Baby Things We Love At (Almost) 10 Months

I've been meaning to do one of these posts forever.  There are so many baby things we like and use all the time.  Allie will be 10 months in about a week.  Here are some things we love and have used a lot in the past few months:

Nuk sippy cup

We've had the most success with this sippy cup.  We have about 4 different kinds and Allie does best with a soft spout on these Nuk ones.  I feel like these a good transition from her bottles in terms of shape and size too (we use Dr. Browns).

Halo Sleep Sacks

Ever since we transitioned Allie out of the Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit (which we loved from 3-6 months), we've been using these over a sleeper to keep Allie warm at night.  

B. Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube

We got Allie this cube at Target on a whim a couple months ago.  I had been thinking about getting her one, but was originally thinking I'd look for one on consignment.  I actually don't mind that we paid full price though, because this thing is really good quality and Allie plays with it all the time.  As soon as she could pull up to standing, it became one of her go to items to pull up on and play with the beads and critters on top.  She also likes all the different sides- opening and closing the doors, spinning the letters, etc.  I feel like we're still going to get a lot of use out of this when we start teaching her words and letters, etc...  It's a great cube.

Wubbanub

We thought our time with the Wubbanub had to come to a close once Allie got into her Advent pacifiers, but after a bunch of bad nights of sleep in which we realized Allie was losing her pacifier in the crib at night and having a hard time finding it so we kept having to go into the nursery to give them to her, I got the idea to put her Wubbanubs in the crib with her so that she could easily find the pacifier attached and it worked great.  She was able to find them so much easier than her regular pacifier, and once she got the Wubbanub in her mouth she'd fall back asleep without us having to go in and find a paci for her.  Win!

Puffs/Mum Mums or Cheerios

We're finally at a place where we're fairly comfortable taking Allie with us out to lunch again (for a while she was pretty fussy and unpredictable so it was tough).  She's getting good at sitting in a high chair, and these are great for keeping her entertained while we wait for food or eat our food.  I also occasionally use them at home if I need a couple minutes to prep food for Allie and she's freaking out waiting for something to get on her tray.

High chair cover

Like I said, Allie is getting pretty good at sitting in a high chair, however, a lot of high chairs are missing straps or seem too big for her, and using this cover helps a lot in keeping her secured.  We've also used it in a shopping cart a bunch of times.

Sweet Dreams Lullaby book.

My friend Lindsay recommended this book and it's by far my favorite to read to Allie at bedtime.  It's not too long or too short, it rhymes, and I feel like the rhythm of the words is perfect for bedtime.  Allie also likes reaching out and touching the bunny on each page.  It's hard for a book to hold her attention at bedtime but she can usually make it through this one.

Zutano booties

I absolutely LOVE these booties.  Allie isn't officially walking yet (she's getting close though!), so it's a little soon for normal harder soled baby shoes, but now that it's colder she can't go barefoot all the time either and socks don't stay on that well.  These are great.  We have two pairs in gray and pink and they stay on well and go with almost everything.  She wears them to daycare a lot and out and about.  They are also super cute and everyone comments on how cute they are.

Baby Walker

I actually don't know if I would recommend this specific walker, but it's the one we have.  I was skeptical that Allie would do well in it and that we would have room for it without her crashing into things, even though we have a fairly good sized kitchen/downstairs.  It's actually exceeded my expectations.  She outgrew the Rock N Play and many other "holding devices" we have for her a couple months ago, and it's a life saver if I just need to pee for a second or need to keep her entertained for a few minutes while I'm cooking or something.  She can go both backwards and forwards in it, so she can back up and move in another direction if she gets into a corner or something.  I also think it's helping her learn to walk. 

Pop Up Toy

This isn't the one we have, I have a Sesame Street version I got at a consignment sale.  Allie really likes it though, and enjoys pushing, turning, and twisting the little knobs to get each guy to come out, then closing the doors.  My two year old niece was just here and enjoyed playing with it too.

If you have a baby Allie's age or older, what's a must have I should think about for the future?  I'm working on ideas for her Christmas and first birthday presents so I'm all ears!

Newborn Hits and Misses at Three Weeks In

I'm only a few weeks in, but I thought I'd share some stuff we love with you guys, because I loved reading these lists when I was pregnant and trying to figure out what stuff we'd actually need and use.

Wubbanub pacifiers.  For some reason I think Allie actually likes these better than the regular Soothies.  She has the pink bear and the monkey one and I might even get some extras.  These are good for calming her down and I also use them while breastfeeding if she's being finicky latching.  I kinda go back and forth between the boob and paci and it seems to help her.

Lap pads.  We have two spots we use to change Allie- the Pack N Play and the changing table/dresser in the nursery.  We like to put lap pads down on each changing pad instead of just using the cover in case she pees or something worse in the middle of changing her.  This way we can just throw them in the wash and not have to wash the whole cover.  I think a lot of people use them in the crib as an extra layer too if their baby is prone to blow outs or leaks.  Handy.  They come in lots of sizes and colors too.

Pampers Swaddlers.  We have some Huggies too, but Pampers fit her better and the only time we've had leaks/blow outs, she's been in Huggies, so I think Pampers win for us as the best diapers.  At least for now.  We recently picked up some Target brand diaper to give those a try, so we'll see how those work for us.

Pottery Barn Stroller Blanket.  Since Allie was born in February and the weather fluctuates here, I didn't go too crazy buying tons of warm clothing for her.  She mostly wears long sleeved onesies and when we take her out, we add a sweater, mittens, and hat.  This stroller blanket was a gift and it's great to put over her in the car seat for extra warmth and coziness.  Also, you can get it monogrammed- my friend Sarah has the blue version with her son's name on it.  Great gift idea for someone for a baby shower :)

Ameda Purely Yours breast pump.  I think everyone I know that has pumped has one of the Medela pumps, but my insurance covered the Ameda pump, so I ended up with the Ameda since it was free.  It works great.  The first week my milk came in, I was so engorged, I had to pump a little before each feeding in order for Allie to latch.  So far, we haven't done bottles, but when we do, I'm completely confident in my ability to pump with this and I also got a huge supply of bags with mine.  I just wanted you guys to know there was another good option besides the Medela pumps.

My favorite onesies are the Little Me and Old Navy ones.  They fit Allie so well and I use them so much I feel like they are what she has on in every picture, even though she has other ones.  I also like the weight and softness of them.  I actually don't mind the snaps that much, even though everyone says zippered ones are easier.  I had a hard time finding many zippered onesies anyway.

Burp cloths.  People tell you that you can't have enough of these and they are right.  We have the old school cloth diaper ones, Aden and Anais fancy ones, Green Sprout ones... they all work good.  I mainly use them for feeding because milk gets all over.  I probably go through at least five every day.

Bobby Lounger.  We love putting Allie in this when we're eating so she can be near us but we can be hands free to eat.  It's great as long as she's not fussy.

The white noise on our baby monitor.  We have the Withings Smart Baby Monitor.  This was one of the few purchases my husband did all the research on and wanted.  You can use any computer, IPad, or IPhone as your monitoring screen, which was particularly appealing to Greg so he can see the baby when traveling.  So far we're not using the monitoring feature much since she's sleeping in our room, but we love that the white noise can be set to stay on til you turn it off, which Sleep Sheeps (they only last 45 min) and some of the other white noise devices don't do.  We keep it on all night and it seems to help Allie sleep for long stretches of time.

The Pack N Play.  Since this is our primary sleeping area for Allie, this is a must right now.  Originally, our plan was to put her in the Rock N Play at night and keep the Pack N Play downstairs, but so far she seems to sleep a lot better in the Pack N Play bassinet, and we also use the changing station on it as much as the one in the nursery.  Greg even talked about getting a second identical Pack N Play for downstairs so we have one on each level, but right now we're making due with it upstairs (I consider going upstairs for changes part of my exercise routine right now ;)  I think eventually, when we put her to sleep in the crib, we'll move the Pack N Play downstairs so we have a changing station down there too.  We also like the pockets on the side for changing supplies and have used the vibration feature on the bassinet for Allie.  The bassinet and changer are essential though, so glad we got one with those features.

Constellation Nightlight by cloud b.  We also use this night light when we put Allie to bed at night.  We want enough light so that we can see her, but don't need a ton of light.  I love the stars on the ceiling, so cool!  My only complaint is that it shuts off after a while.  I'd kind of like the option of keeping it on all night or longer.

Mustela foam shampoo.  This stuff smells awesome and makes Allie's hair so soft.  Love it :)

For me:

Disposable breast pads.  I've used the Target brand ones and the Lanisoh ones, both work well.  I'm really paranoid about getting thrush (like a nipple yeast infection that you can get if your breasts are sitting in a warm moist environment), so I've been trying to be diligent about changing breast pads a lot and go through a ton every day.  I have some non disposable ones and they couldn't hold the amount of leakage I have, so the disposable work better for me.

Target nursing bras and tanks.  I use these for nighttime:

I can't find the daytime ones I have online, but they are the Gillian O'Malley bras and tanks.  I have a couple of each and they make it easier to whip out a boob when you need to.  The only problem I have is that milk often leaks all over them, even when I try to protect them with burp cloths when I'm feeding.  I guess Allie is a messy eater and I just have a lot of milk going everywhere...  haha.



Things that were have not been useful so far:

The Itzbeen Timer.  I loved the idea of this when I registered for it, you just push a button after feeding or changing to time how long it's been in between these events.  Problem?  I never remember til later, way after I've fed or changed her to set the timer and there is no way to edit the time on this thing.  If you are good with remembering to set timers, this will be useful for you.  If you're like me, forget it and just write it down or do something else to remember.

Baby socks.  I think in the future these will be more useful, but right now Allie lives in footed onesies, because it's still kinda cold here and they are just so convenient, so we rarely use socks and we have TONS.  They are cute though, even if she's not wearing them much yet.

One of Allie's few outfits that she can wear socks with.

Miracle Blanket/Swaddle Me Infant Blanket.  Allie hates having her arms swaddled, so these are not working for us.  However, the Halo Sleepsacks (with or without swaddle) are great, because I can keep her arms out and they add warmth at night.

The Crib.  I know it's early, but so far Allie kind of hates the crib.  Hopefully we'll get her to sleep in there at some point.  Right now we're sticking with the Pack N Play bassinet in our room.

The swing.  I think she might like it in the future, but right now I feel like it's too fast for her, even on the lowest setting.

I've realized that we are fortunate to have a ton of baby stuff and a lot of it we haven't even tried out yet because we either haven't gotten around to it, haven't needed it, or Allie is too little for it right now.  I'm sure as she grows things will change a lot, but this is where we are at three weeks in!