Baby Björn Little Potty

I think this potty is quite average as far as potties go. It is Baby Björn's smallest and lightest potty, which makes it great for traveling. It looks good too, but this is of course part of what you pay for with Baby Björn products. It ranges between $15 and $27.99 on Amazon depending on the color. (It comes in red, blue, pink and white).

The reasons why I think it's just average are because it's low to the ground and not that comfortable for a kid (even with its soft lines), nor is it easier to clean out than other generic ones out there. Neither of my kids ever liked to use it or sit on it for longer periods of time so it wasn't a great potty for potty training. In fact, my little girl seems to fall too far into the potty when she sits on it and has a hard time getting out. So maybe it's not meant for kids with tiny bottoms...

If you want a great looking, more traditional potty and don't want to buy the Baby Björn Potty Chair because it's big and takes up space in your bathroom, I would probably get the Baby Björn Smart Potty instead of the Little Potty. The Smart Potty is still small enough to travel with you, but it's way more comfortable for small bottoms than the Little Potty is, and easier to clean. The one good thing about the Little Potty (other than its good looks) is that the front of the potty is high enough to prevent accidents, especially with little boys.

So in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- Small, light-weight.

- Easy to bring with you. 
- Has a high front to prevent "accidents".

- Looks great.

- It's made out of PVC and BPA-free plastic.

- OK as a 2nd potty or travel potty.

Cons:

- Small bottoms fall too far into the potty.
- Not all that comfortable to sit in for longer periods of time (thus, not great for potty training but ok for traveling).

Baby Björn Potty Chair

There are actually differences between potties out there. Granted, most do the job just fine. I mean, the point of a potty is to "capture things" and in that sense a potty is a potty...

However, the Baby Björn Potty Chair might just be slightly superior to the potty next door. Although it's a bit pricey (nearly $30) and I don't know if there is something equally great out there for less, it's a very, very good potty as far as potties go. I've come to realize that all the other more or less generic potties that we own (in various places) have something that make them work less well than the Baby Björn Potty Chair. Some are hard to clean out without "dribbling" between toilet and faucet, others are not as well designed to capture things (especially when it comes to little boys). The product designers at Baby Björn were really onto something when they created this potty. 

For one, both our kids like to sit on it for what must seem like ages for an impatient little child, because it has soft lines and an ergonomic design with backrest and armrests. In fact, one doesn't necessarily notice the armrests until your child rests his/her arms on them because the backrest is so well designed. The front of the potty is high enough to limit "accidents" even when it comes to aimless little boys (at least this has been the case with our son). The potty is also easy to empty out and clean and has a leak guard that prevents spills. It is made out of PVC and BPA free plastic which is a big bonus in our household. Lastly, it looks great in your bathroom (at least to an adult). 

So as much as I feel that the price is a bit high for a potty, I have to give it both thumbs up. It does everything it's supposed to do just a little bit better. And it lasts for a very long time.

So in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- It's sturdy and ergonomically designed.

- There is a leak guard that prevents spills.

- Has backrest and armrests for little arms to lean onto.

- High enough in the front to limit accidents.

- It has a rubbery strip on the bottom which helps keep it in place.

- PVC and BPA free plastic.

- Looks great.

Cons:

- Of course, anything sturdy with a backrest is slightly bigger than a portable potty.

- Pricey, but I think it's worth it.

Marsona Sound Conditioner: SleepMate 980A

If you live in a small house, an old house, a poorly insulated or just a loud house, this is a must have item. Especially if there is more than one child running around. This machine completely changed our lives.

One of our children is a very light sleeper and in a poorly insulated old house you can hear everything. Any small sound, such as a door opening or closing (quietly), a cough or a low-toned conversation would wake her up. And no matter how hard I used to believe that all kids just get used to noises and learn to sleep through them, it just wasn't happening with our daughter.

On a particularly hot day well into the first year of our little lady's life I bought a heavy-duty fan to cool down our bedroom. It was quite loud and efficient and I realized that our daughter slept like a baby that night.

So I set out to search for a device which was essentially as loud as our fan but without the fanning effect. Quite a few mothers recommended the Marsona and said that it had made their babies sleep through the night without fail. In fact, one nice mother in our community gave me hers and wished me many sleepy nights moving forward. This is exactly what we got from then on.

I know that there is all sorts of research for and against using sound machines, but in our case we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. We try to not always use it. But the main thing for us is that it drowns out all the other noise in the house and our little lady sleeps better, and so do we.

I'm endlessly grateful to our Marsona and the mom who gave us hers. In fact, we like this machine so much that we ended up getting the Marsona travel version (Marsona TSCi 330) as well. I also got it for a friend of mine who suffers from tinnitus, and she also sleeps like a baby now...

So, in my humble opinion...

Pros:

- This electro-mechanical sound machine actually creates the white noise (just like a fan). It's not a recording of white noise.

- For a fairly small device it is very powerful.

- The 980A has two settings and you can adjust the "tone" of the white noise from high to low.

- Will absolutely drown out noise and make a light sleeper (or just a poor sleeper) sleep better.

- Fairly low cost for such an effective device (around $65)

- Seems to last for a long time (we got ours used and it still works just like new).

Cons:

- I'm trying to come up with something here but I have no complaints about this one.

The First Years: Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler Tub

Since I just gave the Summer Infant Soothing Baby Spa & Shower such a poor review I'm going to write about one of my favorite baby products next.

Staying on the topic of bathtubs, The First Years Infant to Toddler bathtub is in my experience the best baby tub out there. (Granted, I have not tried every single one that I've seen, but I've definitely paid attention to the different product features). After being more than discouraged with baby bath time in the Soothing Spa & Shower, I saw this tub at a friend's house. She swore by it so I went straight to Babies R Us from her house and got it for $19.99 (a third of the cost of the other one we had).

This bathtub is definitely designed with a growing baby in mind and for making bath time much easier on the parents. There is a toddler seat at one end of the tub and a sloped/reclined seat at the other end for when your baby is still small and can't sit up on his/her own yet. In addition to this, there is a mesh sling that attaches to each end of the tub making newborn bathing so much easier. It keeps your infant safe and snug so you can focus on the actual process of washing your child. I found this picture on Amazon and think it conveys my thoughts about the sling better than any words can (the baby in the picture is a 5 lbs preemie): http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B000067EH7/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0?ie=UTF8&index=0 

You can place the tub inside your bathtub/shower area (it has a water outlet), or you can place it side-ways on your bathtub (it should fit most standard-sized bathtubs) which gives you tons of access to your babe. Of course, for the sake of safety you should only do this while your baby is small and doesn't move much. After that "floor level" is the safest place.

Lastly, as an added little bonus, it has a drain plug that changes color if the water is too hot.

This is a great tub for a very low price. I would definitely recommend it to new parents.

Pros:

- Ergonomically designed with growing baby in mind.
- Toddler seat on one end and infant seat/recline on the other end.
- Mesh sling for infant bathing that actually works.
- Fits most standard size bathtub sideways so you have better access to bathing your baby.
- The tub is lined with mildew resistant pads. 

Cons:

- Perhaps not the most beautiful color but I think I've seen it in a light blue version as well...