In the modern consumer age there is no shortage of gadgets available claiming to make your life as a new parent simpler, easier, and generally more pleasant. Some of these are worth the cost, others are severely overpriced and hardly useful. Let's dig in to some of the popular ones. Bottle Washer Bottle washers are a newly popular item that lots of people swear by, but personally I find them only mediocre. A bottle washer will wash, sanitize, and dry your bottles (and pump pa

In my view, there are really only a few things you absolutely need to buy new. The main one being your car seats. It’s generally not advised to buy second hand car seats because you don’t know the entire history of the seat. This can be incredibly dangerous because car seats are only designed to take one hit, to be in one crash. Once they have been, the interior structure can be severely compromised and there’s no guarantee it will keep your baby safe. There’s also no way to

Transitioning from bottles of formula to cups of cow's milk is a major challenge for many families. It can be an overwhelming concept at a challenging time of transition. The following guide is meant to be a road map on some of the ways your family can navigate this change.  But first you may ask, why do we start serving babies cow's milk when they turn one? The main reason is that by the age of one your baby ideally has moved from a liquid diet to a predominately solid one.

Baby milestones don't just happen. They are something you have to work on with your baby in order for them to learn. Largely, this involves practicing the skill with a caregiver, however, there are specific toys that are going to make different milestones come easier, for both you and your baby. Rolling Rolling toys are the least specific of all the milestones, because they are whatever is high value to your baby in particular that you can put just out of their reach. General

Congrats! Your baby is putting everything and anything in their mouth! And they've become a certified drool factory! What on earth do you do now? This usually starts around the 3-4 month age range and confuses parents into thinking their baby is teething or about to get teeth. Likely not, first teeth don't usually erupt until closer to 6-10 months, but this is a developmentally normal stage. Your baby is learning! And they're doing that with their mouth. At this age, it's goo

With how busy modern life can be, and how spread out our families have become, most households turn to paid help in order to keep laundry done, bedtime consistent, and dinner on the table. In this post we'll talk about the different in home options for childcare, and what you can expect from each. Babysitter The job of a babysitter is to keep your children fed, entertained, and alive. Babysitters primarily work evenings and weekends when parents have social engagements rather

Sleep is the most talked about thing when it comes to new babies and because of this there is an entire market of goods promising a better nights sleep for new parents. Some of these things can be helpful, but a lot of them prey on desperate, overtired parents with false promises. These are the few things I do actually recommend for better sleep for you and your baby. Swaddles & Sleep Sacks There are two main types of swaddle, arms down and arms up. Arms down is what you typi

Size Matters Everything you serve your baby on or with should be scaled appropriately to their size. Imagine eating with a serving spoon or trying to cut your dinner with a butcher knife, it would be a huge pain! In order for your baby to be successful, they need the appropriate tools, and a major part of that is tools that are proportional to their body. Spoons Spoons! So many spoons! You will end up with many, but I suggest starting with a self feeding spoon that can be pr

If you're looking to bottle feed there is a plethora of different styles and options of bottles being marketed towards new parents, often with gimmicks such as 'anti-colic' or 'best for breastfed babies'. Most of these claims are merely claims, but there are a things to consider when picking a bottle, the first and perhaps most important is nipple shape, the second is flow rate, and the third is the material the bottle is made from. Nipple Shape The shape of the nipple affect

Overnight care is the saving grace of new parents. New babies are exhausting. Newborns need to eat every two to three hours, then they...