Happy 3 months to our sweet baby, James! That’s three months of cuddles, kisses, and shopping for baby stuff 😉 . However, let me be honest here… Joseph and I aren’t doing this on our own. Not only do we have A LOT of help from family in raising our baby boy, but we also have tons of help from amazing baby products. Let us share…
Born Free Bottle Genius Bottle Maker.
THIS MACHINE IS A GAME-CHANGER.
Ever since James started formula (super duper long story short, breastfeeding didn’t work out), it was always a struggle for me to get his bottles ready AND warmed up. When your hungry newborn is crying his head off, every second counts. So no matter how fast our bottle warmer claimed it would warm up the milk, it was never fast enough (which is yet another reason why breastmilk is best because it’s always warm). In the first month, we even strategically bought the more expensive ready-to-feed Enfamil A+ formula to help speed things up (ready-to-feed means it comes pre-mixed for you), but even getting that into a bottle and then warming it up was still not fast enough. Then as our costs soared, we switched to the somewhat less-expensive powder Enfamil A+ equivalent and once again making a bottle seemed like eternity. Essentially, grabbing bottle components (we use Dr. Brown’s), scooping the powder out, mixing it up, and then placing it into the bottle warmer just didn’t cut it for us and was taking really, really, long. It also simply didn’t leave me with any free hands to hold my crying baby. Feedings truly sucked.
And then I discovered bottle making machines.
Our first one was actually the Baby Brezza Formula Pro. It worked excellently well, like a luxurious coffee machine for your baby’s milk. At the press of a button it would dispense the selected amount of formula powder and warm water into your bottle WITHIN SECONDS!!! Afterwards all you needed to do was shake it up. For once, things were going great! I would hold James in one arm, press a button, and have a bottle ready in the other. That was, until I discovered this lingering plastic smell in the water tank. Several reviews online also reported the same thing. I definitely wasn’t comfortable with plastic-smelling water and decided to switch things back the hard way. I was really disappointed, to say the least.
But then came along the Born Free Bottle Genius.
I noticed this item while out on a shopping spree at Toys R Us. It essentially does the same thing as the Baby Brezza, but without any plastic smell! This product for me is a MUST HAVE if you’re formula feeding. It makes a perfect bottle quickly every time, and saves me plenty of tears. I do, however, think there could be some improvements to be made: I wish the water tank and formula container were larger so I wouldn’t have to refill them so often (the Baby Brezza wins in terms of size), and it’s annoying to have to unclog the powder dispenser opening after almost every use. Nonetheless, these issues are manageable and minor compared to how this machine has improved our lives. Feeding James on demand is so much easier now. I also strongly feel that the Born Free Bottle Genius can give a new mom more confidence to take care of her newborn, especially when she has no one but herself at home. A great product!
Enfamil A+ products.
We’ve loved Enfamil A+ from the start. We like that the same formula comes in both powder form as well as ready-to-feed form, which keeps James’ nutrition consistent. Usually what we do is feed the powder from our machine at home, but pack the ready-to-feed for whenever we go out. Within the ready-to-feed range there are the smaller 59 ml bottles that you can just add a nipple with, as well as the larger 237 ml bottles.
Boon grass, twig, stem.
The Boon product line is so refreshingly fun and useful at the same time. We have “grass” for you to lay your bottles to dry, as well as “twigs” and “stems”. I love the whimsical design, and how awesome it all looks on my countertop. Drying bottles can be so adorable that you’d wish you had this.
Deluxe Sink Baby Rinser.
I am truly, truly, happy with this product. This, like the bottle maker, has changed our lives. I used to bathe James in his baby tub and pour water over him with a cup. Needless to say, things took longer especially with rinsing his head, and I was just pouring the same (dirty) water over him again and again. But then I saw this! Also found at Toys R Us, I instantly attached the hose to our bathroom sink. Now James just sits back and gets a really nice shower at home. It even has 3 flow settings – gentle, pulsating, and concentrated. Rinsing his head has become much easier and cleaner. I also like that James is getting used to the feeling of a shower, which is much different than a bath.
Summer Infant Right Height Bath Tub with Angelcare Bath Support.
In order for our baby to sit comfortably, and for us to bathe him efficiently and effectively, we switched out our original Stokke tub. The Stokke may be okay for him when he gets older, but for now he needs more support than what it can provide. This right here is the Summer Infant Right Height Bath Centre, but with an Angelcare Bath Support snug inside. I prefer this tub over the Stokke because it’s larger and sturdier, and has a plug on the bottom that easily opens to drain water. I purchased the Angelcare bath support on top of what comes with the Summer tub because I appreciate its soft support mesh that also allows water to fall through. Unlike other bath supports, James has sat so well in it since birth because of its height, angle, and soft material. With this tub and support combination, I know that our baby is being well cleaned and taken care of.
Bath time!
Angelcare bath support: soft, yet firm. Allows water to drain through.
Nice and wide for comfortable seating.
Btw, isn’t this name plaque amazing??? Customized and created by a local artist named Patricia, she incorporated Superman and Batman for our James! Anyone who knows us also knows that our baby has been outfitted as both DC characters, so this will be memorable for him when he gets older. If you want one customized for your own babe, send us an email and we’ll get you in touch with Patricia!
Cheers,
Melissa
