All About Teethers

It is important when looking for a teether to make sure the teether will reach more than just the extreme front of their gum.  This being said, you want to make sure it is a teether that they will not choke on either.  The ideal teether will have these qualities:
1) Will not choke/gag child
2) Has different textures to it (smooth/bumpy)
3) Soft/room temperature ones

**Ones that go in the freezer are difficult for children to grasp/ put into their mouths very far.  Their little hands tend to get too cold from holding it as well.  I would recommend having at least 1 for when your toddler is learning to walk.  Toddlers trip, fall, and split lips.


Let's start off with ones I am not so fond of.  The ones I am about to list I do not like, because it appears to only reach their two front teeth, but are awkward to hold:

1) Dr. Brown's 'functional fruit'

I am extremely not crazy about this one.  It was useless for being 'cold' and doesn't reach baby's mouth too well.  Cold or warm, my verdict is worthless. 

2) Bright Starts Polar Gel Teether

This is one of the most common teethers that I see children have.  These teethers do not go very far at ALL into the child's mouth.  I have seen children try and it makes the sides of their mouths red raw!  Not raw as in bleeding, just very red and uncomfortable looking.  If you look closely at the picture, it IS a good example of the kind of texture you want to look for in a teether.

3) Odd/wide teethers like these:

Teethers like the two I pictured above are entirely to wide for baby to put in his/her mouth even a little bit.  These teethers will not really help your teething baby at all. 

THE TEETHER TO BUY:

This is genuinely the most fantastic teether I have ever seen in my life.  I have personally seen the yellow one, but not the green flower rattle.  I hear very good things about the rattle though.  The yellow teether not only has little bumps that will help baby feel texture on their gum, but it is soft and flexible.  Baby can easily grasp this teether and work on some important developmental skills and milestones.  Some of those include hand to mouth coordination, grasping, and hand to hand toy transfer.  

To buy this teether, follow the link:

Teethin-Smart-ez-grip-Teether

Honest Diapers (Disposable Diaper)

Being a nanny and caregiver I have seen disposable diapers of all kinds and these by far blow every diaper I have come across out of the water. This even includes the diapers that are marketed and specifically labelled "Nighttime" diapers.  These are extremely absorbent and reduces leaks and rashes.  These are recommended highly by myself; unfortunately they are very expensive.  I know that the payment you can do is by pack or you can pay for a year or months worth up front.

Pros
- Leaves baby with less rashes.
-Very absorbent
-Does not appear to become 'lumpy' or 'disintegrate' overnight.
-100% NATURAL
-Cute design choices

Con
-EXPENSIVE


To buy the diapers above, please follow the link below:

Honest Diapers

Diaper balm for CLOTH DIAPERS.

This stick for diaper rash lasts for a VERY long time.  Weeks and weeks.  It is all natural, petroleum free!  I LOVE this product.  It is easy to use, apply to baby, and does not take up very much room to store at all.  This buy is completely worth it.  Not only does it work on keeping diaper rash away in an amazing fashion, I do not have to dirty my hands to apply it.  You easily screw the lid off, turn the bottom of the stick, let the balm come up, and apply it to baby.  I leave the balm up past the top ledge at least a half inch when I apply and leave it that way to put the lid on.  You do not have to put it down ever time  before putting the lid on.  Think of it as an overgrown all natural chap stick for baby's bottom that wards away diaper rash.  If you buy this product, you will not be disappointed.  Also, even if you have disposable diapers, I would recommend this to you as well.  I can not think of a single "con."

#Diaperbalm #Diapercream #Allnatural

If you wish to buy this product for a diaper wearing child, please follow the link below:
Grovia Magic Stick

Cloth Diaper

I am very impressed with this cloth diaper.  I have been using the ones without the white stretchy strap across the top.  I am in love with these diapers.  They are super easy to clean.  Do not bother buying the white/offwhite/ivory ones.  The other colors will just run into and dye them slightly.  You can wash the inserts and outer shell of the diaper all together.  The difference is that you hang/air dry the outer shell and you can put the cloth wipes and inserts into the drier without a problem.  When washing the outer shell, you CAN leave the snaps snapped together once you size them to your child.  You do not have to unsnap all the snaps each and every time before you put them into the wash.  I recommend these diapers.  Also, I have linked the products that I am using with it.  Make sure you buy at least 1 insert for every diaper that you buy.  Rotate each diaper you use so that they all get equal wear.  You can not use certain butt rash creams like Desitin, because it will make the diapers less absorbent.  If anyone needs me to try and upload a video on how to stuff this diaper, please message me or leave a comment.  I would be more than happy to give you a closer look at the diaper. The cloth wipes are amazing and not harsh on baby's bottom.  They are best when used with the warmer I recommended in an earlier post.  If anyone has ANY questions what so ever, please reach out.  My next blog will have the proper things to use on their butt in case of a rash, the detergent that should be used, and what I use to mix up the wipes.  I call it my wipe potion!  Just remember, you don't want to use any product that will come in contact with the diapers that might make them become less absorbent.  

Pros:

--Healthier for baby   

--More natural

--Less of a cost 

--Helps the child feel when they are wet and could lead to the child wanting to use the toilet when age appropriate.

Con:

--More laundry (though as the person who does the twins' laundry, it is not that taxing.  I do a small load of diapers every day)

--They are bulkier than disposable diapers both in storage and for underneath the clothing (though I do not find it an issue.)

--The family I work for uses disposables overnight, so I don't know how they are overnights.  I have heard and read that some people put in 2 inserts for overnights or if their child is just pees heavily.

#buyclothdiapers

Follow these linsk to read more details about the diapers/buy them and other products directly necessary to owning these diapers:
Cloth Diapers

Diaper Inserts

Cloth Wipes

Cloth Diaper Pale Liner

Diapers: Cloth v.s. Disposable. Which to buy?

In my next post, I will be linking the products that I am using for cloth diapers and the cloth diapers themselves that are working very well!  I am currently using cloth diapers on the twin infants that I am the nanny for.  I love the cloth diapers and products that I am using and would not change it for the world.  I am also the person who does the laundry and it is truly not that cumbersome.   It just becomes part of the routine.   I recommend Cloth Diapers.  If you can think of any pros or cons that I did not list, feel free to add them to the list via comments.  Weigh in.  

Cloth Diapers

Pros:
--COST: You spend less money during the diaper changing period.  I feel that even the most expensive cloth diapers you choose will end up saving you in the long run over even the cheapest disposable ESPECIALLY if you have multiple babies at once.  
--It is a more natural way of changing your baby.
--Fewer diaper rashes.
--Possibility of assisting with earlier potty training.  The child will more easily feel that they are wet and want to move on to the toilet.

Cons:
--Cloth can be messier. (I recommend you find a cloth diaper that has a good removable liner.)
--Depending on the kind you get, they can be difficult to change.
--Certain cloth diapers are less absorbent than others and need to be changed more often.  
--More loads of laundry every week.  I have found that this depends on the quantity you get.  I recommend you get enough diapers for 2 to 3 days of diaper changes.  This way, you can rotate the diapers and they will not wear out.  
--I am not sure how they hold up overnight, but have read up on it and have not heard of too many problems with it.
--Poopy diapers can smell the house up, though there is a product I have personally used to lessen if not eliminate this fact.  

Disposable Diapers

Pros:
--Easily/quickly changed.
--I have personally seen them hold a lot on overnights. (Do not let this point deter you from cloth, as stated above, I am the nanny and the people I nanny for use a disposable JUST for overnights only).
-- No extra laundry.  

Cons:
--Fills up landfills.
--Diaper rashes seem to occur more often.
--Disposable diapers means disposable wipes.

Bumbo (A must have!)

   Bumbo is an amazing invention that every household should have if you or someone you know currently has a newborn or is expecting.  If you have multiples, this is a product to buy more than one of!  The developmental skills Bumbo builds are neck, head, and torso muscles.   Infants between the months of 4-6 who are doing well with holding their heads up and fit in the Bumbo are ready for it.  

Warning:

--The seat should only be used under heavy supervision; Bumbo is not made for you to leave your child in and walk away.

--You need to be careful once your child starts pushing off with their feet and arching their backs that the Bumbo does not tip over as a result.   I have personally seen child arch their backs severely enough and come straight out of the Bumbo. 

I HIGHLY recommend this product.  It is well made and secure. 

Pros:

--Helps muscle groups develop.

--Helps your child sit in upright position.

--Can read your child stories as they sit in it.  They can more easily see the pages this way.

--Can easily clean it with cloth, warm water, and soap.

-- Has a tray you can buy separately that you can put toys on.

Cons:

--Can not walk away from child while they are in it.

--If you buy one with straps, the straps tend to get in the way of things, especially if you decide to leave it unbuckled.  

I had trouble finding a link to ones that did not have the strap.  I recommend trying to find a gently used one on Ebay.  

If you do not care whether it has a strap or not, please follow the link to purchase one for an infant:

Blue Bumbo w/strap

Prince Lionheart 9002 Wipes Warmer Premium

I have been using the warmer that I have shown above.  The closest one I could find to this one is the title of the post.  To be honest, I think that wipe warmers are useless, unless you are using cloth wipes.  Cloth wipes are what I am using for twin girls and it is wonderful to put a warm cloth on their bum to wipe it.  It makes for a less cranky child during a change.  Again, I will reiterate, unless you are going the cloth wipe/diaper route, I think that this is a pointless product.   I would recommend only if you are going the cloth wipe route.

While using it with regular wipes I did not like it so much.  It tended to dry out the wipes.  Also, if you added a little bit of water directly inside to keep the moisture in the wipes, the bottom 1/4 inch of wipes would get a weird kind of soggy.

Pros:
--Good for cloth wipe usage.
--Seemed to help infants be less cranky.

Cons:
--Useless for regular wipes usage.
--Needs to be continuously plugged in.
--Can be on the bulkier side if you are pressed for room on or around your changing table area.

To buy this for an infant, click on the link below.
Prince Lionheart 9002 Wipes Warmer Premium