When I was pregnant and talking with other mamas about must-have baby products, I often heard a swing mentioned, but never actually registered for one because I figured the Rock N' Play and the Mamaroo we had would be enough (all these baby contraptions are expensive and I was trying to limit the amount of them accumulating around the house!). When Ingenuity reached out and asked me to review these two products, I was excited to finally try a swing for Parker and see how it differed from the other products we used. I am super excited too, because not only did I get to try these products out, but I also get to let one of my readers try them out, too!  Head to my Instagram account for details on how to enter the giveaway for this SmartSize 2-in-1 Soothing Solution ($199 value) and TravelSimple Playard ($109 value). Good Luck! 

SmartSize 2-in-1 Soothing Solution Review (Rocker & Swing)
Okay, I am SO bummed it took me 3.5 months to try the swing. P LOVES it. I put it together right away when they sent it to us and put him in there and he was happy as a clam. He can just hang in there and is so content. It also gives me a few minutes to get a few things done around the house which is so helpful. Luckily, this swing goes up to 20 pounds so we can still use it for awhile. 

The product itself is full of cool features too:
- It's a 2-in-1 product - the top of the product is a rocker that can be easily moved around the house. It has a spinning mobile that also lights up and has four different vibration options, I love the car ride one because P loves the car. (I go on aimless drives just to keep him asleep sometimes, haha!)
- The rocker can be placed on the base which then turns it into a swing. It can run on batteries or power and you can also plug your smart phone into it to play your music. It also comes with a built in music option and timer and adjustable swing speeds. 

We will definitely be keeping this product out for P to use until he outgrows it because he loves it so much! And if we have another baby, I will definitely be using this product from the get-go with them. The only downside about it was that there were a lot of steps to assemble it and the size. When it's fully assembled into the swing it's pretty big, but that won't stop up from using it! ​

I've been sharing a lot of house pictures on Instagram lately and wanted to share them to my blog as well. This picture of the flowers in the sink may be my favorite of all time. What is it about flowers in a sink? I am just starting to get the hang of this photography thing and am kind of loving it. (I use a Canon Rebel T6i) I also love the before & afters of our front entryway, too. One of my most favorite parts of our remodel. Links to the plants and lights are shared at the bottom. 

Multi-functional Nursing Cover | White distressed jeans |  Chambray Dress  & similar style | Sunglasses - Here and Similar Here | Booties | Flats (they are Valentino Dupes!) | Car Seat | Stroller | Diaper Bag

Throughout pregnancy, there was so much planning and preparation that went into making sure we were all set for Parker’s arrival.  For the most part, I think we had a lot of it covered... except I quickly realized that I was totally unprepared for how to dress after P arrived, so that I could breastfeed with privacy and easy access. I bought nursing bras and tanks, but had no idea that if I wore any of my “normal” clothes, it would basically require me to get halfway naked to nurse (or fully in some of my dresses) and/or make me lift my shirt up and expose my postpartum tummy... um, no thanks.  I had no idea this was going to be such a challenge.
I went shopping in search of cute nursing/pumping friendly clothes that I could wear out and about, and that would give me easy access while keeping things covered up.  (I nursed until a really bad bout of mastitis, now I am still exclusively breastfeeding but via pumping.) I bought a few button downs and flowy tops that worked well, but was super excited when Seraphine contacted me to collaborate. I wish I had heard about them when I was pregnant because they have some super cute maternity clothes, too! I checked out their nursing-friendly clothes and fell in love with their dresses, tops and this multi-functional nursing cover that I am wearing in this post. I love the nautical look for summer and the fact that I can style it so many different ways, or throw it over the car seat to shade Parker. (Side note: Yesterday, after we took these pictures I had to pump and my husband didn’t even realize I was pumping because I was so nice and covered up.) 

If you are pregnant or early in mommyhood, I’d highly recommend checking out their stuff! It’s amazing how adding some great nursing-friendly staples into your wardrobe can make breastfeeding so much easier & more comfortable for you and baby. And, when you find brands that let you do it without compromising your own personal style - that’s a mama win!


Here are my thoughts on wardrobe pieces that will help you while breastfeeding/pumping:

Nursing Bras - I’d buy several since you will need to wash them frequently due to leakage. I’ve linked my favorite kind here - they are so comfortable I can wear them to bed, too. 

Nursing Tanks - I wore these primarily at home in the first several weeks and to bed. I didn’t like how tight fitting they were around my tummy area, so I didn’t want to wear them out in public. I wanted things with a more flowy fit. My new favorite top is this one and it’s under $20!

Flowy Tops & Button Downs - I love loose fitting soft cotton tees that I can easily fit my pumping gear under and that keeps me covered up. They are flattering for the postpartum bod, too. Button downs tops are great too for easy access - my favorite is this chambray one. 

Multi-purpose Knitwear - Knitwear that can work as a cute shawl, scarf or car seat cover are a major bonus - like the one I am wearing here. I have 2-3 of these pieces in my wardrobe and love them, so versatile and so many ways to style them! 

Dresses - I love to wear dresses all year round, but so many of mine require me to basically bring them up to my neck in order to pump. I’ve added 2-3 dresses into my wardrobe that allow me to easily pump, while staying covered up. This dress is one of my favorites and is on trend with the blue/white colors that are so popular this spring/summer.


Thanks for reading! 
Lindsay

This post was sponsored by Seraphine. As with any of my posts, all thoughts/opinions are completely my own.