It’s been two years since I wrote this post the first time. You can read it here. This new list is revised and different. This one is probably more appropriately called a gift-guide. None of these are necessarily must-haves but they’re fun to have! Della is a completely different baby than Owen – except in the sleeping department. (We had a promising start, but it’s not looking good lately.) I’ve had way too much fun with the pretty girl things and despite Alex’s eye rolls every time I bring home more packages from the post office, I can’t stop. He tolerates it because Della has him wrapped around her little finger and she looks so cute in all of it.
1. Our Yala bamboo blanket was a gift for Owen but we didn’t use it since he hated being swaddled. Della loves being swaddled and we have come to realize this blanket is fantastic. For a swaddle blanket, I prefer this to the super expensive Alex + Anais muslin ones. It isn’t too heavy and is great for babies who don’t need a super tight swaddle. Della likes to move her arms but when they bust out completely, she freaks out. This one contains her arms but isn’t quite to straight jacket status.
2. Mint & Arrows cocoons and headbands are the best invention since toast. Megan is a mom and sews them all by hand. I have come to hate swaddle blankets, they’re bulky and I’m terrible at swaddling. These little cocoons are super easy to put on, you just slip on from the feet and pull up. Arms can be in or out and they’re the perfect weight. Plus they come in so many cute patterns that make for fun photo ops. Functional and adorable! They’re affordable and worth every penny. We have a few of them and desperately wish I could own them all. I’m all about her headband grab bags, too!
3. Modern Burlap blankets make wonderful gifts and are perfect for pictures. I know I just got done saying I don’t like swaddle blankets and I still don’t. But these blankets are too fun.
4. Naturesutten pacifiers are a life saver. From the day she was born, I knew she’d either be a pacifier baby or find her fingers/thumb eventually. I don’t have a preference either way, but I waited until about a week ago to offer her a pacifier. I wanted to make sure we got well established in the breastfeeding department first since babies use different muscles to suck on a pacifier. She doesn’t have to have it, but she doesn’t mind it. She’s a snuggler and wants to be held all hours of the day so the pacifier is great when I need to put her down to spend some time with Owen. I’m not giving it to her during the night because I would rather she not rely on it to sleep. Give me a couple more weeks of these sleepless nights and I might tell you a different story, though. I prefer the Naturesutten pacifiers because they’re very natural and safe. That and they’re European and I’m homesick for Europe.
5. Ryan & Rose cutie clips are adorable and prevent the pacifier from getting into all the germs. It’s a bit too big for her yet but I usually clip it to my shirt and tuck the pacifier inside my nursing tank when she’s not using it.
6. The Solly Baby wrap is amazing! My friend Mary Ellen introduced me to these wraps and I’m so glad she did. I was just about to buy one when I found this striped one for sale on our base flea market Facebook page for cheap. It was brand new! She sleeps so well in it and I’m able to get stuff done around the house and play with Owen. We also walk to the commissary or BX almost daily (there isn’t much else to do here) and since she really hates her carseat, I just put her in the Solly wrap and she usually sleeps until we get home.
The fabric is lighter, less stretchy, and the patterns they come in are so cute! It’s the same overwhelming amount of fabric but once I tie it to my liking, she stays put rather than slowly slips down. They just had a sale and I couldn’t resist a blush pink one from her just released SS16 line. Having two Solly wraps will be nice because this one is almost always covered in spit up and needing washed and I use it daily.
7. Little Pearwood booties > baby socks. She is currently on maternity leave, but has shown sneak peeks of the new SS16 line and I’m so excited. These booties rock because they don’t fall off. Unless they’re from Old Navy or Baby Gap, I hate putting socks on Della.
8. Marpac DOHM-DS natural white noise machine is fantastic for sleeping with. Babies (and myself) love white noise and this little thing is the answer to all our problems. I think once we move Della to her own room we’ll buy two more…one for Owen and one for us!
9. Ubbi diaper pail is definitely a must-have in your home. I love it because you can use regular tall kitchen bags or buy their reusable one. I let the wet diapers sit in the trash can for a day or so until I could get around to emptying it, but the stinky ones go out immediately. There’s a trash chute at the end of our hall that’s convenient but I ended up setting the dirty diapers by the door until I could get around to taking it out and they’d stink up the whole apartment. With the Ubbi, I put everything in there and only get a nasty whiff if I forget to hold my breath. It really contains stink well! (I put a dryer sheet with a drop of essential oil in the can and that actually seems to help with the odors.) Did I mention it holds several days worth of Della and Owen diapers?!
10. Milk Snob covers were created by a mama of three and are dual purpose car seat cover and nursing cover. I love love love this cover. They’re stylish, sleek and modern. They’re roomy and long enough to breastfeed with. I struggle with nursing covers but this one is a breeze to use. It’s more like a baggy shirt than a cover. I want one for each diaper bag so I’m never without! (I don’t have a picture but you can get the idea from the pictures on their website).
Other loved items:
– The Kate Spade “Stevie” diaper bag is still serving me well!
– The Boppy pillow for nursing
– Cloth diapers make the best burp cloths. We also lay one under her bum when changing diapers. It has saved us many times!
– All of the headbands, but specifically: Mint & Arrows, Mae Flowers Handmade, Baby Bling Bows, Baby Beans & Me
xoxo!