life savers revised with walker

So I have many friends who are prego my ego right now. I've had countless conversation about my favorite things that have helped me survive over the last few months. So I decided to make a post about it and that way all of you fantastic mothers can add your two cents in the comments section and help these mommas out. SO Abby, Julie, Megan, Taylor and Susan this is for you and your bump. 

disclaimer: this is what worked for me and solely my opinion, I am by no means an expert just passing along what I learned and am still learning.

1. NUMERO UNO...The miracle blanket. This is sliced bread, washing machine, light bulb, the idea to ferment grapes, noble peace prize winning invention type of stuff we're talking about.  Those cute sweet swaddle blankets were great to lay on the floor and have tummy time on but when it comes to keeping your baby swaddled none of these cut it for Amelia Bedelia. The Miracle Blanket gave countless nights of sleep. Yes it looks crazy when you wrap them up in a straight jacket of a thing but they love it and finally they are comforted so they can sleep!!! www.miracleblanket.com

Ask Deb, who used to walk for an hour with Annie in the Bjorn and then sleep on the couch with her till she woke up, no madam, miracle blanket was just that. Mike (her hubby) texted Kyle that  Deb just woke him up to talk about what great sleep they were getting. 

2. SWING, I have the fisher price lamb swing and liked it, but I wish I would have gotten the sweet peace (Graco), the graco car seat (and others as well) will snap right in, so you dont have to get them out when they fall asleep...genius, (not miracle blanket genius but close). That would have been nice, Amelia always woke up when we stopped. You can also plug your ipod in for music. 

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3692930

3. SLING/ BABY CARRIER, I got the serena and lily and loved it, but it didn't last long for my bertha a of a baby. I love the Bjorn, it fantastical. Any one have an adjustable sling recommendation? 

4. Mobile, I love tiny love. I have their mobile for the crib which is great and has tons of great black and white images. Babies dont see color for some time. More about that here... http://www.babycenter.com/0_developmental-milestones-sight_6508.bc

The mobile's I loved were:

 http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=237&state=toyTypeId=13@elementId=0@ageId=0

and I also loved the clip and go stroller mobile...It also was great to clip onto the pack and play...This helped us eat out a little longer and made me feel good about stimulating her brain on the go. The music can be turned off as well. 

http://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspxtoyId=42&state=toyTypeId=13@elementId=0@ageId=0


5. The Baby Bargain Book was very helpful to find out how other parents rated every baby product imaginable and to find out about safety ratings. 

6. Diapers: when I tried cloth diapers (before our nomad lifestyle began), I really liked G diapers because you could use then as cloth diapers or put a flushable insert in) I also put a liner on top that I got from Nappy Liners so that I didn't have to mess with the poop. They are from the Mio Cloth Diaper Brand ( really liked these too, because the diaper is a liner that can be wiped down easily.

http://www.giggle.com/cc/892/c/692/Bambino-Mio.aspx 


This website giggle is so fun. 


7. Monitor, Okay I dont have a particular brand but I can say if you can splurge for the video monitor. We just borrowed an extra one that the Bourlon's had and it has changed our world. We are now better informed and know when to go in and when to let her work it out. And its so fun to watch them sleep, sounds boring but its fun to watch them roll around, talk in their sleep, eat their toes, talk to their hands etc... I'd check Baby Bargains Book for which one to get.


8. Sleep Sheep, so cute and sounds like a great idea but we switched to a sound machine that doesn't cut off. Bed, Bath and Beyond ($20, works like a charm). I think the sleep sheep will be fun for her later. 


9. Boppy, love it. Sophie, she really started using it and loving it around 5 months. 

http://www.giggle.com/p/24497/c/565/cl/612/Sophie-The-Giraffe.aspx?&s=2&keyword=612


10. Beaba Baby Cooker, love it, love it but not necessary you could just steam and then puree in a food processor, immersion blender, blender etc...

http://www.giggle.com/search.aspx


11. Diaper bag, I have a few great ones, Kyle has a messenger bag from Columbia, I typically use a stork sak one, but I'm kinda wishing I had one of those that also has straps so it can be a backpack as well. 


12. Pack and play. Chicco/ Graco pretty much the same, although I feel like the graco ones are a bit easier to put together. I would prefer the ones with a bassinet, but if you dont need that then the Phil and Ted Traveller or the Baby Bjorn one are pretty amazing. Very compact, light easy to put together for a hefty price. Check ebay, they were super cheap at Costco one time.


13. These Medela steam sanitize bags were awesome for sanitizing bottles super quick in the microwave. One box lasts months

http://www.giggle.com/p/18197/Medela-Quick-Clean-Micro-Steam-Bags.aspx?s=1&keyword=what+happened+bag


14. I've heard people like Itzbeen to help keep track of breast feeding, diapers and all the others stuff, but there are also great apps for that.

http://www.giggle.com/p/20579/c/562/cl/635/Baby-Care-Timer.aspx?&s=2&keyword=635&itemFilter=4294966975

15. NoseFrida, this thing is awesome. Recommended by our pediatrician (who I'm sort of obsessed with and drove back to Htown for our 6 month appointment. As I've blogged about before they have the best resource website). I had the hardest time getting the snot out, Georgie chewed up our snot sucker from the hospital, big mistake...huge! Dont loose that one, nothing on the market compares...except this odd contraption

No the snot does not go in your mouth! You just use the suction, silly.


okay that's all I can think of right now, what else do you have people???


*****Pam reminded me about the walker! Amelia loves her walker and races all around in that thing. She has learned a lot about problem solving with that thing; running into the wall, backing up and turning around, moving around barriers...I love development!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2835095