Author: Guest Writer

Owlet Smart Sock

As a soon-to-be-mama, I have rosy colored dreams of watching my little one snoozing away in the bassinet next to me! Taking in her little features as she smirks or grimaces in her sleep…wondering what her infant mind could possibly be dreaming about when she’s so new to the world.  But then I think about myself trying to actually fall asleep with her nearby and the dream bubble is popped! Suddenly, I realize the challenge that is to come in not staying up all night at the ready to tend to her needs.

The Owlet Smart Sock includes just that, a sock, that fits littles from 5 lbs. up to 30 lbs.  This soft, little sock, though so petite in size, is capable of so much!  First, it connects to your phone through bluetooth providing you with all of the data from your baby’s previous night of sleep.  What data? The Smart Sock not only measures oxygen and heart rate, but also measures sleep trends including total hours slept, number of wakings, sleep quality and more.

Personally, as a first time mama, I am particularly interested in the sleep trends feature of the Owlet.  As I am educating myself for the transition ahead to parenthood, baby sleep schedules and rhythms appears to be a hot topic among new parents with a lot of different schools of thought on how to approach baby sleep.  I appreciate the fact that Owlet will automatically log my little one’s sleep times so that I don’t have to…which means one more item off of my plate and a little more space freed up in my mind that is already running on limited storage (Thank you, pregnancy brain!).

From what I hear those nights can be a blur and I think it will be encouraging to wake up and use our nighttime data to help make decisions for our day.  For example, maybe I didn’t think we got a lot of sleep the night before, but then realize on the app it was more than I thought – what an encouragement!  Or on the opposite hand, maybe I wake up the next morning and realize we didn’t get much sleep at all the night before…well that calls for a jammies day and a cancelling of my to do list.  In the sleepy newborn haze, it will be so easy to lose track of time.  I think that the Owlet Smart Sock can help provide me with real data to assist me in navigating the drowsy 4th trimester.

Additionally, the kit includes a Base Station that provides a drop area to charge your Smart Sock quickly, which is especially convenient if you are taking it on the go or forget to charge it during the day and bedtime is getting close.  The Smart Sock battery lasts for 16 hours at full charge.  However, in just 20 minutes of charging you will get 8 hours of battery life, while a full charge is available after 90 minutes.  To charge, you simply place the sock on its resting place in the Base Station…no wires to fiddle with at all which means its easy to do one handed while enjoying those early morning cuddles.

Owlet has thoughtfully considered ease of use when designing their products.  From the convenience of data collected right to your phone to the efficient and petite equipment they provide that doesn’t feel bulky or overwhelming, their design is sleek and practical.  To read more about Owlet or shop their Smart Socks and accessories, check out their website or find them on Instagram.

My Sleepy Panda: Kennedy Canvas Diaper Bag

Diaper bags have evolved so much in recent years – in use and in design.  Holding so much more than ‘just diapers’, these days the diaper bag is closer to a Mary Poppins bag of tricks, growing with each child that we add to our clan.  Hungry? Check the bag for snacks. Thirsty? We’ve got sippy cups! Skinned knee? Deep dive into the bag for some bandaids.

As the use of the diaper bag has expanded, so have the selections!  Now our minds and google ads can be flooded with diaper bag choices.  Backpack or tote.  Large for big trips or small for on-the-go.  Canvas, leather, cloth…and the list goes on! Thankfully, there is not one “right” bag for everyone and this current variety in the market allows for mama’s and papa’s to make their choices based on the features that best suit them and their family’s current baby gear carrying needs.

Sleepy Panda offers parents a variety of diaper bag options, without being overwhelming! In their line up of quality bags you will find vegan leather bags, premium canvas bags, mini backpacks, Timberwolf bags and accessories to choose from. I love that all of their bags have a timeless, neutral look to them, allowing the bag to easily transition into a carry on bag or every day use bag even after the littles are grown.

Featured here, we will be going in depth on the Kennedy Canvas Backpack.  First, let’s talk canvas! Full disclosure: I am a sucker for a good leather bag.  But this canvas has seriously impressed me!  It is a heavy duty fabric with wipe-ability for all of the messes that a little one can dish out.  I really appreciate knowing that if I get caught in a rainstorm that this bag will hold up and not soak all of its contents! Upon unzipping, I am greeted with a fun black and white striped lining that is again a quality and durable fabric that you can tell will hold up and not absorb the liquid from a spilled bottle or sippy cup.

The bag felt a bit heavier than expected at first, but once I tried it on I realized why.  The designers at Sleepy Panda have thoughtfully constructed a framework within the canvas bag that provides a stable bag to dive into when you set it down.  Additionally, once you put it on your back, it feels like it is carrying itself.  The structure keeps the bag from going limp and hanging on your back or crumbling to the ground when you are trying to reach in and grab a diaper.  I think it is rare to find a backpack with such a nice structure and am confident that it will make packing the diaper bag and retrieving its contents much easier than floppy backpacks that I’ve carried in the past.  Once I put my items in the bag, they stay put because the bag stays put instead of caving in on them.

Now…let’s talk about the pockets.  Oh, the pockets!!  Sleepy Panda bags were designed by moms, for moms, and the pockets are just one of the features that shows this fact off so well! Inside there are 8 pockets to help organize all of the baby goodies.  This bag is deep (read: Mary Poppins deep!) so the pockets are essential to pack it in an organized manner and the designers at Sleepy Panda sure didn’t skimp on providing them for us! Outside of the bag there is a bottle pocket on each side and in front, 2 zipper pockets, one of which has 3 more pockets inside!  One of the pockets on the front zipper pouch is a wet pocket for those wet burp cloths or whatever soggy goods you need to tote around for the day.  Again, the pockets (quantity and types of pockets) make it so clear that these bags were designed by mama’s!

Additionally, when you get your Sleepy Panda Kennedy Bag, it arrives filled with a series of fun accessories to match!  It comes with the following: diaper changing pad, stroller straps, insulated removable water bottle pack, wet bag and a removable clutch.  Then, the motherload (no pun intended!) of all features!  Sleepy Panda thoughtfully included a USB charging hub in the bag right next a slim cell phone pocket so you can charge and carry your phone as you go about your day! Mind. Blown.

I can see this bag accompanying my family on long zoo trips or days at the beach, easily carrying all of our goodies in an organized fashion.  This quality diaper bag provides a good size for parents on the go, with a lot of wonderful features to make life with littles just a bit easier on you.  Check out their website for more bag options and be sure to find them on Instagram @my_sleepy_panda! 

Stay Supported – Nursing Bra Express Giveaway!

 Welcome to the Dashing Giveaway Hop


Enter for your chance to WIN a

$50 Nursing Bra Express Gift Card!

Since 2011, the experts at Nursing Bra Express have been providing support to mamas in all stages. From physical support in the form of pregnancy and maternity shapewear to breastfeeding support and information from their breastfeeding resources located on their webpage. Recently, they’ve even added nutritional breastfeeding support for mama’s, with their new line of lactation cookie mixes!

One winner will win a $50 Gift Card to Nursing Bra Express and begin to experience the wide variety of support they have to offer mama’s!

Check out their full selection HERE!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Sweets & Support: Nursing Bra Express

The story among first time moms is a common one.  We see moving photos of mama’s breastfeeding their littles…looking so natural and graceful…and we begin to put together an assumption in our minds that breastfeeding will be a natural process for us.  Our dreams become filled with Pinterest-worthy moments of feeding our littles in the quiet of night, soothed by the sounds of them effortlessly taking in mama’s milk while we gaze down on them lovingly.

But then reality hits and we are forced to trade in our newborn dreams for cracked nipples, low milk-supply, tongue ties, crying (and I don’t just mean the baby!) and an unwavering concern as to the unknown amount of milk that our baby has actually consumed from the breast!

While this isn’t the reality we would have picked, it is the reality for most moms as they figure out their babies feeding journey.  While there may be a temptation to feel we’ve been “robbed” of this blissful new baby feeding experience, I have to wonder if instead that dreamy story of blissful newborn feeding was a lie that we allowed ourselves to believe from the beginning.  The real story that we missed from the beginning is that the 4th trimester, in all of its glory, takes support.  Lots of support.

Nursing Bra Express has been in the business of supporting mama’s since 2011.  Their nursing bra experts have created an entire line of practical support items for breastfeeding mama’s that includes: Maternity Nursing Bras, Breastfeeding Clothes, Maternity & Postpartum Shapewear, & Breastfeeding Accessories.  One-stop shopping for the pregnant and nursing mama!


 

Recently, Nursing Bra Express has expanded their product line even further to help support breastfeeding mama’s nutrition.  They have created a new line of Lactation Cookie Mix’s to help support and boost milk supply.  The cookie mixes come in the following classic flavors: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip and a Lactation Cookie Base Mix that allows you to add whatever delicious toppings you’re craving! Loaded with key ingredients to help support milk production, the Lactation Cookie Mix’s make for a delicious 4th trimester treat that will be both sweet and filling for mom’s!

 


 

The cookie mix ingredients are thoughtfully prepared ahead of time so all you to do is add your own egg and butter prior to baking.  Each mix provides 2 dozen cookies and it is recommended that a breastfeeding mama eats 2 cookies a day for best results, allowing for a few days of consuming the cookies to start seeing results.  If you have extra’s – no problem! The lactation cookies also hold up well in the freezer if you plan to stock up and make the cookies ahead of time.

 

 

These mixes not only provide a sweet treat for mothers to make for themselves when beginning their breastfeeding journey, they would also make an excellent gift for a new mom in your life!  Whether you drop off the mix on its own or make the cookies ahead of time for her to have ready to eat or freeze, the Nursing Bra Express Lactation Cookie Mixes are a practical gift that will support her in her breastfeeding journey!

Further showing their understanding that each woman’s breastfeeding journey can come with different challenges, Nursing Bra Express has a “Breastfeeding Support” highlight on their website.  Included are numerous articles on topics ranging from “When to Buy a Nursing Bra” to “Common Latching Problems from A to Z” and more!  This resource provides moms, whether nursing their first child or their fourth, with further support in providing tips and explanations to common challenges and topics that come up for breastfeeding mamas in all stages.

While we cannot control the ultimate outcome of our breastfeeding journey, we can make sure to surround ourselves with resources and products that will support us in our motherhood journey.  Nursing Bra Express provides mama’s with a variety of resources with just that in mind: Supporting mama’s!