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Mama Must-Haves

Mama Must-Haves

8 Father’s Day Gift Ideas

May 29, 2018

I feel like buying anything for my husband or dad is always a challenge because what do you get the man who already has everything??? When I ask either of them for ideas the usual reply is “I don’t need anything.” Obviously they are still getting something so I tried to get creative this year and put together a list of father’s day gift ideas that both dad & grandpa would appreciate. My hubby isn’t allowed to look at this list because some of his gifts are on here. 🙂

1. Pottery 

Something handmade from the kids is obviously a great go-to for gift for relatives. This year the girl’s helped decorate this plate for their dad since he loves to grill out. We went to a local paint and pottery place and although momma did most of the work the girls still had fun lending a hand print to make these. 

2. Beer Cake/Tower

I feel like you can never go wrong with getting any guy beer, right??? My husband loves his craft brew so I had this made last year for his birthday although I think it would also make a great  father’s day gift! He probably wouldn’t even mind getting this gift more than once! HEB put this one together for me. Pricing depends on the type of beer you select and on the quantity, they can do as much or as little as you want.

3. Golf Tee Holders

Tell dad or grandpa that they are tee-rific with some golf tees holders. My dad is an avid golfer so this is something we will probably get for him. I found two different kinds of these on Amazon, both at very good price points!

ProActive Sports Golf Tee Holder with Ball Markers and 12 Tee

On Par Golf Leather Organizer in Presentation Gift Box – Divot Repair Tool, Ball Marker, Scorecard, golf tees

picture courtesy of Amazon

4. Trump Mug

I know, I know… I just couldn’t resist! LOL This is a great, great mug, really terrific, everyone agrees. 🙂

There are several different types of these on Amazon, I found this one for only $11!

5. Breakfast in bed

Ummm who wouldn’t want breakfast in bed???  My hubby loves banana pancakes so that’s what he’ll be getting, with fresh coffee in the Trump mug of course. 🙂

6. Brief Case/Weekender Bag

I splurged on one of these from Pottery Barn for a Christmas gift one year and I’m so glad I did because it gets used ALL the time! This style of bag is so versatile it can easily be used as a weekender bag, briefcase, a carry on bag for the plane, nice gym bag, etc… I found a few very reasonably priced bags like this on Amazon – links below.

7. Docking Station

I love this multi-purpose wooden docking station, this one is only $28! It can easily hold everything in dad’s pockets and will help keep him more organized! This is another style of docking station on Amazon for only $28. 

 picture courtesy of Amazon

8. Engraved Beer Mug With Kid’s Birthdays

How cute is this etched glass beer mug??? I’ll definitely be ordering one of these for my hubby next year after our third LO is born! I found this mug on Etsy from a shop called Black Rock Engraving for only $13.68 plus shipping!

picture courtesy Black Rock Engraving

Want to add to this list??? Please comment below! 

Mama Must-Haves

Baby Products for Newborn Twins

May 15, 2018

I don’t remember much from the dark days of twinsanity but what I do remember is that my husband and I were more than happy to accept any and all help from family and friends. There were also certain baby products for newborn twins that we could not have survived without!  I polled several twin mom friends to help me compile this list and these are what we feel are the top 10 best baby products for newborn twins:

1. The Boppy

Boppy pillows were the number one answer from twin moms across the board! These lounging chairs for newborns are so versatile they can be used for many different things; tummy time, feedings, and just for chillin’ out in the living room.

  

Our girls LOVED lounging in these while holding their toys and the propped-up position gives them a pleasant view of what’s going on around them. When they were super small they could even fit in the same one, although be sure to keep a close eye on them while doing this. It’s also easy to simultaneously feed twins their bottles while they’re propped up in Boppy loungers which is an amazing time-saver for mom!!! A single Boppy Newborn Lounger runs around $30 at most retailers.

 

Another great style is the Twin Z Pillow (pictured above). This allows your twins to be nestled side by side and helps support tummy time. They will also really enjoy interacting with each other while being positioned so close. 

2. Bottle Dryers

You will be bottle poppin’ all night with new born twins and sadly I’m not talking about the fun bubbly! We went through SO many baby bottles in such a short amount of time. It’s definitely a challenge to stay stocked up with clean bottles ready for the next feeding when you’re constantly providing for two hungry newborns.

I purchased two different types of bottle dryers and we used them both for the entire first year of twinsanity. My girls are now 2 ½ years old and I still use the Munchkin Sprout Rack for their sippy cups (pictured above). It definitely serves it’s purpose, frees up counter space and it’s very easy to clean! Bottle dryers come in a wide range of styles and prices. The Boon Grass Counterop Drying Rack costs – $13, Munchkin Sprout Drying Rack – $19 on Amazon.

3. Baby Brezza Bottle Maker

Several people told me about this miraculous baby Keurig of sorts – I have never personally used this, but can definitely understand the appeal.

 Picture courtesy: Target

The Baby Brezza not only measures and mixes the formula for you it also heats the formula to the proper temperature and pours it straight into the bottle. That’s a lot less steps for Momma to take! This Baby Brezza Formula Pro is from Target, and runs right at $180.

 4. Click-and-Go Car Seat/Stroller Combination

No one wants to wake a sleeping baby, EVER and click-and-go car seats/strollers are perfect for swiftly transporting the sleeping newborn while causing as little disturbance as possible. 

 

We used infant car seats and boosters by Graco and a City Select stroller. There are several different combinations of click-and-go’s just like this (Buy Buy Baby was extremely helpful with explaining the different options and helping me find the best one for our needs).  We bought car seats similar to these with a single stroller frame and an additional seat to make it a double stroller. I included both links below. 

Side note, just in case you didn’t know –those Bed Bath & Beyond 20% off mailer coupons can also be used at Buy Buy Baby on select items!

5. Multiple Swings

We cycled through about 6 different swings including a $275 MamaRoo and surprisingly the lower cost swings were my girl’s favorites! In my opinion you really don’t need all the fancy bells and whistles that come with some of the more expensive swings, just get one that has a few different setting options for speed and motion. Also, a swing that plays soothing music and has a mobile or something for them to look at is all mine needed!

 

The following two swings have high customer ratings at Target and include mobiles, several different swing movement options and soft music – Graco DuetConnect LX With MultiDirection Baby Swing runs around $120 and Fisher Price Starlight Revolve Swing with Smart Connect costs close to $152.

6. Sound machine

A sound machine is a must!!! We used one similar to the MyBaby White Noise Machine for Babies. This is also something I wouldn’t bother to splurge on. Some of the pricier options include projections for the wall and I felt like those might keep my babies awake. A simple white noise machine costs less than $20.  We also started using an air purifier in my youngest’s room and that does the trick too!

Picture courtesy: Amazon

There are also lots of apps you can use that offer white noise sounds if you are traveling with the babies and don’t want to pack the machine too. I use the White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds free app. 

7. NoseFrida 

I’ll never forget the first time I saw one of my best friends using this on her 6-month-old I nearly threw up in my mouth and swore I would NEVER EVER have kids (luckily that didn’t happen).

This thing is gross but highly effective. One of our kids had constant congestion the first two years of her life and this was always our go to. I still make my husband do the bugger sucking and neither of the girls enjoyed the experience, but it does its job and fully clears out their little noses. We purchased ours from Amazon – Fridababy NoseFrida The Snot Sucker Nasal Aspirator for around $16 – $20. NoseFrida the Snotsucker Baby Nasal Aspirator and Saline Nasal Spray Kit.

Picture courtesy: Amazon

8. Aden + Anais Muslin blankets, Burp Clothes/Bibs

 I’m not the type of person that needs to have a  particular brand of anything but Aden + Anais is now the only type of burp cloth I will buy! Not surprisingly nearly every twin mom I talked to also recommended it to me!

Aden + Anais not only has super cute designs, but their burp clothes are extremely absorbent and versatile, these can be used as either a burp cloth or a bib – Aden + Anais Burpy Bib, Safari Friends, $10 at Walmart. 

I also love their swaddle blankets (seen below). These are perfect because the fabric is super soft and breathable. They also have about a million cute design options!  Aden + Anais Swaddles, Dreamy $20 at Walmart.

9. Dual View Baby Monitors

Double baby monitors are a must to keep a constant eye on both of your twins at the same time! We purchased the Summer Infant brand that also offers a talk button that really helps when I’m laying in bed at night and don’t want to walk up the stairs to tell the girls to be quiet. We mounted our cameras on the ceiling to get a bird’s eye view of what those little twinsies are up to and it has worked out great! 

We found the Summer Infant Dual View Digital Color Video Baby Monitor on Amazon for around $262. A warranty is included which did come in handy for us since the one we purchased randomly stopped working one day and Summer Infant sent us a brand new one for free! We still use this with our 2 1/2 year old’s and probably will continue until they are at least 18! 🙂

I hope this list of necessities helps ease your early days of twinsanity!!! Please leave questions or comments in the comment field below. Also, please share if you have a baby product that really helped you during the newborn phase and we will add it to this list! 

***Please note that all information in this blog is based on my own personal opinions and experiences as well as the individuals who were polled for this article. I am not paid by any of the above retailers to share my experiences about these products.