A Few of My Favorite Things: Baby Edition

It seems that there is another baby boom on the horizon! Tons of my friends are preggo right now - Halie, Laura, Judy, Kristi, Hillary, Julie and maybe a few others... Which is so exciting! I try very hard not to be that friend. You know the one - the one that thinks that her way is the only way and is constantly telling you things that you absolutely must do. I know that every baby is different and every Mama is different. What works for me may not work for you.

That being said, there are GOBS of baby products out there! I have spent hours walking down the aisles of Babies R Us wondering if certain products really work or are worth the money. So... I decided to do a post dedicated to things that have made my life with kids easier. None of these items are essential. They are just fun things that I have found along the way. Let's be honest - millions of babies survived and thrived without ever being swaddled in a Miracle Blanket or sitting in a Bumbo!

Here's my list of things that I have found and love:

1. The Miracle Blanket - I know, I know, I have blogged about swaddling a lot. But, I truly believe that it is so important developmentally for babies. (To read more about the benefits, click HERE.)

I remember fondly my first day as a nurse in the PICU. I was prepared to do procedures, save a life, and conquer the world one critically ill child at a time. I was thrilled to get started with my first patient. I walked into the room and I saw a precious little baby who was screaming her head off. She had pneumonia, but was improving and had just been extubated (had her breathing tube removed). She was coming off of her sedation medications and she was ticked! My preceptor said, "Alright, lesson number 1 - swaddling!" We wrapped that little bundle up tight and she instantly calmed. I was amazed and promised myself, then and there, that I would swaddle my babies one day.

I swaddled Clayton in regular blankets, but my little Drew proved to be a houdini baby and easily came unswaddled. One of Clayton's preschool teachers recommended the Miracle Blanket and it has worked great. All other swaddling blankets are dead to me. :)

2. The SwaddleMe - All other swaddling blankets are dead to me except for the Swaddle Me, that is. I use it for one reason and one reason only - they sew an opening in it for the car seat buckle. So, you can swaddle your baby while they are in their car seat. When Drew is swaddled in his car seat he will still take a 2 hour nap while we are on the go just like he does at home. That little opening is pure genius, I tell you!

3. The Bumpy Label - These labels work for bottles or sippy cups and are dishwasher safe. They are so much cuter than the magic marker that I used on Clayton's bottles and sippy cups. And you get 4 for $12.95 - definitely worth it!

4. The Summer Digital Handheld Video Monitor - I realize that video monitors are extremely expensive and a luxury (far from being a necessity!). However, I love being able to see Drew sleep, watch his little chest move, and know that he is resting comfortably without tiptoeing into his room.

When Clayton was born, we tried & returned 3 different video monitors. They were all fuzzy with lots of interference (if they worked at all). We got frustrated and went with a sound only monitor. That monitor was fine, aside from the fact that I heard many of my neighbors cell phone conversations! It also made this clicking sound and had lots of interference.

So... this time around we invested in a digital video monitor and have been very happy. (Incidentally, we caught ours on sale at Target for $60 less than they cost at Babies R Us. I love a bargain!) It pans around the room 180 degrees, zooms in, and has night vision when the lights are off. It also has absolutely zero interference. Love it!

5. Wipe Off Bibs (like THIS one) - Don't get me wrong, I love cloth bibs, too. They are great to protect clothes from refluxy baby spit up and drool when they are teething. But, the slicker material is nice when they are eating baby food and get really messy. They are stain resistant and can be used for more than one meal.

6. Zippered Sleepers (like THIS one) - It is so nice, in the middle of the night especially, to just zip a zipper instead of snapping a million tiny little snaps. Enough said. :)

7. Baby Ktan Baby Carrier - Okay, I realize that babywearing is an intensely personal subject. To be honest, when Clayton was a newborn I thought that slings and baby carriers were a little weird. However, with two kids, I am finding them to be much more practical. It allows me to hold Drew and have two free hands to wrangle my other little hooligan help Clayton with whatever he needs.

I bought the Baby Ktan as a bit of an impulse purchase at the little shop where I bought the Miracle Blanket. But, it has turned out to be a good buy. I used it as a sling at first, but now Drew likes the "Adventure" way. Soon he'll graduate to the Hip carrying position.

I've used this mostly while shopping with two kids. Drew's car seat takes up too much room and is bulky. This way Clayton can walk, Drew is being carried, and there is plenty of room for groceries in the cart.

8. The Safety 1st Tubside Seat - There is a stage where babies are too big for their baby bathtub, but too little to sit up for long periods of time. That's when this bath seat comes in handy. Clayton sat in this seat from 5 months - 18 months and loved it! (In this photo he was 10 or 11 months old.)

He was happy to be independently sitting and I didn't have to worry about him slipping and bonking his noggin.

8. The Tiny Diner - I remember seeing my friend, Emily, use a Tiny Diner at a restaurant when her daughter, Claire, was just starting to eat finger foods. I went to Babies R Us the next day to buy one for Clayton.

It has suction cups to attach it to the table, so the mat doesn't move. It keeps their food off of the nasty table (have you seen the way that they use the same rag multiple times to clean several different restaurant tables - YUCK!). It also has a little food catcher thingy (eloquent, aren't I?) to prevent food from falling on the floor. Such a great invention!

That's all for now, folks! Hope that the mommies-to-be found it informative. For everyone else, sorry to bore you with more baby talk. :)

Maybe there will be more Favorite Things posts - big kid items, parenting books, home decorating ideas, around the house items, travel locations - the possibilities are endless.

P.S. I know that there are many smarter/more trendy/better shopper mommies out there. What are your favorite baby items?

P.P.S. It is a beautiful day with the high in the 80's today in Texas. Quite a contrast from March 6, 2008 when THIS and THIS happened, huh?