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: 45% [?]

Before the birth of my second son I set out to buy a new baby monitor. While browsing the store I came across the Angelcare Movement Sensor by BebeSounds. This monitor was the best money I have ever spent on a baby product.It has provided me with a peace-of-mind I never had with my first son. The monitor has both a movement and sound senor which are designed to detect your baby’s slightest movements, even those made from simple inhaling and exhaling. The best feature of the Angelcare Movement Sensor is that if does not detect any movement for twenty seconds, an alarm will sound. I actually tested this feature out because I was skeptical on how the monitor could detect anything through the baby’s thick mattress. The monitor passed every test. It really can detect the slightest movement even through the mattress, but is not overly sensitive to detect non-baby movements. And there is also a sensitivity setting so you can adjust to your homes conditions (wood floors feel more vibration = lower setting, carpet detects less vibration = higher setting). You really should test this out before putting a leap of faith into the monitor, but once you do I can promise you it really does help you sleep a little sounder at night.

The Angelcare Movement Sensor comes in three parts (motion sensor pad, nursery and parent unit) and is extremely easy to install. There are three settings on the nursery Unit. One setting is for sound only. Another setting is for sound and movement and features a “tic” sound every time baby moves (I passed on this option because my son was a light sleeper). The third setting is for sound and movement without the “tic” sound. This is the setting I use. I have experienced a few false alarms at night and let me tell you, I have never jumped higher or run faster in my life. But it only happens when the little guy scoots himself to the top of the crib and the senor did not pick up his movement/breathing.

Note: this is not a medical device nor can the Angelcare Movement Monitor prevent SIDS. For more information, please visit AngelCare.

This review has been written by our first guest writer: Kimmylyn - you can find her at Jogging in Circles.

Popularity: 12% [?]

We have been using the Jasmine 4-in-1 Crib by Delta Children’s Products nonstop for almost 3 years now. I started using this crib once my son was out of his bassinet, until he was about 24 months old and we needed it for my youngest son. Once this boy is big enough we plan on still using it and converting it to a toddler bed. Now, realize that this crib has been through quite a beating with two rambunctious boys, and it still looks like brand new and is as sturdy as the first day we put it up in the nursery.

This versatile and stylish piece of nursery furniture starts out as a crib with a quiet track fixed drop side for easy lifting of the baby into and out of the crib. There are 5 mattress height positions, allowing the mattress to be dropped down for when your little one starts sitting up and standing. Later the crib can be converted to a toddler bed, a day bed and even a full size bed. The full size bed requires an additional frame which is sold separately, but is easily available for purchase from Delta Children’s Products.

The Jasmine 4-in-1 Crib features a solid wood frame and metal construction, and it is JPMACP certified, meeting all mandatory and voluntary safety standards. As a crib and toddler bed it is rated for up to 50 pounds. It comes in several different stains to match your nursery decor, such as natural, cherry, and white. For more information, please go to Delta Children’s Products.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Blocking noise in the home can sometimes be one of the best things you can do to ensure your little ones get the sleep they deserve. I have found this to be true even more so now with two children in the house. My youngest goes to bed about an hour to hour and a half earlier than my oldest, and with the Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine set to the “white noise” setting, my youngest doesn’t get disturbed by anything else that is going on in the house. I started using this machine for bedtime and naptime pretty much from the moment I brought my babies home from the hospital. It essentially became one of the triggers in the bedtime routine. As soon as I turned it on, my kids knew that it was time for bed. I now have two of these, one in each of the boys’ rooms. Even grandma has one at her house, for those times when we are over and the kids need to take their naps. Another great feature of the Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine is that it is small enough that it can travel with you. When we went on vacation to Europe and Florida, we packed our sound machine and used it everywhere we stayed.

The Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Machine for Baby has 6 different sound settings: white noise, prenatal, lullaby, dolphins, car ride, and heartbeat. I personally have mainly used the white noise setting for sleep, but the heartbeat and lullaby settings worked well when my kids were newborns. There is another version of this sound machine marketed for adults, which has 12 pre-programmed “nature” sounds, including the “white noise” setting. My husband and I have this one in our room to help us sleep as well. For more information about Brookstone’s line of sound machines please visit Brookstone.com.

Popularity: 10% [?]

I don’t know where I would be without my glider. The best example I can give is that if I have to put my kids to bed anywhere other than my home, the Shermag Deluxe Glider is the item I truly miss the most at that time. This cushy chair has been in use even before my boys were born, simply because it is so comfortable! I used to sit in it and rock myself to sleep when I had to sleep upright due to severe reflux during the last month of both of my pregnancies. I also used the matching ottoman to prop my feet upon since I was dealing with pretty severe edema/swelling in my legs as well. But by far the most use I have gained from this glider is during feeding and rocking my boys before naptime and bedtime.

The Shermag Deluxe Glider is a modern rocking chair that “glides” smoothly with a rocking motion. The cushions are super thick and comfortable - you practically melt into it! The back of the chair comes up pretty high, so much so that at 5′7″ I can comfortably rest my head and relax with my boys during feeding and our bedtime routine. Even my 6′5″ husband can rest his head on the back. I think this is such an important feature, because I have been in other rockers at other’s homes, and with more then 5 minutes of rocking my neck would start to ache while I was feeding my kids. The armrests are also nice and covered with cushions - my Boppy Pillow fits perfectly, resting on both armrests, and my kids feel comfortable and secure. The Shermag Deluxe Glider is basically silent, too, which means none of that squeaking rocking chair noise which has the potential to either keep your kids up or wake them when you are trying to lull them.

The Shermag Deluxe Glider and Ottoman are made with real hardwood, stained in several different colors to match any kind of nursery furniture you may have. The thickly upholstered cushions are also available in several different fabric types and colors to suit your taste. Some of these gliders even have an added feature of a locking mechanism, if you just want to use the glider as a stationary chair. For more information about the Shermag Gliders and Ottomans, please visit Shermag Furniture. These gliders are available for purchase through both Target and Amazon.

Popularity: 8% [?]

There are times when you wish you could see what is going on with your little one when they are in bed without wanting to disturb them. For example, the past few days my son has been sick, and we have the Summer Infant Video Monitor setup in his bedroom overlooking his bed. I was able to comfortably and discretely watch my son while he slept without coming into the room and waking him. It was a relief to see him sleeping soundly. I have been using this monitor ever since he was born. It has given me peace of mind to be able to “see” instead of just hear what was going on in his crib or bed.

The Summer Infant Video Monitor has a nighttime function that automatically kicks in whenever the room gets dark. A small LED light gives off enough light that you can clearly see your child in the darkened room. The 5 inch display is sufficiently large that you can see a lot of detail. There is a sound function so that you can also listen to what is going on, and the screen has a convenient on/off function where you can turn the video off yet still have the sound portion of the monitor off. This way you don’t have to sleep with a bright screen staring you in the face at night.

Overall, the Summer Infant Video Monitor is a great item to have if you want to monitor your child day or night,and have the peace of mind being able to see them and know what they are doing. For more information on this and other video monitors by Summer Infant, including the dual camera and portable screen monitors, please visit Summer Infant’s Website.

Popularity: 12% [?]

The Graco Pack ‘n Play is one item which I did not realize would get used so much. I initially thought of it as a luxury item, but decided fairly quickly that it was one of my “must haves” after seeing how I used it on a daily basis for various reasons.

At first my Graco Pack ‘n Play was in our downstairs livingroom, where I used it as a changing table and a secondary sleeping area (i.e. bassinet). It then came with us on a month long trip to Florida when my son was 8 months old, where it was used as a portable crib. After my son outgrew it for sleeping, I used it as toy storage for months in the living room. Then my second son arrived, and my older son was still in his crib at that time. So instead of buying a bassinet or second crib, we used the Pack ‘n Play in our bedroom as bassinet until my youngest turned 6 months old. Then we came full circle with it returning to the living room. It now gets used as a safe play area for my son, and provides him with a nice way to practice cruising.

The Pack ‘n Play is very easy to put together and fold down for portability. It is also easily changed from bassinet to crib. The mattress pad is a nice quilted material and the sides are mesh for good ventilation and visibility. It comes with a carrying case, basically the size of a large duffel bag. Graco makes these in so many patterns and colors, and they usually match their other items such as swings, strollers, highchairs, etc. Graco, as well as other companies such as Eddie Bauer, make sheet sets for the Pack ‘n Play, for when you need to use them as a sleeping area. The Graco Pack ‘n Play also comes with a removable parent tray for storing diapers and supplies, a mobile with cute soft toys, and it comes with a detachable electronic music/sound machine that has a night light.

For more information about the Graco Pack ‘n Play, please visit GracoBaby.com.

Popularity: 11% [?]