Favorite Baby Gear – Months 6, 7 & 8

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It’s funny each month the husband and I remark at how this is our ‘favorite’ month and what I’m starting to realize is … every month/year/decade will always be the best!  Just a few of the highlights of the past few months include Jellybean crawling, pulling up on everything in sight, holds her own bottle, clapping and producing FOUR teeth!  The whole teething thing was not a high point, but her adorable smile with 4 little pearly whites certainly is.

I have already shared my newborn and 3-5 month must have baby gear.  I’m excited to continue the series with more essentials for months six to eight!  Careful consideration goes into each product before we purchase it.  It’s important to ensure things are a good match for both Jellybean and our lifestyle.  Over the past few months I have found so many baby and mommy approved items that I had trouble narrowing down the list of essentials to share with you!

Favorite Baby Gear – Months 6, 7 & 8 | Life's Tidbits

Burpy Bib  // This is a burp cloth and a bib in one!  It’s definitely a little bit pricier than your typical bib or burp cloth, but totally worth it!  I with I had invested in a few more of these earlier on.  Though I still swear by the cheap burp clothes I mentioned in my newborn necessity post, I’m a big fan of these as well!

RazBaby Raz-Berry Teether // Despite not being a pacifier lover, Jellybean is fan of this teether. There are a bunch of textures on it and has come in handy when her gums have been especially itchy.

Squeeze and Teethe Elephant // This is the same brand as the as Sophie Giraffe, which seems to show up on EVERY baby registry list I’ve read.  Honestly I liked the Elephant way better than the Giraffe.  The giraffe has long legs, which Jellybean has gagged herself on more times than I can count and the elephant’s legs are shorter.  Plus it’s nice to be a little different!  Tip – this also come in a lion you just have to look past the ginormous giraffe display. :)

Snack Catcher //  We call it the Cheerio cup!  This comes in handy both at home and when we are on the go.  Keeps, most, of the cheerios in the cup and Jellybean can feed herself without any issues.

Sleepwear – Cupcake Onsie // These are my favorite nighttime onsies.  The come in the cutest designs, plus they are footless.  Jellybean is pretty tall so when we tried to go up a size in clothes for her length and they were too big around the waist I realized footless onsies were the perfect middle ground.  JB still sleeps in a sleep sack so we don’t worry about her toesies getting cold.

Having a Ball Get Rollin Activity Table //  When the pulling up began I quickly realized we needed a toy Jellybean could pull up on and play with.  The coffee table was effective at first, but it wasn’t interactive or stimulating … even with toys on the table.  I love this activity table and so does JB.

Peak-a-Boo Forest // This was given to us as a gift and Jellybean has been a pretty big fan for a while.  The book makes that crinkle noise, which is a huge hit.  Over the past few weeks Jellybean has gone from liking the book to being completely obsessed. She carries it everywhere (by the handle) and cries when you try to take it away … sorry JB, but the book can’t bathe with you hahaha.

Booster Pads Diaper //  I can’t even remember who suggested I tries these, but I was sold after 1 night.  Instead of purchasing specific night time diapers we place one of the booster pads into the diaper each night and we haven’t had a leak or issue yet!!  PLUS the booster pads fit into every size diaper we’ve used so far (sizes 1 -3) … no need to purchase new pads when your little one outgrows their diapers.

Munchkin Lake Buddies Bath Tub Toy //  These double as bath toys, regular toys and teething toys.  Jellybean LOVES the different characters and at least one can be found in every room in the house.

Puj Spout Cover //  No real explanation needed here.

Butt Paste // When registering and purchasing maternity clothes I got a lot of bags with free samples.  One of the samples was Butt Paste.  I gave the name a little snicker and threw it into my ‘master’ bag of samples.  Little did I know Butt Paste would become our go to when a diaper rash was developing.  Jellybean’s skin is very sensitive and it took a few tries to find the right tush cream.

So there you have it our favorite for Jellybean’s 6th, 7th and 8th month.  What are your must have baby gear items?  Any recommendations for months 9 to 12??

Oh and it’s so cliche, but how do they grow up so fast?

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Introducing Solids or Should I Say Purees

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Being part of a ‘New Mamas’ group on Facebook has been such a blessing.  It has allowed me to get answers to questions I didn’t even know I had, share some of my own experiences as well as hear a variety of opinions on caring for a baby.  I only actually know (like talk to in person or hang out with) a couple of the women and yet I value everyone’s take on being a mom.

One of the topics discussed when I was anxiously awaiting JB’s arrival was when to introduce solids. I followed along with the conversation.  Some were introducing food at 4 months while others waited until 6 months.  At the time I made a mental note and thought to myself we would wait until 6 months.

Ha. So AMATEUR of me to make ‘decisions’ such as these when I had NO idea what caring for a baby would be like. At Jellybean’s 4 month checkup we got the go ahead from our pediatrician to being solids. She recommended starting with oatmeal cereal (skipping rice cereal).

Jellybean has always been a good eater and it seemed as though she was always hungry!  I often said to my husband “Should couldn’t possibly be hungry again” and then baby girl would demolish her bottle in record time.  We really couldn’t make it very long during the day between feedings.  As a result the husband and I decided we would go ahead and start solids at 4 months old since the doctor gave the A-OK.

I was so excited as we strapped JB into the highchair and mixed some formula with the oatmeal cereal.  She looked kind of confused as we moved the spoon to her mouth.  The oatmeal dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin.  Throughout the entire first solid food feeding Jellybean was breaking out some seriously hilarious facial expressions.  They were absolutely priceless!

Fortunately the husband and I were pretty well prepared and broke out the camera prior to giving her the food.  She went from looking pissed off to completely clam {see pictures below} in the amount of time it took to snap two photos!

JBFirstFood_FunnyFace

JBFirstFood

Guess she was adjusting to the spoon, new tastes, and the expressions on her parent’s faces.  See Sophi in the lower left hand corner of the picture?  She wasn’t going to miss out on all the attention Jellybean was getting.  :)

It took about two weeks for Jellybean to get the whole eating thing down. I was a little concerned after a week that we introduced solids for the first time too early.  So we took a little break.  When we re-introduced the oatmeal with applesauce, per a friend’s recommendation, a few days later we were in business!

We made such a big deal of saying “yum yum” and praising her that she developed an amusing association to being placed in the high chair.  As soon as we put her in the high chair the legs start going a million miles an hour, a huge smile emerges on her face, which is followed by shrieks and babbling.  I get the biggest kick of out it!

For the most part I am homemaking the food – I mean – purees.  Jellybean is a fan of apples, pears, sweet potatoes and prunes.  I decided to purchase pre-made prunes, because I just wasn’t interested in figuring out how to make them into baby food.  :)

We attempted to introduce peas – it was a total fail.  Jellybean gagged in disgust and then acted like she was chocking … which she wasn’t (thank goodness!), but it got my adrenaline going nonetheless.  We thought it was a texture issue so we offered her the pre-made kind and she still refused to swallow it.  Kid already has sweet tooth … not shocking considering how many sweets I ate during my pregnancy.

Next up on the list is cauliflower, butternut squash and maybe carrots. Though, I’m kind of afraid of carrots. Our friends told us the WORST diaper they ever changed was after introducing carrots. Oh my, the joys of parenthood. =)

Once baby girl is a little bit older I plan to have her try broccoli, zucchini and mango.  I’m really excited for her to acquire a taste for a variety of foods!!  How to keep up with the cooking and storage of all this baby puree is a little bit daunting.  Recommendations??

My favorite and must have items for baby girl eating ‘solids’ … I really think we should call it introducing purees.  The kiddo won’t be having a ‘real’ solids for a few more months, but I digress.  Favorite items for eating solids (so far) includes …

Introducing Solids Must Haves Items | Life's Tidbits

OXO Tot Feeding Spoon  /  OXO Tot Roll Up Bib  /  Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair / OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers / Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System / Earth’s Best Oatmeal Cereal

And all of these, with the exception of the oatmeal, would be perfect items to put on the baby registry!

What was giving your baby solids for the first time like? Any suggestions for keeping up with homemade baby food?

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Favorite Baby Gear – Months 3, 4 and 5

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I found navigating the baby registry waters a bit difficult.  There are SO many products out there and everyone has a different take on what one should buy.  Since all babies are different it is nice to have options, but at the same time it’s so EASY to feel overwhelmed with choices.

My newborn necessity list was quite robust (you can find that here).  For purposes of these favorite/must have lists I guess I am qualifying newborn as 0-2 months old.  We still consistently use all items on the list with the exception of the wubbanub.  Jellybean decided at some point she was over pacifiers, which is both good and bad…I think!

As Jellybean grows so does my list of must have baby items.  Some stuff we didn’t know to put on the registry and I wish we had known how handy they would be!

So for months 3, 4 and 5 here are my favorites …

Favorite Baby Gear - Months 3, 4 and 5 | Life's Tidbits

Puj – I really love this tub.  It’s small/compact and easily fits into the bathroom sink, which means NO bending over to wash baby!  The no bending over was key while I was still recovering from the cesarean.  I must admit I still prefer it to the bigger tub because it’s easier.  My only complaint would be baby girl falls down during her baths since she can’t sit up on her own yet. I wish there was something to help keep her upright.

Skip Hop Moby Waterfall Bath Rinser – This item came in SUPER handy when I finally worked up the courage to bathe JB without a second set of hands.  I found it difficult to hold her in place, put a hand over her face and pour water over her head all at the same time.  The way this thing is shaped it helps ensure the water cascades down the baby’s back instead of letting the soapy water get in their eyes.

Snugli – There are many baby carriers out there and honestly I felt overwhelmed trying to choose one.  We registered for (and received) the ErgoBaby.  I do love our ErgoBaby … the snugli is just SO much easier to snap baby in and go.  The other positive is your don’t have to deal with an infant insert.  As soon as the baby is 7 lbs you are good to go.  And if like me, your baby is born over 7 lbs to start with you can just it day one!  Our snugli was gifted from a friend (thanks Jessica!) and is getting a  TON of good use especially when we walk the dog.

Playmat – First ‘toy’ Jellybean was really able to play with.  So far it has really grown with her and whether she was 6 weeks or 5 months it’s a hit.  The playmat is super colorful, plays music and the toys included each provide a different type of stimulus.

Honest Hand Sanitizer – Total impulse buy, but I love it! Smells good and we got the under 3oz size so it’s FAA friendly too.

Video Monitor – The transition from our room in the cradle to Jellybean’s own room in the crib was fairly easy.  Actually it was really easy for her and super difficult for me.  I missed rolling over at night and seeing her little chest rise and fall with each breath.  Though her ‘noises’ would sometimes keep me awake I was comforted by them at the same time!  The video monitor was the only thing that kept me from demanding my husband ‘let’ me move the baby back into our bedroom.  Though JB has been in her own room for over 2 months there are still nights I check the monitor in the middle of the night just to see her little face :)

Sleep Sacks – When Jellybean started rolling over it quickly became apparent the swaddling days were, sadly, over.  We have warm and light weight sleep sacks.  If I had realized how soon we would need them I would have put a few small sized sleep sacks on the baby registry.

White Noise (SimplyNoise) App – At first we were really into the Sheep, however it turns off after 45 minutes.  A friend turned us onto the SimplyNoise app.  The only problem with using the app is our iPad has turned into an EXTREMELY expensive sound machine hahahaha.  I’ve started researching sound machines, but have yet to pull the trigger and buy one (suggestions?!?).

Baby Bullet – We just started introducing solids and I’m having fun making the baby food!  The baby bullet makes the process simple and is very to clean.  I could certainly use my Cuisinart, however the bullet is easier.

So mamas what am I missing?  Any recommendations for month 6??

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Favorite Bottle Feeding Products

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At some point, unless someone is a stay at home mom, bottle feeding becomes a necessary way to feeding a baby.  We started introducing bottles at two months, however when I went back to work it became the only way we fed Jellybean.  Bottle feeding was such an adjustment for our schedules.  Bottles require a lot more planning, dishes and effort than nursing!  I absolutely took for granted the convenience of having milk ‘on tap’ for my daughter while on maternity leave.  It took a few weeks, but the we got a routine down with the bottles.  We also made some additional purchases, which made our lives easier.  With the exception of one of these items, it doesn’t matter if you are using exclusively pumped milk or formula – I believe – these items are must haves.  Great things to put on a baby registry even if they won’t be needed for a couple of months (or weeks, day, hours or whatever your time frame is).

Favorite Bottle Feeding Products | Life's Tidbits

1 &2 – Stem & Drying Rack
The grass drying rack came up on SO many of the must have baby registries I looked at.  Before Jellybean arrived I purchased the drying rack, however the stem was an impulse buy when we were at Buy Buy Baby.  The stem adds extra space to dry the nipples and such, PLUS it doesn’t take up additional counter space.

3 – Formula Mixing Pitcher
When we transitioned away from using only breast milk I quickly started dreading making formula. It took an annoying amount of time to shake each bottle and ensure all the formula dissolved. My husband was doing one of our many Amazon purchases and impulse bought the mixing pitcher.  He figured it was worth a try and a the price point was low enough even if it didn’t work it wouldn’t have been a huge deal.  While I still don’t love making formula it certainly makes the process faster and easier!!

4 – Munchkin Bottle and Nipple Brush
A bottle brush is kind of a given.  I did a lot of research for our baby registry and the munchkin bush was very highly recommended … I’m a big fan!

5 – Bottles and Nipples (any brand your baby likes)
Duh!  This is kind of key to bottle feeding.  If I was to purchase bottles again I would buy only three 4 ounce bottles and the rest I would get the 8 ounce bottles.  You can always put less in an 8 oz bottle, but clearly more doesn’t fit in the 4 oz ones.  Read about our decision to use Dr. Brown bottles with preemie nipples here.

6 – Bibs
I really didn’t find the need for bibs while I was exclusively breastfeeding (EBF).  Once we started using bottles more often it quickly became apparent if I didn’t want to change my daughter’ clothes after each feeding we were going to have to start putting a bib on her.  I’m not entirely sure what the difference is, but baby girl was a much neater eater when nursing.

7 – Dishwasher Basket
Bottle parts (especially when you use bottles like Dr. Brown’s, which have like a gazillion parts) take time to wash.  It is SO much easier to throw all the parts into the basket and run the dishwasher at the end of the day.  We discussed washing the bottles in the dishwasher with our doctor and she said it was totally kosher — in fact it’s how she washer’s her baby boy’s bottles.  The basket keeps all the parts together and we have yet to loose or melt a bottle part.  In fact, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a second basket.

While I don’t need a bottle warmer, I do believe this would be a must have item for most moms.  My little one really doesn’t care if the bottle is warm or cold and since she is one of those babies who wants to eat IMMEDIATELY (like within seconds of deciding she’s hungry) we’ve decided to forgo warming the bottle.

Though I think we have the bottle feeding products down I still haven’t conquered the storage of said bottles and accessories!  What are your favorite item(s) for bottle feeding?  Anything good I’m missing?

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Baby Gear / Registry Must Haves

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I spent a TON of time researching baby gear in my second trimester.  I looked at blogs, read articles and perused friends, friends of friends and acquaintances registries looking for items they all had in common.  Although I consulted with the husband on my picks, he pretty much deferred to me since I was doing the research.  In all honesty neither of us have ever used this kind of gear before so it kind of felts like a guessing game when picking items to register for.  In the end I am pretty pleased with what we chose.  But honestly, who would have thought such a tiny little person would “need” SOOO much stuff?!

For the purposes of this post, let’s just take the baby basics/big ticket items off the table, okay?  So diaper, wipes, stroller and car seat are “given” must have items for newborns.  Given my research, to date, below is what I think we will need for Jellybean …

Baby Registry Must Haves | Life's Tidbits

1 – Boppy Pillow –  It is rare to find a baby registry that doesn’t have a boppy pillow on it.  Most of my friends who have breastfed swear by it and say the pillow makes it so much easier to support the baby.  I was fortunate enough to get a hand-me-over boppy from a friend.  I purchased a  new and crazy soft cover from Pottery Barn.

2 – Sophie Giraffe –  This teether seems to be all the rage as of late.  All the babies being strolled down the street have one sitting next to them.  I swear it shows up on every Google search for “must have” baby items.  While we can’t call the giraffe Sophie, because that is our dog’s name, we are now the proud owners of a “Sophie” giraffe teether.

3 – Thermometer – As a first time mom I’m confident I will be concerned Jellybean is sick.  I expect this thermometer will help keep my mind at ease in the coming months.

4 – Swaddle Pod – I like that they have a zipper … place the baby in the pod and zip-her-up … no messing around with trying to do the traditional swaddle for bedtime.

5 – Soothie Pacifier – Have come highly recommended on blogs and from friends alike.  We received a couple from some friends who just had a baby girl back in October.  They said these pacifiers were a must!

6 – aden + anais Swaddle/Receiving Blankets – It feels like this item is a given.

7 – Bouncing Chair – The bouncy chair seems to be interchangeable with a swing.  My friend is kind enough to lend us her son’s swing so I registered for the bouncy chair.  I figure we can put Jellybean in both and let her decide which she likes best.

8 – Nosefrida Baby Nasal Aspirator – New and veteran mommies alike rave about this product.  I guess it is better than the “ball” nasal aspirators.  At my friend’s shower a couple weeks ago a mom said she always gives the snotsucker as part of her shower gift.  I figured it is certainly worth a try therefore we purchased one.

My plan is to update my must have list once Jellybean arrive and I actually start using these products.  It should be interesting to see what I thought we needed versus what we actually need.

What baby gear/item do you wish you had registered for and/or purchased prior to bringing the little bundle of joy home from the hospital?  What am I missing?

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