Welcome to Day 3 of A Week of Sundays!
Yesterday I shared the practical products that we think all new parents should be armed with before baby arrives. Today I am sharing another list of items that really helped us out and may or may not help you out as well. Depending on your lifestyle and your sweet baby's preferences, the items below may be jackpot first-year-lifesavers for you or they may not. But we both agree they are all definitely worth the time and money it takes to at least give them a try!
Hands down, my favorite investment for the first 6 months of Sunday's life. You all know I love this thing. For more info, read my reviews here and here. (I love it so much I wrote about it twice!)
This is another carrier we love. Tommy especially enjoys it because it is a little more structured, it has much less of a learning curve, and he likes the colors, too. :) I started using it more often when Sunday was about 6 months old because it was super fast to click on and go when we were out in public. I enjoy it just as much as my ring sling and I am glad we had them both around this year.
3. California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash
Sometime around the time we started bathing Sunday more regularly (as in more than once every 5 days), my mom bought us a large bottle of this stuff. I LOVE it. I know this is going to sound weird, but I really love the smell of it. It's actually unscented but it just smells so fresh and clean. It's super safe for baby's skin and I used it both as a bubble bath and a body/hair wash. It lasted us all the way up until about a week ago! It's a bit pricey so add it to your registry if you can. I am hoping my mom will gift us some more for Christmas. :)
I really didn't expect to use these as often as I do - but they are awesome! These organic food pouches are truly made with only organic foods. No chemicals, no food dyes. And they are so convenient. I always have 2 or 3 in Sunday's diaper bag in case we have a change of plans at the last minute (story of my life). They are a little pricey so I try to only plan to use them while we are traveling and of course they come in handy as an emergency diaper bag food too. I'd use them all the time if Sunday didn't ever have to learn how to chew real food. But you know, I would like her to be a functioning person in society some day. :)
5. Manhattan Toys
LOVE these toys! They are super versatile - and made to last longer than the average toy both in quality and product. The Baby Whoozit is awesome because one side is black and white striped - perfect for the just-days-old baby - and the entire toy will function as a great car pillow for the traveling older child. All the fun stuff that hangs off of it (rattles, squeaky toys, etc) is just icing on the cake that helps entertain any child from newborn to 3 years at least. I definitely support spending the extra dollars for these toys!
Sunday loves her sock monkey and I know she's not the only one because Cracker Barrel currently has a massive Sock Monkey display set up just in time for the holidays. I think the trend is returning! Tommy originally bought Sunday a sock monkey as the start of a tradition. He wanted it to be something between him and her - Daddy buys the Sock Monkey stuff for Sunday. We love that they are timeless and we will probably be able to always find some sort of sock monkey to add to a collection in the future. It helps that she loves the two that she has already!
Tommy and I joke that we are probably the only family in the world that uses cloth diapers but disposable bibs! Hah. But these have been a lifesaver for us when we eat out. We eat out at restaurants regularly and I was not that great at pulling out and cleaning Sunday's bibs after every meal. When I saw my sister in law using these genius bibs with Sunday's cousin, Lora, I went out and bought a box right away! They come in a box of about 30 and we aren't even halfway through them yet (we eat out at least once a week). They are super convenient, they have a little pocket at the bottom, and I can ball them up and pile them with our dirty napkins at the end of the night! So nice.
8. Graco Bumper Jumper (with tray!)
Just say no to the Johnny Jump Up. Sunday was able to sit up/stand in this jumper comfortably as early as 2 and a half months and she LOVED it! If I waited until she fit into the Johnny (Jenny) Jump Up - well - we would never have used it. By the time she did fit into that brand of jumper, she was no longer interested in jumping. Plus it just looks uncomfortable. So, if you are interested in getting a jumper for your baby I would highly suggest this Graco one over all the others. We didn't use the tray much - but it was nice to have to put a toy on if she was especially fussy.
9. Sensio 13330 Bella Cucina 12-Piece Rocket Blender
Once Sunday started eating real food, I got tired of blending 3 meals a day and washing the blender every single time. Fast. Okay, the truth is, I didn't wash it all that often. Which meant that sometimes she just got crackers to nibble on because I was lazy. I finally ran out to WalMart and bought a $20 blender system similar to this one. I figured if it didn't last that long, I could return it. And if it DID last a while, it was definitely worth the $20 I'd pay for it.
I'm so glad I bought it because I LOVE this thing! The best part is I'll blend up a concoction of food and since I'm only blending one serving at a time, it's okay if Sunday doesn't like it! I just toss it and try a new combination. It no longer has to be this big process of making a huge batch and washing the blender and yadda yadda.
In addition, I can use this non-baby-specific-blender for MY needs as well. Like making smoothies! I make green smoothies with it regularly and I just drink them right out of the blending cup. So super convenient!
By the way - I cannot for the life of me find another way to get Sunday to eat her greens except by blending them into things. I don't think she likes the cold of smoothies in her mouth because I have tried just about every combination of her favorite fruits (even without the greens) and no dice. So I feed her a soupy dish at least once a week with some greens blended into it, but that isn't enough greens for her! Any suggestions?
10. Stork Craft Hoop Glider and Ottoman Set
I know a baby glider is kind of a "duh" item, but I really didn't know how much I was going to use this! It was mostly a furniture piece in my mind as we were setting up her nursery. You know, "And the glider will go there... (but-I-may-or-may-not-ever-use-it)"
In the beginning I was *gasp* too big to fit in it with all the pillow props necessary for our breastfeeding adventures (adventures is a nice word, challenges really is more like it). But eventually I needed less pillow support and I lost some weight and the glider became part of our routine. It's where we go when it's time to sleep. If we are in the glider and Sunday is being held and rocked, it is sleepy time. This has been a great routine for us especially because we otherwise do not have much of a routine around here, so we all really value our glider time.
So those are our favorite products! What was something YOU loved but didn't see on our list? I'd love for you to share in the comments so other moms can see your ideas!!
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Don’t forget about the Goose Beary Shop Giveaway going on this week! hop over to check out the goods and submit your entry to win a cutie dolly!
Week of Sundays: Day 1 | Goose Beary Shop Giveaway! A Week of Sundays: Day 2 | Our Must Have Products for Baby’s First Year, pt. 1 A Week of Sundays: Day 4 | Things My Daughter Has Taught Me A Week of Sundays: Day 5 | A year in pictures A Week of Sundays: Day 6 | Things about Sunday Quinn I am thankful for A Week of Sundays: Day 7 | Sunday’s Birthday Party
