About Joanna Track
Four years ago, Sweetspot.ca Founder Joanna Track settled down with her darling husband and his two adorable young boys. She’s since added “new mom” to her long list of achievements with the addition of baby Teddy. Check back weekly for her tales of sweet family life.
My Sweetest Things
me and my boys canada
(Nov.20.09)
I started Sweetspot for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones was my passion for seeking out the sweet stuff. As such, I was always the go-to girl for recommendations on where to go and what to buy. Now that I’ve transitioned from “gal about town” to “sweet mama”, I am always asked about my choice for baby must-haves. So I thought I’d take a break from my weekly ranting, to rave about a few of my favourite things…
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Strolling with my baby
The item that I am most often asked about is which stroller I chose. This seems to be an area of great angst and indecision for new parents. After much due diligence, my husband and I selected the Uppa Baby Vista. And we couldn’t be happier with our choice. Not only is it great functionally (easy to move, easy to fold, etc), it is sleek looking and comfy for the little one (sometimes I wish I could crawl in there with him!).
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Fit for a feast
It was in the blink of an eye that our little guy was ready for his first food fest, but without a seat to sit on! When looking for a high chair, I was frustrated that they were all so big and bulky (and ugly). Then we came across the Valco High Chair, which was not only less space-consuming than the other monstrosities, but it easily folds up making it easy to store out of the way when needed. And at $149, the price was right too.
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In the bag
I’ve raved about this one before, but I love it so much I’ll give it another shout. It’s my Le Sportsac Diaper Bag. Aside from the fact that it allows me to wax nostalgia (Le Sportsac was, and still is, one of my favourite brands), it is lightweight which I’m learning is critical (let’s just say I’ve been racking up the chiropractor fees since I started lugging Teddy and his equipment around). It also has just the right amount of pockets (as in, there’s enough for organizing everything, but not too many that I can’t remember where I put anything).
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Laying it all out
Even though most diaper bags come with change pads, sometimes that little landing strip is not enough to protect your baby from the icks and yucks of public change rooms. My cousin gifted me with this fabulous “pad for all reasons”, the Patemm. The large circle design gives more space for baby to sprawl. It also has conveniently placed pockets and folds so you can carry all your diaper essentials inside it if you so choose. The only caveat is that it is not available in Canada, but with the help of Borderlinx (my new favourite cross-border shopping tool), you can have this, and all your other sweet US finds, without the usual hassle.
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Ed. Note: For those who prefer to shop Canadian, the closest Canuck equivalent would be the wonderful Muffin Mat, which has the benefit of being padded (since it's intended for play). The only caveat being that while the Muffin Mat's cover is removable and machine washable, it's doesn't have the pockets or explosive poop wipeability factor of the Patemm (in case you were wondering).
What are some of your sweetest things for baby?