Best products from r/moderatelygranolamoms

I used to use the diva cup but found it hard to get used to the feeling of it. Nowadays I love the fun factory fun cup https://www.amazon.com/Fun-Factory-FUN-CUP-Kit/dp/B0757LWQDW

It's got a good tilt/angle that helps, and the stem to pull it out is easier to grip to take out. Hope that helps!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558328807/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519765721&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=the+birth+partner&dpPl=1&dpID=51b4Sezn8YL&ref=plSrch

This book is about natural labor and delivery. It's technically geared toward those who will be helping you through labor, but it's fantastic for mother's too! I truly feel this book helped me through my natural labor. It gave great ideas for coping mechanisms as well as an in-depth walk through of the stages of labor and what to expect in each. I highly highly recommend if you're planning natural birth!

So I've hiked the AT and I'm going back this summer!

With kiddo it was hard because he was born in July last summer and our area has something called oak mites which basically make it impossible to go outdoors from august until it freezes.

I recommend looking around at second hand sites/groups/stores for a hiker back pack. I have some off brand and it is just about as comfortable as a fancy one (like the Deuter I wanted to buy). The thing about a kid is they lean to one side or the other, so it's hard to get them really comfortable. Just make sure you can adjust the hipstraps.

We did some car camping and brought the pack n play, but ended up having kiddo sleep between us, and no one slept. We don't co sleep at home, so he was looking at us like "hey, what's going on" and I was convinced I was going to roll over on him. I thought it would be useful to put him in while we set up camp, but he just got mad we weren't holding him, so back into the hiker he went.

We've just been to local campsites, but I would recommend car camping at a place with lots of trails but ALSO access to lots of ammenities, in case you need them. In this case, I HIGHLY recommend the Shenandoah's. Besides the fact that I am just in love with them, they are right on the AT and have tons of camping options, from back country to cabins.

Other than that.... I received this book from the author when I was pregnant. She hiked the CDT with her kids. It has a lot of practical advice.

Or you could just keep bed sharing. She'll eventually want to sleep in her own bed, all kids do.

I read Sweet Sleep which is put out by The Leche League. (https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Sleep-Nighttime-Strategies-Breastfeeding/dp/0345518470/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=sweet+sleep&qid=1575144694&sr=8-3)
It makes some pretty compelling arguments for bedsharing and against sleep training.

We've been bedsharing since our daughter was 3 months old and its been a really positive experience. A lot of moms i talk to want to bedshare because it feels more natural and they like the connection of being closer to their baby overnight but feel guilty about it because they feel their baby "should" be able to sleep on their own already. She'll get there even if you bedshare now. Do what gets your family the most sleep and gives your heart the most peace. And check out the book for how to make bedsharing safe. Or read this article that explains how to make your bed safe https://www.llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/

Some upfront costs, but on the waste front: in addition to the obvious cloth diapers/cloth wipes, we also go through very few paper towels in our house (mostly for cat puke or similar). Old clothes, diapers, and the million and a half receiving blankets/burp cloths get cut up and stashed under the sink. We have a huge pile, but we go through them regularly with a toddler and a 1st-grader in the house. We use them for wiping faces, hands, tables, floors, everything. We have converted almost entirely to cloth snack bags. There are lots of brands, but those are my fave for pliability, capacity, and the fact that they zip closed. They're good for just about anything that's not liquid, including fruit. We also got some reusable pouches that were great for baby breakfast (mostly oatmeal and fruit and yogurt blends) but also awesome for sending yogurt/applesauce in the big kid's lunch. We also have tins that will hold food for snacks in the diaper bag or lunches -- we have a couple sizes of these. It helps cut down on the disposable food containers, while also encouraging making/packing your own.

And yeah, for less stuff, just have less stuff. Totally easier said than done, but that's more or less all there is to it. Say no and regularly cull.

I'm not a moderately granola mom yet (couple weeks to go) but I'm a librarian, and I saw some books that caught my eye the other day, called loose parts and loose parts 2 that look fascinating and super fun with great ideas for diy toys. You can always ask your local library if they do interlibrary loan if they don't have it.

We got him this one, but you may want to look around (he loves it BUT it has some phrasing which doesn't make any sense - our favorite being "let the pushbutton popping" for a snap on caterpillar head - it reads like a super rough translation that didn't get a second look).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072KDHLBJ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B072KDHLBJ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8603503800129958834&pf_rd_r=E47N99ZXHS5R34XVEXZX&pd_rd_wg=7716T&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=Lb26F&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=e52f1a61-b786-11e8-a3d9-8f6065affc51

I used the Earth Mama herbal sitz bath for pregnancy & postpartum. I liked it & it’s on amazon. Here’s a link

And take it easy mama. ♥️♥️♥️

Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes

I always recommend this book. It was awesome. It offers a progression for introducing solids, talks about making your own purees, and it has nice simple recipes that build into more complex ones (for toddlers anyway). They are pretty delicious and good for beyond 18months. This book was helpful to me as a mom who had no idea where to start.

We did BLW with my son and will be doing it again with my daughter once she's ready for solids. I really like the BLW cookbook. It has a summary of the philosophy behind it, recipes which are pretty much regular food but with ideas for how to prepare it to accommodate baby's skill levels with handling food. It has a nice chart where you can look at what skills babies develop and what kinds of food are easy at that point in development and what foods will help challenge them to develop their skills further but won't be completely beyond their abilities.

Agreed don't stress too much over it. One thing I love is this... [Compost Freezer Bin](Full Circle Scrap Happy Scrap Collector and Freezer Compost Bin, Orange https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XWGS4I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_o9J2wbTRYTRYX)... I don't have smelly food in the house... And it just sits in the freezer and I add to it as we go and dup it outside in the compost bin when it is full. I love it so much I got two of them.


Outside I just got the cheapest compost bin from HomeDepot I could find. It is basically a brown plastic box with lid. It has held up pretty well (5 years almost). You can buy a compost bin. Make one either with wood or and old trash can (just drill/poke holels in the bottom). It doesn't have to be fancy.

It is amazing what you can put in a compost bin. You cannot mess it up. They say no dairy and meat. I don't but sometimes it goes in there by mistake and nothing wrong happens. So no worries. Also I usually wait until fall and add my fall leaves to it then. I don't stress about the ratio. After I put the leaves in I stir it with a showel or hoe. Then spring/early summer I use the compost in veggie garden. Super easy. I don't spend a lot of time maintaining it. The worms and time just do the work for me. Hopes this helps! :D

I love Sam's club brand diapers, but they're not the most crunchy for sure. However, Amazon just started their own line that's comparable to some of the more natural lines and you can purchase in bulk and use their subscribe and save discount.

Edited to add link:
Amazon Brand - Mama Bear Diapers Size 1, 216 Count, Bears Print (4 Packs of 54) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746G1ZDW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CtPNBbJT1KTRM

Same thing happened to us. My little guy loved the pouches and didn't really do well with BLW, so we just bought the organic ones (we liked the Plum Organics brand, and you can sometimes get them and a few other brands on Zulily at a decent discount, so it didn't break the bank).

We did buy a few different DIY pouches, a few were washable ziplock-type pouches, they were awful. This was the best one we found.

Edited to add: Making purees at home was awesome - I'd freeze cubes of each fruit or veggie and then mix and match when it was time to serve (that way I wasn't stuck with a whole batch of a pre-blended mango-kale-avocado that LO suddenly hated). Then just thaw or warm up and mix in a bowl and use a spoon :)

We like silicon. I don’t like the metal ones either. I just replaced our plastic cups with these & the kids have adjusted to no straws pretty fast. You can do a straw in then if you want. They just like to pretend drink coffee.

https://smile.amazon.com/Stainless-Silicone-Drinking-Tumblers-Eco-Friendly/dp/B07D3R2PFL

https://www.amazon.com/Foogo-Thermos-Vacuum-Insulated-Bottle/dp/B00318CO6G this isn't spillproof if he really wants to spill it (which has happened to me before) but great otherwise.

We love our stainless cups with silicone lids and reusable straws.

We've used these from 12 months to present day (3 years old). We sometimes go without the straw, but sometimes she has a toddler tantrum and demands the straw. We like the lid because if she doesn't finish her milk, it's easy to put back in the fridge for the next meal.

Check these out! I love BLW, but i used this as supplementing sometimes or also during travel.

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https://www.amazon.com/Cereal-Organic-Sprouted-multigrain-Multigrain/dp/B07PGWR67T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HLS46OWG3ZTT&keywords=kitchdee%2Borganic&qid=1554750260&s=gateway&sprefix=kitchdee%2B%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1&th=1

Here is the mobile version of your link