby aisle. i love me some trader joe's. so much of their food is kid friendly. they even make the applesauce food pouches which are magical on the go. or you could stick to the basic jar.

on that same note... we just made moo eat what we were eating. modified for safety and spiciness/saltiness of course. but i didn't want this 'two meals' per night nonsense. i'm just too lazy. and lucky for me, she gobbles up everything. we got lucky.

that's what i have for now. when i think of more, i will add it.

p.s. she's eating some trader joe's dried fruit as we speak.