Baby Safety Zone

New Mom Series: Infant Bathing

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Warning: the images in this post may cause cuteness overload. 🙂

Welcome to Gugu Guru’s New Mom Series, where we provide helpful information for new and expecting moms about preparing and registering for baby. For this Safe Infant Bathing feature, we have partnered up with mama Krista Horton, 4moms, Little Giraffe, and Babyganics.

Tip: When your baby is brand new, most experts recommend that you stick with sponge baths for a few weeks, or at least until their umbilical cord stump falls off. Your newborn won’t need a sponge bath every day; two or three times per week is fine. This is because your little one can lose body heat very quickly. Using a warm washcloth (you don’t really even need soap for the early days), just give baby a quick once-over and then snuggle them in a cozy towel.

Krista Horton’s 3 month old daughter is ready to start bathing in an infant tub. The first step? Reading up on Bathtime Safety!

Baby Bathing Tips:

Collect all bathing materials before starting the bath.
Typically the water temperature for baby should be 90-100 degrees.
Never lift the tub or seat with baby in it.
No water should be in adult tub or sink.
Keep adult drain open when using baby tub.
Bath seats should only be used with child who can sit unassisted.
Ignore distractions – never leave your child unattended.

Based on her lifestyle and budget, Gugu Guru recommended the 4Moms Infant Tub, for Krista’s registry. The 4Moms Infant Tub, may be a Gugu Guru best match for you if: you live in a house (i.e., more space), your budget is “middle of the road” and you like a modern aesthetic .

In Krista’s words:
“This tub does all the dirty work for you. I love that it monitors the temperature for you and beeps if the water is too hot. I also love how it filters out the water during the bath so my baby could have warm, fresh water the entire bath!”

For baby’s personal care, Gugu Guru recommends Babyganics Baby-Safe Hero Essentials Gift Set. The set has a variety of essentials for bathing, including necessities like: Moisturizing Daily Lotion, Baby Bubble Bath, Foaming Baby Shampoo and Body Wash – all in a delicious Chamomile Verbena scent. Gugu Guru recommends Babyganics across all registries because of the brand’s affordability and totally responsible and safe formulations.

In Krista’s words:
“I love that the Babyganics products are natural and gentle for my baby’s delicate skin and the fresh, chamomile scent!”

For the bath towel, Gugu Guru recommended the softest and cutest towel to fit Krista’s budget and style — the Plush Hooded Baby Towel from Little Giraffe. Little Giraffe is known for its high-quality, super soft products and signature chenille textiles.

In Krista’s words:
“Cutest, softest little set! I love the material and the size was perfect because a lot of baby towels and washcloths are too small for my liking!”

Bathtime was completed with Babyganics’ Moisturizing Daily Lotion along with some kisses from mom. Squeaky clean…safely.

Featured in this week’s New Mom Series:

Krista: I am Krista Horton, 29 years old, married to my favorite guy and mama to Boston (2) and Kollyns (3 months). I am a stay at home mama and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I absolutely love being home with my babies and we love getting out and about and going on as many adventures as we can!

4moms: 4moms® is a consumer technology company that leverages robotics, technology and innovative design to disrupt and redefine existing industries. The company has transformed the baby gear industry with products like the 4moms origami®, the world’s only power-‐folding stroller; the 4moms mamaRoo® infant seat that replicates the bouncing and swaying motions parents make when soothing their babies; and the 4moms breeze® playard that opens or closes in one simple step.

Little Giraffe: Little Giraffe is known for creating top-of-the-line, luxury baby blankets and newborn essentials. All Little Giraffe products are made from the highest quality, softest textiles, and provide not only comfort, but soothe and calm baby for restful sleep.

Babyganics: When we started families of our own, we found we shared a “grown up” mission: to help parents like us create a baby-safe world. We’d do this by creating a world of products made to go wherever babies go (pretty much everywhere). Because exploring and discovering is a baby’s full time job. Our job—every parent’s job— is to make it safe for babies to do theirs. It’s the best way to make sure they fully develop and thrive.

Join our Mom Creator community by signing up for our email list and receive paid and gifted opportunities with your favorite baby and kid brands in your inbox weekly!

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Must-Have Baby Safety Products

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

It’s Baby Safety Month and we know how important safety is for all families with little ones. As new and expectant parents, the worry to pick the safest products for your new babe can be overwhelming. We’re here to make it a little easier with our must-have baby safety products.

Safe Nursery

Our favorite monitor for safe sleep is the Nanit Pro Complete Monitoring System. The full set with the smart crib sheet and breathing wear with the safe sleep angle feature will put any parents’ sleep worries at ease. We love that there’s a wall-mount and floor stand option too so it fits in any nursery or sleep setting.

An air purifier is a must for any home, but especially the nursery. The Crane Air Purifier includes a pre-filter, true HEPA filter, and UV lamp to remove bacteria and germs from the air. Keep your baby’s nursery clean and clear and be comfortable knowing the air quality is purified.

A Hygro Plus Humidifier from Babymoov allows you to select an ideal humidity level, between 30% and 90%, and will turn off when the desired level is reached. Fancy! It also displays the room temperature and you can also add essential oils to the built-in essential oil diffuser.

Another must-have for any nursery, or the entire home really, is an outlet protector. The Child Be Safe Electrical Outlet Protector is easy to install and fits rectangular wall outlets and rectangle switches to keep little ones from gaining access to wall outlets or dangerous electrical switches. This one item alone is essential for baby safety in the home.

Safe Feeding

Sterilizing is a must to ensure that your baby’s bottles and feeding accessories are safe, clean, and germ-free. Our top choice is the nanobebe microwave sterilizer! With a closed lid, its contents remain sterile for 24 hours, so you can sterilize before bed and wake up to sterilized bottles ready for use.

This may be “just” a magnet, but this MAMMaway magnet with breastmilk storage guidelines is top notch! Don’t try to remember how long milk is good for, stick it on your freezer so you’ll never forget and don’t have to worry if your milk is safe for baby.

Baby Safety On the Go

The Clek Liing is a great infant car seat all around and sets the bar high for infant car seat safety. Simple, secure installation ensures that baby is always at the perfect angle for safe, open airways. Its lightweight design and convenient one-handed quick-release make it easy to remove from the base or from one of the many compatible strollers. Also check out the Clek Foonf as a great convertible car seat option.

One of our top recommended on-the-go safety must-haves is hand sanitizer of course! Kibou Sanitizer slips right inside your Kibou bag, pocket, or other diaper bag, without taking up an extra inch of precious space or adding more than an ounce of extra weight. This ultra-slim sanitizer spray is the perfect companion wherever your day takes you.

For more baby safety tips, check out these posts:
Baby Safety Month with JPMA
JPMA Baby Safety Tips: Safe Sleep Basics
JPMA Baby Safety Tips: Babyproofing 101
JPMA Baby Safety Tips: Using the Right Car Seat For Your Child

Baby Safety Month with JPMA

by Abby Ludwig Leave a Comment

September is Baby Safety Month and we are partnering with JPMA to bring you our best tips and tricks to help keep your little ones safe. JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) exists to ensure that products on the market are high-quality and safe for babies, toddlers, and young children. You can rest assured that products marked with the JPMA Certification Seal meet certain standards, ensuring their safety when used properly. In conjunction with JPMA, there are some general guidelines that parents should follow to keep their little ones safe.

THE JPMA Certification seaL YOU’LL WANT TO LOOK FOR!

Do a Daily Check-In

No matter how old your kiddo is, it’s important to take a quick minute to check in with the current gear and toy selections. Toys should be age-appropriate, especially important when your little one starts putting things in his/her mouth. Gear should be in good working order, without any broken straps, harnesses, or clasps. There should not be any missing hardware, loose threads/strings, or holes. If any of your items aren’t working the right way, please be sure to discontinue use and find a safe replacement, when needed.

Baby Björn has excellent JPMA Certified products. We love their baby bouncers!

The Manufacturer’s Information isn’t a Suggestion

When you open new products, it can feel overwhelming to see all of the warning labels, manuals, and instructions for use. However, these are the most important resources for every piece of baby gear you bring into your home. While a JPMA Certification Seal can give you peace of mind, it’s important to note that it is still necessary to use the product as determined by the manufacturer’s information. Here you will find proper height and weight requirements (if applicable), age requirements, and proper use instructions. Gugu Guru Hack – Find a folder – or file folders – that you use for all of these manuals. Alphabetize them by brand name or group them by developmental stage for easy reference down the road.

Check out some of our favorites from Nuna (JPMA Certified strollers, carriers, etc. that come with easy-to-follow manuals).

Eyes On Play

It’s amazing when you find a toy that will hold your little one’s attention. In today’s world, it’s so hard not to be distracted by our other kids, work, and the biggest culprit of them all – the cell phone. When your little ones are playing, keep your eyes up and on them. You will often stop accidents from happening simply by keeping your eyes on the play space.

Some of our favorite toys for baby and toddler come from our friends at Fisher-Price. We especially love the Kick n’ Play Piano.

Hacks for Safe Play

As we know, you will receive advice from everyone when it comes to baby products, gear, and toys. Many family members and friends may want to even donate second-hand products to you for use with baby. JPMA does not recommend using second-hand products as new products meet the current safety standards for your new addition. Also, register your products to create your direct line of communication with the baby brands you use. This is not used for marketing purposes, but instead will inform you of any safety recalls or if there is any information you need to know regarding your products. Lastly, as we mentioned above, the JPMA Certification Seal will give you the added assurance that your baby products meet the highest safety standards.

Thank you to JPMA for partnering with us to bring these safety guidelines to the forefront for our network of parents!

Check out more posts featuring safety tips & tricks:
JPMA Baby Safety Tips: Babyproofing 101
Play/Entertainment Finalis List: JPMA 2020
Baby Safety Month Tips

Maxi-Cosi Tayla™ XP Travel System

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

Every parent needs a helping hand from time to time and the Maxi-Cosi Tayla™ XP Travel System provides exactly that. This travel system is designed primarily with versatility, innovation, and safety in mind. The innovative design allows you to carry your baby around safely in any of its four modes of carrying: Standard, Handle, Crossbody, Tayla Stroller. The Coral™ XP car seat has a lightweight, removable inner carrier with a crossbody carry flexi-strap option. Alternatively, the carrier can be clipped into the Tayla Stroller, giving your arms the freedom to do all the other things we know come with parenthood and juggling a baby.

We love that the Coral™ XP car seat innovatively integrates car seat and carrier nesting system in a way that’s built to help parents move around seamlessly. The car seat base has built-in an anti-rotation stability leg, self-retracting LATCH connectors, integrated belt lock-off for easy and secure belt installation. We hear from so many parents how stressful that first install is, wanting to make sure baby is safe and sound. Maxi-Cosi makes it easy with indicators to provide visual confirmation of accurate installation so parents can rest assured that baby is as safe as can be.

A few other key design features of the entire Maxi-Cosi Tayla™ XP Travel System with the Coral™ XP Infant Car Seat:

unique 3-part modular nesting system with car seat base, car seat and removable inner-carrier
modular stroller with parent-facing and world-facing seating options
multiple recline and leg adjustment options for optimal comfort
360° MaxShade privacy shade covers the whole seat
all-wheel suspension for smooth transitions while on the move

In terms of safety, Maxi-Cosi has been setting and exceeding global safety standards for over 35 years, and the Maxi-Cosi Tayla™ XP Travel System is no different. It’s compliant with government safety standards and it features Pure Cosi materials, that make it free from additive fire-retardant chemicals. It’s obvious why parents have grown to know and trust this brand.

Maxi-Cosi Travel System with Coral™ XP Infant Car Seat and Tayla Stroller is no ordinary travel system. The versatility, innovation, and safety it brings are completely revolutionizing how we carry our children, literally.

Thank you to Maxi-Cosi for making this sponsored post possible.

Love to Dream™ Swaddle UP

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

The Love to Dream Swaddle UP is not a typical, conventional swaddle. It does not keep baby’s arms down along the side or crossed over the chest, as with traditional swaddling. Instead, it has “wings”, allowing baby to sleep in a more natural Arms UP position. The snug fit and Arms UP positioning help relax baby’s startle reflex, and encourages babies to self-soothe by giving them this access to their hands. Self-soothing means more sleep.

Old Concept, New Twist

The Love to Dream Sleep System begins with the Swaddle UP. The three-stage program is designed to make babies and toddlers feel calmer and sleep soundly during naps as well as at night.

Babies like the coziness of being swaddled, and the Swaddle UP is a new take on traditional swaddle blankets. The ground-breaking design encourages babies to suck on their little hands or rub their noses, while sleeping in a more natural position with their arms UP, feeling relaxed and comforted.

Naturally Temperature-Regulating

Love to Dream sleeping garments are assigned a TOG ranking based on the amount of warmth they offer. To put it simply, the higher the TOG, the warmer the material. The Love To Dream Original, Stage 1 swaddle has 1.0 TOG fabric, suitable for moderate temperatures and room temperatures ranging from 68°F to 75°F. It has one single layer of fabric, reducing the risk of overheating! If baby sleeps warm, Love to Dream also offers a Lite 0.2 TOG version

Patented Wings

The revolutionary design with patented wings enables babies to sleep more comfortably, with their ARMS UP™. When babies are first born, they often break out of traditional blanket swaddles, because they are used to having their hands by their face in the womb and don’t like their arms stuck down by their sides. Medical evidence has found that when infants are able to self-soothe, they sleep for longer periods of time. The Swaddle UP™ is designed to be used from day one and will assist parents in laying a solid basis for sleep from birth.

Twin Zipper for Easy Diaper Changes

When baby needs a diaper change, the swaddle’s twin zipper feature, one on the top and one on the bottom, will minimize the disruption and allow you to quickly change baby’s diaper with ease. The zipper on the bottom is particularly useful for night-time diaper changes. You can change baby without having to fully remove the sleepsuit by unzipping the twin zipper from the bottom.

Safety

Swaddle UP is certified ‘hip-healthy’ by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. The swaddle allows the full range of recommended flexion for hips & legs, allowing for proper hip development while keeping baby safe and comfortable.

Love to Dream is proud to be working with First Candle as Safe Sleep Guardians, helping the organization raise awareness around Safe Sleep for Babies, decreasing the number of SIDS and other sleep related deaths. We all know that babies shouldn’t sleep with loose sheets or blankets, but in a “naked crib”. The Swaddle UP is safer for your baby because it replaces the traditional swaddle that may come loose or unravel during sleep, causing a hazard. The swaddle is also easy to use, and is much quicker than folding a baby in a traditional swaddle. Yet, it still provides the comfort, snug feeling that babies like. This helps the baby sleep better, which means more sleep for parents too!

When baby begins to roll, Love to Dream offers multiple stages as baby grows to help ensure safety, while still sleeping soundly. This means more sleep for parents…and we’ll take that any day of the week!

Thank you to Love to Dream for making this sponsored post possible.

Real Mom Review by Minnelle K: Maxi-Cosi Coral XP

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

A special thank you to Minnelle K for reviewing this car seat.

I’ve been using the new Coral XP infant car seat from Maxi-Cosi. In my opinion, this is the most important thing for the baby’s safety. The infant car seat comes in three colors, and I chose cobalt blue. I love taking him around in style and really enjoying the convenience of this seat.

The outer shell of this chair actually is the car seat. It has an inner shell that you can remove to take into stores quickly and conveniently. There’s a button inside the inner shell that you push, and it pops right out. Once the shell is out of the carrying base, baby is on-the-go! The inner shell only weighs about 5 pounds, so even with a baby, it’s still lightweight for carrying.

There’s a couple of ways that you can carry this once it’s out of the shell, either with the side handles or also cross-body. In any of the carrying modes, it’s very convenient and comfortable for mom. If you choose to, you can also carry it traditionally as an entire unit. It’s even compatible with a lot of strollers on the market!

This car seat really amazing and so easy to use. There’s just so many different ways you can use it during the baby’s infant stages. I highly recommend this seat!

Thank you to Maxi-Cosi for making this sponsored post possible.

Real Mom Review: The Super Easy-to-Carry Maxi-Cosi Coral XP!

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

“I’m so happy we upgraded our car seat to the Maxi-Cosi Coral XP – I feel so much more coordinated when I’m carrying Wren! Honestly, felt so awkward previously that it didn’t seem entirely safe. Now I feel so much more confident and comfortable carrying her around. Plus, I always have a completely free second hand!”

Thank you to Liz Elliott for reviewing this product – Liz is a home & style guru and blogger of Franc and Eli.

Thank you to Maxi-Cosi for sponsoring this video!

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Changing the Car Seat Game Completely – The Super Easy-to-Carry Maxi-Cosi Coral XP!

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

Thank you to Liz Elliott for reviewing this product – Liz is a home & style guru and blogger of Franc and Eli.

We recently upgraded our car seat to the Maxi-Cosi Coral XP and I wish we’d done it sooner!

The Maxi-Cosi Coral XP is a new type of car seat that is totally changing the car seat game by making it so much easier to carry your baby. Even though a lot of traditional car seats are “light weight,” they’re still pretty bulky and awkward to carry and can get heavy once you add a baby!

I was struggling to carry our old car seat – I often found myself carrying it using some weird arm positions and essentially holding one arm with the other and still struggling. In one of our first outings with Wren, we took her to the beach. I was carrying Wren in her old car seat by the big handle, and some drinks in the other. I only made it about halfway down the walkway to the beach before I couldn’t carry everything anymore! I needed my other hand to hold up the arm that was carrying the car seat, so I had to stop and wait for my husband to come back and grab the rest of the stuff from me! I remember thinking “I thought this thing was supposed to be lightweird / easy to carry?”

And then we got the Coral XP and now carrying Wren is a breeze!

The Coral XP has 3 parts, an inner carrier, an outer carrier shell, and a base. When you’re carrying your baby in the car seat, you can carry just the super lightweight inner carrier! It only weighs about five pounds. There are two ways to carry the inner carrier (and both are so much easier than wrangling the handle of a traditional car seat):

First, you can carry it using the two side handles. Second, you can carry it across your body using the cross-body strap. This is my favorite way – it distributes the weight to your back and is really comfortable to wear! You can also carry the outer carrier shell (with the inner carrier inside) like a “traditional” car seat.

When you’re taking it in and out of your car, you can pop out just the inner carrier (leaving the outer carrier shell and base in the car), or you can pop out the inner carrier and outer carrier shell together as one unit. Both are super simple!

I’m so happy we upgraded our car seat to the Maxi-Cosi Coral XP – I feel so much more coordinated when I’m carrying Wren! Honestly, felt so awkward previously that it didn’t seem entirely safe. Now I feel so much more confident and comfortable carrying her around. Plus, I always have a completely free second hand!

The Coral XP is made using Maxi-Cosi’s “Pure-Cosi” fabrics, made without wool or added fire retardant treatment, that are machine washable and dryer safe! Wren loves it too – and it’s easy to get her in and out of it.

Thank you to Maxi-Cosi for making this sponsored post possible.

Safety Must-Haves Guide from Summer™

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

Like any parent, the safety of your little ones is at the forefront of your mind all of the time. Fortunately, countless new products have been developed and perfected over the years to help make ensuring your kids’ safety easy. These products, in particular, have proven to be literal life-savers for some families.

Keeping Watch at Home

The Summer Infant® Baby Pixel® Zoom is a five-inch, high definition video monitor that allows tech-savvy parents to watch their baby’s every move. Six levels of zoom allow you to track everything your baby does, even the tiniest of things. With Moonlite™, this gadget also lets you track them even in the dark, and without sacrificing HD quality.

With remote camera steering, you can take a look around your entire nursery or anywhere else you have the camera setup so that you can keep an eye on sitters, nurses, and your other kids nearby.

Want to know when your child’s awake? The patent-pending SleepZone™ technology will alert you if your baby has moved outside of the virtual boundary box you set, letting you know if they are up and about or tossing and turning in their crib.

Going beyond a simple baby monitor, the Baby Pixel® Zoom also features a temperature display so you always know how warm or cold it is in your nursery, along with a two-way talk back to baby, built-in lullabies to calm them down, and a white noise generator. Best of all, you can check on baby without leaving bed thanks to the voice-activated screen wake-up (VOX).

Staying Safe On-The-Go

Car seats have come a long way in the past few years. Thanks to continuing research into setup, materials, and security mechanisms, car seats now help keep our kids safer than ever. However, safety isn’t the only thing your car seat should check off your list.

The Summer Myria Travel System includes the Affirm TM 335 Rear- Facing Infant Car Seat to guarantee advanced safety, but this travel system goes far beyond giving your baby a secure place to sit. When you’re ready to be out-and-about, this travel system gives you both a feature-rich car seat and six-mode stroller, allowing you to choose from reversible seating options, transform the car seat into carriage mode, or turn it into a toddler seat as they grow.

This ultra-functional travel system also comes equipped with a large storage basket, oversized canopy with a peekaboo window, a cup holder for you, and a snack tray and cup holder for your kiddo. Best of all, the base is easy to install while giving you the peace of mind that you’ve got a secure and proper fit.

Thank you to Summer™ for making this sponsored post possible!

Real Mom Review: Maxi-Cosi Coral Infant Car Seat

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Thank you to Jessie De Lowe for reviewing this product – Jessie is a manifestation coach, art therapist, certified yoga instructor and Co-Founder of the lifestyle + wellness platform How You Glow.

“This car seat is the best discovery as second time parent, thanks to Gugu Guru. The installation process was incredibly easy and straightforward. My favorite part is how portable it is; you can easily take it out of the car because it is so lightweight and comes with a genius crossbody strap for carrying. Can’t recommend this car seat enough!”

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Manifestation Coach, Certified Yoga Instructor, Art Therapist and Co-Founder of How You Glow, Jessie De Lowe provides life-enhancing, enriching, and enlightening experiences to clients across the globe. Through one-on-one Manifestation Sessions, Relationship Coaching sessions and group Manifestation Workshops that blend her background in therapeutic healing with spirituality, positive psychology and neuroscience, De Lowe inspires people to live the most vibrant life possible and step into alignment with their soul’s true calling.

Thank you to Maxi-Cosi for making this sponsored post possible.

Baby Safety Zone

Safe Nursery

Safe Feeding

Baby Safety On the Go

Do a Daily Check-In

The Manufacturer’s Information isn’t a Suggestion

Eyes On Play

Hacks for Safe Play

Keeping Watch at Home

Staying Safe On-The-Go

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