Mom’s Eye View {Stokke Sleepi Mini}

by Kate on May 21st, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Life

Baby sleep is one of those things that we moms tend to obsess about. I know I’ve spent more than my fair share trying to get babies to fall asleep, to stay asleep and to get on a schedule. This time around I’ve been much more relaxed with Max and really followed his lead. If he falls asleep, he sleeps. If he is content and awake, he’s awake. I have learned to read his cues pretty well and can tell when he needs help falling asleep and lately he’s developed a pretty consistent bed time. The craziest part is that he falls asleep on his own! I can place him in his Stokke Sleepi Mini and he falls asleep. This is miraculous! I don’t think my first son did that until he was, like, nine months old.

Sleeping in the Sleepi at 1 Month Old

One of the best features of the Stokke Sleepi Mini when using it with an infant is that it is on wheels. So when Max is asleep and I head to bed, I roll the Sleepi closer to my side. I don’t think you can beat this mom’s eye view.

Sleeping in the Sleepi at 2 Months Old

Not only do I have a great view of Max from my bed, but my older son has a pretty good look at his little brother after nap time, too.

Max won’t be in our room for much longer. We’re only in Montgomery for another month and when we move into our house in Germany, Max will get his own little nursery. Part of growing into his own space means growing from the Sleepi Mini to the Stokke Sleepi Bed. The Mini easily converts to the Bed and will be a larger version of the sweet crib Max is familiar with. As much as I love his nursery area in our master bedroom, I can’t wait to put together Max’s space that will be all his own.

aden + anais Crib Sheet {Review}

by Laura on April 9th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Baby, Reviews

I have a confession to make. My son is almost one year old and we are just now starting to transition him to a crib in his own room.  Yes, yes, he stopped nursing months ago.  Don’t hate me.

One thing that’s making the transition a bit easier is the softness of the new aden + anais fitted crib sheet.  As a newborn, Charlie practically lived in the a+a swaddling blankets we got as a shower gift, so it’s no wonder that the crib sheet is a source of comfort for him, too.

About aden + anais

aden + anais, has brought the legacy of muslin together with fashion forward design to create a line of products that are as stylish as they are useful; and as simple as they are beautiful. We believe in muslin– the way it looks, the way it feels, the way it works– to improve the lives of babies and their mothers no matter who they are or where they live.

The proof is in every product we make.

Muslin is not just for swaddling

aden + anais has expanded way beyond swaddling cloths to include sleep sacks, burp cloths, bathing accessories, blankets… and their wonderful muslin crib sheets.  The muslin fabric allows for air flow, which helps keep baby warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  If you have a baby who is sensitive to the temperature of his/her sleep space, this sheet is a great way of keeping the little one comfortable.  The fabric also gets increasingly soft with each wash, making for a more cozy sleep space every time. I got a solid colored sheet to go with the existing gray and yellow color scheme in Charlie’s room, but the adorable patterns on both the regular and organic versions are cute without being cutesy – totally our style!

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… I’d buy anything to make sleep come easier for my kiddo, but the other benefits of the a+a crib sheet are temperature regulation, softness, and great fit for a standard mattress.

Or Not to Buy… At almost $30 for one regular sheet and $40 for one of the organic versions, these crib sheets might seem out of your budget, but their quality and comfort are well worth the higher price tag.

Shop!  You can purchase at the aden + anais website, at the many stores listed on the website’s store locator section and our affiliate Amazon.

 Thanks to aden + anais for providing a sample.

Skip Hop Introduces Wall Decals

by Kate on March 20th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

The finishing touch for your nursery has arrived! Skip Hop has introduced a new collection of wall decals designed to match their popular Alphabet Zoo and Treetop Friends nursery collection. (Both of these collections are available in the new Complete Sheet bumper-less crib bedding sets.)

The Alphabet Zoo wall decals set includes 76 decals – 42 consonants and 2 or more of each vowel – so you can spell baby’s name or teach ABC’s by displaying the whole alphabet.

Treetop Friends wall decals includes 88 decals to create a full tree design or use separately around the room to create a woodland retreat for baby.

Decal Features

  • Easy to apply, just peel & stick
  • Removable and repositionable without sticky residue
  • Includes 4 sheets
  • Sheet size (inches): 12 x 36
  • Wipe clean with damp cloth

Shop! Skip Hop Wall Decals are only $20!

***
Like Skip Hop? So do we! Check out more of our Skip Hop products coverage on The Shopping Mama.

Tips & Tricks for Making it Personal {Baby and Kid’s Room Decorating}

by Kate on March 19th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Children's Decor, Shopping

We are happy to share this guest post from our friends at weeDecor, our favorite spot for personalized wall decals for kids’ rooms.

***

We’re so excited for The Shopping Mama’s new addition to her family and were honored when she asked us to share some tips on personalizing children’s rooms. As a designer of personalized wall decals for kids’ and babies’ rooms, we see lots of creative decorating ideas and are delighted to share some of our favorite tips and tricks.

We love polka dots. So classic. So modern. So sweet. Taking a theme like polka dots and adding personal touches can bring a room from blah to bright. This mom started with the basics – fabulous lavender paint and polka dot bedding and curtains made by JoJo Designs in the theme of ‘Mod Dots’. She accented her wall with weeDECOR’s personalized dot arch wall decal to crown the headboard. But, she didn’t stop there. This mom took her own childhood furniture and refinished it in a pretty, antique white. She also made the hanging picture frame collage herself. The collage is comprised of Disney princess pictures and a picture of her daughter dressed as Cinderella – the perfect accouterment for her new room fit for a princess.

We love animals, too! Animal themes are also a classic and adding your baby’s name to personalize your animal décor will make your room that much more special. See how this mom decorated baby Nathan’s room? She painted his walls with Benjamin Moore’s Grey Cashmere paint, which provides a striking backdrop for that white Ouef Sparrow crib. Her minimalist bedding provides the leeway desired to jazz up the walls with weeDECOR’s adorable animal wall decals. Mom used weeDECOR’s safari wall decal mural to create an animal parade above the crib. A sweet giraffe leads the charge followed by his other charming safari friends. Mom then personalized her son’s room with our premium personalized monkey wall decal, which has a mischievous little hanging monkey ready to drop in on the animal parade. This room is beyond cute.

Two is better than one. Have twins? Personalized décor is a great way to make each of your little ones’ feel as unique as she is (and maybe help Grandma out as well). This mom put her twin baby girls’ names above each of their cribs creating lovely symmetry in the room. She chose our personalized solo bird wall decal in pretty pale pink and green accents. These furry friends smile sweetly down on Alexis and Olivia all night long. Dad painted the rocking chair (not shown in photo) that rocked him to sleep as a baby boy which adds another nostalgic, personal touch.

Personalized wall décor, refurbished furniture, and nostalgic décor are just a few of the ways to add that personal touch to your child’s room. Tell us your favorite ways!

Newborn Nap {Stokke Sleepi Mini}

by Kate on March 16th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Life

Earlier this week my friend who took our family and maternity photos when I was 31 weeks pregnant came over and spent the morning taking pictures of Max.

She got some great shots of him, including the one above, but it was slightly exhausting. For everyone. I never realized how hard it is to get good photos of a newborn. I assumed a photographer just laid a sleeping baby down, took a few shots and “Viola! Beautiful baby photos”. Turns out, it’s a lot of work!

As you can see, even Max was tired. After a few outfit changes, many nursing breaks, and position changes, he took a nap in his Stokke Sleepi Mini Crib. To be honest, he rarely sleeps there during the day. He is often in the living room or on my chest or in his swing. But to see him laying so content in his crib was really special. It was a quiet moment to just admire my little guy and think about how he truly does fit into our lives.

Sure, we made his nursery in of the corner of our master bedroom but the Sleepi is like his little safe space. And he knows it. And we know he belongs there. Here. With us.

Thanks to Stokke for providing a sample in exchange for coverage and review.

Modern Nursery Nook in Master Bedroom {With Stokke Sleepi & Care}

by Kate on February 23rd, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Children's Decor, Life

When we first talked about preparing for this baby, my husband and I didn’t plan on putting much of a nursery of any kind together. We easily occupy all the room and space in our house as a family of four and we are moving this summer. It just didn’t seem worth it to rearrange bedrooms to set up a full nursery for the baby. The baby will sleep in our room for the first several months anyway so we just thought we’d put up a travel crib in our room and call it done.

And then I started nesting. And the idea of not having a space for this baby really started to bother me. We were extremely blessed and lucky to receive the amazing Stokke Sleepi Crib and that set the plans for our “Nursery Nook” in motion. I’ve taken the existing design and style of our master bedroom and created a little corner of the room that blends but is distinctly for the baby.

I am still waiting on a few little things to arrive, but I actually cleaned our room in preparation for my mom arriving so I took lots of pictures.

This is a look at the whole room from the door to the bathroom. Our room already had a black and white thing going on with black furniture, white lamps with black shades and black and white bedding. We’ve added white nursery furniture and I added in touches of aqua as a gender neutral baby color.

The only change I made to our existing furniture and decor was to switch the throw pillow cases on our bed. The old throw pillows were floral and I wanted some new ones with more graphic modern prints as well as at least one to pull in the aqua color. The pillow covers from Modernality 2 are great and I actually ordered two more for our bed when these arrived – a black and white damask pillow and a gray pattern.

Okay, so on to the nursery goodness… The real catalyst to the space was receiving the Stokke Sleepi Convertible Nursery Bed. This crib is simply amazing and designed to grow with your baby. It can transform from a mini crib (how we have it set up) to an oval crib to a toddler bed. But not only is it functional, it’s gorgeous.

Isn’t it dreamy? And darling? And perfect? The small size means it fits in parent’s bedroom because it doesn’t take up too much space, is on wheels and it can even fit through doors as is. It also creates a cozy and not overwhelming space for baby to sleep.

Our Sleepi Mini is dressed with the all white Stokke Mini bedding, and there are also a couple of other choices (pink, beige or blue).

We like the Stokke Sleepi so much that literally two days after it arrived we ordered the Stokke Care Changing Table. Like the Sleepi, the Care is designed to grow with your child and can convert to a storage system and then to a desk.

A bunting custom made in black and white and aqua fabrics from Starlit Nest Gifts hangs above the changing table.  For the moment, the letter L for our last name is hanging there, but the plan is to put the baby’s first initial after s/he is born. The dresser to the right of the changing table was once mine, but my husband and I consolidated into his and this one now has little baby things inside. Resting on top next to the Care is a free printable I found on Pinterest from Sprik Space. It’s lyrics from the Coldplay song “Yellow”: Look at the stars * Look how they shine for you.

The Care is stocked with some Maclaren beginning… baby products and burp cloths from Etsy.

The final piece of furniture in we added to our room to create the nursery area is the Lexington Modern Rocking Chair. It’s a small chair – that looks even smaller next to the tall Care and our very tall bed – but the style is perfect with the modern white nursery furniture and it will go into baby’s nursery when we move.

The pillow cover is from Modernality 2 and I ordered the aqua chevron blanket (and some of the burp cloths) from The Posh Pea Boutique.

So that’s our little nursery area that will hopefully be a nursery of its own in our next house. What do you think?

***

Shopping Guide
Oval Mini Crib: Stokke Sleepi
Changing Table: Stokke Care
Molded Rocking Chair: Lexington Modern
Pillow Covers: Modernality 2
Fabric Bunting: Starlit Nest Gifts
Blanket & Burp Cloths:  The Posh Pea Boutique
Burp Cloths: Baby Ready to Ship
Stars Print: Sprik Space blog

Thanks to Stokke for providing the Sleepi and Bedding for coverage and review.

Boon Curl Shoe Rack

by Kate on February 22nd, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  28 Days of Design, Children's Decor

Design: Boon Curl Baby Shoe Rack

Why We Like It: Baby shoes are cute. And hard to resist. And worthy of hanging on the wall like art rather than being hidden in the closet. At least that’s the theory behind the innovative Boon Curl Baby Shoe Rack. Made of coated steel, Curl will hold eight pairs of shoes from newborn through size 5. We love the function of Curl and it’s a fun way to organize and show off your favorite baby accessories.

Shop! The Curl Baby Shoe Rack is available at our affiliate Amazon for $38.

***

Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28+1 Days of Decor.

 

Little Nest Box Felt Mobile

by Kate on February 21st, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  28 Days of Design, Children's Decor

Design: Felt Mobiles from Little Nest Box

Why We Like It: Typically, we try to pick one design to focus on every day, but it’s impossible to pick a favorite from Little Nest Box. The Rainbow Butterfly (pictured above) is darling. The Circle Mobiles are divine. The Cloud Rainbow Mobile which may be the sweetest thing every to grace the space above a crib. And I am so smitten with the  Design Your Own Pom Mobiles that I ordered one for my baby. (I can’t wait to show you how the nursery nook is coming together!) All the mobiles are handmade using colorful felt and many designs can be customized with your choice of colors to match your child’s room to perfection.

Shop! Little Nest Box mobiles range in price from about $20 for the Cloud and Rainbow Mobile to $55 for a Large Butterfly Mobile. Another tempting nursery find? Five feet of Felt Garland in custom colors for only $15.

***

Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28+1 Days of Decor.