Marketing Mommy is a blogger in the Chicago area who has two kids born pretty darn close to mine. And we both had a victorious VBAC with #2, and, we are both in marketing, so we were like, totally best friends, even before we ever really had a conversation.

She works full time, so pumping is part of her every day life. I feel for her, because I so hated the pump and all of it’s parts when I worked outside the home during Julian’s babyhood. Also, there were random drips of breast milk on my pump’s carrying case and sometimes on my lap. Sorta gross, even though I’m not sure why.

Miss Marketing Mommy invented herself a solution. She called it the “Pump Parts Terry Bag,” and like a good marketer, she sells us on it by describing the problem it solves:

My breast pump came with an ugly black tote bag (which I don’t use), but it didn’t come with a good solution for toting all of the pump’s parts and accessories, the horns and valves that come into contact with milk and have to be cleaned between pumping sessions.

Since I pump twice a day, I was washing those parts with dish detergent and hot water and giving them a cursory drying with paper towels. But they never seem to get really dry.

I’d been keeping them in a gallon Ziploc bag in my backpack, but I didn’t like how fogged up the bag would become and I hated using damp parts. Also, I found that cleaning the Ziploc bag even once a week was a pain in the butt. And I was never positive that it was really clean.

Enter the Pump Parts Terry Bag!

This velcro-close bag, designed by me and sewed from an old towel by my sweet mother-in-law, holds all of my pump parts and doubles as a lap pad for me, protecting my work pants from inadvertent milk drips.

No more damp horns and I can throw it into the wash every couple of days!

Nice work, MM!

Related activity: The Pumping Project (Share your story!)

Meredith is a grad school dropout, military wife, stay at home, over-thinking mom who started a podcast and blog over at overthinkingmom.com to amuse herself and, hopefully, others. She shared her five favorite babycentric inventions with us.  If you’d like to share yours, send an email to moms at rookiemoms dot com.

I’ve been a mom for less than eight months, but I’ve already donated six or seven trash bags full of baby items and clothing. This purge was not a result of my anti-consumerist tendencies, not in the least. I’m a sucker for a good marketing campaign and the ever so subtle bad mom guilt that creeps upon us when we don’t buy every possible piece of baby gear. When my daughter was four or five months old, I had a horrible vision of turning into a mommy hoarder (Wouldn’t that be a lovely reality television show), hence the trash bags full of unneeded baby stuff.

After getting rid of three out of five baby slings, one out of three strollers, a co-sleeper, a bouncy seat, and more, I’m now more in love than ever before with the material items we decided to keep. Looking back on the last eight months, these are five of my family’s rookie mom essentials.

1. Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle ‘n Swing: My daughter had colic and the only saving grace was this swing. We bought every imaginable “colic cure,” including a compact disc with the sound of a vacuum cleaner on repeat, but I repeat, ONLY THE SWING WORKED. We used it to help her nap until she was six months old.

2. Ergo Baby Carrier: A lot of people laud this carrier and for good reason. It saves your back, and your baby can cuddle up to you
without a lot of complicated wrapping. I only wish I had purchased the infant insert so I could have used it from birth.

3. Chicco Travel Seat Hook On Chair: Colic equals months of not leaving the house with your screaming baby. This means no peaceful restaurant trips or outings. I thought our public eating moment had passed us by, but then I saw a cousin using this chair. As soon as my daughter started solids at six months, she became our travel eating companion.

4. Evenflo Exersaucer: Immediately after buying the exersaucer off Craigslist, I felt guilt. I assumed this was another new mom trend I was blindly following in an effort to overstimulate and distance my child. Boy, was I wrong. Sometimes a baby needs to be corralled and amused while a mom takes out laundry, makes dinner, or uses the restroom. It will be a sad day when the magic of the exersaucer wears off.

5. Boppy (plus extra covers): This is the one and only baby item I used hours after giving birth and still use multiple times a day eight months later. I refuse to travel without it. Whether I nurse or my husband bottle feeds, the boppy makes our laps cuddly and comfortable! Why extra covers? After a legendary simultaneous poop and spit-up incident, I learned sometimes more is better.

What are your favorite tools of the trade? See ours (Whitney + Heather) here.

My friend Jeanine once told me there’s lots of fun time to be had with a baby at an outdoor store like REI: you just set up a sweet pad in the display tent with several of the Thermarest mattresses, chirping bird toys, and bright colored water bottles and have a blast.

The first time I took Holden as a baby he was most interested in chewing the tags off the Nalgene bottles. When I brought him back as a toddler, he hid among the large racks of clothing and totally terrified me. So, it might have something to do with temperament.

Whitney had a much different experience when she brought a mellow toddler, Julian. She told me:

We went to REI today and had a good time.

First, it’s wonderful for tiny toddlers who just want to follow the path around the store endlessly.

Second, they sell “Just Corn” and “Just Peas” which is my new method of feeding Julian vegetables. (More tips for feeding picky toddlers here.)

Third, putting a kid-sized backpack on your child without him noticing is an entertaining preview of the first day of Kindergarten.

And finally, if you are nearing the one year mark, I suggest purchasing the Nalgene sippy cup (now BPA free!). We are big fans. In this photo, Julian giving his opinion on framed packs to anyone who will listen.

This is my favorite format of a Mom’s Group picture, so I am reposting it from last year. If you have the chance to imitate it, please do!

I saw this photo on the Facebook page of a former co-worker and he gave me permission to publish. Thanks, Rookie Dad Eric!

Have you taken black and white photos of your baby yet? Put her on a solid colored blanket on your bed and stand on the bed, looking down at her. Then, get down at her level and take some close ups. Take some of her hands and feet, too. Outdoor light also makes for great black and white shots. Take that blanket with you and use your patio, backyard or local park.

In my job as a marketer, there’s a lot of focus on how much we moms talk to each other, exchanging advice about how to get our whites whiter.  Yeah, we blab a lot. And yes it’s true, we might talk to our friends, sisters and total strangers about the best stroller to buy when you’re going to have two kids under two years old, or how to get a six month old to nap in that stroller, or where to go for date night.

I’d say the most common assumption being made, based on the pitches I receive for this blog, is that we talk mostly about products.  But I think that’s wrong. I think we are more likely to talk about experiences or activities.

Which is not to say that I haven’t been influenced to buy something because of a blog post I read.

For your amusement, here are three examples of things that I actually bought because I was influenced by another parent blogger.

1) Trader Joe’s pub towels. Alma wrote that they are amazing for sopping up any liquid, including pee. The next time I found myself at Trader Joe’s I tossed two packages into my shopping cart. (Ok, so what she actually mentioned was the same product from Costco. Still, I was inspired.)

2) Pond’s Make-Up Remover Wipes. V-Dog listed these as something she’d be packing for BlogHer, explaining that after a long night of drinking and talking she’d be too lazy to wash her face properly. “Hey,” I thought to myself. “I’m that lazy, too!” Next time I went to Target, I tracked down those wipes. Did I get that one right? Perhaps it wasn’t V-Dog after all, but rather one of her partners-in-crime.

3) Bento box containers. After looking at Wendy’s lunchboxes week after week, I just had to own some similar containers. More than that, I wanted the experience of going to the Korean dollar store she referenced as being a 30-minute drive from my house. And so I went. And I bought.

But about what I’ve DONE? Where I’ve GONE or things I’ve TRIED? The power of bloggerific influence can be seen here again.

1) Photographed my kid in front of graffiti. I stole this idea from Sweet Juniper when they were living in San Francisco. Heather and I spent two afternoons chasing these photographs, and it was super fun.

2) Exercised. Last year, Kristen set out to reclaim her body from three pregnancies that consumed her early thirties. She blogged and tweeted about her commitment to the 30 Day Shred video.  Like a gaggle of other Motherhood Uncensored readers, I hopped on the bandwagon, making an extra effort to exercise and letting Jillian Michaels lead me through it.

3) Wore a scarf with confidence. Shana told me I could.

4) Made a toddler dress from a men’s shirt. Just like Dana.  (Ok, much worse than Dana.)

5) Taped quarters on my kids shoes. Mike did this, blogged about how much fun it was. Then I did it. Blogged it, too.

And how many people have bought a white noise machine because I or “The Rookie Moms” told them about it? A lot, it seems.  But I don’t care about that. I’m not looking to actively sell you guys stuff that other people make. (Unless I think it’s totally awesome and will help you get more sleep.) What I wanted, when I started this blog (with Heather) was to inspire new moms to get out of the house. I was on the other side of that first year, and I felt like my coping strategy needed to be documented, out there in the world, for other moms to read. Get. Out. Of. The. House.

We have listed hundreds of activities here.They’re written to inspire you to take action.

Did you try any of them? Did we influence your behavior, not to BUY something, but to DO something? Just curious.

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Speaking of action, I will be hosting a diaper drive in collaboration with Help A Mother Out in San Francisco during the first week of May.  If you live in the Bay Area, please come!

A huge thank you to Nicole Johnson, sleep coach and owner of The Baby Sleep Site, who offered these sanity-saving travel tips just as I’m beginning to obsess about sleep issues and toddler jet lag! In addition to being a sleep expert, she is also the mom of two boys (one of whom never let her sleep).

Once you’ve mastered the scavenger hunts and conquered the easy outings with your baby, it’s time to step it up and take an overnight trip with your little one. Grab your best girlfriend, or make it a family affair, but to deal with the anxiety about how your baby will sleep when she’s away from home, try these five travel sleep tips. They’ll also help keep you sane in the process.

1. Don’t Let Jet Lag Throw You For a Loop.
If you are going on a short (3 days or less) trip to another time zone, consider keeping your child on your home time zone for the duration of the trip. If your trip is longer than that, it will be virtually impossible to keep up with that 10 p.m. bedtime or waking up at 4 a.m., for example, so move your child to the new time zone as soon as possible (without torturing her with sleep deprivation!).

A good way to ease a child into a new timezone is to split the time difference on each of the first two days. So if the new time is three hours off her regular bedtime, put her to bed 1 ½ hours earlier or later (depending on where you are) and limit “sleeping in” to just the first day. Like adults, most children will adjust in a few days.

2. Establish Your Routine. Early.
Before traveling, make sure your baby’s routine is well-established. The more predictable his bedtime is at home, the better it will transfer to a new place. A good routine might include dinner, bath, pajamas, brush gums/teeth, read books, sing two songs and into bed. Try to stick to routine as close as possible on the trip for maximum success during the trip and when you get home and need to get back to normal.

3. Bring Home With You.
Reinvent home as much as possible when staying at a hotel or with family. Introduce a lovey that will give your child comfort being away from home. Consider taking your own blankets, white noise machine or music, books and any other security objects to ease the transition to a new place.

4. Consider Your Hotel Room.
Whenever possible, opt for a suite at an economical hotel, giving you adjoining rooms for roughly the same price as a single room at a higher end hotel. This can make your trip more relaxing, giving you the space to nap your baby and unwind after the kids are asleep at night (without having to hide out in the bathroom!).

Plus, having a quiet place can encourage your baby to sleep through the night. Also, pull the blackout shades over the windows to keep the room extra dark, for a few added zzz’s in the morning. (If, when staying with a friend, there aren’t curtains, a blanket will do.)

5. Allow plenty of time.
Traveling with little ones is no small feat. Relieve stress by building in extra time to get to your destination, allowing you to settle in, adjust to time changes and deal with delayed flights. If flying, consider taking an early morning flight to allow for a later nap in the hotel, should your child not sleep on the plane. (Planes are just too exciting for some little ones!)

If you’re driving, consider leaving around nap time, if your baby falls asleep well in a moving car. If he doesn’t, leave at least an hour earlier as the excitement of going on the trip can sometimes delay drowsiness.

The first time you travel, it might not probably won’t go perfectly, but keep trying. Maybe your baby was too excited to nap on the plane, or the hotel room just didn’t smell like home, or you forgot your toddler’s blankie. The more you travel, the more routine it becomes for both you and your child. The adventure is worth it for both of you and nothing beats being able to kiss her goodnight and then snuggle with your hubby or girl talk with your best friend.

Want more Nicole Johnson? She is the President of Babble Soft a groovy baby tracking software company (that I would have LOVED!). She has become an expert on infant and toddler sleep and has made it her mission to help other parents solve their child’s sleep problems, too.

While you are reading this, I am driving from Yosemite back to my house in Berkeley. Therefore, I wrote this post in advance. We bloggers can be sneaky that way.

I’m surely suffering a little case of family-gatherings-mostly-take-place-indoors-especially-when-you’ve-rented-a-cabin-in-the-winter, so I bring you a few thematically linked posts. All intended to help fight the Stir Crazies.

1. Fussy newborn? Bounce it out. Or just get out of the house. Place baby in front carrier, zip jacket around her, and go.
2. Excitable preschooler? How to make a tutu to keep your ballerina busy – without sewing!
3. Fearing the 4 pm witching hour? Brave the world and head to an outdoor supply store like REI. This quick outing will entertain everyone, and then head home in time for dinner.
4. Need a project? Publish your own I Spy book for your baby or toddler. Use her special items like a monogrammed spoon or pacifier to personalize the scenes.
5. Feed your kid on the floor since that’s where it’s all gonna end up anyway.
6. Want to get wet? Try potching.

Brrr. We had a cold snap in Berkeley last week complete with frost on the grass and snow in the hills. I’ve become such a weather wimp since moving to the Bay Area from Chicago a dozen years ago that I had a hard time leaving the house.

If you have a baby in the winter, it can be very easy to be lulled into turning your house into a cozy cave (walled in by piles of laundry, no doubt), but we insist that you must leave the house every day no matter what. Even when it seems easier just to stay home. Breathe fresh air even if your nose hairs freeze just a bit!

Baby Holden is all bundled up for real winter

Lisa Druxman, founder of Stroller Strides reminds us your body will warm up if you exercise in the cold, but your baby will not. So, here are a few tips for bundling up when the weather outside is frightful:

1. Dress in layers, as your core temperature will rise as you exercise – wear a moisture-wicking fabric closest to your body and warmer layers on top.
2. Don’t forget gloves and mittens for both you and baby.
3. Put a hat on the wee one to keep in as much body heat as possible.
4. Experiment with snuggly blankets or a Bundle-Me (like Holden is sporting in the picture) for longer stroller rides in the chill. (BTW, these cozy mini sleeping bags can decrease the safety of car seats so read the label before you assume its all good).
5. Put on the stroller’s weather shield if its raining or snowing.

Too cold for the outdoors? If it’s rainy or snowy, go to the mall. Power walk around the crowded mall while pushing a stroller (for agility training) or baby-wearing (for strength).

I’d love to hear any other suggestions from rookie moms battling the winter weather to get out of the house and have some fun.

Pedometer assignment: double your average steps today. You might have to take an extra walk. Maybe you can take your extra walk by yourself when your partner gets home from work. Yes, you can take a walk in the dark. Stick to well-travelled routes and wear white if you do.

You don’t have a pedometer? You should.

When Holden was six months old, we were still doing about 3 to 4 naps each day. But once in a while, Holden would have an I-hate-Mondays and I-won’t-nap-for-you protest thing. After the requisite nap routine (dim lights, cuddle, story, milk), fussing, talking, diaper “situations”, I often gave up and played with him for a bit. But I still had REST on the brain.

Poor little guy, he thinks we're gonna play

When it was clear to me that he was still sleepy — like every time — I would try the stealth-swing nap move (in total violation of our established nap procedures):

1. Put him in the swing like he’s going to play
2. Turn on lights and music to hypnotize us both
3. Give him toy to hold onto (optional, since he grabbed the rings on swing)
4. Darken room lights, tip-toe away, hide in another room

The swing pictured is a portable swing that can easily go from room to room (or even pack up on a visit). It’s pretty handy. Whitney loaned me hers and I kept it forever. We also love the side-to-side swing it for front to back and side to side swinging action. Don’t be afraid to find these used on Craig’s list.

For other tips on gear to get and gear to borrow, see our super practical Rookie Moms’ nursery list.

I’m a firm believer that new parents need to figure out a way to get out of the house and have some dates. Best case scenario, that’s only one night a week. More realistically, that’s one night a month. Or never.

So, what about all those other nights? Here are five fun date-night ideas that don’t require a babysitter. I’m assuming that you can get your baby in bed and have the date afterward. I put my kids to bed around 7:30 and can trick them into bed at 7pm if I’m really on my game (because they can’t really tell time yet and we have black-out shades in their room).

Rookie Parents alone together

I’ll follow-up with a post for sneaking in dates when the kids are awake.

First step, put the baby in bed.
Second step, choose your own adventure:

1. Make dinner after dinner but in a fun, sexy way. Enjoy the dance of cooking together and let it last the whole evening.
   Recipe for date: mix food with ambiance and cooking stuff. Average difficulty but planning is required.
2. (if cooking is too much effort) Share a fancy dessert and wine by candlelight. Make it something decadent like souffle or fondue.
   Recipe for date: dessert plus beverage of choice. Pretty easy, if you get carryout or grocery dessert, prep is minimal.
3. Invite friends over for a post-bedtime double date with board games or video games. If your friends have kids, try a half-sleepover. If it fails, then next time you can stick to your child-free pals.
   Recipe for date: let your friends bring the game and you just clear the plastic toys off of the couch. Easy!
4. Turn an ordinary evening in front of the TV into a movie date with junior mints and a big bowl of buttery popcorn. Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, and many cable plans now have onDemand options so you don’t even need to plan ahead very much for the film. Make it a series.
   Recipe for date: film plus movie snacks. Easy! (since its so easy, remember to put on a clean shirt so your partner knows its a date)
5. Hop in the car (yes, with your baby!) and go to a drive-in movie if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby.
   Recipe for date: must have nearby drive-in, cooperative baby, and vehicle. Advanced.

Third, calculate how much you saved by not using a babysitter this time, and treat yourself next time!

Related posts:

• Put your babysitter on retainer
• Tips for trusting a babysitter for the first time
• Go out for just dessert (so your slacker friends can babysit for FREE)