This weekend marked a special milestone for baby: he turned 1 on Saturday, January 26th. Not that he’ll ever remember the effort or time I spent on planning, but our family was long overdue for a day of celebration. Good times with family and friends, laughs, and fun we endured for Josh’s party will keep us smiling for days to come.
As the baby days transition to toddler days, there’s so much to reflect upon. I have to admit however, I feel as though so much of the baby’s first year was abbreviated because of so many hurdles.
At just 5 days old, with a VCUG to test for complications for kidney reflux, Josh’s tango with acronyms and specialized medical tests began. In between sleepy nuzzles, baby giggles and baby kisses, our boy has endured more blood tests, spinal taps, MRIs, EEGs, medicine applications than one infant should ever know. To see his pain; to grasp that he doesn’t know any other way, is nothing short of emotional paralysis as a mother.
His initial stay in the hospital over the summer when he endured the series of seizures was, byfar, the worst. I can still hear the synchronized beeps of machines that kept him stabilized. There was a juxtaposition of fear, anger and confusion when watching Josh’s oxygen drop to dangerous levels during a seizure, and knowing that I couldn’t do a thing to help my infant.
Beyond the heartache and hardship we’ve endured during baby’s first year, I am thankful for so much. I’m so thankful for modern medicine, access to (somewhat) affordable healthcare, and of course, the team of doctors, nurses and specialists who cared and continue to care for my baby. Baby is stable and our family is learning to grasp the complexity of pediatric epilepsy, much thanks to these wonderful things.
Caffeine and Diapers
And even though much of my real life has been put on hold this past year, including the frequency of my blogging endeavors here, it’s the little conveniences that have made our life a little less chaotic. From Trader Joe’s frozen meals, to Dunkin Donuts drive thru to scheduling appointments on my iphone to diapers, these are just a few things that have kept me afloat. Caffeine and diapers. Yup. Sounds about right.
Having started Josh out as a full time cloth diapered babe, as a fairly crunchy mama, I never envisioned that one day we’d be holed up in a hospital multiple times in the same year. Slaying piles of laundry for a family is a herculean effort on a normal day, nevermind when medical emergencies are thrown into the mix.
Even though Josh barely wore disposable diapers leading up to his hospitalization, again, I can’t imagine life without such conveniences. I remember watching him in his glass encased hospital crib wearing Pampers, a brand that I honestly never bought. Since Big Bro had adverse affects from disposables, we opted to cloth diaper our second babe. It worked well, until life got in the way. While in the hospital, naturally, as a kid product blogger, I studied brands and names of mundane items they used in the pediatric wing. From the toys in the Starlight playroom down to the baby’s diapers.
I couldn’t help but think: if these brands are good enough for the hospital to use, they must be ok for my babe too.
Pampers Swaddlers Review
According to sales data, Pampers Swaddlers are the number one choice for diapers used in hospitals. And come to think of it, having spent so much time in the hospital, during our stay, I don’t think I saw any other brand being used beyond Pampers, at our hospital anyway.
Now that we’re getting back on track with “normal” life, I enjoyed having the opportunity to review the Pampers Swaddlers, which are now available in size 4 & 5 and new at Target. Swaddlers remind me so much of the newborn days and that brand new baby feel. Or perhaps that’s the exhaustion?
Either way, I like the soft, quilted feel to the Swaddlers and absorbency. I can’t speak of any blowouts while we were reviewing the size 4s over the past few weeks; and I have to say, the relief from my laundry pile has been nice. The stretchy tabs and elasticity around the legs works well for my fast-moving tot, which in itself is a lifesaver. Above all, I love the lightweight feel, efficiency and convenience of Pamper Swaddlers, all attributes that any parent can appreciate. Ah, the marvel of modern diapers, behold.
And if you know me, you must know I love a great deal, almost as much as I love Target. Target has a phenomenal deal on Pampers right now: with the purchase of 2 Pampers Swaddlers, Cruisers or Baby Dry Economy Packs, get a free $20 Target GiftCard. This offer is valid in stores 1/27-2/2.
Giveaway
And because we’re staging our “comeback” to our new normal and embracing how life never goes as planned, what better way than to celebrate with a giveaway?
One fabulous winner will receive:
Two packs of diapers (your choice of size) and a $20 Target gift card
To enter, please comment below and tell me your favorite memory (so far) with your baby!
For additional entries:
Tell me about your favorite aspect of Pampers Swaddlers
Please share this giveaway on any or all of your social media outlets. (each share is one additional entry)
Tweet about this giveaway: Enter to win a @Pampers and @Target prize pack from NKT & @jenrab https://nextkidthing.com/?p=6269 #BCPampers
If not already, become a like the NKT FB page
Please comment below with all entries
This giveaway will end 2/2 at midnight. After the winner is chosen, please allow 6-8 weeks for prize to be fulfilled.
Full disclosure: This post is part of a sponsorship on BabyCenter. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review. As always all opinions on NKT are my own.
I know I said it a lot last year, but sorry for the long absences on the blog, but thank you for you support on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Considering our family’s ordeal and having multiple platforms to share my long-winded, rambling thoughts, I have many things for which to be grateful. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Happy Birthday to my Josh!
More first birthday stuff to come!