The Baby Cove

Babies are for the Birds!

Momma Fish recently blogged about her love of shopping for baby on Etsy, so we though it would be fun to introduce you to another Etsy seller and friend of The Baby Cove, Corrie Hill.

Corrie has an adorable Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/corriesullivan) where she features a bunch of  adorable hand-made baby items. But our favorites are the precious bird-themed dresses, mobiles, onesies, and hair clips!

Have a look at some...

Wouldn't the mobiles just be perfect in a tree-themed nursery?

And a special treat for you all, Corrie hosting a promotion for just for Baby Cove readers! She will give you  free shipping on any order that is placed. Just use the coupon code "babycove" on your Etsy order at http://www.etsy.com/shop/corriesullivan. Thanks Corrie!  

Want to contact Corrie? Vist www.creativecorrie.blogspot.com or www.corriehill.com.

*Note: The Baby Cove was not paid for this post or asked to do this advertisement.

Registering for Baby Shell

At some point every new mom-to-be has to register.  Registering for your precious bundle of joy can be quite over whelming, especially when you are first timer like me.  There are so many products and choices that it is hard to know where to start.  Most websites share their top registry items which can be very helpful, but I have found they tend to feature their more expensive items.  Are these items really the best?

One of the top items I see is the Graco Quattro Tour System Stroller.

 
It runs about $250 at Babies R Us.  I have seen other Graco travel systems for about $100 less that are very similar.  Is the more expensive one really worth the money?  I understand we all want the safest products for our babies.  Has anyone bought the Quattro Tour System or the cheaper models and what is your opinion?

Another top registry item is video monitors.  Which ones are good?  Reading the reviews aren't always helpful. 

This Summer Infant Video Monitoring System runs about $300 at Babies R Us.  Is it worth the money?  What video monitor have you registered for or used that you think is worth the money?

I would love to hear any tips or advice on registering or products that you think are worth the money.    

Shopping for baby: Etsy

If you are a pregnant gal (or really any person) and you haven't spent some time looking through the pages on Etsy.com you must go now.  For the few of you that may not have heard of this website yet let me give you a quick run down.  Etsy is a place for all things handmade.  Anyone can go on-line and open a shop to sell the wonderful creations they have made.  What I love about Etsy is that you can find much more original items there than you can at a store and many things are one of a kind.  

I wanted to share with you all my very favorite baby boy items that I have picked out for our baby. (click on the photo to take  you directly to the item)

I plan to have the baby in hats all the time for no other reason than its a great accessory and really the only accessory for a boy since headbands and bows aren't an option.

 

How precious are these signs with the Lord's prayer?  I am planning to order one in blue soon.

 

I think one of the most fun things that are trending right now is personalization.  It's great to be able to find so many things that are made specially just for you.  I have plans to buy this as well.

 

Of course lots of blankets are a must for a new baby, and I love this one for its masculinity.  I love all the blue shaded items but its great to find something out of the normal color scheme sometimes.

 

Any Office fans?  I love that show and this onesie is just too cute for words.

 

If I don't end up acquiring these from someone along the way, I plan to order these for the babies closet.  Its such a wonderful idea and I think it will make organization so much easier which is a total mom plus.

 

This and three other prints have been chosen as the art work for the nursery.  At $15 each I'm excited to have some great looking prints to hang on the wall.  I also think they are something that can be incorporated into a young boy's room along the way - not just for a nursery.

 

And lastly (although I could keep adding for hours) is this super cute wipe case.  Just a little something to add some fun to all of the baby necessities you will be toting around with you.

 

So go spend some time, if you haven't already, looking around Etsy for some great baby items.  What is your favorite Etsy pick?

The best Mommy-to-be tea!

Hello Baby Covers!

I had to share with you the best herbal tea I've found to help ease those pregnancy discomforts...The company is called "Earth Mama Angel Baby", and they make a range of 100% organic products for pregnancy, postpartum, and baby. My sister gave me a box of the "Mama-To-Be Sampler", and the teas are amazing!

The sampler has 4 different teas each designed to help with different symptoms...I particularly like the "Peacful Mama" for helping me get to sleep...it contains a blend of chamomile, lemon balm, and other herbs...it tastes great and is really comforting.

They have a super website earthmamaangelbaby.com that lists all their products....there are several that I want to try, including what I've heard is the absolute best body butter out there!

Baby Books, Bargains, Websites, etc.

Hi everyone!

  

          I just wanted to share a few of the books I have found to be very enjoyable/helpful for pregnancy, as well as baby planning!  I like to shop on Amazon.com, because usually if you spend over $25 you get free shipping!  So I think all of my links below go straight to Amazon.  Of course you can always get these books in a multitude of other places!

  

          To start, there are obviously the more well-known books I'd like to mention such as What to Expect When You're Expecting: 4th Edition and Great Expectations, both of which I enjoy.  My hubby likes The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be, 2nd Edition... He says out of all the books he's read, it talks about the role of the expectant father in the least "stereotypical" way, which is refreshing compared to some of the other "daddy-to-be" books out there! :-)

            

          To find the best baby products, I first recommend Consumer Reports: Best Baby Products, 10th Edition, and then Baby Bargains, 8th Edition, after you read the former so you can decide which products you think are quality-made and safe enough for your little angel!

    

          Another way to find all kinds of great deals is through a wonderful website called CheapTweet, which is a site for "Scouring Twitter for deals so you don't have to!" If you want to give that website a shot, just go there and try typing "baby furniture" in the "Search CheapTweet" bar at the top of the page and see what comes up!  And, you also might like Parentricity, which is a feed of all of CheapTweet's baby-related deals

     

          On a side note, I recently discovered that JCPenney (online) is having a sale on baby furniture (among other baby items!).  And don't forget to look out for more sales and deals as we get closer to the 4th of July!

     

          Other websites I enjoy for baby planning (among other things) are The Bump and Baby Center, both of which you can also get great weekly pregnancy updates from, tailored to your due date!

  

          Aside from books and websites for baby products and planning, other books I recommend include Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby, as well as The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood.

 

          Finally, if you're looking for a good pregnancy journal (I have a couple but am really bad at keeping them updated!), I personally like The Belly Book: A Nine-Month Journal for You and Your Growing Belly, because it's not bogged down with extra information that you likely already have in your pregnancy library, and is more of a keepsake book than an organizer (like other journals can be).

          On one LAST note, I just HAD to share my first real "bump" picture, because, of course, I am ever so proud (especially now that my nausea seems to be permanently gone.. for 3 weeks now!!!)!  This was taken at 17 weeks 5 days... :-)  The shirt says "Stay Free," and it's from Target (I also have a really cute yellow one that says "I Love Life")... Not a maternity shirt, but the fabric is so light and stretchy, that it works great for growing baby bumps (and prenatal yoga!).