Sponsored with love by North States

We’ve got all hardwood floors in our home — every single room. So when it comes to newborns and crawlers, our home isn’t so “baby friendly.” But of course, Franky needs tummy time and in the blink of an eye he’ll be crawling into every room and then pulling up on anything and everything and then walking and then running and in the meantime, every button will be pressed and every cord in sight will be pulled. 

That’s parenthood for ya —

We’ve all been there and it’s just part of the fun! And of course we can’t just live in a fully padded home with nothing in sight, so baby proofing it is.

When Ava was four months old, she crawled for the first time. Yes, four months old. [insert that wide eyed emoji here] So almost three years ago, I went on the hunt for the best baby gate. I wanted something that could keep her away from some electronics and wanted something that could keep her in one play area.

We discovered the North States Superyard Gate and to this day, that gate has been probably the most used baby item that we’ve ever owned. But this isn’t just any baby gate —

— Every gate panel can detach so you can create a large space or a small space to fit your needs. We used 4 panels to put around our entertainment consul while Ava was still in “that phase” and it totally saved us.
— We can use it indoors or outdoors.
— It’s lightweight. I can carry all 8 panels that we own with one hand and a baby (or toddler) in the other.
— It’s durable. This thing has lasted us 3 years and it’s still going strong with no end in sight.
— It folds. And this is a necessity when it comes to baby items because who wants bulky items taking up your entire living room at all times? Not me!

In just a couple of months, that gate will come back out and we will have a great space to keep Franky contained. And want to know what North States just came out with? A baby play mat that folds up so small, you won’t believe it’s as big as it is!

I mean, look at that!

It’s squishy and it wipes clean and it even has the alphabet on there so Ava can have fun and learn as we play too! And better yet? We can place the gate around it and voila, we have ourselves the perfect portable play pen for indoors, outdoors, or even to bring with us to Grandma and Grandpa’s houses. And that, my friends, is a huge mom win if you ask me!