As The Bump editorial team’s resident pregnant woman (I’m 20 weeks as of yesterday — halfway there!), I get the pretty awesome job of being a guinea pig for the latest products. After all, someone’s got to see what works and what doesn’t, right? So of course, I wanted to pass along a few of my favorites so far.

What are your favorite pregnancy products?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Top 6 Pregnancy Skin Issues (and How to Deal)

Is Your Beauty Routine Safe for Pregnancy?

Sneaky (and Cheap!) Ways to Stretch Your Maternity Wardrobe

If you’re pregnant, you probably don’t need us to tell you that pregnancy can do some pretty crazy things to your hair. For some lucky moms-to-be, it gets thicker and shinier. For others, it can get dry and frizzy and even thin a bit (eeek!). Watch this video to see what our expert says on why pregnancy wreaks havoc on your hair and what you can do to help it.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Hair Issues During Pregnancy

Can I Color My Hair While Pregnant?

How to Make Over Your Beauty Routine for Pregnancy

Still looking for a holiday gift for your beauty obsessed BFF? We can’t say enough positive things about this blush shade, which looks great on just about everyone, and can be layered on to look as natural or dramatic as you want. One of our all-time favorite beauty products!

Why we love it: This pinky-peach shade is universally flattering and an expert favorite.

Price: $28

Buy it

See more of the best gifts for beauty addicts at The Nest.

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Change Your Beauty Routine for Pregnancy

10 Things You Do That Your Non-Mom Friends Hate

Quick and Easy New-Mom Hairstyles

Have you looked around your house lately and thought, “Where did all of this baby stuff come from?” Well, here’s great news. Some of your little one’s stuff will work for you, too! Check out how to use these products for you and your baby.

Baby powder. Baby powder might become your next best friend. Traditionally, baby powder has been used to keep baby’s bum and skin in good shape, but in truth, the possibilities are endless. Sprinkle some on your scalp on a non-shower day to absorb the oils and you’ll be amazed at how clean your hair feels. Dust it over recently applied makeup to set it and keep your face looking fresh all day. Shake some into a smelly shoe and help eliminate odors. You’ll be amazed at the endless uses of this baby product!

Lanolin. Are you a breastfeeding mama? Lanolin is not only great aid for every breastfeeding woman, it can also aid your beauty routines in more ways than one. Use it on chapped lips, rough cuticles, or apply it to your hair like a pomade. It also works great as an overall moisturizer and can be used to target the driest areas: elbows, knees and heels. Want another easy use? Use lanolin to soften and waterproof your leather boots or your little guy’s baseball mitt. Who knew this was such a versatile product?

Baby oil. Baby oil is great at keeping baby moisturized and soft. What can it do for mom? Simply dab a cotton swab in baby oil and use it as an eye makeup remover. Bonus: it will even take off waterproof mascara! Do you have a home project your working on that involves paint? Keep you baby oil handy because it can help remove those annoying bits of paint that you can never get off of your hands. One last use that might top all the other ones: massage oil. Use this baby product as a way to reconnect with your significant other after a long day of hard work.

Your Baby. Okay, this is not a product, but your baby can do great things for you! It can be really difficult finding time to make it to the gym with little ones running around. Grab your baby or toddler and do some arm exercises. Lift them up and down, in circles, and side to side. You will have toned your arms while getting in some quality bonding time. Add in some squats and tone up your legs, too. You’re most likely going to be holding them anyways, so why not make a workout of it?

Baby wipes. Think that baby wipes are just for baby? Think again! Baby wipes can be used to take off makeup, help remove hair dye, or even those annoying deodorant stains left on your black shirt. Use them around the house to wipe down walls, spills on furniture, or to clean up a pair of white sneakers. Rumor has it that baby wipes can even take crayon off walls!

Have you found any baby products that have other great uses?

One of our sisters at The Blush recently discovered how great baby products can be for adults. I don’t have much time to stock up on personal beauty products, so I’ve reached for the kids’ Burt’s Bees lotion or California Baby body wash in a pinch plenty of times. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well they’ve worked for me too! Now when we travel I can just pack one set of shampoo/conditioner (my fave is the Circle of Friends line). Using them not only makes my hair easy to comb but I come out smelling like bananas, how great is that?!

You’d also be surprised with all the ways Lansinoh nipple cream can come in handy. Another time, perhaps.

Plus, more from The Bump

You Know You’re a Mom When…

New Mom Beauty Tips and Favorite Products

Postbaby Skin and Hair Issues

Good news, mamas and mamas-to-be!

We’re giving away a one-month bundle of family essentials from The Honest Company. The package includes a one-month supply of non-toxic body care and household cleaning products for your family (including shampoo, body lotion, hand soap, healing balm, and laundry detergent).

For those of you who haven’t heard of Honest, it’s an eco-friendly line of family essentials (diapers and wipes, bath and body care, and household cleaners) through a monthly subscription service at Honest.com (and starting in May, you can visit their online store to purchase individual products, too!).

Entering is easy! All you need to do is respond to our post on The Eco-Friendly Family message board here.

Remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. That way, you’ll be the first to know about our other giveaways.

The giveaway ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 4th. Good luck!

Two hours. That’s all I was asking for, to go get my kid-induced gray hair colored (a hot new plum shade!) Two hours, out of a whole weekend. When my daughter heard I was leaving, she started bawling as if I was never going to come back, as if she hadn’t seen me in months.  She’s SIX – separation anxiety? Really?!

Mommy Guilt kicked into high gear, and I examined my grays to see how bad they really were. She began begging and pleading to come with me. Hmmm, let me think, so that I have to eye her at all times and not enjoy the relaxing shampoo massage (pure luxury even if your neck is bent at an unnatural angle)?

“No, not this time, love”, I said (even though in my head it was more like “ARE YOU CRAZY? NO WAY!”)  She could see it was a useless argument so she decided to up her game.  As I tried to leave, she opened the hall closet door and blocked the opening with her 4 foot tall, crying mess of a body. “Sophie, please, I’m running late, I need to go,” I said edgily. I suddenly found myself in a push and pull battle with the door (so ridiculous!). Then, my son thought he would “help” by coming over and slamming the door across her foot to get her to move, making her cry even louder.  “Thanks, Nathan!” I yelled sarcastically (because sarcasm rules), “I wanted her to move but I didn’t wanther injured!”

I finally got by, and she went to her room to cry and closed the door. I felt nauseous, and my heart ached.  All this so I could get nice hair? Well, yes. I confidently went in her room, kissed her head and said “I love you, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” And then I high tailed it out of there.

P.S. The hair took FOUR hours, but it looks so rad!! What are your “trying to leave the house” horror stories?

Plus, more from The Bump

10 Things To Do For You In 10 Minutes

Helping Toddlers Overcome Separation Anxiety

You Know You’re a Mom When…

You’ve probably been told to avoid nail polish with the chemicals dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde while you’re pregnant, to avoid exposing baby to the chemicals. Should be as simple as checking the bottle before you get a mani, right? Well, not exactly.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) recently did a study of nail products for sale in the San Francisco Bay Area and tested them for DBP, which can cause hormone production problems in a fetus; toluene, which can cause reproductive issues, headaches, itchy eyes and more; and formaldehyde, which can cause breathing problems and could cause cancer (all scary!).

25 nail products were randomly collected from distributors to nail salons. Of those items, 12 claimed to be free of at least one of those chemicals, and seven claimed to be free of all three (“three-free”). But when the researchers tested what was inside the bottles, they found that many were mislabeled. 10 of the 12 products that said they were toluene-free actually did contain toluene and five of the seven that said they were three-free couldn’t be proven to live up to their claims.

So, if you’re pregnant, avoid these nail polishes — all salon-only brands (not sold in stores) which the Associated Press says were among the mislabeled ones:

Sation 99 basecoat, Sation 53 red-pink nail color, Dare to Wear nail lacquer, Chelsea 650 Baby’s Breath Nail Lacquer, New York Summer Nail Color, Paris Spicy 298 nail lacquer, Sunshine nail lacquer, Cacie Light Free Gel Basecoat, Cacie Sun Protection Topcoat, Golden Girl Topcoat, Nail Art Top-N-Seal and High Gloss Topcoat

The DTSC is calling for manufacturers to accurately label their products and for the industry to make measures to keep nail salon workers safer from these chemicals.

Do you get manicures while you’re pregnant? Or are you steering free of nail polish?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Can I use nail polish while pregnant?

Is it safe to use nail polish remover?

Make Over Your Beauty Routine for Pregnancy

During pregnancy, a lot of moms-to-be avoid skincare products with ingredients they can’t pronounce, but why not take the whole natural beauty thing one step further? We spotted on our sister site The Blush, three recipes for facials you can make with ingredients you might have in your own kitchen — stuff like yogurt, watermelon and avocado, which not only are good for your skin but you’re also not afraid to put them in your mouth, let alone on your face. That will make any paranoid mom-to-be feel good about trying them out. Plus, as  the beauty expert who posted the recipes points out, they’re great to do with little girls of all ages. So if your toddler’s obsessed with being just like you, you two can do these masks together.

Check out the facial recipes here.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Make Over Your Beauty Routine for Pregnancy

Skin Care Products to Avoid During Pregnancy

New Moms’ Beauty Tips and Favorite Products