Ridiculous Baby Items - Top 5

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New moms are overwhelmed with literally millions of suggestions of random baby STUFF to choose from. A lot of junk. A lot of unnecessary items. A lot of cool gadgets that are over-priced that you will actually never use. So.much.stuff!

In researching what I wanted to purchase or put on our baby registry for the boys, I came across so many completely silly items. I put together a list of things I definitely did not want! I don't want the clutter in my house. I didn't want anyone to spend money on such a superfluous, useless item. I'm not saying these items don't have their place... they just don't have their place in MY house.

5. Crib Bedding Set: Seems practical, right? Nope. Babies can only safely use 1 piece of the bedding sets... the crib sheet! You can find a crib sheet, in cute patterns and colors even, for about 10 bucks. A bedding set costs about $100 on average although I have seem custom ones on Etsy (repeat offender for over-priced, useless baby items!) for nearly $400! Sweet baby Jesus are they cute, though, so I can see the appeal. However, most bedding sets don't have the breathable, mesh bumper pads. Safety hazard numero uno. Babies can't  use comforters for at least the first year. Hazard numero dos. Crib skirt, meh. Maybe if you have a cutesy little girl nursery. All in all, kind of superfluous.

This Etsy shop has some BEAUTIFUL items... but this seems like a safety hazard!

4. Designer baby clothes: Even handcrafted "designer" clothes. Etsy is especially guilty of this! A specialty onesie for $50... a "coming home" from the hospital outfit for $75! You could literally buy an entire wardrobe in a size for your baby with that kind of money! A cute holiday outfit is one thing, but I still wouldn't pay more than maybe $15. A whole wardrobe of designer clothing, shoes, hair bows, etc... no way!

If you want something like this but don't want to spend $50... you could always just make it?

3. Wipes Warmer: Seriously, save your $25 and buy MORE DIAPERS and/or wipes for the new baby. They need diapers. They don't need their tiny little butts pampered with perfectly warmed moist towelettes. What happens when baby starts to grow up and realizes the that world is a cold, uncaring place that doesn't have warmed toilet paper to clean their tiny little butts with? They will cry. They will cry a lot. And it will be in public. Speaking of public, what do you do when you're on the go??? Carry this thing with you? Nope. Nope nope nope.

It's cute! It's pink! But, really?

2. "Baby Keurig": Again, seriously? If you're going to be formula feeding, save your $200 and buy FORMULA. It's expensive enough. You definitely shouldn't need a Keurig machine to mix and heat bottles for you unless you're a new mom, have severe OCD and are completely incompetent. I did read a message board post about a new mom who WAS mixing formula incorrectly, adding too many scoops of powder and wondering why her baby couldn't get anything through the nipple. Seriously. If it will help you sleep at night and not have to wonder if baby's milk is the right temperature or if you shook the bottle hard enough, go for it. But personally, I have many other uses for $200.

$160 buys us TEN large containers of formula... or you could buy this.

And finally, the number one most ridiculous baby item I have come across... and I still can't get over how ridiculous it is! 

1. Wearable Baby Monitoring equipment: Mother of God, WHY would you want one of these? Even as a new parent, I would never never never want to have one these things. There are many of them on the market these days. Most of them attach to your baby's diaper or foot and then they monitor heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen levels, etc. Some of them even come with apps you can download that TEXT YOU WHEN YOUR BABY WAKES UP or predict when your baby may wake up. You know, in case you decided to go grocery shopping, you can come home. Most of them have reviews of multiple false alarms that baby has stopped breathing, obviously causing extreme panic and anxiety in any parent. Why would you do this to yourself??? 

Is this what the world has come to???

I'd love to hear about any products you have purchased or received that you found completely ridiculous or impractical! 

The Day I Decided to Stop Breastfeeding...

This will be the last post in my World Breastfeeding Week 2014 series. Probably the last time I will discuss this topic at all, considering I don't have too much experience with it - although I do cherish and appreciate the 8 weeks that I was able to bond with and provide for my babies.

The day I decided to stop breastfeeding was sudden. So sudden, in fact, that I didn't even realize the last time I was feeding my babies would actually be my last time breastfeeding. Within hours, my life and our routine changed. I wasn't okay with it at first, but within 2 days I knew that we had made the right decision - as hard as it was. 

A little background...

I returned to work at 7 weeks postpartum (I know, right??? That was even with using a full week of precious vacay!) I was still almost exclusively breastfeeding my twins- only giving about 1 bottle of formula a day and supplementing with pumped milk. We were doing well - and I was blessed with a crazy-good supply. Had my babies been more efficient eaters we may have been able to get rid of the pump and the formula all together. But it wasn't meant to be. Several factors played a role in how we decided to stop breastfeeding. I believe that returning to work that early postpartum is ultimately what destroyed us.

I had to pump right before I left the house for work, at least 2 times while I was there, and then immediately feed the babies upon my return. It was rough. I was engorged from day one and no amount of feeding or pumping could do anything about it. Within a few days I had developed full-blown mastitis (I would not wish mastitis on the person that I hate the most in this world... or maybe I would? Nope. It's horrible.) I fed my babies one evening, after feeling pretty darn crappy all day, took my temperature and then headed straight to the urgent care facility since it's.always.the.weekend when I'm sick! Geez. ALWAYS!

The doctor there had no idea about mastitis or breastfeeding mothers in general. He didn't understand engorgement and actually kept asking me if I had implants. No. No no no no. He put me on an antibiotic injection and oral antibiotics and told me it was pump and dump only - no feeding the babies milk for 2 weeks. It was heartbreaking. I realized that I had probably breastfed my babies for the last time unknowingly and I didn't even appreciate it at the time because I was feeling so sick. I knew there was no way I would be able to function with pumping and dumping and still have a decent supply at the end of the 2 weeks - or my sanity! 

The following day I go see my regular doctor and, of course, I was given the wrong antibiotics and information the night before. But it was too late. I was in so much pain and so through with breastfeeding I had decided that I was stopping cold turkey (probably one of the worst decisions I've ever made - so much pain! - but hindsight is always 20/20!!!) Mastitis got the best of me. We switched to formula at the point and we haven't looked back. I keep thinking that if I had more time before returning to work, if I had a more knowledgeable doctor, if I had more support (if I weren't such a pain-sissy?) - maybe we could have powered through! But it's in the past. I would love to be able to provide support to friends and family who decide to breastfeed in the future, though!

Formula feeding has given me my life back. It now only takes about a half hour to feed my babies instead of 75 minutes. I don't have boob issues to deal with. I can let other people feed them. The formula does keep them full longer, don't even try to tell me it doesn't! If I were to have another baby, which I won't be, I would probably re-try the whole breastfeeding thing. But I wouldn't kill myself for it. Formula is just as good and it's what works for us.

What I Ate Wednesday - Baby Edition

Last week was World Breastfeeding Week 2014 - my babies skipped it. They decided to celebrate the deliciousness of formula (and some solids) instead. From my previous post, you know that we stopped breastfeeding when the boys were 8 weeks old. It feels like a year ago. We have now been formula feeding for as long as we were breastfeeding and guess what, life goes on! Since switching to formula, we have a much happier (and healthier! Thank you Mrs. Mastitis and BFF Engorgement.) household and we are now a proud formula feeding family.

So what do my babies eat? How did I decide? Do I regret this decision?

Since we have 2 babies, we need something inexpensive. As inexpensive as formula gets. We feed the basic infant formula - Target store brand. Formula is required to meet all of the same standards. So why do you pay more for a name brand? Similac, Enfamil and the like all spend TONS of money advertising. And all of those "free samples" at the hospital and other samples - someone pays for them - you should know by now that nothing is ever really free. The people who pay the significantly higher prices for Similac and Enfamil are the ones who finance those samples. 

The Target brand formula we buy on sale and usually with a coupon. The large size lasts us for about 5 days between the two babies and cost us $16. Not bad. Not bad at all. How did we do it? The formula is usually $25. We waited until it was on sale and then we used a $20 off a $100 purchase. And then we cleared the shelf. Seriously, we did. If you looked in our kitchen cupboard, you would question whether or not we were formula hoarders. On the plus side, we got a great deal on it and now we don't have to worry about running out anytime soon. And! We can wait until another great deal comes along instead of paying the regular price.

I didn't decide to stop breastfeeding on my own account (some people would debate that... you can read my previous post and my post-to-come) but I'm glad that the decision was made for me and I now have more time and freedom to spend actually enjoying my babies instead of being a milk machine. Even if you include the time spent preparing bottles and washing bottles, still a huge time saver. And super convenient too. Many people love breastfeeding for the "convenience" but I have yet to see how it is more convenient... someone enlighten me!

I absolutely do not regret this decision. I do not, do not, do not. Formula is a fine alternative that has given me the freedom to enjoy my babies and my life more.

We are also enjoying solids one meal a day at this point - some of their favorite combinations include sweet potato/applesauce, carrots/pears/brown rice and carrot/mango/oatmeal purees.

This week I am going to be making and preparing blueberry, spinach, plum and peach purees to add to their freezer stash and introduce even more variety to their diet.

How Breastfeeding Was Ruining My Life

Last week was World Breastfeeding Week 2014. My babies and I did not participate. However, I feel like I should write a few posts about my breastfeeding adventures and celebrate the 8 weeks that I was able to provide breast milk for my boys. It's quite an accomplishment! But at the end of the 8 weeks, we switched to formula and haven't looked back. Formula feeding is what works for us - and it took me 8 weeks and a boatload of feelings wracked with guilt to finally accept that.

The boys were breastfed as exclusively as possible. They were only receiving about 1 bottle of formula a day (actually, that bottle was given at night usually) and the rest of the time they were breastfed and then fed pumped milk from a bottle. The odds were stacked against me from the beginning but I was also "blessed" with an oversupply of milk (actually turns out that it's as much of a curse as a low supply!) My babies were premature, they had tongue ties, I did not get to hold them for several hours after delivery as they were in the NICU for the first few hours of their lives. Not a good start for breastfeeding success.

I was enjoying the quality time with my babies. The relaxation of breastfeeding. The feeling that I was doing what was the absolute best I could do for them. But there came a point where I just couldn't do it anymore - I was killing myself. My husband was supportive through the whole 8 weeks although I know he was not completely kosher with not being able to feed them (except for their pumped bottles) and he felt like he was missing out and not able to bond with babies as well. There was this little bit of tension between us because of my insistence to breastfeed even though it was not going smoothly.

Emmett enjoying play time!

Breastfeeding slowly started ruining my life. I dreaded going to bed at night, knowing that I would be up in less than 2 hours - by myself for most of the feedings at night - since my milk did not seem to keep them full at all. I dreaded getting up in the morning - usually giving up the idea of sleep around 5 a.m. and I dreaded the thought of being home with them all day by myself, going through the same vicious cycle. Spending an hour and fifteen minutes feeding every 2.5 hours is rough.

It wasn't until I stopped breastfeeding and switched solely to formula feeding that I realized what I had done to myself. I had been so caught up in the idea of breastfeeding them that I wore myself out and was so exhausted that I was physically unable to appreciate my babies. The very week that we switched to formula I found out just how much time and effort I had been devoting to something that may or may not have a significant outcome in the end. I had so.much.more free time to appreciate and play with my babies. A small bit more of sleep. A much happier husband.

Oliver loving tummy time... and thinking I'm the funniest person in the world!

I am one-thousand percent guilt-free about how I feed my babies at this point. But then there's always those people that can take a nice day and ruin it, oh, immediately.

A few months after these lovely breastfeeding adventures, I came across a completely ignorant article on breastfeeding superiority. I have never seen such nonsense in my life. According to this article, I am lazy. I play the blame game. And I definitely don't have my priorities straight. If you get a chance, read this article just so when you come across a "Sanctimommy" you'll know what she looks like and you'll know to stay away from her. Far, far away. I almost didn't want to link to this article because I don't want to perpetuate it. But it's just...ugh.

I am not lazy. I won't even go into that one. Sure, I love a day on the couch binge watching River Monsters and napping intermittently... maybe some food in there at some point. But I'm not lazy.

I may play the blame game. Fair enough. But why do I even feel like a need to defend my choice as to how I feed my babies to anyone? I know that continued breastfeeding was not in my cards, nor did I want it in my cards after a while. 

I do have my priorities straight. I'm feeding my babies. I'm taking care of myself. I'm not loathing motherhood and feeling like a boob-feeding slave to my babies. I can live my life and feed my babies at the same time - thanks to formula. Seriously. Happy, healthy mom = happy, healthy kids. I refuse to be discouraged in my choices by people who have not walked in my shoes. 

I would love to hear your feeding stories and choices as well as what works for you. No judgements, I promise! :-)