Okay, so every time lately that we eat out people stop and ask us about a certain item we are using. So, I thought I’d share it with you guys as well because we love it so much.
It is the Summer Infant Tiny Diner. Summer is the brand. It used to be Kiddopotamus and that is what it says on the tray but I guess Summer bought it or something. (Which really confused Ken when he went to buy a swaddling blanket for Audrey because they happen to make my favorite swaddle blankets too. He saw that it said summer on it and thought it would be good for warm weather. He didn’t notice that he had just bought a fleece one.)
We bought it years ago for Josiah and it is still going strong. When the kids are at the age to feed themselves but can’t use a plate because it’ll get tossed on the ground, having this mat to use at a restaraunt is awesome! Who wants to put the kids’ food on the table? Not me. Disposable ones like the ones at Chick-fil-a are sold but I don’t want to have to be throwing more plastic into the landfills or think about going to the store to stock up on more placemats.
My favorite things about this mat are:
- It cleans so easily. Usually one of us will either just wipe it down with a wet wipe or napkin if it isn’t too bad or take it to the bathroom to rinse it off. Then when we get home we give it a quick wash with some soap.
- It catches food in the nifty pocket. Little hands drop things all the time and this saves at least a good portion of the food from falling onto the floor.
- It has suction cups under it to keep it down.
- It rolls up into itself so it stores pretty small. In fact, we just keep it in the trunk of our car so that we never have to think to bring it with us.
- It is totally reusable so it saves you money and from from having to throw something else away.
- It has the “hey diddle, diddle” rhyme on it which Josiah would ask us to tell him. It would keep him entertained for a short while as he would point to the pictures and try to tell us the rhyme.
- It is so awesome that total strangers will come up and talk to you and want to be your best friend.
The only downside is that I have never seen one in a store, although I haven’t been in a baby store in a long time. So you have to buy it online. If anyone has seen one in a store, let me know in the comments please!
Ok, so Kiddopotamus (Summer) should totally hire me for their advertising team. I just love their products. They are so practical and reasonably priced. It almost makes you think that someone who has kids actually designed the stuff.
Other products they make that I love are the:
We don’t actually have one of these but we use a very similar bib made by Baby Bjorn. We have used the same bib for both kids and it is the only bib we have ever used since they started cereal and we love it. I am sure this brand works just as well. It also catches everything and washes so easily.
As I said before, the swaddle that worked best for both of my kids was the SwaddleMe Infant Wrap. It is so easy with the velcro and if the baby needs a diaper change in the middle of the night you can take off the bottom while leaving the arms swaddled so that baby will stay pretty much asleep while you take care of business. That is so helpful so that they don’t suddenly get wide awake at 2 am! They do carry these at Babies R Us and some types at Walmart. Target may have finally started selling them in stores as well, I can’t remember. We usually just got the cotton ones so that baby wouldn’t get too hot. We would also get a few of them since kids tend to have diaper leaks and spit up a lot when they are so little and you don’t want to have to wait for one to get out of the wash to tuck them in bed. Also, since we used ours a ton the velcro does start to lose some of its strength after awhile, but if you have a few of them they’ll probably last you the length of time that you swaddle.
Babies look so funny when they are swaddled!
Lastly, here are a couple more items that I have never used but think they are genius.
The Kiddopotamus Piddlepad – You put it in the car seat so if a diaper explodes or you are potty training you can just pull it out and wash it and not your whole car seat!
Summer Infant Sure and Secure Deluxe Top Of Stairs Wood Walk Thru Gate – It says it is for the top of stairs but it could be used anywhere. What is great is that you don’t have to throw your legs over the top of it to get in and out of a room. It also uses pressure to keep it in place so it doesn’t put holes in your doorway like some do. It is a bit pricier than your standard gate though. Our church nurseries use similar ones to this and they work great.
And, just to be clear, I have no affiliation with Summer, Kiddopotamus, or Amazon. I just really like this stuff and wanted to share.
UPDATE: I was at Target (Sept. 2012) and I saw that they now carry the Baby Bjorn bib and Summer swaddle wraps in the store! I was so excited that they have finally have them in the store instead of just online!
Have any of you used any of these items? Do you have other favorite baby things that made life a lot easier? I’d love to hear about them!
We have — and love– both the feeding mat and swaddle me. Both are from Babies R Us.
Oooh, good to know that they do have the mats in stores. Thanks!