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Since I seem to have been making a lot of them lately, both here and IRL, I thought I'd start a thread. Everyone else is welcome to join in, just please tell us a bit about the product and why you like it.
These are things that I have found invaluable with Emma, who is now 16 months old. Some of them she has outgrown; some she still uses. In any case, I hope these help someone.
First, products I've recommended lately on Hatrack:
Baby B'air is wonderful for flying with a baby. When I fell asleep and hit turbulence on my last flight, I woke up just as the sleeping baby slipped out of my arms. I was so glad she was strapped in!
Land's End diaper bags are the best thing that ever happened to diaper bags. Land's End thoughtfulness and quality and functionality in a diaper bag; what else can I say? I especially recommend a backpack diaper bag; even dads will be okay being seen lugging something that non-girly around, and it's comfortable for hauling lots of stuff through an airport, too.
The Alpha Omega Elite carseat from Cosco is an excellent convertible, with a decent price for a 3-in-one carseat (I still recommend an infant carrier for the early months) combined with excellent luxury features and comfort, and the highest weight and length limits available.
Next, recommendations I've made IRL lately:
The First Years On-The-Go Booster Seat lives in our trunk. We use it all the time when we're at restaurants or even Grandma's house. (They don't have it installed quite right on that page, btw, but you get the idea.) It really literally folds down to less than the size of my purse.
At home, we use a First Years 4 Stage Feeding Seat instead of a high chair. It's much more portable, doesn't take up room in the corner, and we could throw it in the car to take with us on trips before she was old enough for just a booster (or on long-term trips when we wanted her to have something familiar to eat in.) It's super-easy to clean, and we love that it's reclinable to allow a younger baby to join you at the table. Also, it costs less than most traditional high-chairs. (You can get it on sale for $25 fairly often.)
The Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder was great when Ems wanted to eat "real" food but couldn't chew un-mashed stuff yet. We'd stick a chunk of ripe banana or cooked sweet potato or canteloupe in there and she'd go to town; it helped her learn to chew while still allowing her to get some with her suck. It makes a mess all over the hands at first, of course, but you kind of have to expect that when feeding a baby solids.
Munchkin also makes Emma's tub, the Inflatable Safety Duck Tub. It's inflatable, so you can leave it up at home and then deflate it to take with you and make bathtime more comfortable and familiar when travelling. It has a "too hot" disc at the bottom that lets you know when you're risking burns, and it quacks when you squeeze the beak. We started to use it when Emma could sit up some, which was about the time she stopped fitting in the sink for baths. (It's much cheaper at Target than on that site.)
Now, let's be honest: no one wants to take a rectal temperature on a sick, screaming, wiggling baby. You really only need a ballpark figure most of the time-- like when baby feels hot and you want to know if she has a fever. For that, I recommend the Safety 1st AccuScan Ear Thermometer. It takes what we have found to be a completely accurate temp. in one second, has a memory feature that stores the last temperature, fits comfortably into a hand, and is easy to learn to use. Easier to learn, in fact, than taking a rectal temperature, because the squickiness factor is a great motivator. This is one of the cheaper ear thermometers, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's not accurate. It's a good one.
The Odorless Diaper Pail, also from Safety 1st, is great. I've always had a problem with those horrid Diaper Genies. This is a great solution, works well at keeping the odor down (it's not completely "odorless", but I've found the Diaper Genie isn't, either), and is much cheaper. It uses standard plastic garbage bags, and we even got ours at the local Once Upon a Child for $7, brand new (they had several.)
And while we're talking diapers... I would have preferred to use cloth, but it just didn't work out with our little one. She also didn't fit in Huggies or Pampers after she got to size 3 because of her "different" body shape. (Let me tell you something-- when they say "baby shaped", they mean chubby babies. They don't allow for babies with skinny little thighs, and the stuff goes all over.) Luvs are sturdy, work well (we've only had 1 leak in 14 months, and that was when Grandma didn't cinch the diaper tight enough), cheaper than the other brands (we get the big boxes at Target), and actually fit. (We have to go one size up from what she "should" be in according to weight, but that's okay.) The tabs hold much better than other brands, to my mind, and they really hold a lot of stuff in if you're somewhere you can't stop to change a diaper.
Emma has incredibly sensitive skin. She gets easily irritated even by the "all natural, no additives" baby wipes. We often just use a wet washcloth when we're home and it's not dirty. If it's dirty or we're out, though, we've found that Huggies Ultra-Gentle Newborn Wipes get the stuff off and don't rip while irritating her skin the least.
We wash her with Dove, of course; it's cheaper per use than baby wash, it's what we use anyway, and it doesn't cause her excema to flare up.
Since Emma is allergic to zinc, she can't have pretty much any diaper rash cream. We use Eucerin on her diaper rash, and it works very well at both healing and prevention.
Get an umbrella stroller. You know, just a $10 one from Target or whatever. No matter what other stroller you have, you need an umbrella stroller. Keep it in the trunk. You will be surprised how many times you'll find yourself staying longer at the mall than you thought you would or walking an unexpected distance across the parking lot, and you won't have thought to bring the stroller, or even at how easy something as big as a stroller is to forget. It sure is nice to have an extra in the trunk, even of the no-frills variety.
That's pretty much it for now. There are a few products I specifically don't have recommendations for: bottles (we never could really get her to take one), sippy cups (she loves almost any kind), pacifiers (same as the bottles), breast pumps (I hyperlactate and got mastitis any time I tried to pump), and front or back carriers (we have a Snugli, but mostly used the stroller; I always wanted to try other kinds, but now she's walking. Oh, well, maybe with the next one.) But please, people who have strong recommendations on these products, share them here; I'm very interested to know. (Boon, here's your chance to link to that website for your sling! You never sent me that.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Maya Wraps and other babysling type things are awesome... I have two.
edit: and if you are doing cloth diapers, an Asko washing machine is an invaluable, if expensive, investment.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Ooh, Jim-Me, I've never seen an Asko washer. After looking them up, that's cool. *puts on list for dream house*
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I used the Over The Shoulder Baby Holder with all three into late toddlerhood, and it was my one indespenable item.
I used cloth diapers from Babies in the Sun : unleached prefolds and Pro-Wraps.
The most delicious skin stuff is Burt's Baby Bee . No, I have NEVER used up my babies bath stuff.
I really like the Medela Pump in Style. Since I worked full time after Matthew and Olivia was "happy to starve" and had to be finger-fed, it was a life saver. I used the Avent bottles with Matthew and he was never nipple confused. (Andrew would never take a bottle, so I rarely bothered to pump.)
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Baby Bjorn carrier: especially excellent with young adopted children (infants) for bonding. Your back will let you know when the baby is too big to be in there anymore (about 15 - 20 lbs).
Jeep Liberty stroller: jogging stroller feel with the smooth-riding big wheels and large storage area, but with a swivel front wheel for easy turning (therefore, not for joggers).
Ditto on the umbrella stroller. When your child grows, it doubles as a toy.
Two thumbs way up for the Eucerin as well. Good for the eczemic child and the noneczemic adult.
Huggies diapers (good fit, no leaking) and wipes (gentle on the heinie).
Baby Innovations backpack (not sling) diaper bag. I can't find a link to a picture of this bag, but it's excellent, with the best mobile changing pad I've used (it folds down to a quarter its full size and has two pockets, one for about two diapers and one for wipes). Its design allows for easy one-handed use. (Amazon/Babies 'R Us has a nonpicture entry for the bag and changing pad.)
Posts: 781 | Registered: Oct 2000
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Oh, another one: Banana Boat Baby Magic Sunblock.
It's SPF 50, "Instant Protection". What that means is that it is effective as soon as it goes on instead of 15 minutes later, like traditional sunscreen. It turns you about 3 shades whiter than you really are when you put it on, but it works like a charm. And it doesn't irritate either Emma's or my skin. It's also waterproof almost as soon as you put it on-- again, unlike traditional "waterproof" sunscreen. Great stuff; more expensive, but worth the money for sure.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I know I couldn't live without the Playtex Hip Hammock. My littlest one is so tall that a snugli didn't work for us very long-- I kept bumping his legs when I tried to walk. The hip hammock holds him off to the side so you can still walk. It doesn't free your hands as well as a snugli, but it also keeps the Kidlet's hands out of my hair. That was a real problem with backpack carriers. Ouch! It's also rated up to 35 lbs, so it will last you a lot longer than a standard snugli carrier. Note, though: it's not for kids who can't hold their heads up independantly.
I also have two versions of the Alpha Omega type carseat. My three year old has the original and the one year old has the version put out by Safety 1st. I actually like the Safety 1st version better. It seems to have more padding and better head rests for when he falls asleep.
Not that there are a lot of choices in an actually affordable tandem stroller(by which I mean not the Peg Perego zillion dollar models), but if you need one, shell out the extra money to get the Graco DuoGlider. It's a lot taller than cheaper tandems. That was a real issue with my big ol' hulking kiddos.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I know I couldn't live without the Playtex Hip Hammock. My littlest one is so tall that a snugli didn't work for us very long-- I kept bumping his legs when I tried to walk. The hip hammock holds him off to the side so you can still walk. It doesn't free your hands as well as a snugli, but it also keeps the Kidlet's hands out of my hair. That was a real problem with backpack carriers. Ouch! It's also rated up to 35 lbs, so it will last you a lot longer than a standard snugli carrier. Note, though: it's not for kids who can't hold their heads up independantly.
I also have two versions of the Alpha Omega type carseat. My three year old has the original and the one year old has the version put out by Safety 1st. I actually like the Safety 1st version better. It seems to have more padding and better head rests for when he falls asleep.
Not that there are a lot of choices in an actually affordable tandem stroller(by which I mean not the Peg Perego zillion dollar models), but if you need one, shell out the extra money to get the Graco DuoGlider. It's a lot taller than cheaper tandems. That was a real issue with my big ol' hulking kiddos.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Jul 2005
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A little more about the Asko. I've had one for five years and use it nearly constantly... like a couple loads a day.
The first month I had it, my water bill dropped by about 60% and, since it has it's own internal heater, I saved gas, too (but I don't know how much because we had a leak reparied at that time).
I do a LOT of laundry, though.
Had one issue... a motor, which was replaced under warranty at no charge.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:I know I couldn't live without the Playtex Hip Hammock. My littlest one is so tall that a snugli didn't work for us very long-- I kept bumping his legs when I tried to walk. The hip hammock holds him off to the side so you can still walk. It doesn't free your hands as well as a snugli, but it also keeps the Kidlet's hands out of my hair. That was a real problem with backpack carriers. Ouch! It's also rated up to 35 lbs, so it will last you a lot longer than a standard snugli carrier. Note, though: it's not for kids who can't hold their heads up independantly.
I wanted one of these, but they were recalled before I could get one! You heard about the recall, right?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Yes, I heard about it, thanks. I sent mine in a couple of weeks ago and just got the replacement in the mail. Probably the fastest turn-around time on a recall I have ever seen. I remember seeing them lately at Target, so you might look there.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Oh, are they back? I know right around the time I asked for one for Christmas, they disappeared. Then I heard about the recall. I haven't seen them since. I'll check Target next time I'm there. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I second the recommendation for Huggies diapers and wipes. My girls were not chubby, kq--right now, at the age of seven, they both weigh under 45 pounds--and we never had problems with them. We used the Supremes version, but the regular version worked fine on the occasions when we used them. We sometimes compared notes with parents who used generic or supermarket brands, or changed each other's babies. I would NOT recommend supermarket or drugstore brands. They were often not resealable, they leaked, and babies who used them got diaper rash.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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The problem was that she's got a big round tummy, small bone structure, small hips, and small thighs. So whatever fit one way didn't fit the other-- Huggies that went around her middle bagged completely at the thighs; those that fit her in the thighs wouldn't close securely around the middle.
While I don't recommend Target or supermarket store brand diapers, either, we've gotten some free samples of a store brand from the local discount baby store, and while the "regular" diapers aren't great, the "premiums" are comparable to Luvs-- but, for us, at a comparable price.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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My best baby product is a metal jigger. Yes, this small kitchen item provided much entertainment and relief for teething. It rolls, it makes that metallic sound, it can be used like a cup, and it must feel awesome on incoming teeth! My jigger had two different sizes, one on each end. I'd bought it to measure rum for a Christmas party when I made hot toddys.
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Boon
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Sorry 'bout that, kq.
My most favorite baby products ever:
MayaWrap Non-padded slings, has instructions to make your own, or you can just order one. You can get one that matches yours to fit your child too, so they can carry their "babies" just like Mama does. I've been using a sling since Boo was born, and I'll still be using it for at least a year. I've been known to use it as a shopping cart strap, a privacy screen for an outdoor potty break, a blanket, and a baby carrier. It even does duty when I'm cleaning the house (not that that happens too often) to hold small items I've picked up until I get to the rooms they belong in. I even use it to carry laundry from the laundry room to the couch for folding. No more dropped socks. And while we're talking about socks...
A lingerie laundering bag. The mesh kind with a zipper. It's the perfect size to stick dirty baby socks in all week. Then zip it up, throw it in the washer with the rest of baby's laundry, and you don't have to worry about tiny missing socks anymore.
I'll second (third? fourth?) Huggies wipes. Definitely better than store brands...and believe me, after 3 babies, I've tried them all! but not as costly as the "premium" brands.
Peek A Blocks Boo loves them, and they don't have the sharp edges that the old fashioned wooden blocks do.
Plain white cotton cloth daipers, the big flat square kind. They serve multiple purposes: spitrag, sunshade, light summer blanket, and of course, when you add a couple of pins (or one if you're really talented and short one ) a daiper. I've picked up a dozen or two with each new baby, and I buy them for every baby shower I go to. I also give the new mom-to-be a short lesson in folding them for use as a daiper and a couple of folded ones, along with a pack of pins. Plus they make great dustrags when baby gets to school-age.
Potty seat Combined with a small stepstool, this could be your best investment. I've potty trained a boy and a girl, and let me tell you, this made my life much easier. I don't really like the one I linked to though. Try to find one with a removeable shield for a boy. Trust me, the first time you put your little boy on the potty and the stream arches over the seat rim onto your shoes, you'll wish you'd listened to me on this.
Also helpful for potty training boys: a big phone book. slather it with glue and stick it in a trash bag to waterproof it. Most stepstools are too tall, and allow the "aim" to... well... not be aimed very well. The phone book is just the right height to get it over the rim without him feeling like he's up too high.
Infant swing This one is short, light, foldable, and battery operated. It has a good battery consumption rate, and has lights and music that can easily be disengaged if needed. It's easy to move from room to room, and folds up to fit in a truck. My guy loved his.
Okay, that's it for now. I'll think some more, and post later maybe.
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Boon
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Oh yes, the other tip for potty training boys. When you teach them to sit to poo, make sure you tell them to point it down while they sit there, even if they don't feel like they have to pee. Trust me, the stream will find the crack between the seat and the bowl every time if you don't.
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Boon, have you seen the potties that are first a training potty, then a toilet seat and step stool?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Wow, Icarus, all those reviews also say it really works.
Something to check out when we're ready (although I don't believe in toilet training until around 3, when kids are mostly emotionally and physically ready already.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Boon
unregistered
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Yep, had one with the older two. We only used the training potty for about 2 days, and then took it apart and used it on the toilet. But when we moved to a house that only had one bathroom, we wished we had one that didn't have to be removed. So we got one...big improvement. Maybe not an issue for anyone who has more than one bathroom, but I use the kids' bathroom frequently, as do any guests in our home.
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And if it worked with my kids, it will work with anybody's kids.
-o-
(I also saw a book that talked about potty-training infants--though clearly potty-training meant something a little different in that scenario. I obviously can't report on whether or not that works, but they had a lot of interesting things to say about their approach and how it fit into the whole physical development/self-esteem thing.)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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kq, the basic idea as I remember it (and I'm too lazy to go look for the book now) is that in infants you can learn to predict exactly when they're going to go, because you control all their ingestion, they urinate and move their bowels predictable lengths of time after eating and drinking, and they usually give facial cues and such when they are getting ready to have a bowel movement. So the idea was that within the general timeframe when you expected your baby to go, you took off the baby's diaper and held the baby in your arms with the pot strategically placed to catch the baby by-product. Allegedly, when done over enough time, this would condition a response in an older infant where the infant would start to gesture for the pot or reach for it when it felt the need to go, and start to hold its elimination back until it was correctly placed. When the toddler was old enough, then, the transition to being "fully" potty-trained, as in taking off its own clothes, sitting on the potty, cleaning, etc., would be easier, because the idea of eliminating (as opposed to keeping which is what a child in diapers really does--and this makes some sense to me. When I first started to potty train my girls at two years old or so, using traditional methods, I found that they would quite happily pee in a diaper, but strenuously resisted peeing on the potty. It did not feel natural or right to them. So they had control; they were simply not using it as I would prefer. The idea here is to change the baby's inclination). So if by potty-training you mean the child does it all on his or her own, from taking off clothes and cleaning up, then this is not potty-training. But if you mean that the six- to nine-month-old will not need to wear diapers and will indicate the need to be pottied, then this approack allegedly works. Does it really? I couldn't say. The girls were too old for me to try this method when I started researching potty-training. But I was intrigued.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Ooooooooh, I just put that on hold at the library. Andrew is three now and I'm kind of ready to put diapering behind.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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The "Less than a Day" book? Great! Good luck! Just to be clear, though, the approach I just described is NOT the less than a day approach, it's from a different book entirely. The "less than a day" approach is basically behavior modification and teaching through dolls and lots of practice (made possible by saltines and water).
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Boon
unregistered
posted
I've never stuck myself or a baby with a daiper pin, and I've daipered a lot of babies. It's all a matter of technique.
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I finally did find a decently priced mat at Babies R Us. We're moving into a brand new house and I wanted something to protect the carpet so I don't get billed something around a zillion dollars to replace it when we move on to the next base. (My husband is in the Air Force, so moving is a fact of life.)
It goes along with the new rugs we just ordered to protect the REST of the carpet from the kids. Posts: 14 | Registered: Jul 2005
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For an infant: A boppy pillow. It was the only item I really needed with a new baby. She is two and a half now and I have just now packed it away.
I will look up that potty book. We are working on it now and she really wants to go in the potty but she can't feel it before she has to go yet; only after.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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We need to go to StrideRite soon and I thought of this thread.
Emma has my high arch and instep (although thankfully not my fat fat fat feet.) StrideRite is the only place with shoes that fit her right. They're expensive, but well-made.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Racing Bird wrote: "Who'd have thought it would be so hard to find a mat to put under a high chair? "
I have seen a mat for under high chairs/other messy activities at Wal- Mart. The mat is around 6$ and looks like a light mesh material w/a smiley face design. It is back in the infant section, near diapers, etc . I don't have kids, but if I did this is the mat I would want! Maybe I should get this for my sister who is expecting her 3rd child!
EDIT: I did go to the Wal-Mart website to find a link. However, I couldn't find a picture, they must only advertise their more expensive items on the website.
Posts: 38 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I love this thread. I just found out I'm expecting, and I would love to see this thread going again with new baby product recommendations and advice for little ones.
So far, I want a cosleeper and some sort of sling. We don't have a lot of money, so I want to get things that I'll get the most use out of, and I think I would get a lot of use out of those things.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Congrats, Kat! In my experience, the sling is an EXCELLENT investment -- Christy has a Mayan Wrap that works very well -- but cosleepers are functionally useless.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Really? Why do you find the cosleeper to be worthless? What would you recommend instead? I like the idea of having the baby right there to tend to in the middle of the night.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I would try out a bunch of slings/snuglis beforehand. IME, people have VERY strong preferences about the precise brand/style that works for them. Personally, I never could get slings to work properly, but I loved my Snuglis, especially the convertible one.
posted
Our experience was the same as Tom & Christy's, but the co-sleeper makes a great place to pile books and things. Kind of an expensive nightstand, though. You'd probably be better off spending the money on a few good books about safe co-sleeping and a sturdy bedrail.
John lovesthis teether. We got it as a gift and I thought it was the goofiest thing, but from about 3 months old it's been one of his favorite items.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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We got the stroller frame to put our infant carrier car seat into instead of one of the bigger stroller travel-systems. It’s lighter, folds smaller, and is more maneuverable. It will be useless once he outgrows the car seat, though. We’re very glad that we got the Graco SafeSeat, since it’s one of the infant carriers that goes up to 30 lbs. Many of the infant car seats only go up to 22 lbs, and John is almost definitely going to be past that before he turns one and can move up to a forward facing seat. And we got bases for both of our cars, so we just have to snap the carrier portion in whichever car we’re using.
We are also big fans of the BabeeTenda feeding table. It’s more expensive than a highchair, but it’s easier to move around and it’s safe to leave the babe in it while you go to the bathroom or change a load of laundry. We put John in it and position him so he can see into the kitchen and play with cars or munch a few cheerios while we get the meal ready and then push him over to the dining room table when we sit down. And it comes with a solid top that is a dry-erase board on one side and a chalk board on the other for when he outgrows the feeding seat. It also has a pile of optional accessories to turn it into a bath station and a sun-canopy and who knows what all else, but we didn’t get any of those.
Our critter never really got the hang of sippy cups, but I taught him to suck out of a straw and Bob found some nice kids water bottles with built-in straws. Now he carries his water-bottle everywhere just like mommy.
Someone gave us a baby-bathtub, but we have a large and extra deep kitchen sink so we’re still bathing John there. It’s easier on our backs, it’s easier to empty, and the kitchen sprayer makes a great shower-rinse. He’ll probably go straight from that to the regular tub, so if you’ve got a good sized sink you can save money and space by avoiding the baby tub altogether.
I definitely recommend some squishy cloth books. John loves to turn pages and we’re teaching him to be careful with the paper ones, but it’s good to have a few that he can turn by himself without worrying about tearing. He’s moved on to board books now, but he still likes his cloth books too. His third word (after “dada” and “mama”) was “buk”.
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Congrats Kat!! Thanks so much for finding this thread! I'm also very interested in Hatrack-recommended Baby stuff. Heh - I even spent weeks slogging through to find this old thread with some recommendations for baby things.
I need to find some people with baby slings so I can figure out which kind I want. What a good idea to try them out beforehand - duh!
I've always liked the idea of co-sleeping for young infants, but I don't think it will work in our situation (you're not supposed to co-sleep if you have cats and we have 3, 2 of whom often sleep on the bed with us). So, I need to think of some other hopefully easy solution. Any one have any good ideas? So far, the best I've come up with is just putting the cradle really close to the bed, which isn't really much of a solution, I know.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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If we were to have an infant in our bed, we'd need a larger bed as we sleep in a Full, and it's too small for the two of us, let alone us and a baby.
But we should get a new bed anyway. But if we don't get one, then a co-sleeper would either be needed (and used!) or I could get a bassinet. I'm not sure what would be better.
posted
I like a bassinet simply because you can move it as needed and 'cause by the time they outgrow it my babies are usually sleeping through the night and don't need to nurse at night (same argument for cradle and moses basket.)
But I know lots of people who love the co-sleeper AND have a bassinet or moses basket for while they're doing chores or whatever during the day.
About slings: if you like ring slings, I just discovered Solarveil, which is a fabric that provides high SPF UVA/UVB protection for mom and baby dry OR wet!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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They're expensive, but Robeez are worth the investment in my experience for babies that are close to walking. They provide for a much better foot experience and lead to less clumsy walking. Get the ones that are darker so they look nicer longer (and clean up better).
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Everyone else is welcome to join in, just please tell us a bit about the product and why you like it. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
You really only need a ballpark figure most of the time-- like when baby feels hot and you want to know if she has a fever. For that, I recommend the ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
This is one of the cheaper ear thermometers, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's not accurate. It's a good one.
![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
It even does duty when I'm cleaning the house (not that that happens too often) to hold small items I've picked up until I get to the rooms they belong in. I even use it to carry laundry from the laundry room to the couch for folding. No more dropped socks. And while we're talking about socks...![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
