FAVORITE BABY PRODUCTS // THE EARLY MONTHS

This is my second time around the block called parenting.  To be clear, that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing, it just means I know about twice as much as I did the first go-round (which was nothing). 

When I was pregnant with Violet, I didn't buy any of those parenting books.  I didn't read anything about anything. I didn't read about pain management during childbirth.  (I should have.)   I didn't know about swaddles, baby carriers, or sound machines.  I didn't know there was an art to breastfeeding or that it would sometimes be incredibly difficult to get a baby to take a nap.  I thought it would just all come naturally.  (It didn't.) 

I'm pretty sure first-time parenting is hard for all new moms, but I really think I made it harder on my myself by not doing a little better research.  So, without further delay, here are some of my very favorite baby products for those early months.  Some are obvious, some aren't necessary, but all of them made life with a new baby easier.

1 II The Snotsucker & The Windi II So one of these sucks snot out of another person's nose and the other one goes up their butt.  They're both pretty gross, but sometimes necessary.  And when you're using The Windi, just make sure you have a towel or something on the other end, because...well...it'll rain poop.  Good thing babies are cute, amiright??

2 II Summer Infant Baby Monitor II I love this video baby monitor because it comes with two cameras (and can be programmed for up to four cameras), so on the days when I'm lucky enough to have both kiddos napping, I can easily keep an eye on them.  This particular monitor has a split screen so I can watch them both (the drawback is I have to manually switch the sound from camera to camera) or I can have the monitor scan each room every 8 seconds.  And Summer Infant has THE BEST customer service.  I called them because my original Summer Infant baby monitor buttons were sticking and they sent me a brand new monitor (and the newer model!) no questions asked!

3 II Sleep & Plays II  I hate putting onesies on new babies.  It always feels like their little toothpick limbs are just going to snap off (despite how freakishly strong they seem to be).  And sleep & plays make the million diaper changes a day so much easier.

4 II Ring Sling Carrier II When I wasn't feeding, burping, or changing Lena, I was almost always wearing her.  Wearing her in a sling allowed her to stay snug as a bug as I went about doing all the things that take two hands.

5 II Woombie Swaddle and Woombie Swaddle UP II We used the Woombie Swaddle on Lena until she was about 3 months old.  It was great because she was super snug and it was easy to zip on and off.  Around 3 months we switched over to the Woombie Swaddle UP, which is a little looser and allowed Lena's arms to be up while sleeping. 

6 II Rock n Play II If you ever want to use the bathroom or take a shower or brush your teeth, you'll want one of these.  If those things aren't important to you though, don't worry about getting it.

7 II Pacifiers II Pacifiers are a blessing and a curse.   Lena wasn't interested in pacifiers until about 4 months old.  Then it was either a pacifier, or me at one o'clock, three o'clock, and five o'clock in the morning.  I chose a pacifier...specifically the Natursutten latex pacifier. They're a little pricier than other pacifiers, but considering how often they are in a baby's mouth, I wanted the safest option.

8 II NYME Organics II I love all of NYME's products, but my absolute favorites are their Bun Glaze and On the Spot.  I use them both all the time.

And lastly, one that I forgot to add until now is Colic Calm.  We used this to help with Lena's reflux and gas and it was amazing.  And though it's not listed as an ingredient, I'm pretty sure this stuff is made of unicorn tears. 
 

There are so many other baby products out there that I didn't even get to try and many more I probably don't know about.  Feel free to share your favorites so I can add it to my list for the next little one!

FIRST YEAR FAVORITES

When I created my baby registry for Violet, I put in a lot of research hours trying to find the perfect everything.  I wanted to get things that were practical, good quality, and could stand the test of time.  I searched for things with tons of reviews by other moms and would always read the bad reviews first to see if it was something I could live with.

Looking back on Violet's first year, I just thought I'd share my favorite items.  Some of these are obvious and are a necessity, but others just made life a little easier.

1. Sleep Sack---  I love the Halo Sleep Sacks.  They are safer than a blanket and I know my sometimes wild sleeper stays covered.  I bought the ones that were 100% cotton, so they were soft and comfortable and they were perfect for warm weather.  I've washed and washed and washed these and they are in just as good of condition as the day I bought them.  Now that the cold weather has made its way down south though, I knew I needed to get something thicker to keep our little girl's toesies warm.  I recently bought Violet the Baby Deedee Sleep Nest and let me just say I want one in my size.  It is super cozy and I rest easy knowing she stays warm on cold winter nights.  (Though it's not winter yet, it sure feels like it!)
2. The Snotsucker---  Okay, so the idea of sucking someone's snot out of their nose is downright disgusting.  However, when it comes to your own child, boogers are seriously the best of the bodily fluids to deal with.  This thing is way gentler on a baby's delicate nose than the bulbs that can cause their inner nostril to become inflamed.  Plus those bulbs are supposed to be one time use.  The Snotsucker can be washed with warm soapy water and is as good as new.  Now maybe this is TMI, but if you ever have a baby was a particularly hard booger, I always shot a little breastmilk up Violet's nose to soften it up.  (I'm sure a mom somewhere can appreciate that tidbit.)
3. Pacifiers---  Ohhhh pacifiers.  They are a blessing and they are a curse.  You can't live with them and you can't live without them.  Violet was a baby who sucked to soothe, so it was either going to be a pacifier or her thumb.  There were many a nights (too many) where I'd wake to Violet crying because she lost her pacifier.  What I liked about the Soothie was that it was one solid piece of silicone, so I never had to worry about the pacifier somehow coming apart and becoming a choking hazard.  Jon's boss told him the best thing they ever did was teach their babies to suck their thumbs.  So, next baby it's definitely something to think about.  I know thumb sucking is much more difficult to stop than using a pacifier is, but there were definitely some months where I considered the pacifier a thing of the devil.  (P.S.  Don't forget pacifier clips!)
4. Video Baby Monitor--- I have a Sony video baby monitor that I'm not impressed with.  I ended up having to get a regular (non-video monitor) as a back-up because literally the first night Violet was in her room, the sound cut out.  Sony's customer service is also not awesome, so next monitor, I'll definitely be going with a different brand.  All that being said, video monitors are awesome.  Being a first time mom, in the beginning I felt it necessary to constantly make sure Violet was breathing.  I'm sure many of you can relate to this. :)
5. White Noise---  I read soo many reviews on sound machines and was unable to find one that I felt was worth the purchase.  Instead I bought an mp3 download of a "cozy heater" that's 10 hours long!  We transferred it to an iPod, put it on loop, and hooked it up to some speakers in her room.  Best $5.99 I've ever spent.
6. Baby Carrier--- I tried a bunch of different baby carriers and ended up liking Baby Bjorn the most.  It's super convenient to put on and allows me both hands to get stuff done while wearing her.   
7. Hyland's Products--- So I've only used their teething tablets and cold tablets, but both work amazingly well.  
8. Wipes Warmer--- Our first winter with Violet was one for the records.  It was cooolllddd.  There were days that southern Louisiana was literally the same temperature as places in Alaska.  Craaazzzyy.  I'm sure Violet's little bum appreciated the warmth of wipes during the many, many diaper changes.  (This particular wipes warmer is meant to be used with reusable wipes---a must have if you're a cloth diapering mama.)

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Over the weekend, Jon's brother and his family came in to celebrate Thanksgiving early.  We ate Thanksgiving dinner, Southern style---fried shrimp, fried fish, fried bell pepper, boiled shrimp, grilled oysters, fried turkey, pecan pie, and peanut butter and coconut pies made by Mennonites in South Georgia.  It was gloriously gluttonous.  

Side note:  There's no such thing as a non-action shot with a 12 month old.