family blog

  Here is the traditional setup: Buy a foam pad. Buy a cute fabric cover. Here is the reality: Baby poops. Poop gets on the fabric. You take the cover off. You wash it. You put a new one on. Baby poops again. The Fix: The Wipeable Pad. Stop creating laundry for yourself. Get a Solid Rubber/Foam Changing Pad (like the Keekaroo or Skip Hop). No Fabric: It is a solid piece of soft, squishy rubber. Instant Clean: When accidents happen (and they will), you just spray it with a cleaner and wipe it with a paper towel. Done. It costs more upfront than a $20 foam pad, but it saves you roughly 100 loads of laundry over the first year. It is the single best "lazy parent" purchase you can make.

  Before I had a baby, I used to hand-wash my dishes. It was therapeutic. Now? If it can't go in the dishwasher, I don't buy it. But baby gear comes with a million tiny parts—straws, valves, bottle nipples, and pacifiers. If you throw them in the dishwasher loose, they either melt on the heating element or vanish forever. The Tool You Need: The Dishwasher Basket You cannot survive without a Universal Dishwasher Basket (like the one from OXO Tot). It’s a plastic cage that sits on your top rack. You throw all the tiny valves and nipples inside and snap it shut. No more melting: It keeps small plastic parts away from the heating coils. No more losing parts: Everything stays in one place. What Can Actually Go in the Dishwasher? Plastic Bottles: Yes (Top rack only). Silicone Bibs: Yes (Top rack). High Chair Trays: MOST of them! Check your manual. If your tray fits, do it. It sanitizes it better than a sponge ever could. Bath Toys: Yes! Throw them in the basket once a month to...

  Before I had a baby, I used to hand-wash my dishes. It was therapeutic. Now? If it can't go in the dishwasher, I don't buy it. But baby gear comes with a million tiny parts—straws, valves, bottle nipples, and pacifiers. If you throw them in the dishwasher loose, they either melt on the heating element or vanish forever. The Tool You Need: The Dishwasher Basket You cannot survive without a Universal Dishwasher Basket (like the one from OXO Tot ). It’s a plastic cage that sits on your top rack. You throw all the tiny valves and nipples inside and snap it shut. No more melting: It keeps small plastic parts away from the heating coils. No more losing parts: Everything stays in one place. What Can Actually Go in the Dishwasher? Plastic Bottles: Yes (Top rack only). Silicone Bibs: Yes (Top rack). High Chair Trays: MOST of them! Check your manual. If your tray fits, do it. It sanitizes it better than a sponge ever could. Bath Toys: Yes! Throw them in the basket once a month t...