Well,
my first "must haves" post seemed to help a lot of my friends at the beginning with baby, so I thought I'd post the things that I have used since, or at least that I still used up until this point. If you have a friend that is expecting, you may direct them to the early blog post and then this one. Again, this is just what I used and have LOVED. Everyone is different! Happy reading...
Feeding:
1. Cereal- We started with
rice cereal mixed with breast milk (then formula w/ cereal, then water with cereal). We didn't start C on cereal until she was 4 mos. old. We didn't put it in her bottle, but rather, gave it to her in the evening in between her late afternoon and evening bottle. We bought
this kind.
2. Baby Food- I decided to make my own baby food, thanks to help of my mother--in-law, her sister, and Nanny. They bought this
BabyCook machine as a shower gift with this
Baby Puree book, and it was wonderful. You could store the baby food in ice cubes and then put in plastic bags, but we bought
these containers for the freezer instead. We had 4 trays of them, and we still use them now. The BabyCook machine is kind of pricey, and I've heard that Babies R Us has a
cheaper version that steams and purees together similarly to the BabyCook. You'll just have to chance it with this one, as I've only used and loved the BabyCook.
3. Formula- Fortunately I was able to nurse C for 8 and a 1/2 mos., but then when I got pregnant, it wasn't a possibility anymore, so I switched to formula. We
used this formula and had NO problems at all. No tummy issues, etc... great! We also use this
formula dispenser to take the formula on the go. It has been great. Thank goodness we are almost done with formula!
4. Feeding Utencils- We started with
these spoons, and then we moved to
these when she got bigger. These
snack cups and
snack trap have been great for snacks and food on the go. Just make sure you get the lid that is sold separately to cover the snacks that you want to keep fresh. You'll see it next to the snack trap.
5. Cups for drinking- Claire stopped using bottles around 9 months. If you are still using bottles, make sure that you switch to the nipples that are level 2-4, depending on your baby. We started giving her sippy cups around 6 mos to practice with water and juice, and then, once she got the hang of it, we gave her a sippy cup of milk once a day, then all but the last feeding, then the last feeding. It wasn't very difficult to transition for her. Here is the Born Free Cup-the
first cup we tried (she preferred a softer spout for teething), then these
Tilty cups, then these
Avent ones with the hard top (they do make them in the soft tops now). Now, C didn't like handles. My suggestion to save you money and time is to buy the ones that have removable handles just in case. Also, think about what size your baby's bottle is, and try to find a sippy cup that is similar in size if you can. Right now, we have about 4-5 sippy cups that we use and these are Claire's favorites. She just moved to the cheap
take and toss kind, which is nice. It also comes with a travel cap. All babies are different...We are hoping to move to regular cups, soon!
6.
Sippy Cup Grip- this was great for attaching to sippy cups so they don't get lost. I also use it to attach snack cups and toys to her stroller. :)
6. Travel Booster seat on the go- We have a
table booster for home, but it's pretty bulky for travel. This
Munchkin booster has been AWESOME for travel. Not a necessity by any means, but if you go out a lot, send your child to grandparents or friends often, this is great.
7.
Feeding Placemat- We have loved having this when we go out to eat or if we take her to a friend's house to eat with the travel booster. They make disposable ones, but we like
this mat because it rolls up nice and neat in the diaper bag, it wipes clean, and is better for the environment. This same company also made a
"trough" bib which is great for on the go and wipe off messes. See more about bibs below...
8. Highchair- We have
this chicco highchair that I got at the jbf sale for super cheap, and it folds really compactly and has a removable tray. We also have
this booster, which will be great when #2 comes along in January, but you don't need both. I would say get whichever fits your situation best. A booster you will probably get the most "life" out of.
7. Snacks- The first snacks we gave C were these
organic puff snacks that dissolve. We did this snack only and added other things in (diced pears, bananas, ripe diced peaches, etc...) once she started to crawl or we could tell she could chew or handle things in her mouth. Then, we added these
corn puff snacks (which are her favorite, now... we have to limit them!)
8. Juice- Once we added in snacks (about 1-2 per day) and she was taking in less milk a day, we started her on water. Once a day or every other day, I will add about 2 oz of juice to about 2 oz of water.
This is the juice we've used. I always dilute it. It has way too much sugar for a baby in one serving. Yikes! For travel, they make this type of Juicy Juice in tiny juice boxes. We take these with us when we travel.
10. Bibs- Oh dear! I didn't think we needed that many bibs, but I was wrong! Once the baby starts eating, you will be washing A LOT of bibs. Just make sure you have at least one bib with a
lip at the bottom to catch food. We especially use a
bib like this with spaghetti and peas. :)
11. Plates and bowls- we just recently got a few small plastic plates and bowls, which have been great to start teaching C how to use bowls and plates. This wasn't until around 9 mos though. Before that, we just put her food on the high chair tray.
These plates are my favorite by Sassy because they come with a lid. Also by the same company, Sassy, we love this
on the go travel container. You can compartmentalize all of your food, snacks, etc... It's great for a sitter or if you go out and about and need to take several food or cereal items.
12. Washcloths- It sounds weird but I leave several baby washcloths in the kitchen to wipe C's face after dinner. It gets messy. So, if you find a sale on baby washcloths or if you have a lot, don't get rid of them. Use them for that messy face!
Playing:
Well, once C started to move around a lot or crawl, we had to put the activity mat away. She just didn't stay on it to play. We then used a bigger blanket filled with toys.
1.
Activity Gym/ Jumper- Once she could sit up, we started letting her play in
this. She still uses it now and she's almost a year old.
2. C used her
Bumbo seat for a while, but around 4-5 mos old., she really didn't like it anymore, so it went in the closet. It was great in the beginning when she started to sit up, though.
3. As I mentioned in my previous "must haves" post, we have
canvas bins all around the house for toys, burp cloths, etc... I decided to fill one with toys in the living room and one with books. The one with toys has at least 1-2 electronic toys, some soft blocks, some stackable blocks, a stuffed animal, and some sort of
teether. (see below)
4.
Activity Table- My sister gave us
this table to borrow (you can get them super cheap at a consignment store or on craigslist). It's great around 9 mos or when your baby starts to stand on his/her own.
5. Swing- Well, C has pretty much outgrown
her swing, but she does sit in in once a week to watch a 30 min.
Baby Einstein video with milk to give me a 30 min. break. Since she uses this swing once a week, I put it on here.
6.
Pack and Play- I put several toys in there for her, and each day C has about 45 min. of independent play time. It's in the playroom now, but before it was in our room or living room. You could also use a
Super yard or something, but this works well for us and we keep consistent toys in there to spark familiarity and creativity. (per Baby Wise)
7. Board books- hit up Half Price books or consignment sales and clean off the books, but get a ton. We have several bins of books and Claire loves just turning the pages in all of the books. You can't go wrong with books!
9. Electronic toy-
This toy is great to throw in the diaper bag and it's not annoying. She also loves this
laptop. I would try to find at least one that doesn't annoy you to provide a lot of entertainment for baby!
10. Blocks- stackable, soft, etc...
these blocks are similar to the ones that Claire has, and they are C's favorite, and we practice colors and counting with them.
11. Stuffed Animals- C always sleeps with a cuddly lamb, but she loves her other animals. We try to take one tiny stuffed animal with us when we travel for her to love with. :)
Teething:
Car Seat:
1. We just switched from the first car seat that we were in at the beginning, and we moved to this
Britax Car Seat that we got for a great price (on sale at Target).
Stroller:
We used the
Snap N Go until C could sit up. Then, we got a cheap umbrella stroller because we knew that #2 was coming, and we'd probably have to get a double stroller. If we weren't having a 2nd one so close, we may opt for a really nice umbrella stroller (again you can find these at consignment sales or Craigslist for cheap). If you plan on having a 2nd baby soon, you may look into a double stroller like we are getting, or a Sit N Stand.
Bathtime: (also known as Claire's favorite time...)
1. Bath- we moved C to the "big bath" once she was too big for her baby tub. If you have a sink that will work for awhile until baby can sit up. Once C could sit up, we put a towel down in the tub so she wouldn't slip. Once she was sitting up really well, we removed the towel.
2.
Frog Pod- We love this to store all of C's tub toys. Highly recommended if you like to save space!
3. Washcloths- we have several that we still use, although we stopped using the
Bath Luve (that I mentioned in the last post), we still use tons of washcloths.
4. Tub toys- we have tons of these too. This includes a
bath book, which is just fun to have for chewing and teething, too!
Baby Proofing:
2. Double Touch Plug Outlet covers-
These are great for things you can't unplug (computer, tv, etc...)
4.
Fireplace covers- this was to protect her head from the brick. We also got cushions similar to
this (only in khaki) to put on top of our fireplace for extra seating and protection.
5. Baby Gate- We use
this infant gate in our playroom now, but it can be used in other rooms if need be. I bought it at Once Upon a Child for next to nearly nothing!
Well... I think that's all for now! I'll get back to you after year one with my Mommy McSpadden Must Haves after year 1 (and Must Haves for 2 babies!) Email me or message me if you ever have any questions. Of course these aren't necessarily things you "need," they sure do make things a lot easier! What a blessed society we live in...
Happy Mommy (and Daddy) time!
