PHANEROO \fan-er-o-oo\Greek: to manifest in word or deed.


Monday, December 6, 2010

In My Mommy Tool Belt

I was just thinking through my favorite mommy "tools." Do you have any tried-and-true favorite things? I'd love to hear about them.

Here are mine:

1) Aquaphor ointment - I have this stuff in all my kids' rooms, in the diaper bag, in my bathroom, and in the kitchen cabinet. It can be used on dry skin, chaffed skin, chapped lips, diaper-rashed booties, irritated skin from moisture (on mouth around pacifier or in rolls of neck after a drooling session), and the list goes on. It is completely safe for newborns. Honestly I think they could eat the stuff and it wouldn't hurt them (disclaimer: don't try it). I couldn't live without this stuff.

2) Nuk pacifiers - These have been the paci of choice around here 2 out of 3 times. What I like about them: they are cheap and readily available. If you lose one on a road trip, you can swing into a Walgreens - and some gas stations - and pick up a pack. I know this from experience.

3) Flannel receiving blankets - Oh the things you can do with them: swaddle baby, lay under baby's head in her bassinet or crib as a Sheet Saver to catch spit-up and drool, burp cloths (those little burp cloths sometimes don't cut it), and nursing cover-up . Afterwards when they are stained and not suitable for baby, you can use them to dust your house and even to wipe off sweat after a good workout. They are absorbent and soft. Lots of uses.

4) Baby washcloths - I cannot have enough of these things. Ours get worn out after a year or two I guess because our kids are filthy little crumb critters. I've used them as baby wipes when they've had major diaper rash and regular baby wipes are irritating. You just have to wet them, wipe, then toss into the laundry. These little washcloths also work well for removing makeup because they are soft and the perfect size. Again, these can double as dusting rags once they become unsuitable to wipe little Angel's face and hiney.

5) Bounty paper towels - Talk about a hardworking mommy tool, what would I do without Bounty paper towels? I can seriously use a roll a day and that's why we buy them in bulk. The list is endless for their uses: cleaning up mega messes, wiping off faces and hands (much cheaper and less irritating than using baby wipes), and I also use this paper towel brand to make my own baby wipes (currently made with just water because of Griffin's sensitive skin).

6) Droid Pro - This is a newbie for me. BJ got me an early Christmas present this year because my Blackberry was failing me. I'm a much more efficient person with my SmartPhone. I can stay connected without being on the PC and neglecting my children. In addition to it's many capabilities such as phone, email, web, camera, video, etc. the Droid has some very cool mommy apps available: baby monitor; weather; Google shopper (compares prices when shopping by recognizing barcodes, label art, etc. and helps you find reviews, specs and more); Attention Grabber (get your kids' attention by pressing a key and your phone will sound off an air horn, fog horn, referee whistle, party horn, train whistle or machine gun); and so much more. So far I've only scraped the tip of the iceberg with this handy tool. I'm excited to learn all about it's capabilities!

Please leave a comment and share about your favorite mommy tools.


(Photo: The HippMama Belt at
The HippMama)

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