My Must Haves for 6-9 Months
I've already shared my must have baby items for newborns but what about for slightly older babies? Here are the things that I recently can't live without!
I didn't understand the need for this at first so just stay with me! When little babies start to roll over it's unsafe to keep them swaddled at night because with their arms all snuggly wrapped they may not be able to roll back, it's a SIDS risk. So when Brooks started rolling I tried to 'arm train' him: train him to sleep with him arms free. You unswaddle one arm for a couple nights, then the other and they get used to it. Wasn't that easy with Brooks and he would claw at his face relentlessly. I could tell he still needed some comfort so I switched him to a Love to Dream SwaddleUp 50/50. That worked for a bit but I don't think he enjoyed his arms being stuck up. Cue the zippy.
At 4.5 months in comes the zippy or as I call it his squirrel suit/ starfish suit. I saw it on shark tank and heard lots of good reviews from other mama's. I bought one and have loved it! It's loose enough so he can roll (and now crawl and sit up) safely but has just enough tension that it provides comforting edges. I love the covered hands because he couldn't scratch himself when he was little and now he likes to suck on his hands to self soothe. If you want more info about the science behind it you can go to their website or watch their Shark Tank episode. I recently even tried to see if he'd sleep without it and he does much better with it.
Yes I know this looks weird. What is this, a person? This is Alexis Dubief. She runs a website and recently wrote a book called Precious Little Sleep. Her advice on baby sleep SAVED ME. Brooks is an excellent sleeper now. When I tell people he sleeps 12 hours every night, rarely gets up and doesn't need to eat at night since 6 months, I hear the same thing. "You're so lucky!" LUCK?! Um no. He was not always a good sleeper. I worked HARD to teach him how to sleep and I owe some to Happiest Baby on the Block (to survive the first few months) but the rest goes to Alexis. Good sleep hygiene is important for everyone! When baby sleeps, mama sleeps = mama happy.
I really hate the feeling of having stuff under my fingernails so when I was pregnant and saw this product it was a no brainer for me. TAKE MY MONEY! I didn't really need to use it until we started Brooks on solids and it is THE BEST. It's more hygienic for both of us, less mess, more efficient (especially now since as soon as I lay him down to change him he DARTS AWAY WITH EVERY OUNCE OF ENERGY HE CAN MUSTER). It makes my life easier and keeps my hands from smelling like diaper cream. WIN
I love these! These aren't brand specific though, buy whatever silicone bib you want. I tried to find the cheapest (at the time) and most neutral ish colors (that wasn't orange because I hate orange). So easy to clean, less laundry, they make my life happy.
Like every mom I've seen this bra EVERYWHERE as the go-to nursing bra. Then I look at the price and I get stabbed in the gut. $50 for a bra?! Some of you may laugh but those who know me know I'm frugal. Therefore I bought cheaper alternatives that did an ok job for a while. One started wearing out and the other was too padded for my liking. I still had some good night time sport bra looking ones but I was getting to the point where I was wearing normal clothes and going out in public, I needed a legit bra. I bit the bullet but never looked back. I love it and will probably buy more with the next baby.
It has padding that's removable, the elastic is top notch, has a wide 3 clasp in the back, it's just the best. It stretches out between washes but it snaps right back when you wash it. I've worn mine religiously and it still is in excellant shape.
This is a repeat and was also included in my first list but is oh so useful! Our neighborhood is super MURICA! and were setting off fireworks every night for a week. I cranked his white noise and he slept right through them! So helpful!
Honorable Mentions
It's easy to hold, easy to clean and he loves chewing on it! He also thinks it's funny when I pretend to brush his teeth with it.
We went to Buy Buy Baby to decide between the Ergo and the LILLEbaby. Brooks screamed when we put him in the Ergo but was totally fine in the LILLEbaby. We figured out it's because of the arm placement. LB lets his arms be above the carrier while the Ergo his arms are restricted and he was not into that (see below)
ERGO
So we bought the LILLEbaby Complete Airflow. I love that this carrier is mesh because HELLO, Texas is melting hot! It comes with a lumbar support and you don't need an infant insert for new babies. There's 6 carrying positions which was a MUST for us. Brooks loves facing out. We both have used it multiple times, Dan even carried him on a 7 mile hike, and it's been great!
I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before! I use it everyday! When I got this mirror I thought THAT'S HUGE. When we actually got to use it it's actually the perfect size. I can't imagine using something smaller. It's easy to install and adjust the pivot. I can always see him really well. I just love it!
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