Now that I have a 6 month old, I have come to realize that we may not have survived the past few months without a few essential items. So, here's what I thought of, in random order:
*Ring Sling: This has been our single greatest investment. I use it to nurse her, carry her every where, it has adapted (and will continue to do so) to hold her a variety of ways. It calms her when nothing else will. It lets her observe the world. It let (and lets) us go out in public!! It lets me get things done around the house. It puts her to sleep. Plus, I picked out the fabric and it was made just for me, so I love, love wearing it!
*Swaddler Blankets: (our favorite was the Kiddopotamus, they're organic cotton!) These are blankets with Velcro so that baby stays swaddled! It was great! Kalaya used to not be able to sleep unless she was swaddled, we have only recently stopped using these!! And, if she's really fussy, we still use one to calm her down.
*Sleep Positioner: This is a foam pad with "bumpers" on either side, so that baby can't roll anywhere while she is sleeping. This was ideal for us, since Kalaya sleeps in our bed. That way she has her own space that keeps her from rolling around in our bed or keeps us from rolling into her. It's GREAT!
*Our Chicco Carseat and Stroller set (pretty self-explanatory!)
*Bum Genius Cloth Diapers; however, they aren't exactly what they advertise. They work great and wash great, but we bought the style that is supposed to grow with baby until she's 30 lbs (theoretically until potty training) but I think Kalaya is going to outgrow them by 20 lbs. We'll see. Other than that they are awesome!
*Wipe Warmer: That may sound like a silly luxury, but it's a necessity in our house. I make my own wipes, so I need a place to store them!
*Baby Gym: Kalaya LOVES laying under her hanging toys and playing with them. This can occupy her for 30 min (or more!) at a time.
*Every book by Dr. Sears. He has the same views on raising children that Nelson and I do and his book is always comforting and reassuring when I start to feel pressure to do things like let my baby cry it out or move her to a crib.
*The Bumbo: This is such a great invention. It has helped Kalaya sit up before she is able to and let her have a different view of the world. It also works great as a travel high chair.
*Swing: There were times when Kalaya was a newborn that she would only sleep in her swing. (we have the Fisher Price Rainforest one) It was one of the only places I could put her for awhile where she wouldn't cry, if I had to go to the bathroom or cook. It has a built in mobile and is powered by electricity, not batteries, which is awesome!
On the other hand, here are some items we got that we either never used or rarely used:
1. Breast Pump: I only used this the first few weeks, and only to help relieve pain and pressure. Truth be told, I can express by hand much better.
2. Pacifiers: Kalaya kinda gnaws on them to help ease teething, but she never has used them for comfort, sleeping, etc. We tried them for about a week and then realized she wanted the real thing.
3. Bottles: Similar to reasons for not using the pacifiers. Plus, she can get WAY more milk out of me than a pump ever can, so I wouldn't be able to know if she was getting enough in a bottle.
4. Bottle Warmer: (see a theme here?) Luckily this was given to us used and for free.
5. Tummy time mat: Ours is really cute and she liked the toys attached, but we could have achieved the same results with one blanket on the floor, one rolled up under her arms and toys in front of her. Luckily, it was a gift.
6. Crib: Kalaya has maybe taken 2 naps in her crib. She has never spent a night in it. It is basically a place to put her if she gets super fussy, only because she likes the mobile attached to it. Luckily, it converts to a toddler and twin bed, because it will never get used while she is a baby. Honestly, I wish we had just asked for money toward a crib and then used it toward a king size bed for all of us instead. Oh well, we'll save that for the next baby!
I'm sure there's more for both categories, but that's all I can think of for now!
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