June 29, 2021

BABY REGISTRY ITEMS I WOULD CHANGE/SKIP/ADD

Planning to share the top baby items that we've used in Tanner's first 3 months of life but also wanted to share the products on my registry that I would have skipped, swapped for something else, waited on or added. Hopefully all you mamas to be find this post helpful!

3 Items I Would Have Skipped:

Baby Brezza Formula Pro - Tanner ended up being strictly formula fed after he was born so I thought the Brezza Formula Pro was going to be amazing until I realized the kid had a picky palate. He loves & chugs the ready to feed formula, but would not drink the powder version so the Formula Pro ended up not being used by us. Instead, we ended up purchasing a bottle warmer to prepare the RTF formula in record timing (more on that below)

American Red Cross Healthcare Kit - I also registered for a bunch of Frida Baby items and have used those so much more than I use the regular healthcare kit items. I would recommend the Frida Baby items, as I think they are a little more advanced than the ARC kit.

Baby Shoes - Babies do not need real shoes until they are able to walk, so those cute little sneakers & moccasins that I registered for are currently sitting in his closet waiting for the day when he needs them. Also, most of the time early on, we have just put footies on Tanner so there isn't even a need for socks or shoes. 

2 Items I Would Swap for Others:

Motorola Baby Monitor - I originally loved this monitor (& still do in theory) because it came with a video monitor but also allowed you to watch baby via an app on your phone. I was thrilled with the idea that I would have options to watch baby however when we tried to set up the monitor over the crib, we were unable to find a placement for it that allowed us to see the entire crib. We ended up getting the Nanit Pro monitor which is designed to mount over the crib and has a wide angle lens 

Hatch Sound Machine - This product is great in theory but it doesn't have an actual white noise sound!! It has everything else you can imagine but no standard white noise. Right now we use it as a nightlight during night feedings. To help Tanner sleep, we've been using the Hushh portable sound machine. It works great to lull him to sleep & it's helpful that we will be able to travel anywhere with it.

4 Items I Would Wait On:

Bottles/Pacifiers - Bottles & pacifiers come down to baby's personal preference so while you definitely want to have a few on hand when your kid is born, I wish I didn't register for full sets from brands. He has taken to liking the Soothie Pacifiers and Dr. Brown's Bottles. Once we figured that out, we stocked up on those brands and ended up putting the other brands away. 

Swaddles - Another item that's all about baby's preference. We started out using Halo Swaddles but once Tanner discovered his hands, he has liked sucking on them to soothe himself. Because of that, we recently switched over to Love to Dream swaddles. Both have worked great for us, but similar to the bottles, I would have waited to register for multiples of any type of swaddles until we saw what baby preferred. 

Blankets - Once baby boy was born we received sooo many blankets. They are so sweet too - personalized or hand made and much cuter than anything I registered for. This was definitely not an item that I should have put on my registry. We are drowning in blankets! LOL

Outfits - Clothing is a silly thing to register for because similar to blankets, once your baby arrives, you will get so many cute outfits!! Looking back, I would have either skipped clothing or registered for some outfits in larger sizes. We received a lot of newborn & 0-3 month clothes but now that Tanner is growing, we notice his closet has thinned out! We need to stock up on 3-6 month outfits & beyond for him!

3 Items I Would Have Added:

Halo Bassinet - I thought a bassinet was a silly product to add to my registry since I figured baby wouldn't be sleeping in it for too long and while he was, he could just sleep in the bassinet portion of the pack n play in our room. Well, he didn't end up liking the pack n play during the early days. We ended up borrowing the Halo bassinet from friends and buying the newborn insert for it. Tanner immediately started sleeping a bit better thanks to the comfort of the insert that he could nuzzle up against. I also liked that the Halo bassinet's height could be adjusted. 

Baby Brezza Bottle Warmer - A bottle warmer was never on my list because I thought, we can just heat the bottles in a cup of water but once we were feeding Tanner a bottle every 3 hours, and feeding him in the middle of the night we quickly learned that time is precious. Heating a bottle in a cup of water was taking us 6-7 minutes each time. I purchased this bottle warmer in the middle of the night and we have used it for every single bottle since then & it only takes about 3 minutes.

Owlet Sleep Sock - I had this sock on my registry, then I removed, then I added it again, then I removed it. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use it or if it would end up creating more anxiety for us as new parents. My mom ended up gifting it to us and we have used it and loved it every night since Tanner came home. Jody loves to ask me 'how's his heart rate?' while we watch him sleep at night. I definitely see where this product could create additional anxiety, but for us, it's given us a lot of peace of mind. 

June 23, 2021

5 WAYS TO STYLE A BLAZER

Today I'm sharing 5 ways to style a blazer. I love throwing a blazer over a casual outfit to dress it up a bit. They always give my outfits more structure than a cardigan or light weight jacket. How do you style your blazers?

XO

Michelle Paige

 

Neutral Outfit with fun accessories

Dressed up for a night out

A bold color over a dress

A printed blazer with jeans

Bold color over jeans & a tee

June 17, 2021

3 HAIR TOOLS I LOVE

I have 3 ways that I style my hair on my own: beach waves, pin straight, blown out. With each of these styles comes it's own tool to perfect the look: Hot Tools Wand, GHD Straightener, Revlon One Step Hair Dryer.  Below I'm sharing a quick review on each of the 3 tools and how I achieve my looks:

Hot Tools Wand: Curled, beachy waves was my go-to hair style for years before the pandemic hit and we started staying home. I loved the staying power of the curls that this wand gave me and that it added volume to my fine hair, also you can't beat the price! This curling wand is under $50. When my hair was shorter, I used a tapered wand but as it grew out, I used a regular 1" curling wand. For this technique, I would blow dry my hair first with a regular blow dryer, then section off pieces of my hair and wrap them around the wand, leaving about 1/2 inch out at the end. 

GHD Straightener: For a sleek, pin straight look, I grab my GHD straightener. Similar to the curled look, I blow dry first and then flatten and smooth using this straightener. It heats up quickly and gets the job done in a matter of minutes. 

Revlon One Step Hair Dryer: This is the most recent of the 3 tools that I have purchased and has become my favorite for styling my hair. After my shower, I towel dry my hair and don't even need to brush it through or use the regular blow dryer. I brush through my hair, drying & styling as I go (in one step, hence the name). This hair dryer leaves me with a bouncier but still very smooth blowout and only takes me about 10 minutes from start to finish! 

Have you tried any of these hair tools?

XO

Michelle Paige

June 09, 2021

HOSPITAL BAG: WHAT I PACKED VS. WHAT WE USED + WHAT I WISH WE HAD

TJD came into the world 3 weeks early and while luckily, I am a planner and had started packing our hospital bags, the morning I went into labor was a mad rush to pack and get out of the house and to the hospital. Below I'm sharing a list of what we packed and then outlining whether we used it or not. I also felt there were a few things that we didn't bring that I wish we had packed. Hopefully this helps any future mamas while packing their bags for labor & delivery!

What I Packed for Mom/Dad:

Reusable Water Bottle & Portable Fan (must have) - I used both of these during labor and it was so nice to have both. Between contractions, Jody either fanned me or gave me water. The hospital has cups but I loved having my reusable bottle with the straw to sip from.

Pajamas/Loungewear Outfit(s) (must have) - After giving birth, I lived in pajamas or loungewear during our hospital stay. It's what was most comfortable for me. 

Socks/Slippers (must have) - Hospital floors are cold and can be slippery, especially when holding a new baby so slippers and socks with grips on the bottom were essential in making me feel sturdy those first few days.

PostPartum & Nursing Supplies (did not use) - I packed postpartum underwear & a peri bottle for myself + nursing pads, nipple cream, maxi pads, etc and could have left it all home. The hospital provided me with mesh undies, a peri bottle & ice packs as well as all the nursing supplies you could need, including a breast pump.

Robe (did not use) - I didn't wear my robe at all & preferred to be in pajamas or loungewear.

Pillow (must have) - Of course, the hospital supplies you pillows but I wanted my own for comfort. I also bring mine whenever I have to sleep away from home and I swear it helps me sleep better & feel more comfortable. 

Extension Cord/Charger (must have) - Of course, you will bring your charger but don't forget an extension cord as well. The outlets were limited & not in the most convenient locations in the hospital rooms so having an extension cord was key. You can also pack a portable charger.

Toiletries (must have + some optional extras) - toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, face wipes, moisturizer, chapstick, hair ties. You can also bring shampoo, conditioner, body wash & makeup if you think you will shower or want to look more awake.

Snacks (must have)  - We slacked in the snack dept but I highly recommend making a grocery store trip for some of your favorite snacks and bringing a bag full of them. The hospital food was less than stellar IMO and they only served us one meal, so there was never a meal for Jody to eat during our stay. Plan ahead (like we did not) & stock up on snacks/mini meals to keep you satisfied during your stay. 

iPad  (optional) - We enjoyed having the iPad with us during our stay. Our recovery room had a basic TV but we brought the iPad to watch shows & FaceTime family members, since we weren't allowed to have guests visit at the hospital.

Extra Plastic Bags  (must have) - Last minute, I threw some plastic bags into a pouch of my suitcase and I'm so glad I did. I ended up using one for laundry from our hospital stay and one for stealing as many baby/postpartum supplies as I could get my hands on! ;)

What I Packed for Baby: 

Going home baby outfits in different sizes (must have) - TJ ended up being born 'late pre-term' so at 6 lbs, he was too small for the newborn outfits I had brought for him. I was glad that I had also packed 0-3 month & preemie outfit options for him. He ended up wearing a preemie gown while we were in the hospital. 

Car Seat (must have) - You MUST have a car seat for baby in order to be released from the hospital to bring him home. Luckily we had installed our car seat base early so we were ready to go when it was time to go to the hospital. 

Nursing Pillow (optional) - We brought our Boppy nursing pillow and while it's not a must have, it made feeding & holding the baby so much easier, especially for first time parents who are super cautious :) It's nice to have that extra support pillow for comfort.

Sound Machine (did not use) - We use a sound machine every day for sleep/naps but we didn't use it while in the hospital. We never got a long stretch of sleep due to the nurses coming in to check on me or the baby every couple of hours. 

Swaddles/Onesies/Hats/Burp Cloths (did not use) - The hospital provided us with swaddle blankets, burp cloths, a long sleeve shirt & hats to dress baby in, although he spent most of his time in just a diaper & swaddle blanket. We didn't need any of these items until we got home. 

Baby Book (optional) - We brought our baby book and while baby was being weighed & checked out right after birth, the nurse did his footprints for us! If you don't have your baby book, you can ask them to ink his prints on a piece of paper so you have them as a memory <3

Pacifiers (must have, if you plan to use them) - The hospital actually didn't provide us with pacifiers and we had decided we did want to give one to our baby. I brought a few different nipple shapes & baby took to the Philips Advent Soothie right away. To this day, it's the only pacifier he will use. 

What I Wish We Brought:

Extra Outfits for all: The Doctors had told us we would be in and out of the hospital in 24 hours but because Tanner was born early they kept him a few extra days. I had only packed for that first 24 hours so I wish I had brought a few extra outfits for all of us. 

Sheets/Cozy Blanket - The hospital provides you with sheets & blankets but they aren't the softest or most cozy. There also was often only one set of sheets in our room so Jody had to sleep without one. I wish I had brought my own blanket for the cozy factor and a cheap set of sheets so Jody's set up would have felt more comfortable. 

Towels - Similar to the hospital sheets/blankets, the towels aren't the softest. I wish I had brought my own for washing up/showering.

Baby Nail File - Tanner was born with such sharp nails! We trimmed them once we took him home but I wish I had thrown his nail filer into my bag so we could have smoothed them down right away.