How many of us look back on the last few years and think “gosh, I’ve learned SO much!” That’s exactly what I think about when I look back on the past 6 years according to my motherhood. As an expecting mom with a surprise baby, I think back to all the hours that I spent looking for what I needed when my first was born. It was all new unchartered territory. Think going into a Pep Boys for the first time when you have never owned a car. I was not well versed in Pinterest and didn’t have a baby board. I only knew of a baby store a ways away from my house, and I knew very little about baby development and what materials were the perfect ones for a baby. Here are a few things that I learned over the years that are making me feel like a brand new, now informed mama this time around:

• Feeding and Bath Materials: Back in 2017ish, I was introduced to two things that I had never thought about in the same light as kids/babies/new parenthood: Silicone and Stainless Steel. Everything I had purchased up to that point was plastic as far as dinnerware for kids, flatware for kids, cups, and even bath toys. That's what my major chain stores had, so that's what I got. My first quality material product was the Innobaby Silicone Fish Scrubbie. I still remember looking at the package and the kind woman explained how bath toys made of rubber and plastic collect mildew, mold and bacteria. I figured as much as they stunk after a while, but what I didn’t realize was that there is an alternative material that makes bath time fun, efficient AND safe-- and that is silicone. In fact, the smell I was smelling on the bath toys we had meant that the bacteria had been there a long time. Yuck. And that fish is STILL part of our bath inventory. We’ve kept good care of all of our silicone because they are easy to store, sanitize, and use! We are up to 4 fish now plus a duck, rainbow spots. In addition to silicone, I found Stainless steel as well. We got the Innobaby Stainless Bus plate with lid, and honestly, until that point, we only knew stainless as an appliance material. It was after researching the plate that I found that stainless (and glass!) should have been my first choice for kid eats. All of those scratched plastic plates were not only unsightly, but they were not safe either. The plastic finish was compromised, leaking gosh knows what, and after time, food and other stuck on messes get caught in the dug out grooves from the flatware scratches. We now have 3 bus plates and they are the best ever! They look brand new after years of DAILY USE and they are a staple in our fridge because of the lid! We have since added an Innobaby chicken plate to our inventory and we love that one as well! It’s compartments are deep enough for cereal and soup, which makes my buffet loving kid very happy when there is room for all of his favorites.

• Infant Oral Development: Ok, I was clueless here until literally last week. I watched the @milkmatterspt x @innobabyllc live session on Instagram and I literally felt like a brand new mom. I learned all sorts of things from Dr. Gigi including palate development and lip and tongue tie information too. I also learned that not all teethers were created equally. It is important to know the difference between original, safe teethers and those that are not safe in the age of “anything goes” on amazon. I learned that the Innobaby Fruit teether is double molded so there is no chance of it falling apart when baby uses it. I also learned why the Innobaby Star Teether is so important for baby’s oral development as well as fine and gross motor development. Moving the tongue from side to side and up and down are important exercises in learning proper oral development for eating, speech, and more! You can check out the live here. 

• On the go bottles: With our first, I distinctly remember asking SEVERAL times at restaurants for warm water in a cup to warm a bottle as well as carrying a formula dispenser that was always gross along with a bottle of water to mix with. That’s where all of the Aquaheat products come in. There is an on-the-go bottle and warmer. You can store your breastmilk or water in it (duh- it never dawned on me those years ago!) and heat it on the go. With a simple packet and a splash of water, it heats your milk in minutes-- genius and no plug required! Pair it with the Innobaby Packin’ Smart stackable storage for formula, and you have a winning combination for on the go feeding! The stackable storage goes with you and your baby and will eventually become a snack tower followed by a spice rack and office supplies container (and then maybe back to formula in my case!) Pair them both with the Aquaheat bag and cooler packs, and you can be out all day with your little one! This would have been so much easier for me on my weekly trips to the city with my first!

So, as I embark on this new adventure of being a new mama again, I can’t wait to take this wealth of knowledge that I have gotten over the years to make parenting a newborn and baby so much easier and safer. I am now educated on what the best materials, products and practices are to ease some of those late night worries. (Plus, I’m really hoping to save on my late night feeding Amazon purchases this time around!)