Favorite Things Round Two

When Alex was a few months old, I posted about my favorite baby things.  Here are my current favorite things with Ethan.

Swaddle Blankets - we still like the SwaddleMe Cotton Knit & this time we're also using the Miracle Blanket.  I like them both.  The SwaddleMe seems to keep him wrapped up tighter for longer but the Miracle blanket doesn't have Velcro that can get worn out.

SwaddleMe Cotton Knit

 

The Miracle Blanket

 

Bright Starts Automatic Bouncer - this has been a lifesaver!  We registered for a simple bouncer with Alex & he never really cared for it.  My friend told me about the automatic bouncer, so we decided to try it with Ethan.  I actually bought it off Craigslist.  I figured it was worth saving a few dollars in case Ethan didn't like it.  It's in great condition & even better - it has given me hours of sleep!  He sleeps in it every night.  We're going to transition to the crib soon (in fact, he's napping there right now) but this thing saved us when the swing, bassinet & crib wouldn't work.  My only complaint is the bouncer part has a 30 minute timer.  Ethan sleeps fine now without it bouncing but for the first few weeks, he would start fussing & crying every time the bouncer turned off.  Picture me sleeping on the couch, reaching down half asleep to push the "on" button every 30 minutes.  Not great.  But still better than being up all night...

Baby Connect App - I love this app!  It tracks feedings, diaper changes, sleep & more.  In the hospital, they ask you to write down all your feedings & diaper changes.  With this, you can track it on your phone instead.  I use this every single day.  If you've never had a baby, you might be thinking - is it that hard to remember when the baby last ate, slept or had his/her diaper changed?  When you do all these things multiple times a day, every day & you're sleep deprived, yes.  It all starts to blur together.  Did I feed him at 1:00 today or was that yesterday?  What is today?  Where am I?  This handy app will tell you when you last fed your baby & what side you fed him on last if you're nursing.  With Alex, I kept a little notebook by the couch to write all this down.  This is so much easier & you can use it when you're away from the house.  You can even keep track of baths, tummy time & a lot more.  My one complaint with this app turned out to be user error.  The main page shows you how much time has gone by since you last fed the baby, changed the baby's diaper & how long the baby has been sleeping or how long it's been since the baby woke up.  I was a little annoyed that the main page timed the feedings from the end of each feeding instead of the beginning.  Most books/experts will tell you to feed your baby every three hours during the day but you time from the beginning of each feeding, not from the end.  I could look in my "list" view to see when I started feeding Ethan but I couldn't understand why the main view wouldn't time from the beginning since that's the general consensus of baby care.  Turns out you can fix this under "settings".  Doh.  I just thought to check this - like a few days ago.  I'll just blame it on mommy brain...  In my own defense, I think the creators of the app should make this option the default.  Right??

Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine - we got this shortly after Alex was born but we ended up using it more after he got a little older.  I have an iPod shuffle I don't use anymore, so we loaded it up with baby friendly songs & would play them during our bedtime routine.  We discovered Ethan loves sleeping to music & this has simple lullabies that play continuously (no 30 minute timer - ha).  It seems to help him sleep longer.  It also has a white noise setting but so far Ethan has preferred music.

 

Well, my Baby Connect app is telling me it's been three hours since the last feeding so time to wrap this up.  I know my baby favorites will change as Ethan continues to grow but these are my current must haves.  Oh & one other thing - a glass of wine (for me, not the baby).  Another sanity saver!   J