Living up north and having to run the heat all winter long makes for very dry air inside my home. I needed a small humidifier for each of my boys’ rooms to help ease their breathing especially at night. I found the Crane Adorable Humidifiers in Target for about $30, and thought I had nothing to lose. Well, I am super happy I took the plunge and bought two, one for each of their rooms. The Crane Adorable Humidifier, first off, is just a super cute addition to any nursery or kid’s bedroom. It is whisper quiet, even on the maximum setting. And even though the capacity is small, I have had a fill last two full days and nights at a comfortable humidity setting, and at the maximum setting, a fill will last about 11 hours

The Crane Adorable Humidifier is an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier which has a one gallon capacity. The removable water tank is easy to carry and refill, fitting in most standard bathroom sinks, and it is also very easy to clean as the design is simple and smooth. A simple turn knob on the front adjusts the mist output into the room, and can be set to have up to a 2.1 gallon water output per day. The humidifier is equipped with an auto-shut off when the tank is empty. The Crane Adorable Humidifiers come in several colorful animal versions: Cat, Frog, Pig, Panda, Cow, Elephant, and Penguin. Definitely a cute, colorful, and healthy addition to any child’s bedroom!

Popularity: 18% [?]

These were the first bottles I used with both of my children. I was breastfeeding at the time and needed a bottle which was suitable for pumped breastmilk. The Avent Natural Feeding Bottles were the perfect bottle to use with the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump that I was using at the time. You could pump directly into the bottle, then store the milk in the refrigerator directly, and then heat the milk when you needed it, all without having to change any containers. One Avent bottle served all these purposes, which saved so much time. It was especially important to me that the Avent bottles were recommended by my pediatrician to help with my first son’s reflux. And, indeed, I noticed a decrease in the amount of air he was ingesting, which thus reduced the amount of spit-ups after bottle feedings.

The Avent Natural Feeding Bottle is recommended by many doctors. It features a nipple with a unique anti-vacuum skirt and one-way air valve that has been clinically proven to reduce the incidence of colic. It is microwave and dishwasher safe. The bottles come in 4 ounce and 9 ounce sizes, and are nice and wide for easy cleaning and/or mixing formula if needed.

Popularity: 12% [?]

The Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym was yet another product that I had in my “keep them entertained” arsenal, before my boys were mobile. This cute play gym with it’s colorful characters and classical music certainly entertained my babies, allowing me to get some things done around the house. My boys would bat at the hanging toys and kick the soft gym, turning the music and lights on. Often I got a good 15-20 minutes of playtime, which is a lot for a very young infant. My oldest son was also fascinated with the starfish mirror and his reflection. Once my children started rolling onto their tummies, we used it as a tummy time mat, again because of the vibrant colors and different textures of fabric on the mat. Overall, I was very happy to have had the Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym for the first 6 months of both of my children’s childhood.

The Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym features a motion activated musical aquarium with swimming ocean animals, six classical melodies and dancing lights. Part of the gym are a starfish mirror and a water-filled pat mat with swimming fish. It includes plush and plastic accessory toys that hang from the gym encouraging gross motor skill development. Also included is a colorful prop up pillow to keep baby comfy and entertained, especially during tummy time. The Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym is recommended for ages Newborn and up. I found it most useful until about 6 months of age.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I have a ton of cabinets and drawers in my kitchen, all of which are off limits to my kids. Before my first son became mobile I did some research on safety locks, and I had a few ideas in mind. I was hoping to find locks which were easy to install, durable, concealable, and didn’t cause pinched fingers. I also needed the option to disengage them when needed without having to remove them. The Safety 1st Tot-Loks were the best fit for all of my needs. Now with my second son being mobile and having that “urge-to-get-into-everything” mindset, I am glad that I went with the Tot-Loks to keep the cabinets and drawers safely locked.

The Tot-Lok is a magnetic locking mechanism to keep cabinets and drawers locked. The only way to open the lock is to use the magnetic key placed against the outside of the door where the magnetic lock is located. We have three magnetic keys, placed in different spots throughout our kitchen. I do recommend having more than one key, because I have on a few occasions misplaced my lock somewhere in my kitchen and was happy to have the other keys available until the other one turned up behind my husband’s empty cereal box on the counter. You cannot see the locks because they are completely housed on the inside of the door and there is no gap when the door is closed so there is no potential for a toddler’s pinched fingers. The install was pretty easy, even through a drill needed to be involved since these locks are hard-mounted. Also, during my sons birthday party when I needed repeated access to the cabinets, I was able to disengage the locks so that the key was not needed for them to open.

Safety 1st Tot-Loks can be installed on drawer and cabinet doors that are 0.5-1.5 inches thick. They also come with a lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer!

Popularity: 9% [?]

After much trial and error, I have hit upon my favorite wipes to use on my babies bums, Huggies Baby Wipes. They come in several scented and unscented (Natural Care and Gentle Care Sensitive) varieties.  Specifically, I am a fan of the Lavender & Chamomile, as well as the Cucumber & Green Tea. They both just smell divine! I like these wipes because they do a great job cleaning poop or diaper rash cream with minimal wiping. Also, they are very soft and thick, which makes them gentle yet prevents them from ripping or shredding. In comparison to other wipes I have tried, it seems as though these leave the cleanest skin, there is no oily film left over after using the wipe, like I have experienced with other brands. I have also found a secondary use for these wipes - great makeup removers! I use one to get all of my makeup off my face in the evenings. Best of all, they are fantastic for getting off waterproof mascara. Plus, if you look at the price - it is so much more economical to use these as makeup removers than the wipes that are actually marketed for makeup removal.

Popularity: 10% [?]