Tommee Tippee: Baby Products for Today's Families {Review}

So way back, over 5 years ago, when I first had a new baby, I was very uneducated in the ways of baby product brands. Going into Babies R Us was an overwhelming experience, with every brand boasting their product was best for your baby.  

Of course I wanted best for my baby!

Eventually, after painful research (and half-heartedly just giving up) I went with products that had strong reviews and, to be honest, looked good.

When my second came along, I was fortunate to be pregnant just a few months after my dear cousin-in-law, Jo. Jo lives in Scotland, and as we dissected mommy life, I was intrigued by the differences in our go-to products, brands and even television shows. One of the brands that I hear her tout was Tommee Tippee.

And I had no idea what she was talking about.

At the time, Tommee Tippee was not available in the United States. But a few months ago, at the November Mom Mixer, I had a chance to chat with some of the Tommee Tippee crew and was pleased to find that the Tommee Tippee products were now selling in the US!

Since it had been a while since I had a wee one, I was mesmerized by all the forward-thinking baby products:

This is the Perfect Prep Formula Machine . I love that it can make a fresh bottle for baby in less than 2 minutes. The machine does all the prep work: dispensing the correct amount of formula, mixing it with filtered water for the perfect dilution. I can't imagine how amazing this would have been when Bug started using formula!

I was finally able to bid a fond farewell to diapers a few months ago, when Bug was finally potty trained. But the smell of rancid baby diapers will forever be imprinted in my brain. I'll be honest: I never even had a diaper pail. For some reason I never thought to register for one. I WAS SERIOUSLY MISSING OUT, people. The Tommee Tippee 360 Sealer Diaper Disposal System seals each dirty diaper. You know what that means? NO SMELL. 

Hallelujah, amiright?

Then there are all the feeding products. OH HOW I LOVE THESE! 

Easy to use sippy cups, bottles with the easy-to-latch on nipple, spoons that will alert you to food that is too hot by changing color and yes, bibs that have a pocket to catch falling food.

::swoon::

As the mom of a…creative eater….::ahem:: I really like the Explora line of feeding products. 

They are BPA free and "truly spill proof."  If anyone has ever had to deal with milk that has unknowingly dribbled out of a leaky zippy cup, you know how important this is!

Also? 

I could marry the Explora Bib . First, it wipes clean (unlike cloth bibs). It rolls up for easy travel.  And, hello, it has a pocket to catch falling food. 

The person who created this should seriously get a Nobel Peace Prize.



And while I don't have itty babies anymore, I do have up-and-coming nieces and nephews. So bottles are still a pertinent subject to me. The Closer to Nature Bottles have a nipple that is really easy for babies to latch on to, clear markings on the side for measurement and a bottle shape that is easy for baby or parent to hold.  The shape of these bottles and nipples make for a much easier transition from bottle to sippy cup down the road (and believe me, new parents: time will fly!).

For those with gassy or reflux babies, Tommee Tippee offers a special Added Comfort line. These bottles have a unique tube and valve system that allows for the proper venting during a feeding. 

Less air in bottles = less air in tummies = happier babies!






Now the only question remaining:

How can I get Tommee Tippee to make me an Adult-Sized Explora Bib?

I'll have to work on that one….

If you are on the prowl for feeding product solutions or will be attending a baby shower in the near future, Tommee Tippee is available at Babies R Us and Target.

Connect with Tommee Tippee on Facebook and Twitter. 

Have you experienced Tommee Tippee? 

What is your favorite/most helpful Tommee Tippee product?

Disclosure: I was given samples of Tommee Tippee products at the Mom Mixer as well as provided products for review thereafter. I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own: they really rock the house!

Best Baby Shower Gifts

This year I find myself helping with the preparations for yet another baby shower!  Last year it was my middle sister Melissa who is now the proud momma of my adorable nephew.  Just a year later, and we are now celebrating my youngest sister, Jessica! She'll be the new mommy of a baby girl this June. So many babies!

When I was pregnant with chica, I knew NOTHING about babies. I had only a small handful of friends who had babies (and by "small handful" I mean "one"), so I registered for what I was told to register for.  I had no idea what was important and necessary, what was fluff and superfluous.

Last year I shared all of my best Baby Shower Tips and Ideas after Melissa's shower. I covered decorating, food, and shower games. Often when I am invited to a shower, I gift a "What You Didn't Know You Needed" Pail. Generally, it's a cheap diaper pail or basket that I fill with all the items first-time moms don't realize they need....until they REALLY need it: Tylenol, Motrin, gas drops, Destin, pacifiers, pacifier clips, burp cloths, baby wash, etc. It's the little things that you need on a regular basis, but often don't think to register for.

To give you an idea of some of the fun items to throw into the pail, I made a quick SunnyBump collection (if you haven't checked it out, SunnyBump is like Pinterest for parents. I LOVE IT):

Baby Shower: "You Didn't Know You Need It" Pail by stephmarieanderson

Browse on SunnyBump →


But let's face it: What moms really NEED is the "Big Stuff." It's why they register. This is the stuff that comes to play in a big way: strollers, car seats, monitors. Helping soon-to-be parents to collect these items (so they don't have to go to debt by purchasing it all themselves) is a super great way to celebrate the new baby.

What products are the "Must Have" on a baby registry? Here are a few of my top Baby Registry items:

Best Baby Shower Gifts by stephmarieanderson

Browse on SunnyBump →



What are your favorite gifts to give at showers? What are/were your must-have registry items for new moms?


Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. 

Baby Shower Tips and Ideas

Today we celebrated my middle sister's Baby Shower.  Lissa is due to have her first baby, a boy, in late August.  I finally get to be an Aunt! While I've had baby showers thrown for me, I've yet to actually throw one myself. Since my sister does a good job of going all out for other people's celebrations, I wanted to make sure she had a fantastic shower.  I did a good bit of research on Pinterest to gain ideas, and eventually started piecing the party together with my youngest sister, Jess, and my Mom. 


We love to throw parties, but we are not very good at the "theme" aspect. I have some great friends who really pull together a great thematic party. I am just not one of those people.  Still, I feel we celebrated Melissa well.  


Below I've put together some Baby Shower tips and ideas.  If you are attending a shower and need a gift idea, or you are throwing a shower and need a place to start on decorations, food or games, I've got you covered.

Decorations

There are TONS of theme ideas out there on Pinterest and other blogs, so if you can go with a theme, do it!  We kept it simple, opting for blue accents, since my sister is having a boy.  I found these cute ceiling pom-poms at a local party store.  

I've seen tutorials on how to make them, but was too intimidated (and time crunched). Now that I've worked with them, I think they'd be simple enough to DIY.


We also showcased the baby's name. If your mama-to-be has shared the name, make it a highlight of the party!

If you have a gift table or food table, glam it up by making it into a Lighted Display Table: Drape a white table cloth over the table (which should be near an electrical outlet).  Plug in 1-2 strands of christmas lights, and lay them on top of the table.  Place a sheer overlay fabric (just go to your local fabric store and buy a yard of pretty sheer fabric) over the lights. Viola!  Super cute and classy!  Below you can see what would become our Dessert table with a sheer blue overlay. This would also look fabulous during the holidays with a sheer red overlay!

Gifts

You cannot go wrong with buying a gift off of a Baby Registry. If they registered for it, then they obviously want (and need!) it.  After having 2 babies of my own, I found that you often don't know what you need until you need it. And can I say it's usually late at night when going to the store is inconvenient?? So I've started giving this resourceful gift to all mamas-to-be: The You Didn't Know You Needed It Pail

I buy a very inexpensive diaper pail (because, let's face it, you can always use an extra!).  I then fill the diaper pail with all of the essentials that become part of a mom's daily life: head-to-toe baby wash, medicines [infants tylenol and ibuprofen, gas drops, gripe water, etc], diaper rash cream, saline drops, nail clippers, pacifiers, a pacifier clip, a teething necklace, wipes, newborn toys, bibs, etc etc.

Games

Games keep the party moving, so having 2 or 3 to space out over the course of the party is key. We chose to do 3: one game that people could do as they walked in, one they could do mid-way through, and one guests could do during the gift opening. And who doesn't like to win a prize?! Once again, we kept it simple but fun.

This one may seem "cruel," but if the mama-to-be is good-natured, it can be fun. Have 1-2 skeins of yarn. Guests arrive and cut a piece of yarn they think is the correct measurement of the mama-to-be's waistline. Before gifts are opened, a correct yarn measurement is taken, and the person whose piece of yarn is the closest wins!

Some people thought this was gross, but I think it's awesome. I chose 6 different chocolate candy bars (Snickers, Milky Way, Kit-Kat, Hershey's, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and Almond Joy). I melted each in a bowl, one by one. So once I melted the first chocolate bar, I spooned it into Diaper #1 (which I labeled). I melted the next chocolate bar and spooned it into Diaper #2, and so on.  Guests had to write down their guesses as to what kind of candy bar each diaper held.  They could sniff, taste, etc. The participant with the most correct wins!

This is a classic shower game, both at bridal showers and baby showers.  Guests are given a blank Bingo Board, and asked to fill out the boxes with items they think the mama-to-be (or bride-to-be) will receive.  If she receives a gift they've guessed, they mark off the box. The first guest to get BINGO (or, rather, five boxes in a row) wins!  If you need a Bingo Board : click on the image above, download it and print it for your next Shower!

Food

What is a party without FOOD?  One thing my family knows how to do is feed people!  We had a great spread of hot roast beef for sandwiches, various side dishes and scrumptious appetizers. One of my contributions was my tasty Pecan Chicken Salad.  I re-created this salad after repeatedly enjoying a similar salad from a local cafe. At the cafe, it is served on a bed of lettuce accompanied with a fruit salad and a side of Poppy Seed Dressing.  I often make it and spoon it on a roll, top it with a pickle, lettuce and tomato for  a tasty lunch.  This recipe is truly a crowd pleaser!  The chicken salad looks more like pate, so you may want to label it in case people confuse it for tuna.  If you are making tea sandwiches ahead of time, drizzle with Poppy Seed Dressing and top with lettuce and tomato. Click on the recipe card below to download and print out a copy!

~~~~~

I'd love to hear your Baby Shower tips and ideas as well!  So please leave a comment below with your best gift, recipe, decoration and game ideas.