Keep in mind that I went back to work at 3 months so a lot of these came into play at that point. But if you end up bottle feeding from day 1, you'll want a few of these long before 3 months! :)
1 | the boon dishwasher basket : this is seriously the best! our favorite bottles are the Dr. Browns but the thing that people complain about the most with them are all the extra pieces. throw them in here and it's not a big deal! we also use it to wash his binkys, medicine syringes, and all my pumping parts.
2 | the boon drying rack & trees : the is the best for drying the millions of bottles that we dirty a day! plus, it looks cool :)
3 | a baby monitor : this is the one we chose. honestly, I left this particular baby item completely up to Tristan (technology is his thing, not mine!) so he did all the research.t. a baby monitor was essential to transitioning McKai to his own room! I was so stressed about it but the monitor made it so that I could relax a little bit. a few of the things I like about this particular one:
- the video: I wanted to be able to look at him to make sure he was still breathing. now that I stress less about that, I still love the video to watch him sleep because he's so cute with that little bum in the air!
- the sound bars: when we first moved him to his own room, I kept the volume so loud because I was worried I wouldn't wake up and he'd grow up to resent me. as time went on, I turned the sound completely off. but, I like how even when the sound is off, the sound bars show up if he is making noise. just a few show if he's just talking. and the all come on in he is screaming.
- the smartphone app: this is the best when I'm at work. I love being able to check on him during my nightshifts.
- the temperature reading : I was nazi about keeping his room the right temperature especially when we first put him in his own room (I've relaxed a little as the months go on, can you tell? :) and his room always runs a little bit cooler than the rest of the house so I loved being able to see how warm or cold it was.
4 | a playmat : we were gifted this particular one and he loves it! we switch out the toys every here and then, the music isn't annoying (which I was so surprised about! I could play it all day and it wouldn't bother me for a second), and it's easy to wash. a playmat is seriously an essential in this household. he plays under his playmat every morning while I make myself breakfast and do some cleaning. it entertains him for quite some time.
5 | ergobaby 360 : as I mentioned in my first post, we loved the solly baby wrap. but, as McKai got older, he didn't want to face inward anymore. the curious little guy just wanted to see what was around him. we love our ergo and the 360 is the only one I would buy because of the outward facing option. we use this for walks, hikes, going to the grocery store, etc... it's so much better than lugging a stroller or his carseat everywhere we go! and it's so comfortable for me to wear which is almost just as important as it being comfortable for him.
6 | a carseat toy : as babies get older, they get bored in the carseat, at least McKai did! he loves this toy for a few reasons, the mirror (a mirror is essential!) and the banana. to this day he holds onto that banana pretty much every time he is in his carseat. it's so cute!
7 | I just had to include the oball because it was his all time favorite toy at that age. it was essential for us, though I can't say it would be every babies favorite toy.
8 | a bottle warmer : I can't say which bottle warmer is the best but we really like our Dr. Browns one! it is so nice to have a bottle warmer especially in the middle of the night because it just takes 3 minutes to warm up versus setting the bottle in hot water. I've heard some people say that they won't buy a bottle warmer because they want their child to be adaptable to drinking milk at any temperature but personally, I think it's rude to make McKai drink milk straight from the fridge when he's used to breastmilk coming from me.
9 | an exersaucer : McKai got this one for Christmas from his nana and papa and it was perfect! Tristan and I had been looking into one for a few months. we wanted something that he could stand in so that he wasn't always just laying on his playmat and that would hold his attention. this particular one was nice because the lowest setting was low enough for our short little boy. and it also grows with him. it's been fun to watch him grow up in it. the first time we put him in it he kind of just sat there not putting his feet down at all, he couldn't reach the hanging toys, he'd unintentionally make the toys sing and he couldn't turn. now he loves to jump in it, turns every which way, makes the toys sing when he wants them to and brings his monkey to his mouth. another thing I loved about this one is the little plastic toys, they are a softer plastic that he would sit and chew on for days while he was teething. plus they are easy to remove to switch out the toys if you want or just to clean them. I've put them in the dishwasher a few times!
10 | the mama and papas seat and activity tray : we started out with the bumbo seat that we borrowed from my sister which we really liked but I've decided I like this one the best. he loves to sit in this with his activity tray while I eat my meals or clean the kitchen and we still use it as his highchair to this day.
what would you add or take away from this list??
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