Since Cora is my fourth baby and she’s already 6 months old, I thought I would share some of my favorite baby products with you. Some of these I’ve used with all four of my babies and a couple of them are new to me with my fourth baby.
When I was pregnant with my first child back in 2009, I remember registering for so many baby items that looked amazing. I mean, why wouldn’t a wipe warmer be “needed” so that my baby didn’t get cleaned with a ‘cold’ diaper wipe? With that particular item, in my experience, the wipes were often dried out and wasted. I had several items that my baby only used a handful of times and I realized I could have easily done without. I didn’t have any close friends who had already had a baby, so I didn’t really have someone to tell me what was worth having and what would be a waste of time/money.
Fast forward 8 years and four babies later, I’ve definitely narrowed down the baby items that I find worth having and/or investing in. If you’re expecting a baby or know of someone who is, I thought it would be helpful to share some of my favorite items I’ve used during the first 6 months. So I’ve rounded them up here and will share why I love each item.
1. Love To Dream Swaddle – After using several different swaddles with my first two babies, I found this swaddle blanket with my third baby and fell in love. My babies always like to have their hands by their face and often slept with their arms stretched upwards. One thing I noticed with other swaddle blankets was the baby’s arms were stuck down by his/her side, unable to move. They would get frustrated and wake up when trying to move their arms, but couldn’t. With this swaddle, the arms are in a better position and the material is just stretchy enough for them to stretch or move, but still prevent the startle reflex from waking them up. The fact that it simply zips up makes it that much easier to use. With this one, there is an option to unzip and remove the arm pieces so that it can be used as a sleep sack once the baby outgrows the startle reflex.
2. Dock A Tot – This product is new to me with my fourth baby. We used items that had a similar concept with our first three babies. At first, I thought it was just another thing to spend money on and wouldn’t really be worth it. However, now that we have used it for 6 months, I do think it is awesome! During Cora’s first few weeks, we used it by placing it in our bed (king size, so plenty of space) and let her sleep there with us during the night. Once she started naps and nighttime sleep in her crib, in her room, we simply put the Dock A Tot in her crib for her to sleep in it there. It helped to keep her from rolling and since she was a little bigger, I think it helped her feel a little more snug. It was definitely a splurge, especially given Cora is our last baby, but I still love it and would especially recommend if you can use it with more than one child.
3. Portable White Noise – I have always used white noise machines with all of my babies. Before having Cora, I always dreaded my baby falling asleep in the car seat and not staying asleep. This portable white noise machine came in handy whenever she fell asleep while we were out somewhere because it helped drown out the outside noises and she was able to stay asleep. It was also nice to help que her sleep time if we were gone when she needed a nap. I would turn this on and cover her carseat with my Milk Snob cover and she would fall asleep within minutes.
4. White Noise Machine – As I mentioned above, a white noise machine has been used with all of my babies. I initially used one with my first baby as a way to help que sleep times. I could take her into her room, turn on the white noise, turn off the lights, and she would lay her head on me ready to go to sleep. As she got older and we had more kids (which meant more noise), I realized how nice the white noise was to prevent her from hearing sounds from other people/things in the house and still helping her sleep. To this day, as an 8.5 year old, she sleeps with white noise and so do all of my other kids.
5. NoseFrida – This is another product that I found with my third baby. There is not much worse than having a baby with a snotty or congested nose and not being able to help clear it out for them. While the way you use a NoseFrida isn’t the most appealing, it most certainly gets the job done. I used it with Cora last week and even on my three-year-old who can’t quite really blow his nose just yet.
6. On Becoming Baby Wise – A friend recommended this book to me when I was pregnant with my first baby. It was insightful for me as a new mom and so helpful when it came to sleep train my baby. I love the eat, wake, sleep method for scheduling and have used it with all of my babies. Life is so much easier and happier when the baby (and myself) are able to sleep well. I was very thankful to have someone with children much older than mine share this with me and I have recommended this book to so many of my friends as well.
7. Vtech Video Monitor – A good video monitor is so nice to have for several reasons. I really like being able to see if the baby is in need when he/she cries so I don’t rush into their room if they were just trying to get back to sleep on their own. My babies have all been really good at laying in bed, after waking from a nap or in the mornings, without making a sound for a really long time. Seeing them on the video monitor is nice to know when they are actually awake vs. still sleeping. A monitor with a long range is also really important. We have been through a few over the years, but I love the one we have been using since our third baby. This one still has service if we go across the street to our neighbor’s house and it can hold up to 4 cameras. We have video monitors in all of our kids’ rooms to this day.
8. Milk Snob Cover – This product is new to me with Cora. I’ve used other carseat and nursing covers before, but never loved them like I do this one. The material is super soft and light-weight and I love how versatile it is. I’ve used it as a carseat cover and nursing cover, but it can also be used as a seat cover (for restaurant high-chairs or shopping carts). There are several prints to choose from, too.
That’s a wrap for the products that I loved and used the most during Cora’s first six months. I hope you found it helpful if you are expecting or have a new baby. I’ll be keeping a list of my favorite products for the 6-12 month age, too.
Thanks for reading and sharing with your friends!
~ Amy