My Favourite Things...

I was thinking of what I would have found helpful when I first brought my daughter home. I would have liked to know what sorts of things new parents couldn't live without and what their favourite baby items were. So here goes my list:

1. Wipes warmer. I got the Prince Lionheart Ultimate Wipes Warmer about 1.5 months after she was born and I LOVE it!! Still use it faithfully and it's so much nicer on that tender little tushie. Too bad I didn't have it right away.

2. Bert's Bees Daiper Ointment. I purchased almost every diaper cream on the market and this one has been the very best (smells nice too!). After 8 months, I'm just finishing up my second tube, that's how long it lasts.

3. The onesies that have snaps up the front. I bought the "George" brand onesies from Walmart. I believe they were $10 for 3 and they were by far the best ones, especially when she was first born. It's so much easier to get them into those rather than go over their heads and they are generous with the size, so they can wear them for quite a while.

4. Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottles. My daughter was extremely gassy and I tried a few different kinds of bottles and eventually bought these ones. She is not gassy at all anymore and we've been using these for about 7 months now. Such a lifesaver!

5. A bouncy chair is a must have. I received the Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncer as a gift and it was wonderful! She doesn't use it anymore, but for the first few months it's really great! It lights up and plays music, which means that you can get some things done!! Hands free is always good!

6. A Bumbo!! From about 3 months they can start sitting in this and it's such a cool thing to have. We used this daily and even fed her in it for a while. At 8 months she can still use it. I take it outside on the deck and she'll eat in it which is much easier than trying to get the highchair out there.

7. Phil & Ted's Sport Buggy. I love this stroller, but I can't say that I even looked any other stroller before I purchased this one. Two of our friends with children said that they wished they had purchased this stroller when they had their 1st baby, so we decided to take their advice and it was great advice! It is so easy to manoeuvre, I can use 1 hand to push it and the other to drink my coffee! Plus, it has an attachment for a second child so I won't be having to buy another stroller if we decide to have one more.

8. Pampers. I tried Huggies and they always leaked. I'm sure different babies need different types of diapers, but I'm all for Pampers!! Plus, they smell nice.

9. The Sleep Sheep On the Go. We got this a gift when she was 5 months old and I wish that we'd had it when she was a newborn. It totally calms her wherever we are and it attaches to whatever you want. Ours goes from the car seat to the stroller. We DO NOT leave home without it and I'm always getting asked where I got it from. It makes a great gift for new parents!

10. BundleMe by JJ Cole. My daughter was born in the winter and this was perfect for her! We didn't have to dress her in a bunch of hot clothes, just whatever was good for being indoors and then you just zip them up. She didn't ever overheat and it was so snugly. Now it's the summertime and I've switched to something that just goes in the car seat without a cover.

11. Any kind of toy that attaches to the car seat or stroller. Keeping them entertained when you are on the go is a smart thing to do!

12. A sun cover for your stroller. I've got the UV Sunny Days cover for my Phil & Ted's Stroller and I'm sure people wonder what I've got hiding in my stroller, but it keeps the sun out, UV rays and bugs too! I've been using it all summer long.

Crying vs. Whining

My daughter is such a good baby, she rarely ever cries unless she really needs something. This can work to her disadvantage at times because when she does cry, it's just that much more irritating. If she cried all the time, I would probably be a little more immune to it, but I'm not. I don't find crying as bad as whining. Whining is like nails on the chalkboard. Last night she was quite irritable and I was SURE that there would be a tooth today. Nope, no tooth today.

Free the PIGGIES!!

While we were out today, my daughter took her little shoe off. I don't always make her wear shoes, but since she's been wanting to stand up way more, I put them on her when we go out. I'll also mention how absolutely adorable these little Robeez are. They are brown with big polka dots on them and they matched her dress perfectly. So after the shoe came off, the look of relief swept over her face. You could almost hear her say, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH."

Why do they have to make shoes for babies so darn cute? If it's best that they don't really wear them and they don't really need them, why make them irresistable?? I'm a sucker for these types of things!!!