Baby 'Stuff' I can't live without

Now that Julianna Belle is 5 & 1/2 months old, I thought it was a good time to put together another list of baby 'stuff' I can't live with out. I did a list when she was about a month old... and here is a new one now that she has a heckuva lot more 'stuff' now!

Exersaucer - I put Julianna in her Exersaucer for the first time last week and she loved it from the get-go. She put her hands up in the air & squealed with delight. You had to see her trying to crane her neck forward, mouth open like a baby bird, trying to reach the toys with her lips... but she just couldn't get to them. It was really quite funny. There is a voice that talks when you push on the animal head. So for instance, if you push on the "Cat" button, it says "Cat" in English and then "Gato" (Spanish) and then it plays a tune by Mozart. Pretty Awesome.

Boppy - I still love this thing! This pillow is still the greatest thing when feeding Julianna. We'll be using it for a long time. It's also good for tummy time & practicing sitting up as well.

Sophie the Giraffe - Love her! This is a 'trendy' teething toy we just started using recently. Now that Julianna can really hold things firmly, she loves Sophie. What can I say?! I wasn't sure if this highly popular toy was all hype or not, but it turns out this thing has staying power!

                                   

               

Glider Chair with Ottoman - This chair in Julianna's room offers us a tranquil place to go, where we can feed Julianna or just simply snuggle with her. It's so peaceful to hold Julianna and gently rock in the glider chair! Julianna loves it too.

                                       

Video Camera - I really wanted a video camera so we could record our baby growing up. I have to admit, I secretly thought if we bought one, we may never use it (I hear that so often from other parents).

Well, I was wrong. We bought one and we do use it quite often. I wanted to have something other than pictures to remember her childhood by. 

 

Hug toy - This is a little "huggy" toy that we give her when she is in her car seat. Some people call it a "lovey". It's so great because she holds onto it for dear life, chews on it, and snuggles with it while in the car. I guess you could call it her security blanket. We have alternated off & on with her Hug Cow, Hug Frog & Sophie the Giraffe. We'll be introducing one more soon called "Hug Snowman" for Christmas (It's a cute snowman security blanket hug toy!).

Hug Frog

 

Hug Cow

Sophie the Giraffe (again!)

The Schedule - My husband can't live without this. He has told me so. Anytime we change Julianna's feeding times, quantity of formula, and/or bedtime, I write up a schedule and post it on the fridge. My husband can not remember for the life of him what time the child eats... and how much! So I made it easy for him. He loves it. 

Cloth Diapers - Yes I use cloth diapers. For burp cloths. They are cheap, easy to clean, absorbent, and if they get ruined, it doesn't matter. A good friend of mine told me to use these instead of buying the small & expensive 3 pack of 'burp clothes'. Those are, in my opinion, too small & don't absorb. I can buy a 12 pack of cloth diapers for the same price as a 3 pack of 'burp' clothes. Case closed. I'm sure there are many moms out there that already discovered this, but I thought it was still worth mentioning.

                      

Baby Carrier - I am not going to say which carrier is better, simply because I have not tried any other than the one we have. We use the Moby sling, but I don't consider that to be a carrier for outdoors, since I am not talented enough to get that thing on me in public and not look like an idiot. We use an Infantino carrier for outdoors. It's a lower end model but it does the job. My husband loves carrying Julianna this way, and she loves it too. When we go somewhere that requires walking & we don't want to lug the stroller, it is the perfect solution and it lets her see the world.

"On the go" bottle warmer for diaper bag - Love it. It's convenient and you do not need electricity, hot water or a car outlet to heat up the bottle. The only con is you can only use it once before you have to reactivate it in boiling water.

             

                     

Similac Formula - My baby has used Similac Sensitive formula from day one (except for a brief stint where we had her on Similac Advanced, and it went horribly wrong). She has never had any major issues with this formula and I recommend it. Yes they had the recall on the powder formula, but the company has made good and lowered the 'ready-made' formula prices to match the powder until it's back on the shelf. That works for me.

***Stay tuned for a contest giveaway soon - I am going to be giving away valuable Similac Coupons***

My Husband - Well, I clearly couldn't live without him. No, he is not a 'baby thing' but this man does everything. I even wrote a post about him being Super-Dad (worth a 2nd read!). He still is. He is the most amazing dad & husband a girl could ask for.

Tivo/DVR - We can do anything at any time and not worry about missing our favorite shows. Yeah I know that sounds silly, but there are a few shows that if we missed them, I would be quite upset. Tivo/DVR is the best invention ever. 

"What to expect in the first year" book - Very informative and has helped me out tremendously with each stage of Julianna's growth. As each month approaches, I read the upcoming month and it's very helpful with what we can expect and what we can work on to help her develop. It doesn't tell you off-the-wall stuff and it doesn't overload you on all the things that can go absurdly wrong. (unlike like it's counterpart "What to expect when you're expecting" - that book might as well be called "Everything can go horribly wrong when you're expecting"!!)

                                         

The Internet - Need I say more? I'm an Internet junkie. I have a slight case of "Baby-Research" OCD and I feel the need to find out every bit of information about everything, especially being a first time mother. There are some very reputable sites you can go to for information and advice online. (Check out my favorite websites HERE)


Toys Toys Toys - Julianna can never have enough toys. I am bad. I love buying her stuff to play with. I guess maybe it stems from my parents always making sure I had plenty of toys ... or maybe it is just me wanting to make sure she has the best stuff? Who knows and who cares but I will say baby toys are pretty much the cutest darned things on the planet.
One of my favorite brands is LaMaze. I think these are such well made toys and vibrant 'colors' for child development. My girl loves all 4 of them that she has - The zebra, moose, firefly, and giraffe. (Freddy the firefly is shown below)

My Small Okkatots Diaper Bag - Yes, my large awesome diaper bag has a place in my heart too, but it's not practical for everyday use. Sometimes when we are running out quickly, we use the Small Diaper bag. It's much easier and convenient. Does it hold as much as my large diaper bag? No, of course not. It's not for all day excursions - it's just perfect for running to the store, to a friends house, or out to dinner.

   

OK that's it for now. I'm sure there's other things, but then this blog would be entirely too long. It's already teetering on "very" LONG!