Favorite Baby Items

I know these lists abound on the net but I want to my two cents.  My list is kinda short because I’ve come to see that babies don’t really need a whole lot.  They needs dipes, food, clothes and a whole lot of love and snuggles from Mom & Dad.  I found the following items to also be helpful:

Co-Sleeper

We used an Arms Reach Co-Sleeper and I LOVE it!  It’s been wonderful to have Munchkin close by.  We have a mini and I would buy it again with no hesitation.  It’s been so nice that while breastfeeding to be able to just grab her out of it, feed her and then put her back.  This is a sleep saver!

Green Sprouts Sili Teethers

Munchkin started gnawing on these around three months.  They are awesome! She can easily grasp it and no matter what part she gets in her mouth, there’s some kind of texture on it.  We would have been lost without these.  So much so that she got two more in her stocking so now we have 4.

Sophie the Giraffe

Since I’m on the topic of teethers, Sophie the Giraffe is great too. Munchkin LOVES her. I went back and forth on her. I think she’s kinda scary looking plus she’s something like $22.  For a baby toy?  That’s a lot to me! However, she is worth her $22 price tag. 

Teething Necklace

They make necklaces that are supposed to be used as teethers by your baby.  I have two and Munchkin LOVES them.  It’s perfect for when I’m carrying her because it’s right there.  I don’t have to worry about her losing it if she drops it because it’s around my neck.  It’s a little thing but is so helpful, especially when we’re out and about.

Bouncy Chair

This has been a lifesaver!  We started using it when she was about 5 weeks old and are only going to stop because she’s getting too big.  It’s been a perfect play to put her while showering or eating.  The one we have it really bouncy and we are able to bounce her using our foot.  As she’s gotten older she’s figured out how to bounce herself.  The best part is that this was given to us by a friend. We love it and are definitely holding on to it for her siblings!

Ergo/Ring Sling

We love to hold and carry Munchkin.  The only time we use our travel system is when she has fallen asleep in the car. If she’s awake then she gets carried wherever we are.  In the beginning when she was light it wasn’t too hard to just hold her.  She’s about 18 pounds now and our arms get tired pretty quickly.  The Ergo is an arm saver.  I used it when flying alone and it was great to have than as well.  I’d kinda like another one so one can live in our car and one can live in our house! I also have a ring sling that gets used a lot at home.  One perk of babywearing while you’re out in public is that you don’t have to worry about someone stealing your baby.  Call me a paranoid mama but it does happen!  It won’t happen to you if your baby is attached to you.

Playmat Gym thingie

We started using this when Munchkin was about 2 months old. It was nice to have a toy that we could use with her that young.  She wasn’t totally interested in it.  We would lay her on it and talk to her about what was hanging on it. She would wave her arms around and we would get excited when she hit one of the toys. As she got older she interacted with it more and more. We also use it for tummy time.

Activity Jumper

We got this when Munchkin was 5 months old.  She LOVES it. Her feet don’t touch the floor so we have our Wii balance board under it. She jumps and jumps and jumps.  It was so fun to watch her figure out that she could jump it in and that the seat turns. She loves the toys all around it. We’ve attached an owl and a zebra and she loves to chew on them.  She would easily stay in it for hours if we let her. 

Gas Drops

It seems like we had (have?) the gassiest baby ever.  From what Nancy Holtzman says, every baby is the gassiest baby ever.  We started giving Munchkin gas drops early on and they help so much! She likes them too and knows they help.  She’ll be fussy from gas but when we go to give her the drops, she’ll stop and open her mouth so we can give it to her.

Teething Bibs

Munchkin has been super drooly since 4 weeks old and we’ve been using teething bibs since then.  They are water resistant so they keep her clothes dry. I know they work and are helpful because when we forget to put one on her, her clothes are soaked and we have to change her. If we didn’t use them we’d be changing her outfit 3 or 4 times a day if not more.  All of ours came from Target but I’m sure you can buy them other places.

Mamas, what are/were your must have baby items?