Hannah's Pick of the Month - Baby Einstein Exersaucer

Forgive me, Hannah's Pick for October is a day late.

Her pick of the month is her Baby Einstein Exersaucer. Hannah's first experience in an exersaucer was at a Toys R Us - my Mom put her in there, and Hannah squealed with delight in the store. And as a mom, when your daughter squeals with delight your first instinct is to buy said toy then and there. And I could see Grandma reaching for her debit card. Alas, since she was 6 lbs away from the maximum weight, I couldn't imagine paying full price.

Enter Kijiji. I found last year's model at less than half the retail price of the current one (Hannah's has zoo animals, this year's has sea life). Daddy made a call, and the next day Hannah was enjoying her exersaucer. We saved money, and all Daddy had to do was take the exersaucer on the subway.

We bought this back in August, and she's still under the weight maximum, and probably will be until spring. However, I'm still happy with our decision to buy used. There are products I believe you MUST buy brand new for baby, but toys are certainly not one of them (especially considering a few months from now she'll be playing with a bunch of toys at daycare that a billion other kids probably have already play with.)

But back to the exersaucer - she loves clinking the panda bears on the tetter-totter, playing music from the keyboard and jumping up and down. She's also started to stand more on her legs, so I hope playing in this toy is working her leg muscles. It's also the perfect toy because she'll play in it while I'm making food or cleaning and would prefer to have my hands free.

Does/did your child have an exersaucer?

© 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Bath time made better with Mustela Dermo-Cleansing

Bath time is one of my favourite parts of the day.

However, before Hannah was born, I really worried about bath time. Since infants can drown in less than two inches of water, it seemed to me like it would be the scariest part of parenting.

Hours after she was born she cried the entire time when the nurse gave her very first bath (Chris caught it all on video, I was still loopy from all the drugs).

The first time we bathed her at home, we did so in the kitchen sink - very anxiously. We kept asking each other questions. I had read the bathing chapter in the Mother of All Baby Books by Ann Douglas multiple times. But for all our preparations and nervousness, Hannah just sat there and stared. Allowed us to get her clean without a peep.

As time went by, she grew big enough that we felt comfortable bathing her in the actual tub, using her bath chair.

Months after the anxious kitchen sink debacle, I'd like to think we are pros and so is she. Hannah loves to be naked and loves to be in water, so I think bath time is one of her favourite parts of the day too.

While in the tub, she kicks and splashes the water all while being enamoured with her rubber ducky. The only time she's ever cried is when we've decided she needs to get out before she has decided she's ready.

Recently we added a new ritual to our bath time routine - the use of Mustela Dermo-Cleansing. 

Dermo-Cleansing is a soap-free cleansing gel specially formulated and tested to safely cleanse the scalp and body of newborns and babies. Through a unique combination of natural properties, it gently cleanses while respecting the integrity of the skin’s protective hydrolipidic film and compensates for the drying effects of tap water through coconut derivatives. It softens skin and soothes irritations with Vitamin B5 and does not sting the eyes thanks to a neutral pH formula. It's safe to use on baby from day one.

I love that the gel is in a pump, which is so much easier to use than a regular bottle. It lathers so nicely and is very practical - cleansing both body and hair.

The first time we used Mustela Dermo-Cleansing we saw my Mom later that day. She said, "Mmm, Hannah smells so good. And her hair looks so great - did you start using something else?" My Mom is in good company - celebrity moms like Kourtney Kardashian, Tori Spelling and Melissa Joan Hart love the Mustela scent too.

All Mustela Bébé products are hypoallergenic, paraben-free, phthalate-free, phenoxyethanol-free, and most importantly safe for babies. You can find Mustela products in select Shoppers Drug Marts.

To find out the latest on Mustela Bébé products, you can like Mustela on Facebook, follow Mustela on Twitter or visit their website www.mustelausa.com.

Disclosure: Although this post has generously been sponsored by Mustela, the opinions and language are all my own. 

 © 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.