Eco Chic Baby

The other day I was searching around for an eco-minded baby shop in my area and stumbled across THIS little gem: Eco Chic Baby. I am always on the prowl for quality baby and kid products that are unique, eco-friendly and affordable. Why not just hit up the local Babies 'R Us you ask? I hate to break it to you if you haven't discovered this for yourself already: Babies 'R Us is more about quantity over quality. They'll carry that snazzy looking umbrella stroller that will fall apart on you 6 months later while trudging through Disneyland with a 25 lb. toddler that you now have to carry because they are tired of walking. Oh my goodness. Bet you haven't heard of too many City Mini strollers falling apart now have you? Oh and how about getting a Boba carrier for those places where strollers aren't an option like a hike by the ocean? These carriers will take baby from birth all the way through 45 lbs. or so unlike the few options at most chain baby stores which only hold babies up to 6 months. It's all about withstanding the test of time people, and that's exactly why I've found throughout my momma journey that it's really all about the off the beaten path companies like Eco Chic Baby that get me excited!

 The Eco Chic Baby store is located at 318 Main Street in downtown Vacaville and also has an awesome online store for those of us who are married to our couch lately... They also have a great variety of my favorite cloth diapers such as Bum Genius, Gro Via, Blueberry and Rockin Green laundry soap- (Bet you've never tried an all natural laundry soap that comes in scents like Smashing Watermelons have you? Well get on it! It's AMAZING stuff!)

They also carry green toys, shoes, clothes, Reese Li diaper bags and bento- style lunch boxes oh my! And get this: the store actually hosts classes such as various childbirth and pregnancy courses, newborn care and breastfeeding, prenatal and post-partum yoga, cloth diapering 101, baby wearing, baby signs, tummy time, baby-food making, and a few free groups like breastfeeding support, story time, clothing exchanges, mommy and me play date. They also show documentaries such as Vaccine Nation and The Business of Being Born and then afterwards there is a certified Midwife available for Q & A time! There's also a Maternity and Baby fashion show- (sign Aiden up!)... it just keeps on getting better! I absolutely LOVE it! If there was an organic cafe inside one could almost LIVE at this store. I will definitely be venturing out to Vacaville more often now that I know this awesome store exists! Nothing but the best for my baby!

20 Things I Wish I Had Known To Register for

Creating a baby registry for first time parents can be very overwhelming! Babies R Us is GIGANTIC and there are soooo many useful and some not very useful things to choose from. How do you know what you'll REALLY need? Well, you never really do until you establish your "baby lifestyle" which to me means: Stay at home or working momma, mall or outdoor-sy mama, breast or bottle, cloth or disposable, home-made or Gerber baby food, ect. Some of these findings do not become known until after baby is born and you figure out what works best for you and baby. For instance, my MIL was convinced that all babies need a pacifier and so I ended up with hundreds of them, ok not hundreds but you know...Well Aiden only wanted one sometimes, for a few days here and there and then...never again! Now what do I do with all those brightly colored binks? :)
Here is a list of things I wish I had put on our registry instead of all those adorable newborn clothes, some of which never got worn :)

• baby gates (2)
• cool mist humidifier- those things are expensive!
• cloth diapers
• 18 month clothing-the month where he mysteriously ran out of wardrobe!
• sleep sacks in small, medium and large
• wipe warmer
• potty
• non-slip bath mat
• hiker baby carrier
• baby cubes-babyfood storage containers
• Putamayo children's CD collection
• highchair that converts to a travel highchair and one of neutral color 
• reusable wetbag
• cloth swim diaper
• umbrella stroller
• wooden, not plastic toys :)
• The Ergo Baby carrier instead of Bijorn
• The Chariot 
• Music Together class, baby gym membership, ect.
• more 12 month onsies (Carter's 12 mo. onsies lasted from 6-15 months old!!!) 

Let's Go for a Stroll!

If I have one regret about creating our baby registry, it would be the lack of stroller research I did while pregnant. I was too busy looking for a home to live in at the time so the stroller research feel to the bottom of the priority list! I ended up picking something that I thought would satisfy all our needs and looked cute at the same time. Well I learned to save the looking cute for my wardrobe and apparently NOT to use the same tactic for choosing strollers :)
First, let me introduce the almighty Chariot. http://www.chariotcarriers.com/ The Chariot is for the outdoor enthusiast couple who is determined not to let a small thing like having a baby stop you from doing all your normal activities like hiking, jogging, biking and don't forget cross country skiing! I had the opportunity to use one on our Lake Tahoe trip that belonged to my sister -in -law Tenille. We brought our Graco travel system that we thought would work but it quickly got laughed off the face of the rough Tahoe terrain. We quickly found ourselves asking to borrow Tenille's Chariot as much as we could for our daily hikes. The Chariot is a jogging stroller that converts to a bike trailer, a hiker,  AND a cross country skiing trailer too! Initially you buy the carrier and then all the conversion attachments separately. These can be found online or at REI. More on the pricy side, but well worth it if you actually use it often for these activities.
The ride was smooth sailing let me tell you! We used it on various trails, rocky areas and sandy areas and the suspension was great over all those bumps. Most jogging strollers can't be used until baby is 6 months old but the Chariot has a nifty little infant sling to keep baby safe from too much bouncing. The Chariot also can be fully enclosed with a weather-proof window, secured by velcro to keep baby dry should you wish to jog in the rain or snow. Check out the Chariot, we wish we did before we bought our Graco Travel system which is limited to sidewalks and mall walks :) In February we will receive our annual REI dividend so we are thinking we may use it to help purchase our Chariot. Until then, I will be stranded on the sidewalk just longing to be out on a cool trail beneath the trees instead of beneath the city smog :(
As for a lightweight umbrella stroller we chose the Chicco Liteway Stroller-Coventry model. This is the most functional, sturdy and easy to use stroller for a great price. It also has a cool removable backpack underneath for storing extra diapers, toys, ect. Then if you should park the stroller somewhere for a while you can take the backpack off so no hoodlums can steal your stuff! :)