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Real Mom Review: Zoe XLC Single Stroller

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Our Real Mom Reviewer, Shawna, is crazy about the Zoe XLC Single Stroller! Shawna tried the Babyzen Yoyo and the Mountain Buggy Nano V2, but feels the Zoe is superior to the competition. Read her thoughts and details about the Zoe XLC below.

Shawna W.: “Not only is the Zoe sleek looking but it is the easiest umbrella stroller to use by far. With one simple movement, you can open and close it. It also folds up to be extremely compact with a strap that allows for easy carrying. I have tried two other popular brands and the Zoe has exceeded both in appearance and practicality. For a mom on the go, I would highly recommend this product!”

What you need to know about the Zoe Stroller:

  • The Zoe Stroller is great for travel and everyday use.
  • It only weighs 11 pounds, accommodates a child up to 50 pounds and features an amazing canopy.
  • When folded, the stroller fits in a small trunk or overhead compartment of an airplane.

Click here to add the Zoe XLC Stroller to your registry.

Real Mom Review: Clek Foonf

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Sleek. Simple. Modern. Minimal. All that and more can be found in the Clek Foonf car seat. One of our Gugu Guru team members tried this car seat with her 16-month-old-daughter and quickly fell in love. Read what she has to say about it below.

We love the super soft material of this car seat. It’s cushioned in all the right places to hug baby and keep her comfortable. We live in Alaska and the seat material is perfect. It doesn’t get super cold when our cars sit outside like her infant car seat would. The material would be great for warm states too because it won’t get warm sitting in the sun in a hot car either.

It’s not as bulky and wide as some of the other car seats on the market and fits nicely in both of our cars, a Ford Escape and a Ford F-150 Super Crew Cab. Bonus: it was also super easy to install properly!

Two of the most important things I looked for in a car seat were a solid frame build and a nice headrest. The headrest in this seat is amazing and really supports her head when she falls asleep on car rides. Clek says the Foonf is “built like a tank” and it truly is! It’s engineered with a steel and magnesium substructure, energy-absorbing crumple technology, and a rebound bar. The safety of this seat really can’t be beaten.

I would highly recommend this car seat to any family with littles. My only regret? Not buying one sooner! She would have loved it as an infant and will be able to use this car seat for years!

Thanks to Clek for sending a Foonf for testing. The thoughts mentioned in this article are my own.

Learn more or purchase the Clek Foonf on Amazon here.

Real Working Moms’ Must Have Products for Newborn Life

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It can be overwhelming to decide which items to add to your working mom’s baby registry, so we reached out to real working mom’s to find out which items they couldn’t live without in the newborn days. Read on to learn more about these influencer moms and their must-have newborn products for busy working moms. Don’t forget to check out the Working Mother Registry with Working Mother and KIDBOX, too! 

working mom baby registry

Jasmine Johnson, @mrsmommymd suggests: 

working mom life

Julie S, @fabworkingmomjulie recommends: 

  • Medela Breast Pump: The Medela pump that my insurance provided was very important to help me continue breastfeeding as long as possible.
  • Nanny: We also had a nanny, which made things easier so we didn’t have to leave the house with the baby and rush to leave for daycare in the morning.
  • Grocery delivery: I use Shipt, and it has been absolutely life-changing! Grocery shopping with a small child is painful. 
  • Baby Bouncer: A bouncer was also vital when my little one was growing and had so much energy. It really helped to release all that energy without running around the house and getting into everything. 

sweet phi working mom

Philia Kelnhofer, @philiakelnhofer suggets: 

  • Diaper Backpack: Make sure your diaper bag backpack has a slot for a laptop like this one!
  • Instacart: I love that I’m able to order groceries when I don’t have time to go to the store.
  • Evernote: I love that I can take notes and access them on my phone, computer, etc. I make shopping lists, reminders, to-dos, party menus, etc.
  • Nest Camera: I love our Nest Camera, being able to see my son when I’m not home every once in a while is a real treat when I’m at work!

lawyer mom

Candace, @themomatlaw recommends: 

  • Formula Pro Baby Brezza: this was incredibly helpful after the birth of our twins. It made such a difference with overnight feedings and eliminated that hassle of having to make or heat bottles throughout the night. We didn’t have one with our first child, but if I could go back in time, I would have totally used one then, too!
  • Instacart: this was a life saving during my twin pregnancy when it was too difficult to leave the house for grocery shopping with my oldest son, and then again during the early months with twins plus one.
  • Owlet Baby Monitor: the Owlet Baby Monitor was another great tool to have that allowed us to keep an eye on the kids while they slept while also feeling comfortable to work on other tasks in the house.
  • Housekeeping: We hired a housekeeper after the arrival of our twins.  We didn’t use a big company–we hired based on word of mouth and recommendations from friends-but it has made such a HUGE difference ever since.

Alyssa Loring

Alyssa Loring, @alyssaloring recommends: 

foreverfreckled

Carrie, @foreverfreckledblog suggests:

  • The Baby Shusher: This was a miracle product that I used 24/7 for the first 6 months. Instantaneously calmed my son down and helped him fall asleep with the rhythmic “shhhhh” sound. The “shhhh” sound emulates the noises they hear in the womb which is why it is so calming to them. Had one at home, in the car, and in my stroller!
  • Water Wipes: Hands down best wipes on the planet. They are safe for your baby. Purest wipe you can get. I haven’t had diaper rash once!
  • Dr Browns Options Bottles: My Leo had extremely COLIC. always gassy and uncomfortable. The bottles were a lifesaver and the only bottle he would take 
  • Hatch Sound Machine: I love this sound machine. Has a ton of different sounds and colors. You can control it from an app on your phone. This was so convenient when Leo was already asleep and I forgot to turn his sounds machine on. I could turn it on with my phone and never had to go into his room. With a 3-year old making a lot of noise throughout the day and before bed, it creates that sound barrier you need to keep the baby sleeping. the life styledCatherine, @thelifestyled recommends: 
  • Willow Pump – I always hated being tethered to the wall with my first pump, and am I SO EXCITED to try this new mobile pump that came out since I was last in this phase of motherhood. I think it’ll be a game-changer to be able to pump anywhere.
  • The Snoo – Another one that came out since my last baby. Cannot wait to hopefully get some extra rest with this so I don’t feel so tired when it’s time to come back to work. Love that they do rentals now too.
  • Solly wrap – Can’t wait to strap my little one to me while I’m running errands even just getting some e-mails done.
  • Gathre mats – Love these for changing on the go, or the larger ones for lounging/playing with the little ones
  • Askr + Embla baby loungers – These Sleepods are so luxurious, organic, and perfect for setting the baby down safely when you need a minute hands free.
  • Our Gugu Guru team enjoys GoPuff for last-minute needs. GoPuff delivers everything from apples to ice cream making a parent’s life a lot easier.

 

Real Moms Review: Eco-Friendly Mochi Teethers

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Japanese company, The People Toy Co., is known for creating innovative and fun products for babies and children. The Mochi line of teethers and toys are comprised of 51% food-grade rice and are free of harmful adhesives and paints. You can’t get more eco-friendly than that. As our Real Moms discovered, Mochi Toys provided hours of fun and teething relief!

From the minute we took the toys out of the package, my 9mo daughter favored them over the other toys in her basket. She was immediately drawn to the horn and loved surprising herself when she figured out how it makes noise. And the teething ring is also a big hit – the textures are a nice added touch. Both toys are easy to grip and chew, and they look nice too – I love the muted colors as opposed to loud/bright/primary like so many products out there. I’ll definitely be buying these as baby shower gifts and recommending them to friends! They are perfect for teething babies and I really love that they are made of rice and completely safe.
– Christine C., Mom to 7 Month-Old Daughter

When I received the Mochi teethers and started to read about the company I was very excited about the safe, eco-friendly teethers.  My son is 11 months old and is a late teether so he is constantly putting everything in his mouth. It was a relief to know that I could trust these toys in his mouth.  I was expecting to receive just a basic teething ring and wasn’t sure how interested he would be in it but I was excited when we got a trumpet that makes noise when you blow into it and a teething necklace.  At first, I was more excited about the trumpet than Mikey. When I first showed him how it worked he was actually afraid of the noise of the trumpet. However, after about three days of slowly reintroducing it, he warmed up to it and started playing with it himself. He is now having fun with it as a toy. -Denalee M., Mom to 13 Month-Old Son

We were generously gifted the People Toy Company, Mochi trumpet and building blocks to review and our little girl adores them.  In general, we try to get more green and less plastic toys so we really appreciate that the People Toy Company uses rice plastic! The innovative design uses 51% food grade rice and it has no toxic paints or adhesives, which is great because the trumpet and blocks immediately went into our baby’s mouth. Once I showed Mallary that the trumpet makes noise she wanted to start her own band! Fortunately for parents, it doesn’t make too loud of a toot and it’s not shrill either. Depending on if the baby is blowing in or out, it kind of sounds like a duck or quiet squeak! She picked it up very quickly and is so happy to play “music”!

Not only does Mallary enjoy blowing the trumpet but she has a great time smashing the block towers that I build for her. She also likes to bring the blocks from one place to another, place them in their original box or on her chair. There are several different shapes and sizes that are perfect for little hands. Mallary’s (8-month-old) nanny share buddy, drools and puts all the blocks in her mouth, and they both have fun shaking the rattles in the block set. It’s wonderful that the blocks are appropriate for a variety of ages. I’m looking forward to watching her build little houses in the next year. However, for now, she’s having way too much fun pretending to be Godzilla!

Thank you so much, Gugu Guru and People Toy Company for allowing me to review these colorful, environmentally friendly, and fun baby toys.
-Emily F., Mom to 14 Month-Old Daughter

Thank you so much for sending the Mochi Teether set for us to test. We have had a blast with the blocks. They were a hit from the get-go. My kiddo went straight for the rattles and ran around for a bit shaking them. The best part about trying them out was that for the first time my kiddo began building with me. I started stacking up some blocks and he joined in before knocking it all down. I’ve been keeping a couple of the columns near the changing pad since they have been super helpful keeping him calm and distracted during changes.

I also spent the last week visiting with several other similar age kiddos (5 months to 18 months) and they all loved them too. The parents all were curious about them (without me prompting them at all).

The trumpet has been well received too but due to the noise factor, it gets put away much of the time. My kiddo was pretty excited when he figured out how to work it.

Overall Mochi Toys have been a hit in our household and have been played with regularly since arriving.
-Laura S., Mom to 13 Month-Old Son 

My one-year-old daughter thinks these blocks are wonderful! She loves to knock them over & they entertain her for a solid 7-10 minutes every time! The toy horn was a surprise for her to hear, & at first, she was scared of it, but after a few days she began to love it. She has even learned to blow the horn herself & thinks it’s so funny! I would definitely recommend these toys. It’s nice having the peace of mind knowing these are quality toys made from rice instead of harmful chemicals.
-Heather L., Mom to 11 Month-Old Daughter

Thank you to all of our Gugu Village Moms for testing the Mochi line of products and providing us with their honest thoughts. If you are interested in testing new products and meeting other new and expectant moms, join our Gugu Village, here!

Like what you see? Check out this other Real Mom Review:

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