The First Six Months: Baby Gear I Could NOT Have Lived Without!

During my pregnancy I talked to other moms and researched the heck out of baby gear while I created my registry and made purchase after purchase. Ian still tells the story to everyone "Every day I came home from work, there was another package at our door!" In reality most of those packages were diapers or household supplies purchased from amazon.com with the free 2-day shipping I had throughout most of my pregnancy, but he likes to think that I bought every baby item out there. ;) I did buy a lot, and I registered for a lot and thanks to our generous family and friends received a great deal of those items off our registry. I'm hoping this list of what helped us survive (and thrive and enjoy, of course!) Clara's first six months might help another mom out there who is wondering why there are seven varieties of a single bouncy chair. ;) In another follow-up post I'll blog about what we purchased that we could have gone without. And of course, every baby is different...this is just what worked for us.

• A Great Book to Start You Off - I read Baby Bargains and still refer to it (even though I have an older edition) at times. It was a HUGE help when deciding what we did or did not need to splurge on.
• The Swing - As I mentioned in my Never Say Never post, Clara napped in her swing the first five and a half months of her life. She'd nap in her crib sometimes, but those naps were a lot shorter and less frequent than her swing naps. It was actually an easier transition than I expected to transition Clara to napping in her crib, it was definitely time. The swing that we have and love is the Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Swing. It is the less expensive and battery operated version of the Snug-a-bunny. I read a lot of reviews that said they went through so many batteries on the My Little Lamb that it was worth the extra expense to buy the Snug-a-bunny, but we did not find this to be the case at all. I think we changed the batteries twice during that five and a half months, and obviously Clara was using it pretty frequently. It was listed on Amazon's lightning deals one day so we got it for about half price, which is kind of how I decided upon that swing. We were very happy with this purchase and obviously so was Clara. ;) 

• The bouncy chair - This was not a lifesaver for us as I often hear it is for other parents, but it was nice to have in the bathroom for Clara while I showered. Some babies prefer the vibration to the bouncing or sleep in these chairs, but we didn't notice a preference for Clara. We have the Carter's Safari Friends Bouncy Seat (the link is to a different pattern) and I bought it used from a church garage sale for $15. 

• Swaddle Sacks - Definitely a could not live without item. Clara would not sleep un-swaddled, and she had to be swaddled *tight* as well. Like straight-jacketed. Our favorite swaddlers are the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddlers and the Woombie Swaddler. The Halo is nice because her hips and legs are free just as they would be in a blanket. The Woombie is nice because it zips (easy!) and she could still move her arms within the swaddler if needed. Once Clara started rolling over we had to transition her from the swaddler to a sleep sack. That sucked, I'm not going to lie. For about a month we used the Baby Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit. She looked absolutely ridiculous but it helped us transition into a regular Halo Sleep Sack, which is what she sleeps in now. Below is Clara swaddled in the Halo Swaddler:

• Nipple Shield - I had a love/hate relationship with this thing. In the end, it was necessary because Clara would not latch on without it. But it was a nuisance and may have hindered my supply. Since I had to have it, I liked the Medela Shield, it was very thin. I'll spare you a picture of this (and the next item) in use. ;)
• Breast Pump - Another love/hate relationship item. However, it helped us breastfeed for as long (or as little) as we did. I did extensive research on breast pumps and eventually decided upon the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Breast Pump. It was between that or the Medela PISA. I think if you're working and need to pump regularly, either one are great choices.
• Car Seat - Obviously this is a must-have item for all new parents. Based on affordability, safety ratings, and fitting into our not-so-family friendly vehicles, we purchased the Graco Snugride 30. It is good until 30lbs, and until your child has at least one inch above their head. I thought for a long time it was 30 inches (Clara is close) but found out this was not the case after speaking to The Car Seat Lady. I highly recommend visiting her facebook page and contacting her with any questions you have when it comes to picking out or installing a car seat. We have been very pleased with this purchase and I'm glad to know that we'll get a few more months out of it.
• Bottles - I knew even if we were able to BF for a year (my original goal), we'd need to find a bottle that Clara would take and would not cause too many gas problems. We tried a lot of bottles, and even though they are a pain to clean my favorites have been Dr. Brown's, closely followed by Playtex Ventaire and Born Free. For BF babies more than anything though, I think what it comes down to is what they'll take when mom is not available! My biggest piece of advice when shopping for bottles is to buy ones with the most ounces. When I was registering and shopping for bottles, I tried a large variety in order to see what Clara would like. I also knew that BF babies took in less ounces than FF babies, (because mom's milk changes and grows with the child) so I didn't think I'd have a baby eating 8 or 10 ounces. Well, Clara is only FF now and we have a ton of 4 ounce bottles that are useless. Also look for ones with mixing room for formula, it's a pain to fill a bottle with water and have no room to dump the formula.
• The Boppy - I never actually felt the need for a breastfeeding pillow while nursing, but the boppy was a lifesaver when I was recovering from delivery and wanted something soft to sit on. I sat on this for about two or three weeks. Later on it helped Clara learn to sit up; and when she goes through her independent feisty streaks and does not want to be held during bottle feedings, I put her in the boppy and sit next to her.
• White Noise Machine - 100% could not have survived without the Homedics Soundspa Lullaby. We started it when she was around six weeks old and it has made such a huge difference. Now I think it is her "cue" that it's time to go to sleep. Eventually I will need to wean her from it so she can sleep without it but as long as our dog goes crazy at people knocking at the door or *gasp* walking by our house, it's staying on. It also has a projection screen on it, and a handful of times it's calmed Clara down enough to fall asleep on her own just watching the fish swim on the ceiling. That is something I've tried not to make a habit out of, but desperate times...;)
• Fisher Price Rock N' Play Sleeper - I distinctly remember posting this status when Clara was about a week old: "I could kiss whoever invented the Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper. Seriously." And I was serious. It is the *only* way she could sleep (unless she was nursing) the first 10 weeks of her life. The transition to the crib was not easy, but not terrible either. Totally worth getting more than 10 minutes of sleep at a time while she was a little baby. ;)

• Bath Tub - I didn't spend too much time or energy researching bath tubs, but just decided upon this one because I had a gift card to Kohl's and it was on sale there. I've been really happy with it though, the swing was nice when she was little, and once she outgrew that there's a reclined position seat and a straight up seat. We still use it sometimes (the side where she can sit straight up) and she looks comfortable in it.

• Stroller - I did spend a lot of time researching was strollers. We now also have an umbrella stroller, but we mainly use our Baby Jogger City Mini. We decided upon that one instead of the Snap n' Go or travel system because we knew we'd want a jogging stroller eventually, this one is already pretty light, and we could by a (albeit, pricey) car seat adapter to attach Clara's car seat to it when she was itty bitty. We've been very pleased with this stroller. 

• Play Mat - My parents purchased the Fisher Price Rain Forest Play Mat for us and I originally viewed it as an "elective" item but from about four or five weeks and on, Clara has loved this. The only reason we just recently stopped using it is because her latest trick is "standing while holding on" and this just isn't fit for that. ;) It has helped me get ten minutes to eat my lunch or check my email countless times.

• Pacifier - I wasn't set on using a pacifier, but Clara is definitely a paci baby. I caved around two weeks old and gave her one (I was trying to hold off until four weeks). She prefers the Soothie pacifiers. But what we could not have lived without is the Wubbanub. It's easy for her to grab and find, as well as me while I'm driving down the road and reaching into the backseat. ;)
• Monitor - We have a Sony Baby Call for while Clara was sleeping in our room. We have a Summer Infant Hand Held Video Monitor for her room...but soon after we transitioned her to her crib I realized I could not sleep without the Angel Care Monitor, which senses her breathing and alarms if she stops. I wish I could have just splurged on the Angel Care Monitor with Video while I was pregnant, but I didn't anticipate not being able to sleep without knowing if she was breathing or not.
• Nursing Cover - I loved my Bebe Au Lait nursing cover because it had a little "peek-a-boo" top so I could still have privacy but watch Clara nurse as we were working on latching but nursing in public.
• Baby Carrier - I decided to try two different baby carriers. I had read such great things about the Moby Wrap, I decided to give that a shot. I knew my husband wouldn't be thrilled about the Moby Wrap and that we needed something for once she got a little bigger so I also purchased the Ergo Sport carrier. I decided on the sport version for two reasons: 1) the material was lighter for our hot summer months and 2) it was on sale on babysteals.com one day. :) I decided on the Ergo over the Baby Bjorn because I read that the Baby Bjorn is not as easy on your back. I have been thrilled with both purchases. I didn't use the Moby Wrap after she was about 12 weeks old, but it was still a lifesaver when she was itty bitty. Watch the youtube videos for help using it correctly. I do think the newborn insert was a waste of money for the Ergo. My husband wore her once or twice when she still needed the newborn insert but really we could have just rolled up a blanket and it would have served the same purpose. 

That's it! I don't claim to be an expert on baby gear by any means, but this is what worked for us. Who knows if the same gear will work for our next child but I pray it does, baby gear is pricey! I should also admit this post took me nearly six weeks to write, as Clara is 7.5 months old. ;) A little bit at a time! So there's not one item that made it possible to sit down and write this much at once with a baby at home. ;) Sorry to disappoint.