Travel

Product Discovery: Lulyboo Lights and Music Lounge

Now that the weather is warming up, families everywhere are itching to head outside again – sunshine, grass, flowers! But…where do you put a baby when the family is lounging outside? We’re so excited about the LulyBoo Lights and Music Baby Lounge, a perfect companion for your baby, whether you’re inside or outside.

The LulyBoo Lights and Music Lounge is perfect for heading out to a day at the park; it features a waterproof bottom and adjustable shoulder straps. If you’re going to the beach or on a picnic, you can simply wear the LulyBoo like a backpack and have somewhere safe for baby to rest and play. The 3 position canopy means that even if the sun is strong, baby will be protected; and speaking of protection, this lounger also features removable netting, so you can rest easy around mosquitos! Don’t worry about getting the LulyBoo dirty, the breathable mesh fabric is removable and easily washable.

While your baby rests in their lounger, they’ll drift slowly off to sleep while you relax! The LulyBoo Lights and Music comes with a unique soothing unit that rests conveniently on the lounge wall to gently stimulate baby. The unit incorporates mild vibrations, various melodies, and ambient lights to encourage playtime or help baby drift off to sleep. The music box comes with 11 songs and nature sounds, three vibration levels and a rotating color light show to keep baby calm and happy. As baby gets older, they can play with the two toys which hang down from the activity bar.

All of these unique features make the Lulyboo Lights and Music Lounge a wonderful necessity on your next trip to the park, day at the beach, or even just hanging out in your own house. Baby can drift off to sleep with a canopy and netting protecting them, or they can happily play and listen to music in their lounger. Not sure what to bring to a baby shower? This is a gift which will be used and loved many times over!

Traveling Picks

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

By Gugu Guru Travel Editor: Mackenzie Dawson
I love to travel. Sometimes I think I feel most like myself when I’m getting my passport stamped or looking up train times on a Departures board. When was pregnant with my son, I worried about all sorts of things — but one of my concerns was that having a baby would “ground” me, clip my wings. A friend with three kids set me straight (this friend once went camping with 3 kids in Iceland, so she isn’t messing around.) “It isn’t going to be the same kind of travel, it’s not as light or spontaneous,” she said. “But you can absolutely keep doing it. It’s all about being strategic and having a plan.” Part of that plan? Lightweight, smart-use baby items that will keep your little one comfortable on the go.

Here are a few of my picks:

DockATot
How cute is this little nest? Use it at home when you want to give your baby a comfortable place to lounge; pack it up for a lightweight lounger when you’re on the go. Comes in 2 different sizes; Deluxe Dock for babies 0-8 months old, and Grand Dock, for 9-36 months. (I’m digging these print covers, but sadly, there is no adult-sized dock.)

BabyZen YoYo Stroller
Any parent/traveler knows you don’t want to be stuck lugging a gigantic, bulky stroller around the airport; it’s not a good look. Super-compact, the YoYo stroller is the first stroller that’s compliant with IATA overhead baggage guidelines for airlines — just fold it up, stick it in the cabin and you’re good to go.

GB Pockit Stroller
For parents with older kids (6 months and older) there’s the GB Pockit Stroller which is the world’s smallest folding stroller available on the market. This stroller is seriously compact — easy to fold up, it folds into a handbag-shaped package (with handle) and only weighs 9.5 lbs. The stroller handles well on streets and sidewalks. Forget having to check your stroller at the gate; this is the kind of thing you can toss into the overhead compartment and be good to go.

TwelveLittle Unisex Courage Backpack
When you’re traveling with a little one, luggage selection is everything — bringing too many bags will not only weigh you down, you’ll spend the whole trip frantically rifling through bags, wondering where you put the wipes. That’s why I’m a fan of this unisex backpack, which includes an interior padded tech sleeve for protecting your laptop, insulated side bottle pockets, nylon changing pad, and a hidden zipper pocket for, um, those clothing items you need to stow away quickly out of sight until you get to a washing machine, stat.

Mackenzie Dawson is a writer and New York Post contributing editor. She also writes for Glamour and Parents.

City Living Registry Picks with Nikki Dinki

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Here at Gugu Guru, we’ve found that while suburban-living moms and city-dwelling moms seem to need a lot of the same baby products on their registry, there are a few items which city moms seem to gravitate towards over and over. Because space is limited in apartment living, there are a few products which just stand out for city-moms as must-haves! Nikki Dinki, TV host of Junk Food Flip on the Cooking Channel, cookbook author, radio host, and voiceover artist, shared her must-have items for a foodie mom recently, and now she’s back to share her must-haves for a city-mama who is always on the go!

The Owlet Smart Sock is a bootie which your infant wears, and uses hospital technology called pulse oximetry to monitor your baby’s breathing. The Owlet monitor relays the information and connects to your smartphone, so even if you’re on date night, you can check on your baby’s breathing. As a mother whose first baby, Willa, tragically passed away, Nikki was on the hunt for a product which would put her mind and heart at ease all hours of the day. Even if Nikki runs around the block to the deli, she can check on her phone that her baby is doing well! P.S. Owlet is offering $20 off the Owlet Monitor for Gugu Guru readers. Click this link and the offer will be automatically applied to your purchase.

The Halo Bassinet Luxe Plus Series is a one of a kind item for parents living in an apartment. With mesh sides, so baby can breathe easy, the Halo Luxe Plus also has a side wall which lowers down, making it especially perfect for post c-section mamas to pick up the baby without straining. The Luxe Plus features a nightlight, 3 lullabies, 3 nature and womb sounds, 2 levels of vibration and nursing timer with auto shut off. It also has two generous storage pockets for diapers and essentials – it’s basically an on-the-go nursery which you can move around your apartment! Its smaller size makes it perfect for smaller homes, and the most amazing feature is that it can swivel 360 degrees! No longer do apartment-dwelling parents need to worry about where to fit a crib or bassinet; the Halo Bassinet will fit wherever you need it because it can swivel, and get right up next to the bed.

For moms on-the-go in a city, babywearing is key! Nikki picked out a Baby Bjorn’s Baby Carrier One to take her new little one on adventures around Manhattan and beyond. The Carrier One has ergonomic leg position for with a wide seat area for the baby, and extra padding in the shoulder straps as well as good stability in the waist belt, making it easy to tote the baby around on you for hours, without feeling any strain or pain! The Carrier One can be worn in the front or back, and from infant stage and beyond – no infant insert needed!

For letting baby rest, anywhere and at anytime, Nikki chose the popular DockATot, a multi-functional dock which baby can use to lounge, play, or snuggle, and you can easily take anywhere! The DockATot is bound to be SUPER handy for Nikki’s summer trips to Fire Island – a popular NYC summer respite. Made from breathable and washable materials, including a 100% cotton cover, the DockATot is hypoallergenic, anti-microbial and safe for infants and babies with sensitive skin. The DockATot is also free from phthalates and heavy metals, ensuring your little one breathes easily while they rest in the DockATot. The DockATot is perfect for small houses, as you can carry it from room to room and it doesn’t take up much space at all!

Nursing Mama Travel Must-Haves

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

When you’re a breastfeeding mama, traveling can often cause lots of stress! You worry about your milk supply, when to pump, where to pump, or, if the baby is with you, finding a comfortable place to feed the baby. However, there are now a lot of products on the market designed to help just those situations. Here’s a round up of some of our latest and greatest nursing mama travel must haves:

Lansinoh recently released their Ultimate Protection Nursing Pads; you never have to worry about leaking through your shirts again. These nursing pads are the only nursing pads designed with the blue InvisiLock™ Core; this special feature instantly collects all moisture and disperses it away from the center of the pad. No more clumping, bunching, or soaked nursing pads! The pad stays thin, dry, and smooth – no one will even know you’re wearing one. Running through an airport? No worry, these pads stay in place with two adhesive strips. One of these super soft pads can absorb up to 20x its weight and still remain entirely discreet. You could travel for hours and still feel confident (and dry!) in your attire.

When traveling with a nursing baby, sometimes it seems there is so much extra stuff to carry with you – including a nursing pillow! However, nursing pillows can be bulky and not airplane or travel friendly. The Nurgo Pillow is a one-of-a-king travel nursing pillow. Created out of necessity by a mother, the Nurgo pillow hopes to ease the stress of traveling with a nursing baby. The Nurgo Pillow is made from a 100% non-toxic foam pad (odor free, no flame retardants, antibacterial, and hypoallergenic), which compacts into a small size, in its very own pouch. The pillow features a wedge design, which helps babies with reflux or a latching position better able to feed; there are two loops on the sides which can help secure a nursing cover, and even a side pocket and water bottle holder. A perfect travel companion for any mama and baby!

Speaking of nursing covers, we’re loving the multipurpose covers from Covered Goods! These stylish covers, invented by a mother of four, are handcrafted in Los Angeles, and cover a mom in all the right places so she feels confident feeding her baby anywhere! These handy covers can be scrunched up small and fit in any travel or diaper bag. With their 360-degree coverage, flexible neck, and easy on and off (no rings, straps, snaps, or buckles!), they are the ideal nursing cover for travel. When not nursing, Covered Goods can be used as a chic and super soft scarf, a carseat cover, or even as a shopping cart seat cover for babies and toddlers. You never have to worry about feeling exposed again with Covered Goods!

Often when breastfeeding mamas are traveling away from their babies or if they’re with baby but plan to bottle-feed out of convenience, they worry about their milk supply. Now, there’s a delicious snack which can help. Created by a nurse and lactation consultant, Boobie Bars, are a convenient and healthy snack and a wonderful alternative to taking pills and special teas to help your milk supply! Made of a proprietary blend of herbs, coconut oil, oatmeal, and fenugreek, these bars are offered in blueberry coconut, oatmeal chocolate chip, and gluten-free peanut butter! Eating just one Boobie Bar a day fulfills a daily dose of milk-boosting herbs that a breastfeeding mama needs. Throw these bars in your purse, diaper bag, or pocket so you can deliciously keep your supply up while traveling.

Product Discovery: b.box

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

As a parent, the key word is always “convenience” – any item you carry on you has to be easy to reach, easy to clean, safe for the baby, and double points if the item can be used as two items in one! As your baby grows into the early stages of eating solid foods, you’re going to find yourself having to remember to pack not only the food in the diaper bag, but also a spoon, bib (or 2), plastic baggies, paper towels, wipes, and still, at the end of the day, you’ll probably be shoving a dirty bib into the diaper bag (and, let’s be honest, forget that it’s there and find a sweet potato crusted bib three weeks later). Well, now, thanks to the folks over at b.box, there is a much better way!

b.box, started by two moms, features fun and, most importantly, functional products for babies and young children. Having endured the mess of dirty-bibs-on-the-go themselves, the ladies at b.box invented this innovative travel bib and spoon, which not only is adorable for your little one, but amazingly efficient as well. How does it work so well? Well, this BPA-, Phthalates- and PVC-free bib features a standard bib structure, however, on the bottom of the bib is a pouch to catch all the food which drops – but, that’s not all!

When your darling one is done with their messy lunch-on-the-go, all you do is fold the bib up into the pouch attached on the bottom, throw in the spoon, zip up – and voila! Throw it into your diaper bag, clean as a whistle, and you won’t have any more crusty potato flakes wandering around the bottom of your bag.Once you get home, simply un-zip the pouch, wash the bib and spoon by hand with your regular dish soap, let dry, and you’re ready to zip it back up for your next adventure with your babe.

The pouch features a handy looped handle, so you can easily strap it to the outside of your diaper bag, wear it on your hand, or throw it on your stroller’s handle.

The flexible soft-bite spoon is perfect for early eaters, all the way down to children who can feed themselves. The bib is made from polyester and comfortable for your baby, without being too rigid and making it uncomfortable for them to eat. With an adjustable strap on the neck of the bib, this efficient and functional mealtime accessory will last your little one many months! This one-of-a-kind product is perfect for any mom-on-the-go who loves to leave for adventures at the last minute! You’ll never have to worry about packing towels, plastic baggies, and multiple bibs again – when it comes to convenience, the b.box travel bib has it all – not to mention the modern and cool graphics on it!

10 Must-Have Survival Items For Moms On The Go

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

As a new mother I felt overwhelmed by all of the stuff I was told I needed to lug around. Between the alcohol wipes, boogie wipes, pacifier wipes, wipe wipes…It seemed like I had to pack an entire suitcase just to take a simple trip to the store. And, being a person, who in my former life never, had more than five items (lipstick, ID, phone, money and keys) in my purse, it seemed crazy to me that I would have to haul an overstuffed diaper bag with me everywhere I went. Let’s be honest, it’s hard enough to remember what I ate for breakfast, and now I had what seemed like 4726 “need to survive” items on me at all times, just so I could go to Target! (And, I usually was running out just to pick up a few more of these “need to survive” items).

Over the course of the first few months of being a new mom, I realized that carrying all this crap was ridiculous. So I made a list of the essential 10 items that I need with me at all times. These are the things I keep in my car, so even if I forget my diaper bag it’s all there.

1. Plastic bags – These are a must! They come in handy to hold dirty diapers, wipes – and like I learned the hard way… if your baby throws up, mounds and mounds of paper towels (not to mention for actually throwing up into, if you win the lottery and catch it in time.) Plastic bags are also fantastic for toting around wet or dirty clothes, whether it’s from the baby or yourself.

2. Diapers – Never leave home without at least five extra diapers in an accessible place – a bag in the car, or your diaper bag. Don’t forget – babies poop a lot! More than you can imagine. I went on an overnight trip to my sister’s and I put three diapers in my diaper bag (I had the rest of the diapers in my overnight bag). I didn’t even get 10 minutes away from my house, when we went through all three diapers and I had to rip into my luggage to get out more. Like I said: babies poop A LOT.

3. Wipes – Always have a big pack of them. Remember…babies poop A LOT! (Did I say that already?) Plus wipes are wonderful because babies are known to spit up, drop pacifiers and bottles, and have runny noses. Wipes wipe away any and all grossness that comes with having a baby – whether you’re wiping them up, the seat up, or even your own hands and face.

4. Paper towels – This is one item that never occurred to me until I needed it. My mother-in-law decided it would be a good idea to read to Mason (my son) while we were running errands; well within 10 minutes, breakfast, lunch and remnants of the previous night’s dinner were all over him, her, his car seat, and my backseat. It looked like he had a rough night out at the bar. And note to self, wet wipes (see above) do not clean-up throw-up.5. Change of clothes –It took me too long to realize that you should have keep a change of clothes for the baby in the car, and for yourself! Baby throw-up can reach places you never imagined!

6. Coat – Always carry an extra jacket or coat for the baby in the car; you never know if you’re going to have to stop someplace or your car has trouble – better to be warm than sorry!

7. Toys – As my story mentioned above, for some children, you may want to bypass the books in the car and stick with toys only! Get yourself a cloth bin and keep it in the backseat with some special car toys – preferably soft items, nothing sharp or heavy!

8. Pacifier (if you use them) – I try not to use pacifiers as an all-day treat but there are two times I find I need them; when he’s sleeping and in the car. It makes both of our lives easier.

9. First aid kit – Hopefully you’ll never use it, but as they get older, scratches, cuts and bruises are inevitable. Believe me, if your kiddo skins his knee on the playground, you’ll be thanking your past-self for stocking the car with band-aids!

10. Snacks – I make sure I keep snacks handy at all times. Just make sure you keep them fresh and safe for your little one. I make sure they are the first item I put in the car and take out of everyday. You can always keep non-perishables, like crackers or cookies in plastic bags (don’t forget a snack for mama too!)

I hope sharing my momma mistakes will help you! Good luck!

What do you think of Michelle’s survival items? Did she miss any? Let us know in the comments below!

About Michelle Wright

Michelle Wright is a freelance writer; with a 15-month-old delicious son, and a self-proclaimed pessimistic husband. She has a contagious laugh, a love of B-rated horror movies and crime-drama TV. She is currently a stay-at-home domestic engineer, who was a restaurant owner in her former life.

After she got pregnant she sold her restaurant to start a new life of changing diapers, continuously cleaning up toys, and reinventing herself.

When she realized that working in her yoga pants, going braless and bringing your baby to the office, were shunned in the workforce, she decided to go back to her real passions: writing, creating and story-telling.

Take this journey with her on twitter at @ABCsOfPregnancy

« Previous Page

Travel

Footer

Follow Us:

COME AND GET IT!