September 19, 2013

Favorite Baby Things {Part 2}

Right after I had Kendall I made a list of my favorite baby things because I always find those types of posts to be super helpful for first time moms.  Heck it works for 2nd, 3rd, 4th time moms too because in just a few short months/years baby stuff changes and gets better, as I realized this time around, and we need to know what the latest and greatest is.  Duh.  Also? The Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby registry recommendations are INSANE.  No one needs 16 swaddle/receiving blankets.  No one.  Unless you have quints or something.

I still use and love everything from my last list.  My boppy is the best, I use the pockets every time.  I store the remote, my phone, a bib, the bottle, a burp cloth, etc in that handy little tool box of a pillow.  I know the Ergo is the latest and greatest in baby wearing but I still stand by my Moby.  I just like how comfy it is and sure it's a lot of material but I really have no problems wrapping it.  And I'm sticking with my Born Free bottles.  I bought some Dr. Browns for Mr. James and OMG what do you people see in them?  Every single one of mine leaks, all six.  No thank you.

BUT this time around I realized "Whoa!  A lot of new, cool stuff has come out in just three short years!" and all the other bloggers and pinners have shown me some new {or not so much} things that I just new I had to try this time.  So this is my list of things we are loving so far.
1.  aden + anais.  OK so I'm pretty sure a + a was around when Kendall was born but there was no way I was spending THAT on a swaddle blanket.  And then my BFF had a baby and she used the swaddles and I was in love!  They're breathable which is totally awesome for summer babies. They're huge so they have tons of uses.  And they come in super cute but not too babyish designs.  We have the swaddle blankets {but only 3 of them}, the Dream Blanket {super huge, thicker version of the swaddles} and the burpy bibs {it's a burp cloth that has a snap so you can also use it as a bib} and we love them all.  LOVE.

2. Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash.  So I've always used Johnson & Johnson for everything, baby wash, shampoo, lotions, you name it.  But then I started thinking, "meh that's boring" and wanted to branch out of the Proctor and Gamble bubble.  So I heard lots of good things about Mustela and Burt's Bees baby wash.  WELL Mustela is hella expensive and outside of this one income budget, even if it did smell heavenly.  Burt's Bees is slightly less expensive but smells just as yummy.  Seriously I could eat James up after a bath.  Now if only I could get KP to let me bathe her in it but "it's for babies...".

3. Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper.  Again, this was out when Kendall was born but we just used the ole Pack n' Play for a hot second until she just slept in her swing for  four months.  I heard so many great things about the RNP and I was determined to use one with James.  Thankfully Jimmy's cousin handed one down to us and the thing has been a dream.  It's super light-weight so you can move it from room to room with ease.  I like that it's on a slight incline because nothing freaks me out more than when a baby spits up and they're laying flat on their backs.  James sleeps like a dream in it. So much so that I'm a little nervous of moving him to the crib.

4.  Sprout Baby. This app is the bees knees.  I hear so many moms on IG talking about the best baby tracking apps and I've yet to see any of them mention this one.  Fools.  I love it.  It's so easy to use, I track all of James's feedings with it and it gives a nice little chart of his eating pattern.  There's also a section to keep track of milestones, doctor appointments, growth tracker etc.  Once we're on a more regular schedule I plan on using the sleep tracker because I love the feeding one so much.  Jimmy jokes because I should know when he ate last but I've got serious mom brain and rely on the app to tell me.

5.  Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe.  I am a big fan of swaddling.  Both of my babies slept/sleep so much better when they're all wrapped up like a burrito.  But James can wiggle his chubby little arms right out of a swaddle blanket, no matter how tight I wrap him.  These things?  There's no way he's getting out.  They're really really soft, super stretchy and idiot proof, even someone who "can't swaddle" can swaddle with these.  I swear he chills out the minute I burrito him.

6. just hatched- Cuddle My Baby Cream Talc.  Someone got this at my sprinkle for James and I had never heard of this brand but when I opened it and took a whiff I was SOLD.  This stuff smells so good.  So good.  I instantly Googled it and was fully expecting it to be like half a million dollars but I was pleasantly surprised to see it's less than $5 price tag.  I haven't smelled their shampoos and washes yet but as soon as I run out of Burt's Bees I plan on getting some.    

7.  Brica Day & Night Musical Mirror.  So I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed to put this "fancy" baby mirror on my registry and when no one bought it I went out and bought myself the cheap version {no light, no remote}.  Jimmy's grandpa surprised us with this one and I took the cheap one back with a quickness.  So you might think it's a little silly to have a baby mirror with a remote and I'm here to tell you to hear me out.  This thing has been a dream.  Driving at night and the baby loses his pacifier?  No problem, remote the light on, husband turns around and finds it super quick everyone is happy.  Also the music is way less baby/annoying than anything else I've seen/heard.  If that's not a win I don't know what is.



12 comments:

  1. I'm big AA blanket fan ANDDDDD swaddle-me fan. Those suckers saved my life! Can I also say I'm so glad you switched from J&J wash--after reading about the carcinogens and awful crap in all j&j products we switched (about 2 years ago) to california baby or burts bees occasionally and I will NEVER go back.

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  2. I love the AA bibs and blankets too. My fav baby shampoo/wash/lotions is BB and for bottles, girl get some drop ins. Easy, peasy.

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  3. AA Nina's and swaddles are a must have splurge!! I love the burpy bibs.

    That swaddle is awesome even though baby girl currently hates to be swaddled.

    The car mirror is awesome, I wish I had that with my first!

    I just looked up thy app and will be buying today!! I've been using printed out logs.

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  4. Loved your list! I'm due with #2 in March & am excited to get my baby stuff back out to see what needs "updating". My son is 2 (on Monday!!) and we STILL use the A&A swaddle blankets - they are the perfect weight for any season and, he loves carrying them around & hiding under them. We never actually used those for swaddling - we did use the swaddlemes until our little guy grew out of the largest size. I swear by those.
    We also loved our Rock n Play - so much that we tied a ribbon to the end of it so we could drag it around the house like a sleigh. ;)

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  5. If you love the SwaddleMe swaddlers, you'll love the Woombie! I used the SwaddleMe brand until Kimber's arms started hanging out the bottom. I was given a Woombie as a gift and love it! She can't get out AND there isn't an velcro to stick to everything in the wash!

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  6. We couldn't have survived without the Swaddle Me swaddlers. Idiot proof I tell ya! So great.

    We use the Just Hatched shampoo and body wash and I LOVE it. Plus it lasts forever!

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  7. My 3rd daughter slept in her rock and play until she was 3 or 4 months old...naps and at night! I totally agree on the spitting up thing when they are laying flat. We would randomly try her in her crib but she was not digging it. So we would go back to the rock and play.

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  8. How strange that your Dr. Brown bottles are leaking! They are the only ones I used throughout the whole 1st year and I never had any problems. All the parts were super annoying to wash though! And I totally agree about those registry suggestions. Next time around I'll know better! No need for so many blankets.

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  9. LOVED the rock n play sleeper with my son.....he slept in it til he was six months old......and really, he had outgrown it by then but we were too depressed about making the transition to crib! We had a difficult week transitioning, but then life was (mostly) good after that.

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  10. LOVED the rock n play sleeper with my son.....he slept in it til he was six months old......and really, he had outgrown it by then but we were too depressed about making the transition to crib! We had a difficult week transitioning, but then life was (mostly) good after that.

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  11. I REALLY want to get the a+a swaddles and the RNP sleeper for this baby. Like so bad! If I get nothing else new but those, I'll be content! Lol

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  12. I love A&A we have the Liam the Brave swaddles, and the blue stars changing pad cover. I want the thicker blanket but I will have to sell my first born. I am here to say that A&A's customer service are super awesome. One of O's blankets were super scratchy so I emailed them and within an hour I had my set of instructions. Once I gave them the info they were asking for I had a replacement blanket on it's way. That isn't the end of the story, it's too long to share on your comment page. I use the Similac app and I love it. I am with you, I always have to look and see when the last time O ate and when he is due to eat again. I should know but I have an app so it frees up space in my brain to remember something else.

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