Money Saving Tip: Buying Baby Gear

Some of the best advice when it came time to purchasing baby gear, and how to save money on it in the long run, came from my mother.  When buying all the big items, swing, bouncer, highchair, travel system etcetera, go gender neutral.  The second I found out that I was going to be having a baby girl, I went girly nuts!  I registered for every pink, purple, or flower and butterfly covered item out there.

Now, I'm really glad that I listened to my mother's advice and opted for the pale yellow bouncer as opposed to the super-cute pink one that I did want.  I know that this is going to save me some mega-bucks in the future when I won't have to go out and purchase a new swing, because I will already have one.

Products I Recommend: Summer Infant Mother's Touch Deluxe Baby Bather

Bathing a newborn can be somewhat nerve wracking.  They're so tiny, and cover them with water and soap, and it could be one slippery mess.  With the Summer Infant Mother's Touch Deluxe Baby Bather, bath time is a little bit easier.


This great little bather is a mesh sling that has an adjustable back, enabling longer use of this product.  I used this with my sweet pea up until she was able to sit on her own; about 5 months.  The fabric is also removable, and machine washable.  I love how you can give your new bundle of joy a wipe-down without having to fully submerge them in the water.  With my experience in using this bather, baby is all comfy, so they will be less likely to wiggle around making it easier to soap up and rinse off.

This bather can be placed right in the tub or used in a kitchen sink, provided that its big enough.  Mine was not. Darn, I was hoping to eliminate that whole bending over part of bath-time.

My one and only complaint about this bather, since I am shorter, putting the bather in tub was more hassle than it was worth, so I placed the bather on the bathroom floor, had a little basin full of water, and a wash cloth.  There is nothing to catch the water when it goes through the mesh, so if this is what you plan to do, lay out a towel first.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Summer Infant Mother's Touch Deluxe Baby Bather, it makes bath-time with a new baby a breeze!

Baby Ruby

I received an email today from a dear friend of mine telling me about a sweet little three-month-old baby girl who has been diagnosed with liver failure, and is in need of a transplant.  My heart aches for baby Ruby and her family.  A fundraiser is being held for the Taylors to help with the burdening and ever-growing medical expenses.  Please visit Ruby's blog for more details on how to help.  Of course a very powerful form of help is through prayer, so be sure to keep this baby girl in your thoughts and prayers.

Homemade Baby Food Favorites: Butternut Squash

One of the first foods that I made for my baby was butternut squash, followed by acorn squash.  Oh boy did she love it--still does!  Click here is some great information on making butternut squash puree for your baby.  A great way to make cutting butternut squash easier is to microwave the squash for 1 minute.  I like to cut the top off of the round bottom, then half each piece, so that when you are done cutting, you should have four pieces.

A delicious way to prepare butternut squash (acorn squash too) is pair it with apples.  Mmm... my baby just loves that!  Make sure that you have introduced both butternut squash (or acorn squash) and apples.

When baby is 8 months+ try adding some cinnamon or nutmeg.  Delicious!

**After you have scooped out the seeds from the squash, don't throw them away, make a yummy snack for yourself!  Lets face it, mommy deserves good food too.  While the squash is baking, rinse the seeds under cool water, and remove the pulp.  Drain the seeds.  Put into a small bowl, and mix with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and bake seeds in 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes.  Remove seeds from the cookie sheet immediately.  Let cool for about 5 minutes before eating. Enjoy!**

Homemade Baby Food Favorites

I am going to share with you some of my (and my baby's) favorite baby food recipes.  When it comes to making my own baby food, I have sampled everything myself, so I know its yummy!

I will kick off my recipes category with one of my favorites: Apple-Blueberry-Cherry Puree.

I first introduced this puree to my baby when she was 8-months-old.  I had previously introduced apple sauce to my baby at about 6 months, but cherries and blueberries need to wait.  As I stated in my baby food post, I introduced each ingredient alone (or paired with something such as pares or apples that I know don't cause any sort of an allergic reaction) before combining them all together.


Apple-Blueberry-Cherry Puree

Introduce: 8+ months

Ingredients:

• 2 peeled, cored, chopped (chunks) apples (use sweet apples such as gala, red delicious, golden delicious, braeburn)
• handful of dark sweet cherries (I used frozen)
• handful of blueberries (I used frozen)

Steps:

1. In a skillet, simmer the apple chunks, cherries, and blueberries in a small amount of water (I use bottled) over low heat until apples are tender.  About 15 minutes.  Flip apple pieces over half-way through.
2. When the apples are tender, put all of the fruit into the blender.
3. Puree.
4. Add water if thinning is needed.
5. Mmmm!

This is so yummy, I was going to freeze the left-overs, but I just couldn't do it.  I ate the remainder of the puree, it was that good!

Eatin' time!

As a girl who likes loves to cook, is it any surprise that I make baby's food?  That's right, there's not much in the way of jars found in this house.  I make everything fresh for my baby.  There are so many advantages to making my own baby food.  First and fore-most it saves so much money.  With homemade food, I control exactly what and how much of it goes into my baby's food.  Making baby's food can be fulfilling, creative, and fun!  Wholesome Baby Food has been the most helpful site in guiding me in what I should feed my baby.  Another good site is Weelicious.  Of course get the ok from your baby's doctor first.

I love knowing that I know exactly what goes into my baby's food.  When my baby was first introduced to solids, the only ingredients I wanted into her foods were the fruit or veggie and water.  Now at 8 months, I have started to integrate some added spices (never salt or sugar, but spices like nutmeg).  Right from the beginning, I have used just enough water as is needed to make a puree.  Using just what is needed in addition to using fresh fruits and veggies, makes homemade baby food so much yummier!  It is so good in fact, that I have sampled everything that I have made.  If I won't eat it, I certainly don't want to make my baby eat it.

Making baby food can be creative and fun!  I first introduced each fruit or veggie separately, then once I determined that no reaction was caused by any of the foods, I started to mix them together to provide baby with a much wider variety then what is offered by jarred.  Some of my baby's favorites are butternut squash and apples, peas and greenbeans, and pears and avocado.

Homemade baby food doesn't require any special tools.  I use a vegetable steamer to steam most of my fruits and veggies.  Sometimes I will bake items such as squash or sweet potatoes.  After the food is cooked, I put it in my blender with a small amount of water (I use filtered) and blend it up to my desired consistency.  There are even some foods (bananas and avocado) that require nothing more than a bowl and a fork to mash.

I store my prepared baby food in vital baby freezer pots.  Once the food is frozen, I simply pop the little cubes out of the containers and store them in a labeled and dated freezer bag.

Looking for the old SAHM Life?

I have relocated my posts about giveaways to Piddly Poof! , my new blog for all fun giveaways for mommies, babies, and kids.

I will still be writing in The SAHM Life though.  I plan to continue to write in this blog about my adventures and discoveries about being a stay at home mom.