Pura Kiki stainless water bottles; $14-$18

Product makers are getting creative with baby bottles. I recently wrote about the sleek new Dr. Weil baby bottles which look more like architecture that something slurp from, and now comes the first baby bottle and training cups in stainless steel. Just like the ones you take to the gym.

I love my stainless steel water bottles, because I know they are BPA free, lightweight, durable and they don't leach any icky chemicals into the water, or in this case, baby's milk or formula.

Photo by doodles8301

My son loved car rides when he was an infant -- some nights it was the only way we could ease his colic and get him to go to sleep. My daughter? Nah. She'd start wailing after 10 minutes. I think she was bored. I never did find her happy button and get her to just relax and enjoy.

I really hope that hgibsonorc finds it with her three month old.

"He screams bloody murder every time he is in the car seat for more than five minutes," she says. "I feel so bad and helpless. When my husband drives I sometimes go back there with him and stick my breast in his mouth, which comforts him for a bit, but it never lasts long. Then I worry about burping him because he's really gassy and I don't want him to throw up everywhere. He sits there, looking at me screaming like he is wondering why I'm right there and won't pick him up."

Moms in Old Fashioned & Anti Mainstream Moms said to try the typical things first:

Photo by Kim.Stellman

I need to get rid of a wooden high chair, changing table, stroller, safety gates, bed rails ... I'm sure the list will go on once I finally get a chance to clean out the attic where I crammed all my outgrown baby stuff just to get it out of my sight.

I'm leery about Craigslist because I don't want creeps at my house, eBay just isn't for me, and I'm so not in the mood to put on a tag sale. Not keen on paying money for an ad in the paper, either. Come to think of it, all the above options could involve creeps.

I read about a new option for moms both looking to get rid of -- and get -- baby and children's stuff: kidzola.com.

Photo by cafemama

A while ago Cafe MicheleZ wrote about the strange things we keep in our purse, but with her December twins on the way, she'll soon be thinking about diaper bags -- and discovering how much stuff you can manage to cram in them! Oh, if it were only diapers, wipes and onesies ...

The Stay at Home Moms (a private group) took a peek in their diaper bags recently and shared some of the unusual diaper bag extras that were there that very moment:

• A few Legos, lipstick and receipts.

• Pictures of my daughter, saline wash, and gas medicine.

• A Babyfest map -- a three day concert that takes up about 12 city blocks. (I must say Alan Jackson was awesome, as was Gary Allan, Billy Curington and a few others.)

Photo by AmbersMom98

The Stay at Home Moms (private group, requires joining) are talking about how great it is that so many husbands or significant others change the baby's diaper -- nearly half of them do it very often, if not more than Mom, according to a poll.

Now the question ... does hubby, or anyone else for that matter, diaper your baby as well as you do?

My husband and I were both quick learners in the art of diapering. We found out what happens when the nappy is too big or too loose (yuck-o) the very first day. Before we knew it, we were robots on an assembly line, performing the job as mechanically and habitually as brushing teeth or putting on the coffee. The exact same way every single time.

It's funny how everyone has their own technique when changing a diaper -- here was ours:

Photo by Jeanmarie1975

Those infant car seat carriers are a godsend in so many ways. Can you imagine having to wake and unstrap your sleeping baby every time you to run into the grocery store for a gallon of milk, wisk your older child into day care, or all those other little in-and-outs we do all day?

Even though the experts say you shouldn't let a baby sleep in the carseat when not in the car, they still will a good portion of the time.

The last thing you need is a sore back, so here are some do's and don'ts from ergomomics.com to help you carry your infant's seat the right way:

DO's

When carrying the seat short distances, support it on your bent elbow (using biceps) and keep it close to your center of gravity, OR

Photo by geminisummerz

Baby mamas in Advice for Moms share the one infant essential they could not live without ( hurry, first-time pregnant ladies, and add these to your registries quick!):

-- Portable changing bag and scented poop bags

-- Moby Wrap

-- A swing

-- Vibrating bouncer seat

-- The Boppy

-- Nuk

-- Diaper rash ointment

Photo by mnmblack

Both of my babies loved the exersaucer. If you're a brand new baby mama, these are the round activity tables with a fabric seat in the middle. Baby slips in, toes touching the bottom, and plays with plastic sliding balls, wheels and other enticing colorful toys afixed to the tray. If you haven't seen one yet, you will -- and you will be very tempted to get one because, well, they give mom a break and baby loves them! Just ask CafeMoms ...

But the exersaucer does not love baby, exactly. Some health professionals say that exersaucers are terrible for baby's posture and allignment. They don't teach him to walk or stand up properly -- just the opposite. Baby leans forward slightly and doesn't strengthen his back and stomach muscles. Some studies show that babies who spend a lot of time in exersaucers are delayed walkers. They also force the feet to curve inward, leading to possible foot deformities.

CK147

CafeMom ReesesPieces (Clarisse) is one of my favorite go-to people for money saving advice. She has an incredible track record for busting debt and for spending only $200 a month on groceries, diapers and other necessities for her family of five. That still baffles my mind.

Babies are so expensive, costing on average $11,000 in the first year of life, but Clarisse spends nearly nothing on her one-year old daughter by clipping coupons and buying clothes on clearance.

Here she is sharing her best super-saving secrets:

Photo by martinsmom2008

Whether it's Binky, Blankie, or Silky in your household, every child has a favorite blanket.