Favorite Baby Items: Birth-2 months

Since having my second child, I feel like I am more equipped to share the tried and true baby products that have worked for our family. 

Diapering:

cloth diapers- prefolds and diaper covers seem to work the best as far as function and affordability. I have 22 prefolds and 6 covers so I only have to do laundry about every other day.

luvs- we use disposable diapers overnight and when we will be out of the house for more than a few hours. Luvs seem to be the most affordable and the most absorbent. A win-win!

up&up wipes- The Target brand wipes can be purchased for as low as $.016 each when you are able to combine store coupons and discounts.

Clothing:

carter's onesies- the designs are cute and the cost is relatively low if you wait for sales.

kohl's brand (jumping bean)- like carter's, the designs are adorable and this brand is on sale often.

sleepers- I love the zippered sleepers, no matter the brand. Sleepers with a zipper are so much easier to put on and take off of a newborn.

swaddle blankets- I prefer the Indian cotton style blankets. They are lightweight so your baby won't get too over-heated. The designs are also very cute. I do not just use this product for swaddling. I also use it as a nursing cover and a burp cloth.

Sleeping:

fisher price rock n' play- another mom recommended this to me and my newborn has absolutely loved it. It is light-weight and can be moved around the house easily enough. The vibration option seems to keep my baby calm and soothe him to sleep.

Feeding:

I am exclusively breastfeeding my newborn, but when necessary I do pump occasionally. I have had great success with using the medela double electric breastpump. It is a little pricey, but worth it to know I have that back up. This product has worked well for me.

Life-altering Way to Swaddle an Infant

I recently gave birth to my second son and quickly learned the value of a good swaddle! My first son hated being swaddled with a passion. He preferred to have full use of his arms and would scream until I unwrapped him from his blanket. When the nurses in the hospital swaddled my newest little boy, I immediately saw how calm he became. However, I had a lot of trouble with the 'traditional' swaddling technique. Most people swaddle babies by beginning with a diagonal fold at the top corner of the blanket. My baby just kept wiggling out of his swaddle when I tried going the traditional route. Thankfully, a friend taught me how to do a 'square swaddle'. I think this technique is significantly easier to do correctly and lasts longer before the baby is able to wiggle his arms out. Here is a youtube video I found that shows how to swaddle beginning with a square blanket. I hope this works for other babies just as much as it has worked for mine!

Yummy Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

These quick and easy to make chicken pot pie cupcakes made a tasty dinner. Here is the recipe I used...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 (10 oz) cans Pillsbury biscuits

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, cheese, and spices.
3. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and place the Pillsbury biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides.
4. Evenly spoon the pot pie mixture into each biscuit cup. Slide into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Check at the 12 minute mark just in case!
5. Let rest for about 3 minutes and dig in!
   

Can You Really Earn Money Completing Surveys?

I cannot remember how many times I have searched for legitimate earning opportunities from home. It seemed as if the only way to make money from home without selling anything was to take surveys. The top two sites I decided to try recently are fairly popular, so I figured it was less likely that I would be wasting my time. 

Swagbucks:
This site allows you to earn 'bucks' by completing offers, polls, surveys, and web searches. You can even earn 'bucks' by playing online games and shopping through websites you already use (like Amazon). You can redeem your swagbucks for gift cards. I have found that the best 'bang for your buck' is to trade 450 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card. I have only been using swagbucks for about a week and I have already earned enough bucks for $20 in Amazon gift certificates without spending any money. I just complete the daily poll, NOSO offer, and Encrave opportunities. I also use the swagbucks search engine instead of google.

Inbox Dollars:
This site allows you to earn cash for reading e-mails and taking surveys. Now, so far I do not qualify for many of the surveys (they look for specific demographics). However, each time you are not eligible for a survey you are given a spin and win token for a chance to earn $.01, $.05, $.25, $1, or sweepstakes entries. I do not bother with the surveys as much right now since things are hectic at home with a newborn (surveys can be time consuming). Right now I focus on opening the paid e-mails. These e-mails are just advertisements for products or offers. You do not have to sign up for anything or purchase anything! Just open the e-mail and your Inbox Dollars account is credited $.02. Once you reach a balance of $30 you can receive a payment. Of course it might take a while to get to $30 just two pennies at a time...but the effort is almost non-existent- so why not!? I already have $11.01 in my account after just one week. If you want to give this a try, just click on the link below.

Free Inbox Dollars Sign UP

Great Sites for Savings

Lately, I have been trying to contribute to our family income by saving money. This is my best option since earning money in a traditional job setting does not coincide with my desire to be a stay at home mom. 

I realized the easiest way to save money is by cutting our grocery budget in half. So far, I have been successful with this by using a combination of different websites, apps, and blogs for savings opportunities and advice. Using coupons and apps that provide rebates has helped me go from paying full price at the grocery store to saving 30-50% on each shopping trip in just two weeks. Here is a list of the places that have helped me the most:

• www.moneysavingmom.com
• www.southernsavers.com
• Target's Cartwheel app
• Target's Mobile coupons
• iBotta
• Checkout51
• www.swagbucks.com
• Shopkick app
• www.coupons.com
• Harris Teeter's e-VIC program