Tag Archives: Infant

Product Review: MamaRoo

I’m completely convinced GOD invented this machine.

No, I’m dead serious! This thing is made from unicorn tears and possesses PURE MAGIC! What on earth am I babbling on about? The mamaRoo by 4Moms!

Yey! This calls for a product review!

Originally I purchased a little bouncer seat that vibrated on Amazon by Fisher- Price (Bumblebee only has used once now). It all started when my sweet cousin in-law threw me a virtual baby shower due to our geographical separation…. We were all discussing what purchases we made for the baby when my other cousin in-law (thank you Meghan) a registered nurse working in labor and delivery stated we HAD to pick up the mamaRoo by 4Moms….she too said this thing possessed magical powers, the babies absolutely loved them and the nursery was tricked out with them. This of course sparked my husband’s interest and I saw him immediately in the background researching online.

Then I heard our credit card scream…. He made the purchase on Amazon here just like that.. hook, line and sinker. Eek! The price had me a bit concerned, because I’m pretty conservative. After the babyshower we discussed everything that made him make the purchase, watched the 4mom website product video, read a few customer reviews and then I understood why.

When the mamaRoo was delivered, Mr. B was giddy and immediately pulled it out of the box and put it together. The assembly was a breeze right out of the box!

Our first thoughts were wow… This thing is pretty cool. As I read through the manual on the features, Mr. B already had his iPhone plugged into the MP3 attachment and was playing his techno music as he selected the various soothing movements to go with the music beat. He was sold and wanted to write to 4moms and ask if they could fabricate one in adult size for his office. I Yi Yi… Lol! I on the other hand thought all we need is this baby to actually see if she likes it, but I did have to admit it was rather cool.

A few weeks later when our bumblebee arrived I was finally able to put the mamaRoo to the test…..We are now going on a little over two months with almost daily usage, we call it bumblebees “roo time”. I feel like we really have a good grasp on this product and can confidently give you our newbie parent review of pros and cons. (In no particular order)

The Pros:

  • EASY to use when you are zombified parents
  • Buttons are very intuitive are have a nice lite display
  • Blowouts and spit-up, let’s face it, it just happens….Thankfully the mamaRoo is easy to clean! Just unzip and pop the seat cover into the washing machine
  • It features 5 swing movements – The car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye, and the wave. (Bumblebee loves the rock-a-bye setting) 5 different speeds to choose from
  • Multiple seating positions that range from sitting upright to laying down; very easy for parents to adjust during any meltdowns
  • It has Bluetooth connectivity – control it from your smartphone 4moms app…. Yep we’re lazy. Kidding… It’s great when you forget to switch off and you are trapped on the couch, or different room
  • Entire machine is lightweight at only 19lbs. Even I can easily pick up and move it from our kitchen to living room as needed
  • Overall size of the machine is small and helps maintain our baby clutter in our space – 33″L x 19.5″W x 25.5″H
  • It has built-in soothing sounds outside of the MP3 aux option – rain, fan, ocean and heart
  • A dangling attached mobile that features plush balls -one side is vibrantly colored with different patterns and the other side is black and white, again with different patterns love that feature as bumblebees vision and focus are changing and growing
  • Dual voltage – for us an ABSOLUTE must! (Hip-hip hooray no transformer needed!)
  • Option to order the newborn insert – you could literally bring your little one home from hospital and place directly into the chair if you had to
  • Five different color seat color options -if your into that sort of thing- black classic, silver plush, multi-plush, designer plush, and grey classic (we snagged grey classic thinking it would look cleaner; it has lived up to our expectations too)
  • Weight limit is 25lbs; or if baby attempts an escape -with that limit your baby will get a great amount of usage and before hitting that limit we assume she will be down crawling and exploring
  • Incredibly safe! So much so that if the blanket falls down while in motion and is caught in the chairs movement the obstruction error will display and all machine movement will seise
  • Comes with a 1 year warranty (WHEW)
  • If needed, there is the option to purchase replacement parts, such as seat cover, MP3 cord, mobile with plush balls, and outlet adapter
  • It is very quiet when turned on and in use….listen for yourself
  • It gives us a bit of hands free time when we need it

    The Cons:

    • The price factor…. I guess you can look on the bright side, you do get what you pay for (GOLD). A side note, around Mother’s Day 4moms website had 20% off…something to keep in mind
    • On top of price, you DO have to purchase the newborn insert separately if you want to use upfront
    • It doesn’t operate on batteries
    • Some friends also purchased the mamaRoo and their little one HATE it….this no guarantee. We have to remember we all have our own preferences and babies are no exception to this rule
    • We’d like to see bluetooth technology, or USB capability that allows you to stream your music without plugging MP3 or smartphone in, or even load MP3 playlist like a small 8GB flash drive
      The speakers could use an upgrade, they are not the best quality for the overall price paid
    • The wall plugin adapter could be longer for the option to keep away from walls and furniture if needed

    So there you have it, our entire review of the mamaRoo. If you have the ability to pre-test out with your babe before taking the plunge, we recommend you do it. Another suggestion, add to your baby shower list -a group could go in on the purchase. Obviously we didn’t have those options, but certainly would offer a try the roo out to any of our friends located around us wherever we may be at the time.

    Friends, did you purchase/test the mamaroo with your little one, or perhaps gifted to another’s little one? What were your overall thoughts? We look forward to your comments!

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself…or in this case the bébé !

  • Co sleeping and a product review

    Welcome back to another mommy Monday! Just from the title I might have already lost a few blog followers… Why? Just saying that word “co-sleeping” out loud is so controversial in our culture. Or, perhaps you just have no desire to read my thoughts on it (that’s okay too).. Whatever the case, if I’ve still got you, thanks!

    In Korea I’ve discussed co-sleeping with many newbie moms like myself, as well as the more seasoned. Co-sleeping and attached-parenting is something the Asian culture practices as the norm. The differences to the western culture are that some Korean families all sleep together in their bedroom on a heated floor with a sleep mat.

    Trust me when I say, we get it. Yes, we were the couple, kidless mind you, making that judgement from the outside swearing we’d never co-sleep and have our baby in bed with us. Hahaha…. Let’s fast forward shall we?

    Enter our little bumblebee into our crazy life equation. The first few nights we had her in our room, but in a bassinet near our bed. It was working out…eh…okay. There were a lot of up and downs for feeding, as expected, but also separate up and downs for comforting, soothing and rocking. There were some nights I was so exhausted that I’d feed bumblebee while I’d lay in our bed, begin to burp her and we’d both pass out. I’d awake startled to realize what I’d done, only to find her still on my chest sound asleep and peaceful as could be. We continued to have this pattern a few nights and were both waking in the morning much more rested. ((Praise the lord!))

    It wasn’t until I was researching some other baby products and doing some browsing on Amazon when the light upstairs finally popped on. She’s most comforted by us holding her and feels more safe and secure in our arms. Just my luck I came across an item, Snuggle Me Co-sleeping Cushion
    , that claimed to replicated that sort of secureness, among other benefits, all the while keeping your little one safe in a co-sleeping environment.

    Eek… Co-sleeping…I was conflicted. However as I started to really think about the past few nights, that’s essentially just what we were doing….

    I was intrigued and decided to discuss the Snuggle Me with the Mr. before hitting that handy one click ship button on Amazon. We both were in agreement to try it out and decision that this was a safer way to co-sleep.

    Let’s product review the Snuggle Me co-sleeper and lounge cushion. (No specific order)

    This is a product designed for little ones aged 0-6 months.

    The design and shape of the cushion not only hugs and comforts, but also helps to prevent and protect your little one from turning and rolling over, keeping them safely on their backside.

    The cushion is made in the USA!! When does that ever happen?! Woot-woot! We strive to do our part and support those businesses, even while living abroad!

    We have a King size bed so there is plenty of room to stretch out to begin with, however even if we didn’t have a King the Snuggle Me co-sleeper doesn’t take up that much room and should be ideal for other size beds as well.

    The one we specifically purchased is made from 100% organic cotton, twill and fleece with a hypoallergenic fill. Also a very important note to mention is, the products are all free of lead flame retardant latex and phthalate bpa.

    The cushion comes with a muslin travel bag! How handy! It easily can fold up, bend, basically act like a pillow in your weekend or luggage bags. Check plus! We absolutely plan to use and take it with us on scuba weekend trips and any future country hopping trips.

    The Snuggle Me is all the listed above versatility plus the fact that it’s great for tummy time, infant massage and helping with ideal positioning in cases of acid reflux relief.

    Our bumblebee now usually falls right asleep in the evening and we concluded it’s one of her favorite places to sleep, so much so that she almost sleeps through the entire night! Need I say more?? We’re incredibly pleased with the purchase and absolutely recommend to any soon to be parents! Get it added to those babyshower lists!

    What are your thoughts on co-sleeping? Did you and your family do it? Did you use anything special to make the co-sleeping situation safer and comfortable for all? Would you try the Snuggle Me co-sleeper?
    Love to hear from you!

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself…or in this case the bébé !

    Product Review: Bob Revolution Pro Stroller

    Oh yeahhh… It’s time for a product review on a mommy Monday blog posting!! Wow… my last and one and only was back when I did a post on coconut butter. By the way that was delish!

    Okay, okay enough with my magpieness. On with the review!

    Gawdddd have you realized just how many strollers on the market there are?! It’s just insane! We are the couple that researches to death, this purchase wasn’t an exception.

    As you could guess, being abroad, specifically in South Korea, is a bit of a challenge when it comes to purchases that you really should be checking out in person. A stroller is a purchase you want to touch, test out in the store aisle, judge height, check out the overall quality. Unfortunately that just wasn’t an option for us and we only want to pay for shipping once. Yes, you can purchase strollers in Korea, however baby products are extremely overpriced, even if you are looking for something simple.

    Over our lunch breaks at work, we’d meet and watch YouTube video reviews on strollers for tall people, adjustable handlebars, all-terrain, comfort, ease of use, weight and storage capability, safety and overall quality and durability that would last and grow with our daughter. We watched and compared, watched and compared, and watched and compared some more. Finally we landed upon an agreed decision, the Bob Revolution Pro Stroller. We realized this purchase would be an investment not only for us, but for our little bumblebee.

    We’re now just a little over the two month mark with our Bob and we’re loving it! It’s incredibly! To us it’s like we purchased a BMW or Mercedes, lol but for the Bebe.

    As we sort of listed above, the features we love in no particular order are:

    The ease of folding the BOB stroller up by pressing in the two pieces and just an easy flip like motion to unfold again. Oh and it’s fairly lightweight to lift in and out of our cars and you can easily remove all the wheels.

    The suspension and shocks. No matter what the terrain, our infant bumblebee is riding around smoothly.

    The plush padded handle bar that is not only incredibly functional, but also super comfortable on the hands. Calling all 6 foot parents and soon to be parents, this handle bar will adjust to a comfortable height for you. (Sooo nice!) No feet hitting the stroller and messing with your natural stride.

    The stroller canopy is ginormous with peek-through window to see a toddler. We haven’t hit that stage just yet, but we have the Britax car seat attached (make sure you purchase the BOB Single Infant Car Seat Adapter for Britax to fit the car seat onto the stroller perhaps another product review later), however the canopy on the stroller does folds over the car seat and protect an infant from the elements if you use it that way.

    There is a decent sized storage area underneath. We’ve fit a diaper bag and some vegetable/fruit purchases in it. Also on the backside of the stroller, think where your knees face when pushing, is a flat pocket area that will hold flat items like diapers, wipes or a light blanket.

    I haven’t jogged just yet with the stroller, however all reviews from runners say that it’s excellent for exercise. I’m excited to give it a go!

    We want to be completely honest and up front with this product review and list the cons/ dislikes to this stroller as well. Guess what? We haven’t really found any just yet…. We do find ourselves in a bit of a pickle when it comes to taking the stroller into Korean restaurants and coffee shops due to the tightness of tables and such. So you could say that the overall size is sometimes a con? However you could argue the fact that it easily folds up and if needed you could fold it up and stick it in the corner. Stay tuned we will update this post as we continue to use regularly.

    We purchased our Bob on (you guessed it) Amazon. You can find the direct link below or BOB Revolution Pro Single Stroller, Black <here.

    Do you own a Bob? If you are looking for a stroller, what features are you most interested in? We’d love to hear from you!

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself…or in this case the bébé !

    Her Room

    So now that we’ve opened up this chapter of our lives on the blog, we’ve been asked to share our bumblebees nursery.

    As you know, we live in Korea, in an apartment, so it’s a bit more challenging to style a space that you can’t really completely make your own. Even if you’re not living abroad, maybe you too can relate in the way that you rent, you’ve got to work your magic in your own way to make it that special space that you are envisioning.

    Recently IKEA came to Korea! What a godsend! Haha! All the furniture in the nursery is all from you guessed it… IKEA! (Side note silly… Koreans pronounce Ikea, E-key-a.)

    So why exactly is IKEA a godsend you ask? Isn’t it just like transitional furniture you ask? Well… Unfortunately most Korean furniture is made from partial board, yes, much like IKEA, however muchhhhh more expensive. Yeah…

    We really just wanted to keep things simple and clean-looking. We decided upon gray, black and white as the primary colors, no real theme. Simple.

    Bedding and mostly everything you see was ordered from Amazon, or gifted from sweet families and friends. It was overwhelming in an amazing way to realize just how blessed we are, our bumblebee is, with all this showering of love from all around the globe! (Thank you all again!!)

    So there you have it! We hope you enjoyed another look into our lives while we’re living abroad and navigating this new adventure together.

    Can you relate with decorating restrictions in your home? It can be a monetary restriction, or perhaps you rent too, how did you overcome and make the space your own? Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Backpackbees

    New Chapter

    It’s been awhile guys! So where have you been? Kidding… I know it was us, we basically fell off the blogosphere. But hey, with good reason!

    They say that every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. So here we are…at a new beginning, a new chapter in our lives, a close from another beginning’s end. Life is funny like that.. some chapters allow us to open on our own, while others are sort of forced open. Nevertheless, within these chapters of our books we are ever-growing and learning something from each of them.

    Exactly where am I going with this? As you could have guessed, we’ve opened a brand new chapter in our lives. Yes, I struggled with the decision to post anything on our blog about my pregnancy, or if I’d keep that chapter of our lives closed from online and kept private. Ultimately I made the decision that it is a HUGE part of our lives and is an incredible blessing not to share with you all.

    Funny when I think back on this now…we didn’t know at first we were even pregnant with our little bumblebee until we were already a few good weeks in. Crazy! Huh? Then we didn’t announce to our families and friends until we knew we were in the clear. I’m so terribly superstitious with certain things, especially because of our past experience and struggles.

    Prayerfully everything progressed as normal and healthy with our daughter and we baked perhaps the very best treat of our lives yet!

    Live in Korea? Need an amazing photographer for maternity, newborn or family style photos? Excellent! We’ve got you covered! Check out Little Lime Tree Photography here.

    Backpackbees