February 19, 2010
Celebrity Mama of the Month
Nancy O'Dell
We don’t know about you, but we’re kind of missing Nancy O’Dell since she left Access Hollywood in December. As the show’s perpetually sunny co-host, she was a daily fixture in our lives since 1996. Over the years, we’ve seen her interview every conceivable celebrity, get married in the pages of In Style, and rock maternity chic while pregnant with her daughter Ashby, who will turn three in June.
After giving birth, Nancy wrote the bestselling motherhood book Full of Life: Mom-to-Mom Tips I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was Pregnant. Now an official expert on the subject, she admits that some things still catch her by surprise. For instance, “the tremendous and immense love you feel for your child. I knew it would be gigantic,” Nancy says, “but one truly can’t comprehend that unbelievable love until it happens. To me, a simple little hug from your child is literally the best thing the world can offer!”
Read on for Nancy’s Top 10 product picks…
1. Fave baby ride: I loved the Orbit system when Ashby was an infant. So easy and sturdy. Now we use several different strollers. The Silver Cross strollers are really well-made and beautiful, and the Maclaren stroller is very easy for travel.
2. Fave diaper bag: When Ashby was still in diapers, my favorite was a Juicy diaper bag my girlfriends gave me as a shower gift. As she got older, I switched to the Go GaGa, a more compact style that has an ergonomic strap and can be used as a messenger bag or laptop bag as well. Now that she is potty-trained, I am loving this compact Timi & Leslie bag for a few things she needs when we are out and about (change of clothes, wipes, etc.).
3. Fave sippy cup: The Born Free Sippy Cup because they are made from Bisphenol-A free plastic.
4. Fave nursery décor item: I have the baby book that my grandmother made for my mother framed in a pretty box and mounted on Ashby’s wall. It looks gorgeous and is such a special item. I can even open the box and read it every now and then. As far as a nursery item you can buy, I love the Marie Ricci Initial Wall Plaque and clock as well as the personalized artwork by Christine Holman Joyce. This artist’s work is so beautiful, yet still cute for a nursery. Also, it is personalized just for Ashby.
5. Fave children’s accessory: The No Slippy Hair Clippy Bows. The most precious hair clips! Ashby looks sooooo cute with these in her hair. And Mabel’s Labels. It is so hard to keep up with everything when you have a toddler, so I use Mabel’s Labels to put Ashby’s name on all her things in a cute way.
6. Fave children’s clothing designer: For shoes, Pedipeds and Umi are amazing. Naartjie for clothes. Pork Chop Kids makes really cute socks. Also, both Target and H & M have adorable clothes that are so affordable. After all, kids grow out of them so quickly and ruin clothes so easily.
7. Fave toy: Ashby and I have so much fun “having tea” with the Fisher Price Tea Set. Even my hubby makes a good cup of imaginary tea. And, of course, all of Ashby’s stuffed animals love tea now! She also takes her Skip Hop Animal Farm Back Pack wherever we travel. And the whole family loves the Fisher-Price Splatster.
8. Fave car seat: Britax
9. The one item you couldn’t live without: Ashby loves the Hip Hop Baby DVD and has so much fun with it. She dances, sings and learns while watching these.
10. The one item you wouldn’t want to live without: The Nicole Reid high chair. Ashby is out of the high chair now, but I still keep it around because it is sooo beautiful. It is so decorative and looks like a piece of luxury furniture, yet it is easy to use. It even has her name embroidered on the back, so I will keep it as an heirloom.
