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You remember these guys, don't you?
That's right, they were the last-minute, KitchenAid-felted, 3-in-1 felted baby booties.
The recipient was the lovely Brandy Fortune. I met Brandy at TNNA in June, but didn't realize I would be meeting her until the day before I left. Brandy emailed me a while back and volunteered to take pictures of my 3-in-1 Felted Baby Booties on her daughter, Rowan. This is why there was such a rush to complete the baby booties (and thus the infamous KitchenAid experiment). To tell you the truth, I actually sat at a table in the Bryson Distributing Booth at the TNNA marketplace finishing these little booties... all because I forgot my sharp needles and had to take one off their display unit in order to sew on velcro and embroidery... really (Thanks, wonderful people at Bryson!).
Anyway, Brandy is the author of the online blog Pixie Purls, and also has a pattern line to go along with it. The Milk Infant Top has been a favorite of mine since it was published:
Besides having her own blog and pattern line, Brandy is also Co-Editor, Photo Editor, and Web Diva of the ever-popular Petite Purls. Petite Purls is an online knitting magazine that offers free children's patterns seasonally. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must!
So are you itching to see the beautiful shots of the baby booties on an actual baby?!? I'm sure you are!
Aren't they just adorable?!
There are more, too! You can see the rest of the photos here.
There are more, too! You can see the rest of the photos here.
And while we are on the subject of baby items, I could use a little advice. I know many of you are mothers and help for a soon-to-be-mom is always appreciated. yesterday on my day off I started registering for my baby showers- I thought it would be easy, but quickly learned I was in over my head. Is there anything in particular that you love, couldn't live without? Anything I should pass on?
I'd love to hear what you have to say!
![](<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/melynda-bernardi-designs/32049"><img src="http://www.ravelry.com/images/shopping/buy-now.gif" border="0"/></a>)
congrats on your new little one! I've knit several pairs of slippers with your pattern and they're always such a hit!
ReplyDeleteThere are the obvious baby things, like a boppy and clothes, but the more unusual things that I liked for my littles were:
Angel care monitor-it doubles as a voice monitor, but it tells you if the baby stops breathing. Ours went off twice with each girl, and while I'm sure they would have started after the 20 seconds, I'm so glad I had it.
Trumpette socks-they were all that would stay on their feet as newborns
Lovely bibs-you think they won't need them until they start solids, but they drool so much from about 2 months to 4 months that you have to keep one one them to cover their clothes. All the pretty outfits are covered up with bibs-they might as well be adorable.
A sling. I have a karma baby one and a moby wrap, but if you have a nine in nine out group or a holistic mom group nearby, they have times that you can try every kind imaginable. My 19 month old is tiny, but she still rides in one several times a week.
Pacifier thermometer
Also, people will give you diapers at first, which is great, but once you have to buy them on your own, get the up and ups from Target. Pampers are 42.99 where I live, and the same size box at Target of their brand is 13.69.
Congrats again!
Mmm, what I can't live without. Portable baby swing! Also, pick out a diaper bag that you love with lots of pockets. It will be your purse/knitting bag for a few years. I also really loved for my first (I have five) was a portable diaper changing pad but it had mesh pockets for diapers and wipes and it folded up really nicely. It was great for quick trips places that I didn't want to take the diaper bag with me.
ReplyDeleteAgain Congratulations!
Another vote for a baby sling, they are great! My test for a good baby carrying device is this: Can I take it off unassisted with a sleeping baby in it, lay the baby down and have it continue to sleep undisturbed?
ReplyDeleteAlso, some sort of bouncy chair for very young babies, like this BabyBjorn Babysitter Balance.
http://www.babybjorn.com/en/American/products/Mobility/BABYBJORN-Babysitter-Balance/
Congratulations! It's an exciting, scary, wonderful time of your life.
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteA friend asked me for tips a couple of years ago, and I ended up posting them on my (now defunct) blog: http://suzynaj.blogspot.com/search/label/Pregnancy%20Tips
I hope that some of these are useful to you!
I love my cloth diapers and gDiapers. If you do go the disposible route though you DO NOT need a diaper genie. They break after a few months and are disgusting to clean out. Just throw the diapers in a regular trash can.
ReplyDeleteI also loved my Kanoe baby hammock. It was te perfect bassinet/swing and it's portable.
At my shower I didn't get any "useful" things, just cute stuff.. so now I always give dishwasher bottle/nipple holders, bottle brushes, veggie/fruit holder made out of mesh material (Target has these), bathwater temperature ducky, mesh lingerie bag (so baby socks don't get lost in the laundry), cloth burp rags, and pacifiers.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ann Arbor and work at The Little Seedling
ReplyDelete( www.thelittleseedling.com ). I'd be happy to chat with you on all things baby! I have two boys 3 and 1. I am a super babywearing mama and thing that woven wraps are divine as are the Moby and Ergo. I also cloth diaper and if you are at all interested I'd be happy to talk about that too! feel free to email me kookababy (AT) gmail (DOT) com I can send you my phone number as talking can be way easier than email. Congrats!
I wouldn't have survived the first couple of months without a bouncy chair. Ours vibrate too, which really helped to calm my little boy. He even had most of his naps in there when he was tiny.
ReplyDeleteA sling is also very useful. We bought a sturdy one, not too feminine: that was a good choice, because now that my baby is almost 7 months old and on the big side, it's my husband who uses it.
If you intend to breastfeed, some lanolin cream would probably help you get through the first couple of weeks when it can be painful.
An arms reach co-sleeper is on my list for the next baby: it would have made things much easier for our family with my first one.
I'll start with a list of things I really never used; Wipes Warmer, Bottle Warmer (I used it 3 times but I breastfeed and hate to pump so had no use for it), Bumbo (more fun then useful).
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, you don't need much for a newborn. OH this reminds me of the list I made on amazon.com for just such questions! I have loads of "notes" in the list!
http://www.amazon.com/lm/R12ROVU5U1H90R/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1
Hope that helps! :D
also thank you for posting all that info, and FYI for anyone reading this comment, the booties fit PERFECT and stayed on really well!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS! My kids are 20+ and there are so many new gadgets... When mine were born my Grandmother gave me several crib mattress sized pieces of waterproof/terry cloth backed material and several crib sheets. Her idea was to make the crib up in many layers so when there are middle of the night accidents and YES they happen you just peel off a layer and there is fresh bedding. Looking back this was one of the best gifts ever.
ReplyDeleteSweet little booties on a sweet little baby.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't live without swaddle blankets, a Bumbo seat, some sort of sling or carrier (I used a Bjorn and Beco Butterfly), a gazillion onesies/bodysuits, and gripe water.
Congrats on the baby!! I second the bouncy seat - my son lived in his for awhile. He wasn't very big on the swing. I did use the wipe warmer because my son would SCREAM if you put a cold wipe one him. Unfortunately some of the stuff is hit or miss.
ReplyDeleteLove the booties!
ReplyDeleteAdvice? Follow what makes sense to you. Babies can be easy (and quite inexpensive!) when you listen to them. Oh, and a baby sling. I made one following the pattern of Mayan Wraps and it has been a lifesaver to me and all my friends I loaned it to or made one for, whether they breastfed or not.
It's funny, I have 3 kids now, and all the things i thought I needed to have with the first one, were pretty well forgotten by the 3rd...I do recommend a wrap or a baby bjorn, but for me at least, which one depended on the kid - 1 of my kids did great in the bjorn, the other two wanted nothing to do with it, but a good wrap or sling worked great -
ReplyDeleteKeep a couple diapers and a pack of baby wipes in the car at all times - even if you go the cloth route, the kid's going to surprise you one day when you're just trying to go the store and forget the diaper bag...
Congrats!!
ReplyDeleteI second (and third) the bouncy chairs--I had twins and it saved my life. They also adored their Exersaucers once they turned 4 months old. The coolest thing I've seen since then has been the Boon Squirt Spoon--what a great, easy way to transport some fruit, etc.
awww those booties are the cutest!
ReplyDeletejust stumbled across your blog and i think its GORGEOUS!
please drop by mine too when you have some time. perhaps we can follow each other. =)
have a lovely day!
Persis
http://onestylemile.blogspot.com/
I have very little personal experience, but I have been told by a few of my friends (each with new babies) that these are the items you need:
ReplyDeleteA pacifier that snaps closed when you drop it. You will drop it. And who wants to keep sanitizing? These are in Target. You will know them when you see them: http://comfortfirst.com/p-34484-bebesounds-alwaysclean-pacifier-closes-automatically-when-dropped.aspx
Some are cute and look like ladybugs and so forth.
And Sophie the Giraffe, a totally safe, all-natural teething dealie: http://www.bynature.ca/sophie-giraffe-toy.html
Love those booties. I will be trying to make those in the near future!
ReplyDeleteAs for things I couldn't live without with my babies: I agree with the sling - it is great for being out and about. I didn't have these for my first, but for my second I wouldn't have made it without the swaddling blankets that had velcro to keep them together. She loved to be swaddled, and it ensured that she would stay that way. The other thing I loved with both of them was crib sheet toppers that just lay on top of the whole crib sheet. They snap around the crib so if you have to change it in the middle of the night you didn't have to change the entire bed. Wonderful. Can't wait to see all the neat things you will make for your sweet baby!
I could not live without (and gave as gifts for every baby shower I attended) a baby medical symptoms book and what to do for the symptoms. And a digital thermometer to go with it.
ReplyDeleteI will have to see if I can locate the book again (baby is now 23 and a sailor).
--Helle aka GracieB
Many congratulations on your happy news! I rarely give baby advice, but since you asked...register if you must but save your gift receipts. Babies can be picky and very fickle. Some babies like some kinds of pacifiers but not others, some (like mine) won't take them at all. There are tons of things that people will tell you that you "need" but I think one of the other posters nailed it when she said that newborns don't need much. Diapers of whatever persuasion you have chosen (we love cloth because they leak less, but it may not be your cup of tea), bottles if you are going to be breastfeeding and pumping or formula feeding, good burp cloths (I highly recommend using Green Mountain Diapers prefolds with the red edge - that is a good size to take you through the later months and they are WAY more absorbent than anything from BRU), a car seat, a safe place to sleep (which can be many different places) and lots and lots of patience and love. That being said, the bouncy seat is super helpful if you need (and can force yourself to) set the baby down for a minute! Along those same lines, I am also a babywearer and love both my Sleepywrap (like a moby) and Ergo and those are both great registry gifts. Finally, our son slept so much better when swaddled when he was really little. The miracle wrap was great, not in small part because it does not have velcro, which is a great way to wake a sleeping baby. Sorry for the long post. Best of luck!
ReplyDelete-Sarah
Such exciting times for you!
ReplyDeleteI second the commentor who said Target Up and Up brand diapers; they are awesome and very cost-effective. Also, I couldn't manage without my Ergo baby carrier. It's great and doesn't hurt the back.
As for everything else, you will discover what works for you and your baby.
Best to all three of you.
I just had my third baby and the one and only thing I could not live without is the miracle blanket. It is the best swaddling blanket and for my second and third baby this was absolutely a miracle. It helped them sleep so much better and longer during naps and bedtime. They didn't have it for my first born and we're still suffering from bad nights. Good luck!!!!!
ReplyDelete