Ok, so who here has wondered about the Happiest Baby Snoo? What is it and how does it work? How does it help with baby sleep? Is it worth the money? Does it replace you rocking your baby to sleep? Is it dangerous at all? Will my baby rely on it to go to sleep once transitioned to a crib? I wondered all of those things too, and decided to take the plunge and try it out. First things first, I have to admit the design was the thing that got me initially interested. Being a sucker for well-designed anything, I was certain I wanted this to be what our new lil baby would sleep in.. white and walnut, modern shape, soft sides and clean lines. I was instantly sold.

In a nutshell, the Snoo was co-founded by Dr. Karp, the famous sleep guru that has helped countless families soothe their baby with the 5 S’s… swaddle, swing, shush, suck and side or stomach position. The bassinet aims to mimic the environment in the womb, and sways them to sleep with movement, swaddle and a shushing sound. It ”hears” your baby’s cries and automatically responds with 5 levels of gradually stronger white noise and motion to find the best level to soothe fussing. Here was our little guy in it down below!

Once we arrived home from the hospital, we were initially skeptical about putting him to sleep in it, with the possibility that it would move when he started crying. Would it move too fast and shake him? Was it safe? And after trying it out, yes we are happy to report, we found it to be very safe when used properly. The swaddle securely attaches to the sleeper to prevent them rolling over. Our guy always broke out of normal blanket swaddles, so we welcomed the zipper Snoo swaddle that made swaddling quick and easy.

Its gentle swaying on the lower settings, paired with the white noise sound, lulled our little guy soundly to sleep. And within weeks we were getting more and more sleep…we even got a solid 5 or 7 hours at night within a month’s time! We couldn’t believe it. Now of course it’s not meant to replace your rocking or shushing, but merely to assist in those moments when baby wakes and needs a little extra swaying, and give mama a few more z’s.

Now who wouldn’t pay for a little extra sleep at night with a newborn? They say it’s practically like paying for a night nurse at $7 per night for the first 6 months. And when you’re a new parent, you quickly realize that sleep for your babe (and you) is everything.

The only improvement suggestion I would make, is that the swaddle also come in a warmer fabric option. The jersey fabric was perfect for summer nights and once it turned colder, we dressed our guy in warmer pajamas underneath, but it would have been good to also have the option of a bit warmer swaddle. Other than that, I’d definitely recommend it. It might not be for every baby since they are all so different, so of course you can send it back within 30 days if you aren’t happy with it.

And here is our guy now! We were initially concerned about weaning him off of the motion, but it’s relatively simple to do. We did not, however, need to do the wean setting, as one day we just stopped the motion and he didn’t need it. He still sleeps in the Snoo at night (without the swaddle), but we’ll be transitioning to a crib soon.

All in all, I think it’s a pretty great invention. There are so many baby tech gadgets out there, but we felt this one gave our baby and us the most priceless gift.. sleep!

The post Happiest Baby Snoo review appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

Bestowe is offering up one gorgeous curated gift box in our giveaway at the end of this post, and until then, get inspired by their gift guides for baby, mom, and your bestie, too!

Bestowe’s Relax and Restore Box / Marisa Mason Lunar Earrings / Asmara Stripes Cotton Scarf / Morrow Emerson Alpaca Throw / Artifact Uprising Brass Easel Photo Desk Calendar / SollyBaby x Jenny Pennywood Dashes + Moons Wrap / Custom Macarons from Jenna Rae Cakes

If you’re unfamiliar with Bestowe, that sweet gift at the top right is the Relax & Restore rejuvenation box. Don’t all of those words just scream “mom”? Mhmm. It’s chock full of self-care goodies: luscious bath salts, a soft Turkish towel, fragrant palo santo incense, a ceramic dish, and rose hip oil. Pretty neat to have so many sweet products from artists and designers that you might not otherwise find (at least in a reasonable amount of time!) for loved ones to enjoy. Maybe throw in some custom macarons like the beauties above, if you can!

BZR Clay Ombre Tights / Bestowe’s Just Perfect Clutch & Lip + Cheek Stain (with different style options to choose from) / WKNDLA Coba Mobile Earrings / Sands Ojo 1 Wall Hanging from West Perro / HIMOART Tassel Wall Hanging / MQuan Bell… any one will do!  / Block print scarf (look out for it in Bestowe’s upcoming Valentine’s Day box!)

The bestie gift guide is heavy on the wall art, because isn’t *everyone* looking for the most unique way to adorn their walls right now? From decorated tassels to beads and bells, sometimes the best gifts are ones our friends would never think of buying themselves.

I Say, You Say Opposites board book / Coyuchi Pebble Stripe Organic Changing Pad / Urb Apothecary Baby Balm from Bestowe’s Welcome Baby Luxe Box / Hazel Village Max The Raccoon Doll / Bestowe’s Bundle Up Baby Blanket, Rattle, & Room Spray / The Pop Pacifier from Doddle & Co / Woodland Play Mat by Grounded

Now for a giveaway! One lucky Cakelet reader will win one of Bestowe’s curated gift boxes for themselves or to give this season. Enter using our widget below!

PS Everyone who who signs up will also get $10 off their first order on bestowegifting.com with code CAKELET!

*Head’s up! By entering this giveaway you’ll also be signed up for the Bestowe Gifting email newsletter.

The post Gift guides for baby, mom, and your bestie + giveaway by Bestowe appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

Ready for our picks?

1. Drop ultrasonic humidifier. The slate color it comes in has modern nursery written all over it.
2. The handmade lucky boy Sunday Mause doll makes for a darling heirloom piece.
3. Manny and Simon taxi teether. When did teethers get so adorbs?
4. Then there’s the mama and little Michelle silicone teething bracelet.
5. The Nuna Pipa infant car seat and base to make going out with littles a bit easier.
6. You’ve definitely never seen a high chair like the Stokke tripp trapp chair. Major bonus that it comes in so many colors.
7. Sweet bibs are a weakness over here. Finn + Emma bandana bib fits the bill.
8. For those as into neutral nurseries as we are, there’s the spot on square roh dresser.
9. The egg by Susan Lazar cotton tie up romper is currently on sale. Score!
10. Keep babe cozy with the Kyte baby sleep bag.
11. Oeuf rabbit hat. We never miss an opportunity for cute animal hats, K?
12. If there’s ever a worthy investment piece, it’s the Monte Design Joya rocking chair.
13.  And actually, it’s good to have a few bigger-ticket items on the registry that loved ones can go in on if they’d like, such as Mima Xari snow white stroller. It’s as beautiful as a stroller can get, sure, but it’s also totally compact and functional.
14. Noodle & bBo ultimate cleansing cloths. Mild and all natural.
15. Hello, dream crib! Oeuf Rhea crib.
16. Ubbi diaper pail. Score one for diaper disposal that won’t interfere with your nursery design!
17. No more sterile feeding pillows! Nook niche feeding pillow is cozy, soft, and breathable.
18. Our eyes lit up when we saw these sparkly aden + anais classic swaddles in metallic charm.
19. Can’t not add a newborn essential like aden + anais silky soft crib sheets.
20. We also suggest adding a few simple, easy to combine items to the registry, like the Kyte Baby washcloth 5-pack. Makes it easy peasy for people to create their own gift.
21. The mommy hook fits basically any stroller or shopping cart handle.
22. How cute is this skip hop nightlight soother?
23. Because a soft, luxurious blanket is always a must, we added the lush receiving blanket in cloud.

Here’s a little advice from M&HB’s owner that rings true for us… One important tip I try to share with new parents is the fact that no two children are alike. Sometimes during pregnancy new parents are bombarded with advice from friends and family with tips for raising their expectant child. I just try to stress the importance of listening to your gut when trying to navigate this new world of parenthood. Once the baby arrives everything will fall into place and you’ll know what works best for your child. Recommendations from loved ones are helpful but don’t get frustrated or beat yourself up when things don’t go the way they did for someone else. 

Happy curating!

The post How to create a curated baby registry with Milk & Honey Babies appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

Offering up daily inspiration and inundating you with beautiful photographs is obviously our bread and butter here on Cakelet, but every time we get a chance to ALSO provide you with a super helpful motherhood resource, we scoop up those opportunities too. Even better if they provide a much needed mega laugh to all you fellow tired mamas out there too like the video Naya Health sent along when sharing the lowdown on their breast pump did. Just wait!

First thing’s first, you want to hear about the Naya Smart Breast Pump sitting on that counter, right? No secret that it’s the prettiest pump you’ll find when adding to your baby registry or searching essentials online.

It saves loads of time spent cleaning, because there are fewer parts to deal with.

But the real kicker is that it’s also the first ever breast pump that uses water instead of air through Hydrocomfort Technology™. Basically, it makes the whole experience more comfortable, efficient, and quiet. We probably don’t need to explain why each of those 3 words are kind of a big deal…

Super nice to see something that’s about more than just the process of pumping, but about US too.

To celebrate their launch and continue the conversation surrounding women + feeding, Naya created the aforementioned hilarious video called If Men Breastfed. It’s a fun way of shining light on everything mom has to face in the workplace, especially those first moments back after maternity leave. Be sure to send along to your Mr! And, like, EVERY mom you know!

Ummm yeah, keep that one in your back pocket, moms! Find more info about the Naya Smart Breast Pump on NayaHealth.com.

*This post is sponsored by Naya Health. Big thanks to them and to all of our sponsors who allow us to inspire your family life every day!

The post The Naya Breast Pump appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.

Hello Cakelets, Jillian here! As many of you know, I welcomed baby #2, Daxton, a few months ago. He’s now 4 months!!! Crazy how it flies by the second time. He’s such a good baby, and always up for our crazy adventures. Since we’re a pretty active family, we knew we’d need a stroller that would fit our lifestyle. The Orbit Jogger and Carseat is the perfect match! So a couple of weeks ago, we took it out for a spin, and ventured out to Grassini Family Vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley. It’s a beautiful property with rolling hills, a clear blue pond, amazing vino, and swing for the kiddos. It really couldn’t be a better spot, especially in the fall, for families.

One of my favorite aspects of this stroller is how easy it is to get baby in and out of the car seat. The SmartHub™ allows you to first dock the car seat, adjust the harness while the baby faces you, then rotate the car seat into rear facing position, all without twisting and straining your back. You can see it in action here. I also can easily leave him in the G3 Infant Car Seat and transfer him to the Jogger undisturbed. It makes life with baby a little less stressful.

Dream swing for any kid!!!

Ahhh, this boy has my heart!

We can’t wait to start using the jogging functionality once Daxton is a bit older!

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If you’re in the middle of researching what stroller is best for you, definitely pop over to Orbit Baby’s site, check out their how-to videos & reviews, their entire line of amazing products, see what makes them different, and follow them on Instagram to see their regrams of real families using Orbit Baby out in the world.

Photo: Scott Clark Photo | Stroller: Orbit | Vineyard: Grassini Family Vineyards

The post A day at a vineyard with Orbit stroller appeared first on 100 Layer Cakelet.