Zoe Twin+ – When we went from one to two and I started to travel with both girls, I knew I needed a lightweight double stroller. We did our research and the Zoe Twin+ kept coming up. I wanted a double stroller that broke down and popped up easily, that was lightweight not just for my own personal ease but because I wanted to be sure I could gate-check it without any hassle. I wanted a stroller that comfortably fit both Margaret and Catherine who at the time I purchased were just turned 4 years old and 5 months old, so very different sizes. Even though I needed lightweight, I didn’t want to sacrifice under-mount storage. I wanted the seats to recline far enough to truly nap comfortably on-the-go and both girls have done that comfortably. The shades come down super far which further helps with nap time. When Zoe sent me their Luxe version which includes upgraded features like the reinforced canvas storage bin and the leatherette handles. The parent organizer is an excellent add on and keeps things like our phones, drinks, extra snacks, and wipes (of all kinds) handy! This stroller is absolutely our favorite new item and makes life with two so much easier. And while we’re complete as a the Hamlin family, party of four, for anyone thinking of growing their family further, just add a Trio Triple Seat to stroll three little ones, or add the Tribe+ to make it a quad. This is without a doubt our favorite stroller for Disney and we’ve literally had 4 different strollers there. To see it in action at the “Happiest Place on Earth” click here for a quick video!
2. DockATot – I’d not heard of DockATot when I was registering for and expecting Margaret, but by the time Catherine was cooking I couldn’t stop hearing about it. So when my friends asked me what I wanted this is what I chose. It was a great place to literally “dock” our tot throughout the day. We did not use it for unsupervised sleeping (more on that below) and if you have questions about the DockATot and sleep safety you can click here. If I’d been able to, this would’ve been such a great item to borrow since for us it was only something we used for 3-4 months. It was a great addition to our baby arsenal and if I were to do it again I’d also get the play bar to hang toys from.
3. Backpack – I never thought I’d be researching backpack diaper bags, but in preparation for my first solo plane trip with the girls this time last year, I knew I’d need my hands free more than ever before. This Amazon backpack seemed great and I figured for under $30 I didn’t have much to lose. Almost a year and many trips later it is such a good diaper bag and Curtis is also a fan.
4. Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine, Night Light, and Time To Rise – From about 4 months on, Margaret was a solid and heavy sleeper. We could put her down and literally have parties in our bungalow without her stirring. Catherine on the other hand is more sensitive sleeper, and a white noise machine was key from day one. Luckily one of my friends had a baby just a few weeks before Catherine and showed us hers and I was obsessed. You sync with your phone and can control it remotely. There are a variety of white noise options at different volume levels and it can turn colors which will be useful later on as a “time to rise” alarm.
5. Lille Baby Carrier – Margaret wasn’t a huge fan of being in a carrier. It wasn’t terrible and we used it when we needed, but it wasn’t an “essential” item. For Catherine, we knew she’d be “along for the ride” and we’d need options beyond the stroller. When she was younger, she’d snuggle in this carrier and nap against us. Now, she is 16 months and still happy enough to go in it, facing out for the world to see.
6. Baby Utensils – Catherine as the quintessential second child has been watching everything big sister does and wants to do it too! This included eating with utensils from a way earlier age than I would’ve imagined and these Grabease baby utensils were perfect, and she still uses them. This starter spoon has also been a hit for self-feeding things like yogurt, and she loves chewing on it as a teether. Both of these are safe for 6+ months.
7. Merlin Suit – We did not need this for Margaret but as you may be catching on by now, Catherine’s sleep story was a bit different and more complicated. After she moved out of swaddles and still wasn’t sleeping great we turned to the Merlin. It was definitely, absolutely helpful. It was not the “magic” to a full nights sleep, but the nights we didn’t use it were markedly different. It works to soften the startle reflex. To learn how we finally started to sleep again, keep reading!
8. Sleep Sack – Margaret punched through her sleep sack night one. We kept trying for weeks and tried literally 7 different types before giving up. She had colic in a nightmare kind of way until it turned off like a faucet one night between months 2 and 3 and from then on out her sleep was pretty low-maintenance and sleep sacks were the last thing on our mind. Fast-forward to 2.5 years and she was climbing out of her crib. We lowered the mattress to the floor with our pediatrician’s approval, but we realized that if we’d kept up with sleep sacks we could’ve just turned her sack around so she couldn’t unzip it and then she wouldn’t have been able to hoist her leg over side. So little Catherine is 16 months and snoozing comfortably in her sleep sack until further notice!
9. SlumberPod – The same trip that had me Googling diaper bag backpacks had me researching how we’d be able to share a hotel room and get any sleep at all! Cue the SlumberPod. It helps block out light so Catherine can more easily go to sleep even when we’re still awake. We recently decided not to use it one night out of sheer laziness while sharing a room and just the sliver of sun sneaking in the hotel drapes was enough to wake Catherine an hour earlier than normal. The next night we used it and she slept that additional hour, thank goodness! It packs up super small which makes it easy to take with us whether we’re flying or driving. It fits comfortably over the rental cribs hotels often provide and over most travel cribs. You can read hear some FAQs including information on airflow safety. Once we go to bed and the room is dark we open up some flaps to let in more airflow but it keeps out just enough light still to buy us extra sleep!
10. Taking Cara Babies – Unlike Margaret, Catherine definitely did not have colic. She cried but it was when she was hungry, tired, wet, or in need of snuggles. I realized with her what a typical newborn was! Our nights were chunks of sleep – a few hours, wake and nurse, back to sleep and repeat at varying lengths. I was tired but it was fine. She slept in her bassinet in our room and then around month 3 we had her start taking naps in her room. Then we tried nights in her crib around 4 months and she would never do long stretches. She was eating plenty during the day, we followed all of the “rules”, and still nights weren’t great -but they were getting better we thought. Around the 4 month sleep regression we implemented the Merlin suit and it definitely helped, but she was still waking up multiple times a night. One night out of desperation I tried the DockATot and it still wasn’t the answer, not to mention I was so anxious about it. Enter Taking Cara Babies. My friend had told us about it and let me look at the literature from the 3-4 month course. We were doing everything in there and by month 6 when I was waking up every 2 hours I knew something had to change. So I purchased the 5-24 Month course as well as phone consults and it was game changing. A 7 months, Catherine went from waking literally constantly to sleeping through the night and at 16 months she is still snoozing great. We have teething, growth spurts and leaps but by and large, she’s sleeping through the night. And should we land in struggle city with the 18 month sleep regression, I know who to turn to!
