San Francisco: Seesaw Update
I wrote about Seesaw’s great little cafe and play space a few weeks ago – we’ve LOVED having a place to go with Astrid where we could get great coffee … Continue reading
Cards and Invitations
You’re either the kind of person who sends printed birthday invitations or you’re not. Subcategory of the former: the kind of person who designs your own and and prints them … Continue reading
Birth Announcements
You’re either the kind of person who sends birth announcements or you’re not. Subcategory of the former: the kind of person who designs your own letterpress birth announcements and prints … Continue reading
San Francisco: H&M
Hooray for the Swedes! H&M has opened a big baby/kids section on the third floor of the Westfield Center, just outside Bloomingdales. (Borders’ old space, I think – sad to … Continue reading
Stroller Blankets
After my super-zealous write-up/run-down on blankets, here’s my quick two cents on “stroller blankets.” There are two types: warm blankets (some with a wind-proof-y side that faces out to protect … Continue reading
What the $)(! is up with all the blankets anyway?
Bottom line necessities: 1 sturdy, warm blanket for warmth and floor time. 2-4 lightweight inexpensive blankets (muslin or flannel) for general use (shade, clean-up, having in your bag for whatever … Continue reading
Giggle and Their “Better Basics”
I love Giggle. They have helpful, knowledgeable staff and beautiful products. Their selection is definitely on the high end of the baby products spending spree, but among the products they … Continue reading
Snack Cups
A mom came up to me in Seesaw this morning and asked about Astrid’s snack cup. She was trailing after her one year old carrying the little girl’s snacks in a … Continue reading
Swaddling Options
Bottom Line: As a minimalist who does laundry frequently, you won’t need more than four of all of the swaddling options. (I know laundry doesn’t sound fun, but you will only … Continue reading
San Francisco: Seesaw in Hayes Valley
It’s been raining a lot lately in San Francisco, which means limited activities for the little ones. My search for places to go with Astrid that are not just child-tolerant … Continue reading
San Francisco: Toy Stores
I hope this will be useful for some of my San Francisco readers. It’s by no means comprehensive + this is an area where I have pretty strong opinions, so … Continue reading
Bath Toys
Once you get beyond the terror of bathing your fragile new infant, you and your baby will probably both realize you like bath time. Warm water is relaxing. And that’ll … Continue reading
Tip: Call Ahead
If you’re not already in the habit of calling ahead to stores to confirm that they have what you’re going for, now’s the time to add it to your 2012 … Continue reading
Things You Do Not Need To Worry About Right Now: Preschool
Just stop it. Really. You do NOT need to worry about where your unborn baby is going to go to preschool. Even if you live in New York or San … Continue reading
Cookbook Round-Up
I posted a little while ago about how much I liked Top 100 Baby Purees when Astrid started solids, and I’ve got a couple more things to say on the … Continue reading
Bath Toys: Tea Set
Awesome bath toys have been hard to find, but I totally killed it the other day by grabbing a floating tea set as I zoomed through the bath aisle at … Continue reading
Bath Thermometer
OK, so seriously: you do not need a bath thermometer. Unless, of course, your hands and arms are coated with asbestos from that incident at the power plant that one … Continue reading
Lullaby
OK, so yeah, I knew the lyrics to, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” before Astrid was born, but my repertoire beyond that was pretty slim. It’s been a few years since … Continue reading
Happy New Year!
Apologies for the prolonged holiday hiatus! I was felled for nearly two weeks by a respiratory thing and then immediately got the flu. That plus the holidays took the wind … Continue reading
The Gruffalo: The Movie
We received The Gruffalo as a gift from a lovely neighbor when Astrid was about one. She was too little to stick with the story and it’s only now that she’s … Continue reading
Nursing stool
OK, so maybe you decided to get a glider/rocker and maybe you didn’t. You still might want to think about getting a nursing stool. No, it’s not something to use … Continue reading
Burp Cloths
I adore Dwell Studio’s baby patterns as much as the next geometrics-loving mom, but how, outside your baby shower, are you going to justify $35 for a burp cloth set … Continue reading
Pacifier Clips
So your baby may or may not want a pacifier. If he does, trust me: you will need a pacifier clip. You can buy the pacifiers that don’t bounce as … Continue reading
Bells and Whistles. Or Just Bells.
In deference to my – and therefore my child’s – sanity, I swore we would keep electronic and noise-making toys to a minimum. We’ve done pretty well so far. No … Continue reading
Babo Botanicals Detangling Shampoo
When Astrid’s toddler curls came in, we were up against detangling her super fine, perfect but, let’s face it, slightly matted post-bath hair. The shampoo/body wash combo from Burt’s Bees … Continue reading
The Swing
The baby swing is just that: a swing. Plus a motor. Most models have a number of speeds and play music or white noise (usually pretty tinny). The swing is … Continue reading
Tip for Pacifier Lovers
Some babies won’t take a pacifier. Some suck their thumbs. But some babies love their pacifiers. And some of us parents didn’t follow the sleep training advice to get them … Continue reading
Books: First 100 Words
There are so many board books for little kids purporting to introduce colors, numbers, letters, animals and on and on and on. As usual, the ones I thought would be … Continue reading
The Cribs Are Back! (Ikea)
In June, Ikea pulled all their cribs from their stores following a change in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s regulations. (They said it was precautionary, not because there was a known … Continue reading
Clothes: H&M
Ah, H&M, emporium of cheap, of-the-moment knock-off clothes! We love you Swedes! Here’s another reason to love them: they make baby clothes. Really, really cute ones too. And now that … Continue reading
Baby Clothes: Tea Collection
OK, so it’s a shopping time of year and minimalist though I may be, I’ve got another item for your Christmas wish list. I don’t recommend getting hooked on Tea … Continue reading
Toasty Warm
If you get any kind of winter chill where you live, the Angel Dear Fleece Hoodie is a great addition to your little one’s wardrobe. A friend of ours got … Continue reading
Are You Kidding Me? (x2)
First, I knew there was a reason I wasn’t using that Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo I got in a gift basket. Turns out the company is still including two … Continue reading
Cookbook: Top 100 Baby Purees
If you’ve decided to take on making your own baby food all the time or just occasionally, I think you’ll like this cookbook. It’s the only one I had for … Continue reading
Pacifiers
I had no idea: I guess I thought all babies maybe sucked their thumbs. Or they all took pacifiers. I don’t know… My little cousins, who were babies when I … Continue reading
Bottle Accessories
Assuming you’ll use a bottle for breastmilk or formula, along with the actual bottles themselves (see: Bottles), it’s a good idea to score some of the basic bottle accessories before the … Continue reading
Avocado Eaters
Astrid’s first solid food was mashed sweet potatoes. Those were followed quickly by avocados. Sweet potatoes aren’t hard to select at the grocery store and are easy to store when … Continue reading
Minimalista Mama 