Why I love the Bugaboo Bee stroller

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I'm a HUGE fan of the Bugaboo Bee stroller. I don't even have the newest model, and no this isn't a sponsored blog post. I'm just a really passionate owner of a very old Bugaboo Bee, and I love it so so much I want to share about it.

Some background on my journey with strollers... I actually bought a Nuna Demi Grow before B was born, in the midst of COVID, when I couldn't go to a store to try out strollers. The Demi seemed great, it was all black, super pretty, and had the option to turn into a double stroller with an additional seat. Anyways on Black Friday this stroller went on sale and I of course ordered it without trying it, and needless to say once B arrived and we started to use it, I HATED IT. It was massive, hard to lift in and out of my car, it took up my entire trunk... the list of reasons why I didn't like it went on ...

I had bought a Bugaboo Bee OG, that's right, a 14-year-old stroller, off of Marketplace as a BACKUP stroller for Tyler's car. It was in pretty mint condition, really clean and well kept. Anyways, I started to use it all the time because it was so much lighter than the Nuna Demi, my Nuna Pipa carseat fit it (with an adapter), and it actually left room in the trunk for other items. I loved it so much I found a newer Bugaboo Bee3 on Marketplace (still not a brand new one! LOL), sold the OG Bee, sold my Nuna Demi Grow, and now here I am with a 12-year-old stroller that I bought off Marketplace that I can't say enough good things about.

(I should mention that the Bugaboo Bee has essentially stayed the same over the years so it doesn't really bother me that I have a super old stroller. Bugaboo strollers last FOREVER -- my sister-in-law used her Chameleon for 4 kids and it was still in amazing shape! The newest Bugaboo Bee6 has bigger wheels and probably better suspension, so it might be something I'll buy if we decide to have another baby!)

Before I had B I needed the best of the best, but what I've realized as a Mom is that it's not the price of an item that makes it great, it's how well it works for YOU. So to all the mama's who had to buy things sight unseen during COVID, know that I feel your pain, especially in the stroller category. I wish I had've been able to walk the aisles at West Coast Kids trying all of the beautiful strollers, because I know I would have bought a Bugaboo Bee6 off the bat and would have saved myself the buying and selling of strollers on Marketplace. But sometimes it takes a journey like this to make you realize that rushing a big purchase is never a good idea.

With that said, here are the reasons why I love the Bugaboo Bee stroller:

• It's lightweight
• It folds up small, so you don't need a separate travel stroller this does it all!
• It's super easy to use
• It fits in tight spaces and can be lifted easily over curbs, steps, etc.
• Accessories are sold separately so you can add on as much or as little on as you'd like -- I got the adapters for our carseat and a cup holder!
• Unlike other compact strollers, it actually works with a bucket carseat (the only other stroller I know that does this is the BabyZen YoYo)
• The child seat lays back so far for amazing baby naps on-the-go
• The sunshade unzips for incredible sun coverage
• Storage underneath isn't amazing, but it's better than most compact strollers
• You can buy a separate storage bag that straps onto the back of the stroller for additional storage if you need it!
• It comes in so many different colours, which makes choosing fun! (I'm boring and I like all black)
• You can add a wheeled board to the back if you have a toddler and a baby! (also sold separately)

The Ultimate Baby Registry List for Minimalist Parents

I've been getting the same question over and over again lately, "do you have a baby registry blog post?" And while I am humbled that you'd like to know what was on my baby registry, I first need to say that every baby is different so what my son loved may not be what your child loves. That said, we are major minimalists (read: I am a minimalist) so one year into being a mama I finally feel ready to tell you what we actually used and what you need to put on your baby registry!

To make this easier, I'm going to break it down into categories because there are some items that are not actually for the baby. That's right mama, you too deserve some gifts! And if you're a friend or family member reading this for gift inspo. I should also mention that when in doubt, AMAZON GIFT CARDS make amazing gifts. While I love to shop local and also love to support family-owned baby shops, the reality of being a parent is, sometimes you need NEXT DAY DELIVERY so Amazon gift cards were one of the most helpful gifts we received.

With that, let's get down to the nitty gritty... here is the ultimate baby registry list for minimalist parents:

FOR THE NURSERY

• Crib
• Breathable mattress (shop the Newton mattress here)
• Dresser
• Rocking chair
• Diaper change caddy (like this!)
• Baby monitor (we have the Nanit)
• Egg light (shop my favourite FRAVITA night light here)
• Sound machine (we love the Hatch Rest)

(Note: You don't really need a changing table, but if you have the space for one it's nice to have. Not including it in my list because we did not even use ours once and it was not cheap!)

FOR BABY

• Bassinet (We used the Snoo in our bedroom for the first 6 months)
• Stroller (I recommend the Bugaboo Bee6)
• Carseat (I recommend the Nuna Pipa)
• Bouncer (I recommend the Baby Bjorn bouncer)
• Baby lounger (ours was recalled, so I recommend the Snuggle Me Organic in its place)
• Muslin swaddles
• Sleepers with two-way zips (5-7 in each size I'd say is a good place to start)
• Baby Powder (Hello Bello is the best)
• Baby Lotion and Baby Bum cream (shop Rocky Mountain Soap Co. baby products here)
• Diapers (we like Pampers Pure the best)
• Wipes (my fav are Waterful Wipes)
• Thermometer
• 1 or 2 pacifiers (we like Ryan and Rose cutie pats - save $5 with this link!)
• A clip for the pacifier
• Pacifier and toy wipes (I loved these ones!)
• A play mat (we love this one)
• A snot sucker (gross, I know, but get this one ... the hand ones don't work!)

FOR TRAVEL

• Play pen (love the Nuna Sena Aire!)
• Play pen mattress
• Carrying bag for Baby Bjorn bouncer
• Travel sound machine (I LOVE the Yoga Sleep Hush)
• A waterproof play mat (we have this one)
• A cheaper travel-friendly baby monitor (like this!)

FOR MAMA

• Stroller caddy
• Diaper bag
• Baby carrier (We loved our Baby Bjorn mini and the Artipoppe Zeitgeist)
• Depends Silhouette (for post delivery)
• Perineal spray (shop my fav here! this was a god send)
• Nursing pillow (shop the Snuggle Me nursing pillow here)
• A baby book (this is the one we got for B)
  
• This is EXTRA and more of a gift idea, but a photo printer is such a good thing to have so you never fall behind on printing photos for the baby book (shop the Canon Ivy here)

Did I forget anything? Is there something you used that was an absolute life saver and I didn't mention it above? Drop a comment below!

*Note: Some links provided in this post are affiliate links*

My Postpartum Struggle with Acne (and how it got better!)

Let me start by saying, I’ve been acne-prone for several years now. It’s hormonal acne, mostly caused by my PCOS. When I got pregnant my skin cleared up, but immediately after giving birth my skin EXPLODED into the worst cystic acne I have ever had in my life. It was MORTIFYING. Imagine being a new mom, you’re already feeling really uncomfortable because your body is NOTHING like it used to be, and now you have the worst skin you’ve ever had in your life. It’s a horrible feeling, but I figured it out with patience (lots!) and trial and error.

The first thing I did was book a doctors appointment for a full blood test which ruled out PCOS and any other hormone imbalances. The only hormone that was spiked was prolactin because I was (and still am) breastfeeding. I have seen the same naturopath since my first pregnancy so she is aware of my history with PCOS and miscarriage, so when I showed her the blood results from my doctor she also ruled out other hormone imbalances and said that if my acne was caused by prolactin there was little I could do to control it. Basically everyone was saying until I was done breastfeeding, I’d be suffering with acne. Cool.

So, I gave up trying to find the magic pill (aka supplement) that would cure my acne. I gave up dairy because my son was having stomach issues every time I ate it, and even a dairy-free diet did nothing. I cut sugar and alcohol … no big change, however I did feel great so if this is something you are thinking of doing, I highly recommend cutting all three!

The next thing I did was change up my skincare routine. My son was born in June of 2021 and by November I had done a complete overhaul of my skincare. I hate wasting products so as I finished my old products I replaced them one by one with new products to try. I was using clean products to begin with, but at this point I looked at my skincare through a new lense. When I was pregnant I found my skin to be really oily and I think because of all the oils it was actually looking really healthy. But following pregnancy my skin got really dry and sad looking. It was likely because I wasn’t able to eat as well, I wasn’t drinking enough water AND my son was sucking the life out of me nursing 24/7.

I switched to a skincare routine FULL of nourishing oils and stopped using products that were drying out my skin, and within two weeks my skin started to look and feel a lot better. Now, my skincare routine is all about HYDRATING and TREATING in the P.M. and NOURISHING and PREPPING in the A.M.

I am LOVING so many products from Three Ships Beauty, a Canadian and female-owned skincare brand. You’ve probably seen me share their products on Instagram because I love sharing clean, eco-friendly products that I’m using. I’ll share my morning and evening routine below and if you have similar skincare woes I urge you to try this routine yourself because I think you’ll be very happy with the results. If your skin is different than mine, there’s a really great skincare quiz on their website that can help you find the products that are best for your skin type. You can access the quiz here!

To not overcomplicate things, I use the same cleanser and toner morning and night. The Refresh cleanser is stacked with papaya, a natural peeling enzyme, and salicylic acid, which targets breakouts, so this cleanser really cleans and brightens your skin. I follow with the Awake Rose Hydrosol Toner mist which balances the skins PH and smells so lovely morning and night. Then here’s how my routine starts to change for morning and night…

My morning routine is nourishing and preps my skin for the day ahead. I love the Three Ships Beauty Radiance Cream, which has grape stem cell and Squalane in it to deliver a huge amount of moisture and lock it in for the day ahead. This cream is amazing under makeup, it’s got such a nice sheen to it and really just makes your skin look and feel amazing all day. Other than sunscreen (I use Supergoop!) that’s it for my morning routine. I try to keep mornings really simple and with so many amazing ingredients in all of their products, Three Ships makes it SO easy to have a quick and easy skincare routine but get maximum results.

My evening routine adds an extra step (sometimes two!) but is still very simple — KEEP IT SIMPLE! After washing and toning I use the most amazing, and I mean AMAZING (I rave about this cream!) Dream Cream which is SO luxuriously hydrating, with a plant-based retinol formula (I would never ever use real retinol!) that softens, hydrates and really just treats your skin like royalty. I don’t joke around when I say this cream should be in every single persons routine!

As a last step I love to add an oil, sometimes I add it to my night cream and other days I layer it on top, it really just depends on my mood. The Glow Oil is my favourite because it’s 49% Jojoba Oil, which is most like our skins natural oil, so it won’t cause break outs, won’t clog pores and doesn’t feel overly heavy like some oils can (if you’re acne prone, I know you hate those heavy oils!).

Once in a blue moon, aka when I remember (hey- I’m a new mom, cut me some slack), I try to fit a face mask into my routine. If I’ve overdone it with makeup, or worn a ton of sunscreen, I love to use a mask at night to really clean out my pores. The Detox mask goes above and beyond. It gently cleans out pores using french green clay and green tea extract, while also eliminating collagen loss — something I am learning all about as a tired new mama! Tip: It’s also a great overnight spot treatment :)

So there you have it, a super simple but INCREDIBLY effective skincare routine to help with postpartum or hormone-related acne woes. Any questions? Leave them in the comments below!

And as a VERY BIG thank you for sticking around to the END of this long-winded blog (I am very passionate about skincare), I invite you to use my code SIMPLYSERA20 to save 20% off your entire purchase at Three Ships Beauty.