My Favorite Baby Gear

Hi all! Hope everyone is getting as excited as I am about Holiday Season! I couldn't wait to put up my Christmas tree so I did it the day after Halloween.

Gift season is almost here and I thought I'd share some of my fave baby supplies that I can't live without. They'd make amazing gifts and stocking-stuffers to some of the new mommas out there.

I'm a huge believer in baby-wearing. There are so many potential benefits with baby-wearing, like, increased cognitive and speech development and increased lactation. My fave benefit though is how calming it can be for a baby to be worn close to your chest. When Saji is fussy, I pop him into a sling and he falls asleep quickly. My favorite is a ring-sling made by Sakura Bloom.  It is so easy to get baby into it and is easy to move around with. You can also breastfeed in it and use the tail to cover up.  They come in so many different colors and fabrics that I think I want to invest in a few more! They just launched a jet-black version geared towards men.....it would be perfect for Viv.  I also have an Ergocarrier that I'm dying to try out but I want to wait until Saji gets a little bigger.

Snug in his Sakura Bloom sling while we put up Holiday decorations.

....and again at the pumpkin patch!

When I first came home after having Saji, I was exhausted and nursing like crazy.  I had a hard time remembering when last I nursed and from which side....until I discovered nursing bracelets.  They have beads that represent intervals of time like on a clock.  You use a charm to mark off when last you nursed.  Also, you can wear it on the wrist of the side you last nursed from. I tried using an app to log everything but it just wasn't practical.  It felt like a chore logging info into an app every hour.  The bracelet was a better option for me.  There are so many pretty ones out there. I opted for this one.

Sporting my nursing bracelet while scarfing down a tamale at the farmer's market. That tamale was so freaking gooood!

I'm a huge fan of all things Honest Co. We use their diapers, wipes, bath products, and more.  My favorite products are their Organic Nipple Balm and Soothing Bottom Wash.  The balm is so moisturizing and isn't overly greasy.  I even use it on Saji's lips when he has little blisters or dry skin from bad latches and it heals so quickly.  The Bottom Wash is great for when wipes aren't enough. When he has a huge blow out, I just spray some on and wipe off. It gets the job done. 

 Swaddle cloths are everything right now. Saji will not sleep long enough unless he is swaddled. I thought I could get away with using those fancy designer cloths but he just wiggles out of them. I found that Circo Receiving Blankets work great for tiny newborns. We use 2 blankets and do a double-swaddle to make sure he's extra secure. He's grown so much and is now too tall for those blankets so I opted for some hospital-grade cloths. These are the ones I'm currently using. They are thicker than the Circo ones but it's perfect for the cooler weather right now.

Throwback to the days when he was small enough to fit into the Circo blankies.

Saji still sleeps in our room at night, but will nap in his crib during the day. We needed a good baby monitor to keep an eye on him. This one by Infant Optics is great! You can zoom, tilt, and pan with the remote.  The display turns off if there's no noise in the baby's room. But once baby makes noises, it comes back on and there's a series of lights that light up on the side of the remote to tell you how loud the baby is crying. It saves me a lot of trips up and down the stairs to check on him.

There are so many cute decorative crib mobiles out there but we opted for a different type of mobile. This Wimmer-Ferguson mobile has different shapes and colors to stimulate baby's brain at different stages.  They have simple black and white shapes for younger babies and more complex designs with colors for older babies.  Saji really loves this mobile and tries to reach for the little cards. We ended up buying an extra one for his changing table to keep him occupied during diaper changes. Since it does stimulate the brain, we do have to remove it before naptime otherwise Saji would never sleep, but it's super easy to remove.

What are some of your fave baby gear?