Category Archives: Age 0-1 year

The Bowtique – Hair bows for little girls.

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Baby & Kids Clothing

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Not many things make me melt as much as seeing Madelyn (left) wearing a super cute hairbow. There are a lot of online hairbow shops but the great thing is that most of them are ‘mom owned’ and every mom has her own style, so all the hairbows are unique in their own way. The Bowtique is no exception. 

Here are a few reasons why I love The Bowtique:
1. The hair bows are just plain cute!
2. Even dad can make your baby girl a beauty with these easy to use, super cute hair bows.
3. The Bowtique has a huge selection of bows including plenty of designs for casual days, dressy days, and Holidays.
4. You can purchase a beautiful bow holder personalized with a Swarovski crystal initial at The Bowtique.

I love Jillain’s style. She has an eye for design and her color combinations are great. After browsing her entire site I feel confident that she has a hair bow to go with any outfit or for any occasion including Hanukkah, Easter, Birthdays, and more.

Most of The Bowtique’s bows are available in several colors and you can even personalize a cupcake clip with a Swarovski crystal number to show off your baby girl’s special day!

With tons of design and color options, you are sure to find bows that fit your baby or little girl’s personality at The Bowtique.

Where to buy: The Bowtique

The Mommy Insider readers get 10% off with coupon code ‘insider’!

Personalized Birthday Hats

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Ages 10-13, Baby & Kids Clothing, Holiday

PersonalizedbirthdayhatI can’t believe that Madelyn is going to be one in May! The first year goes by so fast and the fun has just begun.

I am in the midst of planning Madelyn’s birthday parties. We have to have at least two because of our extended families so I may be a little stressed in April while trying to figure out who is coming when and how we will celebrate at each party.

One thing that is making the thought of having multiple parties easier for me, is this super cute personalized birthday hat from Darling Designs Boutique. I put it on Madelyn and everything is OK.

This personalized birthday hat is simply too cute for me to put into words how cute it is. There is pink, fluff, polka dots, Madelyn’s name, a big "1".. and it’s all on Madelyn’s cute little head. (You can brag too if you send me pictures! – alicia@themommyinsider.com)

I can’t wait for our families to see Madelyn in her personalized birthday hat.

If you purchase a personalized birthday hat from Darling Designs Boutique or have already, please send me a photograph of your child wearing it and I will post it on The Mommy Insider for your family.. and the world to see!  I don’t do this for many products, but these are just so adorable, that I want to see your kids in them too!

When you order your child’s personalized birthday hat, you are given the opportunity to enter your child’s name, age, and the date you need the personalized birthday hat by.

Darling Designs Boutique offers several other personalized birthday hat designs including an adjustable princess crown party hat, and they don’t leave the boys out. There are designs for the little prince in your family too!

A few things I love about this personalized birthday party hat:
1. The durable construction. The hat itself is very sturdy and not easily squished when a seven year old "accidentally" steps on it.  Sebastian called it part of the review process?!  He’s smarter than I think sometimes.
2. The fonts are adorable.
3. The colors are vibrant.
4. The selection of fabrics and trim make your child’s hat even more personalized.
5. The chin strap keeps the hat on and doesn’t leave a mark on Madelyn’s skin.

Where to buy: Darling Designs Boutique

The Mommy Insider readers get 10% off with code WAHM10!

Car Seat Poncho

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Baby & Kids Clothing, Travel

CarseatponchoI love the cold weather because I get to wear sweaters to cover up my extra fluff (as Sebastian so kindly puts it). However, one thing I dread about the winter and cold days in general is getting Madelyn all bundled up before we leave the house. That dread came to an end though, when I received a Car Seat Poncho to review. The Car Seat Poncho is made of two layers of 400 weight fleece so it is incredibly soft. Madelyn uses it to snuggle with sometimes when she’s not wearing it..she likes it so much.

When Madelyn is in her car seat, the Car Seat Poncho surrounds her like
a blanket and keeps her super warm. As the temperature inside the car increases, it can be easily opened or removed.

The Car Seat Poncho is perfect for families in apartments because you don’t have to bundle your child up in a coat or jacket just for the short walk to the car.

Carseatponcho_stepsThe Car Seat Poncho is simple to use.  Believe it or not, I actually figured out
how to ‘install’ (ha ha) the Car Seat Poncho without instructions!  Before you go out, slip the Car Seat Poncho over your baby’s head. Then when you sit your baby in the car seat, lift the back of the Car Seat Poncho and drape it over the top of the seat.  Open the zipper from the bottom, and lay the poncho panels aside.  Buckle the harness and tighten the straps as directed by the car  seat’s manufacturer. Pull the zipper down to close the poncho.
That’s it!  You’re ready to go! I love it!

I can’t tell you how many "That’s so cute" comments I’ve gotten when Madelyn wears her Car Seat Poncho in the store. Yes, I use it even when she’s not in the car seat.

The Car Seat Poncho is for use with babies in a convertible car seat, not an infant seat and who weigh 20 lbs. or more.

Where to buy: Car Seat Poncho

Mention The Mommy Insider and get a 10% rebate check with your purchase! 

dreambaby safety accessories

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Pets, Store Reviews

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Madelyn has been walking for a couple of weeks now. At first, she wouldn’t wander far from us so we didn’t worry about gates… we were always within 5 inches of her. Now that she is more confident in her walking skills, she is all over the place. She’s all over the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the den, and her favorite is the stairs. Luckily, dreambaby sent us a couple of their safety gates so I know now what a really good safety gate is. When Sebastian was a baby, we used the wooden pressure gates all over the house so I wasn’t accustom to the metal/sturdy gate that dreambaby sent for review. I quickly warmed up to them though and now I won’t use or recommend anything other than dreambaby safety gates.

dreambaby safety gates can be used in hallways, doorways, and they have baby safety gates especially for use at the top of your stairs.

Installation of the hallway gate was simple and the use was even easier. To install the hallway safety gate, you simply turn/screw the knobs until they are tight against the doorway or wall. That’s it. There is a little ‘slide’ button on the top of the handle of the gate that you simply shift while pulling up and out on the handle to open the gate. It’s a one handed process. It took me longer to write that sentence than it does to open the gate. What I love is that I don’t have to put Madelyn down while opening the dreambaby gates like I did with the wooden pressure gates. I can use one hand and it’s easy!

Another dreambaby product that I love is the cabinet safety locks. I never took into consideration that there would be a difference in cabinet safety locks from brand to brand, but there is. We have two dreambaby safety cabinet locks that I love and have been using for a while, and when I needed more, I purchased a three pack at Target by the brand that they carry. I don’t like them.  You don’t realize how nice a product is until you use a similar product that stinks. The other brand is very difficult to open compared to the dreambaby brand. The dreambaby cabinet locks do a great job at keeping Madelyn out of the cabinets, so I don’t see why I should use a more difficult lock. I am ordering more dreambaby cabinet locks so I don’t have to use the other brand.

dreambaby sells a lot ofther safety products including a bathroom line which I will review soon.  They sell a complete safety value pack with 46 safety products.

Where to buy: dreambaby

Binky Lasso

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Baby & Kids Clothing, Bedtime

BinkylassoMadelyn’s pacifier is part of her wardrobe. There is not one hour of the day when she is without her pacifier. She doesn’t necessarily have it in her mouth 23 hours a day, but it’s  available for her when she wants it.  If she has a diaper on, she has a pacifier ‘on’. 

Because I am a "germiphone" (Sebastian’s word exactly), pacifier clips are an absolute neccessity.

Back in the day.. there weren’t options when looking for a pacifier clip. You might have had a few choices at the grocery store, but their pacifier clips just aren’t stylish for little princess and princesses. My little princess must have a stylish pacifier clip.

The Binky Lasso is a favorite of mine. I love the fabric design. I haven’t seen a pacifier clip made from fabric before I was introduced to the Binky Lasso. The Binky Lasso is easy to wipe clean with a wet cloth, super easy to clip on clothing or bibs, and can even be used as a toy clip.

Available in several designs, you are sure to find a Binky Lasso that fits your child’s personality and style.

Where to buy: A Little Lively

The Mommy Insider readers get a FREE Binky Lasso with the purchase of any gift set. Use the code ‘binkylasso’ when checking out!