Being a parent doesn’t mean your home’s aesthetic & personal style are behind you. Quite the contrary in fact; social media has really allowed so many talented people to share their ideas with the world & I’ve been so excited about all the stylish products on the market these days! I seriously am so addicted to baby things lol.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for our first home to finally have a space to make our own. Ya girl was so over renting and was craving to have that creative freedom. Now that we’re in our first house and starting the reno process.. the last thing I want is to waste all that time & money by overrunning the place with circus looking baby items. No multi-colored alphabet playmats for me, please!
I know, vibrant primary colors are great for baby’s development but a playmat isn’t the only available place to get that visual stimulation lol! Iya has a ton of colorful toys and books, which of course are out around the house but they can be put away at the end of the day. Today I wanted to focus on items that take up a quite a bit of real estate in common areas of the house, larger items that typically stay out and become a part of the tapestry of the room for an extended period of time.
1-3. Mats!
I didn’t realize it until it was time for us to pull ours out of storage to use, but this is probably the most important item to invest in for aesthetic purposes. Playmats take up so much space, they stay out, and they’re used for a long time! My cousin got us a Softtiles mat for my baby shower, its so cute & baby-ish with different animal or shape cutouts (ours is Safari Animals!). Ours is light grey & white so it doesn’t clash with our living space — at our apartment it was in the living room, now its in the dining room. It makes our home look lived in not hiding the fact that a baby lives here lol but still chic! Softtiles takes custom orders and they were so generous to make a personalized mat for Iya, it’ll arrive later this week so keep an eye on my IG stories!
If you’re not into the kiddy blocks, Little Nomad makes the most gorgeous playmats! Seriously swoon-worthy! Their original style is the Heirloom collection, beautifully illustrated to look like an heirloom rug! The newer Starlight series is more whimsical with stars, fireflies, & butterflies. I went back and forth for days debating between the collections and ended up landing at a Starlight series mat in Sand Castles. I think it’ll match our floors perfectly and I wanted something gender neutral. Will have photos of it in Iya’s nursery soon!
As we’re approaching pre-toddlerhood, Iya is learning to drop food off her highchair (noooo!) ! I searched around for a splat-mat but most of them were plasticy… functional but U-G-L-Y ! I stumbled across Gathre, a luxurious brand of bonded leather mats! They’re incredibly soft, water & stain resistant, they wipe clean and HELLO they’re gorgeous! They come in several different sizes, colors, & prints but I got the mini to place under our high chair.
I love this chair!!! Its stylish but super minimal too, it blends in to our dining room effortlessly! My favorite feature is the magnetic tray! I can snap it on and off easily with one hand with no risk of pinching Iya’s little fingers.
5. North States Wood Superyard
Sometimes you just need to keep your baby in babyjail! When I need to get something done and can’t keep 100% attention on what Iya’s getting into, having a safe space is everything! North States sent us a beautiful wooden playyard for our mobile little girl, I got it in grey to match most of our things but the wood grain is so beautiful too for more traditional homes. I got two extra panels and am planning on setting this up in my office with a Softtiles playmat to give her a huge but safe play area while I’m close by working. I love that the bars are vertical, no footholes for her to climb out!
6. Skip Hop ‘Silver Lining’ Activity Gym
Iya used this gym from birth until she got mobile so it brings back really fond memories of her being so tiny! I love the greys and little pops of color, its so plushy and has a little cloud pillow – too cute! Lots of months of tummy time on this one!
7. Skip Hop Explore & More Three Stage Activity Center
When Iya started getting a little more “sturdy” I could tell she didn’t want to lay on the floor all the time but couldn’t sit up on her own yet so I got her this activity center — it’s been so great and she still uses it! It matches the activity gym so they looked great together while she was using both. What’s great is that it’ll convert to a table once Iya’s a little bigger – skip hop even sells chairs to go with it!
Hi Irene,
I love your home so far as u showed ?. I do have a question what kind of things do u have on the wall (1 pic had a blue one) What is it called ?. Thanks for your advice on baby stuff I really needed it for the baby room.
haha the blue was just masking tape mapping out wall moldings! Thank you Selma!
loooove all your baby choices and totally feel you on trying to NOT make the house look like a circus! side bar though, that plant is what i need in my life…can you share where its from??
Hi Irene,
I cannot tell you how helpful all of this is, when you had put what you needed for baby a while ago I had basically purchased everything including the snuggapuppy and it has been a life saver. My son is now 4 months old, and all of your advice and guidance on small to large items is super helpful. Thank you, please keep doing what you are doing you are a beautiful person and inspiration <3
Hi Irene!
Loved reading this ! my girls are now 5&8 now I feel is the time to look after my house a make over! My kids are over the stage of colouring in walls hahaha! Joys of parenting
Irene thank you for always looking out for us mommies. It’s really appreciated.
I’m a new mom and just brought a house and currently in a Reno too. I’m trying to keep my home functional yet stylish and theses products are amazing add ons to our lifestyle.
I pretty much brought all the baby items you suggested from your baby blog for newborns back when I had Innaya. They were all lifesavers. Thank you!! May Allah bless you and your beautiful family in your new home.
That makes me SO happy Rubena. Congrats on the new home, may you always be blessed iA!!
Which products were your favs!?
Top favorites has to be the mamaroo and breast friend. I had an emergency C-section after being labor for a 24hrs and my stitches opened up once I got home twice. So I couldnt hold Inaaya afterwards. Theses two were lifesavers. ?? The warm wipes are Genius for those nighttime diaper changes. And your idea to use kitchen towels on the changing table. I still use them now even though she’s six months old in her crib. Just in case she blows a diaper at night. Lol.
The Owlet was also very essential being a 1st time mommy. I think the only thing I didn’t get and wanted was a Dock a tot tho I’m on the Giveway train almost daily ?. Thank you sooo much for your wishes. I’ve been following you for years on all social media plate forms and you are one of my favorite go to persons for everything. I rarely ever message anyone. But you are a friend in my head. You make me feel like I’m not alone when things get tough or advice on things. I look forward to following you on your new journey. Many Many blessings.
I need to get my hands on the babyjail because you know why. Lol! Love this post and all the deets about each of the products!
Love my gathre mat for diaper changing ?? Great post
Its so good!! Thanks Humara! I just took a look through your blog and its so great!!! Keep up the fantastic work xo