Mommy Raves

In light of the fact that I have several friends who are expecting babies in the next few months (not to mention a sister!), I thought I'd start a series of posts on baby products that I have loved having, can rave about, and would willingly buy again for myself or someone else. I thought about doing a "Top 10" post, but then I wouldn't feel like I could rave as much as I wanted to because of space...

So, Mommy Rave #1 is...


The itzbeen.

"The what?," I know a lot of you are thinking. I'd never heard of it either. My friend Melissa recommended it to me via link on facebook and I thought, "Yeah, right, like I need that. Just another gizmo that nobody really needs (like a diaper wipe warmer)." So I ignored her suggestion and barely even looked at the thing.

Then, a few weeks after Lane was born, guess what showed up in the mail? You guessed it, the itzbeen, from Melissa. And since that day we have used the thing nonstop. Until today. Because today Lane dropped it and it broke. I immediately thought, "Crap, what am I going to do now?" Later I'm going to take it apart and see if I can repair it, but if not...I can guarantee that we will be buying another one of these for baby #2 (when we decide that it's time for baby #2...don't get any ideas that he/she is on his/her way yet!).

So, why does the itzbeen take the first spot on my "Mommy Raves" list? It:

1) keeps track of how long it's been since you last fed the baby.
2) keeps track of how long baby has been awake or asleep.
3) has a clock so you know what the real time is too.
4) keeps track of which side you nursed on last.
5) has a flashlight that automatically turns off after 7 minutes.
6) has a backlight so you can see all the numbers in the dark.
7) has a miscellaneous timer (we'd always use this one for how long it'd been since we gave her Tylenol).
8) has a lock on it so that other children (or getting bumped around in the diaper bag) can't mess up all your times.
9) has a clip so you can clip it to your purse, belt, or whatever.
10) is battery operated, so you can take it wherever you go.

All of those are just a few of the reasons I love this thing. It's like a new brain for the sleep-deprived mom. You can pass it off to someone else and they can just look at it and know how long baby has been up or without food. You don't have to write down what time baby ate, slept, or got a diaper change. You don't have to think. It's a lifesaver for the tired mommy!

So, a big shout out and a huge THANKS! to Melissa for what was probably my most-used baby item.

***I feel that it is necessary to make it known that I am not receiving any monetary compensation for these reviews: I'm simply doing them for my fellow moms and moms-to-be out there.***