Being on bed rest for nine weeks really gives you some time to read up on everything baby. Blogs, amazon reviews, you name it – I was researching the heck out of everything to get ready for Bella’s arrival. Now that she is six months old, I figure it is a good time to share some of our favorite products.
1. Fisher Price Rock and Play – For the first three months of Bella’s life, I don’t know what we would have done without this thing. She slept in it for her first few weeks home, and took all of her naps it it for several months. We love how it folded up and was light and easy to carry around the house (even with her in it!). If she fell asleep in the living room and I wanted to shower, I could carry it into the bedroom to have her nearby.
2. Ergo Carrier – We didn’t really get into our Ergo groove until she was around 4.5 months because she was so tiny, but once we did, wow, did it make life easier. I love being able to strap her on to go grocery shopping, and when we went on vacation to the Outer Banks, we didn’t even bring the stroller. Yes, Bella is still really light, but I feel no back strain using this carrier.
hiking with the ergo
3. Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano – We have been laying Bella on this toy mat since her first day home from the hospital. At first, she wouldn’t do anything besides look up at herself in the mirror. Soon, she’d start reflexively kicking the keys. Eventually, she started reaching for (but not grabbing) the toys dangling above. Now, this thing is a blast, and she grabs the toys, purposely hits the piano keys, and generally just loves spending time on the mat. Now, she is big enough that we’ll be converting it into a toy for a sitting baby, where she’ll be able to play the piano with her hands!
newborn Bella on her kick and play mat
4. Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair – Storage space is definitely something that we are short of in our house. So we really weren’t in position to buy a separate high chair. We’ve been putting Bella in this high chair since she was three months old, once we realized that she just wanted to be as close to us as possible (before that we’d put her into the swing or rock and play next to the table). Now that she is bigger and eating, we’ve tilted the chair upright. Eventually, it can just become a booster seat for her to sit at the table with us.
we love hanging out in the high chair to play!
5. Jenny Lind Crib – We did a lot of research on picking a crib. We knew that we couldn’t have one of those fancy cribs from Babies R Us due to the lack of space in her room. We needed something compact, and ideally convertible for future growth. The price tag on the Jenny Lind didn’t hurt either. I love the look and that I was able to customize it with the DIY crib skirt. Definitely a purchase we didn’t regret.
Jenny Lind crib
6. Aden and Anais Bamboo Swaddles – Everyone raves about Aden and Anais swaddles. They are definitely the nicest, softest swaddles that she has. But their bamboo line is even another level above! They are so soft, and back when we were actually swaddling her, rather than just using them as blankets, these also provided the tightest wrap.
so soft
7. Sensible Lines Milk Trays – These were one of the few items that we registered for that I totally found on my own (i.e. not recommended by a blog or friend). The idea is that you pour your milk into these trays (the pack comes with 2 trays that hold 8 ounces each) in one ounce portions to freeze. Once frozen, we remove the “milk sticks” as we call them, stick them in a ziploc with the date written on the baggie, and store them. Once Bella started solids, we also began to freeze her homemade purees into one ounce portions using the same method. Definitely a solution that has worked well for us.
8. Sophie Giraffe – I don’t know what it is about Sophie, but like so many babies before her, Bella is enamored with this rubber giraffe. She loves sucking on Sophie, grabbing Sophie, clinging to Sophie, and now at six months, can finally squeeze her hard enough to have Sophie squeak. Bella has been smiling at Sophie almost since she learned to smile. This is one of those toys that I thought was over-priced when registering, but for all of the entertainment and comfort Sophie has provided to Bella, she is worth every penny!
every baby loves Sophie
I haven’t even listed everything that we’ve been impressed with! She also loves her swing and her bathtub. What are your favorite baby items? What should we be looking forward to between 6-12 months?
laughs n' love 