Things I love (in no particular order):
1. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Sleep Sacks. By far, this is the one item we have gotten that we could NOT have lived without so far, and especially the first 7 weeks of her life. She's starting to need them less in the last week, though we still use them about 50% of her sleep time. Most babies love to be swaddled, from what I've read. It mimics the womb feeling. If you've ever seen a nurse swaddle a baby, you know they are pros. I, on the other hand, am not. I googled swaddling, and followed YouTube videos and diagrams, but Annabelle always seemed to work her way out of it. The SwaddleMes, on the other hand, velcro tightly around her so that she can't wiggle out. On more than one occasion, simply swaddling her was like a magic wand to stop crying. They also are super handy for putting babies down to sleep. Annabelle falls asleep in our arms, and 9 times out of 10 wakes up as soon as we put her down, no matter how gently. When she is swaddled, though, she typically stays asleep. It makes the transition from arms to crib or co-sleeper much more smooth, and we appreciate that, believe me. We only registered for the S/M size which says it goes up to 14 pounds. I could see that working width-wise, but not length. At 10 pounds, Annabelle was too long and her legs were getting really cramped in there. I bought the next size up (L), and that works much better for her now.
2. Carter's Bumble Cuddle Me Music Bouncer chair. We didn't really start utilizing this chair until about 3 weeks old, but holy cow am I glad we have it! Annabelle loves sitting in it when we turn the vibration on. When I'm gone, it is one of the only things that will soothe her if she's fussy with Jason. She can sit in it for extended periods of time (like 30 minutes) and is perfectly content. This means that mommy gets not only a shower, but blow dried hair, makeup and clothes on every morning. Talk about a wonderful product! Annabelle is transfixed by the little bugs hanging down, and the vibrations soothe her both physically and aurally. It makes great white noise when it is vibrating. The only catch is that the vibrations turn off after about 20 minutes, and if we don't catch it and turn it back on, she starts getting fussy pretty fast. Other than that, this chair is fabulous!
Side note: this chair makes her poop. I thought it was a coincidence at first, but now I know it's not. No matter what time of day, anytime I put her in this chair, she poops. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I don't know if it's the position she's laying in, or the vibrations, or a combination of the two. It's pretty funny though. :)
3. Moby Wrap. I have no idea what I would do without this thing. Annabelle (like most babies) loves being held and close to me. Obviously this makes things difficult if I want to get just about anything done around the house. Put her in the Moby though, and she'll be content and happy (and usually sleep!) while I get things done around the house. She also naps while I'm wearing her much better than if we put her down to sleep. (Crib naps are usually about 45 minutes tops. When I'm holding or wearing her, she'll sleep for a couple of hours). The Moby is great because Jason can easily wear her, too, without having to adjust size or anything like that. Annabelle hates being buckled into her carseat, so I wear her in stores and on walks, and she's happy as a clam.
4. Ergo Baby Sport Carrier with Infant Insert. The Ergo Baby carrier is entirely different than the Moby, and for me, serves a different purpose. It's more "heavy duty," and I wear Annabelle in it when I walk Mojo, go to the grocery store, or on vacation when we went for a hike...basically any instance that I want to wear her and need some additional lower back support, or when I need something to support her head when she's awake. (With the Moby, I have to support her head when she's awake. When she's sleeping, one of the fabric panels can slip onto the back of her head to support her). Jason likes the Ergo because it looks more manly than the Moby, for whatever that's worth :) The only down side is that right now she's still too little to use it without the infant Heart to Heart insert. The insert is great, don't get me wrong, it's just a little trickier to use, and adds additional bulk/heat to the carrier. It's a little bit harder to put her in it when I'm in the car because of that--I have to put her in the infant insert by putting it on the floor of the van, and then put them in the carrier together. BUT, I really love it, and couldn't get my grocery shopping done without it!
(side note--I wear her in stores because putting the carseat on top of the cart is super dangerous. Please don't do it. They aren't meant for that, and they can slip off a lot easier than you may think.)
5. Target Nursing Tanks. I bought a few of these because a few friends recommended them. They are GREAT and make nursing so easy. I wear one of these (sans bra) under shirts that don't pull down low enough in the neck. I just lift up the top shirt, and pull down the nursing part, and walah! Easy to do. Plus, they make nursing really descreet since you can't see my tummy, and my top shirt covers the top part of my chest. Annabelle's head covers everything else. I was actually nursing her while walking around Macy's with my mom, and my mom just thought I was carrying her--you couldn't even tell (this was partly b/c my tank was white and my tshirt was white. Obviously if you had different colors, it would be a little more obvious that one shirt was pulled up). Anyway, they are great, and I totally recommend them. I'm pretty large chested now (34 D), and they are supportive enough for every day stuff. Anything more vigorous than walking around and I would need a different bra, but these work great 99% of the time.
6. Bummis Easy Fit Diapers by TotsBots. I love these diapers! I know I have mentioned this before, so I will keep it brief. If you are doing cloth, these are the way to go if you can afford them. Super easy to put on, wash, dry, and they are incredibly absorbent and soft. Only downside is the price, around $23/ea. But, they are worth every penny, in my book!
7. Summer BabyTouch Digital Video Monitor. Okay, so I know a video monitor is not a necessity, but if you can afford it, it's the way to go! We *try* to put Annabelle in her crib for at least one nap/day, and for the first few hours of her night sleep while we are still up. This monitor totally gives me peace of mind, especially since she likes being on her tummy so I sometimes put her down that way. I can see if she is awake or asleep, make sure she is breathing, and when she is fussing in her half asleep state, I can check to see if she is ok. Love it! This particular model is in color, and has a touch screen to control the camera (zoom in and out, rotate the camera up and down, and turn it side to side. It will be especially great when she starts rolling out of view! This model also lets you talk back to baby, though we have just used it to talk to each other! haha. We found it cheapest on diapers.com, but they are sold at BRU, too.
8. My Brest Friend nursing pillow. Don't judge it by it's corny name :) I got this as an after thought from a friend (already had a Boppy ready to go) and I am so thankful for it! Don't get me wrong, the Boppy was great once we really got nursing down pat, and for tummy time and laying around on it. But, for those first four weeks or so, the My Brest Friend pillow saved me. Nursing was hard to get the hang of, and this pillow totally helped. I could wear it higher than the Boppy, and it is more firm to support baby better. Plus it has lower back support. I thought that was silly at first, but it really felt good to have after hours of nursing. It also has two raised spots on both ends to lift baby's head higher near the breast. It left me able to use my hands to position her better, and support my breast when she was still learning how to do it herself. I don't use it anymore now that we have gotten the hang of nursing (nursing as I type this!), but I would have really struggled without it in the beginning.
9. Fossil KeyPer Utility Tote (diaper bag). When I was shopping for a diaper bag, I was bummed to see that they all LOOK like diaper bags. I didn't want to carry around something all day long that looked lame. I was happily surprised when I found this tote bag at Bergner's. It is perfect for a diaper bag! It has three interior open pockets, a zipper interior pocket, and 4 pockets on the outside. It fits everything in it that I need, and even has coated fabric so I can wipe it out if I need to. If I didn't know better, I'd think that Fossil actually meant this to be a diaper bag but didn't want to market it as such. Anyway, I love it a lot, and am glad that I can say, "it's not a diaper bag, it's a Fossil tote!" (haha. Like it makes a difference.) I have to say though, since Annabelle was born, BRU increased their selection of diaper bags and they do have some cute ones now that I might consider for the next baby if this one is worn out or too small for two kids. We'll see.
There are plenty more items that I use daily and enjoy, but these are the ones I couldn't live without these first two months of motherhood. They have made my life easier by far!
Next naptime will be the things we don't really need that we thought we would...
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2 comments on "Baby Stuff Part 1: Things I Love"
#10 cracked me up! My brother and his wife just bought a Sienna this summer, and so did Danae and her husband!
FWIW, my brother and his wife have three kids and are expecting their fourth, and they love their van.
Glad to hear another positive review about the my breast friend! Going to have to try that one if I need something like that again.
Also... SO glad my Moby wrap is getting a new life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!! It just did not work for us at all and so I'm glad it's working for your wee one.
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