Friday, April 10, 2009

Mr. Boppy, Will you marry me?

I intended to have a great post this weekend about the progress we were making in moving the Gal from 6 to 5 feedings and moving her sleep schedule around.

Remember when I said "The only predictable thing about parenting is that it always changes" .... huh ... turns out I was right! Girly is sick this weekend and it just seemed too cruel to move everything around on her. Plus, if she woke during the night, I needed to be able to interpret what was going on ... hungry? not tired? stuffy? fever? .... there were just too many variables. Will try again soon ....

So, in the meantime, I thought I would give a little snapshot of our favorite things these days. A good friend just posted on her blog about the things her 6-week-old son loves, and I was inspired again!

The Boppy continues to be a can't-live-without-it item for us. I use it every time I nurse. Girly doesn't sit propped in it as much as she used to, but it is great for when she has a stuffy head. If we had a big house I would consider getting two - I am always chasing that thing around. I also think you really only need 1 cover for 1 boppy, unless your baby is a crazy spitter-upper. I can almost always catch any mess with a burpcloth.

Speaking of ... burpcloths are a lifesaver. I bet we had 25 when we brought the Girl home and my mother famously wondered, out loud, exactly what we would be doing with all of them. I'll tell you what - we'll be spitting and drooling and spitting some more. And, we don't even have a spitty baby! You can't have too many (unless you want to do laundry every day).

Our next favorite thing right now is the dangly-toy-bar-flashy-thing. You know what that is, right? This is a 3-in-1 exersaucer and that arched toy bar comes off as a separate toy.
We borrowed the Baby Einstein playmat from a friend and Girly used to be mesmerized by the flashy music face. Now, it isn't as entertaining and she prefers to bat at the toys on this bar. As a side note, this exersaucer was recalled (just needed a special part). Check here for a Product Recall Finder.

Girly continues to dislike her baby Papasan chair. It vibrates and plays music, but she couldn't care less. There is no way to predict what your baby will like or dislike, but I think she might have preferred a true bouncy seat. This BabyBjorn chair is especially stylish. Pricey, but stylish. (That's important, right?)

The Bumbo is an enigma to me. It is darn cute to see her sitting in it, but she just sits there. It isn't very entertaining for her. (But it is for me!) I have had a few friends say that it was useful when their babies started eating cereal and weren't quite ready for the high chair. Time will tell ...

I have had a stroller revelation. As an owner of 3 strollers, who has barely used 1, I encourage you to consider carefully when choosing the best stroller for you and your lifestyle. As a first time Mom, it sure seemed like I needed THE STROLLER. I find the Bugaboo to be just darling, but even I wasn't crazy enough to shell out the $$ for it. I ended up with the Zooper Waltz.

I have been happy with it and it satisfied my desire for safety, style, price and originality. It works well and is one of the lighter strollers (of the travel system variety) out there. If I had to do it again; however, I would skip this stroller in favor of a Snap N Go.

This is a much less expensive option that still fulfills the need of holding the infant carrier. I would have spent my money on a jog stroller (I hear the BOB is good). Jog stroller? Me? I know - I thought the same thing. I don't jog. But, even the typical stroller just doesn't cut it on walks around the neighborhood. I think 3 strollers are probably ideal - some inexpensive device that holds the infant carrier, a jog stroller for walks/runs, and an umbrella stroller for when baby is bigger. (I do have the Maclaren and am looking forward to using it!)

I did some shopping this week and the lucky Girl has a few goodies in the mail ... Green to Grow bottles, Kipiis Clips, Tilty Cups and Sophie the Giraffe. I previously signed up for emails from Right Start - they have great kiddy items and send discounts now and then (prompting the shopping).

Also ... the First Aid Edition:
- Nose suckers: I like the blue one from the hospital the best, although they are a little big for newborn nostrils. Get several - one for each floor / each room where you might need it. I am always chasing it around ...
- Saline drops for the nose: These work great to loosen the gunk, and inexplicably, the bottle runs out super fast. Buy several to have on hand, and just get the generic version.
- Sleep positioner: I think I wrote about this before, but the Girl just wiggles right out of the wedge positioner, so it isn't very safe to have in her crib. I find it easier (and cheaper) to just raise the head of her mattress by putting a folded blanket or two under there.
- Thermometer: I have yet to take a rectal temperature, and am not looking forward to it. Girly hasn't been too sick, so the axillary temp works fine. Our Uncle-pediatrician recommended the temporal artery thermometer, but we don't have one yet.

So much stuff for a 13 pound creature! I find myself scanning the room now while Girly nurses to find spaces that will work for hidden storage ... oy.

1 comment:

Carrie said...

Baby stuff is crazy-maybe one of the best exhibits of marketing. I cannot stress enough-borrow, borrow, borrow. If you get 3 months use out of something in the beginning-job well done. I don't know how you have gone without a bouncy seat though. We had to get a second one from the local "kid swap" store. The bumbo is good-Jack would sit in it on the counter while we cooked and ate. I know-how could we have put our baby on the counter? Don't call CPS on us but he liked it. Sam was a different story. It took him approximately 10 minutes to figure out how to stretch and flip out of it. No counter for him.
You will love Sophie!