My Favorite Baby Products

Ive seen this post done a million times. But, it never gets old and to be honest, I read tons of these when expecting Jude & they were so helpful!

So, here is my list of favorite baby items :) in no particular order...

Baby Swing-- any kind will do, just have one! Let the picture do the talking...

Cloth Diapers-- my favorite are BumGenius 4.0's. We've only been CDing for a couple of months but my-oh-my how I wish we had done it from the beginning! Oh the money we are saving and it is so easy to wash them. I mean, I do so much laundry as it is I don't even notice more-- haha! They are more comfy for Jude (not to mention the toxins we are avoiding on his skin!), better for the environment, and we have fewer leaks! Oh and clothes are optional ;)

Maya Wrap Ring Sling-- wish I used this more. It is so easy to plop him in it and go. Takes a lot of the weight off while your carrying them. Real men wear babies ;)

Fisher Price Rock-n-Play-- when Jude was a newborn he slept in this at night by our bed when he wouldn't sleep- such a lifesaver! & at about $45 you can't beat that! Also, it folds up so its great for travel!

Ikea High Chair- Small/ Compact/ Easy to clean... no cloth pieces to put through the washer/ Came from Ikea... need I say more? We went through 3 highchairs.. this was our favorite.

Sound Machine-- any kind will do. Judes bedroom butts up to the kitchen & guess what we needed to do at night after he went to bed? Clean the kitchen.

SIDS Baby Monitor-- If you aren't cosleeping your chances of SIDS are higher. Jude started sleeping in his own bed through the night at 6 months. This little device gave me so much peace of mind!
& Breathable Bumpers from Toys R Us

Jumparoo-- Put baby in it... do housework, the end. :)

Outdoor Baby Swing-- Just for fun :) blurry but you see the fun he's having ;) he's even almost fell asleep in this thing before.

Rocker- We practice attachment parenting in our home and for us part of that means rocking our baby to sleep.. every time. This was a necessity for us. & lets admit it, its a great excuse to get away just you and baby for some cuddle time! Our next investment will be a rocking recliner for the living room-- ooolala

Baby gate that has pieces-- I don't know what this thing is called. You can make a fence out of it to put baby in. We used our pieces around the house, right here in front of our fireplace is one example. Has many uses!

CD Player (doesn't have to be a baby one) Baby Praise & Worship CD's-- sometimes babies are overstimulated. When this happens with Jude and its nap time we play his worship CD and it is so soothing to him.

Snap-n-Go Stroller-- This was great when Jude was in his carrier car seat. If he was asleep we could snap the carseat in it and roll him in. Its also a lot smaller and more compact than the stoller/carseat combos

Medela Manual Breast Pump-- Once my supply was regulated this little $40 piece of gold was magnificent! Its small, compact (I kept it in a lunch box!) and the best part, it was more efficient at getting the milk out than my $300 double electric pump! Go figure!
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/9361474152736135977?q=medela+manual+breast+pump&client=safari&rls=en&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49478099,d.eWU,pv.xjs.s.en_US.c75bKy5EQ0A.O&biw=1280&bih=680&tch=1&ech=1&psi=hlvoUcPTDpP69gT92IGwCw.1374182279211.3&sa=X&ei=jlvoUcGxMIrW9QTfz4HYDQ&ved=0CFsQ8wIwAA

Gown Sleepers-- I have boys, but you know what? WE LOVED Jude in a gown when he was a newborn! I remember when I first brought home some gowns Drew making fun of me and saying "our son is not wearing a dress" but Im sure he would tell you, those things make life so much easier with a newborn! No snaps, no zipper, easy access to diaper, keep baby warm. & the best part, they look all cute with their little newborn legs all bundled up inside!

Jude's Ear Infection(s) Remedy-- Its in the Milk

So I got on to post about something totally different and realized I never let you guys know how we solved Jude's ear infection problem!
In my last post I said how I was thinking it may be allergy related and about my "guilt" over losing our nursing relationship. Well, turns out it was a little of both!
Drew has a milk allergy, not lactose intolerant but it just makes him feel yuck and his sinuses will get congested.. this can lead to ear infections!! WHY DIDN'T I PUT 2 & 2 TOGETHER?
I digress...
A friend suggested milk as maybe being the culprit for Jude and suggested I google it. So I did. A month straight & 4 antibiotics later of ear infections & doctors talking about tubes I was willing to try anything!
Turns out a lot of babies have a milk allergy that leads to ear infections. The milk we drink today is so processed and the cows are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics its no wonder milk takes a toll on our bodies. While reading the articles I started thinking of how Drew doesn't handle milk well. It was worth a try to see if this was the culprit, afterall, Jude had just started whole milk a month ago when I had to give up nursing-- when the ear infections started! Coincidence?
So, we stopped all things dairy for a few days and guess what... his sinuses were clear and his ear infections were gone!! Hallelujah!
We have since reintroduced other forms of dairy like cheese and yogurt and those don't seem to bother him. For milk we substitute with Almond milk. Which we already had in our house because of Drew's allergy! It has been an easy transition! Jude isn't as crazy about the taste of the almond milk as he was mommas milk and whole milk but all is now well in the Barnwell home! We also started taking him to the chiropractor for adjustments just to make sure any fluid in his ears drains properly as an extra precaution. Our chiropractor also counsels us on proper nutrition-- which that is for another post :)
Its been 4 months now since his last ear infection (wow I didn't realize it had been that long!!). We recently saw our regular pediatrician for his 15 month checkup and he was astonished at how well Jude's ears looked! His response when we were leaving- "keep the milk away and keep going to the chiropractor!". Neither of these things were the doctors recommendation so it made me feel good that we had helped our baby on our own and that the doctor was so impressed with his recovery. I am so thankful for my FB friend Jessica for recommending I look into the milk culprit and my friend Jennie for suggesting we see a chiropractor! :) Yay for a healthy baby!

Now, a cute pic for your entertainment :) Post about our disney trip coming soon!