Welcome to Firefly Mommy
Welcome to Firefly Mommy, a trusted resource guide to come along side you, “mommy”, in the ever-changing adventure of raising children and growing a family. We extend a loving hand to walk along side you from pregnancy through parenthood, and offer practical advice with the intent of helping you thrive as a mommy! No matter what season of parenting you may be in, from the joy of finding out you’ll be a new mother, to raising school age kids, it’s our desire to share our first-hand experiences, as well as the hard lessens that we have learned, in order to help you and your children flourish. In addition, we know how important it is for you to make informed decisions whenever you’re in the market for purchasing a new kid related product, so that is why we include expert reviews for kids related products of all ages. Our reviews are designed to give you the details while sparing you the time, so that you can spend less time researching and more time relaxing.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a gift like no other. It is an immensely exciting period, filled with joy and wonder. Although you may have times that test your courage while your baby grows inside you, your perseverance and character also grow while you wait. After the initial excitement of finding out and announcing that you’re pregnant, 9 months can feel like an eternity. Throughout that period you’ll have moments where you just can’t find a comfortable sweet spot when you try to sleep or lay down. After a long day on your feet, it’s important to achieve the small victories like staying comfortable. During that time it is important to find a quality pregnancy pillow, it can be a game changer for your sleep patterns.
There are plenty of decisions to be made before that day comes, and a quality fertility monitor can help with planning your family’s future. But the extended opportunity to consider what will be best for your baby is a blessing in disguise. Some choices are easy to change your mind about further down the road. For example, switching between cloth diapers , non-toxic diapers, or conventional disposable diapers isn’t likely to present challenges. On the other hand, changing the paint color in your baby’s nursery is a much larger task.
It can be overwhelming when you are designing your child’s nursery. Whether you are making minor changes to your spare bedroom, or a complete remodel, searching for suitable baby cribs is essential. It’s going to be the safe place where your baby lays its head at night, and not to mention the centerpiece of the nursery. That’s why we here at Firefly Mommy, have tested, tried, and reviewed our top picks for this crucial piece of furniture for your precious baby. It’s our desire to help give you peace of mind while your little one is napping, or in bed for the night. Having a quality crib is an easy guarantee for less stirring and turning, and more peaceful rest.
No matter if you’ll be a working mommy or a stay at home mommy, you’ll be superwoman to your baby. One of the shared duties of both types of mommies is making sure you feed your baby. Finding a the best breast pump for you is so important. Trying to use someone else’s old hand-me-down pump is not only yucky, but unsanitary, and could be harmful to you and your child. The same goes for breast pumps that you’ll find at big box stores. You don’t want to pull just any old breast pump off the self and expect that it’s what you personally need. Luckily, we have hand selected our favorite picks in order to best meet your specific needs. Trust us when we say, “it’s worth the research, and the little extra cash to get a breast pump that will make this vital aspect of motherhood a blessing and not a curse!”
For Baby
Getting the home ready for your little one is a very exciting and important process. Having multiple ongoing projects will render themselves as a nuisance, and that’s the last thing you want on your mind while you’re trying to enjoy some quality snuggle time with your baby. The end goal is to have everything prepped and ready to go before your little bundle of joy arrives. As you create your baby-proof checklist, you’ll initially write down the more obvious and tedious projects like, “assembling the perfect crib for your nursery”. With that being said, you’ll also find out that there are other projects that are not so apparent.
Maintaining a regular sleeping schedule after feeding is everything for your newborn. It will become apparent that after feeding your baby in the wee hours of the night, that for whatever reason, your sweet little bundle of joy will just decide to say, “This seems like a good time to wake up for the day!”, thus keeping you up for hours at time, and making you feel like a zombie for the rest of the day. Sometimes you can cradle, rock, and bounce for hours, and have no luck in soothing your newborn back to sleep. Adding a cozy glider rocker to your baby’s nursery is key for your late night feeding time. Similar challenges may also arise during the day, and a baby swing is another awesome piece that will be sure to sooth your baby to slumberland. While we’re on the topic of sleep, if you find yourself with a little light sleeper, a white noise machine will save your life! Having background noise in the room will allow your child not to be disturbed by any subtle noises throughout the night, or during nap time. Thus, leading to more sleep for mommy, which equals a win-win!
A huge plus when raising newborn babies in that they are typically easy to travel with. Although not true for every case, usually for the first few months they sleep a ton. But, it’s never a bad idea to plan ahead and make sure that you take your time and make sure that you find a perfect infant car seat. Finding a comfy place outside the nursery for your baby to rest is crucial. Being able to score a quality baby cradle will fulfill that requirement, and allow you and your little one to have peaceful leisure time.
Exploring all the unique qualities and preferences of your newborn can be a simultaneously rewarding, yet challenging ordeal. You’ll explore his/her personality traits, and find out what makes your little one tick. Two of the most important schedules that you’ll be revolving around is diaper changing, and feeding. I know, mentioning those two things in the same sentence wasn’t fun for me either. So instead of being overwhelmed with the process, skip the mayhem and invest in a quality and handy diaper changing table that will keep mommy and baby smiling.
What an exciting time! From picking out the color of the nursery, to finally welcoming the newest member of the family home, we here at Firefly Mommy are honored to have been welcomed into your world, and are delighted to be able to play a small role in helping you make the best decisions for you and for your baby.
For Kids
Kids are wildly inventive, full of energy, and adventurous as the day is long. Not to mention, they are learning about the world around them at a rate that we adults often forget experiencing. While meeting those needs can be demanding, providing for your kids is also very rewarding.
Even as little toddlers, children love to play hard and experience new things. Much like building blocks, coordination and fine motor skills are a combination of movements that are learned over months and years. For example, before kids learn to ride a bike, they will likely start with learning to peddle a toddler tricycle and then move on to a larger kids bike with training wheels.
Outdoor play requires a wide variety of clothing and safety equipment to keep your kids warm and protected from the elements. Winter clothing is important in colder climates and kids winter coats are the first line of defense against the cold. In summer the outdoor gear changes drastically, but is equally important nonetheless.
Kids love cruising on toys, and kids electric cars are amazing little buggies that provide hours and hours of entertainment. Power Wheels, among other reputable companies, make incredible little reproductions of Trucks, Jeeps, Sports Cars, and Four-Wheelers that are sure to bring a big smile to any child’s face. A climbing toys for toddlers or an toddler slide are very popular indoor/outdoor options. But one of the most energetic and fun hobbies for bigger kids is a good Nerf war, and finding quality Nerf guns for kids will provide hours and hours of entertainment.
But not every kids toy needs to be a motorized vehicle. A quality kids wagon can provide many years of outdoor fun and entertainment without breaking the bank. Many models offer very helpful features and can even seat multiple kids, hold drinks, provide sun protection, and ensure everyone has a great time.
Baby Furniture
Acquiring furniture for you baby’s bedroom and general comfort throughout the day is a significant initial expense. Newborns and young babies sleep a lot, and during the nighttime hours you will probably want to keep your baby nearby for feedings and diaper changes. One of the options we used for our kids is aco-sleeper bassinet. There are a number of popular designs that many parents like, such as in-bed, bedside, or stand alone co-sleepers.
Hopefully your baby sleeps soundly through the night as they grow, and as your infant comes closer to independent sleep in their own room, there are very helpful baby cribs that offer integrated dresser drawers and storage options. Convertible cribs can also save you some money in the coming years when you need to transition into a big kid bed. Investing in a dual sided crib mattress can provide comfort and rest for infants as well as toddlers.
Self feeding is another transitional time in a baby’s growth timeline. Along with providing cognitive stimulation and building coordination, self-feeding goes hand-in-hand with keeping your baby comfortable and safe. Once your bambino is ready, you’ll likely find it convenient to use a high chair through the toddler years. So in addition to finding a baby high chair, you’ll likely want to find a high chair to provide for the first few years of messy eating habits.
You can also promote your baby’s growth and coordination through regular exercise. Baby exercise is significantly different than the adult version, but it’s a vital component in teaching your baby how to walk and eventually run. To that end, regularly using a baby bouncer is wonderful for building strength and coordination in your baby’s legs. Another good option for building those physical skills is a baby exersaucer, which provides your child with both exercise and entertainment.
Traveling
Family vacations are a terrific way to introduce your kids to new experiences and encourage their curiosity and desire for adventure. But family adventures don’t need to be a week-long excursion. Sometimes a simple overnight at a nice hotel with a swimming pool can be plenty to show your kids a really good time.
Regardless of what particular vacation adventure you choose, if you have a little one then you’ll need some type of travel crib. Many parents find the most flexible option as a crib for travel is a pack n play, which also can also be really helpful if you’re making a trip to the beach or the local park.
Car seats have changed a lot over the years, and finding versatile options will help to ensure you get as many years a s possible from your car seats. Car seats are just essential to travel with kids, but there are a number of features that make one car seat better than the next. And to maximize versatility, many models are designed to pair with a stroller. Often these can be purchased together in a car seat/stroller combo, but you’ll need to be sure your car seat is compatible with the stroller you choose if you make separate purchases.
Getting exercise is important for both kids and parents, but it can be hard to make that time when you are raising kids. Even little babies often find enjoyment in seeing new surroundings and getting out of the house. A brisk walk or even a run is a simple approach for both parents and kids to take advantage of your time and get valuable exercise. With that in mind, a jogging stroller is a perfect option to maximize your work out time while safely getting your child out to see the world.
On the other hand, strollers can often be heavy and awkward to handle. This is particularly true of double strollers, so you really should consider a lightweight stroller option, which can be a lot easier to move around. The last thing you need is to injure yourself when loading a heavy stroller in or out of a vehicle.
A convertible car seat is going to accommodate your child’s growth and transition from rear facing to forward facing. A long with offering mounting options in either direction, convertible car seats are also going to provide for growth much better than conventional models. It’s only a matter of time before your kids outgrow their car seats altogether, which is why finding quality booster seats for your children is also vital in keeping your kids safe.
For outdoor adventures, one of the most popular options on the market is a stroller wagon. Wagons are super fun, and with many models offering sun protection and comfortable seating many parents opt for a kids wagon over a traditional stroller.
Gifts and Toys
Finding gifts and toys that our kids truly enjoy, but also help them learn and mature is one of the biggest challenges for family and friends. Kids don’t often play with toys they don’t have an interest in, so our kids really need to enjoy their gifts for a couple of important reasons. From a parent’s perspective, a gift that spurs on growth and expands their coordination, cognitive function, and problem solving skills is a real winner. Realistically, that just doesn’t happen if your child doesn’t find the gift intriguing.
It goes wihtout saying that a 10 year old won’t want to play with the same toys as a 2 year old. Hitting the mark with the right gift will inevitably change as your child grows. There’s no formula that provides the easy answer to this problem. Every child is different, even when they are very close in age. Some kids like quiet times, and the concentration involved with individual games and puzzles. At the same time, other children enjoy group activities and will have a natural attraction to sports and energetic activities like playing hockey with friends or learning to skateboard.
We are still raising children ourselves, so we put together a big list of our kids favorite toys and gifts with hopes of helping other parents to find some good ideas. Take a look down below and you will find our growing list of toys for both boys and girls, from early newborns up into the teenage years. These are gifts that our kids showed a natural attraction to and have loved to play with. But we also wanted to point out toys that stood the test of time and lasted through many sessions of hard play and regular use.