my baby must haves

Seeing as how this is my third pregnancy I have managed to get down what is worth the money at the baby store and what is a waste of my money and space.  Of course things change over time and I had my first baby in 2004.  It seems like every year there are these new fabulous items for baby that were unheard of the year before.  Here is a few of my favorite things and I even threw in a few new items I'm excited about trying so I bought them to try with this baby.


The Moby Wrap.  I made my own with my last baby and loved it.  This time I'm going for the real deal. 

If you want to make your own.  Buy a queen sheet and cut it in half (longwise).  Sew the two top parts of the sheet together very securely and you have a Moby wrap (minus the logo).  The nice part about making your own is that you can choose a patterned fabric which is much more forgiving when baby spits up.



Another great carrier for when baby is older is the Baby Bjorn.  I used my baby carrier so much with my last baby that it broke.  To be honest I hardly even used a stroller cause my little girl was always strapped to me. 

 

I have nursed both kids and plan on nursing this one as well.  The Nursing cover up  (mine is a Hooter Hiders brand) is fantastic.  The boning around the top opens up the blanket and allows air flow and a chance for you to see your little one while nursing.  I love mine. 

We purchased a fancy digital monitor with my daughter thinking it would keep us from hearing our neighbors with monitors.  To be honest it was a great monitor with a clear connection until it broke.  When it broke I realized all my neighbors are older and there aren't any babies on this block so I went with a cheap monitor.

I often get static but we have found different ways to avoid that (moving the monitor to another space usually works).  Unless I was having a problem picking up other people's monitors or found a killer deal on an over priced digital monitor I'd go with these cheap-o safety first monitors.

Super soft over sized burp cloths are a must!  Here is the link to the one I pictured above from Etsy.  I have always made my own and usually use flannel because it's absorbant.  This time I made some using chenille (like the photo) and they are soooo soft.  If I have time I'll try to put up a tutorial for these because they are so easy to make and so worth it.

Another great Etsy find is the car seat canopy.  These are so nice to keep out rain, wind, or even nosey people who want to touch your baby.  I love this version because it has an openning in the front so you can check on baby or crack open without having to remove the whole cover.  Here is the link to this cover.

 This is another item that would be so easy to make.  You could even convert anice baby blanket into one of these by adding velcro straps.  I plan on making one soon.  We'll see how it turns out.

A definite baby favorite is the Halo Swaddle Sac.  My babies (like most) loved to be swaddled so I bought myself a few of these for this new little guy.

I also bought some of these muslin blankets which are supposed to be great for swaddling as well.  I figured that since I am having this baby at the end of summer it might be warm.  I have never tried these but I'm hopeful.

Last but certainly not least is this cd.  I must have the world's loudest stomach because my kids were comforted by the vacuum or lawn mower as infants.  I put this cd on when we are in the car and the baby is crying and she went right to sleep and slept longer with it.  I am a big fan of The Happiest Baby on the Block book and dvd as well. 

Well, those are a few of my favorite things.  I'm sure that once I hit the publish button another thing will come to me.  Do you have a favorite thing that I didn't mention?