Ain't No Mom Jeans

How to Score Cool Mom and Baby Gear on Ebay

I am, admittedly, an Ebay junkie.  While waiting for the birth of my son, I spent many hours on Ebay, trying to score some cool baby stuff.  I'd blame it on nesting, but my Ebay habit started long before my pregnancy.  At first, many of my purchases bombed.  There was the $50 plane ticket (to anywhere!!) that turned out to be a hoax.  (How did I not know that???).  And there was a host of ill-fitting dresses, uncomfortable shoes, and a purse that I just didn't need.  Or love.  I just got caught up in the bidding war.  BUT....over the years, I've learned a few things, gotten a little smarter, and managed to use Ebay to score some really great things for the babe.  My piece de resistance?  The super cool denim Bugaboo Frog stroller for $350, or maybe the 25 piece lot of Splendid baby clothes for $70.  Here's what I've learned:

My Default Shower Gift: Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddling Wraps

It's one of the first skills you learn as a mom:  how to swaddle.  You watch the nurses whip the fabric around your kid so fast that it's a blur.  Gingerly you try to repeat their movements, and softly tuck an edge of the blanket beneath the tiniest arm you've ever seen.  You kid starts wailing.  The nurse comes back in and WHAM!!  Just like that, your kid is swaddled and happy.     

For some (like my husband and I), swaddling becomes an life-saving way of life, practically an art form.  A well wrapped swaddle often made the difference between getting four hours worth of sleep as opposed to just two.  If that doesn't sound like a big difference, then you have either never been a mom or you have given birth to freaks of nature that sleep through the night. 

Because we were relying on swaddling as a method to keep our sanity in those early days, we wasted a ton of money trying every swaddling blanket under the sun.  We tried various sleep sacks (too roomy - he'd wake too early), "miracle" swaddling blankets (too thick, too hot) and an assortment of others (most were the wrong size and he would wiggle out, or they would cover his face). Then we discovered Aden + Anais.

Pimp My Umbrella Stroller

Everyone has one -- and I'm not talking about the super stylish and cool MacLaren version for $100 and up.  I'm talking about the $20 Target special.  The one that is given away as a free gift with purchase at Babies R 'Us.  The one that, despite spending $800+ on a Bugaboo, you find yourself pulling out of the trunk when you are too tired to deal with your "real" stroller.  Yes, I'm talking about the Umbrella stroller.  It's cheap, it's boring, it's very, very practical.  So let's pimp it. 

  First, to keep you little one cool and out of the sun on those scorcher days (or rainy - it actually works for both) check out Shady Baby's stroller parasols available in retro patterns or bold and vibrant single colors.  All of Shady Baby's parasols are UV-protected with a SPF of 50+ so no matter how much time you spend strolling, there will be no evidence on your little one's skin.  Additionally, all Shady Baby's parasols come with a universal clamp that works on almost all strollers and are adjustable in 3 places so they effectively block the sun from all directions.

Fond Farewell: A Review of the Micralite Toro and the Phil & Teds Vibe Strollers

It’s scary getting ready for baby number two.  Strangely, a second child seems so much more committed than baby number one—like we were just dabbling in parenthood until now.  Now, we’re going to be a full-on family of four and as such, we need to trade up for a (GULP!) double stroller—a potentially big hit to my mom fashion sensibilities.

When I was pregnant with our first in late 2007 and selected the Micralite Toro, it looked like we were moving back to NYC for a job offer, so I was obsessed with finding the latest, lightest, swankest, smoothest riding and most compact collapsible full-amenity stroller possible.  I imagined myself rolling my bub to and from the world’s leading museums and most fabulous play groups, riding down NYC’s (virtually non-existent) subway escalators, up its (urine- and vomit-besotted) elevators, hopping in and out of cabs (with drivers who DO NOT appreciate the necessity of a third and fourth seat belt check), etc., and I needed just the right stroller for said adventures.

Sure, the Bugaboo’s the “it” stroller, but the demonstration of how to fold it blew my pregnant brain.  The Quinny Buzz is hot, but two recline positions (?)—when we lived in Manhattan before, we’d leave the apartment at 9 am and walk the city until well after dinner—a little ambitious with a baby, perhaps, but still, the bub would need to become a stroller napping fool, so that wouldn’t do.  I love everything Svan, but that stroller just made me laugh and something about the Orbit system hinted at a lifetime of overly scheduled back-to-back, skill set-enhancing activities and a fair-to-poor immune response.  Enter the Micralite Toro. . .

Stroll On With Your Bad Self

I've always wanted a tattoo.  I've always seen myself as a tight black jean wearing, dark eyelinered, messy long haired, tattooed rocker chick.  You know - the kind that wears cool vintage rocker Tees from concerts she actually attended.  And she knows the band.  Not in the skeevy groupie way but in sang-with-the-band way.  In reality....long hair?  Check.  Dark eyeliner?  Only sometimes.  Black jeans?  Nope.  Tattoo?  Nope.  And my singing-with-the-band experience consists of one shakey rendition of "Brown Eyed Girl" on my 21st birthday.  But still, even with my c-section scar and my breastfeeding boobs, I cling to the image of me as rock-star. 

However, nothing sabotages my inner rock-star faster than carrying around a bunch of cutesy baby crap.  Blankets with puppies, kittens or bunnies are nice, but you just can't get no satisfaction from a cutsey-woosty baby blanket draped across your stroller.  Enter Oshie Vintage - a line of rock-star worthy baby blankets that are perfect for adding a little R-O-C-K to your afternoon walk in the park.  The feel of the blankets is like that old vintage concert T-shirt I've always wanted: super soft 100% cotton that gets softer with each wash.  My favorite is the slighlty tie-dyed "Drooling Stones" blanket, but her "Binky Floyd" or her "Woodstork" also rock.  Best of all, they are currently on sale for $49 (down from $75).  And free shipping to boot.  So go stroll on with your bad self. 

xo, S