A few posts back, I wondered aloud if anyone had tried these crib sheets and finally had to just see for myself.

I was so tired of having to wrestle with the laborious task of changing my daughter’s crib sheet. And I don’t know about you, but changing a crib sheet is not always just “oh, come to think of it, it’s time to change the bedding.” For me, it’s usually a case of interrupted sleep due to spit up or some other bodily function that requires a so-called “quick change,” which I’m sorry, simply does not exist when dealing with all those slats and bumper ties.

Quick Zip to the rescue! An invention by two moms, what these sheets do is nothing short of brilliant. First there is the Zipper Base – a sort of fitted sheet that goes under the mattress which reveals a plastic zipper track on the top. Next, you just zip the flat zipper sheet to the zipper base. The sheet has a flap that covers the zipper so that you don’t see it, and your baby doesn’t feel it.

You never need to change out the base, and I’ve timed myself on the swapping out of the top sheet – less than a minute!

If you’ve got a baby, this is a must have; and if you know a mommy or mommy-to-be, I can’t think of a better gift.

*Tips – buy an extra top sheet so that you’ve got it handy come changing time.

Sweet dreams!

Visit www.cloudsandstars.com to learn more.

This baby shower gift idea is for all the frustrated fashion designers out there. SimplyColors.com has a huge selection of vivid, 100% cotton onesies and children’s clothes that you can have personalized with a name, nickname, or saying. Anything you want! You pick the font, illustration and even color, to make it a truly unique gift.

This crafty handmade bib is wipeable vinyl over soft cotton, and features our two favorite foods, bacon and eggs. It’s the most important meal of the day, after all!

All of Sheriff Peanut’s tees, onesies, bibs and other items are charmingly silly and reasonably priced. This bib is $16.00 off their website, though their unique wares can be found in a few choice baby boutiques nationwide.

This week’s gift isn’t one that the new parents will get use out of right away, but when the time comes for the new hire to sit at the table and eat like a higher primate, it’s invaluable.

High chairs are a constant conundrum – they take up a sizable footprint in your dining area, always need to be shuffled around the table, and are not very portable. Well, the best solution we found is the clever and crafty MeToo high chair from Phil & Ted’s.  It clips to the edge of just about any table, putting the young one at the same level as their parents and encouraging family bonding.

Plus it folds flat and can be brought just about anywhere you go. After you get over the initial panic of your precious baby not being, you know, on the floor, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Buying gifts for kids is always a crapshoot – you can never be sure what’ll be played with and what’ll be left gathering cobwebs in a corner. When I go shopping for a baby shower gift, I try to make it do double duty, so even if the little one doesn’t end up playing with it, it’ll look nice in the house anyways.

One go-to pick is the soft blocks made by New York’s DwellStudio – not only do they help little hands learn how to feel, grab and hold, they also look cute without being overly babyish. Packaged in a cloth tote, this is one gift that is always appreciated. Unless they already bought some.

Is there anything more fun than a new baby? In this new weekly feature, I’ll present some must-have baby items for new parents, based on my experience and those of my parent friends. If you’re putting together a registry for your new one, or you have a friend expecting, we’ll give you everything you need.

The first year of your baby’s life, you are going to become a very horrible sleeper. Especially before they adjust to a diurnal schedule, newborns are awake and asleep whenever they damn well please, and either Mama or Papa has to be up with them, come hell or high water. And, for the most part, you can’t really do anything with them but hold them, change them, burp them and comfort them. As much as you love your little new addition, this can get real boring, real fast, especially at three in the morning. One thing that kept us sane? Netflix. The ubiquitous movie delivery service gave each of us something to feed our weary eyes during those late-night vigils, helping us feel a little more like adults and less like caregiving robots. For a baby shower gift, consider giving a year’s gift subscription to Netflix – the three-disk plan is good to run with. Make some suggestions for the queue in the card and sit back knowing that you’ve done a truly good thing.

Is there anything more fun than a new baby? In this new weekly feature, I’ll present some must-have baby items for new parents, based on my experience and those of my parent friends. If you’re putting together a baby registry for your new one, or you have a friend expecting, we’ll give you everything you need.

This week’s baby shower gift pick is the Miracle Blanket. Sleep is one of the most precious commodities for a new parent, and anything that can keep the little one sawing logs for even fifteen more minutes is a very valuable investment indeed.

I loved the Miracle Blanket – sure, it looks something like a psychiatric restraint, but this oddly-shaped swaddler was the absolute best thing for my son when he was little. Since new babies have absolutely no motor control, they tend to smack themselves in the face when they’re sleeping. By swaddling them, you prevent accidental thwacks and let them make the most of their downtime – by association, letting the new parents make the most of it as well.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter to win our new Lullaby Renditions of Queen CD!