Ok before I start I just have to say
I cannot believe my baby is six months old today! Tonight we ate/played with some avocado and I just kept picturing us assist-feeding him with a syringe when he was just a few days old. It was so stressful, and at the time I was impressed when he would finish an ounce! I'll post more about our first solid experience when I upload my pictures...
I've already talked about a few of Luca's early favorites, and because I love posts like this I'll continue with a few of the smaller (but just as loved) toys and accessories we use a lot. We do still use some of them, but they were really useful in the first few months.
Black and White by Tana Hoban
Luca loved loved this book and still does during tummy time. We talk about the different pictures, and he actually follows with me from picture to picture.
This link on BabyCenter talks about baby's developing eyesight month by month, and it gives great suggestions on how to stimulate each stage of vision development. This book does a great job of keeping baby's attention, even when they may not love tummy time (like a certain baby I know).
Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror
My friend Lindsey gave us this mirror (and the black and white book!) because her baby loved it too! Luca loves his reflection and he's started to recognize his movements in the mirror. The first few months, we really couldn't do tummy time without something stimulating, so this mirror and the black and white book were favorites.
Puj Tub
(obviously not Luca, but here's the tub)
The debate is out there for many moms I know: do you really need an infant tub? My answer (obviously) is yes, although I do understand why others think they are not necessary. When Luca first came home from the hospital, all we had was the huge Primo tub, and there was not a chance I was going to lean over that enormous tub to bathe my tiny little peanut. Because Luca was a month early, he was tiny and really didn't need a huge tub. So for a few weeks, we actually used the pink bin they give you in the hospital and it worked just fine. But as Luca grew he really needed a better wash and his neck folds needed desperately to be cleaned every day, and it was hard without a place for him to recline while I washed. I do think that if you have a second person around every time you're bathing your little one, co-showering can work. But for us, it just didn't make sense so I took the recommendation from my friend
That Wife and purchased the Puj tub. Here's the disclaimer about this tub: it doesn't fit into all sinks, and it only works if your baby likes it! But if it works, it's a huge life and back saver during the first few months. Luckily it fit perfectly in our sink, and we put a towel at the foot end of the sink when Luca started to kick a little. But when he really started to kick, we moved to the much bigger Primo tub, which I hated at first but now love.
Nosefrida snot sucker
If you told me a year ago I would be sucking my baby's boogers instead of using a regular aspirator, I would call you crazy. I had read the raving reviews when I was researching for our registry, but I never felt it was going to be a necessary item. But when we got home and tried the regular aspirator I knew there had to be a better option. I still use this ALL the time. Not only does it get out a ton more than the others, I can see what comes out- color and amount. I guess it's the control freak in me that loves this:) There's another huge plus to this item, though- you can actually clean it unlike the traditional nasal aspirators. Seriously, if you're going to have a baby or you have an infant this is a must have.
When I was looking for the link for the nosefrida, I came across the only other product made by Fridababy- it's called
the Windi, and I'm sort of speechless... (and no, this is not one of our favorites!)
Here's the basic description: The Windi is a single-use catheter that helps babies get rid of excess gas. It's too bad Luca isn't a gassy baby- The cover makes me seriously laugh, and part of me wants to try it because of that:) But if you have a gassy baby, this might be worth a shot!
And the award for totally unnecessary item, but something we love goes to the
Prince Lionheart Wipe warmer. I really have no practical reason to love this other than I like the way it looks in our nursery and it keeps the wipes warm and moist (which I find funny because the reviews online sometimes say it dries out wipes- definitely not our experience). It also provides a little light, and is now the only night light in Luca's nursery. It's definitely not a must-have, but if you are gifted it and you don't love the look of a wipe container in your nursery, this will do the trick.
So that's it for the 0-3 month favorites (if you missed part one, click
here). I actually have a bunch more, but it's time to move onto the next stage..
Any 6+ month favorites you would like to suggest? Did I mention I can't believe my baby is 6 months old today?!
