Starting Solids + First Feeding Essentials

With both babies, we did a combination of purees + baby led weaning starting at around 5 months. I make food when I can, but otherwise have a delivery of Yumi that we’re loving. I (unfortunately) definitely had more time to make Harry’s food versus Margot, so I really love the options Yumi has for purees, as well as baby led options — and it doesn’t hurt that it’s an auto-renew and delivery, so I don’t even have to think about it!

But regardless of the food, mealtime is always messy, especially for younger babies which I’ve learned to just embrace, with the help of a few very key essentials. I wanted to share since I know that this is a baby product that can be tricky, since the “main stream” items aren’t necessarily the most effective, or highest quality, or best looking. We’ve tried so. many. different. options. when it comes to mealtime accessories — and these are my most highly rated items! I know this area can be a bit overwhelming since there are so many options for everything so thought I’d share what has worked best for us for the past 3 years!

1. Coucou Training Cup — Absolutely love from babies to toddlers!

2. Cam Cam Sleeved Bib — For first time eaters, I love and need a full coverage bib. The food goes absolutely everywhere, and a full bib with sleeves protects clothes much better than a smaller simpler bib. I love these Cam Cam options because I can put right in the sink and rinse/scrub and hang dry and they’re ready for the next meal. Once they’re a little bit older (12-18 months, I swear by Gathre bibs — our absolute favorites!)

3. EZ PZ Tiny Bowl — Won’t get flipped off the table, enough said.

4. Gathre Micro Mat & Gathre Mini Mat — Micro as placemat to save your table from endless scrubbing, and a Mini to have under the high chair as a catch all for food, and to save your rug.

5. Mushie Silicone Suction Bowl

6. Mushie Silicone Feeding Spoons

7. Little Chew Folding Snack Cup

8. Konges Silicone Mat — Great for baby led weaning, stays in place while your baby grasps at the food. We have the Tripp Trapp chair for Margot (found on Marketplace and refinished!), without the tray, and it’s been working fine to just pull her up to the table and have a mat down! We love how this really includes her at the table from so early on. With Harry, he was in the Inglesina fast table seat which I also love as another option!

9. EZ PZ Tiny Cup — Another amazing option for learning how to use a cup on their own from an early age!

10. Cam Cam Sleeved Bib

11. EZ PZ Tiny Spoons — Great for feeding babies when they’re young, and also super easy for them to learn how to use as they get a bit older!

12. Silicone Cloud Mat

This post contains some affiliate links. I make a small commission from purchases via these links, but these products are being shared on my own accord. These are not sponsored products. I only share what I love!

Harry's Summer Essentials (12-18 Months)

I feel like just over 1 year in, and I’m finally getting into the groove of what we need vs what we want, and what we think we need vs what we actually need. Raising a little human is hard, exhausting, so wonderful and the weirdest love I’ve ever known, and of course we want our children to have the best things. But, I’ve really started to pare back as Harry is growing out of being a baby baby (when? how?). As we’re gearing up for summer in New England (it’s currently raining.. again..) I’ve put together some of Harry’s favorite essentials for the season. I’ve included toys, clothes, activities, everything really that his little 15 month old self seems to be loving these warmer days.

As a family, we have taken a slow approach to summer. Planning lots of days home, playing on our new deck & soaking up every single crooked tooth smile and laugh as Harry enjoys this time.

Swimsuits + rash guards + reusable swim diapers

Before having a little boy, I was under the strict impression that only little girls clothes were completely adorable, but now I have spent many months digging deeper and among other adorable finds I have found SWIM BRIEFS and my world is not okay. I love Harry’s Minnow Hazelnut Stripe Brief with the Seafoam rashguard — and we’re also big fans of the Ollie & Squish Navy Bird set. While I LOVE these pieces, they are pricier, so I keep for my parents salt water pool, fresh water, and deck time. For Harry’s swim lessons (aka chlorine central), I love his seersucker swim trunks from Target and Hanna Andersson’s rash guard suit. We’re also the newest proponent of the reusable swim diaper. So much easier, and more comfortable for the babies.

Water table

We went with this Fisher Price water table, and it’s safe to say Harry absolutely loves it. It seems to have everything they want/need, and isn’t a complete eye sore which I appreciate. We actually take this (and all his toys + bin) in every night to keep them from getting gross, but also because I think it looks messy and it’s a pet peeve of mine, which leads me to…

Outdoor toy bin - bubbles, plastic boats, plastic cleaning kit

I picked up a metal basket at Target, and it keeps all his outdoor toys confined. Plus, part of the fun is taking everything out and putting them back in.. In his bin for the summer is a huge bouncey ball, plastic dump truck, boat and water plane, cleaning set, and bubbles (of course..!) I wanted to make sure everything outside can get wet without any damage, and can also be easily wiped down. So far they have created hourssss of entertainment.

Overalls

Overalls are a god send in the summer - super easy, can handle a ton of wear and tear during play time whether it’s been out on the deck or at the playground - and also they’re literally just the absolute cutest. I love Osh Kosh B’Gosh’s vintage overalls, the quality is much better than the ones out now, and plus it’s more sustainable. I have found some great pieces on Etsy, Ebay and my new favorite store Storied Goods

Pool

While we’re still waiting on our faucet to be relocated to the deck, our beautiful Mylle pool is blown up and ready to go. It’s beyond perfect.

Gathre mat + bibs

I swear by Gathre and everything they make. I am sure to always have a bib and mat in Harry’s diaper bag for impromptu meals on the go. They make messes easy to clean, and are also such beautiful products - so really a win win! I put the mats down also on the deck as home base for Harry and also plan to use them eac week for our town’s concerts in the park.

Crocs & Natives

A guess a theme of summer is everything needs to be wipeable…? This is why I love Crocs and Natives for summer. They 1. can be washed right in the sink and look brand new 2. are cool so harry’s feet don’t get hot 3. slip right on and off but somehow don’t fall off. Done and done.

Sippy cups

My good friend, and even better mom, Jess - suggested these Re-Play sippy cups when harry switched from bottles to sippy and they are beyond perfect. They don’t leak, are easy to wash, easy for them to hold, and use apparently because Harry SUCKS down his milk and water. Also, they come in cute colors.

PlanetBox lunchbox

This Shuttle lunchbox has been used and abused for lunches on the go at childrens museums, parks and playgrounds. Much easier than picking something up while we’re out and about - and has the option for the lunch box and ice pack which is definitely ideal.

Summer pajamas

The softest, and nice and cool for summer nights - Harry now has these Vaenait baby pajamas in 3 different colors.

Tee shirts

Soft, cute, simple tee shirts are apparently hard to find. We love Fin & Vince’s vintage tee, and have also have great luck with Zara Join Life collection and H&M Conscious for simple tees.

Snack tray

A must have for summers on the go — a snack tray for your stroller.

Activity tote

I’ve started using an old LL Bean tote as our summer activity tote, since I noticed our diaper bag was getting overwhelmed.. In the activity tote I keep the extra pair of clothing, sunscreen, snacks, bathing suit/diaper, towel, and extra pouch of diapers/wipes etc. Whatever we need for that days activity. That way, the diaper bag is separate and if we need to run in somewhere I’m not also lugging around all those things, yet I can also just go to his swim class, or playground, or whatever need be with just the activity tote. It’s a work in progress, but we’re a few weeks in and so far so good!

Anything I’m missing? What are your must have items on your list for the summer months?

10 Must Have Items for Baby's First Winter

Winter has finally hit us hard here in New England, so I thought now is as best time as any to share some winter products that we couldn’t live without when the temps are hitting arctic levels..

As I have shared before, most of Harry and my days follow the same routine. This winter season, we are enrolled in classes twice a week, in the mid-morning (post morning nap, pre afternoon nap), and the days we don’t go to class we try to get to our local library for storytime, or are off running errands — either way we try to get out of the house during that morning wake time, between 10:30am-12:30pm. If not, we usually take a walk between the afternoon nap and dinner time. This calls for the right gear to make sure we minimize colds (inevitable..) and keep everyone warm.

1. Carhartt Bubba Hat

   As a warmer option to their beanie, I love the style, but also how warm & cozy it keeps Harrison’s little ears and little neck/chin during these frigid days.

2. Snowsuit/Bunting

   Harrison’s everyday winter suit is from the Swedish brand, Lindex, which I am unable to find online. For colder weather/snow days/freezing rain days, we love his Columbia bunting which has feet and hand coverings which is KEY because mittens are a joke, and have now tried 3 different kinds and NONE stay on his crazy little hands.

3. Zutano Booties

   We have now had these since birth, and just keep ordering and sizing up. They’re an absolute godsend, and work great as boots in the colder weather (for non-walkers) with warm socks underneath. They also make with grips on bottom for those learning to crawl/walk! Basically they’re just the best and I will cry when Harry can no longer fit into them..

4. JJ Cole Stroller Bunting + Swedish Sheepskin

   Lots of options for stroller buntings, but they are completely necessary and keep them so nice and warm. We love ours by JJ Cole and also add a grey sheepskin that my mom picked up on her last trip to Sweden when she was visting my brother and sister-in-law and their two kids. It’s very common for babies and kids in Sweden to have these sheepskins in their strollers because when you think about it, we always pile on top of the babies in their strollers, but the wind and cold is coming straight on their back, so this extra layer makes it so cozy. I also love the sheepskin on it’s own on less freezing days (fall and spring) when you need warmth.

5. 7AM Enfant Warmmuffs

   For mom/dad, to keep hands warm and easily accessible to pick up anything and everything thrown out of the carriage without dropping your own mittens in the process. We got in the new waxed cotton, and I love how they look with our Uppababy Vista with the leather detailing.

6. Tunnel

   For days that it’s too cold to even venture outside (aka yesterday when the high was 2 degrees..) Harry’s tunnel is a source of unlimited entertainment. He first met his beloved tunnel during one of our weekly classes, and he was obsessed so we added it to his Christmas list and my dear aunt gifted it to him. It folds up easily, SO small for storage and out of sight in a flash ;)

7. Sled

   I knew I wanted Harrison to have the same classic sled that me and my brothers grew up with, so we went with the LL Bean Kids Sled with Cushion Seat in Large, so that he can use for multiple winters. I left to order too late, and it arrived the day after our first snowstorm.. anyways it will be ready to go for the next one! Can’t wait to pull him around the neighborhood — our streets are so quiet and quaint on snow days, and it’s the perfect place to pull him along. Harry absolutely LOVES the snow (well, atleast watching from our bay windows so far..) so I can’t wait to see him out in it during the next snow fall.

8. Humidifier

   I know this is a must have on every baby list, but we really didn’t use much until the cold winter months, when we have the heat blasting. We love this one, because it has multiple humidity settings, a nightlight (which we don’t use.. sleep trained without), and has a high capacity. When Harry got bronchiolitis a couple weeks ago, we had this running on high and it cleared it out within a few days.

9. FridaBaby Nosefrida

   Pre-motherhood, this thing totally grossed me out, now it’s a godsend. It keeps their upper lip from getting chapped from wiping and if I make a little game out of it, Harry kind of enjoys it?

10. Long Sleeve Onesies + Pajamas

    If you’re new here, you will soon find out that Harry lives in onesies and lounge pants, it’s just his vibe.. he’s a causal guy. With the cold winter months, we layer up on long sleeve onesies, and cozy pajamas. We love Gap basics, and Hanna Andersson with the matching thick socks.

10 Baby Items We Can't Live Without The First 6 Months

Your baby registry is one of the hardest parts of pregnancy. Where do you even begin? Nick and I made the decision to not find out the sex of the baby, which many people thought was nuts because ‘how could we buy anything’ but it’s not like we were going to buy only pink or blue anyways so it was actually pretty simple. Turns out getting all first baby (we want 4 because we’re crazy people) gender neutral items really maximizes usage!

I asked a lot of recommendations from other new young moms on what they couldn’t live without for the first 6 months when I was putting together my registry, and lots we have used and LOTS we haven’t — so here is our list of 10 items we would absolutely go insane without for Harry’s first 6 months in this world.

Happy Baby Carrier

My absolute favorite carrier by far. So easy to use and put baby in, especially when home/out & about alone. Harrison takes full on hour+ naps in it and also loves to just hang out in it and watch everything. They’re made from an amazing light weight linen, made in the USA and come in such beautiful colors. I couldn’t recommend more!

Baby Bjorn Bouncer Bliss

We started putting Harrison in this around 4 weeks and he still loves to sit in it 6 months later. He now bounces like a crazy person the entire time but regardless.. it’s a great option for when you need to use two free hands/eat!

Bumbo Floor Seat

Another go-to option for playtime! Also super portable, easy to clean (no brainer) and has a great tray option which makes for an easy eating spot for weekends away. We love to put Harrison in his on the table while we eat (Is this allowed? Probably not..) or on the floor with his toys (scattered) around him.

Bibs

We go through approximately 5 bibs a day now that Harry is teething/cutting teeth — but even before that it was an easy way to get more than 1 hour out of onesies!

Onesies

Speaking of onesies. Buy them all. Do not waste money on more than a few “fancy” ones, since day in and day out you will change them multiple times out of multiple onesies. For everyday, I love Carters and have reordered so much I have lost count. For actual outfit options, I love Gap and Loved Baby.

Booties

As you can probably tell, I have a thing about dressing babies like babies and not like adults for atleast the first year. The only shoe/sock that I have found to LOVE and does not ever fall off (basically all that matters) is the Zutano bootie. Again, I have re-ordered too many times…

WubbaNub Pacifiers

God. Sends. They keep pacifiers from falling out, and as Harry has gotten older he strokes it to fall asleep. My heart.

Ollie Swaddle

A baby straight jacket that is SO easy to use. We never got the hang of learning how to swaddle (oops) and this saved the day and Harry loved being so secure. He broke out of this finally around 4 months when he started rolling over front/back and back/front!

Lamaze Toys

I truly tried to keep color out (bad mom…), but my mom bought Harrison the Lamaze peacock and moose a few weeks after birth and he was transfixed. We now have practically every item they make..

Greensprout Muslin Burp Cloths

So good, they made it into two blog posts!