Review Of Our Most Used Baby Products

When I was doing polls on which topics you'd all like to see more of from me a lot of you suggested sharing our favorite baby products. But remember, every baby is different. My mom said my brother and I hated swings as babies but Izzy loves hers. One of my good friend's her son hates pacifiers and Izzy is all for them, I mean you just never know! However, I still wanted to share + review our most used items and hopefully it makes your baby shopping a little easier!

Shop these items by clicking the pictures at the bottom of this post.



Before we had Izzy I already knew I wanted to try the Hello Bello brand and now that we've gotten the chance to use majority of the products it's safe to say we love them! Their diapers are the only brand we've tried so far but people have said their exactly like the Honest brand, but more affordable. I also loveee using the body wash and lotion in the vanilla apricot scent! 



Not everyone considers a diaper pail a necessity but y'all, this thing has saved Izzy's room from smelling like dirty diapers 24/7. But prepare yourself for when you open it to throw a diaper away.. gross 😂


We tried regular swaddle blankets with Izzy but she would break free of them 24/7, no matter how tight we put it. We received a SwaddleMe Swaddle for our baby shower and they have been amazing! Our little Houdini can't break free of these!




When we first tried pacifier's with Izzy she wouldn't take any of them except the WubbaNub. She takes anyone we give her now, but especially loves her WubbaNub! She sometimes cuddles with the giraffe and it's just the cutest thing!!


We love this travel system! It's extremely helpful being able to just take out the carseat and click it right into the stroller! 


Everyone has different opinions on which pillow they prefer, but I personally love our Boppy! Tyler even uses it when he feeds Izzy, so it's both mom and dad approved.


Tyler thought me wanting this bassinet was the most ridiculous thing, but I'm sure if you asked him he'd say it's one of his favorite most used items for Isabella. We keep this in our room for when Izzy is having a fussy night and doesn't want to sleep in her crib. It's nice having a safe and cozy spot for her to sleep next to us!


Rock 'N Play

Honestly I think Izzy will nap anywhere you put her, but we personally love putting her in her Rock 'N Play. We keep it in the living room so when we need a free hand we'll just put her in there and she'll nap away! And yes, we know there have been recalls on these but we always make sure Izzy is buckled in and safe!



5 Ways To Wear It: Snakeskin Dress

Happy Monday! I think I'm just going to make '5 Ways To Wear It' a weekly series because the past two weeks this has been my topic. But what can I say - You should all know by now my love for a versatile wardrobe and I want to help all of you get the most out of yours! I styled my newly favorite snakeskin dress five ways that are great for fall and they can even be transformed into your winter wardrobe as well. 




You can pair anything with a good leather jacket but I have to say the snakeskin and leather is my favorite combo! While the leather jacket already gives it an edgy vibe, I finished the look off with studded booties which was the perfect compliment to the edginess. However, if edgy isn't your style or you simply just want to wear something other than booties, white or black sneakers would be perfect to finish the look off!




A great way to incorporate a snakeskin dress into your work wardrobe. The velvet blazer (or even any black blazer) compliments the dress perfectly! You can also swap out the heels for a simple pair of black flats for a comfier look.




My favorite look of them all! The weather still hasn't cooled down enough for me to actually wear this, but as soon as it does I'll be wanting to rewear this look all the time. It's a simple look to recreate and it's also comfy. You could wear booties to dress the look up a little or completely dress it down with sneakers. So many options! Style tip: if you ever want to layer a dress with a sweater but don't want it to just hang down but a belt on and tuck it into that.




The last and most obvious way to style this dress - by itself. I styled it with a wool hat and booties for the perfect fall look but you could go about styling this dress any way you want! Throw your hair back and put some sneakers on for a quick on-the-go look or add heels for a dinner date!

Which look is your favorite?

Shop today's post by clicking the pictures below.



What's In My Newborn Diaper Bag


I was clueless when it came to putting together my hospital bag and I was clueless when it came to putting together a diaper bag. Let's just say Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to this kind of stuff. I looked through a bunch of 'Newborn Diaper Bag Essential' posts before I finally got an idea of what I really needed and at the end of the day each diaper bag is going to be different because every newborn is different and requires different things. 

I haven't been out much with Izzy yet, considering she's only one month old. But she's been to the pediatrician and she's had relatives watch her a few times. She doesn't need much at this stage of life but as a mom you always want to make sure you have everything for those 'just incase' moments. As a first time mom here's my newborn diaper bag checklist.



  
I got my diaper bag from Freshly Picked and it's my absolute favorite! I read reviews from moms saying it's too small and lacks pocket space but I 100% disagree. This diaper bag is not only fashionable but it's so spacious! I used it for my hospital bag where I packed a decent amount and it fit everything no problem. I also think it has plenty of pockets, however I got diaper bag organizer pouches to prevent it from getting cluttered. 

WHAT'S IN MY NEWBORN DIAPER BAG?

Swaddle Blanket: A swaddle blanket can account for many things. An extra way to keep baby warm, a changing mat, burp cloth, car seat cover, etc etc. 

Multi-Use Cover: This can also be used as a car seat cover or blanket if needed, but also as a nursing and pumping cover, shopping cart cover and high chair cover.

Burp Cloth/Bib

Formula Dispenser: This is great to have with at least enough formula for one bottle if baby is formula feeding. It can also be used when the time comes as a snack cup

Hand Sanitizer: My favorite brand is Hello Bello.

Dreft Stain Removal Stick

Changing Pad: My diaper bag came with a changing pad, but I did research before knowing that and there are so many good options out there!

Babyganics Hand Sanitizing Wipes: These are great for wiping things down or cleaning up any spills. 

Mittens/Socks

Extra Pacifier: I keep mine in a pacifier bag so it doesn't get dirty.

Wipes/Extra Diapers

Nourisher Bars: Snacks for mom (and dad) are important to keep in the diaper bag, especially something you can take out and easily eat. I like having these specific bars on hand because they cater specifically to moms and postpartum recovery by including all of the bodies essential nutrients. They also have bars for every stage of pregnancy - Prenatal, postnatal and milkful nursing bars. Use code "asmalltownfashionista" for 20% off your order!


Packing for a newborn can be overwhelming and tricky, so I hope my checklist helps you in the process!

Shop today's post by clicking the pictures below.





* Thanks to Nourisher for gifting me Postnatal bars. As always all opinions are my own.

One Sweater, Five Ways

Happy Monday, friends! Anybody else going need about ten iced coffee's to get through today or just me? The closer to fall weather we get the more excited I am to bring out all of my cozy sweaters. Recently when I was in Nicole Taylor Boutique I snagged the cutest sweater to add to my fall wardrobe and I'm sharing five ways to style it this season. These style tips aren't just made for this specific sweater either, you can try them out with any sweater in your closet! 






This look is great for when you need something quick and cozy to throw on. I could forever run all of my errands wearing this! You can also throw on a leather jacket for a more chic look.




I love layering my dresses with sweaters come fall. It's a great way to transition your dresses into the fall season and allows you an easy fix to turning a dress into something more casual. 




This is another quick and cozy look for fall. I love wearing my oversized sweaters with leggings and OTK boots! It makes for the perfect casual fall look. You can also dress it up with a pair of leather leggings and booties as well or dress it down even more by swapping the OTK boots out for sneakers. This is a great look because there are so many ways you can go about it!








My absolute favorite look! If you tuned into my Express try-on last week I raved about these flare jeans and styling them has been nothing short of perfect. If flare jeans aren't your thing then of course they can be swapped out for another pair of denim, I just personally love a good flare jean and sweater combo. Layering it with the leather jacket was the perfect touch!

Lastly, I couldn't picture this look because I have yet to fit back into my leather skirt but I still wanted to mention it because pairing leather skirts with sweaters is such a good combo. I love finishing the look off with booties and a wool hat. I highly suggest adding a leather skirt to your wardrobe or at least trying it out!

Shop today's post by clicking the pictures below. Which look is your favorite??



Tips For Transitioning Your Summer Pieces To Fall










Happy Wednesday, everyone! We're at that weird crossroads where some days you experience the cool fall weather and other days it's 90 degrees by noon. Dressing for those in between season spurts are always annoying because you never really know what to wear but it's a great transitional period for getting your fall wardrobe ready.

Most people think that when the season changes their wardrobe has to also, which is not true! There are ways you can transform your favorite summer pieces into the fall season allowing you to not only get more use out of certain items but also save you money in the long run. Below I'm going to share my tips on transitioning your summer pieces into fall and a couple must-have items.

My tips:

1. If you have a summer wardrobe that consists of bright colors don't think that you can't bring any of those pieces into fall. Bright colors are fine, wear them all year round, but during fall be prepared to tone them down. I have this bright yellow dress that I wanted to transition from summer to fall last year so I toned it down with colors like grey and black. Same goes for the sweater tank I styled above. This summer I styled it with white denim, sandals and a straw tote to give it a summer beach vibe and by simply adding darker denim, nude flats and a burnt orange wool hat it's now a fall look! It's all about incorporating neutral and deeper tones.

2. Shoes make all the difference. My summer wardrobe is pretty much based around sandals so of course come fall I ditch the sandals and put my favorite pair of booties and flats on display. I'm sure half of my readers are like 'well duh, why would I even think of wearing sandals during cold fall days?' but I have to cater to my readers whose fall weather is still basically summer! My advice, invest in a pair of black and/or brown booties that will last you forever and you'll love to wear. I've had my black booties since 2015 and they are my FAVORITE shoe. If you scroll through my Instagram from last fall you'll see that I styled 99% of my looks with them. For fall I recommend a nice black or brown bootie, nude flats, and white sneakers.

3. If you don't have one of the following in your wardrobe already then I highly recommend purchasing one - Denim and leather jacket. I've had my denim jacket for a few years now and it's by far one of the most worn items in my wardrobe. Personally I think it's a staple piece for every wardrobe, no matter the season. It's the easiest way to transform an outfit from summer to fall. I also think leather jackets are a great staple piece to have, if they're your thing! I recently purchased this one over Labor Day and I'm excited to start styling it.

4. Layers, layers, layers! I love layering and I've found that it's a great way to bring your favorite dresses into the fall season. That yellow dress I talked about above, I layered it with a grey sweater and right away it toned the whole look down. Invest in a couple sweaters (black, white or grey) and go up one in size, that way if you want to wear them alone they won't look too big but you still have room to layer with dresses or flannel tops if you wanted! Play around with a few pieces in your wardrobe to see what works together and what doesn't work. If you think layering your dress with a sweater looks weird, try adding a belt to the mix.





Xo, Alyssa