Looking back, baby items we couldn't live without!

Here's another one of those posts that I started 2 weeks ago but never finished. I thought it would be fun to look back and see what 'baby things' we have used the most over the past 6 months. Some of these are things we once used, some we have been using since we brought Kaylee home(I still think the term 'brought her home' sounds funny...like we went to the hospital and picked her out, filled out some papers and bam... we have a baby!) and some we have just recently started using.


1. Summer Infant Baby Video Monitor: I love this thing! When I was pregnant and too fat to get off the couch I would sit at home and research all of the baby products, trying to figure out what I needed and what I didn't have to have. I saw a lot of good reviews on this but still thought, a monitor is a monitor right? As long as you can hear them, that's all that matters... not! This has saved me many trips into Kaylee's room or wherever she is sleeping! I can see if she is actually crying because she is waking up or if she is just making noises as she is moving around. Plus, back when choking was constantly an issue, I would sit and watch the monitor while she slept because I was so afraid she would choke and not make a noise like she usually did.

2. Fisher Price Swing: It's almost like there are stages as babies grow up and there's that one big item/toy that they love. For about the first 3 months the swing was Kaylee's favorite place to be! When her reflux got bad, it was the only place she could 1/2 way comfortably nap during the day. I remember how small she was (well, small compared to now) when we brought her home and put her in it. After about 3 months she started to get to the point where she could lean over the side and hang off the edge of the swing. I didn't put a picture on here, but we also bought a Boppy brand travel swing when she was about 2 months old. She only got a little over a month's worth of use out of it but it was nice to have downstairs (since the larger swing was upstairs) and we could move it around to whichever room we were in. Looking back it's funny because I always had to take the toy bar off the travel swing because she would get so fussy and overstimulated (or mad because at the time she didn't know how to play with it) while looking at it.

3. Fisher Price Glowing Seahorse: Ahh... the seahorse! I don't know if it's the glow, the music or the combination of both but Kaylee loves 'seahorsey.' Anytime she takes a nap or when we put her in bed for the night, we always turn this thing on and she will stare at it until she falls asleep!

4. Graco Pack n Play(with all the extras): This is another one of those things I was tempted to cut corners on and just buy the basic pack n play without any of the extras like the bassinet, music, light, vibration or changing table and I'm so glad I didn't! The changing table was something we used quite a bit for the first month or so... back when we didn't want to change her on the bed because we were afraid of accidents (which it probably was a good thing we didn't because Kaylee had many accidents on this changing pad... conveniently when she didn't have a diaper on). We don't really use it anymore now because she is too big for it and it's much easier to change her on the bed (no more accidents these days). The bassinet part is something else that I love. I really wish I had a picture to post on here of the mattress pad part of the bassinet. It is basically a padded piece of cardboard (or something like it) and the weight limit is 15lbs.... Kaylee is 22lbs and you should see the permanent indention she has left on the mattress pad! I need to get a new one and just get rid of the bassinet part but I really don't want to because when we lay her in the bottom of the play yard she usually wakes up while you are lowering her down plus I like being able to see her from my bed while she is in the bassinet. The light feature hasn't been used much... it's not that bright, but the vibration and music feature have been great. The vibration was a lifesaver when her reflux was out of control and the only way to get her to sleep at night was to constantly keep turning that thing on. The music part is something that we still use... even with the music of her seahorse because it plays for quite a bit longer! If there has been one thing that we have definitely got our moneys worth out of, it's been the pack and play!

5. Graduates Biter Biscuits: Technically this is supposed to be for babies 10 months and up or those who are crawling, but Kaylee loves these things! The only bad part about them is they are very messy... so it is something that she gets every other night, on bath night! These are great when we need some time to clean up the kitchen before Daniel gives Kaylee her bath. One of these will pretty much buy you 20-30 minutes of happiness from her!

6. Diaper Genie II: I have read mixed reviews on Diaper Genies... but I'm so glad we got one! This was actually a gift from a family member and it has been so nice to have! I should've actually bought another one to go in our room (instead of the covered trash can that we use), but it's nice to never have to smell dirty diapers in Kaylee's room!

7. Changing Table: So many people have told me, "you don't need a changing table, it's a waste of money," but I really don't know what we would do without it! It's nice to be able to change Kaylee without having to bend over to reach her (on the couch) or change her in the floor. Plus the 3 drawers come in handy (especially since these are the only drawers we have) for having her clothes within reach when we change her. We have the same changing table that is in the picture below. And another thing that comes in handy, that goes along with the changing table, is the diaper caddy that hangs over the side of it. My mom got this for us after we brought Kaylee home and it is so nice to have diapers, wipes, lotions, creams and her hairbrush all right there.

8. Bumbo Seat: This was only used for about 2 months or so, but I think it definitely helped her learn how to sit up and strengthen her neck. Once she learned how to sit up in the seat without my help and it was time to start solid foods, I used this all the time for her to sit in while I fed her. I would still be using it now but she started to get too big for it and seemed uncomfortable every time I put her in it.

9. Bright Starts Jumper: This is one of those things that I am tempted to say, Kaylee couldn't live without. She spends a lot of time playing with her toys in her jumper and bouncing while watching Nick Jr. There are times that she doesn't even want to be held and will cry until I put her in this thing. This was a early Christmas present from her Grandma & Grandpa and is by far her favorite 'toy'!

10. Summer Infant Baby Spa Tub: Another thing I thought I could get by with (why is it that everything I thought I could do without, I ended up getting and using the most), is the baby spa tub. Thank goodness my mom went to Babies R Us a few days after we brought Kaylee home and bought us this tub to use. It's great because of the little shower sprayer thing that comes with it... so much easier than using a cup to pour water on her head and listening to her scream because she doesn't like it!

11. Primo Bath Tub: Around 5 months, Kaylee started to get too long for the infant tub but still wasn't ready for the big tub. I am so glad we found this tub... it has 2 sides, one for her to lean back while taking a bath and the other to sit up. Right now she is using the side where she can lay down but hopefully before long she will be able to sit up long enough for us to be able to give her a bath!

12. Fisher Price Rocking Chair: I'm noticing a trend with all of the Fisher Price stuff! This was another present from Kaylee's Grandma & Grandpa. She still uses it and is finally playing with the toys on the bar. We got it when she was 2 months old and at the time, it was a lifesaver when it came to giving Kaylee her meds (when she was on Prevacid). It would sit her at the perfect angle so that we could give the medicine to her without spilling it everywhere (ahh... looking back on those days like it was years ago...thinking the struggle with the medicine would never end...). The chair also vibrates which, once again, was good for the reflux issue. This chair was where she first got her legs going...she would kick as hard as she good to get the chair rocking as fast as possible!

13. Graco High Chair: Didn't think I'd need this either... I figured I could just find a way to get by without it. I was wrong... again... this was yet another present from Kaylee's Grandma & Grandpa (what I can't figure out is why didn't they just send us all this stuff in the beginning?!?!), and feeding time has been sooo much easier since then! I can already tell Kaylee is a little impatient because once I get her strapped in and put the tray on the highchair, she will bang her fists on the tray until I feed her! It's cute for now... but we will see how long that lasts!

So those are the main things I can think of that we use the most. I should've done this at like 3 months and then this post at 6 months but that is just another one of those things that I meant to do, but never got around to it... Maybe I will get around to doing another one of these at 12 months!