The Baby Items you do NOT Need

There are so many items to choose from out there when having a baby. I’m here to tell you that not every single item available to you is necessary. There are so many things you are certain to need and things you don’t. I have also mentioned a few things throughout this post that moms I know love having even though they aren’t dire needs when you have a baby!

First up:

1. Baby Wash cloths and towels
   We recieved a ridiculous amount of baby wash cloths and towels as baby shower gifts and I think we used maybe two. Why? Because regular wash cloths and towels work fine. Yes, baby’s skin is sensative and should be treated gently with soft items, but when you’re washing your baby you shouldn’t be srubbing their skin off.
   
2. On Brand Diapers
   At your baby shower you will recieved a big variety of diaper brands. Use them all. However, when you run out and have to buy your first box, BUY STORE BRAND. I was so set on the cute Cloud Island diapers or Pamper’s Pure, but unless your baby has super sensative skin that severly breaks out when you dont stick to organics or a specific brand, don’t waste your money. I gave the Up&Up Target Brand Diapers a try because they’re more diapers for half the price and dude, they are the best diapers we have used yet and I wish there had been someone to tell me this from the beginning. Diapers are expensive and if you can get more bang for your buck, why would you not??
   
3. Baby shoes
   Baby shoes are overpriced and since they can’t walk until around 1 year old (usually), there’s just no need for them. We alwasy bought big, fuzzy socks when our son was small, so if it was cold and we were going out, warm socks it was. I really didn’t see the need to put shoes on children that have 0 use for them. Once he was able to walk, we started putting shoes on him.
   
4. A Changing Pad
   Realistically, you just change your baby on the nearest surface and in whatever room in the house. You keeo diapers tucked everywhere and don’t trek all the way to the nursery every time you need to change a diaper. I find that changing tables or changing pads on dressers don’t make me feel good about my child’s safety and security. I used the one we had but only about a quarter of the time and would definitely classify it as a waste of money.
   
5. A Bottle Warmer
   I just really think these are a wate of time. Some people swear by them, but I thought it was dumb. I recieved one in my Dr. Brown’s Bottle Gift Set (an amazing set of bottles and a great gift for anyone you know having a baby) and never ever used that item in the kit. The microwave was so much more convenient and practical. I know there are some people out there who are against microwaves so if you are one of those people a bottle warmed might be appealing for you, but I also had a baby that wasn’t particular about bottle temperature. He would drink it refrigerated, room temp, or warm. For my friends out there that want something SUPER easy that helps with making bottles and warming them check out the Baby Brezza. I know a girl or two who has gotten one of these and loved it. It’s more pricey and not a NEED, but from what I’ve heard, it’s worth it. As a mom who formula fed, this is something I wish I had and will splurge on if my next baby doesn’t breastfeed as well. Another I’ve seen floating around social media is the Dr. Brown’s Formula Mixing Pitcher which helps to mix formula and stays good in the refrigerator for 24 hours. These items are only for formula, not breastmilk.

Thanks for checking out this post! This little series was just something I thought I would do for fun. Again, not everyone is going to feel the way about what you need and don’t need, but this is how I felt about them and reaing articles like these always gives you a good jumping off point to figure out what you will choose to buy for your baby!

x Abigail

The Best ‘Copycat Starbucks’ Banana Bread

When I was in college, I had a roommate that made our house banana bread all the time. The kitchen was always filled with it for us to grab in the morning on the way to class or if we needed something sweet to munch on as a late night snack. I think the story goes that she would always buy bananas and then not eat them fast enough so she needed a way to not waste them once they got riper than she was willing to eat them.

Thank God for Rachel. I’m not sure I would have gotten through that last semester without those muffins always available and I know the rest of the roommates would say the same. Since I am rewatching Grey’s Anatomy for, like, the 6th time, a fun comparison I can give you is calling Rachel the “Izzy” in our household with her muffins. It was amazing and I can’t help but smile. I will always think back to my time living in College Park fondly when I bake banana bread.

This specific banana bread recipe is referred to as “Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread” because the recipe apparently comes directly from Starbucks itself. I haven’t personally compared, but it’s delicious so I believe it! I hope you love it as much as my roommates and I did! My son is obsessed with it just as I expected him to be and I know this will be something I make very often from here on out.

I think I enjoy the muffin form of these much more than a loaf because it controls portions, is less mess, and is easier to store, so I would definitely recommend making muffins instead if anyone tries this recipe!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, 300 degree for a glass pan.
2. Add flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, mix, and set aside.
3. In your mixing bowl, add the egg, sugar, and oil together and beat until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and continue mixing until you have a thick, dry mixture.
5. Next add the milk, vanilla flavoring, and mashed bananas and beat until they’re well incorporated.
6. Mix in your 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup cinnamon chips then pour into your loaf pan or cupcake tin.
7. To garnish as I did, cut a banana in half and then cut one of the halves in half again longways. Gently place on top of your loaf, in the pan before putting in the oven. (This may cause the bread to need to be baked longer so make sure if you do this to actually poke with a toothpick repeatedly to make sure it’s baked all the way through.)
8. Bake for about 50-75 minutes depending on what pan you’ve used. Check regularly after the 50 minute mark with a fork or toothpick until it comes out of the loaf clean.

— While gathering all the things I needed to start baking, I found that bag of cinnamon chips. They are not in the Starbucks recipe, but when I saw them I couldn’t resist using them. Be careful not to put too many in your batter though because they’re really strong!

WHAT YOU”LL NEED:

1. 2 cups flour
2. 1 tsp baking soda
3. 1/4 tsp salt
4. 1 egg
5. 1 1/8 cups white sugar
6. 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
7. 2 tbsp milk
8. 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
9. 3 well mashed bananas

• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  1/4 cup cinnamon chips
  1/2 whole banana to garnish

We don’t use cow’s milk in our household so I used almond milk in place of it, which worked fine. I used a glass pan and ended up having to leave the bread in the oven for 70 minutes.

Good luck & enjoy!

February 2018 Playlist

March Playlist

Happy March! Spring is coming! On this playlist my love for That Poppy and Marina and the Diamonds was birthed. Enjoy my new found loves! Don’t forget my Spotify is linked below!

My favorites this month:
Lowlife by That Poppy,
Pretty Girl by Maggie Lindemann,
and How To Be A Heartbreaker by Marina and the Diamonds

xx