One of my biggest surprises of being a new mom was the sheer amount of stuff I found myself carrying around. And pulling out of drawers. And using on a daily basis.

Now, I’ve never been the light-packer of the family. (I love big bags! And filling big bags!) 

But even with my old habits, I was kind of blown away by all of the things this tiny little human brought in to my home. And then I was just super grateful for all of it. The swing? Loved it. The big cushy chair in the baby’s room? Saved me. The mountains of blankets and burp cloths I was sure I had way too many of? Used. Them. All. We were pooping and spitting up at least every hour (he, he was pooping and spitting up) and goodness knows not everything lands where it’s supposed to. 

My point? I totally agree that there’s baby gear out there that you can do without. I also believe there’s a lot of wonderful stuff out there that makes the big transition of adding another sweet little someone to your family a lot easier. And a lot of it comes from a company I’ve already mentioned in a post about sleep stuff: Summer Infant. Yes, my friends, the brilliant minds behind the SwaddleMe that I love so much make all kinds of awesome baby products. And we’re going to tell you about just a few!

Summer Infant Pop ‘n Play Portable Playard

Trisha: My husband and I prefer things like hiking, picnics at the park and camping over the traditional movie and dinner date. That’s one of the reasons we were so excited to receive the the Summer Infant Pop ‘N Play Ultimate Playard. It has an awesome removable sun canopy for when you are outside but want your kiddos protected from the sun. Our little one hasn’t arrived just yet but we already tried setting it up and it was super simple. We really liked the mesh sides and the travel bag is very handy. The bottom is not padded or raised so you do need to set it up on a soft surface such as grass, sand or carpet. We can’t wait to use it both in the house and outside! 

Natalie: I just wanted to add my two cents to this. This playard gives kids tons of space to play without being bulky and hard for mom and dad to maneuver or travel with. It’s an ideal combination! I am a huge fan of playards, and I haven’t seen anything like this one in terms of ease to set-up, take-down, and move around the house or on-the-go.

You can find it on the Summer Infant site (save 25% with code ELLEN2015 right now!) or on Amazon. (There’s a great video on Amazon that shows how versatile this product is. If you’re interested at all, go check it out!)

 

Summer Infant 3 Dzyre Convenience Stroller

Kellie: The 3Dzyre Convenience Stroller is our new go-to stroller for outings! I love how lightweight it is and easy to push. (And I’m 7 1/2 months pregnant. That’s saying something!) It has a great 3-point, adjustable buckling harness, and I love the option of the oversized canopy to protect little eyes and bodies from the sun. It has a cup holder that attaches to the side that is plenty big for my bulky water bottle (that doesn’t fit in most traditional cup holders!). I also love the zipper pocket that hangs by the handles in the back. I feel like my phone and keys are much more secure there than in my other stroller’s cup holders. My husband put it together without using the instructions (who needs instructions? 😉 besides me…) and said it was pretty simple and easy to figure out. The large basket underneath is perfect for storing our jackets, snacks, diapers, etc. It also folds up really easily, and has a convenient one-hand reclining lever that can lock into 3 different positions for when your little one gets tired. It is as easy to use as an umbrella stroller, but with features like the canopy, basket, and other storage spaces that umbrella strollers don’t have. We love it!

You can find it on the Summer Infant site (save 25% with code ELLEN2015 right now!) or on Amazon.

 

Summer Infant Sharp View HD Video Monitor

Natalie: Before I tell you about this awesome video monitor, I need to tell you a little story. I mentioned earlier my surprise at the volume of baby gear I not only had but used on a regular basis when we brought our little guy home from the hospital. My other big surprise was that I was-by far-the less paranoid parent between the hubs and I. Tim would nudge little B while he was sleeping-SLEEPING!-just to make sure he was alive and responsive. When I found out, we set a rule that has become a standard in our house: if you wake baby up, he’s your baby. 

So you might be surprised to know that we used an audio monitor with baby B up until a few weeks ago when this sweet little (marriage saving) device came in the mail. It could have saved us (well, Tim) a lot of tip-toeing into the nursery. 

The video quality is amazing. If I’m folding laundry in my room, I can easily see exactly what’s going on if our little guy is in his room looking at books or playing with toys. Say he steps out of the frame. I can move and zoom the camera from video monitor. Easy peasy. In the mornings or at the end of naptime, I can see if he’s really awake or just having a mid-sleep moan moment. I can see if it’s one of those cries that he’ll recover from or if he’s going to need a little visit from mom or dad to settle down again. When it’s dark, the monitor automatically goes into night vision. 

You can add another camera to this set, which will surely come in handy when baby girl arrives in 6-ish weeks. One monitor system for two kids in two rooms. Awesome. You can also mount the cameras to the wall if you too are worried about little hands getting a little curious. 

You can find it on the Summer Infant site (save 25% with code ELLEN2015 right now!) or on Amazon.

With so much on the market, we hope we gave you some good information about a few products we love and why. We also hope our pregnancy swelling stays down. 😉

Natalie