Bourbon & Boots

Here's what we're diggin' these days...

Baby Mum Mums

at Amazon, Target, or Kroger

Smearing the mush around the high chair tray just wasn't getting it done, so we added in Baby Mum Mums. These require holding and biting (or gumming) and are for self-feeding, but aren't exactly "real food"--so I am not exactly sure where they fall on the spectrum of how do you feed your child? But we both like them. He likes munching away on them (and/or just making a huge blob of wet mush and letting it fall somewhere) and I like that he is probably not going to choke. They are basically puffed rice but they dissolve in baby's mouth. I feel like it's the first thing that has sort of had him learning about biting and chewing in a way other food has not. Also, they're easy to throw in the diaper bag and don't go bad. Real produce as well as the pouches have such a short shelf life that this feels less wasteful.

Overnight Diapers

The kid pees a lot. He was waking up every morning with wet jammies, which of course made me feel terrible. I know we need to size up diapers anyway, but we have all these 3s and I am determined not to waste them. So, basically, these things just hold all the overnight pee. I don't know what they do to them to make them more absorbent than regular diapers (enriched uranium? voo doo?), nor do I want to. But one easily weighs like 10 pounds in the morning and is the size of a small roasting chicken. If I move the baby the wrong way before changing him, however, it wrings out like a sponge somehow...but overall they're a major problem-solver. No more wet jams in the morning. It's a pain to have 2 kinds of diapers around--and on the shopping list--but you gotta get on this train if baby's about the same age.

Eddie Bauer Reversible Shopping Cart/High Chair Cover

This is super handy for when we're out and about. Just as the name implies, it goes over the seat part of a shopping cart or restaurant high chair so it's a little more padded and covers all those surfaces. For me, it's less that I'm a germophobe (although I do really have to draw the line at him putting the cart handle in his mouth) and more that it keeps everything contained. It can hold a small army of toys alongside Mr C as we shop, and it catches a lot of falling food mush in a restaurant. Then I can bring it home and just throw it in the wash. So it protects him from yuck but also protects the world from him, the tiniest Destructicon. He actually likes the two little toys that are attached, and it reverses to a solid plush gray. A lady stopped me in Target last week and asked where I got it because she didn't like hers. Lucky for her, I could say "I got it IN THIS TARGET!"

Pack 'n Play (the remix)

Graco Pack 'n Play Playard with Cuddle Cove Rocking Seat, Winslet

As our home's foyer fills with more and more outgrown baby gear, the more I love and appreciate items that can be used for a while or in different ways. First, Mr. C outgrew the Newborn Napper part. Gone. Next, he was too big for the bassinet sleeping setup. Get that outta here. Then, the diaper changing attachment started sagging dangerously under his weight. See ya.

Now, the Pack n Play has become its true self: just a straight-up playpen. On the advice of my genius friend Hayden, I moved it upstairs to our bedroom/bathroom. Throw some toys in that sucker and C plays happily while I shower. And get dressed. And blow dry. He can roll around and gnaw on things and I can be confident that he's safe. I want to hug the Pack n Play on a daily basis.

Special K Breakfast Flatbread

in the frozen food section at Kroger or get the big ol' box at Costco

This one's for me, not Mr. C. One of these bad boys makes itself delicious in the microwave while I get the baby situated and pour myself some coffee. Certainly not the least-processed thing I could eat, but it's not a fat bomb and has been the difference between me eating breakfast and not, which probably has significant value on multiple fronts. Try it out.