DIAPER BAG
Jonathan Adler for Skip Hop Duo Essential Diaper Bag by Skip Hop, $75, skiphop.com
Skip Hop’s newest collaboration brings NYC parents the
vibrant designs of Jonathan Adler with innovative diaper bags and accessories. In
trademark Adler patterns like Wave Multi, Flame Yellow and Chevron Blue, the
Duo Essential Diaper Bag comes with a coordinating zip case and laminated
changing pad.
STROLLER
Switch Four by Peg Pérego,
$499.99, pegperego.com
The compact and highly maneuverable Switch Four is a
versatile travel system that allows baby to face inward or out. With a large
canopy and foot muff, this stroller keeps little ones cozy and warm in even the
most severe winter weather. For newborn babies and toddlers up to 45 pounds,
the Switch Four progresses with your child—offering four backrest recline
positions, telescoping handles and a built-in rear footboard for a second
passenger, when the time comes!
PARENTING BOOK
Today’s Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby’s First Year by Mary
Ann Zoellner and Alicia Ybarbo, $16.99, amazon.com
Offering essential parenting advice by way of their characteristic humor, NBC’s Today Show
Producers Mary Ann Zoellner and Alicia Ybarbo have written a guide for modern
moms navigating the first year of raising baby. Today’s Moms advises readers on everything from breastfeeding
products to financial planning, and is loaded with shared experiences, wisdom
and anecdotes from contributors such as Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Matt Lauer,
Al Roker and many more.
MATERNITY CLOTHING
You Go Girl Grey Suit
by Suits Your Belly, $390, suitsyourbelly.com
Corporate working mom Jennifer
Skanron is big on style and, like most parents, value—which is what inspired
her to design maternity wear that will last an entire nine months of pregnancy (and
beyond). Skanron’s fashionable Zip In Panel is worn with the classic straight
leg suit pant under or over the belly as your body changes throughout and even
after pregnancy. To complete the fitted look, this wool cashmere suit
comes with a soft jacket offering hidden zippers to expand with your growing
belly.
ACCESSORY
The StrollAway by MetroTOTS,
$39.99, metrotots.com
Suitable for practically any interior or exterior door, the slim
StrollAway door hanger comes with a removable spacer for a perfect fit. Able
to hold 35-40 pounds with ease, this device can accommodate angled handles, continuous handle bars and even jogging strollers. Trust us, your
already-cramped NYC apartments will thank you.
BONUS STROLLER
100 Series
Lightweight Stroller by Baby Cargo, $109.99, babycargo.com
Subway stair climbing has met its match. Recently launched
by an NYC mom, the user-friendly brand Baby Cargo has just introduced its new
ultra lightweight umbrella stroller. With features like an adjustable canopy,
tailored pockets, a shoulder strap and handle, the 100 Series is a good choice
for parents with children 6 months and older. The black matte aluminum frame is
sleek looking and rust-free and, perhaps best of all, the entire stroller
weighs a mere 13 pounds.
From Our Born &
Bred Blog (Featured On NewYorkFamily.com)
Posted By: Alex
Richards
One of my mommy friends mentioned how insane her milk supply
was after making a batch of Lactation Cookies. Apparently, if you add a little
ground flaxseed and Brewer’s Yeast to your oatmeal cookies, your milk supply
will go KABOOM! It ain’t no lie. My supply has been fine, but as my daughter
gets bigger, I sometimes worry that I’m not enough of a Milk Messiah for her
anymore.
So, while Trixie was asleep in the Baby Bjorn, I started
baking. I was oh-so-careful every time I opened the oven, cautiously turning
away from the heat and covering my baby’s face. I didn’t spill sugar on her
head or clang the pots too loudly.
The first batch smelled so good that I a took piping hot
cookie straight off the tray to have a nibble and…a chocolate chip broke off
and went down Trixie’s shirt. OMFG!
Five seconds later she was wide awake and wailing like a
banshee. Immediately I tore off her clothes to assess the damage. If it
scarred, would she ever forgive me? Can Child Services arrest mothers for
harboring rogue chocolate chips? I almost cried when I saw the red mark on her
shoulder blade. I applied a little Bacitracin and it healed completely, but I
was shaken up, and I learned a valuable lesson (or two): a) don’t bake with a
baby strapped to you, and b) don’t be a greedy pig and eat the cookies hot off
the tray. Got it?
Posted By: Kristen
Haas
Trying to navigate hormonal changes and figuring out how to
care for a new baby doesn’t leave much time for anything—including sleep. It
took us about a week before my husband and I finally figured out that we both
couldn’t both stay awake through the night. Suddenly, Derek had an epiphany: we
should work in shifts!
I breastfeed Dylan, so I have to be present and awake (sort
of awake) for every feeding. When Dylan wakes up, Derek gets him out of his
crib, calms him, changes his diaper and prepares him for a feeding. I struggle
to get out of bed and hobble over to the couch, strap on My Brest Friend and
the baby is handed over. After the feeding is over, I bring him back to his crib
and climb back into bed and we do it all over again an hour later. This
divide-and-conquer approach saved our lives in those early weeks.
If you’re in the midst of this now, just remember, there is
a light at the end of that crazy newborn tunnel. Before you know it, baby will
be sleeping for longer stints of time and you will begin to feel less like the
undead. The more baby sleeps at night, the more you will begin to feel like
yourself again. Now, if only there was time to shower…
Posted By: Leah Black
I love finding great toys for my son, but often it’s the
everyday household objects that end up fascinating him the most. At 15 months old,
he manages to have fun exploring everything from Tupperware containers to shoe
boxes. There are a handful of items that have been strangely mesmerizing to
him, so I’m sharing them in the hopes that other children will get just as much
satisfaction out of this stuff as we did.
Post-it Notes. I
grabbed a pack of these off the kitchen counter as I was about to leave on a
long car trip recently, in the hopes they might be a fun distraction for my son
when he got fussy. He ended up peeling one Post-it Note after the other off the
pack over the course of half an hour. Now I break them out when we’re playing
at home and need a new diversion.
Radio. The radio
is endlessly fascinating to kids, who love to turn it on and off, fiddle with
the volume and switch stations. The more basic the radio, the better.
Empty tissue box.
Children love to fill up and then empty containers. It’s fun because you can’t
always see what you’ve put in there, so kids have to reach their hand in and
feel around for whatever is inside. My son fills an empty tissue box up with
wooden rings, plastic straws or whatever else is lying around.
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& Bred
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