Amazon Favorite - Baby Item Edition

It has been exactly 8 months since the last time I posted a journal entry. I don't think many people have missed me too much...

Today I want to talk about Amazon favorites. Everyone's got them! I'm going to be more focused on baby related items but maybe one day I'll post an all-around Amazon favorites entry, but today let's talk baby.

My very first pick for this list is the Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces.

There is so much back and forth with folks on whether or not these necklaces work. I've done my fair share research on them and have heard that our body doesn't create enough heat in order for the necklaces to release their oils etc. etc. But I took to talking with my friends any way and wanted to see what they thought about them. A majority of them claimed they helped their little ones while teething. So one of my great friends recommended this specific necklace because it comes with a teether and she loved it so much she ordered it twice. I went ahead and ordered two and gotta say, I love it. I do believe it helped the girls when they were pushing teeth through. Olivia ended up popping four teeth all within a week and she never acted any different aside from the little extra drool. The best part of why I liked this one is that there are knots in between all the beads so if the necklace does end up breaking, it won't become a chocking hazard or a mess to clean up. They didn't sleep with them on, but I know women who move them to the ankle while in bed so suffocation wasn't an issue. The teether was one of the girls' favorites as well. All around great product, would recommend 10 out of 10.

My next pick is more of a child choice. I think children, for the most part, like those touch a feel books and my girls were no different. Enter in the "Never Touch A...." book series. 

We bought this book specifically for one of my nephews and the girls got their hands on it and wouldn't put it down. The never touch a monster book is filled with rubbery fun feels. I know there's different versions out there like never touch a shark, never touch a spider, never touch a dinosaur and more, each one with their own sensory items. These books are great for little hands and curious minds.

I'm going to let you in on a secret. I HATE baby cameras. Hate them. Why? Because they never work properly! We had one and the lighting was always off, it was hard to see anything because it was fuzzy and would go out of focus and then it would lose it's signal randomly - for no reason and would beep at you.... constantly!!! I bought a different one and same issues. And they're not cheap! The first one I had was well over $100 and the second was about $90, all that and they didn't work well not to mention they were stationary. So skip the baby cameras and invest in a security camera.

The Reolink 1440P is what we went with. Now, I had my father help me pick this one out because he is the computer guy of the family and I needed something that would work well with our wifi. He says you want something with 5 gigahertz, not the 2.4. It can be dual like this one is but it has to be able to handle the 5 otherwise you're wasting your money. I wanted one that would be able to see the room 360 degrees, and one that I would be able to move with my cell. I couldn't be happier with this camera. It's quiet (no random beeping), can see in color and in black and white (which comes in handy at night when lights are off), rotates 355 degrees horizontally and 105 degrees vertically. Two-way audio, and no matter where I'm at I can check in with the app. So while I'm at work I can see if the girls are sleeping well during their naps or if they are up and playing. Love this camera. If you wanted the same functions in a "baby" camera you'd be looking at spending $150 or more. So leave out the word baby and get yourself a security camera because they work so much better.

Next is a safety item. I was at a birthday party for a friends little boy and he showed me these magnetic cabinet locks.

Really the only reason I like these is because I don't like the look of the hook ones. I'm not sure why, these are just more aesthetically pleasing... They stick to the inside of your cabinet doors, and you have the option to have them in a locked mode or unlocked mode which is nice because they don't have to be locked all the time but you don't have to remove them from the cabinets in order to have that luxury. We have the magnet on the refrigerator and when we need it take, put it up to the lock - it unlocks and there ya go, simple as pie. 

Mom hack for moms who bottle feed. Buy ready to go milk.

I was so sick of buying formula, the price is ridiculous. So once the girls hit a year old and the pediatrician gave us the okay we switched over to regular milk. I was having a hard time with traveling with the regular milk. It would inevitably be left out for too long or overheat or whatever and we had to throw it away. So we may not have been spending the money we were to buy formula but we were still having to throw out a good chunk because of milk spoilage. Then I remembered that they make ready to go formula so they must make ready to go milks too. Sure enough Amazon pulls through again for me. I was able to find the girls' almond milk in ready to go cases. Now with no refrigeration we can not worry about how long the milk is "left out" because it was designed to be shelf stable. Love it! We don't use too much of it but it comes in handy for late nights out when the girls are ready for their nighttime bottle.

If you enjoy eating out or being out during meal times, i.e. the zoo, park, etc. then this next one is for you; Disposable Placemats.

I cannot tell you how many time these little guys have come in handy. My sister in law was the one who told me about these when we were struggling to feed the girls one afternoon out. I wouldn't call myself a germaphobe but I definitely don't want the kids eating straight off the tables but they like to knock plates and bowl off the table so we needed something! They have removeable backing and stick straight to the table. After kiddos are done you pick the whole thing up and throw them away. We bought this 60 count and even after countless zoo trips we're still one our first package! Love them!!

Just because I'm not a germaphobe does not mean I desire for my children to be messes either. I make my kids wear bibs so they don't mess up their clothes...too bad... But when they started to get older they figured out how to un-velcro and unsnap the typical baby bibs. I found these fabulous Long Sleeved and Short Sleeved Waterproof Bibs. They tie in the back and my girls haven't figured out how to get them off. 

Originally I bought these for the girls' first birthday because I didn't want them getting cake all over everything, but we loved them so much that we got more. We have about 7 for each of them and they have replace all the typical bibs. This item I highly recommend. 

My last item are the Contigo Kid Water Bottles. 

Reasons why I love them, there's a million different designs and stainless steel options too, they do not leak, they are easy to clean, they are BPA-free, and they were an easy transition from a bottle into a cup for the girls. 




Since creating this list I've added some favorites and I'll make a Part 2 soon!