I thought I would write a post today about my top favorite things for me and top favorite things for Ramey for the first 4 1/2 months. I recently found a couple of these lists on pinterest AFTER I had Ramey and had already bought alot of stuff and would have loved to see what someone I actually know liked and used the most. Also, if you don't have little ones but need baby shower gifts, I've done all of the work for you!
I will do Ramey's list first because it is more fun.
Ramey's Top 12
1. Fisher-Price Cradle Swing My Little Snug-a-bunny
Ramey LOVES his swing. He takes at least 2 naps a day in his swing. I need to get him to take naps in his bed but the swing works great for now. But I will be transitioning him to his bed in the next couple of weeks. But he will fall asleep in his swing in about 5 minutes. It can swing side to side or forward and backwards. It plays music that isn't annoying and the music turns off after 20 minutes. It also has a mirror on the underside that he likes to look at himself in and a bird mobile that goes around. I have just now started to put on classical music on my ipod instead of the music from the swing because I love classical and would rather listen to the ipod.
2. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe
This little toy is amazing. It is for babies 0-12 months. It is a teether but they can use it way before they are teething. It is made of soft rubber. Is very easy for them to grab onto in many different spots and squeaks when they squeeze it. Ramey will suck on it for 30 minutes and loves playing with it when we are driving in the car. We had to rename it because my parents dog is Sophie. So we changed it to Dottie and then thought that sounds too much like Daddy, so now he is Jay because it has the same sound at the beginning as giraffe and because it will be easy for him to say too. Sophie is not cheap for a small teether toy ($20) but definitely worth the money.
3. Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper
We just started using this in the last month because they need to have very good neck control before they can play in it. This is an activity center and jumper in one. When Katherine, my little sister, was a baby she went insane when we put her in the jumper that would hang in a doorway. Well those aren't safe or recommended anymore, so this is great for the jumping. Plus all of the toys on the outside keep Ramey entertained and his little brain going. He loves to jump in his thing. The only problem is his little legs don't touch the ground, so we put a little padding underneath to help him reach so he can bounce. There is even a little diagram on the top to show you how much their feet should touch. As they grow you can make it higher off the ground so it should last a long time.
4. Infantino Vintage Twist and Fold Activity Gym
This is another one you can use when they are still teeny tiny babies. Ramey loved this when he was a month or two and would bat at the toys. Now I put him on his tummy most of the time when he is in it. There are little loops on the outside of the toy that you can connect the hanging toys to so when he is on tummy time there are toys for him to play with too. Plus the mat is all fun designs and color so it is visually stimulating.
5. Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother
This attaches to his crib and little cartoon sea creatures float by while classical music is playing. You can have it play music only or you can have the sea creatures lit up but not moving while the music is on or floating by with the music. There is also a button at the bottom that he can hit with his feet or hands to turn it on! He did this one night after I turned it on at 3:00am to help him go back to sleep and he literally hit it 20 times. Off on off on off on over and over and over, lol. There is also a remote control so I could turn it off (or on) when he kept turning it off and on keeping us all awake.
6. Chronicle Puppet Books
So I LOVE books. Especially children's books. And board books are great for kids but these are board books and puppets in one! There is a little puppet in the middle and you put just one finger through it and then each page has a cut out circle for the puppet, if that makes sense. They have these are Barnes and Noble, but if you order them online you have alot more options and with your 2nd order you get a discount. They have them for most holidays and then tons and tons of different animals. I got a spider one with my Citrus Lane box that I get every month and then Aunt Kali just got us a turkey one for Thanksgiving. And I bought 4 more for Ramey for Christmas (shh, don't tell him!) He loves them because he can chew on them very easily and it keeps him engaged in the book because the page is actually moving because your finger is in the puppet. Plus they are small so they fit great into the diaper bag.
7. LeachCo Podster Sling-Style Infant Lounger
We use the lounger every day. Ramey loves his lounger because he can sit in it and relax and not have to hold his head up but can still be sitting up and looking around. It is inclined so it is great after he eats because it keeps him upright so he doesn't spit up as much. We also use it while I am cooking because he can still see me and watch what I am doing. Plus it is adjustable to change while he grows. I like this better than propping him up with the boppy because in the boppy he slides down (especially when he was really little). But in the LeachCo he is just craddled in the sling. LOVE THIS!
8. Halo Cotton Swaddle Sleepsack
We use this every night when Ramey goes to sleep. Ramey never liked having his arms swaddled but liked when the rest of his body was swaddled, but I could never get a great swaddle that way. The swaddle sleepsack allows you to have their arms swaddled or arms out and just their body swaddled. The sleep sack part is great because Ramey likes to kick his legs like a crazy and can still do that while having his middle nice and snug. They also make this in fleece but it hasn't been cold enough for us to need it yet. At night he wears this and also a long sleeve onsie to keep his arms warm since they are not in the swaddle. When he was brand new, he wore the long sleeve shirts with built in mittens to keep his hands warm and to keep him from scratching his face. Now he loves to suck on his hands so the kind without mittens is what we use.
9. Rattles
If it rattles or squeaks and he can grab it, he likes it. But right now his favorite one is a little puppy, Harry thinks it looks like a bear, from Mud Pie Baby. It is really soft with various textures and color patterns on it. It also has a clear ring with little balls in it on one hand of the puppy and a circle and star ring on his other hand. Also, if you pull on the top ring and let go it vibrates. If Ramey isn't playing with Jay the Giraffe, he has this puppy. This is also nice to throw in the diaper bag or for him to play with in the car.
10. Jack Johnson CD (his favorites are on Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George)
I already had a lot of Jack Johnson songs on my ipod but once we realized Ramey would immediately calm down when he heard Jack, I bought some more. I mean it is like magic! Even on the days he gets shots when he is so grumpy and sad, if I put on Jack, he just calms right down. I have a cd in my car and the playlist I made is on my phone and both ipods. We love Jack Johnson!
11. Baby D Drops
Now Ramey doesn't love these (he could careless) but he HATED what we used before, so I think this should be on the list. Breastfeed babies don't get enough vitamin D in breastmilk. Since babies aren't in the sun alot, they need a supplement. Before, I gave him the stuff in a big dropper that he would choke on and was super sweet and sticky. He hated it and always spit it up. So we started using Baby D Drops. It is just one drop you put on your nipple or on a pacifier. That is it. The only thing is you have to make sure you don't do more than one drop or that is double what they need and make sure you buy the BABY D drops and not the 1 drop vitamin D drops for adults because we need more than babies. But I just put one drop on at the same feeding each day and voila, done with that for the day!
12. Ellie
Ramey is OBSESSED with Ellie. He is always looking around for her and wants to touch her. If he is laying on the bed, he cranes his neck around to see her (she is normally up there with us). He will watch her walk across the room and smile at her when he sees her. Poor Ellie doesn't know what to do about it though. She is interested in him but when he tries to pet her, he always comes away with clumps of dog hair in his hands but she never seems to mind, but I'm sure she doesn't like getting her hair pulled out. There was one day, Ramey was having some major tummy pains and I couldn't calm him down at all. Jack wasn't even working. So we went into the bedroom and I called Ellie to come jump on the bed. Right away he calmed down and started petting Ellie. So everyone needs to go buy a dog to entertain your little one!
Meredith's Top 10
1. Moby Wrap
I LOVE my Moby Wrap. Today I was wearing Ramey in the Moby Wrap and was able to fold and hang up the laundry and make dinner in the crock pot (don't worry it wasn't on and I just had to dump everything in)! There is no way I could have been holding him with just my arms and done both of those things. Plus he likes being in the wrap. I also have the Beco Gemini soft shell carrier, but he doesn't like that as much at this point. We really like the Moby Wrap. This is a picture of him when he was about 6 weeks old and sleeping in the Moby.
2. Boppy Pillow
I use the boppy every time I nurse. It is so wonderful because you don't have to use your arms to hold up the little one at all. I don't know what I would do at night without my boppy. I am so tired when he wakes up to eat in the middle of the night that I'm sure my arms wouldn't keep him up to eat. I have 2 covers for it because it does get spit up on it and I can have one in the wash and put the other one on. The boppy is a definite must have if you nurse and it is great to help hold the baby too.
3. Angel Care Movement and Sound Monitor
I love this monitor because it gives me peace of mind knowing he is still breathing. That sounds silly but it is so hard to tell if they are breathing when they are so tiny and this monitor will sound if the baby stops breathing/no movement after 20 seconds. Now they make a video monitor that goes along with the movement monitor. I wish I had that but they didn't have that when we bought ours. It also displays the temperature in the room. Our house has horrible heating and air so it can feel fine in the living room and be freezing in our room where he is asleep. So it is good to know what the actual temperature in his room is so we can turn the fan on or turn up the heater for the house.
4. All Purpose Nipple Ointment
(My ointment doesn't come in a little tube, but this was the best picture I could find)
This is a prescription to use if you are having any problems with your nipples when you are breastfeeding. It is amazing. When I got thrush, this is what I used, but like the name says, it is all-purpose. I didn't like the Lanolin because it was so thick and sticky. This stuff isn't like that at all. Harry told me about it when I was having some pain so I called my doctor and she gave me a prescription. If you plan on breastfeeding or are breastfeeding, you should definitely get some of this stuff!
5. Nursing Sleep Bras
Best invention ever! These are basically just sports bras but with a criss cross design in the front so it is easy to nurse. I'm not going to lie... this is the bra I wear all day if I don't leave the house. They are so comfy and make nursing so much easier than a regular nursing bra with the clips.
6. Pampers Swaddlers (for the day)
These are my favorite diapers. In the beginning I bought a lot of different kinds in small packs to try them all out. We wanted to use the cheapest and best kind we could find. These were by far my favorite. They aren't the cheapest, but I think they are worth it. I like that they have the wetness indicator so you know if they baby has peed and I don't think they smell funky like some of the other diapers. Plus they are soft and have some give. Some are very stiff.
7. Pampers Baby Dry (for the night)
We use these for the night time because they can hold pee for up to 12 hours. When Ramey sleeps from 8pm-7am, the last thing I want waking him up is his diaper. So far we haven't had any leaks with these! There isn't a wetness indicator like with the Swaddlers but we don't need it when he wears them for so long it is obvious.
8. Walgreens Premium Sensitive Baby Wipes
We also tried a lot of different baby wipes. We accidentally tried these. Someone got these for Harry at his work baby shower when he was still with Walgreens. They obviously did their shopping right before the shower, lol. Anyways, these are always buy 2 for $4.00, very cheap in baby wipe world. They are thick and always have enough moisture on each wipe. We also really like the packaging. It is in the plastic crinkle paper packaging, but with a hard plastic top where the wipes come out, so it clicks shut so they won't dry out.
9. Waterproof Multi-use Pads
Ramey is still sleeping in our room, so we change him on our bed. There have been many messes and accidents but our bedspread is still clean because we put down a waterproof pad down on the bed like a changing table. We always change him on the pad and then if poop or pee gets on it, we just throw it in the washer and use another one of the pads the next time. Then at night time, we just fold it up and put it on the dresser until we need it again. It is about the size of a changing table cushion.
10. Medela Pump in Style Advanced Double Electric Breast Pump
I love this pump. It has a lot of power and comes with quite a few extras (bottles, nipples, battery pack if you need to pump where you can't plug it in, etc.) I don't pump every day, but when I do it is nice to have such a great pump. You definitely get what you pay for. If you are going to be working and want to pump, you are going to need a nice pump. I would recommend this one. This is the one that the lactation consultant recommended to me. And if you are in OKC/Edmond, I bought mine at the Mercy Pharmacy for like $50 cheaper than anywhere else.
Hope this list helps someone! Thanks for reading!
