Favorite Baby Products: Birth-Six Months

This type of blog post seems to be a popular one for the new parent set, so I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon to review my favorite products.  I will leave out the absolute necessities like car seat, crib, etc. to include things that anyone reading might be on the fence about buying.  Without further ado...

1)  Baby Carrier.  If I had to choose my #1 item, this would be it.  I still wear Elsa every day, sometimes multiple times/day.  We have two baby carriers, a Moby wrap and a Ergo.  I used the Moby all the time when she was little, but now I rely more on the Ergo just because it's so easy to put on and take off.  For the first five-ish months of her life, Elsa did not nap anywhere but in our arms.  Having a Moby completely saved my sanity.  I could put her in there to get stuff done, she loved it, I loved it.  I put her in there to walk the dogs, to do chores, to do everything.  


Moby then:





Moby now:





Now I use the Ergo when I take her anywhere, when I do chores, when we walk the dogs...do you see a pattern forming?  It's really a personal decision as to what type of carrier you like, but I definitely could not live without mine.

2) Fisher-Price Seahorse.  This thing is baby crack.  We started using this to get Elsa to sleep maybe around 4 months and she loves it.  She goes down for all her naps and for nighttime awake.  I put her in her crib and turn the seahorse on and she strokes its tummy while she falls asleep.  No tears required.  I didn't want to give this to her too early due to suffocation risk, but now I feel comfortable leaving it in her crib for naps, but I take it out at night after she falls asleep.  

3) Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets.  There might be other great brands, but this is the type we had, so they are what I recommend.  You can get a good tight swaddle using them and that is important when you are trying to get your baby to sleep.  Even though we stopped swaddling long ago, I still use them all the time.  I put them on the floor when she's playing (all the dog hair on the carpet in her room!), I use them as a cover for nursing in public, I use them under her bottom in the Ergo in lieu of the infant insert.  


Swaddle blanket then:





Swaddle blanket now:

4) Play Mat.  We had every baby entertainment center possible, either borrowed or gifted: Rock n' Play, bouncy seat, swing, but the play mat is the one she loves the most and she is still using it.  My friend lent me hers and Elsa has loved this thing since I started putting her under those hanging toys as a tiny newborn.  Now she can sit upright on it and play with the toys at eye level.  I also like that I can change out the toys to keep it interesting.  Obviously every baby is different and some might hate the play mat and love the swing, but the mat is what Elsa loved the most.


Play mat then:





I don't have a play mat now picture, but she still uses it every single day. 


5) Sound machine.  Two dogs, two birds and corner city lot.  Enough said.  We have this Philips model that I chose because I can hook my iPod up to it.  Also, it has digital technology, so it is not supposed to interfere with all the other wireless gadgets in your house and is also not supposed to cross wires with nearby houses.  You can pick up other people's conversations on older-style monitors and since we live in the city where the houses are close together, I wanted to avoid having the crap scared out of me from hearing some man's voice through the monitor.


6) Aden & Anais lovey.  I think the lovey is what helped us transition to crib naps.  Like I said before, it has to be really difficult for babies to soothe themselves when they're not allowed to have anything in their cribs.  I first gave her this lovey to fall asleep and then took it out.  Now she gets it at naps and at bedtime and I feel comfortable leaving it in there with her.  I also like these loveys because they come in a two-pack, so if you lose one and have a lovey emergency or one is in the wash, you always have a back-up.





7) Boppy pillow.  For me, the Boppy was essential for breastfeeding early on.  Newborn babies are so floppy and it can be difficult to get positioning right while trying to get them to latch and supporting their heads and necks.  I still use my Boppy for nursing because it's just more comfortable than not using it.  There are different kinds of nursing pillows and since the Boppy is the only one I used, I cannot say whether the other ones are as good or not.  But the Boppy has worked great for us.  When she was learning to sit up, I used the Boppy to prop her up and protect her in case she fell backward.  The Boppy: the gift that keeps on giving.


Boppy then:





Boppy now:





8)  Jogging stroller.  We have a Chariot Cougar and I've talked about it before on here.  We have a Snap n' Go that we hardly used because we always either have her in a baby carrier or in the jogging stroller.  We have the infant sling accessory to provide additional lateral support and comfort.  I got the go-ahead from her pediatrician to start jogging with her at two months and I have been sporadically, but have been so busy with school, I haven't been running as much as I'd like.  But, I'm definitely running more now and Jason will start pulling her in the trailer behind his bike with the bike conversion kit.  This stroller was a big investment, but it is probably the only one we will use for awhile and will keep using until she outgrows it.  We might get a lightweight umbrella stroller down the line, but I'm not sure if we will need one or not.


Chariot then:





Chariot now:





So that about wraps it up.  I'm sure I'm forgetting something...lack of sleep will do that to you, but that's for another blog post.  I'm looking forward to the next six months and will try to share our favorites for those ages.