Organic Baby Food

I made Dean's baby food using the baby bullet about a week ago, but I haven't had the time to make a fresh batch since. I need to find a way to get the consistency right because I feel like it comes out too thick. I'm thinking of taking an afternoon or weekend day to experiment with fruit/veggie combinations until I get it right. In the meantime, I have been buying him different baby food products to try. I have found some really good brands of organic baby food that don't have preservatives, parabens, artificial colors, pesticides...etc that he seems to really like. I'm very surprised (and excited) about the growing number of these products becoming available in stores.

Since Dean just started solids last month I have bought a few different brands. His pediatrician suggested he stick to one kind of fruit/veggie for a few days to make sure he doesn't have any kind of reaction/allergy and so I have given him a different brand each week. I am looking around to see if there is one he likes better than the rest. The products he's tried so far include Earth's Best, Baby Gourmet, Happy Baby and Ella's Kitchen and Plum Organics.

He seems to be a fan of them all but seems to finish the sweet potatoes from Earth's Best and the mango puree from Happy Baby the most. Aside from being organic and tasting yummy, what I love about most of these is the cap that you can twist off. You can attach a food dispensing spoon (they sell these wherever these pouches are sold) that you can twist on and off for feeding time. Also, if Dean doesn't finish his food in one sitting, I can always put the rest in the fridge and save it for later. I love that these products are natural, have no added sugars and taste great (I know this because, yes, I have tried them). The packaging is BPA free and very convenient for traveling; I can just throw it in his diaper bag and go- love that!

Food Dispensing Spoon from Boon.

And, last but definitely not least, Earth's Best. Their food is USDA Organic and also taste great. I feel like these are more readily available in grocery stores in comparison to the others. I found them at Fresh & Easy when I made a quick run for groceries about a month ago. I love that I know exactly what ingredients are put into all of these products and know that he is getting exactly what is listed on that front label.

February Bluum Box: Sweethearts

I'm glad I am finally getting the chance to blog about Bluum box! I received this month's box 3 days ago- themed Sweethearts for February (every month is a different theme).

As I mentioned before, Bluum is a box delivered to your door monthly that has 4-5 full-sized samples of baby products (and products for mom) to try. I'm surprised to find that the boxes have included samples of many goodies on my list to try out for baby. My favorite items so far include CJ's Butter (smells AMAZING), Baby Gourmet baby food, StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Mark and Wrinkles and Dapple Dish Liquid.

This month's box included the following:

1. Camilia Teething Relief

2. Nurturme Crisp Apples

3. Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

4. Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy

5. Good Baby Barrier and Diaper Cream

6. Choice Organic Tea (Wild Forest Black flavored)

Although Dean has long started teething (he has two of his bottom teeth already) this may come in handy when the rest start to emerge. According to Camilia's website, this product is safe and natural and doesn't contain benzocaine, sugar or preservatives. I was kind of hesitant to try Orajel because of the safety recall due to potential health problems.

I first heard about Nurturme from an email blast a few months ago, I was curious to try it out but had completely forgotten about it because Dean was still strictly breastfeeding at the time. I will give updates on this product soon.

Seventh Generation is such a great brand- they don't whiten their products with chlorine and don't contain alcohol or dyes/fragrances/synthetics. I included this on my baby registry months ago so needless to say I am a fan of this brand.

Mederma is well-known for their stretch mark cream and although I was fortunate not to have gotten stretch marks, I do have a small mark right above my belly button. I will be testing out this product to see if I see any significant changes.

Good Baby Barrier is another diaper cream... I have to admit I have tried quite a few and there are a couple I am very fond of. One of my favorites is Boudreaux's Butt Paste because it goes on easy and treats irritated skin. My other favorite includes California Baby... but I might have to post an entire other entry on all California Baby products (I LOVE everything).

I tried the Choice Organic Tea, and it was great. All teas are gluten free and are USDA Organic.

Yay Bluum.

Baby Sleep Positions

Seriously though, how does one tiny person take up so much room? LOL

 

Source:  http://www.howtobeadad.com/

For Mom: Zoya Nail Polish

2 weeks ago, Refinery 29 posted a link to free nail polishes from Zoya (all I paid was shipping) and I finally got my box in the mail today. I received two full-sized bottles of colors I chose from their website (it was very hard to choose from the long list of colors they have). I finally decided on a gold shimmery color called Goldie and a beige color called Clover.


Aside from the fact that they were free I also liked that the polishes are vegan friendly and formaldehyde/toluene free (as well as DBP and camphor free). The package included a pamphlet with all the colors they carry (300+ you guys! talk about choices) and a few color plates with samples of other colors. They are like little trays with acrylics that have nail polish colors on them that you can hold against your own nail and test out colors before you buy them. I guess you can request these on their website before buying (you can buy individual colors called 'spoons').


I think I'm kind of hooked- they have really great colors and you can even look at some before commiting to buying a whole bottle.

The Honest Company sample trial is here!

I signed up for my free trial box from The Honest Company on Wednesday...and received it at super lightning speed (the next day) talk about customer service! There were 5 trial size samples in the box, including laundry detergent, hand soap, face and body wash (that smells HEAVENLY!), hand and face lotion and a healing balm. I tried the hand and face lotion when I gave Dean a massage yesterday and so far I really like it. I've tried a couple of all-natural lotions and some left a weird olive oil scent (even though they were unscented) but this one didn't. It also didn't have a greasy feel to it so that was a definite plus.

I'm going to order the full-sized samples of the laundry detergent and hand and body wash and will try out the dish soap and hand sunscreen. Yay for all-natural baby products :)

Huggamind Quilt Mat

A few weeks ago I entered a giveaway on Bluum's blog and won a cute quilt mat for my little guy from Huggamind.

I was using their iPhone app before I won the quilt (I was able to try it out for free, courtesy of our monthly Bluum box) and decided to enter because
my little one enjoyed looking at the shapes on my phone. The mat can be hung on the wall (next to his crib) or used as a play mat.

So, here are a few pictures of Dean enjoying his quilt. I love the contrasting colors and shapes. Dean seems to like them a lot too :)

The Honest Company

I love testing new baby products, especially if they are eco-friendly and free of harsh chemicals. I just heard about Jessica Alba's new company called The Honest Co. and I decided to check out what it offered. There are two options you can choose from: The Diapers Bundle or Family Essentials Bundle. Each month you get a one-month's supply of products and you can customize your bundle each month (how cool is that?) Price varies depending on the bundle and they are delivered to your door every month. I'm a huge fan of Bluum box and love receiving new baby products in the mail for my little one.

Diapers Bundle

Family Essentials Bundle

I already signed up for my free trial (I just paid $4.95 for shipping) and can't wait to try out these products. I will post up reviews as soon as I get it!

Links Worth Sharing

25 Rules for Mothers of Sons

5 Tips for Organizing Kids Artwork

Bluum Box Offer!

There is an awesome offer going on today at Plum District!I subscribed to Bluum box to try new products for my little one and have loved everything that I've gotten so far.Every month you get a box filled with deluxe sample sized products for baby delivered to you. I had a 3-month subscription and am ready to sign up for a whole year. Don't miss this great deal : )

$18 for a 3-Month Membership to Bluum.com - Sending You the Best Mom & Baby Products Monthly - a $36 Value

Baby Food for Beginners (aka, ME)

So I've procrastinated a bit in making Dean's baby food as I promised myself I would do. The hubby bought a baby bullet so I can make baby food at home and as much as I want to start I can't get myself to do it. I hate how my brain works sometimes... I have to feel inspired before I can immerse myself in something. I know, you're thinking "really? baby food? just put it in a blender and mash it". Well, no, not exactly. I want to be able to feed dean something that is not only healthy but yummy at the same time. I came across http://weelicious.com/ and found exactly what I needed! I'm now excited to go shopping for groceries to make my little guy food worth making! Some recipes on weelicious include:

Raspberry Banana Puree

I mean, how delicious does THIS look?

Mango Banana Puree

yes please!

Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree

he needs veggies too

So now I think I'm inspired to start doing my mommy duties just like I intended and make my baby some food :) And who knows, I'll maybe even come up with my own concoctions and share on this blog too?